Home was the most beautiful word to the two of them.
Even if they had few relatives left, it was still the place where they were born.
They still had many friends there. How could they not feel attached to it?
"Thank you, Captain…"
Erik pulled his sister down with him and knelt on the deck, his voice thick with emotion.
"That's enough. Save your thanks—and your strength—for training. If we're going to save Flevance, we'll have to stand against the World Government."
"Mm."
At that moment, Erik's fighting spirit burned brighter than ever.
Ayala hesitated for a moment, then spoke shyly.
"Captain… um… I have a request. If possible, I'd like to eat the remaining Devil Fruit on the ship. That way, I could have the strength to help everyone too…"
Yemu shook his head and gently rubbed her hair.
"Ayala, I understand how you feel. But as our ship's doctor, the Iro Iro no Mi doesn't suit you."
"Don't worry. We have the technology. Once we reach the New World, I'll find you a better Devil Fruit."
Feeling his warmth, Ayala wiped her tears and smiled brightly.
"Thank you, Captain!"
Yemu patted her head before turning back to the others.
"Alright, no more tears. And I wasn't joking last night either."
"With Kuromi here, his Baku Baku no Mi can attach Devil Fruit abilities to non-living objects. That means even those of you who already have a Devil Fruit should seriously think about what your second ability might be."
He looked at Tiger.
"For the sake of our dreams, powerful strength is essential. Our enemies are terrifying. If there's a way to grow stronger, we should use it."
Tiger felt the resolve in Yemu's words and nodded firmly, beginning to consider it seriously.
As a fish-man, he had no desire to eat a Devil Fruit.
A fish-man who couldn't swim in the sea? It sounded ridiculous.
Besides, with so many Devil Fruit users already on board, Tiger felt it was his responsibility to protect them.
But a weapon like Yemu's Tengoku—imbued with a Devil Fruit ability—that might be a good option.
"Too bad we don't have a Devil Fruit encyclopedia… No, wait…"
Yemu thought for a moment. He didn't have one, but someone else definitely did. Maybe it was possible to make a deal.
"In any case, our main goals in the New World are four."
"First: Pure Gold."
"Second: the Gourmet Kingdom."
"Third: Devil Fruits."
"Fourth: territory."
"Once we accomplish those, we'll talk about what comes next."
Everyone nodded.
Just then, the sound of rapidly accelerating currents echoed around them.
"Looks like we're almost at the ocean trench!"
Tiger didn't hesitate.
Ahead of them, a massive current appeared, like an underwater waterfall, pouring straight down into a bottomless abyss.
"What a spectacle…"
With Tiger at the helm, no one felt the slightest worry.
And he didn't disappoint.
The Twin Goddesses plunged directly into the roaring cascade.
In an instant, carried by the surging current, the entire ship dropped toward the seafloor like something falling from the sky.
…
In the dim, shadowy depths of the sea, rivers of magma flowed across the ocean floor.
A massive ship, wrapped in a protective coating bubble, was rising upward at an astonishing speed.
Its bow was bound with blocks of wood known as Kuuigosu. This wood possessed incredible buoyancy. By fastening it to the hull, the ship could be forced upward. By adjusting the number of blocks, they could also control their speed.
At that moment, the ship was already moving at full speed. Even so, the captain was far from satisfied.
"You bastards, faster! Those damned fish-men are catching up!"
Looking down, countless massive black shadows were closing in rapidly from the deep.
The reason for his desperation lay on the deck.
There, bound and unconscious, was a beautiful mermaid with flowing blue hair, delicate features, and a graceful, alluring figure. Her upper body was human, her lower half a shimmering tail fin.
"We can't go any faster, Captain! If we push it more, the coating won't hold!"
The captain frowned deeply, staring at the mermaid. Then he gritted his teeth.
"Forget it. Increase it!"
"B-But…"
He had clearly lost his mind.
"You idiots! Do you know what a mermaid sells for up there? As long as we get her out, that's at least 100 million Belly! One hundred million!"
That astronomical number instantly set greed ablaze in every heart.
They decided to gamble.
More blocks of Kuuigosu Wood were thrown overboard. The ship's speed surged again.
The coating bubble visibly distorted, stretching and flattening as if it might burst at any moment.
Everyone's heart tightened.
Fortunately, though it looked like it would rupture, the bubble held.
When they looked back down, the dark shadows chasing them had disappeared into the abyss.
"W-We made it into the trench! Hahaha! We're going to be rich!"
The captain burst into laughter. The crew roared in excitement.
Just then, the unconscious mermaid stirred, waking in pain.
The moment she opened her eyes, she saw countless greedy human faces. Around her was a pitch-black undersea world that was clearly not Fish-Man Island, and ropes bound her tightly.
She instantly understood.
Panic filled her eyes as she struggled desperately.
"Captain! The mermaid's awake!"
"Oh? She's awake?"
The captain stared at her, his eyes bloodshot with greed.
"My treasure… my precious treasure… I'm going to be rich!"
The deck erupted in wild cheering.
But the mermaid's face turned pale with despair.
She had heard from her sisters how terrifying the human world was. And becoming a slave…
Suddenly, a shadow appeared overhead.
The crew jumped, thinking the fish-men had caught up. In the mermaid's despairing heart, a faint spark of hope flickered.
But when they looked up—
"Ah… scared me. Just pirates."
"Captain, shouldn't we be careful?"
The captain waved it off confidently.
"Relax. This is a trench five thousand meters deep. They're not fish-men. No pirate would risk their ship being destroyed just to attack us."
"Besides, what pirate would bother saving a lowly fish-man?"
The mermaid's last trace of hope faded at those words.
And then—
A massive searchlight tore through the darkness of the deep sea, illuminating the entire ship.
The blinding beam revealed a handsome man, coated in bubbles, holding two swords.
Like a god descending from light itself, he emerged and swung both blades.
"Shinto Sword Style: Cross Slash!"