“The bubble membrane has ruptured!! Grab onto something nearby!”
Opening a portal the same way, Giratina’s control over the Reverse World was clearly different from that of other Mythical Pokémon.
Other Mythical Pokémon relied on Arceus’s power to gain partial authority over the portals. If the Reverse World were treated as a huge room, their authority would be like fingerprints registered in an access control system.
Giratina, on the other hand, was the homeowner. Forget fingerprints in the access system, the door itself belonged to it.
If Giratina wished, it could even kick everyone else out. It was just that the house had been fully paid for by Arceus, so doing so wouldn’t be appropriate.
During this period, the Reverse World had also been expanding and improving.
The Forces of Nature were completing Reverse World’s weather systems and life force, while Giratina was expanding its range. After its birth, expanding the Reverse World became Giratina’s responsibility, no longer requiring Arceus to personally oversee it.
Compared to letting the Reverse World expand on its own, this method was much faster.
“Brace for impact… huh? The seawater didn’t rush in…”
Whether Giratina’s appearance was shocking enough was unclear, but it certainly gave Fishman Island quite a fright.
When others entered or exited the Reverse World, they simply opened a door. For the sake of style, Giratina made a bit more noise; it directly tore down a wall. After all, to it, the wall was just something assembled.
The result was that residents of Fishman Island near Ryugu Palace saw a purple abyss split open above them.
Fish-Men and Merfolk could breathe underwater. Even Fish-Men who had eaten Devil Fruits wouldn’t drown. They’d at worst starve to death if no one rescued them.
But if the bubble membrane surrounding Fishman Island truly ruptured, an immeasurable amount of seawater would instantly flood in. The membrane’s inherent properties allowed it to block out the ocean in the deep sea; if it suddenly disappeared, massive sea currents would crash over the entire island like a tsunami.
Even Fish-Men would be unable to withstand such an impact.
They wouldn’t choke on water, but they couldn’t contend with the force of nature. They might be knocked unconscious by collisions, so when they saw the “rupture” of the membrane, panic spread among them.
At this time, Fishman Island was also at its highest population density. All Fish-Men and Merfolk had returned due to external circumstances. If something like that really happened, the consequences would be unimaginable.
However, this panic did not cause any real chaos. All Fish-Men who saw the door to the Reverse World suddenly fell into temporary stiffness.
A power belonging to shadows restrained them in its own way.
【There is no need to panic. By the will of the Father God, I have come to escort the king of the Ryugu Kingdom to the venue.】
Giratina’s voice echoed in everyone’s mind. Whether child or elder, the words resonating within their souls allowed them to understand the meaning of its words.
“So the Lord actually sent you personally?”
【This is the most direct method.】
Giratina responded briefly to Manaphy before flying to a higher position.
“King Neptune of Fishman Island, you may come with me now. The door will remain open for fifteen minutes. Do not waste time.”
This time, the voice did not enter directly into the mind. The vibrations reaching his ears snapped Neptune back to his senses, and from the purple door, a current of seawater suddenly extended outward; its meaning could not have been clearer.
Gulp.
Neptune swallowed. He had imagined many methods—giant Sea Kings, ships with special engines—but never this one.
This had already exceeded his understanding. The torn space and the surging sea current both felt utterly unreal.
Seeing that no one around was paying attention, Neptune quietly pinched himself where his arms were crossed over his chest. The sting on his skin told him that all of this was real.
“Well then, everyone, we’ll be heading off first.”
Mandrell led his wife and daughter forward. He wouldn’t be returning to Onigashima this time. He had come to Fishman Island to see them off.
Calling it a surging sea current wasn’t entirely accurate, because at the entrance to the Reverse World, the sea current flowed inward.
“Don’t be nervous, just relax. This is part of Lord Arceus’s power. We’ll see you again in a few days.”
With a push of both hands, accompanied by Maylo’s startled cry, the two were instantly swept forward along the sea current. Following closely behind were Tiger and Hachi, whom he brought along.
“Your powers are beyond comprehension. The lost lambs await your guidance. The path you have paved will surely lead us forward.”
With a trace of devotion and fervor, Tiger pulled Hachi along and stepped into the sea current, using its momentum to advance toward a destination that was known yet still mysterious.
“A sea current, huh… it really is a method suited for Merfolk. Then, Father, Mother, I’ll go first.”
Faced with this mysterious unknown, Shirahoshi showed a stronger desire to explore. Growing up freely with her parents alive was ultimately different from being confined within the Hard-Shell Tower. At the very least, she now possessed the curiosity to move forward boldly.
Shirahoshi set off first, followed closely by the princes such as Fukaboshi. After Shyarly and Nereus also disappeared into the sea current, only Neptune, Otohime, Mjosgard, and Jinbe remained.
“I… can I really go to a place like that as well?”
“Well, how should I put it—you’re on the list, so you’re bound to go sooner or later. But there’s no need to be afraid. If someone wanted to harm you, they wouldn’t have bothered bringing you out of Mariejois, right?”
Mandrell could see that Mjosgard was somewhat hesitant. Even though he had changed his mindset, his identity as a Celestial Dragon still remained. Compared to the people of Fishman Island, Mjosgard was fundamentally different.
“I’m not afraid of anything. Ever since I opposed that fellow Charlos, I’ve already made my resolve. Perhaps Homing’s ideas weren’t entirely wrong. If given the chance… being an ordinary person wouldn’t be so bad.
It’s just that I can’t swim. Is there a ship I can use?”
Most people harbored hatred toward the Celestial Dragons, but they simply lack the opportunity to act on it. While hating that group, they also feared the military power that protected them. Homing’s fate was exactly what happened to a Celestial Dragon who gave up that protection.
Mjosgard’s situation was unique, and he had also encountered Otohime, which was why he had managed to stay safely on Fishman Island during this time.
“There are only sunken ships here, but don’t worry. You helped us back in Mariejois. This time, let me return the favor.”
Jinbe, who had been bringing up the rear, stepped forward. Taking Mjosgard along, he entered the current together with Neptune and Otohime.
“There’s no one else left. They’re the last group. I’ll protect Fishman Island well. Remember to pass along my regards to Lord Arceus.”
Manaphy waved both hands at Giratina, watching as it turned and departed. After that, the door to the Reverse World slowly closed.
The others didn’t feel much, but Arlong stared at the closing door with a somewhat dazed expression. For some reason, he felt a faint sense of regret.
“Oh!! We’re in the sky!”
Many things in the Reverse World were inverted, including this sea current.
It didn’t flow from high to low along the ground like a normal current. Instead, it hung in the sky like a rainbow. Though in certain special regions, it could also resemble an ordinary sea.
This gave the passengers within the sea current a sensation like riding a roller coaster—though the motion was very gentle, at most comparable to a children’s ride at a shopping mall entrance. They even had time to observe the strange scenery of the Reverse World.
“By the way… where did that mysterious creature that opened the passage go?”
Manboshi lay flat within the sea current. Ever since arriving here, he had not seen Giratina again.
It wasn’t just Manboshi and the others. Whether they entered earlier or later, the moment they stepped into the Reverse World, they could no longer sense Giratina’s presence.
“No idea. Maybe it’s watching us from somewhere.”
At this moment, within a dimension beyond the perception of ordinary people, it was using its power to alter the structure of the Reverse World, distorting spatial connections to shorten the journey from Fishman Island to Wano Country.
What would originally take nearly a month of travel was compressed into just a few hours. While those within the sea current were still immersed in the mystery of the Reverse World, a glimmer of light had already appeared ahead of them.
Jack had been waiting here for quite some time.
“By order of Lord Arceus, I’ve come to receive you. Let’s switch to another means of transportation. This way, you’ll be able to move around here.”
Jack dragged over a mass of white, fluffy thing, split it apart, and handed a portion to each Merfolk present.
At the same time, within Wano Country, in the Hakumai region, those participating in the ceremony had gradually begun to arrive.
“Duchess Setsuna of the Mokomo Dukedom and her kin have arrived!”
If she wanted to save time, Setsuna should have gone directly to Onigashima. but she had come to Hakumai according to Arceus’s wishes. This was a matter of procedure. All invited kings participating in the ceremony would first arrive in the Hakumai region.
After passing through Hakumai’s main road, they would then cross the inland sea and head to the ceremony site on Onigashima.
Therefore, Setsuna’s identity in attending this Divine Blessing Ritual was not as the No.0 of the Beasts Pirates, but as the ruler of Zou Island.
“I mean… are we really that short on people? Why is Queen doing this job?”
On the ceremony platform that had long been set up outside Mogura Port, Queen had squeezed his round body into an ill-fitting suit. With his physique, it was difficult for him to make the outfit look presentable.
At this moment, he was holding a loudspeaker and announcing names. Setsuna didn’t look down on him, but the more she looked at Queen, the more something felt off.
“Don’t worry about it. He insisted on doing it himself. Queen is actually good at this sort of thing, so we let him handle it.”
“I still think something’s not right…”
“Relax. He knows his limits. As long as he still values his life, he won’t do anything outrageous. Once this is over, I’ll show you something interesting.”
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