The Resolve of Coron! Roa Arrives in the North Blue

The remnants of the Roger Pirates —strictly speaking, several remnants of the Roger Pirates plus two second-generation members of the Roger Pirates —dive into the deep sea.

It was certainly not the Red Fox or the Perfume Serpent that they were traveling on.

Both ships are indeed remarkable. The Red Fox was crafted by a master craftsman and could traverse the six seas as if they were flat ground, in no way inferior to the Orl Jack of the Roger Pirates.

The Perfume Serpent, carried by two giant sea serpents, is even more remarkable. Its value as a new energy pirate ship capable of freely navigating the Calm Belt is self-evident.

Unfortunately, neither ship could navigate in the deep sea because they lacked a coating.

Coating is a rather time-consuming process, and there's certainly no time to slowly coat a ship right now.

Fortunately, old Rayleigh had already prepared a coated ship, and the group boarded it and headed towards Fish-Man Island, located in the deep sea.

The light transmitted from the sea surface began to diminish rapidly as the ship continued to descend, and soon the surrounding environment became pitch black, with only a single lamp on the ship's deck emitting a faint glow, bringing a glimmer of light to the dark deep sea.

"So, Mr. Rayleigh,"

Straw Hat Shanks sat on the gunwale of the ship, black and red Inazuma crackling around him, causing a sea monster in the distant dark water to flee in panic.

The man, seemingly oblivious, asked with a grave expression, "I heard you say before that Fish-Man Island has been sealed off?"

"Blockade?"

The young half- Fish-Man boy, not yet twenty years old, Gaban's son, Coron, turned around in astonishment, "Uncle Rayleigh, what does this mean?"

Rayleigh sat cross-legged on the deck, leaning against the mast, his sword resting across his knees. He held a metal flask in his hand, slowly unscrewing the lid, taking a small sip.

"This was no secret in the Sabaody Archipelago. At first, no one noticed anything amiss, until one day, news suddenly came from the smuggling companies on the island that their ship had disappeared."

"Whether traveling from the New World to Paradise, or from Paradise to the New World, ships on both routes vanished without a trace."

"It was only at this point that people realized that it had been a long time since any ships had arrived from the New World."

"Is it Sea Beast?"

The Straw Hat Pirates- captain, Ben Beckman, spoke slowly.

Rayleigh nodded deeply. "There was a group of pirates who, although they didn't make it to the New World, had a Fish-Man on board who successfully escaped back to Sabaody Archipelago."

The Pirate King paused for a moment with his right hand, then said in a solemn voice, "He said that countless Sea Beast dwell in the deep sea, and they attack without hesitation as soon as they see their ships. In the deep sea outside the giant void, they encountered many shipwrecks."

"Eh!!"

Buggy, the Red Nose captain of the Straw Hat Pirates, couldn't help but scream, "Isn't that super dangerous?"

Even if all of them combined, it would be impossible for them to fight against a large number of Sea Beast in the deep sea, right?

"Buggy, you little brat,"

Rayleigh looked up, glancing helplessly at his wayward disciple. "Still so timid after all these years? I don't recall ever raising a man like you."

"What an annoying man."

Hancock, the Kuja Pirates, tilted her head back and looked down at the anxious Buggy, saying, "His heart is just as ugly as his appearance!"

"Hello!"

Buggy instantly flew into a rage, his shark-like face contorting in fury. "Hancock, you filthy woman, who are you calling Red Nose! Don't think that just because you're as beautiful as an angel and make my heart flutter, I'll forgive you!!"

"Okay, Buggy,"

Shanks rubbed his nose helplessly. "Mr. Gaban's fate is unknown; we must go."

Buggy fell silent instantly.

The man's expression kept changing.

Yes, Mr. Gaban!

"Children,"

Rayleigh stood up and scanned the faces of his disciples one by one.

Shanks, Buggy, Robin, Hancock —the children have all grown up and are now able to fight alongside him.

Prepare for battle.

Everyone's expression had changed slightly.

"They came so quickly."

Shanks also turned around and looked down from the outside of the ship's side.

Below, in the pitch-black depths of the sea, though invisible to the naked eye, one could clearly sense with Observation Haki that several enormous auras were rapidly breaking through the water and rising upwards.

"Bring it on!!"

Coron sprang to his feet, brandishing two battle axes, and roared, "No one can stop me!"

"Prepare for battle!"

Robin spoke succinctly, and the long snake that had been coiled around her suddenly tensed up and was grasped in her hand, transforming into a longbow.

"... Robin,"

Noticing her movement, Shanks sighed softly, "Haven't made a decision yet?"

"Sorry, Shanks,"

Robin shook his head, "I just..."

"No need to apologize, Robin,"

Shanks' brow relaxed instantly, and a relaxed smile returned to his face. "Everyone in this world is free. What you want to do is your own business, and no one can force you."

If that's the case, Robin is completely unsuitable for that Devil Fruit.

The moment you hesitate, your fate is already sealed.

