Two days after the Sabaody incident.
Under the strict control of World Government media, the public uproar slowly faded.
The Sabaody Archipelago began returning to normal.
Area 30, Sabaody Park, had reopened—its lively crowd surging once more.
Amid the bustling visitors, one particular group stood out.
It looked like a school field-trip, led by a half-grown boy guiding thirteen little girls, each one cute as a porcelain doll.
Some passers-by thought they looked oddly familiar—perhaps reminiscent of the legendary Fairy Tail guild.
But they quickly dismissed the idea. After all, Fairy Tail was the Emperor's guild that ruled the seas—far beyond what this innocent little class outing appeared to be.
"It really feels like going back in time!"
Mirajane's tiny face glowed with nostalgia.
"Yeah," Erza said softly. "It reminds me of when I first joined the guild."
"Seriously, Erza—she's got such a cute little skirt, and she's still wearing armor!" Nami sighed.
"Haha, I'm used to it," Erza replied with a smile.
"President~!" Little Juvia jumped up and clung to Sugisawa Yuuto.
"Miss Tia looked so cute when she was little!" Bonney giggled, wrapping her arms around Urrutia's neck.
"Robin was so shy when she was young!" Vivi teased.
At that, Robin's face flushed a faint pink.
"Well… tagging along like this—are you sure it's okay?"
Young Kalifa and Run looked uncertain.
"What's wrong with that? The President's treating everyone today. Let's have fun!"
Perona shouted excitedly, bouncing with energy.
"Alright everyone—move out!"
With a wave of his hand, Sugisawa Yuuto led the lively group toward Sabaody Park.
"Young people really know how to enjoy themselves," said a boy with lightning-shaped scars by his eyes, his voice carrying an old-man tone.
"Don't act like you're above it, old… I mean, Little Ray!" teased a little girl in a floral dress, squinting playfully.
"Hahaha! Come on, Shakky—let's relive our youth!"
The legendary pirate, "Little Boy Rayleigh," laughed heartily.
From sunrise to sunset, Sugisawa Yuuto and the Fairy Tail girls spent the entire day playing to their hearts' content.
The final attraction, naturally, was the Ferris wheel.
As their guild master, Yuuto accompanied all thirteen of them—one after another—from dusk until nightfall.
By the thirteenth round, even the dazzling view couldn't stop him from feeling completely exhausted.
The next morning.
Sugisawa Yuuto and his group headed to Shakky's Rip-Off Bar.
"President Yuuto, this is the latest investigation report."
Shakky handed over a stack of papers.
"I have to say—the other side was extremely cautious. When we found the client from that day, he'd already been silenced. The sniper who killed him was also executed… and the one who killed that sniper…"
She trailed off helplessly.
Yuuto frowned. A nesting doll of murder—each layer killing the next.
Still, that trail of fear spoke volumes about the true culprit's guilt.
The more carefully they erased their tracks, the more Yuuto wanted to catch them by surprise.
"That's where it stands for now," Shakky continued. "But if you give me a little more time, I can approach from another angle and probably uncover who's behind all this."
"No need," Yuuto said, waving a hand.
"Eh?" Shakky blinked, unsure what he meant.
"Don't misunderstand, Miss Shakky—I'm not doubting your efficiency. I just thought of a more… direct method," Yuuto replied calmly.
"Oh? And what would that be?"
"Miss Shakky, those corpses from the incident—they're still here, right?"
She nodded slowly. "Yes."
"Perfect."
Yuuto turned and gestured to Wendy. "Let's begin."
Moments later, Shakky led them to the morgue.
"President Yuuto—" she started to ask, but Wendy had already stepped forward.
"Do it," Yuuto ordered.
"Yes, President!"
Wendy drew a deep breath. Mysterious magical particles began to shimmer around her, swirling into a radiant, star-filled galaxy.
Heavenly Dragon's Secret Art—Galaxy!
This was one of Wendy's special Dragon-Slayer Mysteries—not meant for battle, but for communication with souls of the departed.
Normally, that task would fall to Perona, the Spirit Dragon Slayer.
But since Perona's mastery of spirit magic was still limited, Wendy's version worked just as well.
"What… what on earth is that?"
Shakky stared in disbelief as the faint, luminous forms of souls emerged within the swirling starlight.
It reminded her of when Urrutia had rewound time to restore the amusement park days earlier—but even then, she'd never witnessed anything this miraculous.
Then Yuuto's sharp voice cut through the silence:
"Who ordered you to do this?"
The question cracked like thunder.
The ghostly figures trembled.
"I… I'm not dead…"
Their flickering forms—snipers, agents, and clients—began to waver violently.
"Doflamingo!"
"It was Doflamingo!"
"He kidnapped my family… forced me to do it!"
One by one, they confessed everything.
They had carried out Doflamingo's scheme—only for him to kill them afterward.
Now that they were dead, they had no reason to hide the truth.
"That's enough."
Yuuto snapped his fingers. Wendy released the spell, and the galaxy dissolved into motes of fading light.
"The mastermind's confirmed," Yuuto said evenly. "It's time to move."
"Heading straight to Dressrosa?" Shakky asked.
"No rush," Yuuto smiled faintly. "Let the bullets fly for a while."
Dressrosa—and the Shichibukai Doflamingo—were already marked as main targets.
After the Hundred Regiments incident and now this Celestial Dragon affair, Doflamingo had secured his place at the top of Fairy Tail's must-kill list.
With Yuuto's power and the guild's strength, defeating him would be easy…
But simply beating him would be too merciful.
"Miss Shakky," Yuuto said. "Find a few people and help me spread a rumor."
An hour later — Sabaody Mangrove #12.
"Well then, we'll be off," Yuuto said, waving to Shakky and Rayleigh on the shore.
In the next moment, Fairy Tail's ship entered Dive Mode.
An invisible magical barrier rose, enveloping the hull.
The sea parted in a glowing spiral as the ship began its descent.
Under the stunned gazes of Shakky and Rayleigh, Fairy Tail vanished beneath the waves—heading straight for Fish-Man Island, ten thousand meters below the sea.
Only now, seeing it with their own eyes, did Rayleigh and Shakky understand why Yuuto had refused Rayleigh's offer to coat the ship.
It wasn't that he doubted Rayleigh's craftsmanship.
It wasn't because he planned to cross the Red Line by air.
It was because Fairy Tail's ship could do this on its own.
"More than twenty years ago," Rayleigh murmured, eyes wide, "the prophecy we saw on that final island may already have changed. Even without Joy Boy… this era will change because of Fairy Tail."
Shakky nodded silently.
"Fairy Tail—a guild of endless miracles."
The Deep Sea.
A world uncharted by humankind.
Even the great Pirate King, Gol D. Roger, had only conquered the seas above.
Beneath the surface lay countless shipwrecks, treasures beyond imagination—the true greatest treasure trove of the world.
Yet it was also home to colossal sea monsters so immense they could swallow islands whole.
Humans liked to think themselves masters of this planet…
But if the sea creatures ever united and rose up, humanity's reign would end in an instant.
From ancient times to now, only one being had ever ruled these depths—
The Sea King, Poseidon.
That was eight hundred years ago.
Now, eight centuries later… Sugisawa Yuuto was about to meet the legendary Mermaid Princess herself.
The ship sank deeper, slowly and steadily.
After about ten minutes, Fairy Tail reached a depth of two thousand meters.
Darkness pressed from all sides—utterly lightless.
Tap… tap…
Then, one by one, the ship's magic lamps flickered on, casting shimmering light across the watery void.
"Oh, look over there!"
"What kind of fish is that?"
"And that—what is that thing?"
The girls crowded at the railings, eyes wide, voices bubbling with excitement like children on a school trip.
"Fish-Man Island lies ten thousand meters below," Robin said, recalling what she'd read.
"It's said that even there, the sky is blue, with clouds, beaches, and sunlight."
"Nani!? Blue sky and sunshine under the sea!?"
Wendy, Juvia, and the others were stunned.
"Yes," Robin explained, smiling. "Because of the great tree Eve, sunlight from the surface is carried down here almost without loss."
"Amazing… now I really want to see it," Erza said eagerly.
"Are the mermaids truly that beautiful?" Vivi and Perona's eyes sparkled. "And the Mermaid Princess—what must she look like?"
Excitement filled the ship—except for one.
Nami, usually the most talkative, was unusually quiet.
"Nami, are you alright?" Mirajane asked gently. She alone knew Nami's past.
Fish-men were Nami's deepest nightmare.
"I'm fine," Nami said softly. "Actually… ever since coming to the Grand Line, I've begun to understand the gap between humans and fish-men. Arlong was just one example. Not all of them are like that."
"That's so like you, Nami," Mirajane smiled, pulling her into a hug.
Nami instinctively reached out—and her hand brushed against Mirajane's chest.
Both froze.
"Sorry, Mira! Habit!" Nami laughed awkwardly.
Mirajane blushed, the image of that time with Yuuto flashing in her mind.
"Alright," Nami said quickly, "let's head out. We're almost there!"
9,100 m… 9,500 m… 9,900 m…
Finally—10,000 m below the sea.
Under Fairy Tail's eager gazes, the darkness split open as sunlight streamed through the depths.
Before them, an island wrapped in twin layers of shimmering bubble film gleamed like a jewel beneath the sea.
Fish-Man Island—at last!