Ethan raised his lips slightly and shouted loudly with the help of electric current to amplify his voice:
"Big Hippo, if you can let me ride you to Fishman Island, I will let you go."
The big hippo felt the big hand of seawater tightening on his body and agreed shamelessly:
"Mou~"
[Human, let me go, I agree.]
The creatures in the pirate world are so awesome that, as long as they have some spirituality, they can understand human words.
Ethan happily let go of the big hippo, flashed to its head, used the power of floating to control the seawater to form a water chain, tied the tentacles on its head and its feet, and then lay down happily.
"Let's go, big hippo!"
"Mou~" [Okay!]
The big hippo excitedly swung its tail and started to move forward.
Although it is large, its speed cannot be underestimated with its huge power and smooth skin; otherwise, Ethan would not be swallowed by it in the foreseen future.
The scenery in Ethan's eyes kept flashing back. It was really good to have a Sea King working for him. If he could control a large number of Sea Kings like Shirahoshi, wouldn't he be invincible?
Unfortunately, he let the Sea Kings work for him through intimidation and negotiation only.
And Shirahoshi's orders were mandatory, thanks to the natural suppression and ability from her bloodline.
If they controlled a Sea King simultaneously, Shirahoshi would undoubtedly gain control over it.
After an unknown amount of time, Ethan felt the seawater's flow slow down.
"Mou~~"
[Human, Fishman Island is ahead. I dare only send you to the bubble above. There is an extremely powerful presence that orders me not to enter the bubble.]
"Oh? Orders?" Ethan speculated on the meaning of its words. Could it be Shirahoshi?
"Big Hippo~ What will happen if you disobey orders? What if you die?" Ethan's tone was full of temptation.
"Mou!!!"
[I will never disobey orders!!!]
Seeing the firmness in its tone, Ethan did not push further and instead said bluntly:
"Then you should just send me to the bubble of Fishman Island. It will be harmless for me to go to the island myself."
"Mou~" [Okay~]
After a while, the big hippo finally arrived at their destination. Ethan yawned, looked at Fishman Island, and stood up, leaving the top of the big hippo.
"Goodbye~ Big Hippo."
Ethan waved goodbye. As a guide, the big hippo was undoubtedly qualified. He didn't even need to check the permanent pointer or adjust direction; the big hippo took him straight to Fishman Island.
"Mou~" [Goodbye, a good human who keeps his word.]
After the big hippo finished speaking, it turned and left without stopping, as if staying here a few seconds longer was torture.
Ethan looked at Fishman Island through the deep seawater, identified his location, and flew towards a place resembling a town.
Not knowing his way, he could only find a mermaid or fishman to guide him around Fishman Island.
While he could use his Observation Haki to search the area, he was only familiar with the appearances of Shirahoshi, Camie, and Madam Shyarly; he didn't know if he could spot them.
Passing through the huge double-layer semicircular bubble film shield and air layer around Fishman Island, the scene ahead transformed completely without the seawater as a filter.
Ethan's mind moved, and his Observation Haki spread swiftly, covering all of Fishman Island.
After one sweep, he didn't spot Shirahoshi, Camie, or Madam Shyarly.
Shirahoshi was likely in the Hard Shell Tower, while Camie and Madam Shyarly might be elsewhere or in a closed-off area.
Without hesitation, Ethan flew along his predetermined route.
...
A few minutes prior, at the entrance of Fishman Island in the communication corridor and security monitoring room:
This is where border guards monitor Fishman Island's surroundings and foreign ships. If foreign forces try to enter via Fishman Island's entrance or breach the double-layer bubble film, they would be detected.
"We aren't seeing things..." A kissing mermaid stared at the screen in panic, murmuring in disbelief:
"Why would a Sea King come to Fishman Island?"
The plump flipper mermaid beside her heard the news and came to look, also appearing shocked.
"This is really strange! The last time a Sea King came here was when Princess Otohime died..."
"Report to Ryugu Castle quickly! It'd be terrible if it attacked Fishman Island."
The kissing mermaid nodded and was about to pick up the Den Den Mushi to report when another exclamation interrupted her.
"Wait? Look, there's a human on that Sea King's head!"
"What!?" The kissing mermaid locked her gaze on the hippo's head. "It's really a human? Could he be able to control Sea Kings?"
"No! We have to report to Ryugu Castle immediately!" The flipper mermaid didn't hesitate and immediately dialed Ryugu Castle's Den Den Mushi.
"Bulu Bulu~ Boga~"
"Moshi Moshi~ This is Ryugu Castle."
"Big event!! There's a Sea King roughly 2,000 meters long rushing toward Fishman Island... No! It has reached the bubble surrounding Fishman Island but has stopped."
"What!! Is this real? Keep an eye on its movements!"
"There's a human on its head; he..."
The kissing mermaid took over, "That human appears to be communicating with the Sea King... Wait? That human is about to enter Fishman Island!!"
"A human??"
"The Sea King turned and left... The crisis is temporarily resolved, but that human has entered Fishman Island!"
"Send the video and the human's appearance to Ryugu Castle immediately! I'll inform the Left Minister and King Neptune right now!"
"Yes!" x2
...
Fishman Island, Fishman Street.
A group of fishmen were playing around a human pirate.
"Harmon Hammon~~Humans are so fragile. He died after just a short while."
The speaker, dressed like a gangster, was Hammond, a New Fish-Man Pirate member. His slightly curly hair shook as he spoke.
"Boss, one human isn't enough for everyone to play with. Let's find a few more!" the eel fishman said with a flattering look.
"Search? Where? Few humans reach Fishman Island, and most are strong pirates! I'm too lazy to fight them."
Hammond kicked the eel fishman away. If they hadn't grown up together, he might've suspected him of being an undercover fishman spy.
At that moment, a blue light flashed across the fishmen's faces, followed by an indifferent voice.
"Hey! Fishmen, who can tell me where Mermaid Bay is?"
Ethan dispersed the lightning and sat elegantly on the Void Gate.