On the warship, Onigumo awaited the outcome of the battle below.
In his opinion, after being attacked four times and sustaining so many slashes from the Sea King, it should be heavily injured if not dead. Aston could easily kill even small Sea Kings, so he was confident the creature would be dealt with.
Even if it didn't die, it would be pinned down, allowing him to seize an opportunity to attack.
He stood on the ship's railing, observing the ocean below. The scene was barely visible under the light cast by the flames.
Aston lunged at the dark silhouette below, launching an attack, but only a blurry shadow could be seen.
Then, Aston's body stiffened. The next moment, he was suddenly pushed back, and the shadow reappeared.
Onigumo waited for the creature's emergence, but the Sea King swam further and further away, disappearing into the sea.
"This..."
The Sea King left, and Aston didn't surface. The outcome was self-evident.
"Damn it."
Onigumo's expression turned grim, but he was helpless. He couldn't go into the water and was incapable of fighting the Sea King.
"Vice Admiral, another hole has been breached. We now have two large holes and two small ones. The ship is completely unbalanced, and we must slow down again," Colonel Harris reported.
"Mm, do your best to patch the holes and continue heading towards Savos Island," Onigumo said with a dark expression.
Harris hesitated for a moment and said, "If we take one or two more hits like this, our ship will sink."
"Next time, I'll kill it."
Onigumo said coldly, but he wasn't very confident. He wasn't sure what kind of creature it was that could kill a Commodore while underwater after sustaining so many blows.
What if the ship sank?
Onigumo felt it was troublesome. There was no Marine branch on Savos Island, so no ships could be sent for support.
For now, they could only press on.
Vice Admiral Onigumo gripped his sword, becoming more vigilant, constantly ready for the next attack.
Meanwhile, underwater, Xia Qiu, after consuming the Marine officer, patrolled between the warship and Savos Island, wary of any approaching ships.
As he moved, a heat flow slowly emerged within him, no less potent than the one from Commodore Yuchimura or the Commodore Alabasta had consumed.
Very good.
Xia Qiu's body was strengthened once more, and his injuries gradually healed. Xia Qiu waited for the heat flow to subside before turning and charging, crashing into the Marine warship.
*Boom.*
Xia Qiu struck the warship again, creating another small hole on the opposite side of the hull, two compartments away from the breach he had made earlier.
Onigumo rushed to the edge again, brandishing his sword and slashing into the water.
Injured, Xia Qiu sank directly. However, after swimming around, he didn't go far. Instead, he swam back, rising vertically from the seabed. Approaching the ship's bottom, he leveled out, aligning his head and tail with the warship's. He slowly moved backward. At the stern, he inverted his body and attached himself to the warship.
His movements were subtle, making it impossible for others to detect him.
The next moment, his tentacles emerged.
*Boom, boom, boom.*
Eight tentacles struck the sides of the hull, precisely at the locations of the holes Xia Qiu had created. On the other side, there was also a hole.
Xia Qiu's tentacles directly hit the hull planks beside the openings.
*Crack, crack.*
The hull planks snapped, breaking into pieces. Some detached, while others remained attached, and the holes widened.
Although the enlarged area was limited, Xia Qiu struck again, and the holes grew larger.
"Vice Admiral, there's something below."
Because the vibrations were minor, it took Xia Qiu two strikes before a sailor noticed and shouted loudly.
"Tentacles? Could it be another Sea King?"
Onigumo came to the ship's edge, looked down, gripped his sword, and slashed. He swung his two swords twice, severing four tentacles on one side. He then flashed to the other side, but the tentacles there had already retracted into the water.
"Discovered? Almost there."
Xia Qiu retracted four tentacles in time. The next moment, his six legs pushed against the deck on either side of the ship's keel.
*Crack, crack...*
Two of his legs struck the edges of the holes, which were already unstable. They directly crushed the area, causing large sections of the hull to fall away. The holes widened significantly.
