The Seabed

Thump...

Riyao was like a cannonball launched into the air, creating a splash comparable to that of the Philippine national team.

"Whoa!"

He let out a triumphant shout the moment he fell into the water, but most of his voice was swallowed by the sea, leaving only a muffled echo rising from the surface as bubbles gurgled and surged to the surface.

The others followed suit, one after another, splashing and shoving as they entered the water, creating a lively scene like dumplings being dropped into a pot.

Natsu yelled excitedly as he jumped down, shouting at the top of his lungs.

"That feels so good!"

Gray jumped in too, his entry into the water quite nimbly.

Juvia melted upon entering the water, her body becoming translucent, enveloped by the texture of the water, refracting a faint blue light in the sunlight.

As the Riyao shone through the water, its magic began to transform, and fine blue scales appeared on its skin. A long dragon tail extended from its waist, and the scales shimmered with a warm blue light in the underwater light.

[Life Mimicry - Azure Dragon]

He flicked his tail, which drew a smooth arc in the water before wrapping firmly around Mirajane's waist.

He pulled her close to his side, the tip of his tail gently resting on the back of her knees, the pressure just right—neither too tight nor too loose.

Mirajane smiled and placed her hands on Riyao's tail, her fingertips touching the smooth, warm scales, which felt cool to the touch.

The two darted off like arrows, leaving a trail of tiny bubbles in their wake.

"Gurgle gurgle..."

"Gurgle..."

Mirajane opened her mouth as if to say something, but only a string of bubbles came out. She simply stopped talking, reached out and poked Riyao's head, and pointed ahead.

Ahead, a school of brightly colored fish was swimming by in a grand procession: yellow and purple, pink, pink and white, pink and black, green, golden yellow, red, red and white, black and gray, gray, blue, and black and purple.

The school of fish stretched for tens of meters, so densely packed that it completely covered the sand and stones on the seabed.

Riyao led Mirajane into the middle of the school of fish. The fish scattered in a panic, then quickly gathered again, brushing past the two of them.

Mirajane reached out to touch the small fish swimming past her. The moment her fingertips touched a small, dark gray creature, it darted away with a "whoosh," as fast as lightning, leaving only a small string of bubbles swirling on her fingertips.

She reached for another pinkish-white fish, which was quite bold. It rubbed against her palm before swishing its tail and swimming away. The slippery feel made her eyes crinkle with delight.

Riyao turned to look at her, and subconsciously slowed down, letting her touch a few more strips.

Natsu dived to the bottom of the sea, his feet landing on the soft sand, his cheeks puffed out as he held his breath.

He tilted his head back and sprayed a powerful jet of flame towards the sea. Flames, accompanied by bubbles, shot upwards, causing a large amount of scalding bubbles to rise from the surface of the sea, and billowing white steam to rise from the water.

Natsu surfaced, panting heavily, a smug look on his face, and shouted at the people on the boat.

"Did you see that?! The Fire Dragon's Underwater Roar!"

Carla lay on the portable inflatable sofa, holding a coconut in her little paws, a straw in her mouth, swinging her legs leisurely, sunglasses perched on her nose, looking every bit the elegant lady on a beach vacation.

Want to get her in the water? Impossible! Absolutely impossible! Her fur won't look good if it gets wet, and seawater is salty and astringent; it'll be terribly uncomfortable sticking to your skin.

Happy stood attentively beside the sofa, holding up a parasol that had been overturned from the ship, its canopy crookedly propped up over Carla's head.

Wendy put on an air mask with a faint white glow at the edges and plunged into the water.

The underwater world is like a dream.

Sunlight filters through the layers of seawater, casting shimmering patches of light on the white sand, like someone had spread a layer of broken gold on the seabed.

The coral reefs grow in a variety of colors; some branch out like deer antlers, some are round and plump like mushrooms, and others spread out like fans.

Pink starfish and yellow sponges clung to the coral, while red crabs darted and frolicked among the crevices. Occasionally, a bluish-gray octopus would leisurely glide by, its posture as composed as if it were taking a stroll.

Wendy's eyes shone like two stars, her mouth was slightly open in an "O" shape, and her little face was full of amazement and excitement. With a gentle push of her webbed feet, she swam into the deeper water like a nimble little fish.

In the distance, the Riyao as Mirajane chased a long, white fish.

The fish was pure white, its scales reflecting a soft, pearly light on the seabed. As its tail fin swayed, it created a trail of tiny water droplets. Its body was long and graceful, and when it swam, it was like a silver sword drawn from its sheath, slicing across the water at an astonishing speed.

Dream Pearl Fish!

The first thing this fish does every morning is swim several kilometers to warm up, day after day without fail. This makes its flesh firm, tender, and bouncy, melting in your mouth with an incredibly sweet and fresh taste. Everyone's experience of the flavor is different, making it a true delicacy from the sea.

Riyao, along with Mirajane, sped up and gave chase. Like Azure Dragon entering the water, it was like adding wings to a tiger; catching a fish would be a piece of cake.

Sensing the pressure from behind, the Dream Pearl Fish lashed its tail fin, its speed suddenly increasing as it streaked across the seabed like a white lightning bolt, stirring up water that made the coral reefs sway.

