Time quietly passed, and the Jellyfish Pirates peacefully spent their final days in the Sabaody Archipelago.
Perhaps Riberra Sami and his crew's previous disguises and withdrawal strategy had been thorough enough, because these past few days had gone surprisingly smoothly, without a single disturbance.
At the same time, the coating process for the Flaming Fang was finally completed.
Under the guidance of the coating craftsmen, the crew opened the specially designed valves and slowly injected air into the special resin membrane that had been applied over the ship's hull.
The transparent coating gradually expanded evenly until it formed an enormous bubble completely enveloping the Flaming Fang.
"Wooooow——!"
When the bubble fully formed, everyone standing on deck couldn't help but cry out in amazement.
Light refracted through the bubble's surface, covering everything aboard the ship in a dreamlike glow.
After confirming that every last supply had been loaded aboard, Riberra Sami finally gave the order.
"Detach the buoyancy bags!"
"Understood!"
As the ropes securing the flotation bags were cut, the large external air sacs quickly drifted away.
Without the support of the additional buoyancy, the Flaming Fang, now wrapped inside the massive coated bubble, sank slightly before beginning a slow descent beneath the sea surface.
"Raise sails! Begin descent!" Hans shouted from the helm.
"OHHHHHH——! Fish-Man Island, here we come!"
"Mermaids! Wait for me!"
The crew's initial cheers of excitement gradually gave way to far more complicated emotions as they descended deeper and deeper.
The light steadily dimmed.
The noise and sunlight of the surface world were mercilessly cut off above them.
Many crew members pressed themselves against the bubble wall, staring at the enormous mangrove roots rushing past outside and the increasingly dark blue depths beyond.
Unease and tension unconsciously appeared on their faces.
Riberra Sami looked around at the air membrane surrounding the ship and muttered quietly,
"This really makes no sense… The membrane is filled with air. Logically, that should increase buoyancy. So why does it let the ship sink instead?"
"Boss, if you can't figure it out, then don't overthink it!" Aldo grinned beside him.
His nerves were as thick as ever.
"H-Hey… don't you guys think this is a little… terrifying?"
One crew member swallowed hard, his voice trembling slightly as he pointed at the increasingly dark seawater outside the bubble.
"Look… there's still some light, but we're getting farther and farther away from the surface, and we just keep sinking!"
"Yeah… can this thin bubble really hold back the ocean?" another muttered anxiously.
"What if it bursts…?"
"It feels like we're already ridiculously far away from the human world."
"Hahaha! What's there to be scared of?!" Marcus laughed loudly as he slapped both men on the shoulders and pointed outside the ship.
"Look at those roots! The roots of the Yarukiman Mangroves are practically mountain ranges! A dreamlike view like this isn't something just anyone gets to see!"
Everyone followed Marcus's gesture.
Viewed from below, the colossal intertwining roots of the Yarukiman Mangroves carried an overwhelming grandeur and mystery within the deep blue sea unlike anything they had ever seen on land.
"…Yeah…"
"Looking at them from underneath really does feel different…"
But just as the crew's attention began shifting toward the scenery—
BOOM!
A gigantic monstrous fish nearly the size of the Flaming Fang suddenly burst out from the tangled shadows of the roots!
Its body was covered in dark-blue scales, and its gaping jaws revealed rows of terrifying fangs.
With a powerful flick of its tail, it charged directly toward the bubble-covered ship without hesitation!
"AAAAAAAHHHHH——!!!"
"SOMEONE SAVE US! IT'S COMING RIGHT AT US!!"
The two crewmen who had just been admiring the scenery instantly lost their minds and began screaming hysterically.
"Hmph. Perfect timing."
A sharp glint flashed through Marcus's eyes.
In an instant, he drew Chaos Sakura from his waist while jet-black Armament Haki rapidly coated the blade.
Facing the rapidly approaching monster fish, he lowered his stance and unleashed an incomparably fierce slash!
Sakura Style: Wavebreaker!
A crescent-shaped slash burst from the blade, passed straight through the bubble membrane, and struck the monster fish directly in the head!
"D-Did… did we kill it?"
The two trembling crewmen stared at the fish now floating belly-up before cautiously reaching out to touch the bubble wall.
"It… it didn't break!"
"This bubble… is insanely tough!"
Riberra Sami clapped his hands, drawing everyone's attention.
"Brothers, there's no need to panic excessively. The bubble surrounding us is extremely durable. Its principles are similar to the bubbles in Sabaody Archipelago that can support heavy weight. It has both elasticity and flexibility."
He paused briefly.
"In theory, we could even freely pass through it."
Then his expression turned serious.
"Of course, I don't recommend anyone trying that."
"As long as we remain inside and maintain stability, the bubble is safe."
He continued,
"However, that does not mean we can relax our guard! If this membrane is bitten by large sea beasts or smashed against rocks, it could rupture instantly. During the voyage, we must constantly avoid deep-sea creatures and underwater obstacles. As long as we don't act recklessly or damage the stability of the coating ourselves, our chances of safely reaching Fish-Man Island are very high."
"As expected of the captain! He's still calm even this deep underwater!"
"So it's actually this safe? Hearing the captain explain it makes me feel a lot better…"
After calming the crew, Riberra Sami entered the helm room and sat beside Hans.
"How are things looking, Hans?"
The navigator stared intently at the Log Pose before looking up.
"Our heading is correct. The needle points southwest. If we continue descending in this direction, we should eventually reach the descending current leading into the deep ocean."
"Southwest, huh? Good. Maintain course."
Riberra Sami nodded before casually tossing Hans a thick coat.
"Put this on. The temperature's about to drop fast."
Out on deck, the crew also began wrapping themselves in the winter clothing they had prepared earlier.
"So cold! The temperature difference between the surface and down here is insane!"
"Holy crap! Look ahead—! W-What is that?! How can there be a waterfall underwater?!"
A sudden scream rang out.
Everyone hurriedly looked forward.
In the darkness of the deep sea ahead, an incomparably vast torrent had appeared!
It roared violently, carrying immeasurable amounts of seawater downward into endless darkness like the entrance to hell itself.
The Flaming Fang was already being dragged by the terrifying current, accelerating rapidly toward the edge of the monstrous underwater waterfall!
"It's pitch black down there! We can't even see the bottom!"
"At this speed, if we fall into that thing we're dead! We'll be buried at the bottom of the ocean!"
"AAAAAHHH! MOMMY——! I'M GONNA DIE!!"
Panic instantly seized many hearts aboard the ship.
Henry rushed into the helm room in a single step.
His face had gone pale.
Perhaps because he had become a Devil Fruit user, his fear of the sea now seemed far stronger than before.
"Hans! Are you sure it's safe to fall into something like that at this speed?! The current's way too strong!"
"W-Well…" Hans gripped the helm tightly and swallowed hard.
"I-I'm not completely sure either… but according to every navigation book and record I bought… theoretically, it should work. This is supposed to be the mandatory route to Fish-Man Island…"
From the deck, Aldo's rough voice thundered through the ship, voicing the thoughts everyone shared.
"Hans! Be honest! Based on our ship's current situation, what are the chances we actually survive and make it to the New World?!"
Hans pressed his lips together.
Facing the tense gazes of everyone aboard, he finally forced out a number.
"Probably… fifty to sixty percent."
"FIFTY TO SIXTY PERCENT?!"
"ONLY A LITTLE OVER HALF?!"
"WAAAAAH! MOMMY——! I'M REALLY GONNA DIE——!!"
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