The perspective returned to the Flame Fang at the entrance passage of Fish-Man Island.
Within the seawater illuminated by soft radiance, the Flame Fang slowly adjusted its posture, preparing to sail into the waterway leading toward that dreamlike kingdom.
"Halt, intruders!"
A squad of fully armed Ryugu Palace guards rode out swiftly from the guard posts on both sides of the entrance atop various fish mounts, blocking the Flame Fang's path.
The squad leader wore a stern expression as his voice carried through the water toward the ship.
"This is the national entrance of Fish-Man Island! According to the laws of the Ryugu Kingdom, all foreign vessels arriving at Fish-Man Island must undergo a full inspection! Please cooperate with our procedures!"
Riberra Sami and the others on deck nodded.
They had long learned from countless travel logs and rumors that Fish-Man Island maintained strict immigration inspections, so they had no objections.
Turning toward the crew, Riberra Sami reminded them:
"Everyone cooperate with the inspection. Don't make any aggressive moves. Remember—we're heading for the New World, not here to cause trouble."
"Understood!"
As a squad of roughly ten guards boarded the Flame Fang's deck, the inspection proceeded methodically.
The guards examined the deck facilities and cannons while questioning Riberra Sami about the purpose of their voyage.
Riberra Sami calmly answered that they were an adventure crew from the West Blue currently traveling toward the New World. They had only stopped by Fish-Man Island for supplies and to witness the island's wonders.
Everything appeared smooth.
Everything presented so far suggested they were merely ordinary sea adventurers.
The guard captain's tense expression eased slightly as he gestured for his subordinates to split up and inspect the lower cabins.
"You're checking the cargo hold too?" Isaac casually asked.
"Everything," the squad leader replied curtly. "Those are the regulations. We ask for your understanding."
Riberra Sami shrugged, signaling them to proceed freely.
As far as he was concerned, aside from weapons, money, Dial technology, and normal supplies, there was nothing aboard that needed hiding.
At first, the guards searching the lower decks remained cautious but calm.
However, when one young guard pushed open a thick isolation door deep within the lowest compartment, he abruptly staggered backward, his face turning deathly pale.
He never even bothered inspecting the nearby navigation equipment and cargo.
His mind had already been overwhelmed by terror and rage.
"C-Captain——!!!"
The young guard practically crawled out of the hold, pointing frantically behind him as he screamed with all his strength:
"There's… there's a prison cell in the cargo hold…! They're a slaver ship! A slaver ship disguised as an adventure crew!!!"
"What?!"
"A slaver ship?!"
"Damn humans! They dared infiltrate Fish-Man Island in disguise?! All units, battle positions!"
The shout exploded across the deck like thunder!
Every fish-man guard instantly entered combat mode!
Spears and harpoons snapped toward the stunned members of the Jellyfish Pirates!
The crew themselves were completely caught off guard by the sudden hostility and accusation.
But faced with weapons suddenly aimed at them, years of pirate instincts kicked in immediately.
They drew their own weapons and confronted the guards head-on!
The atmosphere plummeted from routine inspection to freezing tension in an instant.
"Wait! This is a misunderstanding!"
Riberra Sami quickly raised his voice, trying to suppress the hostility.
"We're not—"
"Silence, deceitful humans!"
The guard captain's eyes burned with fury as he cut Riberra Sami off.
His comrade's terrified scream and the ironclad "evidence" in the cargo hold had already convinced him completely.
"All units, subdue them! Kill any who resist!"
A sharp alarm immediately rang out through some kind of shell horn, echoing throughout the entire entrance region!
"Captain! What do we do?!" Marcus shouted urgently, one hand gripping his sword hilt.
Looking at the fish-man guards before him, Riberra Sami knew that at this point, any explanation would sound like nothing more than excuses.
His eyes sharpened as he made an instant decision.
"No choice now! Looking at them, there's no way they'll calmly listen to reason!"
"All hands, prepare for battle! We'll beat them first, then explain afterward!"
"Understood!"
Almost at the same moment Riberra Sami gave the order, the fish-man squad leader roared his own command:
"Capture these despicable slavers!"
