After all, that man was far too important for the World Government to let him freely interact with outsiders.
Still, if Vegapunk developed any new weapons in the future, he could use his status as a Celestial Dragon to requisition a batch.
Saint Dio's gaze fell on Stussy, who stood nearby.
As a clone from Vegapunk's past experiments, Stussy should have some means of contacting him. But on second thought, Vegapunk was of no practical use to him at this stage, so he shelved the idea for now.
Then, besides Vegapunk, who else excelled at weapons development?
The Vinsmoke Family.
Known throughout the world for its technology and military strength, this family's accomplishments in weapons development were no less impressive than Vegapunk's. In certain fields, such as human modification and combat suit development, they were even more specialized.
If he could establish a partnership with the Vinsmoke Family and have them make a set of combat equipment tailored to Mumei, her fighting strength would take a qualitative leap.
Saint Dio silently added the Vinsmoke Family to his list of plans.
Chapter 62: A Proper Celebration, the Feel of a Waterbed
After dealing with the Mark-Mark Fruit, Saint Dio turned his attention to the Octopus Fruit, Mythical Zoan, Kraken Form, resting quietly on the table.
A rare hint of appreciation appeared in his eyes. Mythical Zoans were exceedingly rare in any era. Even the vast World Government possessed only a handful of Mythical Zoan Fruits, and only the Five Elders and the Holy Knights had fruits of this caliber.
Obtaining a fruit like this was certainly an unexpected windfall.
Mumei and Marigold were still sparring in the clearing, but Saint Dio had turned his attention away from them for the moment.
He turned to Stussy, who stood waiting beside him, and ordered, "Go to Ryugu Palace's treasury and find me a sword."
Stussy asked no questions. She gave a slight nod, then transformed into a swarm of bats and vanished into the shadows of the corridor.
Before long, she returned carrying a longsword.
It was a fine sword of an antique design. Several deep-sea pearls with a soft luster adorned its scabbard, and wave patterns were carved into its guard. Its overall style was entirely different from swords on land, bearing the distinctive character of this deep-sea kingdom.
According to Stussy, it was one of the prized pieces kept deep within Ryugu Palace's treasury. It had supposedly been passed down for several hundred years and had quite a history.
Saint Dio took the sword, gripped its hilt, and hefted it in his hand. Then he gave it a few casual swings to test its balance and feel.
The blade cut through the air with a clear hum.
He nodded in satisfaction. The sword handled reasonably well.
As for whether Neptune agreed to let him take this sword, Saint Dio had never even considered the question.
What if he did not agree? Once something was in his hands, there was no reason to give it back.
He held the deep-purple Octopus Fruit in his hand and brought it close to the blade.
The fruit dissolved into purple motes of light that slowly flowed into the blade as though alive, leaving dark-purple markings like octopus tentacles along its surface. Then the markings gradually faded, and the blade returned to normal.
Saint Dio gripped the hilt, closed his eyes, and sensed it for a moment.
He could clearly feel something like an enormous creature sleeping inside the sword. A single thought would be enough to awaken it.
He decided to try.
Carrying the sword, Saint Dio went to an open area outside the palace. After making sure there were not too many innocent civilians nearby, he held the blade horizontally before him and willed it to act. "Come out."
The longsword in his hand instantly began to twist and transform.
The silvery blade flowed and expanded like melting wax, turning into several thick, dark-purple tentacles that broke free of his hand and dropped to the ground.
Saint Dio let go. The mass of tentacles expanded violently the instant it landed, growing at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Ten meters, twenty, thirty, fifty...
At last, a dark-purple octopus of suffocating enormity loomed above Ryugu Palace.
Its eight tentacles, each like an enormous python, clung to the palace's coral towers and domes, shrouding the entire palace in its shadow. Its body blotted out the sky, and a pair of enormous yellow-green eyes looked down from above.
The residents around Ryugu Palace looked up at the enormous creature that had suddenly appeared and immediately panicked.
Screams rose one after another as people fled in every direction. Someone shouted, "A Sea King is attacking!" Neptune Army guards raised their weapons and gathered around, but none of them knew what to do.
Against a monster this size, the tridents and spears in their hands looked as ridiculous as toothpicks.
Neptune also rushed out of the palace upon hearing the news.
His expression changed sharply when he saw the giant octopus sprawled over the palace. He was about to tell Saint Dio to evacuate immediately when Saint Dio said calmly, "No need to panic. This octopus is mine."
Neptune froze. "...Yours?"
Saint Dio offered no further explanation. He merely raised his hand and beckoned to the giant octopus.
As though it had received an order, the enormous creature rapidly shrank and contracted. Its eight tentacles withdrew like an ebbing tide, and it finally condensed back into a longsword that flew into Saint Dio's hand.
Saint Dio gripped its hilt and looked down at the faint dark-purple markings on the blade. A satisfied smile slowly curved his lips.
"From today onward, your name is Kraken."
Having named his new sword, Saint Dio was in an excellent mood.
And since he was in a good mood, he naturally had to celebrate properly. His way of celebrating had always been simple and direct.
The room Neptune had prepared for him was undoubtedly the finest in Ryugu Palace.
The entire bedroom's main framework was made of enormous pink coral. Hundreds of luminous pearls embedded in the walls cast a gentle blue-white glow, enveloping the room in a dreamlike atmosphere.
A canopy as thin and light as cicada wings hung from the ceiling, swaying gently with the currents.
At the center of the room stood an enormous circular waterbed, a luxury unique to Fish-Man Island. Its body was made from an extremely resilient transparent membrane filled with specially treated warm water, and its surface was covered with soft sea-silkworm silk sheets.
