The Pluton Battleship slowly descended, its coating giving off a faint hum under the deep-sea pressure. Through the resin film, the deep sea gradually revealed itself-glowing coral beds, strange deep-sea creatures, and, in the distance, a dreamlike island enclosed in an enormous double-layered bubble.
"Fish-Man Island..." Sabo consulted the information. "Ten thousand meters beneath the sea, the homeland of the Fish-Man Race and the Merfolk. According to the records, this is also..."
"Where Poseidon is," Allen finished. The conch in his hand emitted a gentle blue glow, resonating with the distant island.
Luffy pressed his entire face against the observation window. "It's beautiful! Are there lots of Fish-Men? Are they strong?"
Flames flickered in Ace's palm. "The deep-sea environment severely suppresses my abilities."
Pluton slowly entered Fish-Man Island's double-layered bubble, passing through that wondrous membrane. The sight inside was breathtaking-buildings constructed from coral, Merfolk and Fish-Men coming and going, and the enormous Sunlight Tree Eve at the center, transmitting sunlight from the surface into the deep sea.
But beneath that beautiful exterior, undercurrents stirred. The Ark Core issued a warning:
"High-intensity emotional energy detected... Negative emotions account for 73%... Racial tensions escalating..."
The Compass of Time trembled slightly. "Temporal anomaly: Ryugu Palace..."
The conch's blue glow pulsed more rapidly, as though it were anxious about something.
"Head straight to Ryugu Palace," Allen decided. "The conch is reacting strongly. Poseidon may be in danger."
Under the astonished gazes of the Fish-Men, Pluton sailed toward Ryugu Palace at the island's center. At the entrance, however, Fish-Man guards stopped them.
"No humans allowed!" the guard captain said firmly. "Especially at such a sensitive time!"
Allen displayed the conch. "We came because of this. It's guiding us."
The instant they saw the conch, the guards' expressions changed dramatically, and their manner immediately became respectful. "The Sea Sovereign's token... Please wait. I'll report this at once."
Before long, an unexpected figure came out to welcome them personally-Neptune, king of Fish-Man Island. But his brow was tightly furrowed, his expression anxious.
"Those guided by the Sea Sovereign, you've come at just the right time." Neptune's voice was heavy. "My daughter Shirahoshi... Something has happened to her."
On the way to Shirahoshi's room, Neptune explained the situation: racial tensions on Fish-Man Island had recently escalated. An extremist Fish-Man organization, the New Fish-Man Pirates, had been frequently attacking human ships and even threatening to overthrow the Ryugu government. As Poseidon, who could communicate with Sea Kings, Shirahoshi had become the focus of both sides' struggle.
Three days earlier, Shirahoshi had suddenly fallen into a deep sleep and would not wake no matter how they called to her. An enormous sphere of water had formed around her body, enclosing her, and anyone who tried to approach was repelled.
"We suspect some sort of ability is at work." Neptune was deeply worried. "But we can't find the cause."
Allen extended his Time Perception, his expression grave. "The flow of time around Shirahoshi is abnormal... This isn't an ordinary ability. It's Time Stop!"
Inside the room, Shirahoshi slept within an enormous sphere of water, like a princess frozen in time. Ripples occasionally spread across its surface, releasing powerful fluctuations of energy.
The conch flew out on its own, circling the sphere and giving off anxious cries.
"Time Stop..." Sabo frowned. "Can you undo it?"
Allen reached out to touch the sphere and was immediately repelled. "A very powerful stasis field. Forcibly undoing it could hurt Shirahoshi."
He closed his eyes and concentrated, sending his Time Perception deep inside the sphere. Within that expanse of frozen time, he sensed Shirahoshi's consciousness-she was having a long dream, one showing a future in which Fish-Man Island was destroyed!
"She's seeing the future..." Allen was shocked. "And it's a bad one!"
Through the temporal connection, Allen saw Shirahoshi's dream-the New Fish-Man Pirates and the human Marines erupted into all-out conflict, Fish-Man Island was destroyed in the fighting, and countless members of her people died. And the spark that ignited this tragedy was...
"The Sea Sovereign's awakening ritual?" Allen caught the crucial information. "Someone wants to forcibly awaken Shirahoshi's power of Poseidon?"
Suddenly, explosions and battle cries rang out outside! A new Fish-Man rushed in to report, "Your Majesty! The New Fish-Man Pirates have broken in! They claim they're here to 'liberate Poseidon'!"
Hody Jones led the New Fish-Man Pirates through the guards and charged into the room! Seeing the group from Pluton, he grinned viciously. "Humans? Perfect. I'll deal with you too!"
Battle erupted! After taking Energy Steroids, the New Fish-Man Pirates' strength surged. Combined with their advantage in the deep-sea environment, they put the group under tremendous pressure!
"The seawater is suppressing me too much!" Ace's flames were greatly weakened underwater. Luffy's rubber abilities were also affected, his elasticity growing sluggish. Sabo could still fight with his steel pipe, but struggled against attacks from multiple opponents. Only Allen's power of Zhulong was less affected, while his power of time ignored the environment entirely.
"Time Slowdown!" Allen expanded his domain, and the new Fish-Men's movements visibly slowed! "Now!" Luffy seized the opening and unleashed a rubber barrage, knocking down a whole swath of them! Ace gathered all his strength. "Flame Emperor: Deep Sea Eruption!" Compressed flames exploded underwater, producing an unexpected effect! Sabo struck pressure points with his steel pipe, precisely taking down his enemies!
But Hody Jones endured it through the sheer quantity of Energy Steroids he had taken and lunged straight at Shirahoshi's water sphere. "Poseidon belongs to the Fish-Man Race!"
