Chapter 248: Fukaboshi and Louis
In the secret room, Louis's voice reached Fukaboshi's ears. Even though Louis had made no targeted threats, his tall stature and terrifyingly impressive battle record still made Fukaboshi quite reserved. Not only that, but he had also never expected that Louis would already know the purpose of his trip before he had even arrived and had brought it up so directly.
And Louis, hearing Fukaboshi's increasingly rapid heartbeat and seeing the unease and restraint in his eyes, did not rush him after a moment's thought, but gave him time to organize his answer.
Soon, the heavy responsibility on Fukaboshi's shoulders woke him up, bringing him back to his senses. After taking a deep breath, he replied in as steady a voice and as clearly as he could, "Lord Louis, my brothers, my father, and I have all discussed this matter. We have already begun repairing the Ark Noah. When it is repaired to a usable state, we will, in imitation of my deceased mother, Otohime, hold a vote for all the citizens of the Ryugu Kingdom. During this period, we will do our best to guide the citizens' longing for the surface world and secretly guide them to long for Terra."
Afterward, Fukaboshi explained to Louis that because repairing the Noah was no small project, and under conditions of secrecy, it would take a considerable amount of time. Therefore, the royal family had decided to use a gentler approach to achieve their goal during this period. Unless absolutely necessary, they did not want the citizens of Fish-Man Island to fall into a panic.
Louis leaned back on the sofa, quietly watching him, and fell into a brief thought. His mind raced, laying out all the pros and cons of Fukaboshi's plan.
After a moment, he posed a question. "You should know that the World Government will not allow you to accomplish this. I want to know... in a situation where you are forced, how would you complete the evacuation of five hundred million people?"
This matter was not as simple as a country, which held the title of a World Government member nation, defecting to a pirate under the leadership of its king. The Ryugu Kingdom, or rather, Fish-Man Island, was a country that had belonged to Joy Boy's camp eight hundred years ago, and was a kingdom that possessed the terrifying existence of Poseidon. It was impossible for the World Government not to know of Fish-Man Island's specialty, nor would they just hand it over.
The Celestial Dragons' persecution of the fish-men and merfolk was one thing, but if Fish-Man Island were to throw itself into the arms of an enemy of the World Government, they would truly be displeased. Although for hundreds of years the Celestial Dragons had persecuted the fish-men as if they were slaves, this did not mean they could throw themselves into someone else's arms. If it was confirmed that the situation had reached a point of no return, the World Government would not hesitate to dispatch a large army to destroy Fish-Man Island.
Therefore, Louis wanted to know from Fukaboshi's plan whether Fish-Man Island truly had the determination to completely break away from the World Government.
Louis's words made him fall silent again. The scene of a certain conversation with his father appeared in his mind. The image flashed quickly in his eyes, finally stopping on Neptune's shocked face. Then, Fukaboshi clenched his fists and, through gritted teeth, squeezed out a sentence: "If the World Government discovers our actions midway and threatens us—"
He raised his head, looked straight into Louis's eyes, and his young face showed an astonishing decisiveness. "Then I will completely blow up the bubbles of Fish-Man Island, the royal palace, and the Sea Forest, leaving them not a single place to fight!"
This was the measure he had come up with to deal with the World Government since he had planned the move to Terra. As everyone knew, fish-men and merfolk could move freely in the sea. But the armies of the World Government, in order to operate underwater, could only rely on the bubbles of Fish-Man Island and the coatings of their own fleets. Although the powerhouses of the World Government could still display considerable strength even in a coated ship, it was impossible for them to exert their full power. As long as their power reached a certain level, the coating on their ships would break in minutes.
In that situation, even the World Government, with its multitude of masters, could not possibly completely annihilate Fish-Man Island. Of course, the greatest threat to Fish-Man Island, Marine HQ Admiral Aokiji, had already died in battle. Otherwise, even if Fukaboshi wanted the merfolk and fish-men to live under the sun, he would have had to乖乖 (obediently) stay at the bottom of the sea, not daring to have the thought of a collective migration.
