Vice Admiral Onigumo gripped his eight swords, awaiting Xia Qiu's arrival, intending to kill him in one go.
But as time ticked by, Xia Qiu did not appear.
"Did he leave?"
Onigumo felt a flicker of doubt, slowly sheathed his long swords, and then asked, "What's the situation with the leaks below?"
"Vice Admiral, the hull has been struck four times, resulting in three holes. Two of these can be patched up somewhat, but two impacts were on the same spot, creating a larger breach. This has destroyed five compartments, compromising buoyancy, and that section of the hull is already experiencing a loss of stability," a Captain replied.
Top-tier warships are long, and their compartments are also quite large. One compartment on such a vessel is roughly equivalent to two compartments on a large warship.
If a large warship were hit twice, it would be close to sinking.
"We are still two-thirds of the way to Enies Lobby."
Onigumo frowned, thought for a moment, and then asked, "Colonel Harris, what was the closest island to us on our way here? How far is it?"
"The closest is Savos Island, about thirty nautical miles from here," Colonel Harris quickly responded.
Onigumo couldn't help but ask, "I recall Savos Island has a town, right? Is there a Marine branch there?"
Harris shook his head. "No, Savos isn't large, just a single town. Furthermore, it's a gathering place for pirates, known as a pirate supply point on the third route."
"If we sail against the wind using the outer wheels, at about six knots per hour, it would take approximately five hours to reach Savos Island."
Onigumo nodded, then said, "Notify Major General Komir and have him pilot another top-tier warship to Savos Island."
Colonel Harris quickly asked, "Are you intending to...?"
Vice Admiral Onigumo stated, "We will proceed there first and await them. The distance from the G5 Branch to Savos Island is about one hundred and ninety nautical miles. If they use the outer wheels and travel at full speed, they can reach Savos Island in about ten hours, achieving roughly 20 knots per hour. That will be just in time for us to set sail again tomorrow morning."
Not far away, a Brigadier General asked, "Vice Admiral, are we returning?"
"That's right."
Onigumo nodded. "The remaining journey is about three hundred and eighty nautical miles. At our speed, with the wind, we only manage eight to ten knots, so it would take over forty, almost fifty hours to arrive. I cannot maintain constant vigilance alone. Therefore, we will head to Savos Island, rendezvous with Major General Komir, and then proceed to Enies Lobby together with two warships."
The Brigadier General couldn't help but ask, "Vice Admiral, aren't we being a bit too cautious? That Sea King, after you injured it, it probably won't come back, right?"
"We still cannot be careless."
Vice Admiral Onigumo waved his hand. "The attack method of this Sea King was rather strange, and there are important individuals on this warship. The crimes they committed have reached Admiral Akainu's ears. Don't forget the relationship between the Lord of Deep Green City and Admiral Akainu. This mission cannot afford any mistakes; we must be careful."
"We'll do it right away," the Brigadier General quickly ran to the bow of the ship to relay the orders.
Onigumo sat down to the side and closed his eyes.
For the next three hours, he planned to stand guard here and only go ashore to rest after they reached Savos Island.
Under his command, the warship slowly turned around and headed towards the distant sea.
"Why are they going back?"
Xia Qiu, observing the warship turning around from a distance, found it strange.
They're planning to go back?
Logically, after the warship was attacked by a Sea King and the Sea King left injured, the possibility of it returning is extremely slim.
Given the Seastone beneath the Marine warship, they should consider this an accidental event, not a deliberate attack.
Why did they choose to turn back?
But it took you twelve hours to get here, and now the ship is damaged. Sailing against the wind back will likely take more than thirty hours.
Their decision to turn back must be considering me as a threat, believing I can sink the ship.
Thirty hours is a long journey, and even with Onigumo's strength, he can't stay alert at all times.
And during the journey, I'll still have plenty of opportunities to attack the Marine warship and sink it.
So they might not be planning to return to the branch base, and even if they do, they'll have to switch ships and set out again, though with more ships this time.
In that case, why not let the warship come to me?
On the seas of the Grand Line, it's difficult to track each other. The personnel left at the G5 Branch base might have Onigumo's Life Card, allowing them to find me. With both sides coming and going, we could rendezvous at sea in about six hours.
Or we could head to an island and meet there.
What's more, what if there's a branch base on that island? It would be much more convenient and faster to send reinforcements directly.
Xia Qiu detected the magnetic force of the returning island. He had encountered that magnetic force before; it was likely only about twenty-five nautical miles away.
If this warship was heading there, it would only take about five hours, or even less.
But if that island had a branch base and they sent ships to meet them, the time would be even shorter.
I cannot let the Vice Admiral reach land. I must choose the shortest route and shorten the time further.
And if the destination island truly has a branch base sending ships to greet them, those ships would at most be large warships. With my current strength, I can break the keel with one impact, and sink it completely with two.
