Chapter 872
"It's probably a storm," Ron said, glancing briefly toward the window before returning to his book. "With how sturdy the Black Whale is, it shouldn't be a major problem."
Night fell, but the storm didn't ease. The ship continued to shake.
At first, some passengers were terrified. But after realizing nothing catastrophic was happening, their fear gave way to boldness. They began drinking, dancing, playing music—completely at ease. The carefree atmosphere inside contrasted starkly with the turbulent conditions outside.
Machi and the others had returned to their rooms.
On the other side of the ship, Ron reflected on the original plot. In the source material, the Black Whale was destined to reach the Dark Continent, so it should be able to survive this storm. However, he didn't recall the exact details of this scene—he had already arrived in this world before reading that far.
Crack! A sharp sound rang out.
A dent had appeared in the ship's hull. Under the force of the ocean's impact, the dent visibly expanded. Part of the internal structure began to collapse. The ocean pressure was already immense, and now, with the storm, the surging waves struck with even more force.
Boom!
The damaged section fully gave way. Seawater poured in, and the breach widened rapidly.
A nearby passenger heard the noise and turned to look, but before he could react, a torrent of water slammed into him. The impact was so powerful it knocked him unconscious instantly. His chest caved in. Ribs shattered. His body was thrown against the wall with such force that even the wall buckled. He was killed instantly.
"It's not good!"
Finally, someone noticed the incoming water and hit the alarm.
The siren echoed throughout Deck 5.
"Seawater's flooding in!"
"The hull's breached!"
By now, many had already drowned in the flood. Chaos erupted.
"Run!"
"Get to the upper decks!"
"No—we have to seal the breach! If we don't, even if we go upstairs, the water will keep rising!"
But who dared repair the breach in this situation? And who even had the ability to do it?
Most people prioritized saving themselves and surged madly toward the stairs leading to Deck 4. But there were too many people, and the scene was too chaotic. Ordinary people—those without Nen, without combat training, people with no strength at all—had no chance of pushing through the crowd.
Some didn't die from the flood—but were trampled to death.
Bang!
A man shoved from the crowd pulled out a pistol in rage and fired at the panicking mob. A woman was shot and killed.
Her husband, enraged, charged at the shooter. The two began to struggle, but they were quickly swallowed by the crowd. Trampled beneath a flood of fleeing bodies, they both died.
Only a handful of people managed to escape to Deck 4.
By then, half of Deck 5 was already underwater.
Some passengers, overwhelmed by despair, gave up and sat quietly in their rooms, waiting to die. Others refused to drown and raised guns to their own heads.
Bang!
A gunshot. Another body fell.
The only ones who truly attempted to seal the breach were members of the Hunter Association—and the Cha‑R family.
The Hunter Association acted out of a desire to save lives. They valued ordinary people.
The Cha‑R family had other reasons. Their base of operations was on Deck 5. If it was destroyed, their power and influence would suffer greatly. Among the remaining princes, Luzurus wasn't in a strong position to begin with. If the Cha‑R family was seriously weakened, their alliance would become even more fragile.
But even Nen users found it difficult to repair the breach. The water pressure was overwhelming. And more than that—some mysterious aura lingered in the sea itself. Something unknown.
News quickly reached Nasubi.
A minister knelt and reported the situation urgently. "Your Majesty, the situation is extremely dangerous. What should we do?"
But Nasubi didn't seem flustered, as if he had already foreseen this.
"Deck 5 is under the Cha‑R family's control, correct? Deck 4 belongs to Morena. How is Morena responding?"
The minister replied, "Your Majesty, Morena has simply maintained order. She hasn't taken any further action."
"That's all?"
"Yes."
Nasubi shook his head. "So, my daughter truly intends to separate herself from Kakin. But a second-tier successor's fate is tightly bound to this nation. Escaping isn't that simple."
Suddenly, Nasubi's expression shifted slightly, eyes narrowing.
"Did Ron tell Morena about the Sequence system? If she acquires that power… perhaps she really could do it."
"But becoming a Sequence user isn't easy."
"Morena… my daughter… can you truly accomplish that?"
He murmured this to himself.
The minister, still kneeling and awaiting orders, grew anxious.
"Your Majesty, what should we do? Time is short. Deck 5 is nearly flooded. The water is rising fast toward Deck 4."
Nasubi finally returned to the moment and looked at the minister. "What do you think we should do?"
The minister hesitated. "Your Majesty, I believe there are two possible courses of action…"