The One They Await

"Something's not right?"

Sirius paused for a moment, "What do you mean—hmm?"

He immediately realized something was wrong.

"Hey! What's this?!"

Then it was Yamato; her expression also changed abruptly, and she looked around in surprise.

So what exactly happened?

Ulti said impatiently.

These guys always like to keep things in suspense.

"Breath!"

Yamato said in a deep voice, "Many exaggerated auras are approaching!"

Yamato is right.

It certainly has an exaggerated feel to it.

While not incomparably powerful, it is certainly very vigorous.

Incredibly vigorous!

"So, something has gotten close?"

Jack also used Observation Haki, but his coverage area was far inferior to that of Sirius and Yamato.

Even so, his expression quickly changed.

Not only him, but everyone else looked astonished.

"What is this?" Luo couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.

"Huh?"

Brook was bewildered.

What's going on?

How come they seem to have seen a lot of things even though they didn't see anything?

That's really an exaggeration.

Sirius stood on the ship's side, quite amazed.

Unbeknownst to them, the eddies on the sea surface had become even more intense.

Even the Sirius began to shake, trembling violently in the intense vortex.

Sirius knew that the changes in the ocean currents were merely a symptom, a secondary phenomenon.

With his Observation Haki, he could clearly sense that a tremendous amount of energy had gathered beneath the surface of the sea.

What is it?

Are they Sea King?

"They are talking!"

At that moment, Hiyori spoke loudly.

"Huh? Say something?" Brook was confused again.

Who is speaking?

Was someone speaking just now?

I just can't understand what you're saying!

"What did they say?" Sirius asked with great interest.

Fortunately, there was a highly skilled simultaneous interpreter on board.

Hiyori listened carefully, then tried to translate, "They said—"

"Someone else is here."

Is this the person we've been waiting for?

"But the time is not yet right; the king has not yet mastered her power."

"And we didn't hear any drumbeats either."

"Those who are not involved are not allowed to approach the object being guarded."

Sirius raised an eyebrow.

That's a lot of information.

"So, Pluton is indeed buried here?" Luo asked curiously.

"Certainly."

Sirius nodded.

"Then, what is the king they are talking about?" Maria asked.

"The King of the Sea King,"

Sirius grinned, revealing two rows of neat, white teeth. "Then of course it's the Sea King."

"Aquaman?" Jack was taken aback.

Not just Pluton, but Neptune is involved too?

"What does that drumbeat mean?" Yamato blinked her big eyes curiously. "And what are they waiting for?"

"Have no idea."

Sirius shrugged.

The timing of the wait is understandable; it refers to the moment of the decisive battle.

But Sirius had no idea what the drumbeats sounded like.

The comic he wrote before he time-traveled hadn't reached this point yet.

I dressed too early.

"They've found me!" Hiyori suddenly shouted. "They heard my voice!"

The ability to Voice of All Things is a two-way street. Just as Hiyori can hear the voices below, the people chatting below can also hear Hiyori's voice.

"They're about to surface!"

"Captain, shall we take off first?" Black asked.

The situation seems a bit dire.

"Need not."

Sirius shook his head. Although these auras were immense, they did not give him the feeling that he was powerless against them.

Soon, the seawater around the Sirius began to tremble violently. Then, the sea broke open, and one after another, enormous creatures rushed out of the sea from all directions, directly surrounding the Sirius Pirates.

"Hey!"

Brook's heart stopped instantly; if he still had eyes, they would have flown out of their sockets by now.

Sirius around, and every monster that emerged from the water was as tall as a mountain.

The portion that emerges from the water alone is hundreds of meters high.

If we include the seabed portion, it's at least several thousand meters in length.

"It's huge!"

Yamato amazement, "That's huge! Can Sea King really grow that big?"

These creatures are, of course, Sea King, and each one of them has a bizarre appearance.

A sea turtle with hair on its head, a strange bird with sharp teeth, a dog's head covered in scales...

One after another, enormous creatures completely surrounded the Sirius Pirates.

And that's not all.

Only a portion of the Sea King are visible above the surface; many more swell in the waters below.

That's really an exaggeration.

Luo exclaimed in shock, "It feels like I'm about to be torn to pieces at any moment. So these kinds of monsters are lurking in this sea area?"

"I've never encountered this before."

Brook wondered if she was still inside the Thriller Bark.

He has been drifting on this sea for over forty years, and he has never seen these monsters before.

Hiyori suddenly widened her eyes.

A loud voice rang in her ears.

"Are you Kozuki descendant? You've come too."

"As expected, the appointed time is approaching."

"Our king has been born; only the last bit remains."

"Don't rush, wait a little longer."

"The king who invites destruction has not yet had his chance to appear."

Sirius noticed something was wrong with Hiyori, so he patted her on the shoulder. "Hey, Hiyori? What's wrong?"

"They are talking to me," Hiyori repeated what the Sea King had told her.

"Is it not yet time for Pluton to make his appearance?"

Sirius raised an eyebrow. Since he'd already come all this way, was he really going to leave empty-handed?

Um?

However, Sirius noticed it immediately.

All the Sea King were watching him.

Although they were so enormous, and the thick fog obscured their eyes, Sirius felt that these creatures were looking at him.

Hiyori said, "Sirius, they say you're a remarkable person. They asked me if you were someone I should follow, and I answered yes."

"And then?" Sirius, intrigued.

"They asked,"

Hiyori a slightly serious tone, "Are you Joy Boy of this era?"

"Joy Boy?"

Sirius smiled. "Tell them I am nobody, I am just myself."

Then, the Sea King surrounding the ship suddenly began to riot, shaking their bodies and causing the entire ocean to surge and waves tens or even hundreds of meters high to roll continuously.

"What's wrong? What's wrong?"

Yamato's hand was already reaching for the iron bar behind his back. "Want to fight?"

"That's not how it is,"

Hiyori's expression was somewhat strange. "They're happy; they're laughing."

"They're happy!"

Luo couldn't help but complain.

It's like the end of the world.

Hiyori smiled too, "They said maybe you are Joy Boy, the one they've been waiting for."

"Ha?"

Sirius's lips twitched. "Don't these guys listen to anyone?"

"Never mind, it doesn't matter. Let's ask them if we can dig up Pluton."