Chapter 341
Floating Objects
Chapter 341 Floating Objects
On the sea surface outside the Sabaody Archipelago.
Numerous seagulls are soaring and swooping among the clouds.
"Coo!" "Coo!"
They cooed to each other, as if directing each other, and each one subtly encircled the entire sea area in an orderly manner to ensure that there were no blind spots for them.
If you look closely, you'll find that without exception, all of these seagulls are wearing cameras or video recording equipment around their necks.
That's enough to identify them—they are 'news seagulls' from the World Economic News Agency.
Meanwhile, the camera equipment on these seagulls was being used to record the scene.
Inside the World Economic News Agency, many reporters and news writers are also discussing the matter.
"That's terrifying, what on earth happened?"
Has the situation regarding the islands in the waters near the Sabaody Archipelago been confirmed?
"It was almost completely destroyed; the waves were too big."
As they discussed, they looked at the images projected onto the Den Den Mushi (snail phone).
That was a truly horrific scene.
Within the waters that originally belonged to the Sabaody Archipelago—the entire sea level seemed to have 'risen' at that moment.
With the complete death of Eve the Sun Tree, the giant waves and natural disasters across the entire sea surface became even more terrifying.
In fact, within just the past two hours, they had heard news that more than a dozen islands of varying sizes in the Sabaody Archipelago had been completely submerged by the sea, and that the entire Grand Line and even the four seas of the beginning of time had experienced 'abnormal high tides'.
The impact of this event has spread across the entire ocean; the World Economic News Agency's phone has been ringing non-stop since just now.
"So they really have made a move against Fishman Island?"
"The fact that there's such a huge reaction to just attacking Fishman Island is astonishing. If you told me that part of the Red Line sank into the sea, I would believe you."
As one of the world's most well-informed organizations, the World Economic News Agency was naturally aware of the government's recent unusual activities regarding Fishman Island.
However, it is clear that even with their intelligence network, it would be impossible to detect the news of 'Eve of the Sun Tree being completely destroyed' in advance—after all, that ancient giant tree that existed in the deep sea had long been as deeply ingrained in people's minds as Elbaf and the Red Line, and was more like a symbol of this world.
However, although they could not obtain accurate information, they did know one thing—that this matter was indeed the work of the government, rather than some sudden natural disaster.
"Is this what the government sent the Starhunter Force to do? To rescue people in a critical moment?"
They looked at the intelligence footage—in this disaster-stricken sea area where almost no normal ships could pass, where the islands were originally located, only the Star Hunt Force's coated ships were carrying disaster victims away from this sea area.
"It feels very strange. When has the government ever cared about the lives of ordinary people? I think it's more like the Star Hunting Force's independent operation."
"It's hard to say. Didn't the Navy Headquarters also send out warships? I heard it was led by Admiral 'Kizaru'."
"That's obviously just because the navy's intelligence is a step behind, right? And their purpose here doesn't seem like disaster relief; it seems more like they're here to maintain stability."
"Compared to this, how should the report be written? Our phones are ringing off the hook!"
"Just write the truth. The editor-in-chief has already been summoned by the government because of the twelve constellations and hasn't returned yet. We won't add any extra spice this time—it might make the news less interesting, but there's nothing we can do about it."
"Any other sounds besides that?"
And amidst their discussions.
The news seagulls, which were outside the waters of Sabaody Archipelago, did indeed see naval warships arriving outside the waters of Sabaody Archipelago from Marineford, the headquarters of the Navy.
"Admiral Borsalino has reached the vicinity of the target area, but the warships cannot enter!"
On the warship, a colonel was giving a report: "The Yarman mangrove forest seems to have sunk completely. Even the coating craftsmen inside the navy are unable to complete a high-intensity coating at this time."
"Oh, how scary."
Kizaru rested his chin on one hand, gazing at the terrifying waves in the sea ahead, which were clearly visible even from a great distance.
