After a long while, Luffy slowly opened his eyes.
Beside him, Nami and the others were overjoyed.
"Luffy!!!"
"You're finally awake!!!"
"I'm..."
Luffy struggled to sit up. His entire body was wrapped in bandages. At first, he looked dazed, but he soon remembered what had happened. His eyes sharpened.
"Right!!! That huge guy!!!"
"He's already gone."
At the doorway of the palace chamber, an enormous figure walked in.
It was King Neptune, his face dark and grim. Beside him was Queen Otohime, tear tracks still visible on her face.
Looking at the Straw Hat Pirates, Neptune sighed. His eyes were filled with sorrow, and also confusion.
Where exactly was Fish-Man Island's future headed?
"Luffy-kun, you're awake."
After greeting him, Luffy immediately began asking what had happened.
Neptune sighed and answered.
"If you are asking about Sadgeo's whereabouts, he has already left Fish-Man Island and headed for the New World."
As he said this, Neptune's eyes became bloodshot. Beside him, Queen Otohime was so heartbroken that tears began falling again.
"Ah... he already left?!!!"
"What exactly happened?!!!"
Luffy froze for a moment, then angrily pressed him for answers.
"Sadgeo... no, the next time we meet, perhaps we will have to call him Lord Sadgeo. With Mr. Ozz refusing to govern the other half of Fish-Man Island, our island has, in a sense, already been tied to Dark Sun's warship..."
Neptune's gaze dimmed.
"I do not know whether this is good or bad for Fish-Man Island."
"Lord Sadgeo took Shirahoshi and a portion of our fish-man warriors with him. He left Fish-Man Island aboard Noah and headed for the New World!!!"
"What?!!!"
Luffy's pupils trembled.
"Cryhoshi got taken by that huge guy..."
At that moment, Zoro's mind also more or less cleared.
He frowned and looked at Neptune.
"Noah? That should be the name of the ship those Sea Kings lifted, right?"
"Even if Sadgeo is a giant, driving an island-sized ship like that by himself would be..."
He found it strange.
Putting aside the fact that Noah was already somewhat damaged, even if it were perfectly intact, it did not look like something one giant could simply sail away.
"The reason Noah can move through the sea is because of the Sea Kings."
"Sea Kings?"
Zoro and Luffy were stunned.
Nami explained for them.
"They're the Sea Kings that dragged Noah to Fish-Man Island. They've already left Fish-Man Island while pulling Noah."
"Ehhh!!!"
Luffy widened his mouth in disbelief. He felt like he had lost another round.
"Does that Sadgeo guy have the power to control Sea Kings too?!!!"
"Not Lord Sadgeo. It is my daughter, Shirahoshi."
Queen Otohime wiped away her tears and spoke with sorrow.
"She is the rare Sea King born among mermaids once every few centuries. She possesses the power to command Sea Kings. Dark Sun likely valued that ability."
"And..."
As someone who often communicated with humans, Queen Otohime was well-informed among merfolk. Together with the information carried by creatures of the sea, she had learned something else.
The moment she thought of it, she could not help covering her face and weeping. She nearly collapsed on the spot.
"And... the World Government... has launched a Buster Call against Sadgeo and the others!!!"
A Buster Call!!!
Among the Straw Hats, the one who reacted most strongly to those words was naturally Robin.
She stumbled back several steps, as if some painful memory had surfaced. Her pupils trembled violently.
"Robin-chwan!!!"
"Robin!!!"
"What's wrong?!"
Robin only waved her hand, indicating that she was fine, but her face remained pale.
"It's nothing. I just remembered something about the Buster Call."
"What is that?" Luffy asked with a frown.
Robin swallowed, closed her eyes, and recalled with a pained expression.
"It is the tragedy that once happened to my homeland, Ohara."
"It is a military operation launched by the World Government to completely annihilate everything at a designated location. It is led by at least five Marine vice admirals, or even an admiral, with ten warships and over ten thousand Marines raining down firepower."
"What?!!!"
The faces of every Straw Hat changed. They had not expected it to be that extreme.
Luffy struggled to stand.
His expression was terrifyingly dark.
"Doesn't that mean Cryhoshi is in danger?!!!"
"Calm down, Luffy!!!"
The other Straw Hats quickly stopped the extremely agitated Luffy.
Neptune, as a king and someone who had seen great storms before, was relatively calmer than the others.
"The Buster Call is indeed terrifying, but that also depends on who it is used against. Behind Lord Sadgeo stands a great figure."
"You mean Mr. Ozz, right?"
"Correct."
Neptune looked at Robin, who had spoken, and his gaze carried certainty.
Robin continued.
"As the World Government's ultimate instrument of violence, the Buster Call has indeed destroyed countless rebellious nations and great pirates."
"But it is not invincible. During Ohara, the Marine Buster Call fleet was forced to retreat before one man."
"Exactly. And Mr. Ozz will never allow this journey to end so easily."
Only after Sadgeo left did Neptune belatedly realize something.
A giant whose appearance and abilities were extremely similar to Joy Boy.
Noah.
Poseidon.
With that combination, given that man's personality, he would absolutely be interested.
Such a group would never fall at the entrance to the New World.
He was not confident in Sadgeo.
He had absolute faith in Ozz's overwhelming strength.
...
Meanwhile,
At the entrance to the New World.
On a stretch of sea not far from the Red Line, the waters had originally been calm. Many World Government ships used to pass through this area.
But now, all that remained was a solemn silence.
A vast Marine fleet filled the sea from horizon to horizon. There were far more than ten ships.
At the bow of the leading vessel, two figures stood, gazing toward the distant ocean.
One was a blind man. He seemed thoughtful as he raised his head slightly, his brows furrowing.
Beside him stood a man dressed in white clothing and a white hat.
"What is it, Fujitora?"
The man called Fujitora slowly drew his cane sword.
Rings of purple light circled around the blade as he spoke in a hoarse voice.
"Something enormous..."
"Is coming."
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