When someone lay on it, the bed rippled with their movements. It felt both soft and elastic, as though their entire body were floating on a warm sea, so comfortable they never wanted to get up.
At that moment, the waterbed was shaking violently.
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Chapter 63: Leaving Fish-Man Island, Taking Shyarly Along
After spending several shameless days on Fish-Man Island, Saint Dio had more or less experienced all the customs and attractions of this deep-sea kingdom. He had sampled its various undersea specialties, visited sights such as the coral forest and the Sea Forest, and enjoyed Ryugu Palace's finest hospitality.
His only regret was not getting a taste of a mermaid.
Still, even a comfortable life grew tiresome after too long, and Saint Dio felt it was time to leave.
His next destination was Wano Country.
He instructed Stussy to prepare for departure and wrap up the remaining miscellaneous matters.
Stussy left to carry out his orders.
Before leaving, she first visited the side hall where she was temporarily staying and found Shyarly looking through a picture book.
Over the past few days, Stussy had been telling Shyarly stories about the human world, sometimes deliberately and sometimes seemingly in passing.
Its bustling cities, lively markets, and all the different people and things filled Shyarly's eyes with longing.
Now, hearing Stussy say she was leaving, Shyarly's little face immediately showed her reluctance to part.
Stussy noticed and smiled inwardly. Just as planned.
Taking the opportunity, she bent down and gently suggested, "Why don't you come with me? I'll take you to see the outside world."
Shyarly's eyes lit up, but then hesitation appeared on her face.
She really did want to see the fascinating human world Stussy had described, but she also knew this was not a decision she could make lightly.
She lowered her head and thought for a moment before saying softly, "I... I want to go back and tell my brother first."
Stussy nodded without stopping her.
Holding her crystal ball, Shyarly hurried back to the Fish-Man District and found her brother, Arlong, in a dilapidated coral house.
They were half siblings who shared a father.
Although Arlong was hot-tempered and extreme, he did care somewhat about his younger sister.
When Shyarly told him she wanted to leave Fish-Man Island with a human and go to the human world, Arlong's expression changed instantly.
"A human?!" He immediately gritted his teeth, his sawlike nose trembling slightly with anger. "Do you have any idea what humans are like?! Those slave traders love tricking little mermaids like you! They say they'll show you the world, then turn around and sell you at an auction!"
The more he spoke, the angrier he became. He abruptly stood and grabbed the trident leaning against the wall, his eyes flashing viciously. "Where is that person? Take me to him! Let's see what blind fool dares set his sights on my sister!"
Just then, a level voice came from behind him. "Who are you planning to deal with?"
Arlong abruptly stiffened.
He slowly turned and saw that the white-haired boy had appeared in the doorway behind him at some point. He stood with his arms folded, regarding Arlong with the hint of a smile.
Sunlight spilled in through the doorway, outlining the boy's slender silhouette.
Arlong instinctively tightened his grip on his trident, but his body remained frozen in place.
Had anyone else said those words, he would already have driven his trident into them.
But he had witnessed the strength of the person before him with his own eyes. Even now, remembering that enormous serpent that had appeared out of nowhere in the deep sea, large enough to rival the ancient ship Noah, sent chills down his spine.
Against that kind of power, never mind him alone-even every Fish-Man in the Fish-Man District together would not amount to a mouthful.
He had never imagined that the human who wanted to take Shyarly away would be this one.
What should I do? There's definitely no beating him.
But he could not stomach simply watching a human take his sister away.
Arlong's mind raced as he tried to find a solution that would both protect his sister and avoid angering this menace.
But with Arlong's temperament, he could not come up with a way to satisfy both sides, no matter how hard he racked his brains.
He could neither beat him nor stop him, and he was afraid that making threats would genuinely turn the man against him.
After all, he had seen this human's methods firsthand. In the end, he could only force out a smile uglier than a grimace and ask hoarsely, "Then... where are you taking her?"
Saint Dio gave him an indifferent glance. "Naturally, I won't harm her."
Arlong opened his mouth, wanting to say more, but Saint Dio was already growing impatient. "Standing here and giving you an explanation is already showing you respect. Keep running your mouth, and I won't mind dealing with you right now."
Arlong's words caught in his throat.
He clenched his jaw, his serrated teeth grinding audibly, and tightened his fingers around the trident.
After a long silence, he finally forced a few words through his teeth. "...Fine. Shyarly, go with him."
Only then did Saint Dio give a slight nod.
Truthfully, if Stussy had not genuinely valued Shyarly's ability and wanted to groom her as her successor, he would never have come here personally to waste words on a Fish-Man.
Taking time out of his busy schedule to come in person was already showing more than enough respect.
Once Shyarly received her brother's permission, a brilliant smile immediately blossomed on her face.
She happily ran to Stussy's side and took her hand. Waving back at Arlong, she left the Fish-Man District with Stussy without another backward glance.
On the day of departure, Neptune and Queen Otohime came to the harbor in person to see Saint Dio off.
The Pirate Ship Saint Dio had seized had been fully refurbished and stocked with ample supplies and fresh water. The coating on its hull had also been reinforced, leaving it ready to depart at any moment.
When Neptune and Queen Otohime noticed a little mermaid girl among Saint Dio's party, they were curious, but both had the sense not to ask questions.
Standing beside Stussy, Shyarly curiously studied the large ship that would soon carry her toward an unknown world, her heart full of anticipation and excitement.
But when she reached the ship's side and prepared to board, she suddenly realized a problem: she had no legs.
Merfolk were different from Fish-Men and humans.
Fish-Men had feet to walk with, and humans had legs to stand on, but a mermaid's lower body was a fish tail, making walking on land impossible.
Normally, on Fish-Man Island, they swam through the water. But once she reached the surface, without water, she would be unable to move at all.
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