''Daddy, slow down! '' Jen screamed loudly as she sat in the passenger seat holding her cheeks in both hands. Ever since he saw that green cloud in the sky, dad's demeanor changed, he even asked her to turn around and go after this green cloud, and then he even thought that she was driving too slow, he even sat in the driver's seat himself.

''......''Crab boss two eyes straight staring straight ahead at the green cloudy sky, stagnant like a wooden statue, the distant rush of strong wind from the gap between his eyes, blowing him half old and half new. The strong wind from afar rushed through the gap between his eyes, blowing the collar of his half-used shirt to shake uncontrollably.

Since hearing the name of the Flying Devil, he had felt inexplicably panicked, as if something important was going to be taken away from him, but what else was there to value besides Jen and money?

''Dad, look, it's the Flying Devil's ghost ship! ''As soon as she saw the airship floating in the air emitting green light, Zhen Zhen got excited, when she saw the flying devil was floating in the air below the airship she was ecstatic and took out her cell phone, ''Oh my god, there really is a flying devil in the world, hurry up and take a picture, send it to your friends! Take a picture and send it to your friends. ''

The flying devil turned around viciously with a fierce look in his eyes, scaring Zhen Zhen so much that she let go of her hands and dropped her cell phone on the ground.

''Little Crab? ''

After his gaze landed on Crab Boss, the Flying Devil's eyes immediately softened quite a bit, and he even waved at him, as if the two had known each other for a long time.

Boss Crab stopped at a distance and saw a puddle of green slime-like stuff in the Flying Devil's palm, and on closer inspection realized that it was Plankton Boss, who was lying breathlessly on the Flying Devil's green palm, unable to catch his breath.

''...... Is he dead? '' Mr. Krabs clutched his arms, still having trouble containing the gusts of chills coming from within his body, unable to look on coldly at the life and death of his former best friend after all.

''Don't worry, I appreciate people who are sentimental and won't let him die, just as I appreciate you, if you still remember me. ''

After a moment of silence, Mr. Krabs finally couldn't help but ask: ''Do we know each other? '''

''Surely you've forgotten? That's right, it's not something honorable after all. '' ''Flying Devil stretched out his index finger and put it on his mouth to make a silencing gesture,'' ''If you forget, then you forget, no need to think back, we'll get together again when we have time. ''

The Flying Devil was about to turn around and fly towards the Ghost Ship, but the Plankton Boss in his palm suddenly popped out of his grasp.

''Damn it, my nose! ''

Plankton Boss had actually inadvertently crashed into the Flying Devil's nostrils, half buried inside, with only his two little short legs dangling out and wobbling around.

The Flying Devil tried to reach out and pull him out, but he dabbed left and right with both legs, and it didn't take long for him to burrow in.

''Uhhh ......'' The Flying Devil couldn't stop puffing green air out of his nostrils, trying to push him out, but never succeeding.

''Old Kim ...... I've been meaning to ask you ...... why Karen became ...... Crabby Patties 's secret recipe? ''' Plankton Boss's voice broke off as it came out of the Flying Devil's stomach.

Boss Krabs froze at the sound of Karen's name, an inexplicable stabbing pain coming from his chest, and his whitened lips silently recited the unfamiliar yet familiar name.

11.

Past events that should have been long forgotten somehow kept playing like a walk in the park.

Why is the figure that always accompanied her, whether at the school lake or on the street, so blurred?

Who is she? Where did she come from? And where did she go?

There are no answers. The pursuit of questions about what had passed had only been rewarded with a headache. He couldn't understand why he cared so much about that name, just as he didn't really know why he treasured the secret recipe for the Crabby Patty so much. The only thing he knew was that the secret recipe must never fall into the hands of anyone but him.

''Jen, get out of the car. '' Mr. Krabs rushed his daughter out of the car and pressed down hard on the gas pedal, the dilapidated red sports car rushed towards the devil directly in front of him with a spirit of righteousness.

''Dad, are you crazy? You can't fight the flying devil. '' Zhen Zhen chased after the red sports car, trying to persuade him to turn back, but the red sports car still held its head high and went into an accelerated sprint.

