Elior appeared before Neptune and the others together with Shirahoshi in human form, which genuinely shocked Neptune and everyone present. After all, Shirahoshi had turned into a human: a slim young girl. Shirahoshi had also spent a great deal of time that day learning how to walk, which surprised even herself. Of course, the most surprising thing of all was that she could now follow Elior. Naturally, Shirahoshi was completely obedient to Elior's words, and a faint, hazy emotion had quietly taken root in the girl's heart.
"Sir, what exactly is going on?" Neptune and the others were utterly stunned. They could not understand why Shirahoshi's body had shrunk and transformed into that of a human. In response to Neptune's shock, Elior simply explained that he had turned Shirahoshi into a human and that there would be no harm caused by it.
The real reason Elior brought Shirahoshi before Neptune was to inform him that he intended to take her away. This was something Neptune could not refuse, even if he wanted to. He was not allowed to refuse at all. However, Elior once again reiterated that within the next few months he would completely overthrow the rule of the Celestial Dragons and that the order of the world would then be redefined by his hand. By that time, Fish-Man Island would truly be able to integrate into the world and stand on equal footing with humans.
Even though Neptune felt helpless, in the end, he had no choice but to agree to Elior's decision. "Sir, I only hope my daughter can remain safe. I... sigh..." Neptune understood very well that Elior was merely informing him. Even if he disagreed, Elior would still take Shirahoshi away. Fish-Man Island had absolutely no room to resist. It was no exaggeration to say that even a pirate crew led by a single Supernova could overthrow the Ryugu Kingdom.
Fish-Man Island had always been weak, otherwise, it would never have sought the protection of powerful pirates. One could easily imagine the sorrow and helplessness of the kingdom. In a world where the strong prey on the weak, this was simply reality, and there were fates even worse than this. Any resistance might only bring catastrophe upon Fish-Man Island.
That night, Elior took Shirahoshi and left Fish-Man Island. Using a spatial gate, Elior brought her directly into the dark depths of the sea. But the moment they emerged from the spatial gate, Elior cut through space itself, and a cubic spatial barrier enveloped both him and Shirahoshi.
"Big brother, where are we?" Shirahoshi looked around at the pitch-black sea in every direction, filled with curiosity and a hint of fear. It was like night: dark and cold. It was completely different from Fish-Man Island, which was filled with light. This was a world Shirahoshi had never experienced before.
The sea area where Elior and Shirahoshi now stood was located east of Fish-Man Island. But this region was far deeper than Fish-Man Island itself. The island lay ten thousand meters beneath the sea, while this place was nearly fifty thousand meters deep. There was absolutely no light here, only coldness and deathly silence. However, Elior could clearly sense enormous presences hidden in the darkness. It was the aura of unimaginable beasts. It felt comparable to Kaido in his dragon form, or even greater. There were three auras of that same level.
"Big brother, this place feels terrifying. I feel like there's something very scary here," Shirahoshi's body trembled slightly. This was her first time leaving Fish-Man Island, and fear of the unknown was inevitable.
"These are all Sea Kings that you can command," Elior said gently, placing a hand on Shirahoshi's head and calming her immediately. "Shirahoshi, I'm going to wake them up. After that, try to communicate with them."
Boom!
As soon as he finished speaking, Elior released his Conqueror's Haki to its absolute maximum. It was worth noting that Elior's Haki was no longer what it had been at the beginning: it had grown incomparably stronger. It had reached the highest level. The seawater immediately began to vibrate as an overwhelming spiritual pressure radiated outward from Elior, crushing into the darkness where the terrifying beings slept.
In the next instant, the entire sea trembled violently. Suddenly, lights appeared in the darkness like lanterns. But they were not lamps; they were six enormous eyes. Each one was larger than the World Government's largest warship, vessels hundreds of meters in length. And those were only their eyes. One could imagine just how massive their bodies truly were. There were three Sea Kings here. Even before arriving at Fish-Man Island, Elior had faintly sensed these monsters sleeping in the nearby deep sea. They were the true kings of the ocean: ancient beings that had lived for countless ages. And only Poseidon could command them.
Three pairs of colossal eyes opened fully, illuminating the deep sea. Their gaze alone was nightmarish, filled with overwhelming majesty and terror. They stared directly at Elior.
"A human brat?"
"What an incredible power. I haven't felt such force in countless years."
"But he is not the strongest. This child is still hiding something."
"The mermaid princess who carries the power of Poseidon, the king we have been waiting for, is also here."
"However, the king's power has not yet fully awakened."
The three Sea Kings swiftly approached Elior and Shirahoshi.
"Human insect," the three-headed Sea King glared at Elior with eyes like living nightmares. Yet Elior remained completely fearless. He understood that although these Sea Kings were powerful, they were no match for him. Even Kaido, after transforming into a dragon, would still rank beneath what stood here.
"Your king is her. You understand human language," Elior looked at them calmly and pointed toward Shirahoshi.
"That is correct," the central Sea King spoke.
"King... how many years have we waited?"
"It seems... hundreds of years," the Sea King murmured to itself.
Shirahoshi clutched Elior's right hand and looked at the Sea Kings nervously.
"Big brother... they seem to know me?"
"Shirahoshi, feel the power inside your body. Try to communicate with them. They are all your subordinates," Elior gently patted Shirahoshi's back. After all, the girl was still timid. For many years, she had been forced to live hidden inside shells, unable to truly experience or interact with the outside world.