Bang!
Another dull thud, much louder than before, echoed. The merchant ship lurched violently, and faint, pained cries mingled with the sounds.
Gart listened intently and suddenly gestured with his hand.
"Stern, starboard, nine o'clock!"
Before his shout had faded, the lookout tower atop the mast had already switched on its searchlight.
Stumbling through the swarming sailors, Shano finally managed to reach the side of the ship as the pale beam pierced the night, vaguely revealing the creature's silhouette.
Everyone gasped.
It was a colossal creature, tens of meters long, with a shape that resembled both an eel and a sea serpent. Beneath its aquamarine fins, its iron-gray scales reflected an eerie light.
"What... what the hell is that?!"
A young crew member screamed in panic.
"It's a Sea King, you idiot!"
"Damn it! When did a Sea King ever appear on this route?"
"Fire! Fire now, scare it away!"
"No! It's right next to our ship, we have to move away!"
In the midst of the commotion, Shano gripped the railing, fiercely suppressing the unconscious fear that gripped him, and squinted, staring silently down at the ground.
Having grown up in the village of Cocoyasi, this was the first time he had ever seen a Sea King.
The adrenaline sharpened his vision at that moment.
Or perhaps it was just the perfect angle; Through the darkness of the night, he could clearly see the features of the Sea King.
In its bloodshot red eyes, long, vertical black pupils gleamed, and menacing fangs extended almost to its neck...
The longer he looked, the more uneasy he felt; the more familiar it seemed.
"The Lord of the Coast?"
He paused, frowned, and murmured uncertainly.
In his memory, the Lord of the Coast used to roam the area around the Goan Kingdom, far from here. Could it have been driven away by Conqueror's Haki and moved on?
Or perhaps it wasn't the same one, just a member of its species?
Thump!
A dull thud echoed across the sea again. This time, many sailors could clearly see that it was the sound of a Sea King deliberately ramming its belly against the ship.
What was it doing? Everyone, including old Captain Garth, was filled with suspicion and uncertainty. If it had been hunting, several people on deck would have been swallowed whole, and it might even have capsized the entire ship.
But this sea monster didn't seem to have that intention.
"Look!"
A sharp-eyed sailor pointed and shouted, "It looks like there's something inside that monster's stomach!"
Thump! Thump! Thump! As everyone watched, the frequency of the sea monster's thrusts suddenly increased, one after another, making the merchant ship rock violently with each thrust. The screams emanating from beneath the surface grew more and more agonizing. Each time it arched its back, it briefly revealed the unnatural bulge in its stomach.
The skin around the bulge was covered by a thick layer of scars and bruises, including blunt force trauma, scratches, and numerous infected, oozing pustules.
Something seemed to be blocking his internal organs, causing him excruciating pain. He constantly searched for hard objects to ram and scrape against, trying to force the blockage out.
In the end, he was left in his current state, battered and bruised.
Islands, reefs, giant rocks, ships… judging by the various wounds, these were probably all targets he tried, but he never managed to solve the problem.
"This is a serious problem."
Gart's face was pale.
If this continues, the ship will inevitably disintegrate sooner or later, and all the cargo and crew will be doomed to sink to the bottom of the sea.
The cracking, snapping ropes of the cargo box and the muffled thumps of its disarray constantly emanated from the lower decks.
The old captain shook his head, staring at the deathly pale face behind the wheel. The young helmsman was practically hanging on by a thread, narrowly escaping being thrown overboard.
"We still can't create enough distance!"
he roared, as another wave of salty foam crashed onto the deck, soaking them all.
"It's impossible, Captain!"
The helmsman cried out in despair, "This fellow is agile; our speed is no match for him! We pull away even a little, and he's right on top of us again!"
"Damn it!"
Gart spat.
He tossed his pipe aside, drew his sword from his waist, and gripped it tightly. When he looked back at the sea monster, a crazed crimson flashed in the old man's eyes.
"Fine, fine, you really won't give me a chance to live? Do you really think I'm a coward? Even if I can't finish you off, I'll knock a few of your teeth out before I die!"
Don't be fooled by his current friendly and gentle demeanor. In his youth, he was a veteran who fought to defend the kingdom, a soldier who cut his way through piles of bloodied corpses, sword and spear to sword! "Logistician, take that kid named Shano to the underground safe room. There might still be a chance of survival!"
"All combat personnel, prepare to fight to the death with me!"
Gart gritted his teeth. "Damn it, worst case scenario..."
"Lord Gart."
Shano's calm voice abruptly interrupted his impassioned speech.
Huh?
Gart instinctively turned his head, only to be surprised to see the kid with his fists clenched, staring out at the sea, eager to fight.
"Have the starboard cannons aimed at the Sea King's belly and fire a few shots. Leave the rest to me; I have a way to calm this guy down."
"Hey!"
Gart's face darkened, and without thinking, he cursed, "Get to the safe room! This isn't the time to play the hero, brat! What nonsense are you spouting!"
"Is there another way?!"
Shano whirled around, raising his voice an octave, "I know what you're going to do! Jump and die, land a couple of blows before you're down, just to prove you're not a coward! What's the point? Desperate measures, let me try!"
"Come on!"
As he shouted, he ripped off his thick coat and shirt, revealing a muscular, well-defined physique.
His chest, radiating explosive power, reflected a cold, hard gleam in the darkness; the muscles of his back, like a cheetah's, with the slightest contraction, instantly etched deep, chiseled lines.
"Maybe my mother forgot to tell you something, I'm sorry."
The black-haired boy turned his head to look at him; his delicate, youthful face contrasted sharply with his deep, calm voice.
"In all of Cocoyasi Village, there isn't a single man who can fight as well as I can."
"..."
Gart's eyes widened instantly.
From their brief interactions over the past few days, he remembered this boy as a thin, fragile bean sprout, and the wooden sword he carried seemed like a toy, something to laugh at.
Who would have thought that he would now realize it was simply the excessive bulk of his mother's love during autumn and winter that had concealed his true physique.
(End of chapter)