''Let Daddy go crazy for once. '' Mr. Krabs laughed maniacally, his beard trembling uncontrollably, ''Anyone who covets the secret formula will be defeated! '''

''Bang''

He slammed into the Flying Devil's smoky, wavering body as if it were an iceberg, the entire front end twisting into a a ball, like a twist.

''Woah--''

The Flying Devil's throat was sweet and he spewed out a mouthful of old blood, accidentally managing to spit out Plankton's boss.

''You're so ......'' Plankton Boss sat paralyzed in a pool of blood, reaching out and pointing at Crab Boss, too angry to speak.

''Sorry ......''' Mr. Krabs smiled awkwardly as he sat in his smoking car.

''Hahahahahahahaha, thank you little crab, you're so stupidly cute. ''

The Flying Devil stroked Boss Crab's moustache then jerked around and waved his arms exaggeratedly like an orchestra conductor. With a ''thud'', Plankton Boss was actually transformed into a green hotdog, lying uneasily on a hotdog machine. Under the slow green fire, he was so anxious that he was covered in oil.

''This is your punishment, little stinker! '' The Flying Devil twisted the hot dog that Plankton Boss had turned into a smug smile at the corner of his mouth.

''Let go of him. '' Mr. Krabs was about to step forward to stop the Flying Devil from destroying Plankton, when Jen pulled him from behind.

''Dad, isn't he our enemy, what do you care about him? Why don't you run away? '''

Boss Krabs broke away from Zhen Zhen's hand and shook his head resolutely:'''He is not only an enemy but also used to be my friend, for a friend, can you escape alone? ''

''Of course I can't, but ......'' Facing dad's austere gaze. Jen couldn't help but loosen her grip, she felt that there was something strange about him at the moment, but strange enough to be cute.

''Zhen Zhen, dad hasn't taught you anything good since you were a kid, so don't follow suit with your behavior this time. '' Mr. Krabs giggled and said to his daughter, ''In fact, your car skills are really terrible, it's better not to drive, it's safer to run. ''

He stretched out his pincers to stand between his daughter and the devil, like a solid wall.

No words were needed, actions had proved everything.

Respecting her father's determination, leaving was the right thing to do, but Jen's feet were too heavy to lift.

A ray of green light overflowed from the Flying Devil's fingertips: ''In return for your help just now, let me give you a small gift. ''

When the green light from the Flying Devil's fingertips shone on Mr. Krabs' brow, Mr. Krabs felt a chill coming from his brain, and the hazy figure gradually became clearer.

12.

''I want to get rich overnight ......''

The past years played like a black and white movie. On the all-black screen there was only a small white figure slumped over a dark table with deep bags under its eyes and a haggard face.

Boss Krabs remembers this as what he looked like a year after he stepped into the world.

Had vowed to make the best food and become the leader of Beechburg's restaurant scene, but there was no market at all for burgers in an era when french fries ran rampant.

Give it up, it's not a bad idea to make fries! I thought about it myself later, but I still don't remember why I was so obsessed with burgers, let alone why being a crab even named my burger ''Crabby Burger''.

''Kin, dreaming again? ''

A familiar voice rang out, as clear and pleasant as the wind chimes in the breeze, the woman whose face could not be seen walked in, and looking at her hazy back, Mr. Krabs' eyes gradually turned red.

''Karen, business has been dismal this month, and without any more customers, it's really going to close. ''The past self held his head in his hands and frowned painfully, ''There's still a hundred thousand dollars in loans that haven't been paid back ......''

''It's okay, Kin, starting a business in the first place isn't supposed to be easy, you can take this opportunity to learn from other people's experiences first. '' Karen said as she held his hand in comfort.

''But how much money can you make working part-time? I'm afraid I can't even pay back the interest. I really want to beg the Flying Devil to make me rich overnight so you can have a good life too. ''

''Kin, how can you say such demoralizing things? '' Karen gripped his hand tightly and frowned angrily.

''I'm just saying ......'' his past self said, hanging his head low.

