"Are you alright, Miss Nami!!"
"What happened?!"
Sanji and Gin rushed out of the cabin upon hearing the commotion. Seeing Nami slumped on the ground, her face pale with terror, they quickly followed her gaze.
"Pfft—!!"
"A s-s-sea... sea monster...!!"
Upon looking, the two of them instantly widened their eyes, their mouths hanging open in absolute shock.
A giant nearly a hundred meters tall, with a black beard and pale pink skin, was walking along the ocean floor, approaching them step by step.
"That's even bigger than an Ancient Giant!"
"Run! Turn the ship around!"
"We can't! It's too late at this distance!"
"What do we do?!"
Seeing the sea monster steadily closing in, the crew members began to scream in panic.
*Creak—*
"Hey, hey, what's all the racket? I swear, you guys make a huge fuss over every little thing."
The captain's cabin door opened, and Allen, having just finished his meal, walked out with a toothpick in his mouth. He scoffed with a look of disdain.
"This thing is no different from a sea beast. It just happens to have a human shape. Since when did a mere sea beast scare you all this much?"
Glancing at the aggressively approaching sea monster, Allen spat out his toothpick, bent his knees, and leaped across the deck, landing at the bow of the ship.
Just as he was about to pass through the coating, he suddenly remembered something and paused.
Under the expectant gazes of Nami and the others, Allen turned his head and said calmly,
"I almost forgot I'm an ability user. We should probably run."
"It's way too late to say that now!!"
Nami glared at him fiercely, baring her teeth as she yelled.
Allen scratched his head with an awkward expression. This was his first time going underwater, so he had absolutely no experience.
"Oh, right! Use this! Just press the top to create a single-use coating bubble!"
Suddenly remembering something, Nami quickly pulled at her collar, fished out a small piece of coral from her cleavage, and tossed it to him.
"Oh! You had this thing? You should have said so earlier."
Allen looked surprised. He caught the small piece of coral, pressed the top, and a bubble blew out from the bottom.
Looking back at the sea monster that had already reached the *Freewill*, Allen pulled the bubble over himself and passed through the ship's coating into the sea.
Seeing him come out, the sea monster looked surprised. Then, under the wide, disbelieving eyes of Nami and the others, it suddenly spoke.
"Are you trying to resist? Don't waste your energy, human. This is the bottom of the sea. It's impossible for a human to defeat a Fish-Man underwater."
"Hm? So you're a Fish-Man? What kind of breed grows this huge? Don't tell me you're mixed with a Giant."
Allen observed him curiously. Then, he reached his hand out of the coating bubble, spread his fingers, and made a sudden grabbing motion.
A bizarre scene unfolded. The seawater seemed to solidify, forming wrinkles as it was tightly gripped in his hand!
"Whatever. Anyway, we need an underwater guide, so I choose you."
The corners of Allen's mouth curled up, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes. Gripping the seawater with both hands, he violently hurled it forward!
"Fish-Man Jujutsu: Snake Current!!"
With his explosive shout, the surrounding seawater suddenly rioted, surging madly toward Allen's hands before converging into a massive, thrashing serpent that lunged forward!
"What?!"
Boom!!
Under the bald sea monster Wadatsumi's astonished gaze, the serpentine current grew larger as it swam toward him, then violently slammed into his stomach!
Bang! Bang!
Struck by the absurdly massive force, Wadatsumi's eyes widened in agony as he staggered backward a couple of steps.
Before he could steady himself, he saw Allen rapidly approaching, stepping on the seawater. The water in Allen's palm flowed, condensed, and compressed into a fluctuating sphere.
"This is...!"
Wadatsumi cried out in panic. For a moment, he actually saw the phantom silhouette of Boss Jinbe behind Allen.
"You're clearly a human! Why can you use Fish-Man Karate?!"
"This kind of thing isn't exclusive to Fish-Men. Though, of course, Fish-Men have the advantage when using it underwater."
Allen grinned. "Unfortunately for you, I happen to be able to turn into a Fish-Man too."
"Vagabond Drill!!"
Arriving right in front of Wadatsumi, Allen's gaze darkened. With a loud shout, he viciously slammed the palm holding the water sphere into the giant's chest!
Bang!!
