"The bright moon rises over the sea, from the ends of the earth…"
The ends of the earth… what came next?
Was it "we share this moment", or "as if side by side"?
Yato racked his brain, struggling to recall scraps of poetry from his school days, one of the few amusements he had left.
Ever since his inexplicable transmigration into this world, this vast, endless ocean, he had been completely alone. No… not quite. Not alone, but transformed. He was no longer human. He was a dragon.
With only the sky above and the sea below, there wasn't much to do except gaze upward and swim aimlessly.
Poets always painted the sea as something beautiful, majestic, breathtaking, but after experiencing it firsthand, Yato couldn't help but mutter:
"Utter bulls**t."
The sea was too vast. So vast that even in the form of a sea dragon over twenty meters long, he had swum for an entire week without catching the faintest glimpse of land.
Granted, being a dragon did have its advantages. At least he didn't have to worry about the ocean's terrifying predators anymore.
He had a name for it: Dragon's Might.
Just a few days ago, a sea serpent over thirty meters long had foolishly set its sights on him. But the moment Yato glared at it, the creature had fled in sheer terror.
Besides this aura of dominance, the sea dragon form also came with another incredible ability: control over seawater.
He guessed the source of this power lay in the pair of horns atop his dragon head. With a single thought, he could summon torrents of water, conjure storms, just like the divine dragons of myth.
"The only problem now… is how to turn back into a human.
Don't dragons in legends always have the power to shapeshift? Like… the Dragon Maiden, maybe?"
As he grumbled inwardly, his mind wandered to strange old tales, Pigsy and the Dragon Maiden, of all things, when suddenly, a faint, mechanical voice echoed in his head.
[Remaining forced transformation time: 1 hour.]
"Huh?" Yato jerked in surprise. His long body twisted instinctively, stirring up a massive wave that rocked the sea. Alarmed, he quickly calmed his thoughts, forcing the waters to settle.
"Who said that?" he asked cautiously.
[Please absorb more 'mystic energy' to unlock additional transformations.]
The voice sounded neither male nor female. Cold, emotionless, like a machine.
"Wait, transformations? What even are you?"
[The sea dragon is merely one of countless possible forms. You will require more power to unlock stronger transformations.]
There was a pause, then the voice continued:
[Each transformation lasts for seven days. During that time, it cannot be undone.]
"…So that means in an hour, I'll revert to human form?" Yato muttered in realization. "Alright then. One more thing, what are you exactly?"
[I am the Fantasy Gene. So long as you gather sufficient 'mystic energy,' you may assume the form of any being from the realm of fantasy.]
"I see…"
A glimmer of understanding flashed in Yato's eyes.
In short, this mysterious gene had merged with him, allowing him to take on the forms of fantastical creatures, provided he had enough energy to fuel the transformation.
"One last question," he asked. "Where the hell am I?"
[This is...]
The voice began to answer, but it gradually faded into silence.
"…Seriously?" Yato opened his mouth, speechless. Not a word came out.
Just as he was about to call out again, he perked up. His ears twitched.
He could hear something. Faint vibrations, several nautical miles away.
It wasn't some miraculous power. It was akin to a human hearing a conversation from a few dozen meters away.
But as long as he remained in the sea, the sea dragon's enhanced perception allowed him to detect movements across a massive range.
How massive? He hadn't had time to figure that out yet.
"Is that… a ship?"
Yato stilled himself, expanding his senses toward the disturbance. His eyes pierced the depths.
He could vaguely make out a shape. Ships. Two of them, and not small ones.
"Where there's a ship, there are people. Let's take a look."
Excitement welled up inside him. Finally, human contact!
Though since he still couldn't revert his transformation, he could only approach stealthily beneath the waves.
The sea dragon's swimming speed far exceeded any vessel he knew of. Within minutes, he had closed the distance and now lurked beneath the two ships.
Up close, he could observe their structures more clearly.
One of them was… odd. It had no mechanical propulsion systems beneath the hull. Instead, it was carried by two massive sea serpents.
The other ship was even stranger. It wasn't armored steel, nor did it resemble a sailboat. Its deck, however, bristled with heavy artillery, clearly some kind of warship.
"That's… familiar. Wait, is that a Jolly Roger?"
Peering through the water's surface, Yato spotted a flag fluttering atop the mast of one ship.
Suddenly, he felt two eyes on him.
A pair of massive snake heads plunged into the water, staring at him from several meters away.
Hiss…
One of them flicked its tongue, issuing a clear warning.
"Shut it."
Yato shot them a glare.
The meaning behind his gaze was understood instantly, the serpents flinched and fell completely silent.
"Credit where it's due. At least you didn't bolt," Yato muttered.
He had encountered plenty of giant sea creatures lately, and most fled the instant they sensed his presence. These two serpents had some backbone.
Shaking his head, he turned his attention back to the ships.
On the deck of one vessel stood a tall woman with flawless white skin, a graceful figure, and long jet-black hair. Her face was so stunning it looked like it had been painted by a master's hand.
"Lady Hancock, something's off with Salome," murmured another woman beside her.
She was referring to a massive pink-spotted boa constrictor, which didn't appear menacing at all, more like a beloved pet.
Hancock frowned slightly and glanced at her snake.
Hiss…
Salome flicked its tongue toward a patch of sea.
At that very moment, a voice rang out from the deck of the other ship.
A man in military uniform stood at the bow, a cape emblazoned with the word "Justice" billowing behind him. He spoke coldly:
"Boa Hancock, have you made your decision? Will you accept the title of Shichibukai, or will you refuse? Know this, if you refuse, I'll sink your ships right here."
Suddenly, his expression shifted. He whipped around, glaring at the water's surface.
"Who's out there, sneaking around and spying on us?!"
With a furious shout, the man raised his arm. In an instant, the temperature surged. His fist transformed into a massive, molten hand and plunged into the ocean.
The moment it touched the sea, a column of water hissed into vapor. The area was instantly shrouded in thick, choking fog.
ROAR!
A deep dragon's cry echoed across the waves.
The ocean churned, its surface rising in chaos.
A colossal figure burst out of the depths like a living tsunami.
And when everyone finally saw what had emerged,
Their jaws dropped.
The man on the warship stared in disbelief.
"A… dragon?!"
And then, the enormous creature… spoke.
"Human… you have offended me."
At that moment, panic spread like wildfire across both ships.
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200 P.S = 1 Extra Chapters