Chloe dashed onto the deck of the Whaleboat. It was still slippery from the rainfall, but that hazard was miniscule compared to what erupted out of the water. At first, it resembled nothing more than a large snout with double edged points on both sides. But then, attached to the large pointed beak was a creature of great terror--an enormous pale fish with hostile dark slits for eyes and a jagged white belly as thick as cartilage. It let out a terrifying snicker which sounded a bit like the giggle of a dolphin but much sharper and thirsty for blood.
"Mother-puffer!" Chloe exclaimed. "That thing is awesome."
"As long as it doesn't eat you," Rosemary hollered. "And more importantly me."
"What is it?!" Chloe muttered, dumbfounded by its menacing appearance.
"Argh!" Captain Abacab cried from beside her. "It be our doom! Our peril! Every man for himself!"
"Of course," Vinnie the Eel said slyly. "But I was also thinkin' bout deez ladies who can't defend demselves!"
"You were talking, estupido?" Monica said, her blade drawn to spite him.
"Yeah," Chloe chuckled. "Need I remind you, that you got bested by both of us and outsmarted by Ramone?!"
"To be fair," Ramone said with a smile. "I did attend a class at Goatre Dame for Outwitting Dimwits like him!"
"Fine den, Professor Nerd," Vinnie remarked. "How are you gonna get us out of dis one?"
An airy voice sounded from behind them. "I don't know what you're so worried about!" Luna giggled and walked up to the behemoth. "Sharphins are easily tamable if you know how to reach their dolphin side rather than their shark side."
"And how do you plan to do dat, pinky?!" Vinnie remarked, non-plussed. “Beauty isn’t everything!”
Luna stood silently. She closed her eyes with a smile on her face. Suddenly, she opened her eyes and they were far apart and she made an odd sound with her mouth. "Eeeh eeh eeeh ehh eeh!"
Suddenly, the narrow slits in the fish’s face expanded into the same dopey dolphin expression with far apart eyes. It made the same ‘eeh eeeh eeh’ sounds, matching Luna’s pitch perfectly.
"Okaaaay..." Vinnie the Eel said, taking a step back. "Deez fishy chicks are kinda weirding me out here. I hope dats not the sound she makes in da bedroom!"
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Slowly, the sharphin lowered itself down to the boat’s level. Luna's eyes returned to normal and she smiled. "Quick, get a rope!" she cried. "We can lasso this girl and she'll take us to Fishysauz domain!"
"Really?" Chloe asked, her eyes wide. "For free?! She doesn't want to eat us?!"
"No!" Luna said. "She only wants to know the name of that delectable eye candy with the yellow pompadour."
"Me?!" Vinnie asked. "Well, da name's Vinnie, but sorry girl, I don't mate outside my species, except in rare cases!"
"I'm not so sure about that," Monica said, rolling her eyes. "You'd mate with a sea cucumber if it had lipstick!"
"Argh," Captain Abacab groaned. "Why does this young lad get all the tails fins?!" I'd love me some sea-horse-play too!"
"Can you men get your minds out of the murky ocean abyss and just get movin'?" Chloe demanded. "Stop thinking with your planks!"
"Aye aye," Abacab said and hurried with some rope from the ship and with a great big heave, he hurled the rope around the sharphin's nose. "To the Ocean Kingdom!" he said.
Luna made some goofy squeaks with her eyes wide apart and the sharphin responded in kind. "Hold onto your pirate hats!" she cried. "It's gonna be a bumpy ride!"
In seconds flat, the sharphin was traveling at speeds faster than any ordinary vessel. It made the whaleboat zoom and skip across the ocean as everyone held on for dear life. A massive rock was approaching as the wily Sharphin giggled and squeaked. The rock was so big, it was the size of several large islands, but the grey salt washed rock was only covered in moss, coral and algae. "Don't look now!" Ramone cried. "But I think we're gonna be shipwrecked. Good heavens!"
Argh!" Abacab cried. "I hope I don't make it. Those ship dealers are unscrupulous and they have a hook for a hand policy with every trashed ship!"
“That’s barbaric!” Monica cried.
Captain Abacab closed one of his eyes and made a hook for a hand. “Them dealers really know they really hook-ya in!”
“Everyone!” Luna cried. “Take cover in your cabin!”
Chloe and the inhabitants of the Whaleboat all did, but Chloe was unsure how that was going to protect them from being smashed upon the rocks. She watched helplessly as she expected the Whaleboat to crash, taking all of their lives. But as she watched from the porthole, the sharphin suddenly thrust down and pulled them beneath the waves. The dark cerulean sea shimmered through the window. Where were they going?
The sharphin swam inside a large cave, and pulled the whaleboat through. They seemed to be traveling inside the giant rock. At last, the enormous shark-dolphin hybrid bucked the rope, sending them shooting up into a massive air pocket inside the cave. It was there, Chloe realized where they were. Inside the rock were hundreds of multi-colored coral homes built into the rock, each belonging to an individual fishysauz. The ceilings were as high as a concert hall, and decorated with glowing shells that dazzled the eye. The floors were made of mossy green algae and seemed soft to tread upon with bare feet.
“Whoa!!!” Chloe cried. “I never thought I’d see this place for myself. Is this really the Ocean Kingdom?!”
“Home sweet home!” Luna sang.
Together, everyone stepped outside the cool cavern. Numerous fishysauz approached the boat, but none of them looked friendly. The fish people of numerous pigments were adorned in coral blue armor with silver staffs pointed at their pirate throats.
“Humans!” one of the fishysauz soldiers shouted. “For trespassing on the turf of King Phil Le the first, we shall have you executed immediately!”