Thud!
Another dull impact, much louder than before, shook the merchant ship. Amidst the chaos, faint cries of pain could be heard.
Gatt listened intently and suddenly waved his hand.
"Starboard stern, nine o'clock direction!"
Before his shout faded, the spotlight from the crow's nest had already swung in that direction.
Xiano was jostled by the rushing sailors and finally managed to squeeze to the ship's rail. By then, a pale beam of light had cut through the night, vaguely revealing the outline of the creature.
Everyone gasped in unison.
It was a colossal creature, dozens of meters long, resembling both an eel and a sea serpent. Beneath its aqua-blue fins, its iron-gray scales reflected a cold, menacing glow.
"What... what the hell is that?!" a young crew member exclaimed in panic.
"It's a Sea King, you idiot!"
"Damn it! Since when do Sea Kings appear on this route?"
"Fire the cannons! Quick, scare it away!"
"No! It's right next to the ship. We need to create some distance first!"
Amidst the clamor, Xiano gripped the railing tightly, suppressing the instinctive fear rising within him. He squinted, staring down at the creature.
Having grown up in Cocoyasi Village, this was his first time seeing a Sea King.
The adrenaline rush seemed to sharpen his vision, or perhaps it was just the perfect angle. Through the pitch-black night, he could clearly make out the Sea King's features.
Its blood-red eyes were filled with rage, its vertical pupils as thin as a snake's. Its ferocious fangs extended almost to its neck...
The more he looked, the more familiar it seemed.
"The King of the Near Sea?"
He frowned, muttering uncertainly.
From what he remembered, the King of the Near Sea usually roamed near the Goa Kingdom, far from here. Could it have changed its territory after being driven away by Conqueror's Haki? Or perhaps it wasn't the same one, just a member of the same species?
Thud!
Another deafening crash echoed across the sea. This time, many sailors saw clearly that the Sea King was deliberately slamming its belly against the ship.
What was it doing?
Even the experienced Captain Gatt was puzzled. If it were hunting, it could have easily swallowed several people on the deck or even capsized the entire ship.
But this Sea King didn't seem to have such intentions.
"Hey, look over there!"
A sharp-eyed sailor pointed and shouted, "There's something inside that monster's belly!"
Thud! Thud! Thud! As everyone turned to look, the Sea King's collisions suddenly became more frequent, one after another. The merchant ship rocked violently, and the agonized cries from beneath the waves grew louder. Each time it arched its back, it briefly revealed an unnatural bulge in its stomach.
The skin around the bulge was covered in scars, bruises, and festering sores, some from blunt force and others from cuts.
It seemed as though something was lodged in its organs, causing unbearable pain. It kept slamming against hard objects, trying to force it out, ultimately leaving itself battered and bruised.
Islets, boulders, ships... Judging from the myriad of scars, these might have all been its targets, yet it had never managed to solve the problem.
"This is really a big trouble."
Gatt's face turned ashen.
If this continued, it was only a matter of time before the ship completely shattered and disintegrated, and all the cargo and sailors would inevitably sink into the sea.
The crisp sound of cargo ropes snapping and the dull thuds of disorderly collisions had been constantly coming from the lower deck.
The old Captain suddenly turned his head, looking at the pale face behind the helm—the young helmsman was almost hanging on it to avoid being thrown off, the veins on the back of his hands bulging with each turn.
"Still can't pull away!"
He roared as another wave of salty foam crashed onto the deck, drenching everyone.
"Can't do it, Captain!"
The helmsman's neck turned a purplish-red, his voice tinged with despair, "This thing is the agile type, our ship speed is no match, we barely pull away and it immediately catches up again!"
"Damn it!"
Gatt spat out a mouthful of saliva, mixed with blood from his gums, leaving a dark red trail on the heaving, tilting deck.
He threw away his pipe, fiercely drew the sword at his waist and gripped it tightly, and when he looked at the Sea King again, a hint of madness flashed in the old man's eyes.
Fine, fine, really leaving no way out, really treating me like a pushover, even if I can't drag you down with me, I'll knock out a few of your teeth before I die!
Don't be fooled by his kind and gentle demeanor now; in his youth, he was a veteran who had fought on the battlefield to defend the kingdom, who had fought his way out of piles of corpses reeking of blood!
"Those in charge of logistics, take that kid Xiano to the safe cabin below, maybe there's still a chance to survive!"
"All other combat personnel, get ready to fight for your lives with me!"
Gatt's voice was hoarse as he squeezed out the words from between his teeth, "Damn it, at worst..."
"Mr. Gatt."
Xiano's calm voice abruptly interrupted his battle cry.
Huh?
Gatt instinctively turned his head, only to be startled to see the boy clenching his fists, eagerly staring at the sea.
"Have the cannons on the starboard side aim at the Sea King's belly and fire a few shots, leave the rest to me, I have a way to calm this thing down."
"Are you kidding me!"
Gatt's face darkened, and he cursed without hesitation, "Get to the safe cabin and hide, is this the time to play hero, you brat! What nonsense are you spouting!"
"Is there any other way!"
Xiano suddenly turned his face, his voice rising a pitch, "I know what you're planning! Jump over and die, take a few swings before you go, make it seem like you're not cowards, what's the point! Desperate times call for desperate measures, let me try, what's the harm!"
"And!"
As he shouted, he tore off his thick coat and shirt, revealing a well-defined, muscular body.
His chest, full of explosive strength, reflected a cold, hard sheen in the night like metal, and his leopard-like back muscles, with just a slight movement, instantly formed deep, knife-like grooves.
"My mom might have forgotten to tell you something, sorry."
The black-haired boy looked at him sideways, his delicate, youthful face mismatched with his deep, calm voice.
"Throughout the entire Cocoyasi Village, you won't find a single man who can fight better than me."
"..."
Gatt's eyes widened in an instant.
From the brief interactions over the past few days, he had always thought of this person as a frail and skinny beanpole. The wooden sword they carried around seemed like a child's toy, something to laugh at.
But now he realized that it was merely the overly bulky maternal love of autumn and winter that had concealed their true physique.
(End of Chapter)