I wanted so much to get closer to her, to see that face clearly, but Krabs knew it couldn't be done, all he could do was stand still and stare.

The scene swirled around and came back to a blustery night.

The ghost ship of the Flying Devil was slowly descending from the sky, and the blistering wind blew over the white paper on the table, which flipped and fluttered like butterflies in the small room.

''Who is calling the devil? ''

''It's me ......''' his immediate self said shakily.

''You want to have inexhaustible wealth? '''

'''No, I'm not that greedy, just a hundred thousand dollars would be fine. '''

'' ''It seems you are indeed honest, but you have to be clear on what the price of wishing is. '''

'''I don't know. '''

'''If you don't know and you come to me, are you messing around? '''

'''No, no, no, I really didn't expect you to come. '' Mr. Krabs wiped his sweat anxiously.

''That won't do, I must tell you that anyone who makes a wish to me must give up their soul. Hurry up and give me your soul! ''The flying devil's five fingers slightly bent, a wisp of white film instantly flew out from within the camera's own body, that's the soul, right?

''What are you doing, Kin? '' Karen ran from outside the house, her hands covering her mouth in surprise.

''Ahhhhhhhh. ''

The on-screen version of herself only knew how to scream stupidly, having long since lost her mind.

''Better let me explain, your husband made a wish on me and so owes me a soul. '''

''Would he die without his soul? '''

'''That's not true, he'll just become the living dead. '''

'''Can it be replaced with something else? Like a burger? '''

'''Nonsense! Souls only work if you exchange them with souls! '' the flying devil yelled at her, his voice so loud it shook her that she hastily plugged her ears with her hands.

''Able to wait until he's seventy years old to claim it? ''

''No way! I must have it today! '' The Flying Devil's eyes reddened with impatience.

''Don't be in a hurry, Mr. Flying Devil, since there's no way to do it, use my soul instead, that's fine, right? '' Karen said after biting her lower lip, ''But can you do me a favor? ''

''You love him very much. '' the flying devil calmed down and scratched his right cheek with his index finger, ''What favor? '''

''Since you're only taking souls, can you put my body in a place where no one else can find it? '''

'''Don't you want him to find you later? '''

'''No, I hope and know that he will be looking for me all over the world before I want him to see me like that, it will hold him back he deserves a new start. ''

Owner Krabs couldn't remember the conversation that followed, he tried to keep a smile on his face, even a big grin.

Yes, he remembered. The look was still fuzzy, but the memory puzzle was complete.

I thought he had been born a man who did not know how to love, I thought I had never had love, but once there had really been someone like that, whose warmth had accompanied him through his most desperate moments.

Without her, no longer have love or alone. So he used love as the price to seal her soul, which should belong to the devil, along with his memories of her, in the secret formula that he exchanged for her.

Why burgers? Because it's each other's favorite food. Why a crab burger? Because crab yolk is the most precious to crabs, and without it, crabs are just walking corpses.

While I have forgotten her, I may be able to feel inexplicably sad on a sunny morning or at dusk when the sun is setting, which proves that she has never left his heart.

His heart ached, but Mr. Krabs laughed out loud. He had long been accustomed to smiling, and only a smile could keep others from hating him. A businessman couldn't afford to annoy people, a rule he'd laid down since he'd set out to be an entrepreneur in college.

Tears are for family members, smiles are for outsiders. That's his creed in life.

He came back to reality without realizing it.

''Are you crazy? '' The Flying Devil scratched the right side of his face, as he did every time he was confused, not daring to look directly at Mr. Krabs' crazy smile, so he turned around and prepared to leave.

''Snap'', Mr. Krabs actually hugged him from behind, his two pincers locked in a death grip around his neck, and his two short, stubby legs wrapped tightly around his stomach.

''What are you doing? Did you think I would be so simply entangled? ''

His stomach began to expand like a balloon, blowing up bigger and bigger, but no matter how much it expanded, he couldn't get free of Mr. Krabs' blockade.

''Give me back Karen! ''

Boss Krabs was red-eyed, his eyebrows on his eyes burning as if they were on fire.