So, Xia Qiu himself must patrol in front of the warship, preventing them from making contact, and simultaneously sink this sea ship within a short period.
This way...
Xia Qiu felt a bit troubled. This wouldn't take long, and Onigumo could remain on deck the entire time. If he were to attack, he would be targeted by him.
He's very decisive.
Xia Qiu had encountered many enemies, and all of them had been careless when dealing with him, treating him like an ordinary Sea King.
Even if they were wary of him, they greatly underestimated his strength and speed.
The greatest underestimation came from his intelligence.
Onigumo was extremely cautious and decided to turn back. Xia Qiu didn't know why he made such a decision, but it had indeed put him in a difficult situation.
No need to rush.
Xia Qiu didn't attack immediately but followed the warship.
...
"What's happening up there?"
Inside the cage, the captain of the captured Fangs Pirate Crew, a tall man around thirty years old with a ferocious face, had a snake coiled around his neck. The snake's head was on his left cheek, its mouth agape, and its tongue flicking.
His hands were bound by Seastone handcuffs. He frowned and asked, "The ship trembled several times just now, and there was a lot of noise outside. What's going on?"
"Maybe we're under attack!"
Beside him was a strong young man with red hair and a burn scar on his left cheek. His hands and feet were bound by iron handcuffs.
"It would be good if we were attacked. We could escape in the chaos," the tall man sneered.
"Captain, do you think that's possible?"
A green-haired girl sat not far away, with a scorpion tattoo on her left arm. Her hands were in Seastone handcuffs. She said boredly, "Who could attack a Vice Admiral? Besides, if the ship sinks, we'll die too."
"Then we'll die together."
The tall man snorted coldly and said, "Except for the legendary pirate Golden Lion, no one has ever escaped from Impel Down. With our crimes, once we enter, we'll never get out. If that's the case, it's better to die."
The others listened in silence. Just then, a voice came from outside, "You all shut up."
A figure appeared at the door, glaring at them coldly.
"Understood."
The tall man retracted his body and stopped talking.
...
Beneath the sea, Xia Qiu followed the warship closely.
As time passed, Xia Qiu noticed a problem: the warship wasn't heading in its original direction but was moving towards another magnetic point.
In other words, they were indeed planning to meet at the next island.
He couldn't let them reach the island, so he had to attack before they landed.
Xia Qiu secretly decided but continued to wait, intending to delay for as long as possible within the time limit.
One reason was that he hoped to deplete Vice Admiral Onigumo's stamina. Being fully alert would keep him mentally tense. Waiting for him to relax, though the effect would be minimal, was still something.
Secondly, he was constantly feeding in the sea, using Evolution Energy to heal his wounds.
So Xia Qiu waited, as time ticked by second by second.
An hour later, Xia Qiu dived into the ocean, hunting sea fish. After eating some, a heat flow appeared, and his muscles began to heal.
Two hours later, Xia Qiu ate again. His scales began to grow slowly, but they hadn't fully regenerated.
As for the bone plates and dorsal fin, the energy from eating wasn't enough to repair his injuries.
His entire dorsal fin was broken, and it would likely take three to four days to heal.
After eating twice, another half hour passed.
Xia Qiu felt hungry again, but this time, he didn't eat.
He wanted to save some stomach space to eat Marines.
Xia Qiu sensed the increasingly strong magnetism in the distance, knowing they weren't far from their destination. He flicked his body and charged forward again.
...
"It's been over two hours, Vice Admiral. Perhaps you should go back and rest?" Brigadier General Jojoan walked over and said.
"We're not far now, just a little longer," Onigumo said in a cold tone, not moving from his spot.
"Alright, we'll wait with you." Brigadier General Jojoan and Colonel Harris stayed by his side, not daring to leave the deck.
On this ship, besides Vice Admiral Onigumo, there was one Brigadier General, two Colonels, and in addition, two Vice Captains and two Majors.
Brigadier General Jojoan was his subordinate and was always brought along on voyages. He was quite strong and could fight enemies.
These two Colonels, who would normally only have one responsible for daily vigilance, now had to oversee the Fangs Pirate Crew. Although some were bound by Seastone handcuffs, others by iron chains, and they were in a cage made of Seastone, they still required dedicated guards.
The people around were still on alert, but most had relaxed their vigilance, including Onigumo. He wasn't constantly maintaining Observation Haki but had already deactivated it, otherwise, his Observation Haki would be depleted.
But in that instant, the ship groaned loudly.
Onigumo flashed, and without time to grab his six swords, he arrived at the ship's side. He unleashed two slashes, and a wave of cutting energy flew out, hitting a dark shadow beneath the sea.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.
Waves of cutting energy flew out, but the dark shadow sank with the momentum, disappearing into the depths.
It attacked after all.
"Give me the swords."
Onigumo said, and his subordinates handed him six swords. He controlled them with his hair, then enlarged his body, his rear turning into a spider's.
