Ten days after the First Sea Gate opened.
Fish-Man Island lay deep beneath the sea, below the Red Line.
Noah moved once again.
But this time, no tsunami came crashing down, and no one urged everyone to flee for their lives.
The enormous ancient ship rested quietly outside Fish-Man Island, its deck packed with people.
The elderly, children, fish-men, mermaids-some held luggage, some carried little boxes filled with coral, and some brought nothing at all, simply looking up again and again at the dark blue water overhead.
"Can we really live up there?" a fish-man asked softly.
"Of course." Jinbe stood at the boarding entrance, his voice warm and steady.
"You can just go up for a look, too. If you don't feel comfortable there, come back."
The man froze for a moment. "We can come back?"
"Wahahahaha!"
Jinbe turned back and laughed. "Who said you couldn't return to Fish-Man Island once you went up?"
Those words left quite a few people silent.
In the past, going to land had always felt like a decision that meant gambling their entire lives to the people of Fish-Man Island.
Now, it was just a move-or even just a trip.
An area for permanent use both above and below the water had already been set aside near the newly built First Sea Gate.
Below, the port connected to a deepwater shipping channel; above, it joined the docks on the surface.
Fish-men could enter and leave underwater, while human ships could dock normally as well.
Its name was simple: [Fish-Man Port].
Shirahoshi stood at the very front of Noah, both hands clutching the hem of her skirt.
Neptune watched her for a while. "Nervous?"
Shirahoshi immediately shook her head.
"No!" After a pause, she added quietly, "A little..."
In the distance, several gigantic sea