The next day.
Eleven days remained until Gray's release.
Gray: "Wait a minute, are my companions really planning to break me out of this prison?!"
— Calm Belt —
The Shark Supreme was slowly sailing forward.
"Hahahaha..."
"That kid Luffy really stirred up a huge commotion in Loguetown!"
"He gave Smoker a lot of trouble."
"And because the 'World's Most Notorious Criminal' Monkey D. Dragon showed up in Loguetown, everyone's attention got drawn to him… and Luffy's chaos went mostly unnoticed."
"So was he lucky, or unlucky...?"
Eden lay on the deck, fighting dizziness while silently reading the newspaper.
In truth, for normal ships, sailing into the Calm Belt meant certain doom — because there's no wind, the most critical power source for sailing.
But for Eden and the crew, the absence of wind was no issue at all.
Both Eden and Juvia could manipulate water currents to power the ship forward.
Eden: "I don't row. I ride the waves."
Juvia: "What a coincidence, me too."
"Eden! Snap out of it!"
"We're sailing in the most dangerous part of the sea… the Calm Belt!"
"The graveyard of all ships."
"And it's not just the lack of wind that's dangerous…"
"This is also the nesting ground for the true rulers of the seas — the Sea Kings."
Nami couldn't help but yell at the overly relaxed Eden.
"Even if you say that… I seriously can't move."
"The side effects of Dragon Slayer Magic are stronger than I thought."
Eden groaned and rolled on the deck, trying to get more comfortable.
Then he looked at Natsu, lying next to him like a dead fish: "Ask Natsu if you don't believe me, Nami."
"Aye~"
Natsu, crushed by the side effects of the Dragon Slayer Magic, could do nothing but mimic Happy's voice weakly. He looked like melted jelly sprawled across the deck.
"Can you two even function?!"
Nami sighed toward the sky, her frustration rising.
"Just let us not run into a Sea King, please..."
She put her hands together and prayed sincerely to the heavens.
But just as she looked up—
The sky suddenly darkened.
It wasn't clouds.
It was something enormous blocking the sun.
"That's strange. Today was supposed to be clear skies..."
Nami narrowed her eyes. Something wasn't right. Her weather instincts were never wrong.
She focused harder.
And finally saw it.
It wasn't a cloud.
It was a massive Sea King, shaped like a gigantic ribbonfish, with dark skin and blazing orange-yellow eyes.
"Ah…!"
Nami's jaw dropped in terror.
"Eden! Natsu! Juvia! We've got a Sea King incoming!"
"Huh?!"
Instantly, Eden and Natsu shot up.
"Water Magic: Jet Rise!"
Eden surged upward on a column of swirling water.
"Happy, help me!"
"Aye~!"
With Happy's help, Natsu flew into the air with his snow-white wings.
ROAR!!
The Sea King's head alone measured 500 meters above the sea, its full body likely over 1,000 meters long.
Furious at being challenged by mere insects, it roared in rage.
"Sea Dragon Destruction Fist!!"
Before it could retaliate, Eden reached the height of its chin and slammed down a thunderous punch.
BOOM!
The Sea King was blown back by the force.
Its 1,500-meter-long body was yanked entirely out of the sea, sliding across the ocean for five kilometers before crashing back down in a mountain of waves.
ROAR!
Even so, the beast didn't lose consciousness.
It let out another guttural roar, its eyes filled with vengeful fury.
"Fire Dragon's Roar!!"
A burning wave of dragon flame slammed into its face.
BOOM!
The Sea King collapsed with a groan, smacked directly into the sea.
"Time to eat!"
Natsu and Happy pounced on the creature, sinking their teeth in.
"So hard!"
Their teeth bounced off its iron-hard scales.
"It's too tough!"
"We'll have to cut it open."
"Make sashimi out of it."
"I want grilled fish."
"Hot pot would be good too."
"I want fish balls."
"Good thing it's so big — we can make every fish dish imaginable and still have leftovers."
While Natsu and Happy casually discussed cooking it, the Sea King trembled in horror.
(Sea Kings possess human-level intelligence and can communicate. Those with the Voice of All Things, like Roger, can understand them.)
"Actually, I have a better idea."
Just then, Eden landed casually atop the Sea King's head.
He said leisurely, "You don't want to be eaten, right? Then prove your value. I think you understand me."
"?"
Sea Kings aren't usually tamed. But the moment Eden touched it, both their hearts skipped a beat.
"Are you... our King?"
"But you don't look like the Mermaid Princess… Did you, perhaps, change genders?"
Yes. The Sea King spoke. And Eden understood.
Not by coincidence — but thanks to the Sea Dragon Slayer Crystal within him.
In the eyes of the Sea Dragon King, ruler of all sea life, all marine creatures in any world are his subjects.
"What kind of dumb crap are you spouting?"
Eden smacked it on the head.
He muttered in his heart: "Maybe... until Shirahoshi awakens, I really am the Poseidon."
~# Every 30 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter