The Great Voyage Begins with the Celestial Dragons

"How is that possible?!"

Neptune felt a slight numbness in his arm and stared in horror at the scene before him.

He had considered the possibility that Otohime would dodge his attack, and he had also considered the possibility that Gion would react in time to block the blow.

But I never expected...

Chapter 402 Arrival

Neptune's eyes were filled with horror as he watched Otohime gently raise her slender arm.

That arm, which was no bigger than his finger, easily blocked his full-force attack. Otohime didn't even have to move her feet; the surrounding area was destroyed by the aftershocks.

"A Devil Fruit?"

After regaining his composure, Neptune narrowed his eyes and noticed something amiss.

In front of Otohime's palm, there was a thin layer of light that blocked his trident.

“To give up the blessing of the sea just to gain the power to protect yourself is a shameful choice, Otohime,” Neptune mocked.

Fish-men and mermaids have the advantage of being able to move freely in the sea, but once they eat the fruit, even fish-men will lose all their strength in the sea.

At most, you won't be suffocated, but getting the same freedom as before is simply impossible.

"Barrier-Barrier Fruit, this is my choice. I am the king of the Mermaid Kingdom, and I will not put myself in any dangerous place, even if it means giving up the blessing of the sea."

Otohime spoke calmly, not feeling that there was anything wrong with her choice.

No one can break through the Barrier Fruit's defense. Even if Luther wanted to attack it head-on, he couldn't. He could only be killed by the heat from the rapid temperature increase or by burning out the oxygen.

This level of defense is sufficient for her.

Her body couldn't grow stronger; even fusing with bloodline factors only limited her potential. As the queen of her race, she needed the ability to protect herself, which is why she chose the Barrier-Barrier Fruit.

"Humph!"

Neptune snorted and swung his trident at Otohime once more.

But no matter how much he attacked and increased his strength, he could not shake Otohime's barrier.

"It's all in vain. With your abilities, you can't possibly break through the barrier."

Otohime shook her head slightly; after Neptune made his move, she too felt somewhat disheartened.

"Go ahead, I have nothing more to say."

Gion, standing not far behind, nodded slightly, a hint of amusement creeping into her gaze as she looked at Neptune.

She had just watched a good show.

In terms of right and wrong, neither side is truly right or wrong. One side is standing from the perspective of survival of the species, while the other is standing from the perspective of emotions and ideals.

If there's anything wrong with either of them, it's that they weren't strong enough.

Gion slowly pulled out the golden pheasant and walked step by step toward Neptune.

Her mission from the beginning has only been one thing: to kill Neptune and end the entire Fishman Island.

Two minutes later.

Gion led the silent Otohime away from the Fishman Kingdom, and the entire kingdom was devoid of any sign of life.

"Is it resolved?"

At the palace gate, Uta hummed a cheerful tune, his gaze lingering on Otohime for half a second.

"It's resolved. Is this the messenger you chose?"

Gion looked at the figure standing behind Uta, an octopus-like fish-man who stood there with lifeless eyes, clearly already lost in the world of Uta.

And this octopus fish-man is none other than Hachi, who was released by Luffy in Arlong Park back then.

"It's a pleasant surprise to see him. I had already introduced him to the world of songs before, so I wouldn't have to go through an extra step."

Uta chuckled, his words casual and relaxed.

Since they were moving much faster than Shanks and the others, they estimated that Shanks and the others would arrive at Fishman Island in a few days and then travel from there to the New World.

Therefore, leaving a messenger behind to leave a lasting impression on Shanks and the others was a necessary thing to do.

"Isn't it because this person is more special?"

Gion glanced at Uta with amusement. This girl, who had been raised by Luther, shared similar interests with him.

"Hehe, I see through it but I won't say it, Gion-neechan!"

Uta blinked and said with a grin.

She had been by Luther's side since childhood and regarded him as her only one.

However, he had many interactions with Gion, Toki Amatsuki, and others, and thus their relationship was quite good.

"Alright, let's go. His Majesty Luther might enjoy your performance."

