Chapter 109

Through the thick bubble layer that encases the entire Fish Man island, one ship—one that belongs to the Sun pirates—entered. Hurriedly, Fisher Tiger jumped out of his ship and took a quick glance around,

"...What is happening."

The mesmerizing coral reef that mermaids love to dwell in was no more. The distant smokes and dusts, along with unpleasant noises, indicated that an intense battle was ongoing.

Grimacing, Fisher Tiger lifted his head up and gazed at Ryugu kingdom that lied outside the bubble dome that contained the Fish Man island.

"Jinbe! Get to Ryugu kingdom and ensure the safety of queen Otohime and Princess Shirahoshi!" Turning around, Fisher Tiger called, "Rest of you! Locate any injured personnel nearby and evacuate them to safety!"

"But what about you, big bro Ti?!" Shouted Jinbe.

Fisher Tiger clenched his fists, "Isn't it obvious?"

"Yes, big bro!" Arlong laughed maniacally, "How about I join you as well? To those puny humans who dared to attack our homeland..." His rage-filled bloodshot eyes widened in glee, "They shall know pain!!"

"Let me come with you, big bro Ti!" Jinbe refuted, ignoring Arlong, "It's 'Demon Heir' that we're talking about here—"

BOOM. Cutting off Jinbe's words was the sight of red-haired man crashing right onto the ground in front of the Sun pirates.

"Shanks?!" Jinbe cried as the red-haired man, 'Red Hair' Shanks, lifted his wounded body back up by supporting his weight with his sword.

"Ha... ha... dahahah..." Shanks then grinned as he wiped the blood off of his cheek and said, "It's been a while... Fisher Tiger and Jinbe."

BOOOM.

And then, the calamity itself—'Demon Heir' Douglas Bullet at his full glory—landed right in front of Shanks, grinning ominously. Just from the sheer Conqueror's Haki that phased through their spines, the Sun pirates were rendered immobile, unable to overcome the oppressiveness of Bullet's will.

"..."

In response to this, Shanks's eyes narrowed before he released his very own Conqueror's Haki—

Vroooooooooom.

The majority of the Sun pirates had to shield their faces as the pure pressure generated from the clash between two wills threatened to blow them away from the site. A few weak ones ended up losing their consciousness and fell with foams in their open mouths. Jinbe, feeling a cold sweat on his back, unconsciously gulped.

"Humans..." Arlong was found gritting his teeth in a supposed rage, but in contrast to such an expression, his body was trembling.

Fisher Tiger, glaring at the demonic giant ahead of them, encased his fists in Armament Haki, ready to fight anytime. Simultaneously, he said, "Jinbe, do what I said."

Although there existed a sense of humiliation in him, Jinbe ended up nodding, knowing that there was no place for him in this battle.

"Arlong!" Jinbe called while lifting the unconscious crew members, "We're getting out of here!"

"Grr..." Arlong slammed his fist on a nearby wall out of anger, but nonetheless complied, running away together with the rest of the Sun pirates.

Then, Fisher Tiger's form blurred,

BOOM!

meeting his right fist against the fist of a giant man with a green beard: Byrnndi World.

"Tck...!"

"Barororo... a newcomer, I see."

"Newcomer?" Fisher Tiger bickered, "I am a homelander."

Swoo...

And at last, the clash of wills between Shanks and Bullet ended, and as Fisher Tiger and Byrnndi World backed away from each other, Bullet stated,

"You've gotten entertaining, kid."

Bullet's eyes gleamed as he cracked his neck casually. Then, he lazily lifted his Armament-Haki-coated arm up,

CLANG!

parrying a bullet that was coming in his way. In annoyance, Bullet frowned and diverted his attention to the direction in which the bullet came from.

"Heh... surprised?"

It was Lucky Roux, bleeding from head to toe. Regardless, he chuckled while taking a bite out of dusty meat, as he held his smoking flintlock with his other hand.

"I give up, Bullet." Shanks then stated calmly, causing Bullet to raise his eyebrow, "I give up trying to convince you. You seem to have truly forgotten the values that we attained throughout years of sailing on captain Roger's ship..."

The sword held by Shanks, Gryphon, glowed in a vibrant red as Shanks operated Armament Haki: emission. Such process was finely done, as the sword has become sturdier, but at the same time, sharper.

"Kahahaha, that's it!" Bullet shouted jovially, "Fight me with all you got, and prove that you are worthy!! If not for the sake of fighting until our very end, why does humanity exist anyway?!!"

Subsequently, the noise of a bullet being fired was heard from Bullet's back. He raised his hand up once more to block against it, and,

Splash!

Bullet found his eyes widened as he realized that the bullet wasn't the usual metal, but instead, a bag of oil. The oil splashed all over Bullet, and the one who did this was,

"Beckman."

Shanks smiled before he began dashing toward Bullet while skidding his Haki-coated Gryphon against the ground.

