The vast sea surface.
As the ship beneath her slowly decelerated and came to a stop, Vivi—now dressed in an elegant princess gown that made her look both graceful and adorably sweet—curiously turned to Rorschach, who was stretching and standing up lazily.
"Brother Rorschach, why are we stopping here?" she asked.
Hibari, who was sipping cola through a straw, also looked up in confusion.
Rorschach twisted his neck and wrists, letting out a series of crackling bone pops. With a faint smirk, he lightly jumped onto the ship's rail, gazing out at the endless blue sea.
"I want to eat takoyaki."
"Huh? Takoyaki?" Everyone on the ship was stunned.
They couldn't understand how Rorschach's mind worked—how he could suddenly crave takoyaki at a time like this.
The foot of the Red Line leading to the Holy Land was right before their eyes.
"You guys wait here, I'll be right back."
Leaving those words behind, Rorschach ignored Vivi's startled cry and dove straight into the deep sea with a splash.
"Brother Rorschach!"
When Vivi and the others rushed to the ship's side, all they saw were bubbles on the sea surface—Rorschach's figure had vanished.
"Did I see that right? Vice Admiral Rorschach jumped into the sea? Isn't he a Devil Fruit user?" Bell and Chaka were utterly dumbfounded.
"Relax. Seawater doesn't affect him. Have you forgotten how he saved us before?" Cobra said calmly, not worried at all.
Beneath the waves, a layer of compressed air and deep blue Armament Haki covered Rorschach's body, forming a barrier that completely isolated him from the surrounding seawater. He wasn't affected at all as he plunged downward toward the target locked by his Observation Haki.
At that same moment, aboard Neptune's ship—
Under everyone's gaze, Enel stepped to the bow. In an instant, his body turned into pure lightning, and the full power of his Rumble-Rumble Fruit erupted.
Terrifying bolts of lightning surged from his body, wrapping around the golden spear in his right hand. Enel hurled it toward the giant sea monster Kraken's whipping tentacles.
"Zzzzz... whoosh!"
In a flash of dazzling gold, the golden spear wrapped in 200 million volts of electricity shot through the bubble membrane ahead in a blur.
A moment later, the enormous tentacle—hundreds of meters long—was struck.
Though the spear was barely three meters long and seemed insignificant compared to the Kraken's colossal limb, the lightning surrounding it was a terrifying weapon of destruction.
In the depths of the sea, that lightning exploded outward. Bolts as thick as barrels extended from the golden spear, instantly piercing through the Kraken's entire tentacle, scorching and cracking it black.
The intense electrical current generated tremendous heat.
The seawater around the Kraken began to boil, bubbling violently as steam rose in torrents toward the surface.
"Lord Enel is amazing!" Shirahoshi exclaimed, her eyes sparkling as she pressed close to Enel. The fear she had felt moments ago vanished as she watched the Northern Sea Kraken writhing in agony.
Enel retracted the crackling lightning around him, shifted slightly to the side, lifted his chin coldly, and folded his arms.
"Hmph. Just a casual strike. It's nothing but a small octopus."
Shark Star approached, watching as the enormous Kraken thrashed wildly. "The Northern Sea Kraken's going berserk. We should move away before it hits us…"
"Don't worry. It's already dead," Enel said calmly, standing with arms crossed. His composed demeanor filled the nearby marines and Ryugu Kingdom guards with awe and excitement.
"Amazing! Colonel Enel!"
"So that's the power of the legendary Rumble-Rumble Fruit user! Even the Northern Sea Kraken couldn't withstand a single blow!"
Enel wasn't exaggerating.
In the deep sea outside the ship, the golden spear—still wrapped in lightning—continued its assault. After piercing the Kraken's massive tentacle and charring it, the spear shot straight into the monster's colossal body, lightning coursing through it without resistance.
Then, from within the Kraken's body, the terrifying energy exploded outward.
"Rumble!!!"
"Zzzzzz!!!"
Bolts of lightning tore through the Kraken's flesh, crackling across its mountain-sized body like a giant net of lightning, electrocuting it mercilessly.
Wherever the lightning passed, flesh burst open, leaving charred, gaping trenches.
Blood poured out in torrents, dyeing the surrounding seawater crimson.
The golden spear continued to discharge terrifying waves of electricity.
The Kraken's agonized roars echoed through the sea, vibrating everyone's eardrums painfully.
The sharp, piercing cries were like the wail of demons, making everyone aboard the ship wince in discomfort.
Suddenly, the eldest prince, Shark Star—who had been momentarily impressed by Enel's terrifying display—turned pale. Without hesitation, he swished his tail rapidly and dashed toward the bubble membrane mechanism that controlled the ship's protective coating.
His sudden action puzzled everyone nearby.
"Brother, what are you doing?" Shirahoshi asked, tilting her head in confusion.
"The seawater's heating up too fast! The ship's bubble membrane is about to burst! Fukaboshi, release all the buoyant logs—we need to rise to the surface immediately! Marines, gather around me! I'll wrap you in a new bubble before the main coating breaks, or else you'll be crushed and suffocate under the sea's pressure!"
Shark Star's urgent shout made everyone aboard turn pale.
The marines, in particular, looked in horror toward the bubble coating surrounding the ship.
Sure enough—
As Shark Star said, the glowing, soap-like bubble membrane was rapidly turning transparent.
Meanwhile, the Kraken's wild thrashing caused the surrounding seawater to slam violently against the membrane, making it tremble dangerously—as if it could burst at any second.
They were still thousands of meters below the surface.
If the protective coating broke now, the merfolk and fish-men might survive—but the humans would certainly perish.
"Colonel Enel! Quickly, get inside the bubble! You're a Devil Fruit user—if you're submerged, it's over!"
The marines didn't hesitate; they rushed toward Shark Star's position.
Those nearest to Enel grabbed him, pulling the stunned man toward the bubble generator.
"Fukaboshi! Shirahoshi! Be ready to save them! Once the coating breaks, we must get them to the surface immediately!"
Neptune shouted, his entire focus fixed on Enel.
No matter what, he couldn't allow this rising Navy star to die here.
"Yes, Father!" Shirahoshi replied firmly, her tear-filled blue eyes shining with resolve.
"Pop~."
A crisp snapping sound echoed like a death knell in everyone's ears.
The ship's protective bubble had burst.
Time seemed to freeze.
The marines' faces turned pale with despair as they watched the shattered coating vanish.
In the next moment, the rushing seawater would crush them all—and the ship beneath their feet would be pulverized by the deep-sea pressure.
Then, in that suspended moment of dread, a flash of silver lightning streaked across their vision.
A bolt of silver light pierced through the ocean from above, cutting through countless meters of seawater without resistance.
The Kraken's massive body and its flailing tentacles were impaled in an instant.
In Shirahoshi's wide, ocean-blue eyes, the reflection of a silver-haired, blue-eyed Navy youth appeared—descending like lightning outside the shattered ship.
He reached out his right hand toward the vessel.
From his fingertips surged a deep blue aura, spreading out instantly to envelop the entire ship.
It expanded like an alternate bubble membrane, holding back the crushing seawater and shielding the vessel completely.
"Enel, you're so lame."
End of Chapter)
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