For safety, Sephiroth also requested that the Logistics Department send five coating artisans to join them. The ship's coating had to be replaced every time they were about to dive and resurface.
After the fifty-eight Marines boarded the ship, the support staff at the pier released the air from the buoyancy bags. The ship's coating inflated, transforming into a giant soap bubble that enveloped the entire vessel. With the reduced buoyancy, the warship was slowly pulled under the blue seawater, descending toward the gloomy trench.
Normally, coated ships would use currents for propulsion. However, there was another way: asking a tamed Sea King to pull the ship for faster speed. This method would also prevent the ship from being attacked by other Sea Kings.
Ships diving into the deep sea from the Sabaody Archipelago often sank. Either the coating cracked or they were attacked by Sea Kings. Every trip to Fish-Man Island was a gamble with their lives.
The sunlight above them faded, and the warship passed the towering giant roots of the Archie grapevine, slowly sinking. Schools of sea fish swam near them, and in the distance, several Sea Kings large enough to swallow the ship in a single gulp were visible.
"Warship heading southwest on the log pose, don't go straight!" Sephiroth shouted from the deck. He stood with his hands on his shoulders, giving instructions rapidly. "Watch out for potential underwater mountains and volcanoes. The lookout must be vigilant and report any abnormal currents immediately!"
Sephiroth chose not to rest in the cabin. He trusted his own navigation more than the ship's navigators. He didn't want to risk the safety of the entire warship on someone whose depths were unknown. If the ship dived too quickly, it could be swept away by dangerous currents.
Suddenly, the lookout in the crow's nest shouted in a panic, "Reporting! Commodore Sephiroth, a large pirate ship has appeared behind us! Judging by its flag, it's the Supernova Les's pirates with a bounty of 160 million Belly!"
"Understood!" Sephiroth nodded. He leapt to the mast and spread his Observation Haki. He immediately sensed the ship. In the deep sea, if a ship's coating was hit by an explosion, the protective bubble would instantly shatter. To preempt an attack, Sephiroth had no choice but to strike first.
Swish!
The sword at Sephiroth's waist was unsheathed and slashed at the void. The crimson air slash shot out, cutting the bubble-coated pirate ship in half, right from the bow. The energy of the slash even penetrated an underwater mountain two hundred meters away, slicing off a corner.
Boom-boom!
The hundred-meter-long mountain collapsed on the seabed, kicking up a cloud of sediment.
This man is so powerful! a soldier thought. He had mastered two types of Haki and could coat his entire body with Armament Haki. He could even be considered a master in the New World. However, if he were to meet Sephiroth's sudden slash just now, he wasn't sure he could have dodged it.
"Ah! Just a bunch of fish?" Sephiroth muttered with a slightly disappointed expression, sheathing his sword.
After that, they encountered pirates three more times, one of which was a fleet of six ships. All of them were destroyed by Sephiroth one by one.
Suddenly, the lookout shouted again, his voice filled with horror. "Something bad is happening! There's a Sea King! And it's coming straight for us!!!"
Sephiroth turned and saw a Sea King resembling a lantern fish, over a hundred meters long, opening its bloody mouth and charging towards their warship. Clearly, it was targeting the ship as prey.
Sephiroth flicked his finger, saying sternly, "It's up to you! Go, Vergo! Kill!"
The reason he brought Vergo was to deal with Sea King attacks like this. Warfare at sea was too risky for a Devil Fruit user. Sephiroth didn't want to take this risk. Vergo wasn't a pretty girl. He wouldn't bother talking to him if his combat power wasn't useful.
On the ship's deck, Vergo, already wearing a bubble diving suit and tied with a rope, immediately shot out. To the soldiers' shocked gazes, he stomped on the seawater, charged towards the lantern fish, and kicked its eyeball hard. The Sea King bounced off, crashing into an underwater mountain and causing a powerful tremor.
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