Warrior Shrimp

Suddenly, everything felt different.

Sounds came from every direction.

Yet these chaotic sounds did not seem noisy at all now; instead, they were orderly and distinct.

Bright suddenly had a feeling that even if he closed his eyes, he would still be able to grasp his surroundings completely.

These different sounds varied in strength. The strongest, of course, came from the giant beast roaring right now.

Then came the enormous pincers crashing down like a storm.

Amid this tempest, Bright was like a seabird. He looked as though he might be swallowed by the waves at any moment, yet he always spread his wings freely through the dark clouds, never brought down by the torrential rain.

His body crackled with electricity as he darted effortlessly between the falling pincers like a phantom.

The giant beast's pincers shot out incredibly fast—far faster than Bright could move.

But before the pincers even launched, Bright had already heard them. They told him which direction they were about to shoot.

That tiny bit of advance notice was enough for Bright to dance on the edge of a blade.

Was this Observation Haki?

Bright understood at once.

He had probably awakened Observation Haki.

But it was clearly not ordinary Observation Haki.

Ordinary Observation Haki merely sensed presence. Every person's attacks carried their presence, and that was the principle behind using Observation Haki to evade attacks. In that regard, it matched Bright's current situation perfectly.

But the difference was that Bright heard.

He truly heard sounds.

He could even clearly hear the Sea King's voice.

His Observation Haki was special.

Bright understood that instantly.

The corners of his mouth curled upward.

"Then—"

Now that the distracting cacophony had vanished and he had completed his evolution, it was time to end this battle!

Bright launched himself upward like a missile.

A massive pincer slammed down toward him.

But Bright had been prepared. His body veered off in advance, dodging the blow directly.

Then, smiling, he floated forward and grabbed one of the pincer's legs.

Almost at the same time, the falling pincer retracted upward, carrying Bright along with it.

In an instant, Bright arrived beneath the giant beast's body and shot forward.

"You've caused enough trouble already!!"

Invisible ripples wrapped around his right arm as Bright threw a powerful punch straight into the face of the giant beast, which was twisting its head around to look this way.

Crack.

The shell covering the beast's skin shattered instantly. The terrifying force even caved in its cheek.

The giant beast's enormous body was sent flipping over before crashing heavily onto the seabed, kicking up clouds of dust.

"He... he knocked over a Sea King!!"

In the distance, Arlong stared wide-eyed.

That kind of power was unbelievable.

Bright shook his fist, then suddenly lowered his body and lunged into the swirling dust.

"That's it! This is a real fight! Come on, strong one!"

Bright heard an excited roar. Within the dust, the giant beast had already flipped itself back over, its pincers poised to strike.

It really was tough as hell.

Bright easily evaded the beast's counterattack as well. The moves that had troubled him before were nothing remarkable to him now.

The instant he closed in on the giant beast, Bright's body swelled.

He transformed into a crimson dragon!

His long body coiled directly around the giant beast's neck.

"Fall, warrior."

A smile bloomed across the dragon's savage face.

This time, at point-blank range, with everything he had—

"..."

The colossal beast visibly froze for a moment.

But whether it froze or not no longer mattered.

"Thunder!"

The dazzling flash of electricity instantly lit up the surrounding sea even more brightly.

"Roar!!!"

The colossal beast's body convulsed, its screams shaking the entire deep sea.

Bright continued unleashing powerful electric shocks.

He did not stop until even the beast's cries had weakened.

His body shrank back into his Dragon Human form, and Bright watched as the beast's charred, torn body slowly crashed onto the seabed.

That should have finished it, right?

The sounds coming from its body had grown much quieter. It should no longer have the strength to resist.

Bright had not killed it, though. After all, it had not attacked while he had been unable to fight back.

Now, then, he could properly experience his newly awakened ability.

Bright deliberately used the method Jinbe had taught him, directing his Observation Haki outward in all directions.

Then, even more sounds—clearer sounds—instantly flooded into his mind.

"This is incredible."

Bright looked around excitedly.

So many, so many sounds.

The sounds of seawater, the sounds of sand on the ocean floor, of coral, of rocks, of fish.

What was this?

The Voice of All Things?

But it seemed a little different.

Roger could hear the powerful voice conveyed by the Poneglyph that recorded the location of the Sea King.

But Bright did not seem able to distinguish whether a sound was powerful or not. He could only tell how loud it was.

Could this really count as the Voice of All Things?

Bright focused carefully on what he was sensing.

Gradually, he began to understand.

He was not directly hearing sounds. Rather, his Observation Haki was converting something he sensed into sound.

What exactly was he sensing?

Perhaps some kind of vibration.

That was Bright's guess.

The sensory ability granted by the Reaper Squid allowed him to sense the vibrations emitted by living creatures, giving him radar-like perception.

Other than that, it had not seemed particularly special.

But perhaps this sensory ability had evolved after merging with Observation Haki.

He could sense the vibrations emitted by objects, then convert them into sounds for himself to hear.

If it was an inanimate object, he could only hear a fixed sound. But if it was a living thing, he seemed able to hear much more.

Looking at it that way, it really did feel somewhat like the Voice of All Things.

But whether it truly was or not did not matter. As long as it was useful.

