-Broadcast-
SpongeBob had resolved Neptune's crisis with casual efficiency that bordered on insulting. Thousands of Colossal Titans eliminated in seconds. An entire army reduced to corpses through light-speed massacre. The yellow sponge returned to the Mermaid King's side as though he'd simply finished a light workout rather than committing genocide on an industrial scale.
Yet tens of thousands more titans remained visible on the horizon, their march unceasing. SpongeBob could obviously handle them—his demonstration had proven that beyond doubt. But instead of finishing the job, he simply stood there with that perpetual smile, apparently waiting for something.
The survivors stared at him with confusion mixed with desperate hope. Why isn't he attacking? Does he have limits to his power? Is he exhausted?
SpongeBob noticed their expressions and waved one thin arm in a reassuring gesture. "Oh, don't worry! I can provide the fastest reinforcements, but when it comes to large-scale group combat, my other two brothers are way better than me. They're monsters too, just in different ways!"
Brothers? Neptune thought, his remaining eye widening. There are MORE of them?
As if summoned by the comment, a figure appeared above the approaching titan horde—silhouetted against the dim bioluminescence that served as Fishman Island's "sky." This creature possessed an octopus-like form, with a bulbous head and multiple tentacles trailing behind its body. Its expression carried permanent dissatisfaction, as though the entire universe existed to inconvenience it personally.
The octopus creature inhaled deeply, its body expanding like a balloon, then exhaled a breath of pure winter.
"Absolute Zero: Ice Age!"
The temperature plummeted instantly. Not gradually—instantly. The water itself seemed to crystallize, forming geometric patterns of ice that spread outward from the octopus at impossible speed. Within seconds, over ten thousand Colossal Titans were frozen solid—their bodies locked mid-step, steam halted in the act of venting, even their Armament Haki coating unable to resist the absolute cold.
The chill spread across Fishman Island like a wave, causing survivors to shiver despite the protective bubble. The ambient temperature dropped more than ten degrees in moments, turning the usually temperate kingdom into an arctic environment.
That's Admiral Kuzan's Hie Hie no Mi (Ice-Ice Fruit), Neptune realized with dawning comprehension. These aren't just powerful fighters—they're wielding Admiral-class Devil Fruit abilities!
Before anyone could process the frozen army, a third figure descended. The creature's bloated belly and pointed head radiated intense heat and magma bubbling in his hands.
"My turn now!" the starfish announced cheerfully. "Let these giants taste some heat!"
He thrust both arms skyward, molten rock erupting from his palms like volcanic geysers. "Meteor Volcano!"
The technique mirrored Admiral Sakazuki's signature attack with terrifying accuracy. The sky above Fishman Island—or rather, the water serving as sky—seemed to crack and bleed flame. Massive fists of magma formed from nothing, each one the size of a building, raining down upon the frozen titan formation like divine judgment.
The magma struck frozen flesh with catastrophic results. Heat meeting absolute cold. Extreme temperature differential causing molecular structures to shatter. The ice melted instantly, only to be replaced by vaporizing titan bodies as thousand-degree magma did its work.
The Colossal Titans' regeneration tried desperately to keep pace. Steam hissed from wounds. Flesh attempted to regrow. But the combination was too much—frozen solid, then flash-heated beyond the point of recovery, all within seconds. Even Terra's power couldn't heal damage inflicted simultaneously from both temperature extremes.
The smell of sulfur filled the water, mixing with the scent of burnt flesh and ozone. The red glow of magma painted the ocean floor crimson, transforming the battlefield into something resembling an undersea volcano mid-eruption.
When the assault finally ceased, silence descended. The titan horde that had threatened to exterminate Fishman Island lay in ruins—nothing but shattered ice and cauterized remains scattered across the landscape.
Survivors stared in numb shock, unable to fully process what they'd witnessed. Three individuals—barely resembling proper fishfolk—had eliminated an army that Neptune himself couldn't have stopped. The gulf between their power and ordinary strength was so vast it defied rational understanding.
Then the reality hit: We're alive. Fishman Island survived.
Fishmen and merfolk embraced each other, tears flowing freely. Not tears of sorrow now, but overwhelming relief. They'd been facing extinction—total annihilation of their species, their culture, everything they'd built over centuries. And three strangers had prevented it with casual efficiency.
Without them, we'd be homeless, survivors thought, the implications stark and terrible. Stranded on the surface. Hunted by slavers. Our people sold to Celestial Dragons and criminals. Our children never knowing freedom.
The debt was incalculable. Infinite. Beyond any possibility of proper repayment.
Princess Shirahoshi and Queen Otohime no longer needed to flee. Megalo turned back immediately upon sensing the threat's elimination, carrying his passengers toward the palace ruins where Neptune and his sons stood in various states of injury.
The three saviors descended slowly, landing before the royal family with surprising grace despite their bizarre appearances.
Queen Otohime's eyes widened with recognition that transcended mere visual identification. Her entire body trembled—not with fear, but with emotion so powerful it bordered on euphoria.
"It really is you!" she gasped, swimming forward with abandon that royal dignity would normally forbid. "I thought I was mistaken at first! SpongeBob! Squidward! Patrick! It's been so many years since we last met in Bikini Bottom!"
The three heroes immediately dropped to one knee in perfect synchronization, their heads bowed in gestures of absolute loyalty and gratitude.
"We will never forget your kindness to us," they said in unison, their voices overlapping into a single declaration. "Doing these things is just a small repayment. We will obey your orders in the future without any complaints or regrets."
