User blog comment:IamJakuhoRaikoben/Chapter 456: Order, Review./@comment-24102956-20151013095648/@comment-25111584-20151013190827

Houses aren't really constructed like that though ... And it still doesn't explain the island incident. If she shrank it immediately, a pit would be created into which the islanders would start falling, and then the water would rush into it. They wouldn't just plop right into the ocean. That didn't happen.

A simpler explanation would be that Mashima just doesn't bother with these things. Plumbing, foundations, effects on the surroundings, etc. are pretty much ignored. Mashima likes to keep things simple, after all.

I'm pretty sure Brandish's statement is much more calculated than Ajeel's. The latter's character is all about bragging and arrogance. Bluffing doesn't really fit Brandish's character. So, imo, she actually means what she says. ^_^"