The other four legs hit different parts of the hull. Because he could only rely on the force generated by his legs, and the water pressure hindered the release of that force, coupled with the intact hull planks, Xia Qiu's legs didn't completely pierce the planks. Instead, they kicked the planks inward, causing them to crack and revealing numerous fissures. In the center, a not-so-large hole was torn open.
Although the hole was small, seawater was constantly seeping in, inevitably filling a compartment.
After completing his actions, Xia Qiu immediately dived and slowly moved away.
However, Xia Qiu's sides were also attacked, sustaining numerous scratches, and his injuries worsened considerably.
Nevertheless, with four large holes, one small hole, and four points of leakage, the ship could no longer maintain its balance and began to slowly sink.
"Vice Admiral, the ship is sinking," a Vice Captain ran up and shouted.
"Damn it."
Onigumo's face was grim. The warship was sinking, and as a Devil Fruit user, he couldn't enter the water. If the warship sank, his chances of survival would be slim.
Thinking this, Onigumo narrowed his eyes and said, "Everyone grab your weapons, bring up all the barrels, dismantle the beds and door panels. Also, prepare tools that can be made into oars, and stock up on food and water. And notify Captain Will to come up."
"Yes."
Under his command, someone immediately relayed the message, and everyone began to busy themselves.
"Sir, you sent for me." Captain Will arrived before Onigumo.
Onigumo nodded and said, "Prepare to abandon ship and escape. You're coming with me."
"What about those pirates?"
Captain Will looked at Onigumo curiously.
Onigumo thought for a moment and said, "The ship is about to sink. Let them die in the water."
The death of a wanted criminal during transport was already a dereliction of duty, but a ship being sunk by a Sea King was a far greater offense.
However, it wouldn't be enough to relieve him of his duties. He couldn't worry about them.
"Alright."
Captain Will followed closely behind Onigumo, waiting quietly.
Time ticked by, and the sea ship sank faster and faster. Sailors ran onto the deck one by one, awaiting orders from Vice Admiral Onigumo.
"Throw the door panels and bed boards into the water. Captain Will, Captain Harris, you two go lower the small boats."
Onigumo left these words, his figure flashing as he instantly appeared before the first mast and slashed it several times.
Crack.
The mast broke directly, the ropes were severed, and the mast slowly tilted and fell to one side.
Onigumo kicked out, sending the mast flying and landing in the sea.
Then, Onigumo's figure flashed again as he appeared before the second mast. This mast had a diameter of over four meters and was the largest mast on this warship.
The blade of Onigumo's long sword in his right hand suddenly turned black, and he slashed forward.
Crack.
This enormous mast broke. Onigumo cut the remaining ropes with several more slashes. He suddenly discarded his long sword and, just as the mast was about to fall, he slammed into the broken section.
Boom.
The mast was shot forward a considerable distance, smashing against the ship's side before rolling into the sea.
Crack, crack.
Onigumo sheathed his sword. The other two masts were also broken and thrown into the water by Onigumo.
With all four masts in the water, he didn't stop. He gripped his sword and slashed out again.
This time, he aimed at the deck and the ship's hull. Waves of slashes shot out, cutting the deck into pieces and slicing open the hull, turning them into planks.
Splash.
A dozen or so planks fell into the water, along with the door panels and bed boards, totaling a few dozen pieces.
There were also thirty to forty barrels thrown into the water.
At the same time, Captain Harris and Captain Will lowered the six small boats into the water.
"Board the boats according to rank. The rest of you,"
Onigumo was the first to jump onto a small boat, followed closely by Captain Harris and Captain Will.
The others followed, boarding the boats according to their rank: Majors, Captains, a total of nearly thirty people, all boarded the small boats.
As for the Sergeants, they went to the masts and jumped onto them.
The Enlisted men, however, boarded the large planks that Vice Admiral Onigumo had cut.
As for the other sailors, they could only jump into the water, cling to the small wooden planks, and hold onto the barrels, barely staying afloat.
But these could only accommodate two hundred people. The ship wasn't at full capacity, but there were still nearly four hundred people on board, so it was impossible for everyone to get on. Thus, the remaining people swam alongside.
