"Sharna." Gelman bent down and kissed his sleeping daughter's forehead. "Sweet dreams."
Sharna clenched her tiny fists and smacked her lips in her sleep.
He stood up and saw Shizuku coming toward him. She embraced him.
"Do you really have to go now?" Shizuku asked, her eyes narrowed as she held Gelman tightly.
Having a daughter had only deepened her attachment to Gelman.
"I have to go." Gelman returned his wife's embrace and answered calmly. "The 'Deep Sea' has waited for me long enough. It's time to bring everything to an end."
"Mm..." Shizuku released him and kissed him tenderly on the lips. "Take care. We'll be waiting for you."
"I know."
Gelman wasn't leaving without saying goodbye. He had already informed Chairman Netero, Ging, Biscuit, Morel, and the other important figures in advance.
Now, having said goodbye to Shizuku and Sharna, he was about to set out on his final journey.
Whoosh—
With the help of the Lantern, he teleported effortlessly to the Deep Sea Gate.
It was still broad daylight. The Gatekeeper sat quietly on its throne, turning to look at Gelman without the slightest hint of surprise.
"You finally came." The Gatekeeper slowly rose from its stone seat, the tentacles beneath its chin writhing like a bushy beard. "I thought you'd lost your nerve."
Gelman looked into the Gatekeeper's eyes and quickly realized that the one speaking to him wasn't the Gatekeeper, but the "Deep Sea."
"Now you should tell me clearly what your purpose is, why you're helping me, and how you intend to do it."
"No need to rush." The Gatekeeper walked toward the Deep Sea Gate. The doors rumbled open before them. "We'll talk as we go."
The sea surged, and soon two solid swells took shape, appearing before Gelman and the Gatekeeper like