“Seeking death.”
Kong Tai abruptly raised his head, his sapphire pupils fixing onto the dark shadow, which he could now clearly identify as a giant,幽蓝色巨瞳 (deep blue giant eye).
An aura of King's Haki, even more potent and overbearing than before, surged towards the colossal entity.
The gigantic being froze instantly. Its 幽蓝色巨瞳 (deep blue giant eye) lost its ferocity, retreating as if encountering something terrifying. Fear flickered in its gaze.
But before it could withdraw,
*Zing—!*
A crisp metallic tremor echoed through the silent abyss. Following it, a silver-gray sword light, like a celestial river in the deep sea, blazed with blinding intensity and slashed directly at the colossal entity.
*Swoosh—!*
Even at a depth of 3000 meters, under immense pressure, the seawater parted like jelly before the silver-gray slash.
Along with the water, the protruding head of the colossal being was severed.
*Clang—!*
The sword was sheathed.
The overbearing aura that had permeated the abyss retracted with the blade.
Kong Tai withdrew his gaze, controlling the Freedom, and followed the current, continuing its descent into the abyss from beneath the colossal entity's jaw.
Only after the Freedom had vanished did the seawater, severed by the silver-gray slash, slowly close.
The colossal beast's body, buffeted by the water's currents, split in two. Blood soon stained the entire sea area red.
It resembled a crimson mist rising from the ocean.
More dark shapes, like fish drawn to the scent of blood, converged from all directions, churning the entire abyss into a frenzy like a washing machine.
Sensing the commotion above, everyone on board looked upwards. However, due to the low visibility, they could only perceive patches of darkness, unable to discern what they were.
The Freedom continued its descent.
4000 meters.
5000 meters.
At this depth, complete darkness enveloped them. Only small fish, like fireflies in the night, emitted a faint blue glow, illuminating a small radius around them.
Yet, these small fish were numerous, like stars in the night sky, twinkling and bestowing a dreamlike aura upon the tranquil abyss.
Following the current, they moved forward.
The silver threads of the current, which had been flowing diagonally or horizontally, now reached a precipice and cascaded straight down.
Below the cliff, the abyss, contrary to the darkness above, grew brighter with depth.
Here, not only were there more bioluminescent fish, but luminous plants also began to appear on the cliff walls.
There were corals, seaweeds, and even mushrooms emitting a rainbow of colors.
All of this made the onlookers feel as though they had entered a fantastical underwater realm.
Yet, even more wondrous lay below. By 8000 meters, they could see what appeared to be a miniature sun at the bottom of the abyss, dispelling the darkness. Countless fish, unseen and unheard of by them, swam in circles around this tiny sun.
“Wow! The Dragon Palace, this is too magical!”
Ah Hua, leaning over the ship's railing, gazed downwards at the approaching miniature sun, his entire being filled with excitement, like a child.
Ah, wait. At this moment, they were indeed mere children.
Beside him, Ah Tao and Ah Luo also leaned over the railing, looking down.
By now, everyone understood that the massive luminous object was their destination.
In fact, since descending the precipice, they had stopped following the current and had descended directly towards the light source, thus progressing much faster than the Straw Hat Pirates in the original story.
However, unlike his companions' relaxed state, Kong Tai, seated at the bow of the ship, did not look down. Instead, he stared into the abyss ahead.
He could sense several immensely powerful beings far beyond ordinary Sea Kings in that direction.
The faint yet unparalleled pressure they emitted sent a shiver of apprehension even through him.
“These must be the super-gigantic Sea Kings!”
He had slain his fair share of Sea Kings, but they were mostly small, with few medium-sized ones, let alone super-gigantic ones.
Kong Tai stroked his chin with his thumb, his eyes lost in thought.
“Have they come here because they sense Princess Shirahoshi?”
From what he knew, these beings possessed high intelligence.
After all, their ages were beyond reckoning.
Though he hadn’t precisely measured their size or power, their length must have exceeded 5000 meters.
Being able to sense Princess Shirahoshi and gather here meant they were undoubtedly king-like monsters among Sea Kings.
While he wasn't afraid of such beings, he also had no desire to provoke them.
These creatures genuinely possessed the power to destroy the world.
Anyone surviving in this world feared these beings, even the World Government.
This world was, in essence, a world of oceans.
And the oceans were their domain. Fighting in their home turf would undoubtedly be disadvantageous.
“Forget it, they have nothing to do with me.”
Kong Tai lowered his hand, picked up a nearby wine gourd, took a swig, and then looked down at the approaching Fish-Man Island.
It was rather peculiar, he mused, that despite being called Fish-Man Island, its ruling class consisted entirely of merfolk.
He supposed merfolk were more intelligent than fish-men, given the distinction between fish and people.
“Hahaha!!”
These were mere whimsical thoughts.
Standing up, Kong Tai stepped off the Freedom, hovering outside its bow. He then stomped his foot downwards.
*Dong—!*
His light step landed with a resounding thud, akin to striking a drum.
Under this stomp, the Freedom, which had been drifting slowly downwards, suddenly accelerated, as if truly falling from a great height.
Despite the rapid descent, those on board the Freedom seemed unfazed, standing casually by the railing, their excitement growing as they saw the dreamlike architecture within the transparent shield becoming increasingly visible.
9000 meters.
9500 meters.
9900 meters.
10000 meters.
Suddenly, the view before them opened up dramatically.
The Freedom landed in a vast expanse.
Fish-Man Island was located at the bottom of the Red Line, where a passage led to the New World on the other side.
Here, the entire panorama of Fish-Man Island became clear.
It was indeed one of the most beautiful islands in the world of the Pirate King.
Its scenic beauty could rival that of Skypiea, and in some respects, it was even more breathtaking than that.
The island was enclosed by a massive, double-layered, semi-circular shield.
As for the light source here…
Kong Tai looked up, a flicker of curiosity in his sapphire eyes.
He could sense that it was indeed sunlight.
“Truly magical!”
To have trees capable of channeling sunlight to the deep sea.