Waldo suddenly froze—then his expression lit up like a child who'd just remembered his favorite game.
Realization dawned, and he burst into booming laughter.
"Carmen! Be a dear and bring your big brother a steak dinner! And a good bottle of rum to go with it!"
Carmen blinked, frowning in confusion.
What in the world? Just a few minutes ago he'd been sulking, and now he was grinning like a maniac.
Still, seeing the three men no longer weighed down by worry for Arthur steadied her own heart.
Even if the anxiety hadn't disappeared completely, she could finally breathe again.
With renewed energy, she turned toward the kitchen. But before she could take more than a few steps, her eyes caught something that made her stop cold.
Not far ahead, the sea itself had changed—
a massive, roaring current had appeared, twisting downward like a giant whirlpool waterfall.
It wasn't a normal current at all.
It was flowing downward.
From the surface ocean beneath the Sabaody Archipelago stretched the passage to the Fish-Man Island trench—
the deep-sea tunnel connecting the Grand Line's surface to the New World beyond the Red Line.
The sea was divided into two layers: the surface current and the deep layer.
To reach the New World, every ship had to dive through this downward current, the crucial waterway that led beneath the Red Line.
"Whoa…! That looks like a waterfall! What is that?"
Carmen's voice was breathless, one hand covering her mouth in awe.
The others turned, eyes widening as they too beheld the colossal natural wonder before them.
Even hardened warriors couldn't help but admire it.
Nature truly was the greatest artist.
"That's the downward current, Miss Carmen," said Golden Scale, the ship's spirit, in its sweet, chirpy voice. "It's the only way to reach Fish-Man Island!"
"Incredible… the sea is amazing!" Carmen clasped her hands together, eyes sparkling.
In that moment, she felt deeply grateful she'd joined Arthur's crew.
Otherwise, how long—how many lifetimes—would it have taken to witness such a sight?
"Attention, everyone!" Golden Scale's voice echoed proudly.
"We are about to enter the downward current leading to the deep-sea layer! Please hold on tight!"
At those words, excitement surged through the deck.
They all knew—once they passed through this current, they'd truly be entering the New World.
Even for the veterans, hearts thudded with a thrill that was impossible to hide.
The Golden Scale eased forward into the mouth of the descending current.
And then—
The entire world tilted.
The ship's bow dipped sharply, its forward motion shifting into a vertical drop.
"Ahhh!"
Carmen yelped, thrown off balance and tumbling across the deck.
"Ouch…"
She scrambled to her feet and, trembling, leaned over the railing to look down.
Only to see—nothing.
No light. No sea floor. Just endless black yawning beneath them, like the mouth of the abyss itself.
Her heart skipped a beat.
"Brace yourselves, everyone!" Golden Scale sang happily.
"The ride will be bumpy! Hold on tight—if you fall off, I take no responsibility! Let's go!"
WHOOSH!
In an instant, the ship dropped like a comet, slicing through the torrent toward the deep sea.
Everyone on board felt their stomachs lurch, as if they'd been strapped into a vertical roller coaster.
For some, it was exhilarating.
For others, pure terror.
Carmen screamed, clinging to the rail for dear life.
Her face had gone pale as paper.
The others, though, were entirely unfazed.
Veterans of countless storms, Redfield, Waldo, and Crocodile stood firm, the corners of their mouths even lifting in faint smiles.
"This is nothing," Waldo laughed over the roar of the current. "Feels almost refreshing!"
"Heads up, everyone!" Golden Scale's voice chimed again.
"My sensors detect massive lifeforms ahead—some as big as mountains! And a few that are even bigger!"
Carmen's heart nearly stopped.
"Y-you're joking, right? Don't scare me like that, Golden Scale! What is it?"
"Already visible, Miss Carmen. You can see for yourself!"
Her blood ran cold.
A dreadful presence pressed in from behind.
Every instinct screamed don't turn around.
But she did—slowly, painfully, strand by strand, until she finally forced her head to move.
And then she saw it.
A creature of nightmares.
A blood-red body, writhing with massive, muscular tentacles—each thicker than the ship's mast.
Its size dwarfed the Golden Scale ten times over.
A Kraken.
A living legend of the deep.
Carmen's vision spun. She gave a tiny squeak—and fainted dead away.
Fortunately, Crocodile's sand hand caught her mid-fall and gently set her aside.
He and Waldo exchanged a glance, shrugged, and turned back toward the monster.
"Our turn to sit this one out," Waldo muttered.
They were useless underwater—best to let the swordsman handle it.
Redfield rose, sword in hand, his crimson cloak whispering behind him as he walked to the bow.
He looked upon the beast with calm disdain.
"A mere beast," he said coldly. "Not even worth a smile."
As if insulted, the Kraken roared, tentacles thrashing violently.
Waves surged and currents spun into vicious whirlpools.
One tentacle snapped out with terrifying speed, slamming toward the ship like a hammer from hell.
It was fast.
But Redfield was faster.
By the time the tentacle reached the Golden Scale, he was already gone—vanished from the bow, leaving only the gust of displaced air where he'd stood.
Flash!
In the blink of an eye, he appeared before the attacking limb.
His blade, Thunder Rain, gleamed in the dim light.
Slash! Slash! Slash!
A burst of silver arcs illuminated the depths.
In the next instant, the enormous tentacle that had promised destruction was shredded—sliced into dozens of pieces.
With a flick of his wrist, Redfield sent a surge of sword aura sweeping forward, the severed tentacles carried effortlessly back toward the ship.
They landed softly on deck—neat, clean, and harmless.
Not a single bubble of the coating was disturbed.
The precision was terrifying.
"Hahaha! Now that's finesse, Count!" Waldo crowed, grabbing one of the still-twitching limbs.
"These look delicious! Carmen, prep the grill—oh, right, she's out cold. What a shame!"
The comment made the Kraken lose what little composure it had left.
Pain turned to rage—then to madness.
It let out a deep, ear-splitting shriek, all its tentacles flaring wide like fists.
Then they came crashing down.
Dozens of monstrous arms hammered toward the ship, blotting out what little light filtered from above.
The sea roared. The world trembled.
But Redfield didn't move.
He raised his sword, eyes cold.
"You still think you can touch us?"
Because in the face of absolute strength, all that wild flailing—
Was nothing more than a meaningless show.
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