"RAAAH——!"
Battle erupted instantly!
The fish-man guards thrust their spears and harpoons toward the nearest pirates on deck.
"Hmph! You think we're made of paper?!"
Aldo burst into laughter as he swung his spiked club straight into an incoming harpoon!
CLANG!
The deafening metallic collision sounded muffled underwater, but the harpoon bent from the impact, while the guard wielding it was blasted backward.
Marcus drew Chaotic Sakura, unleashing sharp slashes toward the fish mounts attempting to ram the ship's coating bubble, forcing them into frantic evasive maneuvers.
"Don't fight on the ship! We'll rupture the coating!"
Riberra Sami saw the situation clearly.
More and more fish-man guards were rushing out from the guard posts on both sides of the entrance. Their numbers would likely exceed a hundred very soon.
Remaining trapped aboard and fighting defensively was too dangerous.
If the coating bubble was pierced, the consequences would be catastrophic.
They needed to move the battlefield outside!
"Hans! Bring out the spare resin and inflation tools! Hurry!"
"Understood!"
Hans instantly understood Sami's intention and rushed into the ship with several crew members.
The fish-man guards also noticed that direct assault on the deck wasn't working—and that the enemy seemed extremely protective of the bubble coating.
Their tactics changed immediately.
"They're afraid the bubble will burst! Aim for the membrane! Puncture it!"
Several harpoons were hurled with full force toward the Flame Fang's coating membrane!
"Not happening!"
Kahlo's twin blades flashed repeatedly.
Blue Wave and White Ripple wove an intersecting net of sword light, slicing the incoming harpoons apart midair.
But the number of guards kept increasing, and the attacks became denser and denser.
Worse still, some guards had begun swimming beneath the ship, attempting to strike from weaker angles below.
"Captain! Ready!"
Riberra Sami took the resin and tools, quickly crafting individual coating bubbles.
"Put on the bubbles and fight underwater! Move!"
Riberra Sami spoke rapidly while slipping into a bubble first.
The officers and combat crew immediately followed suit.
In barely ten seconds, twenty to thirty human-shaped bubbles appeared across the deck.
"Go!"
Riberra Sami led the charge, forcing his way out through the Flame Fang's coating membrane.
Pop! Pop! Pop!
Sami, followed closely by Marcus, Aldo, Kahlo, Alberto, Gade, Henry, and the others, successfully emerged into the true ten-thousand-meter-deep ocean floor environment!
Even separated from the seawater by bubbles, the crushing pressure and altered buoyancy made everyone instinctively cautious, terrified that excessive movement might rupture their protective coating.
The fish-man guards, meanwhile, moved through the water like creatures in their natural habitat.
Seeing Sami's group actually come outside, they were momentarily surprised before bursting into mocking whistles.
They swarmed from every direction, exploiting the environment to launch even fiercer attacks.
Their mounts accelerated through the sea, coordinating perfectly with their masters.
"Hahaha! Humans become useless trash underwater! Kill them!"
The squad leader rode atop a massive hammerhead shark, brandishing a long halberd as he charged forward.
"Trash?"
Aldo grinned savagely.
Even though water resistance slowed his movements, the force behind his blow remained overwhelming.
His spiked club actually blasted a brief vacuum tunnel through the seawater, smashing two guards and their mounts away together.
"On land I can beat ten of you!"
"In water, beating five each is still easy!"
Despite the disadvantageous environment, the Jellyfish Pirates' officers and elites were all powerful veterans with extensive combat experience.
Although the fish-man guards initially possessed terrain and numerical advantages, the gap in individual strength was obvious.
Even their coordinated mounted tactics achieved little against overwhelming raw power.
In barely a minute, over twenty guards had already been knocked unconscious or rendered combat incapable.
The squad leader himself was struck by one of Aldo's punches so hard he coughed blood and fell off his hammerhead shark, only to be hurriedly dragged away by his comrades.
"Retreat! Retreat now!"
"Report to Prince Neptune! Request reinforcements!"
The squad leader shouted through gritted teeth despite his injuries.
Several guards who were still unharmed immediately turned around and swam toward the island at top speed to call for aid.
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