Chapter 79: Welcome to Fishman Island

“Ready to set sail!”

As soon as Karl spotted the Azure Dragon, he called out to everyone, then leapt right onto the ship.

“Let’s go, time to head out!”

“I’m finally going to see what Fishmen look like.”

Fields wandered all around the Sabaody Archipelago.

But he never ran into a single Fishman. He looked a bit disappointed, but his curiosity was growing.

Just as Karl steadied himself on deck, his eyes shot toward a pavilion on the island.

He instantly spotted Hodes watching them from above.

“I wonder… Was sparing you today the right choice? Or a mistake?”

Davis overheard Karl mumbling to himself and walked over, curiosity written all over his face as he looked in the same direction.

“What choice are you talking about?”

Karl nearly jumped out of his skin, startled to find Davis standing right beside him.

“Ah, nothing. Let’s just get going.”

Karl pulled his gaze away and headed toward the middle of the deck.

“I hope you don’t give the captain anything to regret. Otherwise, I’ll handle you myself!”

Davis used Observation Haki, glancing at Hodes in the distance, then back at Karl’s retreating figure.

“Wow!”

“It’s so beautiful!”

As the ship dove deeper into the ocean, the remaining daylight cast a dazzling glow, all kinds of fish drifting freely beneath them. Jennifer whipped out her camera, eager to capture every moment.

“What’s so great about this?”

Notty didn’t seem impressed. After his physical training reached a plateau, Karl suggested moving the training site underwater, so this kind of view had become routine for him.

“Hmph, who asked you!”

Jennifer ignored him and hurried to the other side, camera in hand, to snap more pictures.

“I wonder how the fish here taste when cooked.”

Smith leaned on the railing of the second floor, lighting a cigarette with a thoughtful air.

Karl’s actual size and Notty’s height had been taken into account for the ship’s design.

The entire ship was around 222 meters long, 60 meters wide, and about 35 meters high—ten meters per deck.

The top two decks held the captain’s quarters, the dining hall, meeting rooms, labs, a medical bay, and dozens of multifunctional rooms.

The lowest deck was storage for supplies, while the second and third decks were bedrooms and bathrooms—twenty-five private rooms of eighty square meters each, plus bunks for up to two hundred people.

As for how just a few people could operate such a massive ship, that was thanks to the Mohist mechanical arts.

As the ship dove deeper, the seawater around them grew darker and darker. Only a few lights from the ship kept the darkness at bay.

“It’s gone… Why is it so dark now?”

Just moments ago, Jennifer had been cheerfully snapping pictures. Now she clung to the doorway, poking her head out with growing caution.

“What’ll happen if this bubble bursts?”

Brown stared curiously, tapping the golden membrane outside the ship’s hull.

Notty scratched his head, then gave a very certain answer.

“Well, chances are we’d all be done for—sunk right to the bottom, haha.”

“Ah!”

“No way!”

“I’m not ready to die yet!”

Jennifer was so spooked by Notty’s words that she sprinted behind Davis. She figured if the bubble popped, Davis would be the one to get her out safely.

“Hahaha!”

“Brown, don’t scare her like that.”

“If none of us can make it safely to the seafloor, then…”

“There probably aren’t many people left in the New World who could either.”

Karl chuckled nearby, then looked at everyone and reassured them.

Luckily, their journey went smoothly—no massive Sea Kings to bother them.

“Is that a little light ahead?”

“That should be Fishman Island.”

Just as boredom began to set in, Hunter called from the lookout at the bow. He’d spotted a faint glow on the ocean floor ahead.

“Where? Where?”

Brown was the first to rush to the railing. He’d come to the New World plenty of times, but Fishman Island was new even for him.

“Are we really there already? I can’t wait to compare Fish-Man Karate with Eight-Level Fist.”

Thanks to his martial arts obsession, Fields had learned all kinds of boxing styles from Karl. Still, he favored the Eight-Level Fist, which he thought was the most devastating technique.

“Let me see, let me see!”