A dozen or so people fell into a struggle, but Onigumo killed them all with a single slash.
...
"What's happening? What are you doing? Is the ship sinking?"
From the cage in the ship's hold, the green-haired girl looked at the constantly moving Marines with panic, asking loudly.
"That's right, the ship is sinking, and we're abandoning it," a Captain standing nearby said.
"The ship is sinking?" a pirate couldn't help but ask, "What about us?"
"Aren't you going to release us? We'll die if this continues," the red-haired man shouted.
"Sorry, Vice Admiral doesn't intend to release you, so you can die here."
The Captain shrugged and directed his subordinates to dismantle a wooden plank before carrying it away.
"Damn it."
A pirate kicked the ship's deck, but it had no effect.
"We're done for, we're finished."
"Help! Save us!"
One pirate shouted frantically, but it was useless. In the blink of an eye, the sailors had left the vicinity of the prison, leaving the area deserted.
The other pirates banged on the cage, but it was no use; they couldn't escape at all.
As the warship sank, seawater flooded into this level, flowing into the cages.
The water rose, slowly submerging them. But they were powerless to escape, covered by the sea, and then slowly suffocated, falling into death.
...
Behind them, the Marine warship slowly sank. Most of the people floated on the surface, paddling with oars and wooden planks as they drifted away.
"No attack?"
Onigumo was somewhat surprised. During this whole ordeal, that Sea King hadn't appeared. Logically, it should have attacked these sailors, but it hadn't.
Why didn't it attack people? Did it only intend to sink the ship?
Onigumo was a bit confused but didn't pay too much attention to the Sea King.
With so many targets, it was impossible for it to attack them all. If it attacked any one of them, he could launch his own attack. Being this close, his Wave Slash would be even more powerful.
Onigumo didn't believe it hadn't been injured by now. He had already severed its dorsal fin; its injuries must be considerable.
So, with a few more attacks, he was sure he could kill it.
If it happened to attack him, he could simply move to another piece of floating debris and wouldn't have to worry about falling into the water.
However, what he needed to worry about were the unpredictable seas and the harsh weather.
The Grand Line was dangerous precisely because of its climate and sea currents.
To navigate the Grand Line, one needed a sea ship and a qualified navigator.
But now they had no ship. If they encountered a wave, they would surely die.
"Vice Captain Nathan, you're the navigator. I need you to help us avoid this harsh weather and climate," Onigumo said, looking at a figure not far away.
"But with this small boat, it's very difficult for us to do that. And it's so dark... I, I..." Nathan seemed troubled.
"If you can't do it, then we will all die," Onigumo said coldly.
Nathan gritted his teeth and said, "I'll do my best."
Nathan focused with all his might, paying attention to the conditions of the surrounding sea and sky.
...
"So many people."
Xia Qiu, lying submerged in the sea, looked at the figures above and found it troublesome.
There were too many people.
He hadn't attacked them when they went into the water for two reasons. First, he was afraid that if he attacked, Onigumo would attack him, leaving him severely injured and unable to last much longer.
Second, he wanted to lure Onigumo out onto the sea. Otherwise, if he sank with the warship, there would be no way for him to find him.
So, Xia Qiu carefully identified them.
Barrels, various wooden planks, masts, and small boats.
Onigumo was almost certainly on one of the small boats. Firstly, the small boat was the only means of marine transport among them and was the easiest to control, offering a higher survival rate.
Furthermore, Onigumo didn't know that his target was him, so he wouldn't blend in with the sailors.
Considering these two points, if he left the warship, the probability of him being on a small boat was high.
But there were six small boats. Which one was he on?
If he attacked, Onigumo could easily escape, so Xia Qiu didn't attack. Instead, he waited for the storm to appear.
The currents of the Grand Line were complex, the weather unpredictable, and now it was dark. It would be difficult for them to escape.
This was why he had chosen to attack in the deep sea and at night.
Ahead, the sea currents surged, and the air pressure dropped. They would soon enter a rain zone. He just needed to keep an eye on those few small boats and wait for his prey.
