Chapter 16: The Old Man in the Floral Shirt, the Destroyer of Fish-Man Island.
"That's the Princess's pet, Megalo!"
A crisp yet somewhat timid voice came from the bottom of the Thousand Sunny.
Immediately after, a mermaid girl with green hair, wearing an orange and white tube top, carefully poked her head out from under the ship.
It was the mermaid, Camie.
Following beside her was the talking starfish, Pappag.
"Camie!" Luffy shouted in pleasant surprise.
"Luffy-chin! And everyone else!"
Camie smiled happily upon seeing the familiar faces on the ship. She swam over to the side, leaning on the bubble coating, and looked curiously at the grandfather-grandson duo sitting on top of the Kraken's head.
"That person is..."
"My grandpa!" Luffy introduced with pride.
Camie and Pappag's smiles froze instantly on their faces.
Just then, a massive shadow appeared in the darkness ahead, accompanied by the rumbling sound of rushing water.
Several gigantic Sea Kings, surrounding a group of fierce-looking fish-men, blocked the Sunny's path.
Leading them was a tall fish-man with the razor-sharp teeth of a great white shark.
The captain of the New Fish-Man Pirates, Hody Jones.
"Straw Hat Luffy!"
Hody Jones's voice echoed through the water, filled with arrogance.
"Join us, and become my subordinates!"
The fish-men behind him let out raucous laughter.
"It's an honor for you to serve under Big Bro Hody!"
"That's right! Join us and create a new era belonging to fish-men!"
"Hurry up and kneel to swear your allegiance, humans!"
"Or we'll feed you and your ship to the Sea Kings!"
On the Sunny, the expressions of the Straw Hat crew varied.
Luffy's face darkened.
Zoro's hand rested on his sword hilt.
"Oh? Is there anything good to eat on Fish-Man Island?"
From the figurehead, Garp's leisurely voice drifted over.
He didn't even look at the fish-men blocking the way; instead, he asked Camie with genuine interest.
"Yes! There's lots and lots!"
Camie was immediately distracted, counting on her fingers.
"There's Sea Beast Steak, Shellfish Cake, and the Mermaid Cafe's special Coral Sundae!"
"Coral Sundae?" Garp's eyes lit up.
"So noisy!"
Seeing himself being ignored, Hody Jones let out a furious roar.
"Mere humans dare to ignore me!"
He issued a command to the Sea Kings beside him.
"Crush their ship into pieces for me!"
The massive Sea King closest to them opened its bloody maw, possessing a bite force strong enough to tear through steel, and lunged fiercely at the Sunny.
Camie let out a terrified scream.
The Straw Hats were just about to make a move.
"So annoying."
Garp dug a finger into his ear impatiently.
He didn't even turn his head.
Standing in place, he simply waved his hand casually toward the rear.
As if shooing away a bothersome fly.
He had stood motionless for more than three seconds.
A burst of Conqueror's Haki, condensed to the extreme, erupted instantly with the wave of his hand!
BOOM!
There was no sound.
But an invisible, irresistible, terrifying shockwave swept through.
The massive body of the Sea King charging at the front stiffened abruptly.
The next moment, its eyes rolled back into its head!
Its giant body lost all strength and fell limply toward the deep sea.
And behind it...
Hody Jones and all the members of the New Fish-Man Pirates he had brought, along with every single Sea King they commanded.
In an instant, they all foamed at the mouth and rolled their eyes back collectively!
Like dumplings being dropped into a pot, they passed out and sank toward the dark ocean floor.
The entire process took less than a second.
The world was cleansed.
On the Sunny, there was dead silence.
"Wh... What was that just now..." Usopp's voice shook uncontrollably.
"Did... did they all faint?" Chopper hugged Usopp, trembling like a leaf.
"So... so powerful..." Camie and Pappag's jaws dropped, completely petrified.
Garp dusted off his hands and turned back to Camie, a genial smile on his face.
"Alright, little girl, lead the way. This old man is getting a bit hungry."
...
Led by the Kraken and Camie, the Sunny successfully passed through the final layer of bubbles.
