The order was quickly relayed to the deck.
When Rosinante heard he'd be going out on a recon mission again with Rain—and against the infamous Maelstrom Spider Pirates no less—he couldn't help getting nervous all over again.
Rain, on the other hand, perked up slightly at the mention of "Maelstrom Spider" Squard.
That name sounded familiar.
He dug into the back of his memory, sifting through fragments of the manga from his past life.
Marineford War… betrayal of Whitebeard.
Right. That guy.
So it's the one who later becomes a captain under Whitebeard, but ends up stabbing him in the back during Marineford after being misled by Akainu…
He couldn't remember every detail, but that key event was burned into his memory.
If he becomes a Whitebeard division captain, there's no way he's weak. Even if he hasn't sworn "Oyaji" yet, he's probably already a legit SSR-tier enemy.
I was just hoping for an SR-level opponent to push my physique to [Top-Tier]. SSR might be… overkill. Rain decided firmly not to be the first one charging in.
…
A few hours later—
Night fell. Wind and waves picked up.
A small Marine recon cutter, painted in naval camo, slipped silently into the endless fog.
On board, aside from the helmsman and comms officer, were Commander Dal, eight handpicked veterans, and the two recruits—Rain and Rosinante.
The air inside the boat was so tense you could hear hearts beating.
Every Marine gripped his weapon, eyes scanning the roiling fog outside. Only the low drone of the engine and the sound of the hull slicing through the waves broke the silence.
After only a few nautical miles, the world around them began to twist.
The mist thickened, turning into gray-white walls of sludge. Visibility dropped to less than five meters.
Worse, the Den Den Mushi for communications began hissing with static. The cutter lost all contact with the main ship.
"Damn it!" The veteran navigator slammed a fist into the console, sweat beading on his forehead. "The magnetic field here is a mess! The compass is useless—we're completely blind!"
They had to slow down. The helmsman could only rely on years of experience and tiny shifts in currents to pick their way between the fog and unseen reefs.
Splash… thump!
The boat jolted suddenly, its hull scraping something beneath.
"Reef?!" Rosinante grabbed the rail in panic.
"No… from the sound, more like we hit floating debris…" the veteran's face twisted tighter.
Strange sounds drifted through the fog.
Sometimes it was the "creeeak" of a hull tearing apart. Sometimes it was a "rushhhh" that felt like some massive whirlpool spinning just out of sight.
Now and then, eerie, half-formed noises echoed in the mist, too vague to place, but enough to make the skin crawl.
The pressure was suffocating. Every Marine held his weapon locked in both hands, scanning the fog, even breathing as quietly as they could.
Rain leaned against the cabin wall, eyes closed as if dozing, looking completely unconcerned with the danger.
In reality, his Observation Haki had been spread for some time.
The fog did interfere with it. His sensing range was noticeably compressed.
Just then, the helmsman yelped. "Ahead! What is that?!"
Everyone looked where he pointed.
The fog thinned slightly, revealing a field of wreckage drifting on the water.
The shredded remains of a Marine gunboat.
Commander Dal's expression hardened. "Seagull-3. Bring us in."
The cutter eased closer. The sight made everyone suck in a breath.
The gunboat had been torn apart by something, its hull ripped into pieces. Broken masts and splintered deck planks floated in all directions.
Deep claw marks and impact craters scored the railings. Blood stained the deck dark red and had soaked into the planking.
Scattered, incomplete limbs clung to shattered timbers or bobbed with the waves. It was a scene out of a nightmare.
"Urgh…" Rosinante couldn't hold it in. He leaned over the rail, gagging.
"Commander, look at this!" a Marine pointed at a deck plank floating nearby, voice tight with fear.
The plank and much of the visible wreckage were wrapped in a strange white filament.
It was incredibly tough, with a faint sheen in the dim light. Like spiderwebs, the strands cocooned the wreckage, as if some creature had claimed it as part of its nest.
One Marine tried cutting through with his standard-issue blade—only to find it like hacking at thick leather. He barely left a shallow white mark.
"Damn it, what the hell is this stuff?!"
Watching him struggle, Rain's mind stirred.
He edged closer to a section thick with webbing and, while no one was paying him much attention, drew his Good-Grade sword.
Thanks to Gion's high-end maintenance kit, it was now far sharper than a typical blade of that class. With a casual flick—
Shff.
The super-tough strands parted like ordinary rope, the cut smooth as glass.
Just as I thought… Rain's eyes flashed. That kit really isn't ordinary. He sheathed the sword quickly, as though nothing had happened.
Dal's brows knitted as he crouched to inspect the webs and hull wounds.
"No sign of cannon fire… looks more like something… some massive creature, or some kind of special weapon tore it apart." His voice was tight. "These webs… slime from a Sea King? Some special material?"
Reports about the Grand Line's bizarre wildlife and abilities raced through his mind, swelling his unease.
This enemy was far nastier than they'd planned for.
While the Marines focused on examining the wreckage for more clues, the situation changed in a heartbeat.
Rain's Observation Haki suddenly picked up multiple fast-moving signatures streaking toward them from deeper in the fog.
"Ambush!!" Rain shouted, dropping the act and raising his voice.
~~~
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