As Shirahoshi's voice echoed, an invisible pressure instantly enveloped all the gigantic Sea Kings.
It was as if someone had pressed the pause button—every single Sea King froze, their bodies going rigid. The crimson glow in their eyes gradually faded, their gazes losing focus as they became utterly dazed.
Carl raised an eyebrow and withdrew the dark tendrils he had unleashed.
Even without the restraints of the Dark Tendrils, the enormous Sea Kings remained eerily still, unmoving from their original positions.
Below, Shirahoshi flicked her pink mermaid tail and swiftly ascended until she was face-to-face with Carl. When she turned to look at him, a brilliant azure light flickered within her large eyes.
Atop her head, a crown formed entirely of flowing water floated weightlessly.
With a gentle wave of her hand, the Sea Kings moved in unison, lowering their massive heads in submission.
At that moment, Shirahoshi had fully awakened as Poseidon. As the legendary Sea King, she possessed absolute control over these colossal creatures.
Carl narrowed his eyes slightly, his hand once again rising as dark energy coiled around it. He spoke calmly.
"Shirahoshi?"
The azure light in Shirahoshi's eyes wavered. She blinked once and softly murmured,
"Carl-sama..."
The moment she addressed him as such, the dark energy surrounding Carl's hand dissipated.
Seeing Shirahoshi in this state, Carl could more or less deduce that she had awakened as Poseidon. However, the problem with Poseidon, among the three Ancient Weapons, lay in its "nature."
If her awakening came with some sort of inherited memories, Carl would not hesitate to act decisively.
Fortunately, Shirahoshi had not inherited anything impure—she had merely awakened and was still adjusting to the new power within her.
After a brief pause, Shirahoshi exhaled softly and said,
"I'm sorry, Carl-sama. They were terribly rude. I apologize on their behalf. This will never happen again."
Her words carried a newfound maturity. The awakening of Poseidon had not only granted her power but also accelerated her emotional growth. At the very least, she no longer seemed as childish as before.
Carl glanced at the enormous Sea Kings bowing their heads around him and said,
"There's no need to apologize. This wasn't your fault, and besides, they've already been taught a lesson."
Shirahoshi gently swam closer, extending both hands to cradle Carl in her palms before bringing them back to rest near her ample chest.
"Carl-sama, what would you like them to do?"
Sitting cross-legged in her hands, Carl rested his chin on one hand and looked down at the titanic creatures below. A smirk tugged at his lips.
"Simple. Have them patrol the waters near the Red Line. If they encounter any giant elephants or the like, they are to attack on sight."
"Understood. I will relay your orders."
Shirahoshi nodded slightly before tilting her head back and emitting a series of strange, melodic tones.
The sound waves rippled through the deep sea, and all the enormous Sea Kings instantly turned and dispersed, vanishing into the dark abyss. Only the massive corpse of the bird-beaked Sea King remained floating in the water.
To Carl, it was nothing more than a large chunk of meat now.
Still, considering public sentiment, he asked,
"Shirahoshi, as I recall, merfolk don't eat fish, right?"
Shirahoshi nodded.
"Yes, fish are our companions."
"Got it."
With that, Carl raised his hand, summoning the Dark Bible. The ancient tome slowly floated upward before suddenly expanding into a vast vortex of darkness, generating a powerful gravitational force that sucked in the Sea King's corpse entirely.
Carl planned to deal with it later—perhaps find Kuzan to freeze the corpse and preserve its best cuts for the Figarland family's kitchen. The rest could be sold worldwide.
A single Sea King of this size, over 5,000 meters long, could fetch enough money to purchase a small country. Adding those profits to the Figarland family's treasury sounded like an excellent deal. After all, who would turn down more money?
Carl decided that tonight, he would have the palace kitchen prepare a portion to share with Monet and the others.
...
After handling the Sea King's corpse, Carl returned to Mary Geoise atop the Red Line with Shirahoshi.
Once she was safely back in the tower, Carl immediately contacted Stussy via Den Den Mushi, instructing CP agents in the New World to locate and capture a female giant named Lily and bring her to Mary Geoise.
Carl recalled that this Lily had a famous chef for a father—Panz Fry, a pirate.
With that information, narrowing down the search would be easy. Given the intelligence-gathering capabilities of CP, it shouldn't take long to find her.
Originally, Carl had planned to search for the Mini-Mini Fruit after the war, but given how cumbersome Shirahoshi's size was, obtaining it sooner would be ideal.
...
After issuing his orders, Carl traveled to the naval defense line where Kuzan was stationed. Amid the shocked gazes of Kuzan and the gathered Marines, Carl raised his hand and released the bird-beaked Sea King's frozen corpse from the Dark Bible.
Gazing at the enormous carcass floating on the sea's surface, Kuzan's eyes widened.
"Ala ala... That thing is ridiculously huge! Where did you even find this?"
Carl patted Kuzan's shoulder and pointed at the corpse.
"Don't worry about that. Just freeze it. Leave a portion for dinner tonight—I'm treating the entire fleet. Make sure you don't freeze the inside solid, though, or we'll only have ice shards to eat."
As soon as Carl spoke, the Marines on deck exchanged glances before erupting into cheers.
"Long live Fleet Admiral Carl!!!"
After all, Sea King meat was a legendary delicacy. Many Marines had never tasted it, only hearing of its exquisite flavor.
Yet now, Carl was offering an all-you-can-eat feast of Sea King meat. Such generosity was beyond extravagant.
Kuzan, hearing the order, vanished from the deck in a flash, leaving behind only a wisp of cold air.
A second later, he reappeared above the Sea King's carcass, exhaling a frosty breath before extending both hands. From his palms, two icy tendrils shot forth.
The moment they touched the Sea King's body, the ice rapidly spread. Within a few breaths, a massive glacial structure had encased the entire corpse.
A 5,000-meter-long frozen titan now floated solidly on the ocean's surface.
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+170 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg