Just a hundred meters ahead of the bow—
A massive Sea King burst forth from the ocean surface.
Even the part visible above water measured nearly 400 meters long.
Its full body? Estimated to be between 800 and 900 meters.
And it was a Prehistoric Variant!
The moment Luo Lan got a good look at it, even he was a little surprised.
While many people knew that Devil Fruits could have Ancient Zoan types, few were aware...
That Sea Kings also came in Prehistoric Variants.
A Sea King's strength wasn't just about its size—it also depended heavily on its species.
Almost every creature that exists—or once existed—in this world has had a Sea King counterpart.
From the common ones like pigs, cows, sheep, and rabbits...
To rarer kinds like tigers, lions, and leopards...
And of course, the rarest—extinct species that once roamed the earth.
Like the one right in front of them—
A Saber-Toothed Tiger.
Yes. With its elongated fangs and ferocious feline features, there was no mistaking it.
When it came to creatures of equal size, the big-cat Sea Kings were far stronger than herbivore types.
And Prehistoric variants? They were in a class of their own—above even the fiercest lions and tigers.
In other words, this 800–900-meter-long Sea King was undoubtedly the most powerful of its size category.
Possibly even stronger than some of the larger, kilometer-long Sea Kings.
Because this one was a Prehistoric Saber-Toothed Tiger-type Sea King.
It glanced at the large ship below, and the tiny figures moving upon it, without a hint of caution.
With a deafening roar, it lunged forward—jaws wide open, ready to devour the vessel whole.
But—
It came fast. And it left faster.
Luo Lan leapt high into the air, spun, and landed a fierce whip kick to the creature's face.
The colossal Sea King was sent flying, crashing into the ocean with a titanic splash.
"…Wait, that's it? It's dead?"
"Wasn't it supposed to be really strong?"
Luo Lan blinked in surprise. His Observation Haki could no longer sense any signs of life from the Sea King.
Alright... Maybe it did make sense.
Last time he hunted a Sea King, his Power Level was only a few hundred.
Just before this trip, he'd tested at over 2,600.
Now? Probably nearing 3,000.
One kick killing an 800-meter Sea King—prehistoric or not—was... reasonable.
"Quit staring! Get moving!"
"If we take too long, we'll end up with dozens—maybe hundreds—of Sea Kings coming to snatch the corpse!"
Luo Lan's shout snapped the dazed marines back to action.
One by one, they jumped onto the Sea King's massive body and began slicing it apart.
With just a few swipes, a one-meter-square chunk of flesh was cut free.
A marine would hoist it up and hurl it across to the ship's deck, where others caught it and quickly stowed it into the lower cargo holds.
Now that everyone had Power Levels around 200, they moved like machines—efficient and tireless.
Compared to the last hunt, their efficiency had increased at least tenfold.
Watching the scene unfold in a frenzy of energy and heat, Luo Lan nodded in satisfaction.
At the same time, he kept his Observation Haki spread to the maximum, staying alert for any other Sea Kings lured by the scent of blood.
---
One hour later.
Thanks to everyone's hard work, they had loaded roughly a quarter of the Sea King's total flesh onto the ship.
Not only were the lower cargo holds completely full—even the deck was piled high with meat.
The two enormous saber fangs, each over 30 meters long, also rested on the deck, taking up quite a bit of space.
Luo Lan couldn't help but sigh.
"This ship... really is too small."
As for the remaining meat? They had no choice but to leave it behind to feed the rest of the Sea Kings.
Besides, with the effects of the Sea King meat capped, what they had should be enough...
To sustain everyone until the benefits wore off.
"Return to port!"
"Yes, Commander!"
The six auxiliary propellers extended and slowly began to spin.
With a ship full of spoils, the journey home began.
Because of the severe overload, what had taken only three hours on the way there…
Now took seven full hours on the return.
Their speed barely exceeded two knots.
And throughout the entire trip—
The ship groaned under the strain, the creaking hull making Luo Lan break into cold sweat more than once.
---
By the time they returned to port, two A-rank specialists—shipwright Kairo and swordsmith Satou—were already waiting at the dock, having received word in advance.
The moment Kairo laid eyes on the vessel, his jaw dropped.
"Commander, you seriously loaded this much onto that ship?"
"If I had to guess, the keel's probably cracked right now…"
No one knew that ship better than Kairo. It was built just to float and cruise in calm waters.
Now? The cargo holds were packed tight, and the deck looked like a mountain of meat.
That it hadn't sunk was nothing short of a miracle.
Luo Lan scratched his head awkwardly under Kairo's gaze.
He had completely forgotten about that issue during the excitement.
But no big deal—if the keel was damaged, the auto-repair in port would fix it 1% per day.
For the rest, Kairo could assign workers to handle the maintenance.
Once that was arranged, Luo Lan turned to Satou.
"Satou, you saw those two fangs from the Sea King, right?"
"Yes, Captain!"
"I tried testing them—those things are tougher than steel. Can we forge weapons from them?"
"Hard to say. I'll need to inspect them up close first."
"Go ahead."
Luo Lan nodded.
Bringing the fangs back had always been part of the plan—if they couldn't be used, no big loss.
Satou approached one of the fangs, examining it under a magnifying glass, tapping here and there, muttering to himself.
After quite a bit of fussing—
"Captain, based on my initial assessment, it should be possible!"
"But I'll need to run more tests to be sure."
There was a gleam of excitement in Satou's eyes.
Luo Lan smiled and gave him the green light, assigning 30 marines to help him transport the material.
---
Two days later.
Early morning. On the training grounds—
Ace and Zoro were having a heated debate over whether martial arts or swordsmanship was superior.
Naturally, it escalated into a brawl.
Outside the grounds, a crowd of several hundred had gathered to watch.
Some cheered for Zoro. Others for Ace.
Luo Lan, standing off to the side, could only shake his head and chuckle.
Right now, the gap between Ace and Zoro was just too wide.
Ace had skipped several missions to focus purely on training—and his Power Level had already surpassed 1,500.
Zoro, in contrast, had only been here for less than ten days and had just started eating Sea King meat.
His Power Level? Around 500.
He hadn't even learned how to cut steel yet.
Not to mention, Ace had already mastered Tekkai (Iron Body). Zoro couldn't even scratch him.
The outcome? Already decided before the first blow.
Just then—
Satou came running over, gasping for breath, carrying a long rectangular box.
"Captain! There you are—I finally found you!"
"Please, take a look! This is the first blade we forged using the Sea King's fangs."
"I call it..."
Blood Fang!