The deck instantly erupted with sounds of disbelief and jaws dropping to the floor.
But soon after, quite a few people began showing expressions of sudden realization.
"Thinking about it carefully… that actually makes sense?" one crewman analyzed while stroking his chin.
"Our captain came from the West Blue, right? And this is the deep sea of the Grand Line. They're separated by such a huge distance… having different languages actually sounds pretty normal."
That explanation somehow earned widespread nods of agreement.
Watching his companions go from hopeful anticipation, to utter confusion, and finally to inventing a perfectly reasonable explanation themselves, Riberra Sami maintained his outward look of regret and helplessness while secretly letting out a massive sigh of relief inside.
Thank god… fooled them again.
At that moment, the glowing jellyfish also seemed to lose interest in the ship. Swaying its massive body gently, it slowly drifted back into the deeper darkness behind them.
"Alright, alright! Stop obsessing over dialect problems."
Riberra Sami clapped his hands, pulling everyone's attention back toward the actual voyage.
"Since we can't rely on a local guide, we'll continue trusting Hans's navigation and the Log Pose! Everyone stay alert and continue forward!"
The journey that followed seemed almost like compensation for the terrifying waterfall descent earlier.
It was comparatively stable—
Yet filled with the bizarre wonders unique to the deep sea.
They passed through a vast region of underwater volcanoes.
Through the bubble membrane, faint crimson glows could be seen beneath them, along with the jagged silhouettes of dormant volcanic mountains lurking in the darkness.
The seawater here grew noticeably warmer, and streams of bubbles drifted lazily upward from cracks in the seabed.
Fortunately, these underwater volcanoes appeared to be dormant, showing no signs of eruption, allowing the Flaming Fang to pass safely through.
After leaving the volcanic region behind, something rather unexpected happened.
Along the way, they encountered no attacks whatsoever from giant sea beasts or monstrous fish.
Perhaps because the Flaming Fang maintained near-total dark navigation, avoiding excessive lighting that might attract attention.
Additionally, under Sami's orders, every crew member capable of using Observation Haki kept their senses active at all times, functioning as living sonar systems to detect and avoid potential dangers ahead of time.
This cautious navigation through absolute darkness avoided combat—
But it also placed an enormous burden on everyone's nerves.
Until finally—
Ahead of them appeared a colossal undersea trench so deep its bottom couldn't even be seen, radiating an ominous darkness that sent chills down the spine.
Hans carefully guided the ship along its edge.
"Everyone, pay attention!" Hans's voice rang out through the speaking tube once more.
"According to the Log Pose and navigation records, we're about to begin the final descent! Same as before—secure yourselves! Once we go down this time, we should directly reach the target waters!"
"Understood!"
The crew had already prepared themselves in advance, firmly securing their bodies once again.
Adjusting its posture, the Flaming Fang began descending yet again.
The endless darkness seemed eternal, devouring all light and sound alike.
Yet after what felt like an eternity—
"Huh? Wait… what's that down there…?"
"There's light! I see it too!"
"The light's getting brighter! But this is ten thousand meters underwater!"
Eyes that had adapted to the darkness were suddenly stimulated by the growing brilliance rising from below, causing many crewmen to squint reflexively.
The light wasn't some blinding singular source.
Rather, it was a soft and dreamlike radiance, gradually dispelling the ink-black deep sea and dyeing the surrounding waters with a faint silver glow.
Standing at the bow, Riberra Sami gazed at the rising light emerging from the abyss, and a smile finally appeared on his face.
"There's no mistake…"
"The only place capable of radiating light on this scale at the bottom of the deep sea…"
"…is there."
He turned toward the crew.
"Brothers—we've arrived!"
After a brief moment of silence—
Thunderous cheers exploded across the Flaming Fang.
"We're here?! We really made it?!"
"Fish-Man Island?! That light is coming from Fish-Man Island?!"
"YESSS! We actually reached ten thousand meters underwater!"
"Hans!" Riberra Sami laughed while looking toward the helm room. "The final sprint is yours! Head straight toward that light—full speed ahead!"
"Roger, Captain! Flaming Fang, full speed ahead! Destination—FISH-MAN ISLAND! CHARGE——!"
As the Flaming Fang continued forward, the light rising from the abyss became clearer and clearer, until it completely dispelled the final remnants of darkness from their journey.
Then—
An utterly breathtaking sight unfolded before the entire crew.
Within the endless deep sea stood a fantastical island completely enclosed inside an unimaginably gigantic transparent bubble!
The island itself was lush and verdant, with strange architectural silhouettes and winding terrain faintly visible within.
The soft glow emitted by the island refracted and scattered through the giant outer bubble, transforming into a dazzling halo of rainbow-colored light that illuminated the vast surrounding waters.
In the absolute depths of the ocean, it resembled a gigantic pearl lost to the mortal world—
Or perhaps a self-sustaining crystal kingdom from a dream.
"W-We really made it…! Fish-Man Island!"
"WAAAAAHHH—! It's so beautiful! It looks like something out of a dream!"
"The light… such warm light! That suffocating feeling from staying in darkness for so long disappeared instantly!"
"The legendary super tourist destination of the Grand Line! A dream kingdom!"
"MERMAID GIRLS! THE JELLYFISH PIRATES HAVE ARRIVED——!!!"
The cold and loneliness of the deep sea seemed to melt away beneath that radiant glow.
The crew pressed themselves against the bubble membrane, eyes wide with astonishment.
All the fear and anxiety accumulated during the long descent vanished completely under the brilliance of the dreamlike island.
"Look at that bubble!" Marcus pointed toward the outer layer surrounding Fish-Man Island.
"My god… the gigantic bubble wrapping the whole island! How huge is that thing?!"
"It's probably based on the same principles as our ship coating," Hans muttered in amazement, "but the scale and level of application are worlds apart."
Now wasn't the time for deeper analysis.
Sami's eyes swept rapidly across the island until he quickly locked onto the target.
At one section of the gigantic bubble was an unmistakably artificial entrance passage.
"Hans!" Riberra Sami pointed toward it. "See that entrance? Adjust course—we're entering Fish-Man Island through there!"
"Understood, Captain! Entrance confirmed!"
As Hans turned the helm, he simultaneously directed the sail crews to make fine adjustments.
Under his control, the Flaming Fang carved a graceful arc through the deep sea, its bow slowly aligning with the entrance passage leading into Fish-Man Island.
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