"Just who... are you?"

A voice came from below.

Bright lowered his head. Beneath him, the heavily electrified colossal beast trembled as it slowly raised its head. Its voice was filled with incredulous shock. "Why... can I understand your words?"

Communication was actually two-way?

Not only could he understand what it was saying, but it could understand what he was saying as well?

That was a little absurd.

Could it be that the inherited ability to communicate with fish and sea beasts had evolved as well?

The sudden surprise made it hard for Bright to contain himself. Had he gained an ability similar to that of the Sea King?

"I am the ruler of the sea, the king of all Sea Kings," Bright said solemnly.

Maybe he could pass himself off as one.

"Shut up, you shameless wretch!"

The colossal beast roared, and Bright could hear the fury in its voice. "We have only one king! She is now in the kingdom of the merfolk, and we can all sense her presence! You will never deceive me!"

Tsk.

So Shirahoshi and the Sea Kings really did share some kind of special connection?

Otherwise, the moment Shirahoshi cried, the Sea Kings would not have immediately become agitated. Fish-Man Island might be small, but not so small that Shirahoshi's crying could carry outside.

His plan to impersonate the Sea King had failed.

Bright felt a little disappointed.

That made sense. Shirahoshi gave orders to the Sea Kings, which was clearly different from the way he merely conversed with them.

"What a pity. You saw through me. Let's just say I have a few special abilities," Bright said casually.

"Hmph, don't underestimate a warrior's wisdom!"

The giant beast accepted Bright's explanation and snorted smugly. "The world truly is wondrous. To think a Fish-Man like you could be born in the sea... Perhaps the era we have awaited for generations is truly about to arrive."

"The era you're waiting for? What is that?" Bright became interested.

Sea Kings had long lifespans. Perhaps they knew the truth from eight hundred years ago.

"I don't know either."

The giant beast shook its head. "I only know that we have always been waiting for the return of the kings."

The kings?

Bright raised an eyebrow.

The Sea King certainly counted as one.

Did Pluto of Wano Country count?

Did the Pirate King count?

It was hard to understand.

"Still, you truly are a powerful opponent!"

The giant beast suddenly said happily, "I admit it, I lost this time. You defeated the proud deep-sea warrior Alexander. Take pride in that, strange Fish-Man."

It actually had its own name?

Sea Kings truly were a fascinating race.

Bright suddenly smiled. "Alexander, is it? You really are a formidable opponent."

"Of course!" The giant beast was immensely proud. "I am a warrior tempered through training with the goal of becoming the strongest deep-sea warrior!"

"Then are you ready to die?" Bright asked with a smile.

"...Huh?"

The giant beast froze. "Y-you're going to kill me?"

"Because you're a very formidable opponent." Bright nodded as though it were only natural.

"B-but, but—" The Warrior Shrimp's tone abruptly turned panicked. "Normally, isn't winning enough? Watching the loser flee in disgrace is what makes victory all the sweeter..."

Just as it had always done.

To kill a worthy enemy even after winning—what a brutal creature!

What an interesting fellow.

Bright suppressed a smile.

Sea Kings possessed intelligence no less than that of humans, but they lived in the ocean and had not received much information. Compared to intelligent races like humans and Fish-Men, they were far more innocent.

"That's why I said it's because you're strong."

Bright smiled. "A powerful opponent like you might come looking for trouble with me again in the future, you know?"

"Uh!"

The Warrior Shrimp fell into hesitation.

He said he wanted to kill it. He was a very brutal fellow!

But he had also said it was a powerful opponent!

In the end, the giant beast dejectedly lowered its head. "Guh... Kill me, then."

For a powerful warrior, ending like this was not too bad.

Bright could no longer suppress his smile, and the corners of his mouth curled high.

He had decided. He would definitely recruit this fellow.

"But actually, I don't necessarily have to kill you," he said with a smile.

"Really?"

The dejected warrior snapped its head up at lightning speed.

"Enemies have to be dealt with. But friends are different," Bright said seriously.

If Fish-Man Island wanted to make a grand entrance into the Blue Sea, the Sea Kings would undoubtedly be their most reliable allies!

Their king was the Princess of Fish-Man Island.

"Friends?"

Alexander immediately said warily, "Don't talk nonsense, fish-man! We only obey our own king. We will never submit to you!"

"It's not submission. It's making friends."

Bright said seriously, "Isn't your king on Fish-Man Island? She and I are on the same side, so naturally, you and I should be friends too."

Alexander felt a little dazed. Was that how it worked? It didn't seem wrong anywhere.

"Besides,"

Bright's lips curled upward. "Warrior, don't you want to become stronger?"

He descended, floating before the warrior, and extended his right hand. Invisible ripples coiled around his palm as he gently pressed it against the beast's eyelid. "Can you feel it? This power—I can teach it to you. If you learn it, you'll become even stronger."

Gulp!

This guy!

Was he a demon?

It felt as though cat claws were scratching at Alexander's heart.

Could he really become stronger?

A warrior's destiny was to grow ever stronger!

"What is there to hesitate about?" To Warrior Shrimp, Bright's voice was practically demonic temptation. "Alexander, the greatest deep-sea warrior—don't you want to make yourself even stronger?"

"Gulp..."