Three days later, inside Shakky's Rip-Off Bar on the Sabaody Archipelago.
Takuro sat across from Silvers Rayleigh, the two men sharing a final drink before the younger warrior's departure. The atmosphere was calm, a stark contrast to the chaos Takuro usually brought with him.
"You're leaving already?" Rayleigh swirled the amber liquid in his glass, a relaxed and cheerful smile plastered on his face. "Why not stay on Sabaody for a few more days? The climate is pleasant this time of year."
"No," Takuro shook his head decisively, placing his empty glass on the table. "I don't have that much free time to waste on vacation."
Thanks to the tireless, day-and-night efforts of Rayleigh and his team of top-tier coating mechanics, the resin coating work on Takuro's ship, the Conqueror, had been completed well ahead of schedule. The vessel was now fully prepared to plunge into the depths, aiming for the mysterious gateway to the New World located ten thousand meters beneath the surface—Fish-Man Island.
"Speaking of your departure," Rayleigh paused, a glint of curiosity flashing in his bespectacled eyes as he leaned forward. "What do you intend to do with that Marine 'guest' currently residing on your ship?"
Even for a man who had once served as the right hand to the Pirate King, the idea of forcibly abducting a Marine Vice-Admiral—someone considered a candidate for the supreme rank of Admiral—was preposterous. It was a level of arrogance that bordered on insanity.
"Oh, her?" Takuro's tone was dismissive, as casual as if he were discussing what to have for dinner. "She's doing fine. She has settled into her new role as my bed-warming maid quite nicely."
Rayleigh stared at him in silence. "..."
For a moment, the Dark King was rendered speechless. He realized that despite his years of experience on the Grand Line, he had vastly underestimated just how little this young man cared for the established rules of the world.
"Aren't you afraid?" Rayleigh finally asked, his expression sobering. "The Marines won't take this lying down. You are effectively slapping the World Government in the face. They will pursue you relentlessly to the ends of the earth."
"Afraid?" Takuro threw his head back and laughed, a sound filled with genuine amusement. "Let them come! If they dare to send their full force against me, I would be more than happy to welcome them."
A cruel, confident curve lifted the corners of his mouth, his eyes flashing with a predatory light. "In fact, it would be perfect. I can capture them all and send them to my mines. I'm always in need of free labor to add more bricks and tiles to the great construction of my 'Golden Empire.'"
Rayleigh sighed, shaking his head with a wry smile. He raised his glass and took a long gulp, feeling the weight of the generation gap. This "monster" from the new era didn't just break the rules; he didn't even acknowledge they existed.
The two chatted idly for a while longer before Takuro finally stood up, adjusting his clothes.
"Alright, old man," he said, his voice firm. " The wine is finished, and the tide is waiting. It's time for us to go."
"Mm." Rayleigh stood as well, his smile returning to its usual gentle demeanor. "Then I wish you a smooth journey."
He looked at Takuro, his gaze heavy with an anticipation he couldn't quite put into words. "When you return from the New World, you must come back here. We will have another drink, and by then... I eagerly await hearing the thrilling stories of your conquest."
"No problem."
Takuro grinned, turned on his heel, and walked out of the bar. His steps were steady and composed, radiating an aura of absolute confidence, as if the turbulent oceans themselves would bow before his feet.
Wrapped in a shimmering, sturdy bubble of Yarukiman Mangrove resin, the Conqueror began its slow descent into the deep blue.
The sunlight filtered through the layers of water above, refracting against the coating to create dazzling, shifting patterns of light on the deck. It felt as though the ship were falling into a giant, silent kaleidoscope.
Takuro leaned over the ship's rail, his face pressed near the bubble, watching the strange, bioluminescent schools of fish swimming past. He was experiencing a sense of novelty he hadn't felt in a long time.
"Hey! Look at that one! These fish look really weird!" Takuro pointed excitedly, his stomach rumbling at the thought. "I wonder what they taste like? Do you think we can catch one?"
Nico Robin sat elegantly in a beach chair nearby, a book regarding the history of Fish-Man Island open in her lap. She chuckled softly at his childlike enthusiasm. "Master, the delicacies of the deep sea certainly have unique flavors, but right now, we should probably be more concerned about the potential dangers of the current."