The sudden display of fealty caught Otohime completely off-guard. She rushed forward, grasping their shoulders and pulling them upright with gentle insistence. "Please, stand up! I had no selfish motives in saving you back then—I did it because it was right! I'm so happy you made it out of Bikini Bottom safely!"
Her expression shifted to concern. "But is it okay for you to leave? What about Mr. Krabs? And the Sea Eye—is it still being suppressed properly without your presence?"
Neptune listened to this exchange with growing bewilderment. Bikini Bottom? Sea Eye? Mr. Krabs? He'd never heard these terms before, had no context for understanding what his wife was discussing. The Mermaid King prided himself on his knowledge of Fishman Island's surrounding territories, but this "Bikini Bottom" place was completely unknown to him.
How does Otohime know them? he wondered, feeling oddly left out of something significant. What happened that I was never told about?
SpongeBob took the initiative to explain, his cheerful voice providing exposition with surprising clarity:
"We left Bikini Bottom several years ago, Your Majesty. After the mad scientist Caesar Clown captured us, he performed experiments—injected us with bloodline factors copied from the three Marine Admirals. That's how we gained these powers. Before that, we were just ordinary sea creatures. You saved us when we were weak and helpless. This is simply us repaying that debt."
He gestured toward the destroyed titan formation. "As for why these giants appeared on Fishman Island—that all traces back to Dressrosa. The famous tourist kingdom on the surface has been completely destroyed. Hundreds of thousands of Colossal giants entered the ocean and scattered in all directions. Some of them ended up heading here."
SpongeBob's expression turned thoughtful, as though mentioning something of minor importance. "Oh, and one more little thing: there were originally tens of thousands more titans headed directly for Fishman Island. Most of them were intercepted by the Flying Dutchman along the way. He redirected their path toward the Red Line instead. Let the Marines worry about dealing with that disaster."
The Flying Dutchman? The name tickled something in Otohime's memory—a legend she'd heard whispered in dark corners, dismissed as superstition by rational minds. Where have I heard that before?
Madam Shyarly swam forward, having survived the titan assault unscathed through combination of luck and prescient awareness. Her expression carried surprise bordering on shock. "The Flying Dutchman isn't just a legend? That ghost ship that's been passed down in stories for hundreds of years actually exists?"
Ghost ship, Otohime thought, and suddenly memory clicked into place with perfect clarity.
"It's the Captain of The Flying Dutchman !" she breathed, one hand rising to cover her mouth. "How could I forget? Of course—I met him after my death, didn't I? My spirit boarded the Flying Dutchman during that transition period between life and resurrection. That was... quite an unforgettable experience."
The revelation sent murmurs through the survivors. Queen Otohime had encountered the legendary Death God of the sea? The entity who supposedly collected souls as payment for debts? The ghost captain whose ship could travel between the world of the living and the dead?
Shyarly's mind worked through implications with her fortune-teller's analytical precision. "He is known for making deals with the living—lending them power or salvation in exchange for their souls upon death. He hates humans after being betrayed by a pirate captain centuries ago, but favors simpler beings like fishfolk and merfolk."
"That he would intervene to save Fishman Island..." Otohime trailed off, genuinely surprised. "I never expected him to care that much about our kingdom. He must have redirected those titans deliberately to protect us."
Another debt we can never fully repay, Neptune thought wearily. We owe everyone today. The three heroes. The Legendary The Flying Dutchman Captain. Even the Sea Kings who died buying time for evacuations.
But Queen Otohime's political instincts were already pivoting from gratitude to opportunity. The crisis had passed. Now came reconstruction—and celebration to lift spirits, to remind survivors they'd won rather than merely survived.
"I'm sure you've suffered terribly under Caesar Clown's control over the years," Otohime said warmly, addressing the three heroes. "Let us treat our saviors properly! You must experience the full hospitality of Fishman Island's grateful citizens!"
She turned and gestured grandly toward the gathered female survivors. A group of mermaids—beautiful even by their species' renowned standards, with generous curves and flowing hair—swam forward with shy smiles and obvious interest.
"Heroes deserve beautiful company," Otohime declared. "And surviving disaster is absolutely worth celebrating!"
Her voice carried across the ruins, addressing everyone within hearing range. "People of Fishman Island! We have endured apocalypse and emerged victorious! Tonight, we feast! We drink! We remember our dead and honor our living! Prepare a celebration banquet worthy of our kingdom's gratitude!"
The response was immediate and enthusiastic. Survivors who'd been paralyzed by trauma found purpose in preparation. Those who'd lost everything could at least contribute labor. The shared goal of celebration unified them, washing away despair in favor of determination.
SpongeBob, Patrick, and Squidward found themselves surrounded by attentive mermaids who ushered them toward the least-damaged section of the palace. Soft hands guided them. Gentle voices offered refreshment. Beautiful faces smiled with genuine warmth and gratitude.
We don't need Big Mom's flag anymore, survivors realized with dawning comprehension. We don't need to pay tribute to Yonko for protection. As long as Queen Otohime lives, these three will fight for us. They're loyal to HER, not to our kingdom—but that loyalty might be even more reliable than pirate treaties.
Neptune watched the proceedings with mixed emotions. Pride in his wife's political acumen. Relief that their kingdom had survived. But also a growing awareness of his own diminished relevance.
Otohime's status has already surpassed mine, he acknowledged privately, the thought carrying no bitterness—only truth. If she wanted to be crowned Queen of Fishman Island with full authority, every citizen would support her immediately. They love her. Respect her. Trust her judgment in ways they've never trusted mine.
He was lucky to have such a wife. That much was certain.
And if his role was becoming ceremonial rather than functional? Well, Neptune could live with that. Better to be a figurehead in a thriving kingdom than a king of ashes.
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