"Is that lightning? The sea ahead is going to rain. We can't go there," Vice Captain Nathan suddenly said.
"Then do we need to stop and turn back?" Onigumo asked immediately.
"No."
Vice Captain Nathan shook his head, took out a handkerchief, and looked at its swaying direction. "The wind is from the northwest. The dark clouds will move northwest, so we should head south to avoid the rain zone."
"Do as you say."
Onigumo immediately gave the order. The small boat turned around and headed to the right.
The other small boats followed closely. However, those using masts and wooden planks found it difficult to keep up. Only a few could barely follow, while the others fell further and further behind.
They separated.
Xia Qiu saw the group scattering. Even the ones closest to the small boats were seven or eight meters apart, and they were slowing down.
Being able to judge the danger of the waters ahead was impressive.
But this also made it impossible for the others to keep up, leaving them completely exposed.
Continue to follow.
Xia Qiu stayed below the small boat, slowly following along.
In the distance, a torrential rain began to fall. The wind here was already picking up, and one could only imagine how strong the wind was in the rain zone ahead. Dark clouds were moving towards them faster and faster, and it wouldn't be long before they covered their current position.
In addition, the ocean currents began to surge, flowing towards them and directly opposing their direction of travel, making progress difficult.
The small boat's speed decreased, but it could still move south.
However, the distance between the people behind them grew, reaching fifty to sixty meters.
But it wasn't enough.
At such a distance, if he launched an attack to destroy the boat, Onigumo might use Geppo to return. He might not be able to track his movements, and he might die, but he wouldn't necessarily be able to find him.
So, he would make their distances even greater.
With that, Xia Qiu charged forward, crashing into the very front of the second echelon.
It was a massive mast, and the people on it were rowing with oars. They were moving vertically to the right, but due to the ocean currents, they were constantly being pushed backward.
Boom.
Xia Qiu directly collided with the mast. The mast shuddered violently, lifting off the sea surface for a moment before crashing back down heavily.
Large cracks appeared on the surface of the mast, but it was thick and didn't break directly.
The people on top fell into the sea, swam towards the mast, and clung to it.
Crack, crack.
Xia Qiu devoured these swimmers one by one, then rammed backward, blocking everyone there.
"A Sea King has appeared."
Onigumo looked behind him, but he relaxed. There were many people back there, and it would take a long time to eat them all.
He chose to attack from the rear, having underestimated himself. It seemed he didn't need to worry about the Sea King's attack.
Onigumo looked at Nathan and asked loudly, "Can we break through this rain zone?"
"The rain zone is moving northwest. If we speed up, we can skirt the southern edge and get out," Lieutenant Colonel Nathan replied quickly. Onigumo then sat down, grabbed two oars, and began to row.
Thus, the six small boats sailed into the distance, while the people behind them remained stagnant, pushed further away, their distances increasing.
Xia Qiu destroyed all the boats and killed them, but only ate three or four people, saving his stomach to go after the people in front.
Then Xia Qiu caught up again, still trailing far behind.
One hundred meters, two hundred meters, five hundred meters.
The small boats continued to advance southward, while the rain zone moved northwest. As the boats moved forward, they barely skirted the southern edge of the thunderstorm area.
"We need to keep going south," Nathan shouted loudly, intending to completely bypass this sea area.
However, two boats couldn't keep up and slowly fell behind, leaving only four boats moving forward.
After Xia Qiu and the other four boats left, he gently sank the two remaining boats. The people on board jumped into the water, clinging to the broken planks and kicking their legs to stay afloat.
But a figure plummeted straight down from above.
A Devil Fruit user.
Xia Qiu guessed it wasn't his target, but he still went over and bit him directly, killing him. He held the body in his mouth and chased after the others, swallowing it after a while.
Another fifteen minutes passed before they had completely avoided the rain zone. Then Nathan said, "We can detour northeast and head for Savos Island."
They changed direction and headed in another way.
After Xia Qiu swallowed the Devil Fruit user, he continued to follow behind.
It was almost time.