''That's equivocation, isn't it? ''

Master Krabs' hands strangled tighter.

''Don't go too far! '' ''The Flying Devil was so strangled that his face turned pale, and his body actually gradually began to fade.

''Overused? '' said the Flying Devil sadly as he looked at his gradually transparent body.

''I must swallow that soul! '' he roared with rage as he stretched out his hands and hugged Boss Krabs back, an intense green light emitted from his palms, instantly burning Boss Krabs with a wail.

''Give me back Karen! '' said the crab boss sickly, his two fingers peeling away bit by bit, leaving only his two index fingers hooked into a knot, still locked around the flying devil's neck.

The Flying Devil's body was becoming more and more transparent, and his appearance looked very weak, his originally plump face became very withered, as if he had aged ten years in an instant.

''Soul! I want the soul! '' The airship automatically flew to his side as if as if it was sensed.

After jumping onto the airship, he dropped Mr. Krabs to the ground with an over-the-shoulder slam, and then placed the hotdog machine that had trapped Plankton in the bow of the ship.

''Karen ...... Karen ......'' Mr. Krabs lay beside Plankton, feebly calling out the name of his lover as he watched the ship head for Bikini Bottom.

13.

The signposts for Bikini Bottom are close at hand, and SpongeBob is getting more and more conflicted about whether or not to put the secret formula in the Sea Buster.

While he was hesitating, a gust of wind was raised overhead, followed by the shrill laughter of the Flying Devil once again.

''You can't take it with you, hand it over quickly. ''

The sails of the ghost ship were open, and so was the Flying Devil's ugly mouth.

Plankton was lying in front of the hot dog machine, his body rolling over and over with it, sweating, and next to him, Krabs was lying breathlessly on the deck.

''Plankton Krabs, how did you get caught too? ''

SpongeBob was just closing his mouth in surprise when the Flying Devil's magic hand had reached out from the ship and grabbed him by the collar in one go.

''Hand it over quickly. '' The Flying Devil's eyes were green as if he wanted to eat him alive.

''No way! '' SpongeBob swallowed the secret formula in one gulp, and then slammed his head hard into the Flying Devil's face.

When the Flying Devil let go in agony, he jumped and ran away, pulling his legs up.

The distance to the signpost was only three meters, but no matter how hard SpongeBob sprinted he just couldn't reach it.

''Oh no, it's the ghost wall again. ''

'' ''No! This is magic. '''

The flying devil covered his face and floated over in exasperation.

The secret formula in his belly was actually about to break out of his body as if summoned.

''It's so hard. '' said SpongeBob as he covered his stomach in pain.

''You can't take it away, it belongs to me. '''

''Bullshit ...... Karen doesn't belong to you, she's ...... mine! '''

Boss Krabs yelled at the top of his lungs as he lay on the hull of the ship and pulled his voice out.

''......'' Plankton remained still on the hot dog machine, not saying a word.

''Willing to bet, Crabby, have you forgotten? When the secret formula leaves Bikini Bottom, the soul will belong to me again, and that's where I draw the line. '''

''If you want the soul, take mine, why do you have to have Karen's? '''

'''You wouldn't understand, this is my pact with Poseidon, only by making a pact, the souls of those who willingly offer themselves can make up for my gradually dispersing soul. '''

'''So you will die too? '''

'' ''No! I died a long time ago, it was the great god of the sea that made me exist, what I have is not life just existence. '''

'''Is there really a sea god in this world? Why haven't I heard of it since I was a kid? '' SpongeBob asked, driven by curiosity despite the pain he felt.

''Little Cube, you don't need to know this, just surrender your soul. '''

''Isn't there a second way? '''

'''Of course there is, but you can't do it, no one can do it. '''

''And what exactly is that? '''

'' ''That would be to awaken the Sea God. '' ''A devout gaze appeared in the Flying Devil's eyes as he continued, ''Only he can fulfill my long-cherished wish ......'' '

''Your long-cherished wish? '' asked Mr. Krabs and SpongeBob curiously at the same time.

