After sending the fishmen and their giant sea beasts flying, the golden staff quickly returned to its original size and slipped through the ship's bubble, landing back in Enel's hands.
"Hmph, not worth my time," Enel grumbled dismissively.
The ship continued its course towards the giant bubble encasing Fish-Man Island, aiming for the only accessible circular tunnel leading inside.
Technically, they could force their way through the outer layer of the massive bubble, but the one encasing Fish-Man Island was special. It was a double-layered bubble, with an empty space between the two layers. If they tried to pierce through from the outside, the bubble protecting the ship would burst, and then they would have to traverse another area filled with water before reaching Fish-Man Island.
For Enel and Kaku, who lacked any protective bubbles, this would be a disaster.
Moreover, forcing entry through the bubble would certainly attract the attention of the Fish-Man Island royal guards and get them labeled as intruders.
To avoid unnecessary trouble, wasn't it better to enter Fish-Man Island the proper way?
Before long, the ship arrived at the entrance of the circular tunnel.
At the entrance stood two male fishmen, each holding a trident-like weapon. They looked surprised as the ship drew closer. When the ship finally stopped at the tunnel entrance, they exchanged glances before the larger fishman, with just a tuft of hair and a fish tail instead of legs, approached beneath the ship and shouted, "Are you here to enter Fish-Man Island?"
"Yes," Kaku replied curiously. "It's our first time here. Is there anything we need to know?"
"As long as you don't cause any trouble on the island, you're good. We just need to register your information," the fishman called out, signaling to his companion.
The other fishman swam up, holding a pen and a registry book. He glanced at the three on the ship's deck and asked, "How many of you are aboard?"
"Just the three of us," Kaku answered.
The fishman quickly jotted down the details and continued, "Names, occupations, and purpose of your visit to Fish-Man Island."
Kaku looked at Takumi and Enel. Seeing their indifferent expressions, he continued, "I'm Kaku, this tall guy is Enel, and our captain is Takumi. We are travelers here to sightsee."
The fishman recorded the information, then made a quick sketch of the ship's general features before calling out to his companion, "All good. Let them through."
The other fishman pressed a button next to the tunnel gate, and the entrance opened automatically.
The two fishmen moved aside to let the ship pass.
Enel guided the ship into the tunnel.
Once the ship entered, the gate behind them, which connected to the ocean, closed. Soon, the door leading into Fish-Man Island opened as the other door shut.
"So those are fishmen?" Enel muttered, glancing back. "Not what I imagined..."
Kaku chuckled, "What did you expect?"
"Didn't those shipwrights say fishmen were supposed to be beautiful? Those two were far from it," Enel said matter-of-factly.
Back at Sabaody, while waiting for the ship to be coated, some shipwrights who knew they were heading to Fish-Man Island had told him that fishmen were gorgeous.
So Enel had been imagining what fishmen might look like since then.
And now...
This?
He was thoroughly disappointed.
Kaku burst out laughing. "Hahaha, fishmen aren't limited to just those two. Wait until we reach the island, and you'll see whether those shipwrights were lying."
The ship entered the innermost bubble surrounding Fish-Man Island. Upon entry, a current began pushing the ship towards the island.
After about half an hour, the ship finally stopped in calmer waters, slowly beginning to float upwards.
Within a few minutes, the ship emerged from the water, and with a soft "pop," the bubble burst upon contact with the air.
They had surfaced in a large lake—especially near the shore, where many ships were docked. Several bore pirate flags.
Currently, Fish-Man Island was under Whitebeard's protection. Though other pirates were hesitant to cause trouble here due to Whitebeard's reputation, many still longed to visit. As long as they didn't create chaos, Fish-Man Island was a sought-after destination, a nice place for a vacation if one managed to reach it.
"Looks like a lot of people got here before us," Kaku observed, looking at the ships docked nearby. "But our ship is different; it can't just stay in the water. Let's find a wider spot on land to park."
"Did I need you to remind me?" Enel scoffed and guided the ship to a flat, empty space in front of a row of stone houses made from rocks.
The three disembarked together.
After stepping off, Kaku used the remote control to activate the ship's protective electric grid.
At the same time—
The moment Takumi's foot touched the ground, a notification sound echoed in his mind.
[Ding! Successfully arrived at the check-in location: Fish-Man Island. Check-in progress +10%. Current total progress: 10%. Reward: One Unhatched Pet Egg.]
An unhatched pet egg?
Takumi was at a loss for words, unsure how to describe his feelings.
The system's rewards were truly random—it gave out all sorts of items.
Takumi was just about to ask the system about the pet egg—what it was and what kind of pet might hatch from it—when an elderly fishman appeared. The old man had a bubble-like ring around his waist, similar to a swim ring, allowing him to float above the ground as he approached the three.
The old fishman immediately began shouting, "Hey! What's going on here? You're not allowed to park your ship on this side of the shore. Move it into the water!"
"Sorry, but our ship can't be parked in water," Kaku said with a polite smile.
"Nonsense!" The old fishman protested angrily. "There's no such thing as a ship that can't stay in the water! I've been guarding this spot for years and never heard of anything like that. Get your ship into the water now!"
"Are you sure?" Kaku asked indifferently. "If anything happens, we won't be responsible."
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