novelnext Chapter 162 The Dust Settles
Chapter 162 The Dust Settles
Chapter 162 The Dust Settles
"No—no!" Van der Deiken let out a shrill scream, clutching his head and struggling frantically. His eyes became unfocused, and then he suddenly raised his head, a glint of madness flashing in his eyes.
"Hahaha—you want to kill me? Not so easy!"
Van der Deiken roared and slammed his hands onto the sea.
"Target-Target Fruit - Ultimate Throw! The target is the underwater volcano beneath your feet!"
As soon as the words were spoken, the entire deep sea trembled violently, the ground beneath their feet began to crack, and a scorching heat gushed out from the cracks. Fiery red magma flowed out along the cracks, instantly heating the surrounding seawater and causing a large number of bubbles to rise.
Immediately afterwards, a huge underwater volcano slowly rose up, billowing black smoke from its crater, with fiery red lava constantly churning inside, as if it were about to erupt at any moment.
With all his might, Vanderdeken used the massive underwater volcano as a target and hurled it fiercely at Bai Yu and Artoria.
The massive volcano, carrying devastating power, crashed down on the two of them. Wherever it passed, the sea boiled, the reefs melted, and even the surrounding undercurrents were thrown into chaos. An atmosphere of despair enveloped the entire sea area.
"Not good!" Artoria's expression changed drastically. She could feel the terrifying power contained in this underwater volcano. If it hit, the entire Fishman Island could be swallowed by lava and turned into ruins.
Bai Yu's expression finally showed a slight change. He looked at the underwater volcano that was crushing towards him. To stop it, he had to use even greater power to completely destroy it.
"Artoria, unleash your full power!"
Bai Yu shouted at Artoria, and at the same time, a powerful burst of chakra erupted from his body, and his scarlet Sharingan transformed into the Mangekyou Sharingan.
"Susanoo!"
With a loud shout from Bai Yu, a surge of immense chakra erupted from his body, condensing into a massive black phantom behind him. The phantom wielded a huge longsword, its face contorted in a ferocious expression, radiating a chilling aura—it was the second stage of Susanoo.
As soon as Susanoo appeared, it raised its long sword and slashed fiercely at the underwater volcano. Black sword energy roared out, carrying great power as it slashed towards the volcano.
Without the slightest hesitation, Artoria closed her eyes, gripped the holy sword tightly with both hands, and silently chanted an incantation. The golden light surrounding her grew even more dazzling, the radiance of the holy sword almost illuminating the entire deep sea. She exuded a sacred and majestic aura, as if a goddess had descended, concentrating all her power into the holy sword.
"Ecalibur!"
A clear and majestic shout erupted from Artoria's mouth. She suddenly opened her eyes, her golden pupils flashing with dazzling light. She raised the holy sword high in her hand and then slashed down fiercely.
A massive golden sword aura erupted from the holy sword, like a golden dragon, carrying earth-shattering power, and rushed towards the underwater volcano.
The black and golden sword energies met in mid-air and instantly merged into a larger and more dazzling sword energy, which, with unparalleled power, crashed violently into the underwater volcano.
"BOOM—!!!" A deafening roar shook the entire deep sea, and a huge shockwave spread outwards, completely destroying the surrounding reefs and undercurrents.
The underwater volcano was struck by the powerful sword energy and instantly exploded, sending fiery red lava flying everywhere like a meteor shower. It landed in the seawater with a hissing sound and billowed up large amounts of steam. Vander Decken, having forcibly activated the Target-Target Fruit's power and been struck by the shockwave of the sword energy, was instantly torn to shreds, turning into countless fragments that dissipated into the seawater, completely losing his life. His ambition and greed vanished with the explosion.
The power of the sword energy gradually dissipated, and the deep sea returned to calm, leaving only the wrecked reefs and slowly dissipating steam.
The Susanoo's phantom gradually faded, and Bai Yu withdrew his chakra. His Mangekyou Sharingan returned to normal. As for the energy expenditure, to be honest, Bai Yu felt it was practically nonexistent.
Artoria sheathed her holy sword, the golden light gradually fading. She looked at Bai Yu and smiled gently: "Bai Yu, Vander Decken has been destroyed, and the threat to Fishman Island has finally been completely eliminated."
