"It's fine. We're very familiar with these waters, no log pose is needed."
When she said "we," Queen Otohime was likely referring to herself and the giant fish pulling the ship.
Normally, any ship heading to Fishman Island needs not only a log pose but also a skilled navigator to carefully watch the currents and surroundings. A wrong turn could smash the bubble membrane against a rock or drop the ship into the wrong current.
According to Brook, if you accidentally get dragged into a deep current, it could take thousands of years to return to the surface.
That's why many powerful pirates choose to tame sea beasts to pull their ships—it greatly increases survival chances.
"By the way, you said you once sent a Celestial Dragon back to Mary Geoise. How on earth did he end up here on Fishman Island?" Zhang Da Ye asked curiously. If it were a shipwreck, sinking ten thousand meters down and surviving sounded impossible.
"I asked him about it too, so telling you isn't a problem," Queen Otohime said, then explained the story.
It all started three years ago when Fisher Tiger stormed Mary Geoise and freed a massive number of slaves. Among the slaves released from the Musgarud family's household were several fishmen.
For the last three years, the Celestial Dragons had been pressuring the World Government and the Navy to capture the freed slaves, but results were meager.
Recently, Tiger died, Jinbe became a Shichibukai, and the Sun Pirates received a full pardon—including all the freed slaves among them.
Most Celestial Dragons had stopped caring. The mastermind was dead, and slaves could always be bought again.
But Musgarud was different. He saw the freed fishmen as property that should be retrieved. If the Navy wouldn't help, then he would handle it himself.
So this stubborn fool set sail with only a handful of ordinary guards, determined to capture fishmen on his own.
Of course, when they neared Fishman Island, they were attacked by a sea beast. All the guards died, but Musgarud somehow survived and drifted onto the island.
It sounded ridiculous, but for a Celestial Dragon, it made sense. He probably thought the sea beasts and currents ought to obey him.
"His motive was terrible, but he's already changed. He released all his household slaves and promised me he'll never buy slaves again," Queen Otohime said proudly, satisfied with her efforts.
To Zhang Da Ye, teaching a Celestial Dragon kindness was nothing short of a miracle. He even suspected Queen Otohime might secretly have Nanggong Wenya's purification powers.
"Um… shouldn't we turn off the lights? It feels like we're attracting attention. Those huge fish outside look like they could swallow half the ship in one bite…" Rui Meng Meng said nervously, pointing at a massive creature gliding nearby.
"A bit of light won't matter. Most fish here have lost their eyesight and don't rely on vision to hunt," Queen Otohime explained. "Besides, Amano is one of the fastest swimmers here."
Amano was the name of the fish pulling their ship. Almost as if in response, it sped forward gracefully, carrying them into a tunnel beneath the Red Line.
Calling it a "small" tunnel was relative—it was small compared to the Red Line, but enormous to a ship.
"Up ahead is a trench, ten thousand meters deep. Fishman Island lies at the bottom!" Queen Otohime's voice was full of joy. After a week away, she longed to return to her beloved children.
As they entered the trench, everything suddenly lit up. Though still under the sea, it looked as if sunlight filled the waters.
The most striking sight was the floating island ahead, wrapped in a massive bubble, with colossal roots from the Tree of Eve stretching beside it.
"That's the Tree of Eve. It transmits sunlight from the surface down to Fishman Island. Thanks to it, the island has day and night just like the surface.
It also provides breathable air. Without the Tree of Eve, there would be no sunlight or air this deep. We call it the blessing of the sun," Queen Otohime explained.
Shark Chili knocked on his shark-like head. "That makes no sense scientifically."
Rui Meng Meng leaned over the railing, eyes sparkling. "But it's amazing… it looks like something out of a fairy tale."
Artoria gazed all around. "Just like Sabaody, but even more wondrous. Truly dreamlike."
Yes—the sunlight flooding the deep sea, the bubble-wrapped island, the colorful fish, seahorses, and all manner of marine life, the massive roots, and the drifting seaweed swaying with the current.
Unscientific, perhaps. But beautiful beyond words.
Tom wanted to dive in immediately. A place like this was too good not to swim in.
And Tom was a cat of action. Once he wanted something, he did it.
He leapt from Queen Otohime's arms in a perfect dive, eyes closed, paws stretched like he was entering the water.
He "swam" elegantly—breaststroke, backstroke, butterfly, freestyle—showing off every stroke.
Only after his "swim" did he hop back onto the deck, shaking his ears vigorously to dry them off.
When he opened his eyes, everyone was laughing so hard they could barely breathe.
Tom looked around in confusion, paws spread, not understanding what was funny.
What he didn't know was that Zhang Da Ye had caught him mid-jump and held him up, moving him along while he pretended to swim with eyes shut.
So from the outside, it looked like Tom was happily doing swimming poses in Zhang Da Ye's hands, then hopping back onto the deck, still believing he'd been underwater.
Zhang Da Ye picked him up, chuckling. "Alright, swim time's over. But once we're guests on the island, you'd better behave."
Tom nodded seriously. Of course he knew how to mind his manners.
Queen Otohime, still smiling, said, "This is the back side of Fishman Island. We'll enter through the front gate."
The island was wrapped in two layers of bubble membranes. Between them was a layer of air. Anyone attempting to sneak in without the proper gate would fall into the air layer, and either plummet back into the sea or crash onto Fishman Island itself—wrecking both ship and crew.
Even worse, if a coated ship touched the island's outer membrane improperly, its own coating would be stripped away, leaving it to sink into the deep sea and be crushed by pressure.
That meant Musgarud had been absurdly lucky to survive and drift into Fishman Island after his wreck.
As Queen Otohime's ship neared the gate, the stationed soldiers recognized her instantly.
"It's the Queen! She's returned safely!"
"Open the entrance! Report to Ryugu Palace immediately!"
"Your Majesty Otohime!"
The queen stood at the bow, smiling and waving. "Everyone, thank you for your hard work! I'm back, and I've brought important guests!"
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