Shirahoshi was looked at by Taro, her face full of innocent confusion,
"Lord Taro..."
Taro rubbed the bridge of his nose; how on earth was he supposed to handle this? No one knew how to help Shirahoshi achieve Awakening!
With a few leaps, he dove back into the sea, swimming in front of Shirahoshi. He forced a smile and reached out to pat her head,
"Shirahoshi, do your best. I'll go buy you some time!"
Shirahoshi was at a loss, not yet understanding what Taro meant. Taro had already bypassed her and was swimming toward Fish-Man Island.
At the bubble membrane of Fish-Man Island's outer layer, Neptune's mount, the whale, was emerging from the membrane, wanting to return to its master's side.
Taro stopped in front of it, staring at its mountain-like head,
"Uh, I don't know if you can understand me, but I'll assume you do. Let me ride you for a bit..."
Taro spoke rapidly, and the whale swung its massive tail, turning its body sideways and letting out a cheerful "Moo moo" sound.
Did it understand?
Taro was slightly stunned. He landed on the whale's back and patted its head,
"Hold on tight, I'm about to start!"
"Moo moo"
The Internal Energy throughout Taro's body vibrated violently. He suddenly took a step forward, crouched down, half-bowed his body, and quickly drew thunderstorm with a backhand grip,
"Gravity Rebound!"
Taro shouted, and his Internal Energy suddenly erupted. Ripples of Internal Energy surged from his body, and after a few rotations of a cyan-white Qi cyclone on his back, it suddenly transformed into a purple-blue halo.
"Buzz!"
The purple-blue halo rose, and its earth-shaking power made the entire sea tremble violently. A powerful repulsive force shot straight toward the falling noah.
"Woo~ Moo!"
The whale beneath him, Wadatsumi, let out a muffled groan. Its body swayed a bit from the impact of the turbulent currents, but it groaned again and stabilized its form.
"Buzz Clang"
The repulsive force met noah. As noah's falling speed increased and its weight grew heavier, it actually came to a sudden halt.
Just as Jinbe and the others, who had dodged the currents, showed looks of joy, noah began to fall again, causing the surprise to freeze on their faces.
The feedback from his Internal Energy told Taro that he had only delayed noah for a single second.
Gritting his teeth, Taro forced all the Internal Energy from his Meridians out of his body, and an even more violent repulsive force erupted.
"Buzz buzz buzz~"
The entire sea area was filled with a buzzing sound.
The residents of Fish-Man Island watched this scene, dumbstruck,
"Is... is this something a human can do?"
"Even Whitebeard probably couldn't do this, right?"
"..."
In the plaza, the mermaid Camie and Starfish Pappag were already scared silly, their mouths hanging open like statues.
Octopus Hatchan's six arms were twitching, "Ma-Madam Shirley, he, he..."
Madam Shirley held her pipe in her mouth, maintaining the action of smoking. Suddenly, she coughed twice, and smoke puffed out from her mouth and nostrils.
She took out the pipe and exhaled a long breath. It was unclear if the smoke had stung her eyes, but they were brimming with tears,
"He can actually go to such lengths!"
The entrance to Fish-Man Island.
On the ink dragon ship, a group of Marine Soldiers leaned over the railing, staring in shock.
Sherman saw Taro's posture and skill effects. Although they felt somewhat familiar, he was mostly filled with shock.
"This... is too strong!"
Grant stared with wide eyes, his lips quivering as he nodded in deep agreement.
At this moment, only Taro knew how miserable he felt. Except for what remained in his internal organs, the Internal Energy in his Meridians had been completely exhausted.
Damn it, he was going to suffer internal injuries again!
The throbbing pain from his Meridians grew stronger. The Internal Energy in his organs had already begun to move out of instinct, withdrawing to nourish the damaged Meridians as much as possible.
Above, noah's falling momentum slowed once more. Taro's efforts seemed to be yielding some results.
If he could just stabilize it like this, it would be fine. Now he could only hope that Shirahoshi would achieve Awakening, Taro thought.
Shirahoshi watched Taro, who was bent over as if carrying the entire noah on his shoulders, her face covered in tears.
She could sense the pain in Taro's body and the urgency in his heart,
This was the effect of her innate, powerful Observation Haki.
However, she didn't know how to help Taro. Facing the half-island-sized noah, she could only cry helplessly.
"Woo... Buzz~"
A strange sound rang out. As noah's descent slowed, large patches of moss and seaweed on the ship's hull fell off, floating upward under the influence of the repulsive force.
However, the massive bow slowly tilted up. Taro's Gravity Rebound couldn't control the entire hull of noah; the other half of the ship, unaffected, continued its descent.
F*ck!
The feedback from his Internal Energy allowed Taro to sense the change immediately, and he cursed inwardly.
"Ah! Stop for me!"
Taro gave a loud shout. Driven by his will, the most refined Internal Energy within his internal organs was stimulated and quickly replenished his Meridians.
However, before this Internal Energy could spread throughout his body, Taro forced it out, turning it into an even larger circle of repulsive force.
Pop!
The bubble protecting Taro's body from the pressure of the ocean currents finally couldn't hold out and burst.
The pressure of the ten-thousand-meter deep sea struck Taro's body directly.
Pfft
Taro spat out a mouthful of blood.
On his left shoulder, the tooth marks bitten by Hody Jones broke open again, and blood spurted out from the holes left by the Great White Shark.
In an instant, a cloud of blood mist spread in the seawater, enveloping Taro and the whale Wadatsumi within it.
The whale was somewhat terrified, its body twisting.
"Don't move!"
Taro quickly spat out those two words, then bit his lip hard, forcibly suppressing the blood that had already surged to his throat. After swallowing it, he spoke softly,
"Just stay still like this. If you're scared, close your eyes!"
Hearing Taro's weak voice, the whale Wadatsumi shed large tears that dissipated into the seawater.
On the whale's back, the seawater was pushed back by the surging repulsive force, preventing Taro from drowning for the time being. He exerted all his strength to drive the maximized repulsive force upward.
"Buzz buzz buzz buzz~"
The buzzing sound suddenly doubled in speed. The powerful repulsive force finally enveloped the entire midsection of noah, and the descent stopped once again.
Taro felt as if his internal organs were displaced, and his Meridians transmitted the pain of being cut inch by inch.
His heart grew heavier; he could perhaps endure the pain, but his Internal Energy was about to run out.
Taro knew he couldn't hold on much longer. The Internal Energy in his organs had been squeezed dry; there truly wasn't a single drop left.
Shirahoshi could clearly feel the pain Taro was enduring. Seeing Taro struggling to hold on within the blood mist, she could no longer restrain her grief and wailed loudly,
"Waaaah..."
"Lord Taro..."
The entire sea area began to tremble, and the seawater surged irregularly, forming wild currents.
The whale Wadatsumi could no longer maintain its balance, and Taro couldn't hold on either. His legs gave way, and he collapsed. Both were swept away by the churning currents.
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