Bai Yu nodded slightly, looking towards Fishman Island: "Yes, the threat has been eliminated. Now, it depends on whether Queen Otohime and King Neptune can lead their fellow Fishman Islanders out of the deep sea and realize their dream of peace. As for what happens next, it's up to them. But to be honest, this bubble is quite magical. My Susanoo can actually appear outside the bubble."
The two exchanged a glance, said nothing more, and with a flash, sped off towards Fishman Island. Meanwhile, in Fishman Island's plaza, the people were still buzzing with discussion, their faces filled with lingering fear and relief. After all, they had seen the massive underwater volcano heading towards Fishman Island.
When they saw Shiraha and Artoria, who had saved Fishman Island, return safely, joyful smiles instantly appeared on their faces, and they cheered.
King Neptune and Queen Otohime rushed to greet the two upon their return, their eyes filled with eagerness and anticipation: "Mr. Shiraha, Miss Artoria, how is it? Vander Decken—"
Don't worry.
Artoria smiled and nodded, her tone relaxed: "Vander Decken has been completely eliminated by us. He can no longer threaten Princess Shirahoshi, nor can he disrupt the peace of Fish-Man Island."
"That's great! That's really great!"
King Neptune was moved to tears and bowed deeply to Bai Yu and Artoria once again: "Thank you, thank you for saving Fishman Island and Bai Xing. You are the benefactors of Fishman Island. From now on, Fishman Island will always be your refuge."
Queen Otohime's eyes also reddened as she bowed deeply to the two of them, her voice filled with gratitude: "Shiraha-kun, Miss Artoria, thank you. You have given us hope for peace again. I will lead my people and move forward firmly. One day, we will emerge from the deep sea, stand in the sunlight, and achieve true peace and freedom."
Princess Shirahoshi also stepped out from behind King Neptune, bowed slightly to Bai Yu and Artoria, and gave a shy and grateful smile: "Thank you everyone, I—"
Looking at the scene before him, Bai Yu finally revealed a faint smile. He gently raised his hand, gesturing for everyone to stand up: "The future of Fishman Island ultimately depends on your own efforts. All I can do is help you clear away these obstacles, and that will be for a reward. Please treat us to a feast!"
"Hahaha! The reward is a grand meal, a banquet? What's a grand meal!" King Neptune straightened up, slapped his chest with his thick hand, making the coral ornaments on his chest rattle gently, and his smile was more dazzling than the fluorescent shells of the deep sea.
"Don't even mention a grand meal; even if you stay on Fishman Island for a year or two, I guarantee I'll provide you with something new and exciting every meal, bringing you all the delicacies of the deep sea!"
Queen Otohime quickly smiled and agreed, her eyes full of tenderness: "Yes, Mr. Shiraha, Miss Artoria, and all our friends who have come from afar, please come with us to the Dragon Palace for a banquet. We have prepared the freshest deep-sea ingredients, all of which are the most distinctive delicacies of Fishman Island. We are sure you will not be disappointed."
Princess Shirahoshi nodded gently, tugged at King Neptune's sleeve, and whispered, "Father, I—I had the chefs make seaweed mousse. It's delicious, everyone must try it."
Bai Yu smiled and nodded, and the people behind him also showed expectant expressions.
Connor's eyes lit up, his little tail wagging involuntarily. He moved closer to Bai Yu and whispered, "Bai Yu, Bai Yu, is there anything delicious underwater? Something sweet and soft!"
Nico Robin's eyes also flashed with curiosity: "Deep-sea ingredients are completely different from those on land. I'm sure there will be many novel discoveries."
Bai Yu and his entourage followed King Neptune and Queen Otohime toward the Dragon Palace.
The Dragon Palace Banquet Hall on Fishman Island was far more magnificent than I had imagined. The pillars inside were all carved from rare deep-sea glass, gleaming with a soft, ethereal blue light. The walls were inlaid with countless colorful fluorescent shells, illuminating the entire hall. The floor was covered with soft velvet carpets, which felt soft and comfortable underfoot.
At this moment, a huge round stone table has been placed in the center of the Dragon Palace. The stone table is made of black jade, which is rare in the deep sea. It is smooth as a mirror. Around it are more than a dozen exquisite and beautiful chairs carved from coral.
The stone table was already laden with all sorts of delicacies, a dazzling array that was hard to look away from. Each dish exuded the unique flavor of the deep sea, with vibrant colors and enticing aromas.
King Neptune warmly invited everyone to take their seats, while he pulled Shiraha to sit next to him in the main seat. Queen Otohime and Princess Shirahoshi sat on the other side, and the others also found seats. As soon as Connor sat down, he couldn't wait to peek out and stare at the food on the table with shining eyes.