He took another six swords, controlled them with his hair, and then used Observation Haki again, waiting quietly.
But this time, after a while, the opponent did not appear.
"The attack location is the same as last time. They covered it with planks earlier, but now they've made a bigger hole next to it. Not only is the previous repair broken, but the hole is larger and has affected buoyancy, slowing the ship's speed again," a Major reported.
"Damn it."
Onigumo's expression turned gloomy. The ship's speed had slowed again. It was supposed to arrive in an hour, but now it would be delayed.
Moreover, the Sea King had attacked again, meaning it had been following them for these past few hours.
Not only that, but it had attacked the impact location, as if deliberately trying to enlarge the hole.
Small holes could be repaired and had little impact on buoyancy balance, but large holes allowed more water in, affecting multiple compartments and posing a greater threat.
This Sea King was incredibly intelligent.
"Auston, when it attacks again, you jump down and fight it."
Onigumo suddenly said coldly to the distance.
"What?"
Commodore Auston was slightly stunned. He looked at Onigumo and asked, "You want me to fight it? But I might not be able to..."
The being that Vice Admiral Onigumo couldn't kill in three strikes, he himself had a slim chance of defeating.
"It's already injured. I attacked it three times, landing so many blows. Even if it's alive, it won't last much longer," Onigumo said. "When it comes again, I'll strike again to worsen its injuries. You go down and attack it. Even if you can't defeat it, keep it occupied while I attack from above."
"Your subordinate obeys."
Auston immediately agreed. Vice Admiral Onigumo was right. Three strikes, and one more would be enough. No matter how strong it was, it was just a Sea King, likely on the verge of death. If he went into the water then, he might have a chance to kill it.
Killing it would be a great achievement.
Auston found two harpoons. He was skilled with a longsword, but in the water, a harpoon was more suitable.
He stood in the center of the deck, waiting quietly. Onigumo waited for fifteen minutes, but it didn't appear, so he had to deactivate his Observation Haki.
He was skilled in both types of Haki, but his Observation Haki was relatively weaker. Haki had its limits, and to extend his detection range to the entire ship would be unsustainable for long.
In the blink of an eye, another ten minutes passed.
Boom.
The ship trembled. Onigumo leaped to the ship's edge and unleashed eight swords at once.
"Eight Sword Style Secret Technique: Spider Web."
Eight slashes shot out, forming a spider web that plunged into the seawater and struck Xia Qiu's body.
Puff puff puff puff.
Xia Qiu's back was damaged again, his bone plates completely broken, and the second dorsal fin's hard spine was snapped.
In addition, counting the previous attacks, Xia Qiu's scales were broken again, his muscles ruptured, and the wound on his head was deep enough to see bone.
So painful.
Xia Qiu felt a sharp pain in his head, but he endured it. He had already rammed six times. Two large holes, two small holes. The ship's speed decreased further and further as seawater poured in, its buoyancy balance on the verge of being destroyed.
If it rammed one more large hole, the ship would slowly sink.
Xia Qiu gritted his teeth and dove down.
But at this moment, Auston on the deck flashed beside Onigumo, stepped onto the ship's railing, gripped his harpoon, bent his knees, and sprang forward.
Boom.
Auston plunged into the water and charged towards the black silhouette dodging downwards, thrusting his harpoons fiercely.
"Die."
Auston's harpoon struck towards Xia Qiu's head, directly entering through the wound, tearing through muscle, and hitting bone with a crisp sound.
"Next time, I'll pierce your skull."
Auston pulled out his harpoon, preparing to attack again.
But Xia Qiu had already dived downwards. Auston's body flickered, his legs pushed off, and he was about to pounce towards Xia Qiu again, raising his harpoon.
The next moment, a massive tentacle whipped out.
Bang.
Auston felt a dark shadow attack, raised his harpoon to block, and was hit on the harpoon. The force transmitted, his body paused, but he was unharmed.
"What is this?"
Auston couldn't see what was attacking in the dark ocean. He was surprised by the sudden assault.
Xia Qiu took the opportunity to dive down, creating distance.
"Trying to escape?"
Brigadier General Auston snorted coldly and pursued again, but in that instant, Xia Qiu suddenly twisted his body and swung his foreclaws.
I'm not diving to escape, I'm creating an opening to turn and attack you.
Xia Qiu's massive claws swept directly towards Auston. Auston raised his harpoon, crossing it to block.
Bang.
The claws landed on the harpoon, snapping it in two, then slammed into him.
Bang.
Auston's upper body was struck by the claws, his head exploding, chest bones pulverizing, spine bending, and his body recoiled backward.
Crack.
Xia Qiu turned back and bit into his body, diving downward.
Good strength, must be a Captain or a Brigadier General. Eating him will increase my power.
Thank you for sending food.
Xia Qiu's jaws closed, crushing and swallowing him whole.
This chapter has 4,500 words
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