At eight thousand meters, a grating, malicious laugh burst through the Eclipse's hull via a voice projector.
"Bahahahaha! Found you! Finally found you!"
Everyone turned to look.
In the firelight, a ghost ship appeared off the Eclipse's port bow. It was battered and ragged, lacking even a proper coating, yet it sailed through the deep sea without issue. A broad-striped tiger shark fish-man with four legs and a tiny top hat stood at the bow, clutching a stack of wanted posters. His eyes were wild with greed.
"Portgas D. Ace! The captain with a 1.57 billion bounty!"
Van der Decken IX licked his lips and pointed at the Eclipse. "Wadatsumi! Smash that black ship to pieces! The treasure and women inside are all mine!"
"ROOOOAR!"
A bald giant, nearly as large as the Eclipse itself and shaped like a fleshy sphere, lumbered out from behind the ghost ship. Wadatsumi raised a massive fist capable of shattering mountains and brought it crashing down toward the Eclipse's coating.
"Captain, there's a pervert." Shark stepped forward, the Samehada on his back letting out an excited shriek.
"Deal with him. Keep the big guy. He might be useful."
Ace remained at the bow, his gaze fixed on the unique scenery of the deep sea.
"Yes."
Shark took a single step and vanished.
In the next instant, within the pitch-black depths of eight thousand meters, a wave of dark, brutal fist pressure surged forward. It mixed with violent currents and met Wadatsumi's giant punch head-on.
BOOM!
The entire deep sea shuddered violently.
The sound of thunder rolled through the water. Shark's fist collided with the mountain-like knuckles of Wadatsumi. The once-calm currents became a chaotic maelstrom. The resulting shockwave ripped through the surrounding water, shredding several small Sea Kings that had been lurking nearby into chunks of meat.
"Oh? You actually blocked Wadatsumi's punch?"
Van der Decken IX's eyes widened on the ghost ship. "Bahahahaha! You've got some skills, fish-man. But picking a fight with the Flying Pirates in the deep sea is a mistake!"
"Flying Pirates?"
Shark floated steadily in the water. The Samehada on his back sprayed excited bubbles. He stared coldly at the giant fish-man. "Trash that hides in the gutter, clinging to an ancestor's flag. Don't call yourselves pirates."
"What did you say?!" Van der Decken flew into a rage and hurled a massive axe. "Die!"
"A cheap trick."
The water jets on Samehada snapped shut.
BOOM!
A stream of ultra-high-pressure water shot out, striking the axe with perfect accuracy. The force shattered it to splinters.
"Wadatsumi! What are you doing?! Tear him apart!" Van der Decken raged from the bow.
"Yes... Captain."
Wadatsumi's dull, massive head shook. He was about to raise his fists again when a terrifying pressure swept over him from the direction of the Eclipse. It was a pressure that made his soul tremble.
HWOOO!
In that moment, the sea around Wadatsumi felt like a mountain pressing down on him. He couldn't move a single finger. His huge eyes filled with terror as he stared at the man in the red trench coat standing at the Eclipse's bow.
"Don't waste your energy."
Ace's voice came clearly through a Tone Dial from within the coating.
"Shark, finish this quickly. Bring me that four-legged piece of garbage."
"Understood."
A cold glint flashed in Shark's eyes. His body vanished.
"Fish-Man Karate: 7000 Tile Kick!"
Using Samehada's propulsion, Shark moved like a dark-cyan lightning bolt. He appeared beneath Wadatsumi's abdomen. His right leg, coated in jet-black Armament Haki, swept out in a devastating arc.
BAM!
Wadatsumi's colossal body was lifted off the seafloor by the kick. Blood spewed from his mouth in great gouts. He crashed into the trench wall behind him, triggering a massive rockslide.
"Wadatsumi! You useless piece of-!"
Van der Decken IX stood on the wreckage of his ghost ship. He flung his right arm, and several giant axes arced through the currents with strange trajectories, aiming for the back of Shark's head.
"Just these little tricks?"
Shark didn't even look back. He reached behind him and drew Samehada. A single, powerful swing of the wide blade sent a shockwave through the water, shattering the axes into fragments.
Before Van der Decken could react, Shark was in front of him. His dark grayish-blue hands clamped around Van der Decken's neck like iron pincers. He lifted the fish-man clean off the deck.
"Let... let me go!" Van der Decken's four legs kicked wildly in the air. His face turned a sickly purple.
Shark ignored his struggles and swam back to the Eclipse's deck, carrying him like a sack of potatoes.
"Captain, I've brought him." Shark landed on the deck and slicked his wet, long hair back.
Ace rose from his deck chair. He glanced down at Van der Decken, who was trembling on the planks.
"Chopper, go get an apple."
Chopper was slightly confused, but he quickly ran to the infirmary and returned with a bright red apple.
Ace crouched down. A thick, dark smoke billowed from his right palm. The black smoke moved like a living thing, seeping into Van der Decken's mouth and nose.
"AAAAARGH!"
Van der Decken screamed in agony as his body convulsed. In just a few seconds, the black smoke forcibly dragged a transparent Devil Essence out of his body.
Ace took the apple from Chopper with his left hand and pressed his right hand down.
WHOOM!
The transparent essence rushed into the apple. The red skin of the fruit began to twist, intricate purple arabesque patterns surfacing across it.
"Extraction successful." Kuma watched the newly formed Devil Fruit, his tone flat.
The moment his fruit ability was ripped away, Van der Decken's pupils dilated. The ruthless pull of gravity tore him apart from the inside, and he stopped breathing.
"Keep the body for now." Ace casually pocketed the Mato Mato no Mi. "Consider it a welcoming gift for Fish-Man Island."
With Van der Decken disposed of, Ace looked out at the bald giant who was still trying to pull himself out of the rubble.
Ace, surrounded by a bubble, flew out of the coating and landed on the tip of Wadatsumi's massive nose. The giant was crying from the pain. Ace's fingertip ignited with a small plume of crimson-gold Nirvana Fire.
"Hold still. I'll heal you. Then you work for me."
The divine flame scattered across the deep wounds Shark had kicked into Wadatsumi. The gashes, which had exposed bone, quickly scabbed over and healed in the fire's glow. Wadatsumi blinked, touching his stomach. He looked at Ace with a mix of gratitude and fear.
"From now on, you follow this ship."
Ace pointed at the Eclipse. "Take the small Sea Kings that were killed just now. That's your rations. Follow behind. Understood?"
"Understood, new master." Wadatsumi's voice was a low rumble that vibrated through the surrounding water.
He obediently swam to the rear. His giant hands scooped up the massive Sea King corpses. Like a sentry carrying his provisions, he fell into line faithfully behind and below the Eclipse.
With the deep-sea trouble resolved, the Eclipse continued its descent.
Soon, a bright point of light appeared at the very bottom of the dark ocean.
"Look! Is that sunlight?!" Chopper pointed ahead.
The Eclipse pierced through the final deep-sea membrane. The world shifted in an instant.
The cold, dead void of the depths vanished. In its place was a dreamscape bathed in warm sunlight, filled with towering coral formations and schools of brilliantly colored fish.
Within a massive, double-layered hemispherical bubble, a prosperous and beautiful city came into view.
"We're finally here."
Ace stared at the gorgeous island ahead. A flicker of anticipation crossed his eyes.
Fish-Man Island.
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