Takumi had just finished speaking when Enel couldn't hold back any longer and asked, "Didn't long-nose's sword sink to the bottom of the ocean? How come you still have one? Is that sword something you got wholesale?"
Though Kaku also had his doubts, especially since the sword Takumi threw at him felt identical to the one he had accidentally lost, Kaku knew he had messed up and didn't dare ask too many questions. He promptly sheathed the blade and nodded, "Understood. I guarantee it won't happen again!"
Takumi nodded nonchalantly, "Keep moving."
Enel, still dissatisfied, pressed on, "You still haven't answered my question..."
"Enough. Don't ask," Kaku said, drying his face with a towel, "If the captain wants to speak, he will. If he doesn't, there's no point asking. If you don't want a beating, just let it go."
Enel fell silent.
"I'm going to change into dry clothes," Kaku said, turning to head below deck.
As much as Enel wanted an answer, he couldn't deny Kaku's point. If he kept pushing, there was no escaping a beating.
After a brief pause, Enel shifted the subject, asking, "Aren't we descending now?"
"Too slow," Takumi replied. "Ride the current down."
"Uh, ride the current?" Enel glanced at the powerful waterfall-like ocean stream in the distance and, understanding Takumi's intention, asked skeptically, "With such a strong current, won't the ship fall apart?"
"If it breaks, then it means your piloting skills aren't up to par."
"What nonsense," Enel retorted angrily. "I've piloted for you for years. Do you doubt my skill? Think this measly current will stop me? Hah, let me show you divine-level sailing!"
With that, Enel steered the ship straight into the heart of the current.
Takumi didn't say anything more. To him, Enel's skill was decent, but ever since Enel had been brought down from Skypiea, the number of actual days spent navigating the ocean had been few. Mostly, they hovered over the water surface.
The ship, influenced by the current, tilted forward, plunging downward.
Several times, the ship came dangerously close to smashing against the surrounding rocks, but Enel managed to regain control each time.
In just a few dozen minutes, the ship emerged from the waterfall current into a pitch-dark section of the ocean.
The ship slowed to its original steady descent.
"Have we reached the ocean floor?" Kaku, now in dry clothes, stepped out with a lantern, observing the complete darkness outside.
In the dim light of the lantern, numerous giant sea beasts were seen swimming around the ship.
One of them, an enormous fish with a particularly large mouth, appeared behind Kaku as he stepped out and tried to take a bite.
Enel quickly hurled his golden staff, striking the giant fish and sending it flying.
"Looks like we're almost at the seafloor," Kaku said nonchalantly, completely ignoring what had just happened. He approached Takumi with the lantern, continuing, "Enel, turn on the ship's headlamps. It's too dark to see anything. If we hit rocks or a sea beast and the bubble bursts, we'll all be in danger. The deep-sea pressure here is too much for anyone to withstand."
"Ha, you think I'm incompetent?" Enel scoffed. "I don't care about these oversized sea creatures. Turning on the lights will attract even more beasts. Why invite trouble? With my Observation Haki, we won't crash into anything."
"Oh." Kaku casually extinguished the lantern, letting darkness envelop everything again. "I see, I underestimated you. I'll leave it to you then. Good luck."
Enel snorted, but with his Observation Haki, he skillfully avoided rocks and larger sea kings.
Not long after, he sensed they were approaching the ocean floor. "Wait, where's Fish-Man Island? There's nothing here but a bunch of volcanoes..."
"Volcanoes?" Kaku frowned. "Fish-Man Island is real. Many have been there. Plus, I've heard that Fish-Man Island is under Whitebeard's protection. The Whitebeard Pirates have been there, which means it must be somewhere around here."
Takumi then calmly added, "This isn't the deepest part yet."
"Huh? What does that mean?" Enel had just asked when he noticed a deep ocean trench ahead of the volcanic area. "There's a trench here. Could Fish-Man Island be at the bottom?"
"That's likely it," Kaku said. "Let's head there."
Enel nodded and steered the ship toward the trench.
The surroundings were eerily quiet, and the ship's atmosphere was equally silent.
As the ship descended deeper into the trench, it wasn't long before a tattered pirate ship drifted overhead. The ship's figurehead was a skull with sharp fangs, its hull decayed, bearing a pirate flag with a skull and crossbones design.
Both Enel and Takumi noticed the passing ship.
"Huh? Something's off about that ship," Enel said, glancing upwards.
"A ship? Is someone else trying to get to Fish-Man Island too?" Kaku asked curiously.
"No." Enel shook his head. "It was an old, broken ship. No bubble, but there were many life signatures on board. They seemed human, but also... different."
"Life signatures?" Kaku pondered for a moment before concluding, "I've got it! The beings you sensed were probably either merfolk or fish-men."
"Is there a difference between merfolk and fish-men?" Enel asked, confused.
"Of course there is," Kaku then gave Enel a brief explanation of the difference between merfolk and fish-men.
Enel was still trying to process it all when a faint light appeared at the bottom of the pitch-black trench.
As the ship continued to descend into the trench, the light grew brighter. Takumi remarked, "We're almost there."
Kaku leaned over the railing, excitement on his face. "Finally, Fish-Man Island exists! I've never seen merfolk before. I can't wait."
Enel also moved to the railing, peering down. When he saw the enormous bubble structure below, filled with light, clouds, and land, his jaw dropped.
"This... is Fish-Man Island?" Enel asked, astonished.
Kaku shaded his eyes, gazing into the bubble, smiling. "That's it. We've reached Fish-Man Island!"
"So how do we get in?" Enel seemed intrigued now.
Kaku pointed towards a circular tunnel in the largest bubble. "I think we enter through there."
"Alright," Enel smirked, "Time for me to see what mermaids really look like."
With that, he steered the ship towards the tunnel.
However, before they got far, a group of gigantic sea creatures appeared, blocking their path. Each creature resembled various land animals.
Riding atop these sea beasts were a few strange-looking fish-men.
One of them, a gaunt, sharp-faced fish-man in a black hat, sat atop a sea beast resembling a giraffe. He looked down at the approaching ship with a sneer, "You made it this far, huh? Too bad..."
Before he could finish, a slender rod shot out from the ship, piercing the bubble around it. As it neared the group of sea beasts, it instantly expanded in length, size, and weight. With a horizontal strike, it sent the fish-men and their mounts flying, catching them completely off guard.
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