The morning sea breeze, cool and tinged with salt, swept across the deck, stirring fine motes of golden dust.
"Ugh, I'm so bored—"
Hearing Linlin's complaint,Oro sighed softly.
"The world we live on is a planet covered in water,with oceans making up over 90% of its surface. The seas are unimaginably vast, so most of our time sailing will be spent in boredom. Didn't I explain that before, Linlin?"
Oro was holding the Eternal Pose to Fish-Man Island given to him by Elder Jorul, comparing it to the large nautical chart spread before him as he made notes.
"I never thought it would be this boring, Oro."
"Oh?Are there any games that are fun, good for relieving stress, and have long sessions...?"
Oro tapped his pen against the chart, thinking. "How about this: after I finish plotting our course, I'll design a new board game for you?"
"Oh,another board game?" Linlin slumped against the ship's rail like a despondent fish.
"Are you really that disappointed?"
Oro was feeling somewhat helpless when, fortunately, Gerd arrived pushing a food cart.
"Oro-nii,Linlin, breakfast is ready."
She wore a light brown apron and carried a ceramic pot larger than a normal dining table.Inside steamed a fragrant fish soup, made from a deep-sea specimen Linlin had hauled aboard during her morning exercises an hour prior.
Using her Cook-Cook Fruit, Gerd had transformed the fish bones into soft tofu—delicious and eliminating any choking hazard.
"Oh!! Gerd, you're my savior!" At the sound of Gerd's voice, the listless fish by the rail suddenly sprang back to life.
Gerd handed a piece of toast to the charging Linlin. "Don't rush. We've only been out for about a month. Something interesting might happen soon."
Oro joined them, accepting a bowl of soup from Gerd. He had just taken a sip when Linlin, who had been eating ravenously, suddenly froze.
"Hey, Gerd, can you tell fortunes?" Linlin narrowed her large eyes—so different from her childhood ones—raised a hand, and pointed toward the port side. "Look over there! Isn't that smoke?"
Oro and Gerd followed her gaze. In the distance, a thin column of gray-black smoke rose slowly from the sea's surface.
"That's impressive! To spot that while eating from this distance. Our lookout skills are getting sharper!" Oro immediately raised his hand. The vambrace on his arm melted and reformed into a golden telescope over a meter long. Its lenses, crafted from compressed gold crystal, offered far greater clarity than any ordinary spyglass.
He stared in the direction of the smoke for a moment, his brow furrowing. "It's a pirate ship. And a floating island... Pirates are attacking that island."
"A floating island? Are there people on it?" Gerd leaned closer.
"Yes.Giants... about five of them. They're poorly equipped, seem injured, but are still fighting the pirates."
Linlin, who had been preening under Oro's praise, suddenly tensed up upon hearing this. She set down her delicious fish soup and grabbed the giant axe beside her, its blade glinting coldly.
"How dare they bully our people! Oro! We have to get over there now!"
"Don't be impulsive,"Oro said, pressing a hand on her shoulder. "First, we assess the pirates' strength. The ship's flag bears an ice-breaking hammer. It should be the 'Icebreaker Pirates.' I've heard they specialize in raids in cold waters and are notoriously ruthless. Their ships are reinforced to smash through ice floes."
He paused, then looked at Gerd. "Gerd, go prepare the medical kit."
"On it!"Gerd immediately turned to get ready.
Oro then addressed Linlin. "When the fight starts, be careful not to hit the floating island. It doesn't look very sturdy and likely can't take much damage."
Linlin nodded vigorously.Her initial agitation had been somewhat soothed by Oro's calmness, but her grip on the axe handle remained white-knuckled.
Gerd quickly packed, strapped the medical kit to her back, and used her Cook-Cook Fruit to transform several frozen flatbreads into steaming meat buns, which she placed into a cloth sack. "Ready!"
Oro snapped his fingers. The bundles of golden ropes aboard the ship instantly stirred to life, each performing its specific task as they collectively steered the massive vessel.
The Golden Dawn's mainsail billowed taut. The hull cut through the waves, speeding toward the floating island.
As they drew nearer, the scene within the plume of smoke grew clearer.
It was a small floating island—small, at least, for giants. Its surface was coated in a thick layer of ice, with shards of various sizes bobbing along its edges. The few hardy plants on the island had been blasted to splinters by cannon fire.
The Icebreaker Pirates' ship was anchored near the floating island. The vessel was pitch black, the massive icebreaker hammer at its prow still crusted with ice shards and bloodstains.
A dozen or so pirates were firing from the ship's side toward the island, while cannons on deck boomed intermittently.
So engrossed were the pirates in their assault that no one aboard noticed the giant ship closing in from behind.
"Lay down your weapons and surrender! Or we'll sink your wretched little island!" A pirate captain with a grating, unpleasant voice shouted across the water through a megaphone.
There were indeed only five giants on the island. One, an old giant with gray hair, leaned on a broken spear, his arm wrapped in a blood-soaked bandage, supported by a middle-aged female giant. Three giant children hid behind an igloo, clutching crude stone swords, their eyes filled with defiance.
"We are descendants of the Giant Warrior Pirates! We'd rather die in battle than surrender to the likes of you!" the old giant roared back, his voice frail yet brimming with pride.
"Giant Warrior Pirates? Hah! That's ancient history!" The pirate captain sneered and waved his hand. "Blow it all up! Smash their igloos to rubble!"
"YOU'RE NOT ALLOWED TO BULLY THEM!"
A roar, still carrying a trace of youthful timbre, suddenly echoed across the sea.
Linlin stood atop the red-maned seahorse figurehead of the Golden Dawn, her giant axe held high in both hands. She took a deep breath, and the muscles in her arms corded with power.
Armament Haki surged toward the axe blade like a tide, staining its bright edge a deep, profound black.
This was Linlin's first strike with lethal intent—a blow fueled by righteous fury and the power to shake the very sea.
"HAKI—!"
With a thunderous cry, the giant axe swept down!
FWOOOOOM—!!!
In an instant, a crescent-shaped wave of black, air-rending force split the sea's surface!
The shockwave, carrying a spray of minute golden particles, shot straight toward the bow of the Icebreaker Pirates' ship!
KABOOOOOM!!!!
Before the pirates could even react, a deafening explosion erupted—
The icebreaker hammer at the prow was instantly cleaved in two!
The force of the blow tore a massive gash in the hull. Seawater geysered into the lower decks, and the entire pirate ship began to list violently to one side.