However, now is not the time to discuss this matter.

In the deep sea below, enormous creatures have emerged.

"I haven't fought in so many years, my body's practically rusted. I don't know if I can even hold on!"

Rayleigh spoke with a smile, casually tossing pieces of coral to the group.

"You all know how to use it, right?"

Everyone skillfully took the coral and rubbed it on their bodies, instantly covering their skin with a layer of bubbles.

Normal people can't fight in the deep sea, so they need to have a layer of bubbles covering their bodies, like a ship's coating.

"I'll go first!"

Coron leaped up and went straight through the bubble into the deep sea.

The half- Fish-Man's advantage was on full display at this moment; even the deep sea posed no obstacle to him whatsoever.

The boy shot down the water like an arrow released from a bow.

The next instant, a painful roar echoed from the depths of the sea.

In the pitch-black depths of the sea, a massive monster's head had been cleaved open, leaving a deep wound; the blood had already stained the area crimson.

"Let's go too!"

One after another, figures followed Coron's footsteps and jumped off the ship.

Rayleigh and Shanks their swords simultaneously.

For such top-tier powerhouses, even the deep sea cannot conceal their brilliance.

The magnificent slash instantly tore through the deep sea, severing the two enormous creatures in a single moment.

Robin and Hancock simultaneously drew their longbows, and arrows imbued with powerful Haki pierced through the seawater.

These two small arrows contained truly explosive power. When they struck the two Sea Beasts, it was like a heavy cannon boom, instantly blasting two huge holes in them.

In just a few seconds, all the attacking Sea Beast were wiped out.

Unfortunately, none of the people here possess the ability to Voice of All Things, so they cannot hear the words of the Sea Beast.

Of course, even if they heard it, it wouldn't make much difference. Apart from Roa and Shirahoshi, probably only Imu could understand the Sea Beast's language.

After defeating the group of Sea Beast blocking their way, the ship carrying everyone continued downstream. Fortunately, they encountered no obstacles along the way.

They descended along the Red Line until they finally arrived at the enormous underwater cavern.

We're quite close to Fish-Man Island now.

"Something's not quite right."

However, Rayleigh's expression turned somewhat serious. "According to the Fish-Man who escaped, a large number of Sea Beast are gathered near the Great Hollow."

But now, all they see is emptiness.

"But in any case, now that we've come this far, we can't back down anymore, can we?"

Shanks pushed up the brim of his hat with his fingers and said with a smile.

"That's true,"

Rayleigh nodded. "Let's go, let's keep going."

Now that we're here, there's no reason to back down.

Thus, the ship sailed into this enormous, abyss-like void.

Everyone was on edge; they knew it wouldn't be that simple.

Then, about half an hour later.

The breaths of everyone on the deck suddenly caught in their throats.

"Are you sure this isn't a joke?"

Robin's forehead was already covered in cold sweat. "Such a scale?"

"Is this... the power of Aquaman?"

Shanks couldn't help but smile wryly, "Ancient Weapon, truly living up to their name!"

Deep within the vast void ahead, Sea Beast are rapidly approaching, one after another.

That's not all. In the rear, where the crowd came from, although there were far fewer people than in the front, there were still a large number of Sea Kings gathering there.

"They've even started using military strategy."

Rayleigh shook his head helplessly. "It seems we've been lured deep into their encirclement."

"It's no longer just an encirclement, is it?!"

Buggy's legs were trembling. "This number is outrageous!"

The Sea Beast surrounding them from the front and rear is probably in the thousands!

The huge cavity was almost completely blocked!

Even towards Fish-Man Island ahead, a continuous Sea Beast is closing in!

Just how many Sea Beast gather around Fish-Man Island?

They only have one ship!

They couldn't understand the language of the Sea Beast, so naturally they didn't know the dying words of the Sea Beast they had just killed.

"Very powerful humans have arrived. Drive them out with all your might."

The Sea Beast possess intelligence no less than that of humans, so they truly go all out to protect their king from the Demon King.

The Sea Beast that had been patrolling around Fish-Man Island almost all came out, and the Sea Beast in the vicinity of the Great Hollow were also summoned.

"For this quantity--"

Even someone as proud as Hancock looked grave at this moment, "I'm afraid we won't make it!"

At this point, everyone on the ship was a master, but the current number is simply outrageous.

All the Sea Beast need to do is swarm them and turn their ship into rubble.

Even the turbulent currents caused by the collective action of the Sea Beast alone would have been enough to cause the ship to lose control and crash headlong into the rock wall, shattering into pieces.

They can easily kill each Sea Beast, but they can't kill all of Sea Beast instantly.

Try this!

Shanks gripped the knife at his waist.

The black and red Inazuma leaped up instantly, its violent aura shaking the deep sea and forming wave after wave of surging undercurrents that swept towards the Sea Beast.

Conqueror's Haki is only linked to an individual's strength and spirit, and Shanks happens to be a monster with extraordinary strength and an astonishing spirit.

