Starting from One Piece, Sweeping Through the Myriad Worlds (TL)

Beneath the Holy Land Mary Geoise, at a depth of ten thousand meters under the sea, lies Fish-Man Island.

"Push harder!"

"Keep going!"

"Everyone, push together!"

At this moment, the entire Neptune Army had mobilized.

In addition, over a dozen massive sea beasts of various kinds had come to assist.

So, what were they doing?

Looking around, one could see a supermassive ark, nearly half the size of Fish-Man Island beside it, floating near the roots of the Sunlight Tree Eve.

Noah's Ark!

In comparison, the sea beasts above, using thick white ropes to pull it with all their might, appeared much smaller.

Moreover, large quantities of Kouig's Wood planks were attached to the ark, leveraging their extraordinary buoyancy to aid the sea beasts in their efforts.

This type of wood was commonly used when ships returned from Fish-Man Island to the surface. People would tie the planks together with ropes, cast them outside the coating bubbles, and let them carry the ship upward.

Now, King Neptune had brought out the entire stock of Kouig's Wood!

Below, King Neptune himself led over a hundred thousand Neptune Army soldiers, shoulder to shoulder, densely packed against the hull, pushing upward with all their strength.

Yet even so, the ascent of Noah's Ark remained painfully slow.

Truthfully, it wasn't their lack of effort—this was an island-sized ark that normally required the combined strength of colossal Sea Kings to move.

Honestly, the fact that King Neptune and his forces had managed to pull it out of the Fish-Man District was already an incredible achievement!

Aside from the sheer weight of Noah's Ark, they also had to contend with the immense water pressure at ten thousand meters below. In such depths, even submarines would be crushed into scrap metal. Only the unique physiology of Fish-men allowed them to exert any force at all.

Countless citizens of Fish-Man Island gathered in a dark mass, gazing up in awe at the spectacular scene above, occasionally murmuring to one another.

Even the Navy personnel at the local branch paused their training.

"Hahahaha, what are they up to?"

Suddenly, a booming laugh rang out behind them, snapping the Navy officers out of their daze. The soldiers resumed their drills—some jogging, others doing push-ups—while the officers clad in Justice Coats turned around awkwardly upon seeing the newcomer.

"V-Vice Admiral Garp!"

"Ah, no—my apologies, Admiral Fist!"

One by one, the Navy officers straightened their postures, saluting Garp with chests puffed out. Though the newspapers hadn't announced it yet, internal notifications had already reached them.

Their gazes toward this Navy hero grew even more fervent and reverent. After all, there was a world of difference between a vice admiral and an admiral!

"Ehhh—"

Seeing their expressions and hearing their address, Garp scratched his head with a resigned sigh, while Bogard, standing behind him, chuckled and adjusted his gentleman's hat.

Worth noting: with Garp's promotion to admiral, Bogard had also been promoted to vice admiral, continuing to serve as his adjutant.

Since Aokiji had recently departed for the Polar Ice Continent on a mission, the two would be stationed at Fish-Man Island for several months to oversee operations in his stead.

"Report, Admiral Garp! It's said the World Government has offered to waive two years of Celestial Tribute as payment, demanding Fish-Man Island hand over Noah's Ark to the World Nobles, the Celestial Dragons."

"Therefore, King Neptune is leading the entire Neptune Army along with their trained sea beasts in an attempt to push it to the surface."

A Navy captain reported loudly.

"More Celestial Dragon nonsense. Weren't they ordered to stay up there? What do they need such a massive ship for?" Garp complained without restraint.

He suddenly felt that although the World Government had undergone significant changes recently, the Celestial Dragons remained the same—like a dog that can't stop eating filth, always stirring up trouble!

"I think offering payment this time is actually a considerable change for them," Vice Admiral Bogard remarked softly.

He knew full well how enormous the two years' worth of Celestial Tribute was—trading it for an abandoned ancient relic like Noah's Ark was quite a bargain.

"Hmph!"

Garp snorted dismissively before flexing his massive muscles with a grin. "Perfect timing! I've got strength to spare—let's see how heavy this Noah's Ark really is!"

"What?!"

The officers gasped in shock, but Garp paid them no mind. With a thunderous crack, he shattered the ground beneath him and vanished in an instant.

Amidst sonic booms, he transformed into a white meteor, bursting through Fish-Man Island's double-layered bubble barrier. Relying solely on his Haki-enhanced physique, he moved effortlessly through the depths of the ocean ten thousand meters below.

Here, his speed slowed just enough for faint afterimages to be glimpsed.

"Ahhh—"

Unlike the stunned Navy officers, Vice Admiral Bogard wore a resigned expression, muttering to himself, "As reckless as ever..."

He already knew what the old man was planning.

Outside Fish-Man Island.

[BOOOOM—]

With a deafening roar like thunder, Garp violently parted the surrounding seawater, appearing beside King Neptune in an instant.

The Fish-Man King stood at a towering twelve meters—comparable to a giant—while Garp barely reached two-point-eight meters. To speak face-to-face, Garp hovered near the king's neck.

"Garp!"

King Neptune, straining every muscle to push against Noah's Ark's hull, turned in surprise. He noticed an invisible barrier around Garp, repelling seawater in a ten-centimeter radius.

"Hahaha! Let me lend a hand. How long were you planning to take like this?"

Without waiting for the king's approval, Garp pressed his broad palms against the smooth hull and tested its weight with about thirty percent of his strength.

Feeling the immense mass and crushing water pressure from all sides, Garp's face lit up with excitement—he'd found the perfect training tool.

This massive thing packed a real punch!

"HYAAAH—"

A terrifying battle cry erupted from his throat as his arms and back muscles bulged, veins throbbing like they might burst from exertion.

The next moment, Noah's Ark, which had been rising only inch by inch despite the combined efforts of over a hundred thousand Neptune Army soldiers, dozens of sea beasts, and hundreds of Kouig's Wood fragments pushing and pulling with all their might, suddenly began moving at a visibly noticeable speed!

"This—"

Every Fish-man, Merman, and Navy soldier witnessing this scene instantly froze in shock, their thoughts nearly identical.

"This can't be possible!!!"

But just then, a warship flying the World Government's flag and encased in a bubble approached. Over a dozen black-clad figures, also enveloped in bubbles, flew out from the deck and swiftly landed beside King Neptune and Garp.

The leader turned out to be a beautiful blonde woman, though her gaze toward them was oddly peculiar.

"King Neptune, what are you doing?" she asked.

"World Government agents? Why are you here already? We haven't even managed to bring it to the surface yet. Come back in a few days to collect it," King Neptune replied, exasperated as he looked at the group of black-clad figures, finding them far too impatient.

"We never asked you to push it up. We only said we'd come to retrieve Noah's Ark. How we take it is our business..." Stussy sighed, spreading her hands helplessly.