Chapter 227: [227] : Rowen’s Grand Arrival! Speedrunning Fish-Man Island!

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Fish-Man Island.

Located 10,000 meters beneath the sea, it is the birthplace of most Fish-Men and merfolk. Thanks to the legendary beauty of its mermaids, it is a paradise many dream of visiting.

However, this same beauty means that female mermaids fetch a sky-high price on the human trafficking market, making them a constant target for countless bounty hunters and slavers.

But now…

On Fish-Man Island, beautiful young mermaids played freely, their faces filled with smiles. Even when encountering humans, even pirates, they showed no fear. Some even shot cheeky glances at pirates who stared a bit too long.

No trafficker dared to capture young mermaid women on Fish-Man Island anymore.

And the one responsible for all of this—

The young mermaids gazed up at the pirate flag hanging from the highest, most conspicuous point on Fish-Man Island.

A majestic and powerful Golden Dragon, coiled around a skull.

The flag of this era’s Strongest Man!

The young mermaids looked at this flag with adoration.

It was Sky Sovereign’s protection that granted them this safety. He had become an object of admiration for countless young mermaids.

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Tooooot!

Suddenly, a horn blast echoed from the Ryugu Palace.

“What’s happening?” The sound carried across the entire island.

“THE EMPEROR, SKY SOVEREIGN ROWEN IS GRACING US WITH HIS PRESENCE!”

An excited voice, amplified by Transponder Snail, spread throughout Fish-Man Island.

“Sky Sovereign Rowen is here??”

Shock and excitement rapidly spread across Fish-Man Island.

Rowen was the great savior of their entire island.

It was only through his protection that the young women were safe from slavers and bounty hunters, free to live as they pleased, even in the presence of pirates.

All because of this lofty Emperor.

A saying had spread across the seas: If you anger one of the other Emperors, you might have a chance to escape the New World and live out your days in one of the Four Blues.

BUT IF YOU ANGER SKY SOVEREIGN—

Then in this vast world, on these vast seas, there would be nowhere left to hide.

He was the man who wielded the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, capable of observing the movements of everyone across a vast expanse of the sea.

And the Door-Door Fruit, capable of manipulating space itself. And above all, he was the Ultimate Human, a being whose intellect existed on a completely different dimension from humans.

If you were targeted by such a man, there was no escape.

Could you run faster than lightning?

Could your escape route deceive space itself??

Thus, under Rowen’s protection, Fish-Man Island was even safer than it had been under the late Emperor Whitebeard.

Because of this, the Fish-Men and merfolk felt an immense gratitude and admiration for Rowen.

They longed to see this emperor, to behold his magnificent presence.

But until now, he had never appeared on Fish-Man Island, which was a source of great regret for many Fish-Men and Merfolk…

And now, Sky Sovereign Rowen was gracing Fish-Man Island with his presence.

For all of them, this was the greatest honor!

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The gates of the Ryugu Palace slowly opened.

A column of guards in full, solemn regalia marched out, led by the three princes of the kingdom—Fukaboshi, Ryuboshi, and Mamboshi—all dressed in their finest attire.

This was the kingdom’s most formal honor guard, meant to express their utmost respect and excitement for Sky Sovereign Rowen’s arrival.

And then—

“YOUR MAJESTY!”

Gasps of shock arose as a massive, solemnly dressed figure appeared.

The King of the Ryugu Kingdom!

’Great Knight of the Sea,’ Neptune!

The king himself, leading his three sons to personally welcome their guest. The Ryugu Kingdom was showing its greatest possible sincerity.

Of course, none of the citizens felt this was inappropriate. To receive Sky Sovereign Rowen, the great savior of their island—no level of reception was too grand.

“Father, I’m a little nervous,” Mamboshi said, his chubby body wiggling.

“You must be dignified at a time like this,” Fukaboshi, the eldest prince, chided his brother in a low voice.

“Hah! It’s not just him, I’m nervous too…” Neptune exhaled a heavy breath.

He hadn’t been nervous facing Whitebeard before, because he and Whitebeard were old friends. But he had no such relationship with this new Emperor—they had never even met.

Though he had sent a lavish tribute after receiving the Emperor’s protection, and continued to send funds and treasures, he had never been granted an audience.

He’d been told by a Grand Fleet commander that Rowen was at a critical point in his training and could not be disturbed.

Neptune, of course, knew better than to be pushy. He had expressed his respect and gratitude and respectfully withdrew.

He never expected to receive a call from Jinbe today… Sky Sovereign Rowen was coming!

Neptune had immediately scrambled to prepare a welcoming banquet, not only to ensure the continuation of his protection but also to express his sincere gratitude.

Without Sky Sovereign Rowen, Fish-Man Island would have long since become a hunting ground for slavers. His own power was not enough to protect all of them.

And so, meeting the Strongest of this era for the first time, even the seasoned King Neptune was nervous.

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“Whew, me too. I mean… that’s Sky Sovereign Rowen,” Fukaboshi breathed out, then smiled.

Hearing this, the other two princes, Ryuboshi and Mamboshi, also smiled. After laughing, their nervousness eased considerably.

“He’s here,” Neptune murmured, watching a pirate ship approach the outer membrane of Fish-Man Island.

The pirate ship was entirely black, with a Golden Dragon figurehead. Along the edges of its hull were cloud-like decorations.

From the main mast hung a pirate flag: Golden Dragon coiled around a skull, exuding an air of unparalleled authority and prestige.

“Sky Sovereign Rowen’s ship…” Neptune and the others held their breath.

After the Summit War, aside from the now-legendary Going Merry, Rowen had commissioned a new ship exclusively for himself.

—The Draconia.

No one knew what the name meant, but they only needed to know one thing: ITS OWNER WAS SKY SOVEREIGN ROWEN!

Its arrival signified the arrival of the Strongest Emperor!

“Music! Fire the cannons of salute!” Fukaboshi immediately commanded.

Ceremonial cannons boomed, exploding in the “sky” above Fish-Man Island as the kingdom’s finest musicians played a welcoming melody.

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FWOOSH!

Amidst the cannons and music, the coating of the Draconia made contact with the outer bubble of Fish-Man Island. The ship’s coating was quickly absorbed, and then, the Draconia accurately landed in its designated spot, in the water.

“WELCOME, SKY SOVEREIGN ROWEN!” Neptune immediately announced in a loud, clear voice.

“You’re too kind, King Neptune,” a light chuckle replied.

Gulp!

The welcoming party swallowed hard, their eyes fixed on the figures slowly descending the gangplank.

Among them was a great pirate from their own Fish-Man Island, ’Knight of the Sea’ Jinbe. And several beautiful women.

But the figure at the lead was the most dazzling of all.

Draped in a black cloak, his back emblazoned with the Sky Sovereign’s Jolly Roger. His mere presence was so overwhelmingly powerful that it made it impossible to look at him directly.

As for his face? The members of the welcoming party didn’t dare to look. They could only bow their heads.

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“It’s nice to finally meet you, King Neptune,” Rowen said with a smile.

“Your presence is the greatest honor for Fish-Man Island and the Ryugu Kingdom.” Seeing Sky Sovereign Rowen’s friendly demeanor, Neptune let out a huge sigh of relief.

But Neptune didn’t let this relax his etiquette; he immediately led his three sons and the welcoming party in a formal bow.

Rowen accepted their salute.

An emperor could be affable, but dignity and authority were paramount. He didn’t know Neptune well. He offered his protection for two reasons: one was because of Whitebeard and Neptune’s friendship.

Whitebeard’s soul had specifically requested this.

The other, more important reason was Neptune’s daughter, Shirahoshi—the Ancient Weapon, Poseidon.

Rowen had waited until his own Haki was fully stabilized before coming to meet her. To handle one of the Three Ancient Weapons, he needed to be in his optimal state.

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“So this is Fish-Man Island! How romantic!” Kaya’s eyes sparkled.

To travel the seas had always been the dream of the frail Kaya.

Before, she couldn’t even leave her house for long, let alone go to the vast ocean. But after eating the Mythical Zoan, Nine-Tailed Fox—her innate physical deficiencies were completely compensated for; Kaya’s health was fully restored.

In the process of training her Devil Fruit, her physique was continuously strengthening—and just as Rowen had judged before, Kaya didn’t possess the heart of a powerhouse, mastering Haki was a distant prospect.

But Rowen now didn’t need Kaya to fight.

Kaya just needed to live freely, in the way she liked.

“It really is beautiful,” Robin agreed, smiling at the sight of a sky, clouds, and sunlight 10,000 meters under the sea.

“Horo Horo Horo! I still prefer gloomy castles,” Perona floated by Rowen’s side, but her eyes were smiling.

Nami was busy watching her new three-pointed Log Pose, which was necessary for navigating the chaotic magnetic fields of the New World.

“Please grace us with your presence, Sky Sovereign, and be our guest at Ryugu Palace,” Neptune said with a respectful gesture.

Rowen had time for a banquet. He and his companions followed Neptune into the palace.

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“Sky Sovereign Rowen…”

In a dark corner, a pair of crimson eyes watched Rowen.

Hody Jones, captain of the New Fish-Man Pirates, hated humans to his very core. He saw Sky Sovereign Rowen’s protection not as a blessing, but as a disgrace.

“Hody, that’s an Emperor,” One of the New Fish-Man Pirates’ underlings blinked, cold sweat beading on his forehead.

“SO WHAT?? HE’S A DEVIL FRUIT USER, HE’S WEAK IN THE SEA! HUMANS ARE AN INFERIOR RACE!” Hody Jones sneered.

The thought of killing an Emperor thrilled him.

Let Sky Sovereign Rowen be the first victim in his war of revenge against humanity!

WHOOSH!

An Air Door ripped open before Hody and his men could even react.

VMM!

A terrifying suction force erupted.

Hody Jones and his top officers were completely powerless, sucked into the other dimension in an instant.

“Th-That was!” The remaining grunts stared in horror as the door closed.

“SKY SOVEREIGN’S DEVIL FRUIT POWER!”

They collapsed in terror.

It was over.

Hody Jones and the others had all been captured…

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Later, at the magnificent banquet Neptune had prepared, Rowen was enjoying himself, especially the desserts. They truly were delicious enough to make an Emperor like Big Mom salivate.

After the meal and a performance, Rowen looked at Neptune.

“King Neptune, do you know these people?”

Rowen opened the Air Door.

VMM!

The door distorted, and Hody Jones and his officers tumbled out, bound in threads, and fell pathetically to the floor. Their earlier defiance was gone, replaced by pure terror.

What was this power??

Forcibly sucking them into an alternate dimension, instantly binding them with strings!

How did he even find them??

“Hody Jones!” Jinbe shot to his feet.

“Such intense malice, you brat,” Rowen said without even looking at Hody.

“He’s all yours, Jinbe.” This small fry wasn’t even worth his time.

“Understood.” Jinbe looked at Hody with utter disappointment. To direct blatant malice at Rowen… These guys were completely insane!

“The one who masterminded Queen Otohime’s assassination—was you,” Rowen dropped another bombshell.

“WHAT??” Neptune and the others stared at Hody in disbelief.

“H-How…” Hody looked at Rowen in horror.

“Your daughter knew the truth, didn’t she? Queen Otohime told her not to say anything. You had a good wife, Neptune.”

This wasn’t Rowen playing spoiler. Shirahoshi was currently asleep, and Rowen had simply overheard her sleep-talking with his Observation Haki.

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