Chapter 122

Chapter 122: Deep Sea Journey

There isn't much to pack, just two spare sets of clothes for each person, and some gifts should also be brought along.

In the rush, there wasn't time to prepare, so they simply brought a few boxes of wine, which could be considered a gesture of goodwill. Then, they rummaged through the inventory for some items to give to Otohime's children.

Additionally, they hung a sign outside the tavern that read "Closed for Travel," and informed the Goodmans to avoid worrying them.

Having packed what they needed, the group returned to the shore and boarded the shark giant that would take them to where Queen Otohime and Sharkler were waiting.

The one in charge of driving was Adrian. In order to save time, Sharkler lent them the shark giant for the journey. Adrian took this opportunity to enjoy the experience.

When it came to driving this giant creature, Artoria was the most skilled. With her riding skill, she could handle it better than Sharkler, but she couldn't change its form.

If they let Tom figure it out, he could probably learn too, but Adrian was worried he might accidentally cause trouble, so he didn't let him try, which led to Tom pouting for several minutes.

The shark giant came to a steady stop next to Queen Otohime's ship, and everyone jumped aboard before the shark giant disappeared.

"What an amazing machine," Queen Otohime exclaimed. She didn't find the shark giant to be particularly large, as her husband Neptune was even bigger.

Neptune was 12.2 meters tall, while Queen Otohime was 2.2 meters tall, emmm...

One of the mysteries of the pirates: How did Neptune and Queen Otohime manage to have four children?

"Is everyone ready? We're about to dive," Queen Otohime pulled a control lever.

A peculiar device on the back of the ship began to fill the bubble film with air, causing the bubble film that was originally close to the hull to slowly expand.

Curiously, the group watched as the bubbles on the deck rose, gradually engulfing them, and then continued to rise, forming a protective shield around them and the ship.

After inflation stopped, Queen Otohime commanded the large fish beneath the ship to set sail, and the fish carried the ship steadily as they descended.

Ordinary ships would lose most of their buoyancy after the film was inflated. Before setting sail, they relied on buoyancy blocks to stay afloat on the surface. To dive, they needed to remove these blocks.

However, Queen Otohime's ship wasn't so troublesome. Its buoyancy was controlled by the fish, which made it convenient.

As the ship descended, the surface of the sea grew farther and farther away, the light dimmed, and the once bright sunlight gradually faded into a small spot.

"It's so beautiful..." Rui Mengmeng and Artoria saw such a sight for the first time, a feeling completely different from looking at screens in the cockpit of the shark giant.

Sharkler was used to moving underwater, so this was commonplace for her.

Tom focused more on the schools of fish swimming beside and above the ship. He licked his lips from time to time, making it easy to guess what he was thinking.

So, Adrian held Tom tightly, fearing that he might run off to catch fish. He even considered creating a life card for everyone.

"How about we take some photos?" Adrian suggested, to divert Tom's attention.

In this world, there are two types of cameras. One is a phone bug style, blinking its eyes to take a photo. The other is the regular style with a lens cover.

For this kind of camera, Sanji, who had failed to capture a wanted poster photo, probably had something to say.

Adrian brought the regular kind, as the phone bug type is a living creature and can't be stored in the inventory.

"I'll help you take some," Queen Otohime volunteered. They also have camera fish people on Fishman Island, and she knows how to use them.

"Click." The image froze, Tom stood in front, hands on his waist, behind him was Artoria, who had a dumbfounded expression in her first photo, Sharkler raised a hand, Adrian and Rui Mengmeng made scissor hands at the back.

The background was the still blue sea and a group of fish, and a sea turtle in the back.

Speaking a bit impolitely, strictly by size.

In fact, Sharkler wanted to make scissors too, but unfortunately, she had already used her super transformation ability today, and her strength didn't allow it.

Queen Otohime looked at them. "Feels quite ordinary."

"Then let's change formations." Adrian suggested, "I'll sit here. Sharkler, stand behind me. Tom, get on my head. Artoria and MoeMoe, stand on either side of Sharkler, tilt your bodies a bit and make a heart shape..."

Click, Queen Otohime nodded, "This is much more interesting."

"Let's change again..."

The group changed into many formations and poses, with each person taking a center position, and they also took photos of pairs of them.

"Queen, why don't you join us for a few shots?" Adrian called.

"Is that okay?"

"Leave a memory!" Adrian thought for a moment and patted Tom's head, "Quick, Tom, set up a selfie set."

Under Queen Otohime's astonished gaze, Tom took out a small hammer and quickly set up a camera stand with a chain mechanism attached.

After everyone gathered around Queen Otohime, Tom placed the camera on the stand and adjusted the focus. He then ran back and jumped into Queen Otohime's arms, pulling the thin string in his hand.

Through a series of intricate mechanisms, a small spoon pressed the shutter button, capturing the group photo.

Then, Tom refused to leave Queen Otohime's embrace.

He had detected a fishy scent all over her, and it smelled like goldfish.

Tom really liked goldfish, as his fish tank and kitchen could attest.

Queen Otohime didn't seem to mind Tom's presence. She gently rubbed his head and scratched his chin.

Adrian could only remind Tom not to bite.

As the ship continued to dive, the light around them grew dimmer, and the surroundings became eerily quiet if no one spoke.

"It's so dark, and it's a bit chilly," Adrian looked around, relying on the faint illumination on the ship. Anything a bit farther was completely invisible.

Adrian's comment made Tom shiver from the cold. Besides looking good, his fur seemed to offer no warmth.

"Oh, that's because we've descended to a depth of about 7000 meters. Sunlight can't reach here, and the temperature is quite low," Queen Otohime explained. "There are spare clothes in the cabin. Let me get a few for you."

"Thank you." Adrian and the others had only brought summer clothes and hadn't expected it to be this cold.

According to Sharkler's estimate, the temperature here was only about two or three degrees, but it didn't affect him as a robot, and they didn't wear clothes year-round.

A few minutes later, everyone except Sharkler and Queen Otohime had put on a coat. Oh, and the cat as well.

Facing the group's puzzled looks, Queen

Otohime explained, "We fishmen can survive directly in the deep sea. This temperature is no problem for us."

"That makes sense. No wonder I never saw her wearing any warm clothes when Camie visited..." Adrian recalled something he hadn't paid attention to before. Swimming in the water with warm clothes on is self-deception, right? And it's like wearing weights?

Sharkler noticed something, "Come to think of it, you never seemed to look at the Log Pose. Is that okay?"

He had recently been studying navigation-related knowledge, so he was concerned. In the Grand Line, navigation relies on the Log Pose or the Eternal Pose, which is common knowledge.