'Gryphon Blaze.'

The friction generated from the skidding of Haki against the ground was converted into combustion energy that ignited into a hot red flame. Shanks slashed the blazing sword against Bullet, who dashed back to evade the attack from colliding into his oil-covered form.

However, Shanks's attack wasn't a simple slash. It produced a flame-covered sword arc that continued flying toward Bullet at a rapid pace, and,

WHOOSH!

blew up into a gigantic flame upon coming in contact with Bullet.

Lucky Roux said to himself, "Did it work...?"

"KAHAHAHA!!!"

And then, something unbelievable happened.

BOOOM!

Bullet, with his enormous strength, clapped his hands together. An incredible pressure of air was generated, in an attempt to blow away the flame that covered his body.

Beckman, from a far distance away, thought in disbelief, '...What a monster.'

BOOOOM!

BOOOOM!

BOOOOM!

Bullet clapped his hands at a blinding speed. The flame grew larger and larger as it ate the incoming oxygen, however, it successfully separated from the man's body in the end as the sprinkles of oil left his body. As the flaming oil fell to the ground and continued burning all across the battlefield, Shanks grimaced, for there was no sign of injury on Bullet's body.

"Your Armament Haki has gotten even stronger, I see," Whispered Shanks, before he raised his sword once more.

"What's with you relying on a petty trick like this, kid?!" Bullet snorted, "Why are you resorting to the way of weaklings?!"

Shanks and Bullet blasted from their spot simultaneously and upon clash between the blade and the fist,

PAZZZZZ!

the intense black lightning occurred, indicating that the battle wouldn't be over for a while.

__________

Usually, the Sabaody Archipelago is the final place that the travellers visit before entering Fish Man island. With Fish Man island technically being the Government-approved island that pays heavenly tribulations, it wasn't illegal to sell an Eternal Pose meant for the Fish Man island.

"That would be a hundred thousand Beli," Spoke a stoic-looking store owner as Smoker placed the Eternal Pose of Fish Man island on the counter.

Paying the appropriate sum, Smoker took the Eternal Pose and quickly rushed back to where Shakky's Rip-off Bar was located, Grove 13. There, he saw that Maynard was standing, dissatisfied, as he looked at the huge Marine warship that was sitting by on the ground.

"You are paying this plus ten million for the sake of..." Maynard growled, "...one small boat?"

Smoker replied seriously, "I'd rather not think about what I lost right now. Focus on reaching the Fish Man island."

Just when Smoker said so, Ray walked up to him and pointed at the boat that was sitting at the edge of the grove, "Done. I've placed an extra thick layer, so the safety is guaranteed—should last at least ten times longer than the usual coating on the usual-sized ship."

"What's the maximum speed that that boat can tolerate?" Asked Smoker.

"I cannot give you a specific number," Ray shook his head negatively, "But if the bubble layer begins to fluctuate violently, it means that the layer cannot sustain against the pressure any longer and that you must slow down."

"Noted."

Smoker, entering the bubble layer, sat down on the boat, and motioned his hand to Maynard, "You coming or not?"

"...Fuck. I have a bad feeling about this." Maynard cursed before entering and sitting behind Smoker. Due to his huge size, he was forced to bring his legs close to his chest and crouch in an uncomfortable pose.

"..." In a serious manner, Ray crossed his arms and conducted a quick inspection to ensure that there was no mistake in his work. Then, as Smoker spoke, Ray took a step back,

"Take the Eternal Pose. You're my navigator today."

Maynard exclaimed, "What?!"

"I'd consider that as yes. Now, hold tight."

"Wha—"

BRRRRRRRT!

Then, the back of the boat began farting out the white smoke, bringing Ray and Maynard to a surprise, and,

"W-Wait!!! Give me a second to—"

SPLASH!

with the huge wave of water, the boat disappeared into its depths.

Ray, upon witnessing such a scene, let out a light chuckle,

"...Oh, boy."

__________

"Grahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh," Maynard was utilizing all muscles in his body to prevent himself from falling out of the boat. Turning his eyes to the side, Maynard saw that the bubble layer was violently trembling, and shouted in fear,

"S-Slow down!!! Slow down, Smoker!!! This thing's going to burst!!!"

"No it won't," Said Smoker, "Focus on looking at that damn Eternal Pose and make sure that I'm going the right way."

While travelling at an incredibly fast speed, Maynard raised up the Eternal Pose in his hand and attempted his best to stare it. However, he ended up saying, "I can't see, Smoker!!! It's too dark in here!!!"

"Try this," Said Smoker as he snapped his fingers.

Boom!

A small explosion ensued, granting Maynard a faint source of light for a brief moment.

"Ah, I think I managed to get a glimpse of it now—cough cough, what the hell is this?!"

Smoker replied impassively, "Smoke, duh."

And so, the small boat containing two men descended recklessly, into the dark underwater full of danger.