Heart of the Sea
Watching the colossal, apocalyptic wave, thousands of meters high, being effortlessly "smoothed out" by the blue-haired girl...
For a moment, the world fell into a deathly silence.
Everyone stood there, stunned.
That divine might, which even the gods could not control, and the sea's fury, capable of swallowing up continents, were transformed into a calm, mirror-like surface with a mere wave of her hand.
The wind stopped, the waves subsided, and the sunlight once again shone on the shattered earth.
"Did she... did she just... put that thing to sleep?"
Buggy was stunned, his mouth agape wide enough to swallow a seagull, as if he were frozen in place.
Law, Sabo, Bullet, Sentomaru, Seraphim Whitebeard, and the others all stopped what they were doing.
The ongoing excavation of the Red Line came to a complete halt at this moment.
The scene resembled a group of mortals struggling against nature with all their might, only to suddenly witness a "god" intervene and quell the natural disaster with a mere touch.
At that moment, they truly realized that "God" existed.
A sea breeze swept by, and an eerie stillness filled the air.
And in the sky after it had calmed down—
Aqua stood with his hands on his hips, chest out, head held high, radiating an aura of "Come on, praise me!"
His eyes were closed, and the corners of his mouth were turned up, as if he was waiting for his lines to be cued.
(Waiting for the praise!!)
(Quickly say I'm amazing! Quickly say "As expected of the Goddess!")
--However.
A minute passed.
Two minutes passed.
There was nothing there.
A breeze blew by, and her long, translucent blue hair swayed gently.
The expected applause and praise... never came.
Aqua's smile slowly froze on his face.
Her little face twitched slightly, and the corners of her eyes trembled slightly.
Finally, she couldn't resist secretly opening one eye.
Roy stood high in the sky with his back to her, his figure somewhat blurred by the light and sea fog.
He didn't speak.
He simply gazed quietly at the distant sea, his expression calm, yet carrying a subtle, almost imperceptible awe.
In that instant, he sighed softly to himself:
"I can only say, she truly lives up to her Water Goddess, possessing boundless magic."
"Even if I unleashed my full spatial abilities, I couldn't possibly achieve what she did—not destroy any natural structures, and even allow the ocean to 'heal itself'—in the face of a world-destroying wave of this scale."
"She wasn't controlling the calm of the water; she was engaging in a dialogue with the ocean itself."
Thoughts sank into the depths of my heart like a sea current.
But just then, an extremely dangerous aura of killing intent came from behind.
Roy paused slightly, then slowly turned around.
The "savior Goddess" was puffing out her cheeks, biting her lip, her eyes reddening, and tears almost falling. She looked like a child who hadn't been praised.
"..."
"Ro--Yi--!"
The air itself seemed to vibrate.
Aqua jumped up and down in the air, waving his arms and shouting angrily:
"You bastard!! I just saved the whole world for you!!"
Roy paused for half a second, his lips twitched, then he quickly forced a smile, "Haha--!"
He scratched the back of his head and laughed awkwardly, "My Goddess!! You're amazing!!"
Aqua immediately puffed out his chest, raised his chin, and a hint of pride flashed across his face, but the next second he muttered and pouted:
"Hmph, your praise is so fake! It's not sincere at all!"
"Then I'll be more sincere next time?"
"There's going to be a next time?!" Aqua was so angry his veins were about to burst.
Roy shrugged, revealing a relaxed smile, but his tone was cautious and serious.
"Aqua, has the sea really... calmed down?"
Aqua's demeanor instantly changes when the conversation turns to serious matters.
Her original playful and slightly clumsy Goddess faded away, replaced by the tranquility and majesty of a "Water Goddess".
She slowly closed her eyes, her translucent long hair reflecting a shimmering light like ripples in the sunlight.
The wind has stopped, the waves have calmed.
At that moment, she seemed to be the embodiment of the will of the entire ocean.
"Ah—this child."
She spoke softly, her voice as gentle as the tide. Her fingertips lightly brushed the air, and instantly, ripples of holy blue spread across the sea, layer upon layer, like the heartbeat of the ocean.
"I've suffered so much injustice all this time..."
"A series of massive wars, the division of the world, the arrogance of the gods, the greed of humankind—"
"It has been patiently enduring it all along."
Aqua opened his eyes, his clear, watery pupils seeming to see right through the seabed.
That raging wave was not merely a natural reaction.
"It was a painful cry, a plea—a heart yearning to be understood."
She reached out her hand, cupping a soft blue light in her palm.
The light transformed into tiny streams of water, falling from her fingertips and merging into the sea.
The sea trembled slightly, as if in response to her soothing words.
Aqua smiled slightly, a hint of maternal tenderness in her eyes.
Don't worry,
"As long as there are no more wars that devour the world, He is willing to rejoin."
"The sea will once again become the heart of the world."
These words are like waves gently lapping against the shore of the heart, soft yet profound.
Roy remained silent for a moment.
He gazed at the Water Goddess from another world before him, his eyes filled with respect and heartfelt gratitude.
Then, he bowed deeply.
Thank you, Aqua.
That was a heartfelt thank you that left one speechless.
Aqua was stunned.
She had originally planned to take the opportunity to strike a pose of "this Goddess is all-powerful," but she ended up standing there dumbfounded.
That scene also shocked the powerful figures around them.
Sabo was the first to react; he took off his hat and bowed in greeting.
Luo calmly bowed slightly;
Sentomaru and Seraphim Whitebeard also bowed their heads in turn.
Even the usually unruly Bullet, under the influence of Buggy secretly tugging at his sleeve and Garp's "If you don't move, I'll kill you" aura from behind, gritted his teeth and lowered his head.
"Tsk... what a troublesome guy."
He muttered something under his breath, but ultimately bowed.
For a moment, a sea breeze swept by, and everyone quietly bowed their heads.
Between heaven and earth, only that sincere respect and the murmuring of the waves remained.
Aqua stared blankly at the scene before him.
At this moment, she was no longer that crybaby, afraid-of-the-dark, and easily tripped Goddess.
Rather, it is the "ruler of water" truly recognized by the world.
A slight smile played on her lips, and the sunlight illuminated the tears in her eyes as she muttered softly, "Hmph... why didn't you just say this sooner?"
Roy raised his head, his gaze gentle, and said softly, "Aqua-- "
"It was you who finally made this world 'a whole'."
Aqua's cheeks flushed slightly, and she hurriedly turned her head away, waving her hands frantically.
"Stop saying such cheesy things, you idiot Roy!!"
Roy just smiled.
The sky above them finally cleared up completely.
The sea was as calm as a mirror, and the sunlight refracted into a rainbow of colors.
In the distance, beneath the massive gap in the Red Line, the waters of the four seas converge and blend under the light.
The barriers of the Old World have disappeared.
A new route is born on this sea of light.
The world has finally become one.