Fishman Island was suddenly struck by a great calamity. In the deep sea, fishmen gathered together, watching Fishman Island with terror and unease. Many did not know what exactly had happened to the island. When those beside them collapsed, they too fell.
Thus, those who could perceive the current state of Fishman Island were only those who had previously been relatively far from the poisoned victims. They had no idea whatsoever what had transpired on the island.
"Hachi, what exactly is going on on the island?" Camie asked the octopus fishman Hachi beside her.
"I... I don't know either. There doesn't seem to be any news from Fishman District. It probably wasn't them. And with poison gas all over the island, something this severe... they couldn't possibly have done it," Hachi replied, equally bewildered.
"I wonder if what His Majesty the King said about an antidote is true. Our Fishman Island has been truly troubled lately," the starfish Pappag said with great concern.
"Shyarly, Shyarly, have you seen anything in your crystal ball?" a beautiful mermaid named Amy asked her friend nearby.
Shyarly, the renowned prophetess of Fishman Island, had foretold the advent of the Great Pirate Era and predicted the death of Whitebeard.
Now, amidst everyone's ignorance, they hoped Shyarly could provide an answer that offered some semblance of clarity.
Shyarly gazed silently at her crystal ball, for it showed no reaction whatsoever. How could this be? Was she unable to divine the fates of others any longer?
Perplexed, Shyarly casually attempted to divine the future of a fishman beside her. The result displayed as normal; She would become a famous merchant on Fishman Island.
If everything was normal, then why could she not foresee the future of Fishman Island? Was some force interfering with her? Or had a thread of destiny emerged that did not belong to this world?
Shyarly did not know the reason and fell into deep doubt and confusion.
"Hahaha, fishmen, come into my arms! Hurry up, capture all these mermaids! Kill any who resist! There are plenty here anyway!" a pirate captain shouted excitedly.
"Run!" Shyarly cried out. Mermaids in the sea could not be easily caught by humans wearing bubble helmets; their speed was extraordinary.
But clearly, the pirates had anticipated this. Each pirate carried a net launcher, firing one shot after another, casting iron nets densely across the water.
Dozens of nets were launched simultaneously. Although many mermaids evaded them, some panicked and swam directly into the nets, becoming ensnared.
"We caught some! We caught some! Hahaha, quickly haul them onto the ship!" The pirate captain was ecstatic.
Yet the chaos on Fishman Island extended far beyond this. Some pirates had been felled by the poison, while others had not and seized the opportunity to act on malicious intentions. Equipped with gas masks, a fair number of pirates had landed on the island in small groups to loot valuables.
Some pirate crews routinely kept gas masks on hand, as employing poison against enemies was not uncommon on the seas. Of course, their supply was limited, and the contagion had never been this potent. Although gas masks could block most of this poison, prolonged exposure would still allow it to permeate through the skin.
Ordinary pirates were currently unaware of this.
"Not bad at all. Who would have thought these Fishman Island folk were quite wealthy? Too bad Ryugu Palace might not be safe. Otherwise, the treasures in the palace would surely be greater," a pirate remarked after having just looted a wealthy household on Fishman Island.
Though the members of this wealthy household were not deeply poisoned and still possessed some strength to resist, it was already very feeble. This poison gas had truly been a great help to them.
"Of course. Mermaids and fishmen can search for treasure on the ocean floor. On many famous salvage ships, fishmen are highly sought after."
"Haha, I bet being salvagers is the only profession where fishmen get treated like royalty."
The pirates were delighted, but their joy was short-lived.
Crackle! A thunderbolt descended from the sky, electrocuting one pirate and sending him tumbling.
"What happened to you?! Who is it? Who did this? Who's there?" The remaining pirates were terrified and hurriedly drew their pistols, scanning their surroundings warily.
"Our captain has decreed: anyone caught looting during this crisis will, on the first offense, lose half their crew. On the second offense, total annihilation. By the way, we are the Dawn Pirates, currently at Ryugu Palace. Anyone who objects is welcome to come find us," Enel's lazy voice rang out.
"The... the Dawn Pirates?! Damn it! You're not even marines, why meddle in other people's business? We're all pirates here! Even if you've taken the palace, you could at least leave us some scraps!" The surviving pirates were terrified, but abandoning the treasure they had already seized went against their pirate nature and would be difficult to accept.
Besides, the members of the Dawn Pirates didn't seem to be here in person; they were merely transmitting a warning from afar. Perhaps they could still grab the treasure and escape.
