Chapter 426 - 265

Chapter 266: AN! SWER! ME!"Whoa, whoa... It looks like... something incredible is coming!!"The lingering warmth of the celebration had not yet fully dissipated when Zoro, who was grabbing Sanji by the collar, and Sanji, who had just broken free and was rubbing his neck, both stiffened at the same time.A red light flashed briefly in Sanji's eyes; his Observation Haki allowed him to capture an extremely ominous "movement" coming from the deep sea above.He and Zoro exchanged a glance. The two who were just fighting internally now had only the same gravity and alertness in their eyes.At the same time, Luffy, sitting in the palm of Shirahoshi's hand, stopped teasing her. His brow furrowed slightly under his straw hat, revealing a rare look of surprise.'Oh no...'He cursed inwardly,'I was so busy dealing with that bastard Hody that I forgot about that persistent scumbag Vander Decken!!'..."Strange... why did the sky suddenly go dark?""Yeah, has the light from sunlight tree eve changed again?"On the plaza, the people immersed in laughter gradually noticed something was wrong.They looked up in confusion at the "sky" above Fish-Man Island, which was usually decorated with the light of sunlight tree eve and bioluminescent creatures.In the next second, all confusion, laughter, and discussion froze in their throats.A chill surged up from the soles of everyone's feet, instantly piercing their spines and rushing to the tops of their heads!Beyond the massive double-layered bubble membrane of Fish-Man Island, against the dark deep-sea background, an indescribably large black shadow, like a moving mountain range, was pressing toward Fish-Man Island with a slow but unstoppable momentum!The outline was vaguely recognizable as a ship, but its volume... was actually comparable to half of Fish-Man Island!It blocked all light sources from above, casting a shadow like a giant mouth devouring all light, slowly bringing the entire island into its grasp."The Ship of Promise... noah!!!"King Neptune's exclamation, filled with unmaskable fear and shock, rang through the suddenly deathly silent plaza.His massive body even swayed, his face written with disbelief:"Why?! It... it should have been sleeping at the deepest part of the seabed! Who?! Who brought it...!""I see..."A calm and pleasant female voice sounded, carrying the insight unique to a scholar,"Is this the'Ship of Promise' built by 'Joy Boy' as recorded in the poneglyphs... noah?"Neptune snapped his head around to look at the source of the voice... the archaeologist of the Straw Hat crew, Nico Robin.His pupils contracted violently, as if he had encountered an earthquake:"You... how do you know that name?! 'Joy Boy'... that's something even our royal family only has scattered oral traditions of..."Robin did not directly answer Neptune's shock. Her gaze passed over the terrified crowd and fell gently and firmly on Luffy, who was staring at the shadow of destruction above with a furrowed brow.Her thin lips parted, her voice clear and steady, as if interpreting the crisis before them for her Captain:"Luffy, this is the'Ship of Promise' mentioned in the poneglyph we saw in the Sea Forest of Fish-Man Island... or more accurately, in 'Joy Boy's Letter of Apology'."Her words were like opening a long-sealed door of history:"According to the records, noah was commissioned to be built 800 years ago by the figure named 'Joy Boy' to fulfill a 'promise' with the Fishman royalty of that time.""Joy Boy once promised the former King of the Fishman race that one day, he would lead all Fishmen to leave the deep sea, ascend to the sunlit surface, and live equally and peacefully with all races.""And noah was the... key transport vehicle to realize this great migration plan."Robin's voice paused, a hint of historical distance and regret crossing her eyes:"But it seems that due to some massive incident or mistake that remains unknown to this day, 'Joy Boy' ultimately failed to fulfill his promise and broke it.""And this giant ship 'noah', carrying the promise and hope, was thus left forever at the bottom of the sea, becoming a symbol of an unfulfilled dream... until today."As her voice fell, she connected the giant ship bringing the shadow of destruction to an ancient and heavy promise, an unfinished dream... "Shirahoshi—!! My dear Shirahoshi!! It's been so long! I wonder if you've missed—"Vander Decken IX's frenzied voice, through some kind of transmission device, penetrated the deep sea and bubble membrane, echoing clearly over Fish-Man Island and into the ears of everyone in the plaza below.His tone was initially full of twisted anticipation and morbid "affection," as if a devoted lover was finally about to see the sweetheart he had been pining for.However, this nauseating aria suddenly broke on a certain syllable, getting stuck in his throat.He saw the scene in the plaza below.His pure and flawless goddess, whom no one was allowed to touch, the Fishman Princess Shirahoshi, was currently leaning over slightly, using those giant but incredibly gentle hands to carefully hold a man.Moreover, in the azure eyes she used to look down at that man, there was actually a kind of tenderness, trust, and even... a hint of intimate affection that he had never seen and would never allow to exist?!Boom—!!!In an instant, Vander Decken felt as if his brain had been slammed by a Sea King, and was then completely swallowed by a sky-high malice and jealousy sufficient to incinerate his reason!The "affectionate" smile on his face instantly froze and disintegrated, twisting into a grimace more bone-chilling than a deep-sea current.By what right?!Who is that man?!Why would Shirahoshi show such an expression to him?!She should belong only to me! Her smiles, her fears, her everything should exist only for me alone!!Am I not "affectionate" enough?!I waited for ten years, sent countless "love letters," and "protected" her in my own way!That guy who suddenly popped out, by what right?!"Shirahoshi—!!!"Vander Decken's voice suddenly rose, sharp enough to almost break, filled