Gion chuckled silently, saying nothing more, and simply led Uta and Otohime toward the Don Quixote.

She was quite curious about what would happen next.

After they returned to the Don Quixote, the rest of the crew had already arrived.

“Well done, let’s head to the next place. Borsalino and Sakazuki are almost ready.”

Luther nodded slightly to the group, instructing Barrett, who was serving as the helmsman this time, to take the helm.

The next event was the goal of their trip.

Fishman Island was just an appetizer.

......

Two days after the Don Quixote departed, the submarine carrying Shanks and his crew finally arrived.

With the pirates completely wiped out, no one would travel to the New World via Fishman Island anymore; anyone who wanted to go would have to go through the Red Line and complete the proper procedures. As a result, the entire Fishman Island became quiet and peaceful.

For two days, not a single ship has arrived.

Although he had already experienced the tranquility of Fishman Island on his previous visit, Shanks suddenly frowned upon returning:

"It's too quiet. Why is there no sign of any living people?"

His Observation Haki was primarily used to sense the presence of living beings, and the fact that there were no living creatures on Fishman Island at the moment puzzled him.

"Looks like something's happened."

Dorag's expression also turned slightly unpleasant, and he seemed to have thought of something before saying:

"It could be retaliation from the World Government. They know we have ties to Fishman Island, and this time we most likely came through here to reach the first half of the Grand Line."

"What's the point? Even if all the fishmen on Fishman Island are killed, as long as this entrance isn't blown up, we can still get through," Teach said dismissively.

He didn't think the World Government would blow this place up; Fishman Island was an extremely large breach, and it would be difficult to destroy it with just some explosives.

The slightest carelessness could lead to a series of disasters, and even affect the sacred site.

Moreover, given their abilities, even without going through Fishman Island, they could use Vegapunk's technology to cross the Calm Belt and escape freely to the Four Seas, making it impossible for the World Government to locate them.

This is the advantage of pirates.

If they break into smaller groups and hide in small boats or small places, even the World Government would have no way of finding them.

"But Fishman Island is our ally, and it would be bad news if it were destroyed."

Shanks sighed softly, and as he spoke, the submarine arrived at the port of Fishman Island.

As soon as they disembarked, they were hit by a pungent stench of decay and blood.

They could tell what had happened just by smelling it.

"This is troublesome..."

Shanks' eyes showed a hint of reluctance, but he was powerless to change the outcome.

"Let's look around and see if there are any survivors," Dragon suggested.

The others nodded. With their Observation Haki, they could cover the entire Fishman Island. They couldn't be sure if there were any survivors, but at least they could be sure there were no enemies.

Even if there are enemies, they cannot ignore the scene before them.

After they dispersed, they began to investigate the current situation of Fishman Island.

Chapter 403 Minor Friction

"These are... traces of the Navy's Six Styles. The one who did this is a master."

"The knife wound suggests he was a formidable swordsman."

"A martial arts monster who wields a knife like an iron rod."

"To die silently, that must be the power of the 8th Heavenly Blade."

"..."

Soon after, a group of people gathered in front of the palace gate, and everyone's face was extremely solemn.

They weren't criminal investigation experts, but judging from the destructive power and the extent of the attack, they could roughly identify who the perpetrators were.

At the palace gate, Jinbe's body lay dead, his heart pierced by a knife.

Beckman stepped forward, examined the area, and sighed softly:

"A direct piercing through. Jinbe tried to block, but it wasn't enough to stop it. The killer was a swordsman stronger than all of us."

"Mihawk or Gion?" Dragon asked, frowning.

Based on their understanding, these two were the strongest swordsmen in the World Government's forces, and the others were generally considered slightly inferior.

"It's most likely Gion. Mihawk rarely uses penetrating sword techniques," Shanks said in a deep voice.

The tragic state of Fishman Island weighed heavily on his mind.

According to the current clues, the World Government dispatched at least eight top-tier experts, who then slaughtered the entire Fishman Island in a very short time.

"Tsk, so this piece of trash is the only survivor."