Fisher Tiger, standing near the helm, nervously inspected the integrity of the coating for the tenth time. "Please be very careful, Mr. Takuro. The deep sea is a domain that even we Fishmen revere and fear. One wrong move could mean death."
Leaning against the cabin door was Gion. She had changed out of her tattered Marine uniform and now wore a simple, white casual outfit. However, the sharp, authoritative aura of a Marine Vice-Admiral still clung to her. Her days of captivity had done nothing to break her spirit; if anything, her curiosity about this mysterious, overpowering man had only intensified.
"What? Is the Marine Princess also interested in the scenery?" Takuro noticed her staring, turned, and offered a teasing grin.
Gion huffed proudly, crossing her arms and turning her face away. "I am merely assessing potential threats. The dangers in the deep sea are far greater than a brute like you can imagine. We are vulnerable in this bubble."
As the ship descended deeper, the sunlight faded, eventually swallowed by the abyss. The surroundings plunged into near-absolute darkness. Only occasionally did a giant, glowing jellyfish drift by, illuminating the silence for a fleeting moment like a wandering ghost.
The crushing water pressure seemed to congeal even sound itself. The oppressive atmosphere caused Takuro to quiet down, but the light in his eyes grew intense. It was the look of a hunter entering a new hunting ground, hoping for prey worthy of a fight.
Suddenly, the entire ship trembled violently.
The resin coating emitted a grating groan, struggling against a sudden displacement of water. An invisible, terrifying pressure emanated from the endless darkness below. It was heavier than the physical water pressure—it was a malicious intent that pierced directly into the soul.
"Something... is below us..." Robin closed her book, her face turning slightly pale.
Gion immediately shifted into a combat stance. Despite being unarmed, her muscles went taut, and she fully unleashed her Observation Haki, scanning the abyss. When she sensed the scale of the presence rising toward them, she gasped.
"This presence..." Gion's eyes widened in horror. "It's massive!"
Two giant eyes, glowing like blood-red moons, suddenly ignited in the darkness beneath the ship. Each eye was larger than the Conqueror itself. Accompanied by massive currents that churned the deep sea, an indescribably colossal shadow slowly ascended.
Its skin looked like rock strata deposited over millennia, rugged and impenetrable. Its back resembled a continuous mountain range, and its maw, which slowly opened, seemed capable of devouring all light. Rows of razor-sharp, glowing teeth lined the abyss of its mouth.
It was an ancient, ultra-gigantic Sea King. This was no ordinary beast; it was a living natural disaster of the deep, a King among Sea Kings. Its mere presence filled Fisher Tiger with a suffocating, primal fear.
"My... Sea God..." Tiger's voice trembled.
"Wow! Now this is exciting!"
Takuro's reaction was the complete opposite of the crew's terror. The fighting spirit in his eyes almost materialized into burning flames. He cracked his knuckles, grinning wildly. "Finally, a big guy that can give me a good workout!"
Gion looked at him incredulously. "Are you crazy? That is a super-giant Sea King! We are ten thousand meters underwater! If you damage the coating, we all die! Do not take this lightly!"
Takuro glanced back at her, his grin widening. "It seems you still haven't realized just how strong your man is."
Gion's face flushed with a mix of anger and embarrassment, but before she could retort, Takuro was already walking toward the edge of the bubble.
Ignoring everyone's pleas, he stepped right up to the resin wall. The Sea King seemed enraged by the tiny speck's provocation. It let out a silent roar that shook the soul, its massive caudal fin churning the seawater. It swung its tail, creating a destructive undercurrent that slammed toward the Conqueror like a collapsing mountain.
If that blow landed, even a battleship made of steel would be pulverized instantly.
"Perfect timing!" Takuro laughed.
He didn't dodge. He didn't evade. He simply planted his feet, tensed his muscles, and threw a straightforward punch at the colossal tail that blotted out the view.
"Hmph!"
BANG———!!!
It wasn't just a sound; it was the wail of space itself. The moment Takuro's fist met the water and the oncoming tail, an unimaginable kinetic force erupted.