A breathtakingly brilliant underwater world revealed itself to everyone.
Massive coral forests emitted a soft glow, with colorful schools of fish weaving through them.
In the distance, an island encased in a gigantic bubble floated quietly in the water.
Fish-Man Island.
After docking at the port, the Straw Hat crew stepped onto this legendary land.
"Wah! Such beautiful mermaid ladies!"
The moment Sanji walked into the Mermaid Cafe, he transformed into a pink tornado of hearts, twisting wildly on the floor.
If it weren't for the lingering fear of the old man behind him preventing him from fully immersing himself in the joy, he probably would have died from a nosebleed explosion right then and there!
Inside the cafe, beautiful mermaid waitresses were everywhere, smiling as they served drinks to customers.
The entire cafe was filled with a peaceful and dreamlike atmosphere.
"Everyone, please enjoy!"
Camie enthusiastically introduced the shop's specialties to the group.
Luffy and Usopp marveled at the giant sundaes.
Nami and Robin admired the surrounding scenery.
Zoro found a corner and started polishing his swords.
Garp, meanwhile, sat on a large sofa with his legs crossed, pulled a fresh bag of rice crackers out of his pocket, and started eating—crunch, crunch.
Everything seemed so perfect.
Suddenly.
"AAAAHHH!!!"
A scream, shrill to the extreme, tore through the peaceful atmosphere of the cafe.
Everyone whipped their heads around.
The owner of the cafe, the curvaceous shark mermaid Madam Shyarly, was clutching her head and letting out agonizing shrieks.
The crystal ball on the table in front of her let out a crack and was instantly covered in spiderweb fractures.
BANG!
The crystal ball shattered completely.
"What's wrong? Madam Shyarly?"
Camie rushed over nervously.
The surrounding customers also gathered around, their faces full of concern.
Madam Shyarly's body trembled violently from uncontrollable fear, her face as pale as paper.
She slowly raised her hand.
Her arm shaking, she pointed toward the direction where the Straw Hats were sitting.
"I saw it..."
Her voice was hoarse, filled with despair.
"I saw... the destruction of Fish-Man Island..."
One sentence instantly silenced the entire cafe.
"Is it that Straw Hat Kid's prophecy again?"
A fish-man customer lowered his voice, whispering to others.
"Years ago, Madam predicted he would bring disaster to Fish-Man Island."
"Is the prophecy about to come true?"
"I knew it, humans can't be trusted!"
"Let's get out of here! Stay away from them!"
Amidst the whispering, Madam Shyarly shook her head violently.
"No..."
"It's not him..."
Her gaze went past Luffy, past all the members of the Straw Hat crew.
Finally, like a nail being driven into wood!
It locked dead onto the old man who was crossing his legs, looking leisurely, and stuffing a rice cracker into his mouth.
"The one who destroys Fish-Man Island isn't the man in the straw hat!"
Madam Shyarly's voice became piercing due to extreme terror.
"It is a man wearing a floral shirt!"
"A single punch from him will tear the ocean apart and bring the final judgment!"
The entire cafe fell into a deathly silence.
You could hear a pin drop.
All eyes—whether fish-man, mermaid, or even the members of the Straw Hat crew—were drawn as if by invisible strings.
Slowly, inch by inch, they converged on the old man in the floral shirt.
"Floral shirt? Isn't that..."
A customer's voice rang out in the dead silence, trembling with disbelief.
"It's him! The man with a bounty of 5.5 billion!"
"Oh my god! Why is he here?!"
"The prophecy... Madam Shyarly's prophecy... it's about him!"
"Run! The Monster Garp is going to destroy our home!"
Fear, like a lit powder keg, exploded instantly!
Mermaids screamed in terror.
Customers went mad, shoving tables and chairs aside as they surged toward the exit.
The peaceful, dreamlike cafe instantly turned into a hellscape of chaos and panic.
Crunch.
Garp bit through the last rice cracker in his mouth.
He looked at the scattering fish-men and mermaids, his brow furrowing slightly.
"What a hassle."
"This old man just came here for a vacation."
(To be Continued)