Xia Qiu looked at the four lonely sea ships and slowly approached. He aimed at two of the boats and moved directly towards them.
Boom.
Two of the boats were smashed to pieces, but Xia Qiu didn't continue forward. Instead, he immediately dove underwater.
"What is this?"
Onigumo wasn't on those two small boats. Seeing that they had been smashed, he instinctively swung his swords twice.
The wave slash cut into the water, hitting the target, but it only caused partial damage.
Damn it.
Onigumo was somewhat enraged. He hadn't expected that sea fish to show up again. If it rammed and sank this boat, the vessel would surely be destroyed.
Did the people behind him not block his attack? Or were they all dead?
"Lord Vice Admiral, what should we do?" Colonel Harris asked cautiously.
Onigumo suppressed his anger and said, "Wait until he gets close, and I'll kill him."
As long as he crashed into his ship, he would stab him with a single blow and kill him.
"Is it on that ship?"
In the distance, Xia Qiu determined his position. Of course, Xia Qiu didn't plan to attack him directly; he could still jump onto other small boats.
Xia Qiu continued to wait.
The officers and soldiers who fell into the water tried to swim towards the intact small boats, but Onigumo directly raised his long sword and killed two of them, then shouted, "Stay away."
The remaining dozen or so people did not dare to approach and could only lie on the wooden planks to follow.
But as time passed, they gradually couldn't keep up with the speed of the small boats and fell behind.
"It's about time."
Xia Qiu rushed forward, biting them one by one, killing them, and swallowing them.
These people could get on the small boats, so their strength was not weak, and he could eat them.
With his maximum eating capacity of five tons at once, biting them to pieces and swallowing them was enough to feed thirty to forty people.
There were two ships left.
Xia Qiu watched the two ships getting further and further away, knowing that the most critical moment had arrived.
But he didn't attack immediately. Instead, he followed for a while longer, and after the sea current surged, he slowly approached.
This time, his speed was very slow. He followed the sea current to the bottom of the ship and flipped over.
It was already late at night. The other party had torches, but they couldn't see far below the water's surface.
So Xia Qiu approached silently, slowly extending two tentacles, and lashed out at one of the small boats.
Of the ten tentacles, two were longer but weaker.
The remaining eight tentacles, four of which had been cut off earlier, leaving four.
These two tentacles lashed out at the small boat without Onigumo, smashing it from the left and right.
Whoosh.
Onigumo sensed it sharply and slashed out with his sword, cutting off one.
But the tentacle on the other side smashed the small boat, and the crew fell into the water. They dared not approach Onigumo and could only lie on the broken wooden planks, struggling to keep up.
Xia Qiu didn't attack immediately but waited for a while before slowly attacking the few who had fallen into the water, swallowing them.
One ship was left.
Xia Qiu looked at the remaining ship and approached again, this time controlling his tentacles to attack.
"Good, it's coming."
Onigumo had expected this. Unlike before, when he couldn't deal with the tentacle on the other side of the previous ship, this time was different. He slashed out with his sword, and two tentacles fell into the water.
But at this moment, Xia Qiu kicked out, kicking towards the bottom of the ship.
Crack.
The small ship broke directly in half, creating a huge hole in the middle, and the people on top fell downwards.
"You're asking for death."
Onigumo felt the ship shake and immediately leaped up. In mid-air, he slashed out with his sword, which was covered in Armament Haki, and plunged it into the ocean.
Splash.
Xia Qiu's right leg was severed directly at the knee joint, and then the severed limb broke off.
"So painful."
Xia Qiu's leg was cut off. Taking advantage of this opportunity, he dived down. Using his leg was the right choice, otherwise, his head would have been cut open by this blow.
"It wasn't his head that was hit?"
Onigumo was slightly stunned. He had cut off something just now, but it hadn't severed a head.
His face darkened. He stomped his feet in the sea, landing on a larger wooden plank. He slashed at two figures lying on the plank, then stood on the plank, constantly adjusting the force with his feet to stabilize himself.
He's down!