''You don't need to understand, handing over your souls is enough. ''

Under the Flying Devil's magical urging, SpongeBob's back undershirt bulged a little bit, as if it was going to burrow out of his body.

''This isn't the way, how do we subdue him? '' SpongeBob was sweating with anxiety, but there was nothing he could do.

''Stop struggling, little cube, or you'll die! '' said the flying devil sorrowfully.

''Don't keep calling me a cube, I'm a sponge! '''

SpongeBob was so angry that his eyebrows trembled, but suddenly he had a flash of light and thought:Since I am a sponge, my greatest skill is to suck in water, so if I suck in all the water in Bikini Bottom, will he still be able to resist? ''

Thinking of this he opened his mouth without saying a word and started swallowing water.

''What are you doing? Seems like a fool! '' The Flying Devil saw the water flow a little bit into SpongeBob's body, the small yellow square even gradually fattened into a round ball.

The orb grew bigger and bigger, bigger than the ghost ship, bigger than the mountains in the distance, at the same time, the current around him was getting lower and lower, lower than his head, lower than his shoulders.

When the water flowed lower than his tail, the Flying Devil panicked, if the water tilted out of the body of this behemoth of a small island atop his head, would he be able to withstand it?

He tried to fly upwards on the ghost ship, but all he heard was a loud ''boom boom boom'' as a waterfall poured out of his head, crushing the top.

14.

It was almost time to pour out the waters of the ocean to fend off the flying demons, but the body was at its limit. The heart, the brain, and all the organs in the body were being squeezed by the water that had been poured into them, and the pain was so excruciating that it could no longer be felt.

Give up, there is no point in sacrificing yourself.

Give up, forcing yourself is asking for trouble.

Giving up, it is only right to fulfill oneself.

But for Plankton and Krabs, this person named Karen inside them was irreplaceable. For him, who lends a helping hand even to strangers in need, there is no such thing as giving up.

He is happy when everyone is happy. He is happy when everyone is happy. It was a small, unspoken wish of his.

As long as he holds this wish, he will not easily bow down even in the face of great suffering.

The star in the sky signaled that dawn would come, and when it did, how could the residents of Bikini Fort, who were still dreaming, have imagined that the sea would turn into a shoal?

Stepping onto the surface, which was only as high as the seaweed, SpongeBob felt his body shake. The sea water cascaded out of his mouth, increasing his swaying even more.

''Bang'', he fell heavily to the ground. The sea, no longer controllable, broke loose like a wild horse and ravaged the entirety of Bikini Bottom.

It blew open Patrick's house, sending the still-sleeping Patrick with his bed to the far side of the world; it destroyed Sandy's cottage, engulfing the squirrels who were still exercising in the turquoise waves; it blew away Ms. Puff, who was in the middle of putting on her make-up, and sent her, who hated going to work, straight to driving school.

The residents of Bikini Bottom were so disturbed by the flood that they looked up and saw the disaster maker, the giant SpongeBob SquarePants.

Curses rang out.

As the giant SpongeBob gradually turned back into a small cube, the inhabitants gradually gathered together. They pointed at him lying half-dead on the ground, paying no attention to the ghost ship half-buried in the sand.

''Boom--''' The Flying Devil poked his head out of the sand and looked towards SpongeBob in the distance, and after spitting out a mouth full of mud, he whispered. ''This guy is really something. '''

After briefly wiping his face and quickly changing it to a menacing expression, he jumped out and yelled at the residents of Bikini Bottom next to the pirate ship: ''You fools, want to greet the Flying Devil? ''

The residents were so frightened at the sight of the Flying Devil that all of them slipped away in less than a minute.

SpongeBob lay on his back with his eyes closed, his throat rising and falling as he struggled to breathe the sea air.

''That was close, if you hadn't fallen, I would have really lost my soul. ''

The Flying Devil's body became a little more transparent, no longer the overbearing man he used to be. He was about to put his hand into SpongeBob's mouth when a voice rode the wind and echoed between the algae.

''Who woke me? Who woke me up? ......''

The ancient voice whispered in the Flying Devil's ears, and his heartbeat increased steeply as he looked around with hot tears, searching for the source of the voice.