"Come, my benefactors, first try our Fishman Island's signature dish—Deep-Sea Glass Abalone!"
King Neptune picked up a huge seashell, which opened to reveal a translucent white abalone with a faint, glassy sheen. Its flesh was thick and plump, and it was drizzled with a sauce made from deep-sea pearl sauce, instantly filling the air with its aroma.
"These glass abalone can only be found in coral reefs 10,000 meters below the surface of the ocean. Each one takes more than ten years to grow. The meat is springy and melts in your mouth. Dipped in our special pearl sauce, the taste is absolutely amazing!"
With that, King Neptune picked up a specially made shell spoon and gave everyone a piece of glass abalone.
Connor eagerly scooped up a piece and stuffed it into his mouth, his eyes widening instantly, his little face full of surprise: "Wow! Delicious! Soft, sweet, and with a subtle seafood flavor, it's even better than any honey cake I've ever had!"
Upon hearing Connor's evaluation, Matsumoto Rangiku scooped up a piece to taste, her brows relaxed, and a satisfied look appeared in her eyes: "Not bad, not bad at all. The meat is tender, and the sauce is also very special. It doesn't have the fishy smell of ordinary seafood, but instead has a hint of sweetness. It would definitely be a perfect match for wine."
As she spoke, she picked up a bottle of deep-sea fruit wine from the table, poured herself a glass, and the wine was light blue with fine bubbles. It was sweet and refreshing, with a mild kick that was just right to cut through the richness of the wine.
Retsu Unohana savored the glass abalone, her smile growing even gentler: "The texture is delicate, the flavor is incredibly fresh, and the pearl sauce has a very unique taste, with a hint of warmth, which should be good for your health."
Artoria picked up a piece, took a small bite, and a look of amazement flashed in her eyes: "Very good, more delicious than any seafood I've ever eaten. Simple cooking, yet it preserves the original freshness of the ingredients to the greatest extent. Excellent."
"I'm glad everyone likes it."
Seeing everyone's comments, King Neptune laughed heartily, picked up another dish, and proudly introduced it.
"This dish is called 'Fluorescent Seaweed Rolls.' It uses fluorescent seaweed unique to Fishman Island, wrapped around deep-sea tuna crab meat, and then dipped in a sauce made with sea urchin roe. One bite, and it's both crisp and tender, and it even emits a faint fluorescent glow. It's beautiful and delicious."
Everyone picked up a seaweed roll to taste. Sure enough, the first sensation was the crispness of the seaweed, followed by the freshness of the tuna and crab meat. The sea urchin roe sauce was savory and rich, creating a complex and layered flavor. Moreover, when you bit into it, your mouth would glow faintly, which was quite magical. Connor's face was covered in sauce, and his little mouth was bulging.
King Neptune, watching everyone enjoy the meal, grew increasingly excited, spouting jokes and witty remarks one after another, and even praising his daughter, Shirahoshi, incessantly.
Princess Shirahoshi blushed instantly upon hearing her father's words, lowered her head shyly, and gently tugged at Queen Otohime's sleeve. Queen Otohime smiled and ruffled her hair, her eyes full of affection.
To be honest, Queen Otohime and Neptune are really good parents. At least they have raised their children very successfully. They all love each other and help each other.
Matsumoto Rangiku chuckled and joked, "The king seems quite happy. It looks like life on Fishman Island is going very well."
"Of course!"
Neptune took a sip of fruit wine and said in a hearty tone, "Life is nothing more than eating and drinking well, being happy. No matter how many troubles we have, a good meal can solve them. If not, then two meals will do! Although we Fishman Island live in the deep sea, we also have our own happiness. Before, we had the protection of the Whitebeard Pirates, and now we have Lord Bai Yu's help. I am really lucky."
Bai Yu nodded slightly, looking at Neptune with a hint of approval in his tone: "King Neptune is quite insightful. Sometimes, simple happiness is more precious than anything else."
"Haha! Mr. Bai Yu, you flatter me!"
King Neptune laughed again, picked up a dish made with deep-sea lobster from the table, and continued his introduction.
"This Flaming Lobster is made with lobster from near an underwater volcano. The meat is firm and has a naturally sizzling aroma. It doesn't need many seasonings; it's incredibly delicious when grilled. Everyone, please enjoy!!"