Crack! Lightning struck down from the sky once more. This time it was not a forked bolt but a thick pillar of lightning that instantly vaporized the man who had just spoken. After the pillar struck, it left a hole over twenty meters in diameter in the ground.
"Damn it! Drop the stuff, we're leaving!" The pirate captain was extremely unwilling, but this attack had frightened even him. A Logia user of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, and with their captain also being a Logia... they could not afford to provoke them.
"Hell, where does lightning even come from in the deep sea?! Damn it all!" Pirates who had been gleefully capturing fishmen suddenly met their doom. One pirate ship after another was blasted into charred husks.
Ryugu Palace.
"Captain, will that suffice?" Enel looked toward Rosen with a trace of apprehension. The first offense warranted killing half a crew; it seemed the captain was genuinely angered.
It was all the fault of those blind fools from the Beasts Pirates, causing even a god like him to feel on edge now.
"That alone may not be enough. Pirates are not a group that dies easily. Daz Bones, Mr. 5, Valentine, Urouge, Misk, and Hathaway." Rosen named six individuals.
Everyone turned their gaze toward Rosen. Every word he spoke now dictated the crew's subsequent actions.
"The plan must be altered. Previously, we intended to act discreetly and covertly replace Doflamingo. But now we must strike with thunderous force. We cannot waste too much time on Fishman Island. Fishman Island sees not only pirates from the first half of the Grand Line heading to the New World, but also those from the New World seeking to reach the first half. Go and teach them a lesson. If any resist fiercely, kill them all. Let the entire New World know... we have arrived." Rosen spoke with cold detachment.
Since operating in secrecy was no longer feasible, the only option was to thoroughly demonstrate the might of the Dawn Pirates, to intimidate them and establish the crew's reputation throughout the New World.
"Just what I wanted." Daz Bones and the others immediately displayed eager fighting spirit. Finally, it was time for action.
The name of Dawn would, from this day forward, resound at the gates of the New World.
"Move out." The six individuals each took a few subordinates, not many, only a handful per person. They then departed in various directions from Fishman Island, tasked with killing to establish authority. Pirates who were exploiting the disaster to loot would be the primary targets of the Dawn Pirates' attention.
"Enel, Natalie, each of you will be responsible for monitoring one direction. You must survey every location in detail," Rosen continued to instruct.
"No problem." When it came to serious matters, neither would hold back. Natalie's range was not as vast but was more detailed, allowing her to monitor close proximity. Enel's range was wide, but his focus tended to scatter over distance. However, if he concentrated his mind on a distant area, he too could achieve detailed observation. Their Observation Haki complemented each other.
"Robin, go assist the king in locating people. This matter began because of us, so we shall resolve it. We do not know if a punitive force from the Beasts Pirates will arrive, so we must settle this quickly. Then we shall split our forces and strike Dressrosa and Punk Hazard at maximum speed. I have already briefed you on the specific points of caution." Rosen closed his eyes, relaxing himself as much as possible to better "nurture" the ever-increasing number of wounded.
The others were assisting Law, who had found a temporary room and was continuously using his ability to dissect bodies for viral research. Fortunately, he had harvested numerous rare and precious medicinal herbs on Lantis Island and did not lack raw materials for an antidote.
"This... this is truly... we cannot thank you enough!" King Neptune felt overwhelmed by the kindness shown. Without Rosen's assistance and the deployment of his pirate crew at this moment, even if they managed to rescue everyone, Fishman Island would likely have been ravaged beyond recognition.
"King Neptune, the situation is dire. Princess Shirahoshi has also been poisoned. Her condition seems to be spiraling out of control." But just then, Jinbe hurried over, carrying in both hands the enormous mermaid princess, who stood over eleven meters tall. His voice was urgent.
"So beautiful! My god!" Rosen's subordinates instantly let out infatuated exclamations. Although Princess Shirahoshi was gigantic, she was undeniably one of the world's most stunning beauties. Especially in her mermaid form, her beauty was almost surreal.
Even Rosen felt somewhat taken aback. Initially, he had thought that while mermaids were certainly mermaids, some beauty truly transcended species.
"Wow, what a huge mermaid!" Natalie and the others were also stunned. She was such a large mermaid, yet so incredibly beautiful. It was as if every inch of her skin and every contour of her form had been sculpted according to the most perfect proportions.
However, her current state was not good. She had clearly been poisoned as well, and she was murmuring something under her breath, seemingly an instinctive reaction. Her emotions were fluctuating violently—fear, unease, confusion...
(End of Chapter)