Damn it, don't underestimate my dream! I'm going to become the fastest fish in the ocean!

Riyao followed closely, always staying two or three meters behind Dream Pearl Fish, neither too close nor too far, like a cat teasing a mouse.

He reached out and gently touched the head of the Dream Pearl Fish with his fingertips. The touch was smooth and slippery, and the scales were as warm and smooth as jade. The movement was as gentle as if he were petting a naughty child.

The Dream Pearl Fish froze for a moment when it was touched, then burst into even greater speed, its body twisting faster as it charged forward with all its might, its mouth opening and closing as if in silent scream.

Fish never give up!

Mirajane patted Riyao on the back, bubbles rising from her lips in strings.

She pointed at the fish desperately trying to escape ahead, her eyes crinkling into crescents as she cheered Riyao on, looking as if she were watching a thrilling race.

Gray floated in the distance, half-closing his eyes as he watched Riyao and Mirajane chasing fish with great enthusiasm. His lips twitched as he thought to himself.

Sigh, the guild's S-Class Mage is so naive.

Wendy also spotted a Dream Pearl Fish, which was swimming close to the coral reefs on the seabed. Its snow-white scales stood out against the coral.

She took a deep breath, opened her arms to her sides, palms facing outwards, and magic gathered at her fingertips. The air began to swirl rapidly, creating circles of fine water droplets.

[Sky Dragon's Wing Attack]

A burst of air shot out from between her hands, propelling her body like an arrow towards the Dream Pearl Fish, leaving a long trail of bubbles behind her.

Natsu, floating in the sea, saw Wendy's actions from afar, his eyes suddenly lit up, and he slapped his thigh, splashing water everywhere.

Yes! I can use magic to propel myself too!

He took a deep breath and submerged into the water, conjuring flames in front of him with his hands, attempting to use the propulsion of the Fire Dragon to dash underwater.

Puff...

The flames were severely suppressed underwater. As soon as they condensed, they were squeezed into pieces by the water pressure, like a crumpled piece of paper. They barely burned for a couple of seconds before being completely extinguished, leaving only a small wisp of black smoke and a few pitiful bubbles.

Natsu was so angry that he stomped his feet underwater, his cheeks puffed out like a pufferfish, and a series of bubbles gurgled out of his mouth, as if he was cursing underwater, but not a single word could be heard.

Gray seized the opportunity, placed his hands on the sea surface, and magic rapidly condensed, instantly forming an ice wall on the sea surface, with an icy blue chill spreading through the water.

Then, the second and third ice walls froze into several more, forming a fan shape that completely blocked the path of the two Dream Pearl Fish.

The two fish turned sharply at the same time and ran off in different directions, one darting to the left and the other to the right.

Just a few meters into the left-hand stream, Juvia's translucent figure appeared before me. She materialized from the water, her arms outstretched, the water swirling in her palms into a small vortex.

The whirlpool held the Dream Pearl Fish firmly in the center. The fish spun around twice in the whirlpool, then stopped, dizzy and disoriented, its mouth opening and closing as if it had been spinning around in a daze.

Juvia smiled sweetly in Gray's direction.

Another fish was trapped by the ice wall with nowhere to escape. Gray reached out and pressed down, and frost spread from his palm, freezing the fish and the surrounding seawater into a crystal-clear ice block.

Lucy held the Aquarius Celestial Spirit Key, twirling it between her fingers twice, hesitating whether to summon Aquarius for help.

"Hmm... should we call Aquarius out...?"

She imagined the scene of Aquarius's appearance; that volatile Aquarius Celestial Spirit would surely stir up the sea within a hundred meters radius, sweeping them all ashore.

Happy looked at Lucy with disgust.

"Aquarius will probably sweep us all ashore."

Lucy sighed, put the Aquarius key back, and flipped through the Celestial Spirit Keys on the keychain, reading them one by one.

"Sagittarius... Virgo... Taurus... Cancer... Leo... Gemini... Aries..."

Shake your head once for each word you read.

"Ugh... Aside from Aquarius, there aren't any suitable Celestial Spirit to use."

She looked down at the keychain, her shoulders slumped, and her lips turned down, looking like a deflated balloon.

Then he suddenly raised his head, clenched his fists, his eyes rekindled with fighting spirit, and shouted at the sea.

"Am I going to lose my rent money? No! I'll work hard!"

She took a deep breath, pinched her nose, and plunged into the sea. After splashing her feet on the surface of the water a couple of times, she submerged, her hands paddling in the water, her eyes wide open, searching for the Dream Pearl Fish.

A short while later, Lucy surfaced, panting heavily as she lay on the side of the small boat, her wet, tousled hair plastered to her forehead and water droplets clinging to her face.

"Ha~ They're all monsters, how can they stay underwater for so long?"

She complained listlessly, her eyes filled with envy, jealousy, and resentment towards her companion.

Wendy surfaced from the bottom of the water for air, her face still flushed with excitement. She gestured with her hands towards the school of fish she had just seen, her voice soft and bright.

"Miss Lucy, the seabed is so beautiful! There are so many fish, and starfish and turtles!"

Lucy forced a smile and weakly gave a thumbs-up.

"Really... that's wonderful..."