Louis heard him, and a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes. Because he also felt that Fukaboshi's idea of blowing up the bubbles was very good, and it might not be impossible to achieve his goal. Louis even felt that he could completely let the attacking fleet into Fish-Man Island and then blow up the bubbles, letting the World Government's team sink to the bottom of the sea to feed the fish. And the fish-men could completely swim to a safe distance and board the Noah.
Then, Louis, with great interest, stated his idea.
Fukaboshi heard him, and a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes. In his own vision, his entire purpose was to get rid of the World Government's interference. He did not have the terrifying thought of sinking an entire fleet to the bottom of the sea to feed the fish.
Gradually, the legends he had heard from his father and the rumors circulating on the sea appeared in his mind, and a special idea came to him. "Perhaps... sinking a World Government fleet is the pledge of allegiance for the five million residents of Fish-Man Island to join Terra?"
Thinking of this, Fukaboshi, after some thought, nodded firmly. "I see—I understand!"
Louis took in Fukaboshi's current expression and roughly understood his thoughts, but he did not have much of a reaction. Then, feeling that he had already made up his mind to leave the World Government, he no longer held back and said in a deep voice, "Since you have already made up your mind to join my crew, then it is impossible for me not to make a statement. In that case, when that day approaches, the main force of the Archangel will head there and, just like this time, escort you to Terra. How about it?" As he spoke, his deep gaze fell on Fukaboshi.
Hearing this, a hint of joy flashed in Fukaboshi's eyes. He tried his best to calm himself. "Then we will have to trouble the members of the Archangel Pirates."
After another moment, he finally remembered that there were still some things that had not been discussed clearly. "Lord Louis," he asked tentatively, "where on Terra is more suitable for us to live?"
To this, Louis couldn't be bothered to think about it and replied casually, "Ninety-nine percent of this land is wilderness. If you see a piece of land you like, just tell me."
Fukaboshi was stunned. He had never thought that Louis would be so casual about a matter as important as land. But soon, he felt that this was a sign of Louis's respect for the Ryugu Kingdom.
After a brief consideration, he asked again, "May I ask, Lord Louis, is there a map of Terra here? I hope to choose a location on Terra to rebuild Fish-Man Island."
However, the answer he received was quite surprising. Louis, after thinking for a moment again, raised an eyebrow and replied in a casual tone, "A map? There were some navigators and adventurers who once drew a map of this place, but before they could finish, the terrain changed."
On this land, Louis was the only one who could sink an island. But there were no shortage of people whose aftershocks of battle could change the terrain. When these people cut, with a single careless move, they could tear open a canyon or level a mountain range. Not to mention, ever since Louis and Hajrudin had begun to expand Terra, its area had been changing every day. And now, Gaea also had its own consciousness and could lift the seabed on its own.
After several people who had tried to keep up with Terra's changes with a pen had been driven mad, no one here tried to draw a map anymore. In the past, when Terra's changes were not so great, people had used the King's Plateau and the sunflower fields to navigate. And when the Adam tree appeared, it should have become the new landmark.
"Even the mapmakers can't keep up with the speed of change here?" Hearing this, Fukaboshi was also stunned, and his expression became strange. "In that case, won't people get lost?"
"With the Treasure Tree Adam here, they won't get lost."
"..."
In the end, he gave up on this aspect and said with a bit of self-abandonment, "In that case, we'll just pick a coast to live on."
"The coast?" As if he'd thought of something, a thoughtful look appeared in Louis's eyes. Then, he shook his head at him. "Apart from one specific port, Terra is expanding outward. Strictly speaking, there is no fixed coastline. Today it's a coast, tomorrow it might have expanded into land."
Louis only paid attention to the progress of Hajrudin's and Gaea's expansion after the fact; he would not interfere with their actions. Therefore, which place would change on which day depended entirely on the mood of the two. Not even Louis knew.
To this, Fukaboshi, who was already a little bewildered, completely couldn't understand.
Seeing this, Louis shook his head and then helped him make a decision. "In that case, then you can just live by the lake near the Treasure Tree Adam. No one lives in that place. The lake is also seawater, and there is a small river leading to the sea."
Louis's words made Fukaboshi, whose mind was in a state of chaos, come back to his senses, and a look of relief appeared on his face. "Thank you very much for your generosity, Lord Louis." At this moment, Fukaboshi very tactfully changed his address for him.
Louis heard him but didn't mind his little thoughts. For him, all his series of measures were just to increase Shirahoshi's sense of belonging to his camp.
Then, he slowly stood up, walked to the wide window, and looked down at the boundless land below.
Seeing this, Fukaboshi, after some thought, also followed. He stood at the window, his ears feeling the biting high-altitude wind, his eyes falling on the magnificent mountains and the land thousands of meters below.
Originally, since arriving at Terra, he had stayed on the Island Cloud and had come directly to this huge castle, and had not seen the true appearance of this land. And now, the scene that met his eyes directly left him stunned.
As far as the eye could see, mountain ranges and giant, meteorite-impact-like craters were embedded in the verdant land. A cluster of buildings, far larger than the town on Fish-Man Island, was rooted near the base of the Treasure Tree Adam. Although the city and the surrounding agricultural areas were incomparably vast, they only occupied an extremely small part of the entire land.
In the distant wilderness, from time to time, violent roars and firelight could be seen. The earth was shattered into giant cracks, and dense primeval forests collapsed in swathes, ignited by the flames and forming terrifying wildfires that spread everywhere.
This scene made Fukaboshi's face turn a little unnatural. He slowly turned around, looked up at Louis's calm face, and asked in an extremely strange tone, "Lord Louis, a fire of this magnitude... is it really okay to leave it be?"
To this, Louis replied casually, "There's no need. This land's self-healing ability far exceeds your imagination."
Fukaboshi heard him and thoughtfully looked down at the land again. This time, he saw the lake and the river that Louis had spoken of. It seemed to be a place that was just right to escape the shadow of the Adam tree and be illuminated by the sun.
When he saw the lake Louis had mentioned, he realized that Louis's understanding of a "lake" was a little different from what he had seen in books. Although it was thousands of meters away, from the large trees by the lake, he could roughly deduce that this lake was already far larger than the bay at the entrance to Fish-Man Island. The azure "lake water" reflected a dazzling light under the sun, making it look like a dazzling gem embedded in the land. At its end, it was connected to a winding river, which plunged into the forest and stretched to the horizon.
"Is this a small river?"
Fukaboshi once again deduced the approximate width of the river from the trees by its side, and a subtle change came over his expression. If his judgment was not wrong, this river was several hundred meters wide. Even by the standards of the giant race, it should not be considered a small river.
Louis ignored his subtle expression. Feeling that he had roughly seen his future home, he posed another question. "The repair of the Noah... how much time will it take?"
This question instantly made him return to his previous conversational state. After some deliberation, he gave a conservative answer with a grim face. "About a year. The Noah is half the size of Fish-Man Island. Even just to repair it to a barely usable state will take a considerable amount of time. A year... and that's a conservative estimate, without the interference of those people from the Fish-Man District."
His words made Louis raise an eyebrow. He had heard something unusual in his words. "Is someone in the Fish-Man District interfering with your actions? After Jinbe left, did someone try to take his place?"
"It might be worse than that..." Fukaboshi shook his head and told him the intelligence he had gathered.
"..."
"In that case, then I'll have the Natural Water go back to Fish-Man Island with you. To prevent you from meeting with an accident..."
Louis felt that if Fukaboshi were to once again hold a vote for the citizens of Fish-Man Island in imitation of Otohime, it would definitely attract the attention of the World Government or Hody Jones. An assassination was not a strange thing. If he died, and Neptune or his brothers took over, they might still be inclined toward Louis, but probably not to the same extent as Fukaboshi.
Therefore, Louis felt it was necessary to protect his small life, which was not much tougher than an ant's.
❃❃❃
⤑ Show your support with Power Stones!
⤑ Unlock a Bonus Chapter every time we hit 400 Power Stones!
❃❃❃
♕ Get early access to 30+ advanced chapters on Patreon!
🔗 https://www.pat-reon.co-m/c/Hollowborn
(Just remove the hyphen (-) to open the link!)
💬 Enjoying the story? Drop a review!
Your support really helps the series grow—thank you!