After Kaito returned to Marine Headquarters, Kalifa kept giving him strange looks.
Relying on a woman's intuition, she felt certain something must have happened while he was on Amazon Lily.
Kaito, however, remained calm and collected, saying only that Hancock's illness had been cured. As for the details of how it was cured, only he and Hancock knew.
What Kaito didn't realize was that Marigold, Sandersonia, and even Granny Nyon also knew. Not that it mattered much.
After giving a brief rundown of his time on Amazon Lily, Kalifa began reporting the accumulated administrative work from the past few days.
Kaito listened symbolically. He had no real interest in dealing with such things, and in the end, they'd still fall to Kalifa to handle anyway.
He had told her before: unless something major happened, she could take care of everything in his place. But Kalifa still preferred to report to him first.
She believed Kaito was the one in charge, and he should at least be informed of what was going on.
Kaito listened on until Kalifa mentioned that Jinbei had called via Den Den Mushi, congratulating Kaito on becoming an Admiral. Between the lines, it was clear Jinbei wanted to invite Kaito to Fish-Man Island.
Kaito gave it some thought and figured it wouldn't be a bad idea to go. He was quite curious about Poseidon, one of the fabled "Three Ancient Weapons" spoken of in the pirate world.
Having made up his mind, Kaito instructed Kalifa to start making preparations. He would take his warship and troops along—consider it his first official diplomatic visit as a new Admiral.
Though Kaito spoke vaguely, Kalifa listened intently. After hearing him out, she asked:
"Boss, for the warship to reach Fish-Man Island, we'll need to go to Sabaody Archipelago for coating. Should we head to Sabaody first?"
Kaito found that a bit troublesome. With his current power, taking a warship to Fish-Man Island was nothing—he could probably drag the entire Marine Headquarters down there if he wanted to.
Waving his hand, he said:
"No need. We'll go straight to Fish-Man Island. I have my ways."
Kalifa pushed up her glasses and said nothing more. She knew that if her boss said something was possible, then it absolutely was. She had no doubts about his abilities.
Once everything was settled, Kaito stood up, stretched, and said:
"Alright, Kalifa, go get Ain. We're setting out now."
"Understood, Boss."
...
Beneath the sea around the Holy Land of Mary Geoise—
Aboard the Six Paths of Reincarnation, Kaito lay on Kalifa's lap, eyes closed, enjoying a relaxing massage. From time to time, he took small sips of orange juice Kalifa held to his lips.
The moment he set foot on his warship, he instantly slipped into Aokiji-mode. More and more, he understood the appeal of Aokiji's laid-back lifestyle.
Lying down feels great. Just keep lying down, and the pleasure never stops!
Kalifa unfurled nine fluffy, golden fox tails to shield Kaito from the sunlight—one of her proudest techniques developed from the Nine-Tailed Fox Fruit.
But idle moments never last. Before long, as the ship neared the area beneath Mary Geoise, the sharp click of high heels echoed across the deck—Ain was approaching.
Seeing Kaito resting peacefully on Kalifa's lap, Ain couldn't help but twitch the corner of her mouth. She nodded at Kalifa, who took the cue, gently patted Kaito, and whispered:
"Boss, we've arrived above Fish-Man Island. It's your turn now."
Kaito opened his eyes, and his glowing Rinnegan shone brilliantly, stunning Kalifa for a moment. No matter how many times she saw them, their beauty never failed to amaze her.
Kaito smiled at Kalifa, then stood up and took the Marine Admiral's justice cloak from Ain.
He asked:
"Has Neptune been notified of our arrival?"
"He has. King Neptune said he and his ministers will personally welcome the Marines."
"Well, that's quite the formal reception."
Kaito spoke with feigned seriousness, making Kalifa and Ain chuckle and shake their heads. They weren't surprised Neptune would greet them personally.
In the pirate world, the title of Marine Admiral carried more weight than any king.
It wasn't just a symbol of status—it represented absolute power. In the eyes of ordinary people, an Admiral was a one-man army, capable of wiping out entire nations.
Let alone the fact that Kaito held the title of "Strongest Marine Admiral in History."
If he wanted to visit a country, it wouldn't be surprising for the king to not only welcome him but even offer up the throne for a few days.
Kaito walked to the bow of the ship. Under the reverent gaze of his subordinates, his body slowly floated up, hovering above the sea.
He spread out his Heavenly Net, his sensory field covering a thousand-kilometer radius—including the deep sea directly beneath him.
Soon, he sensed the presence of Fish-Man Island far below.
A smile played at Kaito's lips as he murmured:
"Ten thousand meters under the sea? That's a bit troublesome."
He called it troublesome, but showed not the slightest hesitation as he dove straight down into the ocean.
He didn't use any special abilities to counter the seawater. With his current body, even soaking in the ocean for ten years wouldn't be a problem. Oxygen deprivation? Not a concern.
Underwater, Kaito spread his arms wide. His Rinnegan glowed with a soft violet hue, appearing especially radiant in the dim depths.
His immense ocular power began to surge. Sea Kings attracted by the Rinnegan instinctively fled in terror, but it was too late.
A voice echoed like a god's whisper—
"Ultra—Almighty Push!"
Boom!
A circular shockwave of repulsion burst forth in the deep sea. The water around Kaito was instantly pushed back, and the Sea Kings who couldn't escape in time were blown into massive chunks of flesh.
...
Far beneath him, on Fish-Man Island, which was protected by a hemispherical bubble shield—
King Neptune, Jinbei, and a group of Fish-Man Island residents gathered in the streets, eagerly awaiting Kaito's arrival.
Neptune had been waiting for quite a while. To welcome Kaito, he had even arranged for sea creatures to patrol outside the island to detect any sign of his approach.
But there had been no movement so far. Growing anxious, he turned to Jinbei and asked:
"Jinbei, is Admiral Shikiryū really coming?"
Jinbei was unsure himself. With Kaito's overwhelming status, if he suddenly changed his mind, there wasn't much anyone could do.
Faced with Neptune's question, Jinbei opened his mouth, unsure of what to say.
Suddenly, a terrifying shockwave surged through the island, stirring up a violent wind. Many merfolk and fish-men were knocked to the ground.
Even Jinbei had to raise a thick arm to shield his face, deeply puzzled.
Fish-Man Island was always calm. Why would such a strong wind suddenly appear?
Fortunately, the wind didn't last long. Once it dissipated, everyone slowly got back on their feet, and Jinbei lowered his arm.
But as soon as things settled down, they realized something strange—
They felt warm.
And that warmth… came from sunlight!
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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