His Conqueror's Haki is among the strongest in the entire ocean.

Even a skilled admiral from the Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral would likely find it difficult to remain composed in the face of his Haki.

But.

The Sea Beast ignored it and continued to approach rapidly.

They are acting for the sake of a true king; how could mere human courage possibly make them back down?

"We're doomed!"

Buggy was already screaming, clutching his head in his hands, "What do we do now?!"

"Yes, but what can we do?"

Shanks was also sweating at this point.

Although we were prepared to deal with a large number of Sea Beast, this number is just too outrageous!

If they were on the surface of the sea, they certainly wouldn't be afraid, but this is the deep sea! If they exert too much force, not only will the bubbles covering their bodies shatter, but even the coating on the ship might break!

By then, the immense pressure of the deep sea will not care whether they are pirate emperors or legends of the sea!

Everyone realized one thing.

If you can't get across, you can't reach Fish-Man Island.

Is retreat the only option?

However, it was at this time...

"Holy crap!"

Young Coron took a step forward, his eyes revealing a resolute look.

"Coron?"

Rayleigh suddenly looked at his friend's son.

"I have to go back! My parents are on Fish-Man Island, I have to go back!"

Coron said, "I inherited my mother's Fish-Man bloodline, and the deep sea can't hold me back!"

"So everyone, please help me distract the Sea Beast! I'll use that opportunity to infiltrate Fish-Man Island!"

Are you serious, Coron?!

Robin looked at this younger brother she wasn't very familiar with, "Who knows how many Sea Beast we'll encounter on the way ahead!"

"It doesn't matter,"

Coron grinned, revealing a mouthful of sharp teeth. "Merfolk are the fastest swimmers in the ocean, but I'm even faster than them!!"

"Brother Shanks, Sister Robin, Uncle Rayleigh,"

With that, he solemnly bowed to the crowd, "I beg you all! I must go back!"

The group exchanged glances, having already made their decision.

Rayleigh sighed and said, "Family, it really is different!"

"In that case, go, Coron!"

Shanks encouraged, "Leave this to us, you just go ahead!"

"Captain! Go forth in peace!"

His companions also chimed in, "We will definitely survive and see you again!"

"Um!"

Coron was overjoyed and nodded emphatically.

"Coron, take this,"

Rayleigh tossed Coron a Den Den Mushi), "Keep in touch."

Even if something really happens to Coron, they can't provide support, but it's better than knowing nothing at all.

And so, the operation began.

The half- Fish-Man boy leaped into the deep sea and plummeted towards the bottom of the great void at an astonishing speed.

At the same time.

"Come on, monsters!!"

The people on the ship's deck simultaneously unleashed powerful Conqueror's Haki, attracting the attention of the Sea Beast.

Shanks, Rayleigh, Robin, Hancock, and others even ventured back into the deep sea, launching continuous attacks on the Sea Beast.

"Hold head high!"

The Sea Beast were immediately enraged and accelerated their convergence on the group.

"Hahaha! Retreat! Retreat! Don't let us get really surrounded!"

Rayleigh burst into laughter, "Don't stop attacking! Lure all the Sea Beast over here!"

It reminded him of the days when he roamed the high seas.

There were many times when they were surrounded and intercepted by the Rocks Pirates, and the scene was pretty much the same.

The large ship immediately changed direction and returned in the direction it had come from.

The group then turned their attention to attacking the Sea Beast that were closing in from behind; their numbers were much smaller on this side.

Behind them, enraged Sea Beast gave chase.

At the bottom of the great void, Coron accelerated forward without looking back, heading straight for Fish-Man Island.

The boy gritted his teeth.

Everyone is risking their lives to draw the attention of the Sea Beast to him; he absolutely cannot let them down!

Dad, Mom, Fish-Man Island, I'm back!

Almost at the same moment.

North Blue.

In the sky above, a gigantic floating Sky Island appeared out of nowhere.

"Hmm, North Blue, it's been so many years since I've been here."

At the edge of the floating city, Roa looked down at the vast, boundless sea below and couldn't help but sigh.

I really miss those days. Back then, Luo's first step in building his fortune was in North Blue.

It turned out that coming to Judge Land of Endless War a brilliant idea!

"Hehe, Boss, this time, we'll completely take over this sea area!"

Behind Roa, Judge, who was always very busy, even abandoned his experiment and ran over, looking excited.

The North Blue —that's the Vinsmoke family's long-cherished dream!

"I guess so."

Roa smiled, then glanced back slightly. "So, Morgans, how's Dragon doing?"

Hehehe,

Behind Roa, another man, his top paparazzo Morgans, chuckled maliciously, "Although it hasn't affected our operation at all, it's gone very smoothly. Of course, we've already found out what they wanted to know!"

"Perhaps the message has already been successfully delivered to the World Government."

"I see."

Roa chuckled, "They must have worked really hard; at least they felt somewhat involved."

In other words, they only had a sense of participation, and as Morgans said, it had no impact on their actions.