Chapter 242: Surfacing from the Deep

He could hold his breath underwater for ages, but Achille and Olga were just ordinary humans. If they stayed this deep, they’d suffocate for sure. After all, they were nearly six kilometers below the sea.

To keep them from being crushed by the intense water pressure, he’d have to come up with a solid plan.

“Karl, there’s a storeroom behind the lab. Inside is a big metal drum. That should be strong enough to protect the two of us.”

Achille really lived up to his reputation as a scientist—he thought of Karl’s dilemma before Karl even finished frowning.

It wasn’t hard to guess, sure, but no ordinary person would have been thinking on that level.

They had to be underwater right now. With the lanternfish’s massive body and it being at rest, they were most likely in the deep sea.

If they wanted to get out alive, the most important things were avoiding getting crushed by the pressure and bringing enough oxygen. That instantly reminded him of the airtight iron drum he’d saved from old experiments.

Karl’s frown disappeared. He never expected something like that to come in handy. He ran around the back of the house and, sure enough, found a two-meter-tall iron drum filled with some strange liquid. He dumped it out and dragged the drum back.

The giant drum looked like an oversized thermos in Karl’s hands.

Karl did some quick math about how fast they could reach the surface, then said to Achille, “Hop in. We’ll be out in less than a minute, so don’t worry.”

With the drum, he could shoot right up. It might not even take a minute — maybe just a few dozen seconds to make it to the surface.

“Thanks, Karl. Really appreciate it.”

Father and daughter quickly bundled Elizabeth into the drum as well. Once Karl sealed the lid, he raced for the lanternfish’s huge mouth without wasting a second.

He didn’t make a sound and slipped smoothly through the lanternfish’s teeth.

Glancing at the sleeping lanternfish, Karl muttered a warning, “Just you wait. I’ll be back for you soon enough.”

He took another look at the slightly squashed drum, didn’t waste any time, and shot upward toward the surface.

Once the pure gold was safely stashed in the System’s space, the lanternfish’s fate was sealed.

“Thunk!”

“We’re here, you can come out now.”

Father and daughter only spent forty seconds inside the drum—down to the second, since they’d been counting out loud.

Sunlight was streaming onto the drum as they looked up, so they stood and climbed out.

Achille raised his right hand to shield his eyes. “It’s been so long since I’ve seen the sun.”

“I almost forgot what sunlight looks like.”

After over a hundred years without real sunlight, it was a bit blinding at first. Achille was a big man, but surprisingly nimble.

In no time, he climbed out, then helped his daughter and Elizabeth up, along with their luggage.

“We really made it out!”

“Over a hundred years since I’ve felt the sun—I’ve missed it so much.”

“If only Mom could be here to see this.”

Father and daughter looked at each other, emotions surfacing between them.

Karl had no interest sticking around to watch their emotional reunion—it was just too much.

He quickly turned for the sea, calling back in a calm voice, “Wait here. I’ll be back soon.”

Heading underwater again, Karl shot off toward the lanternfish. Now that the pure gold was his, there was no reason to let the lanternfish live.

“Thunder Crescent Slash!”

He swung his halberd in a wide arc, aiming right at the lanternfish’s head and slashing for the base of the lantern.

Swish!

No sound traveled in the ocean—that was just the sound of the blade.

Karl was lightning-fast. After cutting the lantern loose, he immediately stuffed the long tube and oversized lantern into the System’s space.

Roar!

The lanternfish’s massive eyes snapped open.

Only now did the pain register. With its lantern severed, darkness swallowed the deep sea. The lanternfish thrashed about, smashing through rocks, unable to tell who had stolen its lantern.

Blood quickly clouded the water.

“Titan Form!”

Karl had no idea what the lanternfish might do after losing the pure gold. If the World Government ever discovered the gold missing from its head, that’d be big trouble.

A towering, dark red titan form—almost a kilometer tall—suddenly materialized, bringing a faint glow to the ocean floor.

The lanternfish immediately locked eyes on Karl.

There was no hiding who the culprit was. With a snap of its tail, jaws wide open, the lanternfish lunged to bite Karl clean in half.

“Doomsday Cannon!”

As the lanternfish charged, Karl leapt, gathering black energy in both hands. He blasted the lanternfish mid-body sending a wave of energy straight through its gut and down into the abyss.

Over eighty percent of the lanternfish’s flesh vaporized. The edges of the wound were charred. The lanternfish likely died never understanding why it had been targeted.

To keep the body from floating to the surface—and catching the World Government’s attention—Karl chopped it into pieces.

The thick scent of blood would surely attract countless carnivorous Sea Kings. He’d let nature take care of the rest.

With everything done and spotting Sea Kings swimming over, Karl dropped Titan Form and headed for the surface.

So why didn’t he just stash the rest of the lanternfish in the System’s space?

Simple—he couldn’t fit it all. And even if he could, he’d always have to take it back out sooner or later, risking exposure. Better to cut it up now and let the Sea Kings erase all trace.

At the very moment the lanternfish lost all signs of life, a strange red signal pulsed from deep within its body.

Olga and Achille barely had to wait—Karl finished the whole operation in under five minutes.

As soon as Karl landed ashore, he used the Den Den Mushi to call the fishman from before.

“Prepare a ship and bring it to the deserted island from earlier.”

“Yes, Lord Karl.”

The octopus fishman hung up the Den Den Mushi and led his team to quickly find a pirate ship drifting in North Blue.

They had originally planned to leave North Blue after finishing their mission, but now that the order came directly from Karl, there was no way they’d dare slack off.

“Achille, joining me was the best decision you ever made.”

“With your brains, you’re sure to change the world in ways we’ve never seen.”

Achille scratched his head. “You really think so?”

Maybe he didn’t know his own limits, but anyone who could make pure gold probably wasn’t a slouch in other sciences either.

“Dad, do you think he’s planning to have you make more pure gold?”

“Why don’t we play along for now? Once we’re safe, we can think about running for it.”

“See? Problem solved.”

“Hey! I can hear you, you know.” Karl sighed and tapped his ear.

How could they forget that Olga always blurted out her true feelings?

Looks like, once they’re back on Cake Island, he’ll have to find someone to keep an extra eye on her.