Theus looked around in confusion—he was certain this was not Castel, nor was it anywhere near Gem Bay or Blood Port.
Because he was currently staring at a penguin.
It was not some monster, just an ordinary penguin with sleek feathers and vacant eyes, standing on a floe.
Splash.
Water sprayed up as a polar bear caught the penguin in its jaws. It glanced warily at Theus, then slowly turned and left.
Theus looked around. Floes covered the area, massive icebergs towered in the distance, and the whole world was white—dazzlingly white.
"Where is this? Didn't I leave the shell near the Storm Eye? How did I end up here?"
Theus was full of questions, with no idea what had happened.
"Let me check... First of all, the seawater is normal now, at least. It doesn't look like there's anything wrong with it. I don't know how I got here, but at least the sea isn't dried up anymore."
Thinking back, the dried-up sea had been terrifying. The entire Storm Ocean had actually been drained just like that.
Scepter: "Are they still beneath the sea?"
Everything was getting worse, wasn't it? Perhaps he would soon see those pirate companions again, and the Pirate King seated high upon the throne of Gem Bay would gather the White Sail Fleet once more, returning to those good old days.
French Fries: "Everyone, look what I found!"
Her voice was quick and urgent, as though she had run into some sort of trouble.
Scepter: "..."
Fortunately, Monica had activated the Sea God's power in time, allowing the seawater to flow back, surging out from the Storm Eye in reverse...
Wait a second!
Scepter: "Of course. They've been gone for too long. To put it simply, the Empire has already split apart. Tis is at