"Tesla, fall back. Something's coming out!"
Watching the waves of heat roll higher and higher off the lake's surface, and sensing the disturbance beneath with Observation Haki, Ashen made a swift decision.
Shave!
The two of them vanished in a blur of movement, reappearing next to Ojos after only a few light-footed steps.
By now, Ojos's legs had completely given out, he collapsed to his knees, muttering incoherently, "It's time again… it's been half a month… it's coming out to feed…"
"Hey! What the hell are you talking about? What is it?"
Tesla grabbed the trembling man by the collar and lifted him like a ragdoll.
"It's… it's the god of Delsalado!" Ojos screamed, now fully conscious but overwhelmed with terror.
Boom!
Even as the words left his mouth, the surface of the lake erupted violently.
A massive creature burst out of the volcanic waters and landed at the lake's edge.
It stood over fifteen meters tall, with long limbs and razor-sharp claws. Thin, leathery wings stretched from its back, clearly the frame of a born predator.
Its dark body was covered in obsidian-like scales that gleamed in the sunlight, and its enormous head was twisted into a fearsome snarl. Its glowing red eyes radiated a deadly, primal fury.
"What the hell…"
Staring at the creature, Ashen almost thought he'd crossed into a different world entirely. It looked way too much like a male MUTO from Godzilla.
Roar!
The beast let out a thunderous roar, as if declaring its dominance. It gave the three of them a dismissive, contemptuous glance, then dove downward toward the slope.
Ojos, already on the brink of collapse, fainted on the spot the moment its gaze swept over him.
...
A few minutes earlier, above the volcano at Ataka Village.
"Still worried about your brother, Dan?"
Lafitte handed Dan some food and looked at him with concern.
"Yeah… He's always been so stubborn. No matter how I tried, he wouldn't listen."
Dan sighed, looking helpless as he thought about Tom. Actually, the Helgrave Pirates' first stop after departing Sky Island wasn't supposed to be the Briss Kingdom, it was Water 7.
But when Dan excitedly contacted Tom, saying he wanted to bring him into the New World, Tom had refused without hesitation.
In Tom's mind, Water 7 was in a slump and needed him more than ever. There was no way he'd abandon it now.
Ashen hadn't forced the issue. He knew Tom still had more than ten years ahead of him, plenty of time to be persuaded.
At worst, they'd wait until he finished building the Sea Train, then come back to pick him up.
As the two chatted on, a deafening roar echoed up from the volcano below.
They rushed to the village's edge and watched as a monstrous creature exploded out of the crater.
"I'm going to check on the captain. You stay here," Lafitte said quickly, and before Dan could reply, he had already taken off from Ataka.
With over a thousand meters to cover, it only took Lafitte a few minutes to reach the volcano rim. By the time he landed, Tesla was trying to wake up Ojos.
"Captain, are you guys okay? What the hell was that thing?"
He landed beside Ashen and asked anxiously.
"Heh, don't worry, Lafitte," Ashen chuckled, glancing over at the unconscious Ojos. "As for that monster, well… we're about to find out."
Slap! Slap!
Tesla, abandoning any scientific approach, delivered two crisp slaps to Ojos's face.
Sure enough, the pirate method worked wonders, Ojos groaned and snapped awake, immediately screaming, "Aaaaah! Where's that monster?! Am I dead?!"
"Tell me what that thing was."
Ashen wasn't in the mood to listen to panicked babbling. He activated the Nether Eye.
"Ugh!"
The moment Ojos met Ashen's gaze, his entire body went cold. Even the monster's stare hadn't been this terrifying.
"I-I'll talk! That creature's the guardian god of Delsalado! It's called Toral!
No one knows how long it's lived here, it's always treated the volcanic lake as its nest and comes out to feed every two weeks."
Ojos saw the three men watching him closely. If he didn't give a proper answer now, he wouldn't live to see another minute.
"Guardian god? If it's a guardian, then why are you so afraid of it?" Tesla asked.
"Toral was a guardian, long ago. It used to help the natives here fight off invaders. In return, they'd offer it food every two weeks.
But about a hundred years ago, a group of pirates came after hearing the legend.
They wanted to capture Toral. The descendants of the natives, tempted by treasure, guided them to the crater.
A massive battle broke out. Toral slaughtered both the pirates and the natives. Since then, it's never protected the people again.
In fact, when it's in a bad mood, it'll attack anyone who passes nearby. That's why, "
Ojos rattled off the whole tale in one breath, then glanced nervously at the three pirates, terrified they'd find his story lacking.
"How long does it usually stay out when it feeds?"
Ashen clearly had his eye on the creature.
"It varies, but never too long. It can't leave the lake for more than two hours. That seems to be its limit," Ojos said, revealing everything he knew.
"Captain… You're not thinking of taming it, are you?"
Tesla could tell from Ashen's sharp expression, he'd made up his mind.
"That's right. I want to tame it. And if I can't… I'll kill it."
...
An hour later, at the summit of Delsalado.
Ashen and Tesla remained where they were, patiently waiting for Toral to return to its nest.
As for Ojos, Ashen had Lafitte take him back to Ataka. The man had burst into tears in gratitude.
Neither Ashen nor Tesla spoke. They simply stood watch. This crater was now a critical resource.
With Seastone of such high purity, Ashen couldn't afford to let anything threaten production.
Toral had to be dealt with, one way or another. If not, countless lives would be lost just to mine the stone.
"It's coming!"
Ashen's Observation Haki, now honed to reach over a thousand meters, picked up Toral's presence the moment it entered range.
Whoosh, Whoosh,
Toral soared through the air above the lake, belly noticeably bloated. Its wings angled back as it nosedived, preparing to dive into the water.
But Ashen had been waiting.
A surge of Frost burst from his palm. Starting from his position, a thick layer of jet-black ice rapidly spread across the lake's surface.
Creak!
The path home sealed off in an instant. Toral reacted quickly, its powerful hind legs clawing at the ice as it skidded dozens of meters before finally halting.
"Toral! Let's talk!"