with the fury of being "betrayed" and total madness:"You actually... you actually dare to betray me?! To betray the sacred promise between us?! To mess around with another filthy man?!!"He roared at Shirahoshi, as if it were the most unsightly desecration in the world.In his completely twisted logic, Shirahoshi was no longer the pure, flawless perfect idol who needed him to "save" and possess her, but a "fallen," "unclean" betrayer."Since you are so self-depraved... since you choose to defile this 'love' I bestowed upon you..."The last trace of feigned "affection" in Vander Decken's eyes completely vanished, leaving only pure destructive desire.His eyeballs were covered in terrifying bloodshot veins from extreme anger and madness, almost bulging out of their sockets."Right or wrong, I no longer have the heart to distinguish!!"He suddenly raised his arms, pouring all his paranoia and malice into the Mato Mato no Mi ability connected to noah, and with all his strength, let out a final and most resolute roar toward the colossal ship above:"Then go with your damn father, and the Fish-Man Island you chose to betray—""And turn completely into seabed debris!!!""noah—!!!!"Along with this hysterical roar, the giant ship noahabove, like a collapsing mountain, seemed to accelerate its descent by another notch, crushing down toward the fragile double-layered bubble membrane of Fish-Man Island!..."Luffy, give the order!!"Zoro's hands were already firmly pressed against his sword hilts, his knuckles turning slightly white from the force.He stared intently at the terrifying shadow blotting out the sky above, his usually wild and uninhibited face now showing only cold gravity.noah... was simply too big!So big it exceeded the concept of an ordinary "slash"; even he had absolutely no confidence in completely destroying it before it totally demolished Fish-Man Island.More severely, the core combat power of the crew, besides him as a swordsman and Jinbe as a Fishman, were almost all Devil Fruit users!Once they left the bubble membrane, it would be a miracle if they could exert even a tenth of their strength; they couldn't be counted on at all.This almost meant that the heavy burden of stopping noah would fall mostly on him and Jinbe.The pressure weighed heavily on Zoro's shoulders.Now, for every second delayed, the crisis of Fish-Man Island's destruction deepened!"No! Absolutely not!!"A roar interrupted Zoro's thoughts.King Neptune's massive body blocked the way. He gripped his golden trident tightly, his face full of unquestionable determination, even carrying a kind of anger at having a taboo violated."The Ship of Promise noah must not be moved an inch before the 'Day of Destiny' truly arrives, let alone be destroyed!"His voice was loud and trembling, containing the heavy responsibility and faith guarded by the royal family for generations.noah was not just a ship; it was Joy Boy's promise, the symbol of hope for the Fishman race's future, a sacred object their race had protected for generations at any cost!If it were destroyed in his generation, how could he face his ancestors? What right would he have to talk about fulfilling the promise?!"So, is this your answer as King? Neptune!!"Luffy leaped lightly from Shirahoshi's warm palm and landed steadily on the ground.He looked up, the laughter of the past gone from his face under the straw hat, replaced by an unprecedented, almost breathtaking seriousness."Then... look down!!"Luffy raised his hand and pointed toward the plaza below the high platform, that dark mass of people where laughter and joy once filled the air.Neptune instinctively looked in the direction he pointed.In an instant, this king who had ruled Fish-Man Island for decades was completely stunned, as if pinned by Sea Stone.Within his sight were countless Fishmen and Merfolk residents.They were no longer cheering, no longer talking; they just stood there blankly, looking up at the doomsday shadow overhead.In countless pairs of eyes, there was the most primitive, naked fear—a direct recognition of destruction. Their faces were pale, as if drained of blood.Many people's eyes lost focus, and in the invisible "wind," they seemed like puppets with their souls removed, standing stiff and motionless.Some Merfolk with weaker wills could not bear the desperate pressure and collapsed to the ground with a thud, weeping loudly, tears mixing with despair as they flowed freely down their faces.The entire Fish-Man Island was dragged into a silent, cold abyss of despair by the terror named "noah.""Now, the thing you and your ancestors have been desperately trying to protect..."Luffy's voice sounded again, like a cold hammer, striking Neptune's heart word by word:"Is turning into a weapon of murder that will destroy all your citizens!"He suddenly looked up, a physical cold light seemingly bursting from his black eyes, locking onto Neptune's wavering eyes."Then, please tell me clearly—"His voice suddenly rose, carrying a thunderous penetration that echoed over the dead silent plaza:"Is it more important to protect that relic of an old era whose promise has already been broken—""Or is it more important to protect these living citizens before your eyes who trust you!!!"The cold and sharp words, like an ancient anchor, smashed down word by word, hanging in the almost solidified air for a long time, and also deeply gouged into the depths of Neptune's violently shaken heart.The aura turned into a physical, vast tide, surging and spreading in all directions with Luffy as the center!A hurricane swept through the plaza out of thin air, sand and stones flying, and even the light seemed to twist and dim because of it!Black and red electric arcs, like wildly dancing thunder snakes, leaped and exploded crazily in the void, making loud crackling sounds!The wind and clouds changed color, and heaven and earth lost their voice!In the center of this terrifying pressure and storm of aura, as if a god or demon had descended, Luffystared fixedly into Neptune's eyes and issued an unavoidable question:"AN! SWER! ME!"