''Sea God! You are awake? '''

''You woke me? '''

'''No, it was the sponge that fell to the ground. '' replied the flying devil honestly.

''How many years has it been since we've managed the oceans, and now even the sponges have become sperms? ''

Poseidon's laughter set off a huge wave.

''Yes, it's unbelievable that a sponge, which is clearly just a sponge, was able to wake you up. '' he compensated, ''For five hundred years I have hoped that you would be able to help me fulfill a wish. ''

''Didn't I let you live? Are you still not satisfied? '''

'''But can you inform me where my wife's soul is? '''

'''Your wife? Wasn't she the one who wished me into existence to keep you alive? Have you forgotten that? '''

'''......''' The flying devil froze in place.

Five hundred years had passed, and as long as I could see her one last time and hear her voice again, it didn't matter if I turned into a devil. The body that had devoured so many souls to exist only wanted to feel the warmth of her hair again.

Is this all a dream after all?

Tears slid silently down the flying devil's face.

Neptune's voice faded away, and his body dissipated, perhaps his own existence itself was a mistake, but if he could still do the right thing in the end, he wouldn't be ashamed when he looked at her in heaven from hell.

The Flying Devil let the remnants of her magic pour out endlessly, causing the three around her to rapidly recover their strength.

Boss Krabs was the least injured, and he was the first to open his eyes.

''Karen's body is inside the cabin of the Ghost Ship, all you have to do is put the secret formula on her and she will awaken. ''

The Flying Devil whispered this in his ear before turning into a green mist and passing away with the wind.

Boss Krabs crashed through the hatch and rushed straight down into the cabin to see the man he had longed for lying in a green crystal coffin.

Crescent moon like eyes and a smile at the corner of his mouth, still the same as when he was there.

He was lying on his back in front of the crystal coffin, sobbing uncontrollably, and the piece of coin in his pocket fell on the ground without paying any attention to it.

15.

There was a long line of people in front of The Krusty Krab's front door, and a string of banners hung from the flagpole at the entrance.

''Happy new marriage to the groom, Crab Akin, and the bride, Karen! ''

Octopus greeted every guest who came with a rare change of face.

With the exception of Jen who didn't show up, the women's and men's family and friends gathered all lamenting the belated wedding.

Blessings were passed from mouth to mouth of every Beechburg resident who came to the wedding.

SpongeBob was alive and well in the kitchen making Krabby Patties, and couldn't be happier.

''SpongeBob, the wedding is about to start, stop making burgers and change into your best man costume. ''

'' ''As you command! '' ''Dropping the spatula, quickly putting on the suit and spraying cologne on his face, SpongeBob instantly became the best man.

He walked out of the kitchen and saw the former Mr. Catfish leaning over to Mr. Krabs again, talking business.

''So it's a deal, we'll patent the Krabby Patty tomorrow? Great, can I ask you what made you change your decision? '''

''I figured out that you can't share anything except love. ''' Mr. Krabs said with a gentle smile as he held his bride's hand.

Karen, however, said offhandedly: ''Kin, aren't we going to invite Sheldon? Isn't he a friend of yours? ''

''Who's Sheldon? '' asked SpongeBob suspiciously.

''That's Plankton. '' said Mr. Krabs frostily.

His eyes looked past the window to the broken sign of the Sea Buster in the distance, ''I called, and he said he had left Bikini Bottom. ''

''Is that so? That's a shame! '' Karen and SpongeBob actually said at the same time. They looked at each other with four eyes and smiled awkwardly.

Plankton slumped back in the driver's seat and stared blankly at the photo that had accompanied him for so long.

''Karen, be happy! ''

All he could do for her was wish her well.

''What can I do for you, Sheldon? '' asked the concerned wife of the machine beside him.

''No, just focus on navigating. '' the gangly boss said casually without looking at the machine, ''By the way, you might want to change your name from Karen. '''

'''What to call it then? '''

'' ''Let's call it Mary. '''

'''Okay ...... Mary at your service ...... '''

Plankton Boss looked at the distant sunset with a bitter smile.