As Poseidon, Shirahoshi is the master of the three-headed Sea Kings standing before her. Shirahoshi can rule them all. Even if they do not wish to, they must submit to the power and will of Poseidon. Following Poseidon is an instinct engraved into the Sea Kings themselves, like an ancestral command passed down through countless generations. It is a mission they must obey forever.
That king is Shirahoshi, standing before them. Even though she no longer looks like a mermaid, the power of Poseidon within her body can be clearly sensed by the three Sea King overlords. It is a power that forces absolute submission.
"Brother… am I really their king?" Shirahoshi was extremely timid. After all, three Sea Kings stood before her. Even though their bodies could not be fully seen in the darkness, those three pairs of massive eyes alone were terrifying enough.
"Shirahoshi, you must be brave. In the future, you will have to stand on your own. If I am not here, who will protect your home, Fish-Man Island? Who will protect the people you love so much? Only you possess the power to protect them. You can command all Sea Kings and wield the most terrifying power in the ocean. You can't remain a crying child forever."
Elior gently touched Shirahoshi's head. His eyes were exceptionally clear. At this moment, his words were meant only to awaken the dormant power sleeping within her. After all, someone like Elior was not the type to truly comfort children; Shirahoshi was barely an exception. Still, there was a clear purpose behind his words, and awakening her power would bring no harm.
"Mm! Shirahoshi won't be a crying child anymore! Shirahoshi is already an adult!"
"Shirahoshi, try it now," Elior encouraged.
As she spoke, Shirahoshi looked toward the three-headed Sea Kings. A hint of determination appeared in her eyes as she faced those overlords. It had to be said that Elior's approach was effective.
"Try to feel the power inside your body, that vast force sleeping within you," he reminded her calmly.
"Mm!" Shirahoshi nodded firmly.
"Human… do you intend to help our king awaken the power of Poseidon within her?" The Sea King in the center stared at Elior. As its massive head shifted slightly, the seawater began to tremble. However, Elior and Shirahoshi stood within an independent space barrier and were completely unaffected.
From the beginning, the three Sea Kings had been trying to intimidate Elior, yet they dared not make a move due to the fear he inspired. The dark sea concealed their monstrous bodies, revealing only fragments of their forms. Among the three Sea Kings, the one in the center was over eight thousand meters long, while the two on either side were six to seven thousand meters in length. This was beyond ordinary physical terror; it was beyond imagination. Even at a depth of fifty thousand meters, a single glare from them could shatter one's will.
Yet Elior did not care about their intimidation. What he wanted was for Shirahoshi to command them.
"I am not afraid of you," Elior spoke calmly, his expression unchanged.
"You are strong, human… unfathomably so," the Sea King on the right spoke slowly. All three of them felt an instinctive fear toward Elior. This human was impossible to measure.
"Without strength, I would never have come here. Nor would I have been able to discover you, let alone reach this sea."
A depth of fifty thousand meters was a realm humans could never reach. The ten-thousand-meter depth beneath Fish-Man Island was already the absolute limit for others. Even the strongest individuals would never venture into such depths, but Elior was different. He used spatial abilities to reach this area, performing multiple spatial jumps and carving out an independent space to shield himself and isolate the seawater.
At that moment, with Shirahoshi at the center, an invisible force rippled outward, spreading through the endless dark sea in all directions. Under this power, the three Sea King overlords trembled uncontrollably. This was the power of Poseidon. They instinctively bowed in submission. As the overlords surrendered, Sea Kings in even more distant waters began to tremble as well.
Beneath the calm surface of the sea, no passing ship knew that on this day, in an unknown sea, countless Sea Kings were bowing to their king. Only the powerful Sea Kings dared to make the pilgrimage; the weaker ones could only cower in distant waters, lying still and reverent. The perception of Sea Kings far surpassed that of even the strongest humans. They understood that the king who commanded their souls was announcing her birth, waiting for the day when she would lead them into battle.
"Uranus… what exactly is it?" Elior asked the Sea King in the center.
"Uranus…" the Sea King murmured, a trace of fear evident. "A remnant of a previous empire. A weapon created by humans using something called technology, meant to oppose us, the Sea Kings. But that was an extremely distant era, thousands of years ago."
"A technological weapon? Was the technology of that ancient empire so advanced?" Elior was genuinely surprised. He continued questioning them, eventually gaining a clearer understanding of Uranus.
Half a day later, Elior led Shirahoshi out of the sea. They were no longer in the New World, but in the first half of the Grand Line. By coincidence, they encountered a group of pirates dividing stolen loot. Elior killed them without hesitation and seized their ship. It was the first time Shirahoshi had witnessed murder, and she was deeply frightened.
By this time, Shirahoshi's power was gradually recovering. Though far from its peak, she could already summon Sea Kings.
"Brother, where are we going now?" Shirahoshi asked curiously.
"To a place called the West Blue. We are going to find Shiki." Elior needed his Float-Float Fruit.