Jennifer had gotten over her fear and dashed over last—

—but she too was curious about Fishman Island’s medical practices, hoping for a chance to chat with the local healers.

Karl lounged atop the throne he’d designed for himself on deck, surrounded by an array of buttons controlling all kinds of features.

Now that they were in the New World, there was no need to worry about the Navy spotting them, so he skipped using the Bone-Shrinking Art.

He could clearly see Fishman Island in the distance, his right hand absently petting White Tiger’s fur.

The next instant, Davis and the others tensed up—their senses picking up a team approaching them through the water.

“Is that Lord Karl?”

“I think that’s Lord Karl.”

On hearing the voices, everyone relaxed and glanced over at Karl.

Karl met their questioning looks with a small smile.

“Relax, some of my crew are already here. They’ve come to greet us.”

Karl had actually contacted Krell with the Den Den Mushi right after they entered the ocean.

Fishman Island was a highly contested place—though Karl had big plans for it, now wasn’t quite the right time, so he’d set up plenty of secret pieces there.

“Lord Karl, I’m Sliya. Welcome to Fishman Island!”

A small team of Fishmen swam over. Sliya of the Tiger Shark tribe greeted Karl respectfully.

He knew that, thanks to Karl’s help, the people of Fishman Street no longer went hungry, and their days of war and chaos had ended.

Everyone there was deeply grateful to Lord Karl.

Even today, Sliya had been chosen to greet Karl after competing with other Fishmen for the honor.

Karl looked at Sliya and nodded.

“Lead the way.”

Seeing Karl nod at him, Sliya grew visibly excited—Karl was practically their idol.

“Please follow me, Lord Karl.”

With Sliya leading, they quickly made their way to Fishman Street.

Along the way, Sliya filled them in—Fishman Island was in political turmoil.

As they talked, Karl realized they wanted his help to solve Fishman Island’s unrest.

But Karl wasn’t interested in fixing their political mess—

—because even if he did, he couldn’t exactly bring the Fishmen openly under his rule.

“Now’s just not the right time.”

Sliya was really just the messenger for the Fishmen, but he wanted the island’s chaos to end sooner rather than later.

Still, after Karl said that, he couldn’t help but wonder why things couldn’t be fixed now.

But, quick-witted as he was, he didn’t dare ask further.

“Lord Karl, this is the place Fishman Street prepared for you all to rest.”

Karl was thoroughly impressed by the beautifully decorated rooms—even if he didn’t know who usually owned them. Just the fact they cleared out such nice spots to welcome them showed plenty of respect.

“You’ve gone to a lot of trouble.”

“You flatter us, Lord Karl. It’s the least we could do.”

Sliya looked a little embarrassed at the praise.

He drew a deep breath, then pointed inside as he addressed everyone.

“Please, go ahead.”

“Tomorrow night, there’s a grand feast in your honor. It’d be wonderful if you could attend.”

Sliya finished, then waited anxiously for Karl and the others to reply.

“Of course, we’ll be there.”

Relieved to have Karl’s promise, Sliya’s face showed obvious relaxation.

“I’ll make sure to notify you all in person tomorrow. I’ll take my leave now.”

“Alright!”

With that, Sliya and his team hurried off in another direction, probably to report to the other Fishmen.

“Tap tap tap…”

As Sliya vanished from view, Karl turned back to Davis and the others.

“Alright, one room each.”

“We’ll rest here for the day.”

“We set out again, first thing the day after tomorrow.”

Since they entered the ocean at dusk, by the time they reached Fishman Island it was already late at night.

“Other than attending the banquet tomorrow, you’re free to do as you like.”

“Yes!”

“Fishman Island ladies, here I come!”

Hearing Karl’s answer, Brown was the first to dash inside, eager to unpack and go meet some lovely Fishman girls.

Seeing Brown’s eagerness, everyone else exchanged knowing looks.

“Hahaha!”

“Brown sure acts fast!”

Karl stepped into his room next, with everyone else quickly filing in after.

“See you all tomorrow.”

“See you tomorrow!”

……