Mihawk tilted his head slightly, ready to accept the offer with a discreet nod, when a low rumble suddenly shattered the night's tranquility. The water around the raft began to churn, violent waves rocking the fragile vessel and causing its occupants to stagger.
Perona shrieked, floating backward with exaggerated panic. "Heehee! What's that?!" she cried, her ghosts scattering in all directions. Korran sprang to his feet, wincing from the pain in his leg, while Mihawk rested a hand on Yoru's hilt, his narrowed eyes scanning the turbulent surface. A massive shadow then emerged from the ocean—a sea monster, a colossal serpent with glistening green scales, its yellow eyes glowing like lanterns in the dark. Its gaping maw, bristling with razor-sharp fangs, opened in a roar that shook the air, spraying the raft with droplets of saltwater.
Mihawk stepped forward, ready to unsheathe Yoru and slice the beast in a single motion, but Korran raised a hand to stop him. "Let me handle it," he said, his raspy voice brimming with sudden determination. "Gotta prove my worth, right?" Without waiting for a reply, he grabbed his dagger—the rusty blade he'd used on the island—and leaped toward the beast, landing on its massive body as it rose further from the water.
The serpent reared, its enormous head towering meters above the raft, and Korran clung to a scale, his dagger embedded to steady himself. The beast roared, thrashing to dislodge him, and a massive wave crashed toward the raft. Mihawk, unmoving, extended a hand, his golden eyes narrowing. An invisible force—a cutting will—repelled the wave, dispersing it into a fine mist before it could hit the vessel. The raft shuddered but held firm, shielded by the Hawk's overwhelming presence.
Korran, on the monster's back, pressed on despite his condition. His injured leg bled, the bandage soaked, but he gritted his teeth, raising his dagger. A black aura enveloped the blade—raw but controlled Armament Haki—and he struck a scale, barely denting it. The serpent lunged its head toward him, its fangs aiming to swallow him, but Korran rolled aside, gripping another scale, his ragged breaths echoing in the air.
Mihawk narrowed his eyes. "He's overdoing it," he murmured, his low voice nearly drowned by the chaos. Léo caught the thought.
He stayed in place, dispersing another wave with a subtle gesture, his fingers tracing an arc in the air to protect the raft.
Perona cackled, floating at a distance. "Heehee! Let him deal with it!" she shouted. "He wanted to play hero, let him own it! If he gets eaten, one less lunatic!" Her ghosts giggled, but a hint of tension flickered in her gaze.
The serpent struck again, its tail slamming toward Korran, who dodged narrowly, slipping on the wet scales. He drove his dagger into a less armored spot near the neck, the Haki strengthening the blade, and a trickle of blood spurted. The monster roared, thrashing, and another wave threatened the raft. Mihawk sliced the air with a sharp hand motion, the wave breaking into foam.
Korran, exhausted, continued his assault. He climbed higher, aiming for the base of the head, and struck again, the blade sinking deeper. The Haki glimmered, and a gash opened, wrenching a cry from the beast. Perona burst into laughter. "Heehee! He's gonna die on his own!" she shouted, but her voice wavered as Korran, against all odds, found an opening. As the serpent raised its head, he leaped toward its exposed neck, plunging his dagger under the jaw. The black aura intensified, and the blade tore through tender flesh, unleashing a spray of blood.
To everyone's surprise, the monster recoiled, one eye grazed by the attack, dripping blood. It screamed, weakened, and Korran, spent, jumped from its back to the raft, landing heavily. His dagger fell, and he collapsed, unconscious, covered in blood.
Perona erupted in mocking laughter. "Heehee! Look at this loser!" she exclaimed, floating above him. "He faints like a rag! Too funny!" Her ghosts swirled, laughing with her.
Mihawk observed Korran, his golden eyes gleaming. Léo understood.
That Haki… he held back on the island. He's got more potential than he showed.
The water churned again. The serpent resurfaced, ready to strike. Perona screamed. "Heehee! It's not dead?!" Mihawk fixed the beast with a stare, his eyes narrowing with Haki. The serpent froze, trembling, and dove away, terrified.
Perona blinked. "Heehee… He just looked at it?" she stammered. Mihawk turned to Korran and said to Perona, "Take care of him. That's your job as second."
Perona jumped. "Heehee! What?! Me, look after this stinking heap?!" she protested, floating higher. "That's not fair!" But Mihawk ignored her. She grumbled, tearing a strip from her dress to rebandage Korran's leg, complaining nonstop.
The ocean settled into a deceptive calm after the brutal clash with the sea monster. The night stretched on, the starry sky casting a silvery glow on the shimmering surface.
At the back, Perona floated, muttering complaints under her breath, her clumsy fingers tying a piece of fabric torn from her pink dress to bandage Korran's bloody leg. The pirate lay unconscious in the center of the raft, his breathing faint but steady, his body caked with dried blood and saltwater. His rusty dagger rested beside him, abandoned in his fall.
After a moment, Perona looked up, her narrowed eyes fixing on Korran with obvious irritation. "Heehee! Look at this useless lump!" she snapped, her shrill voice breaking the stillness. "He acts all tough, and now he's sleeping like a baby while I have to play nurse! It's not fair, Mihawk!" She floated higher, crossing her arms in a sulky pout, her ghosts mimicking her annoyance as they swirled around her.
Mihawk didn't respond right away, his gaze fixed on the horizon. Then, in a low, cutting voice, he said simply, "He kept his word." He adjusted the sail with a precise motion, his fingers sliding over the rope with mechanical ease, as if Perona's complaint warranted no further attention.
Perona's eyes widened, outraged. "Heehee! Kept his word?! He almost got eaten, that's what!" she protested, floating closer to glare at Mihawk. "And you let him do it when you could've sliced that thing in two seconds! Why are you making me deal with him, huh? I'm not a nun!" She pointed at Korran, her cheeks puffed with theatrical indignation.
Léo, in Mihawk's mind, couldn't help but chuckle inwardly.
She complains, but she redid his bandage properly. She acts tough, but she's starting to like him.
A faint groan interrupted his thoughts. Korran stirred on the planks, his eyelids fluttering as he slowly came to. He opened his eyes, his dark gaze bleary and disoriented, and tried to sit up, wincing from the pain in his injured leg. "Damn…" he muttered, his hoarse voice barely audible, as he pressed a hand to his forehead, as if shaking off lingering dizziness.
Perona flinched, floating back with a high-pitched yelp. "Heehee! Oh no, he's alive!" she cried, her tone swinging between surprise and exaggerated mockery. "I was hoping he'd stay out till Sabaody so I wouldn't have to hear him!" She crossed her arms, shooting Korran a dark look, but her ghosts drifted toward the pirate, circling him with almost playful curiosity.
Korran ignored her jabs, his focus shifting to his abandoned dagger. He reached for it with a trembling hand, his calloused fingers gripping the rusty handle. Then he looked up at Mihawk, his expression weary. "The beast… it's gone?"
Mihawk turned his head slightly, his golden eyes meeting Korran's. "You wounded it," he replied. "It fled after that." He didn't mention his own role—the Haki-laden stare that had terrified the monster.
Korran nodded, a tired smile cracking his chapped lips. "Good…" he murmured, letting his head fall back against the planks with a sigh. "Didn't screw it all up, then." He closed his eyes briefly, catching his breath, his body still racked by exhaustion and pain.
Perona, still hovering nearby, couldn't resist resuming her taunts. "Heehee! Didn't screw it up? You almost died for nothing, that's what!" she snapped, her umbrella twirling in her hands with nervous energy. "You're just an idiot playing hero! Without Mihawk, we'd all be at the bottom of the sea because of your dumb stunts!" She pointed at Hawkeye to emphasize her point, but Mihawk ignored her again, focused on the sail.
He broke the silence with a question, his voice calm but sharp: "Why did you push yourself so far?"
TO BE CONTINUED...
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