The giant tail, capable of shattering islands, didn't just break—it disintegrated. Bones, muscles, and ancient scales were vaporized from the point of impact as if hit by a billion-ton hammer. A terrifying shockwave exploded outward in a perfect ring, instantly pushing back the ocean and forming a temporary vacuum sphere several kilometers in diameter deep within the sea.
Outside the vacuum, the displaced seawater was compressed to its absolute limit, turning into a destructive shockwave that spread frantically in all directions.
The ancient Sea King let out a silent, mournful wail. Nearly half of its body had been pulverized into nothingness. The remaining carcass tumbled like a rag doll in the turbulence, crashing down into the deeper abyss, staining a vast area of the ocean red with blood.
But the destruction didn't stop there. The shockwave carrying the residual power of Takuro's single punch continued to speed toward the ocean floor at an astonishing velocity.
Fish-Man Island, Ryugu Palace.
King Neptune was in the middle of a discussion regarding state affairs with his ministers when, suddenly, the world shook.
The entire Ryugu Palace—no, the entirety of Fish-Man Island—trembled violently. The coral structures groaned under the stress, and panic erupted among the Fishmen and Merfolk in the streets. The roots of the Sun Tree Eve, which provided light to the deep-sea paradise, flickered erratically, casting ominous shadows.
"What is happening?! A seaquake?!" Neptune grabbed his trident to steady himself, his face filled with horror.
"Your Majesty! It's not a seaquake!" A royal guard stumbled into the throne room, crawling on the floor to report. "It's... a massive impact from the outer sea! The water pressure is fluctuating wildly! It seems... something is fighting out there!"
Just then, an even more violent tremor struck. Fragile coral decorations on the outskirts of the palace shattered, and cracks appeared on residential homes near the island's edge. The giant, multi-layered bubble enclosing Fish-Man Island fluctuated dangerously, looking as though it might burst at any moment.
"What kind of battle could affect Fish-Man Island from the outer sea?!" Neptune was both shocked and enraged. They were ten thousand meters down; for a battle to shake the island this severely, the power unleashed must be catastrophic.
"Report—!! Your Majesty, the monitoring station observed a massive energy explosion and heard the death wail of an ultra-gigantic Sea King in the distant waters! The shockwave is coming from that direction!"
Neptune's expression turned grave. Whatever had caused such commotion was certainly not an ordinary being. If this continued, the island faced total destruction.
"Give the order immediately!" Neptune commanded, his voice booming. "Summon Jinbe at once!"
A few moments later, Jinbe, the current captain of the Sun Pirates and a respected figure in the Ryugu Kingdom, arrived.
"King Neptune, you summoned me?" Jinbe asked with a respectful bow, though his face was tight with worry as he felt the unusual tremors.
Neptune pointed his trident toward the darkness outside the palace. "A fierce, unknown battle has occurred in the deep sea. The aftershocks alone are threatening the safety of our kingdom! Jinbe, you are experienced and powerful. I order you to immediately lead a team of elites to investigate the source of this impact! Find out what happened, and determine if this force poses a continued threat to Fish-Man Island!"
Jinbe's expression hardened into one of stoic determination. "Understood, Your Majesty!"
He accepted the order without hesitation, quickly gathering his men. They boarded a specially designed, high-speed vessel, rushing out of the safety of Fish-Man Island's bubble and speeding toward the dark waters where the terrifying energy signatures and the scent of blood still lingered.
Meanwhile, back in the battle-scarred sea.
The Conqueror slowly stabilized as the turbulent waters calmed. The vacuum sphere had collapsed, rushing back in to fill the void, but the ship remained unharmed inside its coating.
Takuro stood at the edge of the deck, shaking his hand lightly as if flicking away dust. He looked down at the blood-stained seawater and the massive wreckage sinking into the abyss.
"Tsk," he clicked his tongue, a look of disappointment washing over his face. "It looked big, but it couldn't even take a single hit. What a letdown."
He turned back to his stunned crew, completely unaware of the panic and near-catastrophe his casual punch had unleashed on the kingdom lying ten thousand meters below.