Taro was too tired, so tired he barely had the strength to open his eyelids.
His body, caught in the currents, offered no resistance, nor could it.
The intense sunlight from the roots of the sun tree eve shone on him, and the shadows of several massive bodies hazily entered his vision.
Giant Sea Kings!
Are they finally here? Great!
Now, I can finally rest!
A strained smile tugged at the corner of Taro's mouth as he slowly closed his eyes.
Giant Sea Kings shaped like lions, zebras, frogs, snakes, and more took the thick anchor chains of the noah into their mouths, halting the ship's downward momentum.
"We've come!"
"We felt the 'King' calling us!"
"Dragging this ship is our duty!"
They spoke in unintelligible voices to Shirahoshi, who was still crying loudly.
Shirahoshi didn't seem to hear the voices of these Sea Kings, her head tilted back as she wailed.
The giant Sea Kings weren't surprised by the lack of response from Shirahoshi.
They looked at each other, their eyes revealing shock.
"The person our 'King' is waiting for shouldn't be him!"
"The 'King' born in that distant sea is indeed not this person!"
"But what's going on now?"
"Who knows? Times have changed; can the 'King' change too?"
"I don't know."
"At least our 'King' hasn't changed, so our task remains!"
"True... the damage to the noah isn't severe; it can be repaired, right?"
"Of course, we just need to keep waiting!"
"Will the meeting of the two Kings still happen?"
"It should. Although things have changed, that 'King' has indeed been born!"
As the giant Sea Kings conversed, they dragged the noah toward the Sea Forest.
"Cough, cough."
Re-encased in a bubble from the Bubble Coral, Taro coughed up two mouthfuls of bloody water and opened his eyes.
The massive and terrifying shadow of the noah had disappeared from above; in his sight was the large face of First Prince Shark Star.
Shark Star was holding Taro, looking at him with a face full of gratitude and concern.
Taro tried to speak but coughed up more bloody water; most of it was actually seawater.
He had almost drowned!
But the bloody water Taro coughed up scared Shark Star half to death. He frantically wagged his tail and swam toward Fish-Man Island.
"Doctor! Doctor!"
Shark Star carried Taro back to the plaza, shouting loudly, his face filled with anxiety.
"It hurts!"
Taro groaned. Dammit, it hurts so much!
His Meridians were shattered, his internal organs displaced, and his bones were swollen and numb under the pressure of the powerful currents.
He couldn't move at all now!
The entire plaza was silent; everyone's breathing was faint.
The shock Taro had brought them was too intense; they could hardly believe a human would go to such lengths for Fish-Man Island!
For a moment, everyone looked at Taro lying on the ground with complex expressions.
The palace doctor ran over and was also startled by the sight of the blood-covered Taro.
"Blood is still gushing from his left shoulder. He's lost too much blood and needs a transfusion as soon as possible!"
The doctor squatted beside Taro, performed a quick check, and shouted.
Quack!
You're trying to kill me, aren't you?
My blood type doesn't exist in this world!
Transfusion? Do you even know about rejection reactions?
Taro couldn't even manage a glare; his lips twitched.
"No... want a transfusion!"
"Lord Taro, I'll give you my blood!" Shirahoshi bent down, eyes full of tears, and held out her arm to Taro.
Taro almost spat out another mouthful of blood.
I said "Don't want a transfusion," not "No, I want a transfusion!"
Don't mess around; rejection reactions can kill!
"Lord Taro, what is your blood type?" the doctor asked softly. Clearly, the doctor knew about rejection reactions from incompatible blood types.
Receiving no response from Taro, the doctor prepared to draw blood for testing.
By this time, after a brief rest, Taro finally felt a bit better. He managed to say one sentence:
"Don't give me a transfusion. Just let me lie here!"
Hearing Taro say this, Shirahoshi instantly thought of her mother's final moments, when she also refused medical treatment.
"Waaah~"
Thinking Taro was dying, Shirahoshi wailed loudly, "Lord Taro, please don't die!"
The Minor Formless Skill began to circulate automatically again. A trace of Internal Energy emerged from his heart and began to flow through his internal organs and Meridians.
Then a second trace, a third, eventually gathering into a stream.
Although every movement brought piercing pain, Taro knew that as long as his Internal Energy began to circulate, his body was recovering.
"Shi... Shirahoshi..."
Taro softly called Shirahoshi's name.
Shirahoshi stopped crying, but her hands were still wiping away tears. She looked adorable!
"I won't die!"
Taro managed a smile. "Shirahoshi, well done! You protected Fish-Man Island!"
"Lord Taro...!" Shirahoshi murmured his name.
"Roar! Whoo!"
The entire Fish-Man Island erupted in cheers, wave after wave of applause.
Sherman and Grant arrived at the plaza with a group of Marine Soldiers and came before Taro.
"Vice Admiral Taro!"
"Vice Admiral...!"
Taro's eyes moved slightly. "You're here."
His voice was still weak, but his speech was much more coherent.
"Contact Mike and George. For the next three days, all coating work on the island is prohibited. Sink every pirate ship that tries to come to Fish-Man Island!"
Taro had no combat power right now. If someone came to take advantage of the situation, he would have no way to resist!
"Yes!"
Grant gave a military salute and took the order. He was completely won over by the power Taro had displayed today.
"Vice Admiral, should we take you back to the ship?" Sherman asked.
"No, I'll lie here and rest for a while. You go on!"
After the Marines left, Neptune approached.
"Taro, thank you! You are the hero of our Fish-Man Island!"
Taro felt helpless. "Forget about the hero stuff. Since I promised to protect Fish-Man Island, I will naturally do my best!"
Seeing that Neptune and the others still wanted to talk, Taro quickly spoke up, "You must have a lot to do, right?"
"Vander Decken is still inside the noah. Don't let him get away!"
Thanks a lot, I'm seriously injured here!
Every word he spoke caused a surge of pain throughout his body. He really didn't want to speak anymore.
Neptune gave Taro a deep look.
"Fukaboshi and Ryuboshi have already taken men to capture him. Don't worry!"
Taro's mouth twitched. He was speechless. Why didn't they understand?
"I really need to rest!"
Neptune was stunned for a moment, then nodded and led the group of Fishmen away to handle the aftermath.
Shirahoshi quietly stayed by Taro's side, just watching him without saying a word.
Taro smiled and closed his eyes.
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