Xia Qiu saw a figure plummeting from above. He noticed that two of the figures were bleeding profusely and were already injured, but they were still struggling. However, as time passed, their strength gradually waned, and they fell.
He bit into these two and swallowed them, then looked at another figure, only to see him falling straight down.
A Devil Fruit user.
Xia Qiu immediately went over and bit the person to death, holding them in his mouth, feeling somewhat confused.
Is this Onigumo?
It's unlikely he would fall directly into the water; he could at least hold on for a while.
And only one Devil Fruit user?
Xia Qiu didn't believe it was Onigumo, but the people above were all moving forward on the wooden planks, able to travel in the sea, proving they weren't Devil Fruit users.
Where is Onigumo then?
Xia Qiu suddenly spotted the largest wooden plank. There was no one around it, but it was deeply submerged.
It was unlikely they would abandon such a large piece of wood.
So Xia Qiu slowly floated up from a distance, looking over there. In the moonlight, a white figure could be vaguely seen standing on that wooden plank.
If that's the case, then another attack is in order.
But Vice Admiral Onigumo's slashes are powerful. I can't use my head, only my legs, and I'll inevitably lose a leg.
So, to prevent Vice Admiral Onigumo from escaping, they must be separated. This requires waiting for an opportunity.
Now, the direction Onigumo and his crew were heading was moving further away from that magnetic point, sailing in another direction.
At their swimming and drifting speed, it was unknown how long it would take them to reach the next island. They would likely encounter sea currents several times during that period.
Xia Qiu didn't panic. He bit down on the Devil Fruit user in his mouth and continued to wait, digesting the energy within his body.
"Damn it."
Onigumo was furious. He had actually been forced out to sea by a mere sea fish. In the vast ocean, his chances of survival were slim.
But he couldn't give up hope.
He had severed part of that Sea King's body; he didn't know if it would attack again.
But how many times could he cut it?
There were still many wooden planks around; he could use them to stay afloat.
As for whether he could find the next island, he could only leave it to fate.
But the next moment, Onigumo froze on the spot.
Because the sailors who had been clinging to the wooden planks all started swimming northeast, in the direction of Savos Island.
Onigumo, however, couldn't change his direction of advance and could only stand on the sea surface.
"These bastards."
Onigumo was enraged.
But those Marines felt it was only natural. If your wooden plank were destroyed, wouldn't you try to steal ours? You even killed Colonel Harris, whom you trusted, so naturally, we are no exception.
Watching them drift further and further away, Onigumo was filled with regret that he couldn't follow.
Separated?
Xia Qiu below caught sight of this scene and felt a slight joy in his heart. He hadn't expected them to separate; this made it even easier for him to attack.
However, not a single one could be spared.
Anyone who could get on a small boat must be no ordinary Marine. Eating them would provide Reinforcement Energy.
So Xia Qiu waited for them to get a good distance away, circled around, attacked them, killed them all, and ate them.
Then Xia Qiu returned to Onigumo's side and stomped down again.
Onigumo, using his Observation Haki, unleashed a slash.
The wooden plank beneath his feet was crushed to pieces, and Xia Qiu's leg was again severed.
It's over.
Looking at the empty sea with no place to land, he was extremely annoyed. He could only stomp his legs repeatedly to stabilize himself.
"Come out?"
Onigumo continuously used Geppo to stay airborne while swinging his blade, sending waves of slashes into the water, hoping to attack the Sea King.
But there was no reaction; the sea was calm.
Onigumo exerted all his strength and couldn't use Geppo to maintain his balance, falling directly into the ocean.
Assaulted by the seawater, Onigumo's body weakened, and he plummeted straight down, his face filled with despair.
At this moment, a dark shadow approached, opening its massive maw.
"Is it you?"
Onigumo sighed, his eyes filled with hatred, despair, anger, and helplessness.
The next moment, he was bitten by Xia Qiu. His teeth closed, and his body was bitten in half.
Xia Qiu didn't kill him immediately. He waited for a minute before swallowing him whole.
Then he swam towards the distance, awaiting the immense energy the Vice Admiral would bring him.
Approaching eight thousand characters
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