Finally, I found you again.

The dark clouds dispersed, and the abyss-like terror gradually receded.

The entire Fish-Man Island had yet to recover. All living creatures stared in terror at the boundless, pitch-black sea and, at its center, the demonic figure who did not appear particularly tall.

"Huff... huff..." With even breaths, his chest slowly calmed. Dismissing his divine state and returning to his original form, Xuanye turned his gaze toward Neptune and the others.

"Slap..." Flexing his body, Xuanye took a step forward.

"Tap... tap..." As Xuanye advanced, the surrounding fish-men scrambled backward in disarray, filled with terror. In their eyes, the man opposite them was fundamentally not human.

Except for those who had fainted, the remaining fish-men had witnessed with their own eyes how this man had forced the legendary overlord of the deep sea to retreat with a mere shout.

Despair, weeping, and powerlessness now flooded the hearts of every fish-man, for they knew that a catastrophe for Fish-Man Island was about to follow.

With an expressionless face, Xuanye actually felt some hesitation. After all, he had not truly reached such a ruthlessly monstrous level. Furthermore, his heart harbored a trace of unease; down here at ten thousand meters below the sea, he lacked the absolute confidence in his personal safety that he felt on land.

Besides, having killed over a thousand fish-men, the boiling hostility within Xuanye had dissipated significantly.

"Thud..." Suddenly, the leader, the supreme ruler of Fish-Man Island and its king, knelt down amidst the stunned silence of all the fish-men.

Narrowing his eyes, Xuanye watched coldly, his expression as indifferent as ever, without even a shred of pity in his pupils.

"Father!" Beside Neptune, a fish-man of around twenty cried out in disbelief.

"Your Majesty..."

"Sire..."

At that moment, the surrounding fish-men erupted into turmoil, tears streaming down all their faces.

"I beg you, spare Fish-Man Island. I will take full responsibility for everything." Kneeling on the ground, Neptune pleaded with all his might. At this moment, to preserve Fish-Man Island and protect his subjects, he had no other choice.

Remaining silent, Xuanye shifted his gaze away to look at the other fish-men around him, for within those individuals, the blood-red hatred had still not faded away.

"Your Majesty, there is no need to kneel to a demon like this! Isn't it just death? We aren't afraid..." An extremist fish-man glared angrily at Xuanye, wishing he could tear him limb from limb.

"That's right, we fish-men are the noblest race in this world..."

"We don't need to abase ourselves, nor do we need the pity of humans..."

The atmosphere was heated. The surroundings were filled with cries of denunciation; none were spared, and all stared at Xuanye with eyes burning with hatred and resentment.

"Such courage." Spreading his hands, the corners of Xuanye's mouth curled upward. His gaze grew increasingly cold, and the tyrannical urge he had just suppressed began to stir restlessly once again.

"Shut up!" Kneeling on the ground with a heart-wrenching expression and a tear-streaked face, Neptune roared, "You are my subjects, and as your king, I must protect you. Everyone has the right to live. Although this world is cruel, it is also beautiful, and I will never allow my people to die so easily."

The clamor of protest subsided. All the fish-men lowered their heads, looking toward their king. At that moment, they felt an overwhelming sense of reassurance.

"I beg you, please, Lord Heavenly God Bird, spare Fish-Man Island. As long as you spare Fish-Man Island, I am willing to do anything." Prostrating himself on the ground, Neptune pleaded.

"L-Lord, please, for the sake of the food, spare Fish-Man Island..." At this moment, Shyarly also knelt on the ground, imploring him.

"You refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeiture. It takes the death of a few people for you to realize how foolish you truly are." Looking indifferently at Neptune, Xuanye said, "I came here to find someone: Edward Weevil. This is his appearance. Who has seen him?"

With a flick of a single hand, a fiery human face formed in midair, clearly projecting itself into the eyes of all the fish-men.

"Thank you, Lord Heavenly God Bird... Thank you..." Overjoyed and emotional, Neptune breathed a sigh of relief. Since Xuanye changed the subject, it meant the other party would no longer pursue the matter of Fish-Man Island.

"Thank you, My Lord! Thank you, My Lord!" Shyarly was equally emotional, expressing her gratitude over and over.

"Get up! Answer my question." How ironic; this was the sorrow of the weak.

"Yes..." Neptune stood up and turned his gaze back to the flaming visage in the air.

"Ah... I've seen him." Suddenly, a trembling voice rose in surprise from within the crowd.

At that instant, nearly everyone turned to look at the fish-man standing in the middle.

"He... he was right beside me just a moment ago. Huh? He's gone." That fish-man looked around, bewildered.

With a sudden change in his expression, Xuanye shot into the air, and an invisible ripple of pressure crushed downward.

Observation Haki spread to its absolute limit.

"Ding..." Within his mind, two blurred figures rapidly entered his domain. That presence was something he could never forget.

"Boom..." Flames soared into the sky as Xuanye transformed into a flash of fire, vanishing into midair in the blink of an eye.

On the outskirts of the fish-man crowd, two figures completely shrouded in wide cloaks were cautiously moving toward the perimeter.

"Mama, why are we running away? This time, I could definitely beat him." A rather tall figure wore a naive expression filled with incomprehension.

"You idiot! Didn't you see how vicious that guy is? He could even destroy Fish-Man Island—could you do that?" Beside him, a fearful voice rang out, full of reproach.

"Uh! I suppose I can't." The big guy scratched his head and flashed a goofy smile.

"Foolish son, be careful and don't expose your identity. Who would have thought that fellow would pursue us relentlessly all the way to Fish-Man Island so quickly?"

"Then what should we do now, Mama?"

"Run, of course! We'll slip away unnoticed, slowly retreat to the coastline, and then head straight for the New World." Exasperated by her foolish son, Miss Bakkin was accustomed to his antics, followed by a cold snort.

"That fellow went out of his mind and wanted to destroy Fish-Man Island, and now he's even killed Whitebeard's subordinates. We won't even need to make a move; once he reaches the New World, he's a dead man for sure."

"Really?" Sniffling, Weevil clutched his bisento, his face lit up with excitement.

"Of course! Your old man is Whitebeard, the strongest man in the world. For this guy to bite off more than he can chew and provoke him, his fate is already sealed beyond survival." Miss Bakkin held victory firmly in her grasp.

"Then let's hurry to the New World, Mama!" Weevil could no longer contain his eagerness.

"Let's move!" Miss Bakkin called out, and the two accelerated their pace.

However, in the flash of lightning, a thunderous explosion that shattered the atmosphere plummeted from the sky.

"Boom... Rumble..." Gravel and stones flew everywhere, and the entire ground shook. Amidst a billowed cloud of dust, a humanoid demon stood upon the cracked earth with a ferocious expression, staring fixedly at Weevil and Miss Bakkin.

"I've finally found you again."