"The situation is bigger than I thought. Fleet Admiral Sengoku ordered me to find out the details, especially the situation of Lieutenant General Garp and Lieutenant General Roy—shall we use SSG's 'temporary coating technology'?"
He said softly.
"But."
Upon hearing this, the colonel initially wanted to offer some advice—the temporary coating technology was a special technology developed by the SSG, which could be applied using artificial bubble wrap outside the Sabaody Archipelago.
However, in the recent "Egghead Island Incident" in which Saint Satan fell, Dr. Vegapunk, as the chief scientist of SSG, mysteriously disappeared and seemed to have been abducted by the Twelve Constellations. There were also rumors that he might have joined the Twelve Constellations.
This directly led to an additional investigation into most of the technologies associated with Dr. Vegapunk, and there are still no results yet. The technologies in question were originally temporarily banned.
But before he could finish speaking, his gaze met Kizaru's slightly sarcastic expression.
"Yes Yes!"
The colonel's heart skipped a beat, and he dared not hesitate any longer: "I will immediately order the temporary coating to be carried out."
As he spoke, he immediately turned around and prepared to leave.
But
"Ok?"
As he turned around, he heard Kizaru let out a soft exclamation of surprise and confusion.
"General Poporusalino?"
He looked at Kizaru with a puzzled expression.
At this moment, Kizaru had already stood up.
A rare sharpness flashed in those usually listless eyes.
The colonel was about to ask a question when he saw that Admiral Kizaru had already moved.
"Buzz!"
The general's body flashed in an instant, and he leaped high into the air, looking down at the sea below, his hands clasped in front of him.
"Eight-foot-long jade ornament"
As he uttered those words, countless tiny beams of light were launched into the sea before him with a deafening roar.
Then, Kizaru snapped his fingers lightly.
"Heaven's judgment."
The words fell.
The beam bullet that was fired into the sea instantly burst into intense light.
Under the intense light, the entire sea in front of the naval warships seemed to have become a mirror reflecting the light.
Through that mirror, the sailors were able to glimpse countless colossal creatures swimming and rising from beneath the sea.
Those enormous creatures that have existed in the sea since time immemorial—before them, even a naval warship is no match for a single eye or a single scale.
"What is that!?"
"It's a sea king!"
"What's with this size? It's over a kilometer!!"
"It's...it's a deep-sea king!?"
At that moment, almost everyone, including the naval captain and the commanders and crew members on the other warships, exclaimed in disbelief.
They could all recognize it naturally—a sea king of this size must be one of those true 'masters of the sea,' the deep-sea sea kings that exist in the deep sea.
"How did they end up in shallow waters, and in such numbers?"
What they found even more incredible was that even though the sea surface illuminated by Kizaru's ability wasn't very large, they could still see the 'body structure' of more than one huge creature.
That is enough to show that the deep-sea kings existing in the sea area in front of them at this moment are definitely not just one or two.
Now that things had come to this, the colonel stopped what he was doing.
The deep-sea sea kings have already surfaced to the shallows—under these circumstances, forcibly applying a 'temporary coating' before entering the area would be tantamount to handing them a buffet. "Admiral, we are now..."
He looked at Kizaru with some hesitation.
At this moment, Kizaru ignored his subordinates and scratched his head.
"Oh my, this is really unexpected. Hmm?"
He muttered to himself, but then seemed to sense something and suddenly looked up into the distance.
"."
His expression suddenly darkened, and then he asked in a deep voice, "Hey, buddy—did you hear anything?"
"sound?"
The colonel was even more confused after hearing this.
But only a moment later, he understood what Kizaru meant.
"Buzz!"
As a captain in the Marine Headquarters and a messenger on Admiral Kizaru's warship, the captain himself has never mastered all three types of Haki, but he is quite proficient in Observation Haki.
So at this moment, he was also able to faintly catch a certain sound.
It exists amidst the clamor of the waves and the roar of the sea kings, amidst the low humming and echoes of their massive bodies moving.
It sounded like some enormous thing stirring up the world.
It was also like the sound of war drums signaling the army's final charge against the enemy.
And
"Boom!"
"Boom!"
"Boom!"
As the colonel listened more carefully, he found that the voice became clearer, more distinct, and louder.
He could even pinpoint the source of the sound—it came from the same place as those enormous sea kings.
"under!?"
He lowered his head, picked up the binoculars on his chest, and looked at the sea.
Then he saw, on the distant sea surface, beneath the deep, dark shadows of countless deep-sea sea kings.
Something much larger has appeared.
"Boom!"
Its appearance at this moment even shattered the already enormous natural disaster waves in the Sabaody Archipelago, and countless huge, dense bubbles were surging up from the deep sea.
Something is rising to the surface!
As a naval officer with decades of service, the colonel immediately recognized that the dense bubbles were the signature 'rising bubbles'.
That means something enormous and ineffable is rising.
And that is indeed the case.
"Boom!"
"Woo-hoo!" *N
The next moment, he heard all the sea kings beneath the sponge seem to raise their heads at the same time, emitting a long and ancient hum.
It was as if a group of guards were standing watch to welcome their king as he appeared.
Then the enormous thing broke through the surface of the sea.
Its size was so enormous that it looked as if the entire seabed had been dragged up from the seabed.
Its enormous form churned up the seawater as it fell, resembling a rainbow waterfall under the starlight.
Even the size of countless giant deep-sea sea kings cannot compare to it, and the 'Noah' and 'Fishman Island' embedded on the hull are clearly visible.
"That is..."
The colonel was completely speechless.
He put down the binoculars—they were so large that he could see clearly without them.
"A continent!?"
Yes—that enormous thing looked to him almost like a 'continent'.
Although it is not as large as the Red Line, it is undoubtedly beyond our comprehension in its scale.
But
"No"
At this moment, Kizaru's brows furrowed deeply, a rare occurrence for him.
He straightened up, his sharp gaze seemingly carrying a complex emotion.
As a naval admiral, his Observation Haki is obviously many times stronger than that of a colonel.
Therefore, he could clearly see that, under the starlight, the suddenly appearing 'huge thing' resembled a mountain range with mast-like features.
On that enormous 'mast', a pattern is slowly emerging amidst the gathering starlight.
It was a flag similar to the 'Star and Cross Flag', the symbol of the World Government—unlike the Star and Cross Flag, this flag had twelve stars on it.
They surround the largest star in the center, while beyond the twelve stars are numerous smaller morning stars.
Therefore, Kizaru naturally understood.
“That’s the ‘Starship’ mentioned in the previous intelligence report from Elbaf.”
He said in a low voice, looking at the huge thing that was still making a sound that resembled a 'drumbeat'.
"That is a ship belonging to the twelve constellations."
There was a strange feeling in Kizaru's words.
As a naval admiral, he naturally knew what that meant.
To know.
The existence of the twelve constellations is already a well-known fact on the sea, and they have even accomplished the feats of defeating the Four Emperors and killing the Five Elders.
However, prior to today, their modus operandi had always been 'individual action'.
People believe they are a tightly organized group, but they have never seen any other form of existence or behavior besides individuals—where their stronghold is, whether they have their own territory or islands, is all unknown.
Currently, no one can even track down the whereabouts of the twelve constellations.
But this is the first time.
For the first time, the twelve constellations revealed their 'landmarks' on this sea.
Ships—in this world covered by the ocean, the so-called 'ships' and the flags on them are symbols.
That symbolizes a force no longer hiding itself and truly revealing its existence to the world.
Kizaru naturally understood this as well.
This inevitably means that what the twelve zodiac signs are about to do will be completely different from any time in the past.
"That's really something."
Kizaru grinned, as if he wanted to say something, but ultimately didn't.
"That's troublesome."
He concluded by saying this.
(End of this chapter)