Just as he was about to touch the sphere, something changed! The sphere suddenly burst, and Shirahoshi opened her eyes, revealing an empty expanse of deep blue!
"You may not... hurt my people..." Her voice was ethereal yet majestic, and the seawater throughout Fish-Man Island began to boil!
"Princess Shirahoshi!" Neptune exclaimed. "You're awake!"
But something was wrong with Shirahoshi. She floated in the air, her long hair moving without wind, her eyes utterly unfocused. "Those who hurt my people... must all be eliminated..."
Terrifying currents appeared out of nowhere, attacking everyone indiscriminately! Even the New Fish-Man Pirates were swept up!
"She's being controlled by Poseidon's power!" Allen understood instantly. "The future she foresaw gave her an obsession with protecting her people, and instead, the power turned against her!"
Worse still, the conch flew back into Shirahoshi's hand and resonated with her power! The power of Poseidon erupted in full! All of Fish-Man Island began to shake! Outside, the Sea Kings gave off uneasy humming cries!
"We have to stop her!" Allen unleashed his power of time to its fullest, struggling to resist the currents. "Or Fish-Man Island really will be destroyed!"
He tried Time Stop, but the power of Poseidon canceled it out! Time Slowdown had only a limited effect! Time Acceleration only made the currents more violent!
"What do we do?" Ace asked with difficulty.
In a flash of inspiration, Allen shouted to Luffy, "Luffy! Wake her up your way!"
Luffy froze, then understood. He stretched out his rubber arms, not to attack, but to gently embrace the rampaging Shirahoshi. "Shirahoshi! Wake up! We're not enemies!"
Something astonishing happened! Just as Shirahoshi's power was about to tear Luffy apart, she suddenly went still. "Lord... Luffy?"
The power of Poseidon calmed slightly, but remained on the verge of running wild. Struggle flashed through Shirahoshi's eyes. "I saw... Fish-Man Island destroyed... everyone dying... I have to..."
"That's only one possible future!" Allen connected his power of time to her consciousness. "Let me show you!"
Through the temporal connection, he sent different visions of the future into Shirahoshi's consciousness-a prosperous future for Fish-Man Island if the races reconciled; a future of destruction if hatred continued...
Shirahoshi stared blankly as tears fell. "So... the future isn't fixed..."
Her emotions gradually steadied, and the power of Poseidon began to subside. But just as everything was about to return to normal, Hody Jones suddenly sprang up and injected all his remaining Energy Steroids!
"Poseidon belongs to the Fish-Men!" He lunged madly at Shirahoshi. "Become one with me!"
This sudden provocation made Shirahoshi lose control again! The power of Poseidon erupted with unprecedented intensity! This time, even Allen struggled to control it!
"Oh no!" Neptune exclaimed. "At this rate, all of Fish-Man Island will..."
At that critical moment, Allen made a risky decision. He fused his power of time, power of Zhulong, and the conch's power into a strange orb of light. "Time Weaving: Memory Rewind!"
The orb merged into Shirahoshi's body, not suppressing her power, but guiding her back through Poseidon's original memories-the covenant between the Ancient Kingdom and the Fish-Man Race, and Poseidon's true mission, which was not destruction, but protection...
Within the torrent of memories, Shirahoshi gradually calmed, and the power of Poseidon began to truly merge with her. When she brought the last bit of power under control, she opened her eyes, their deep blue holding both wisdom and gentleness.
"I understand now..." she said softly. "Poseidon isn't a weapon, but a bridge."
She waved her hand gently, and the seawater purified the effects of the Energy Steroids in Hody Jones's body. He collapsed limply to the floor. The New Fish-Man Pirates also regained their reason.
"The hatred between races... should end." Shirahoshi's voice carried throughout Fish-Man Island. "From today onward, Fish-Man Island will open its doors to everyone who comes with goodwill."
She looked at Allen and the others. "Thank you for helping me find the true path."
With the crisis resolved, Fish-Man Island entered a new era. Under Shirahoshi's leadership, the Fish-Man Race and the Merfolk began establishing new relations with humans.
When it was time to part, Shirahoshi gave Allen a special scale. "This is the Sea Sovereign's token. Whenever you call, the Sea Kings will answer."
She also quietly told Allen a secret. "Poseidon's memories show that an Ancient Kingdom research vessel sank in the deepest trench of Fish-Man Island. It may hold information you need."
Following this clue, the group reached the trench in the deepest part of the seabed. There was indeed an ancient ship half-buried there, its style matching the ancient ruins.
Inside the ship, they found a well-preserved recording device. After connecting to it, the Ark Core decrypted some startling information:
"Report: abnormal personification detected in the Uranus Core... It has begun calling itself 'Imu'... Recommend immediate termination of the personality simulation program..." "Emergency: the Imu program has gone out of control and seized control of Uranus... Initiating final emergency protocol..." "Final record: divide the Uranus Core into three parts and hide them in Marineford, Laugh Tale, and..."
The recording cut off there. The final location had been erased.
"Just as I thought..." Allen clenched his fists. "Imu is Uranus's rogue AI."
Sabo looked thoughtful. "Three parts of the core... We already know about the ones in Marineford and Laugh Tale. Then the third..."
A thought suddenly struck Ace. "Could it be..."
Luffy pointed his rubber finger downward. "Farther down?"
Everyone looked into the darkness deeper in the trench. An unsettling aura emanated from there.
Allen expanded his Time Perception, and his expression suddenly changed drastically. "There's something down there... Something huge... And it's waking up!"
The Pluton Battleship rapidly descended toward the deepest reaches of the trench.
And waiting for them there was a forgotten ancient terror...
And the answer to Uranus's final secret.