The water sphere sank into Wadatsumi's body, sending shockwaves through his internal organs. Then, a blast of impact pierced straight through and erupted from his back!
"Gah—!!"
Wadatsumi's eyes bulged in torment. Unable to hold it back, he opened his mouth and spewed a massive mouthful of blood before his body slowly toppled backward and crashed onto the seabed.
Boom!!
His colossal frame kicked up a shockwave, causing the surrounding ocean currents to become chaotic.
Allen retreated to the *Freewill*, passing through the coating and landing back on the bow as the webbed fingers on his hands faded away.
He had casually acquired the Fish-Man Lineage Factor from a Fish-Man slave back at the Sabaody Archipelago when the Celestial Dragon Incident broke out.
As for Fish-Man Karate, he had secretly learned it from Jinbe during the Summit War.
When it came to martial arts, as long as they were technique-based, Allen could fundamentally understand the underlying principles of any move just by looking at it once. With a second glance, he could mimic it almost perfectly.
As long as he used his Demon Brain to simulate and practice it, Allen could grasp the basics, become proficient, master it, and even improve upon it further.
And with the transforming power of his Devil Fruit, his physical structure was no longer a limitation either.
It was safe to say that as long as a technique could be learned, there was no move in the world he couldn't master.
...
Before long, Allen and his crew continued their journey.
A thick hemp rope was tied to the bow of the ship, with the other end held by the now thoroughly subdued bald sea monster, who pulled the *Freewill* and cleared the way forward.
Along the way, the various Sea Kings and sea beasts living in nearby nests hid themselves upon seeing Wadatsumi, not daring to disturb them.
It didn't take long for them to arrive beneath the Red Line, swimming toward a giant cavern in the rock wall.
A light appeared ahead, and the surrounding environment gradually emerged from the pitch black. According to Wadatsumi, that was where Fish-Man Island was located.
"How strange. We're ten thousand meters under the sea, so how is there light?"
Looking at the gradually brightening surroundings, Nami couldn't help but feel confused.
Swimming ahead, Wadatsumi turned his head and explained in a booming voice,
"Because the Sunlight Tree Eve grows near Fish-Man Island. It transfers sunlight down from the surface, so Fish-Man Island actually has blue skies and white clouds."
"It transfers sunlight... How magical..."
Nami's eyes filled with wonder as she let out a sigh of amazement.
As Wadatsumi continued to swim forward, Allen and his crew were soon towed close to Fish-Man Island.
They gazed at the island encased in a massive bubble, filled with beautiful, artwork-like buildings constructed from colorful corals and shells.
Everyone's eyes couldn't help but reveal their awe.
"Since I'm a wanted criminal by the Ryugu Palace, I can't get any closer. I can only take you this far."
Wadatsumi scratched his head with an awkward laugh, then raised a finger to point at Fish-Man Island.
"There's a passage you can use to enter over there, but it has guards. Since you're pirates, you probably won't be able to get in easily."
"Of course, you could also just force your way through the bubble, but Fish-Man Island's bubble has two layers. There's no seawater in the space between them, so once you pass through the first layer, your ship will just fall straight down."
After saying that, Wadatsumi waved at them.
"Anyway, you're on your own from here. I have to go back, or Captain Decken will get mad if he can't find me."
"Got it. Thanks for your hard work."
Nami smiled and waved goodbye to him. She waited until Wadatsumi turned and swam away before looking back at Allen to ask,
"Fish-Man Island is affiliated with the World Government, right? Your status should work here too."
"Who cares if they recognize a Warlord of the Sea or not."
Allen bared his teeth in a grin. "Just sail the ship over. If anyone dares to stop us, ram them to death."
"..."
Nami looked at him speechlessly, giving him an exasperated eye roll.
He had such a convenient status, yet he was always thinking about how to cause the maximum amount of trouble.
However, Allen had his own plans. Fish-Man Island had always been Whitebeard's territory, protected by his flag.
Now that Whitebeard was dead, his territories in the New World would become a battleground for various factions.
Naturally, Allen was going to participate in that scramble. As the gateway to the New World, Fish-Man Island was his first target.
Starting with Fish-Man Island, he was going to plant the flag of the Demon Lion Pirates all over the world!