Chapter 5: Lord of the Coast?
THUD!
Another dull impact, much louder than the last. The merchant ship shook violently, and a faint, pained screech could be heard mixed in with the noise.
Captain Garter listened intently, then swung his arm decisively.
"Aft starboard, nine o'clock position!"
Before his shout had even faded, the watchman in the crow's nest had already aimed the searchlight.
Shane was jostled by the stampeding sailors. By the time he managed to squeeze his way to the ship's rail, a pale beam of light had cut through the darkness, vaguely revealing the creature's silhouette.
Everyone gasped in unison.
It was a colossal beast, dozens of meters long. Its form was like a cross between an eel and a sea serpent. Below its aquamarine fins, its entire body was covered in iron-grey scales that reflected a cold, sinister light.
"What... what in the world is that thing?!" a young crewman shouted in panic.
"It's a Sea King, you idiot!"
"Dammit! When did a Sea King start showing up on this route?!"
"Fire the cannons! Hurry up and fire to scare it away!"
"We can't! It's right up against the hull! We have to create some distance first!"
Amidst the chaos, Shane gripped the railing, forcefully suppressing the subconscious fear that was beginning to well up inside him. He squinted, staring at the creature below.
Having grown up in Cocoyasi Village, this was the first time he had ever seen a Sea King. The rush of adrenaline seemed to sharpen his vision. Or perhaps it was just the perfect angle, but through the inky blackness of the night, he could see the Sea King's face clearly.
Its bloodshot, scarlet eyes held long, serpentine pupils. Vicious fangs crisscrossed its maw, nearly extending to its neck...
The more he looked, the more it felt wrong. The more he looked, the more familiar it seemed.
"The Lord of the Coast?"
He froze for a moment, frowning as he muttered to himself uncertainly.
As he remembered it, the Lord of the Coast usually patrolled the waters around the Goa Kingdom, which was still a long way from here. Could it be that after being scared off by Conqueror's Haki, it changed its territory? Or maybe it's not the same one, just the same species?
THUD!
The dull boom echoed across the sea again. This time, many of the sailors saw it clearly. The sound was caused by the Sea King actively ramming its abdomen against the ship's hull.
What is it doing?
Including the old captain Garter, everyone was baffled. If it were hunting, several people on deck would have been swallowed by now. It could have even capsized the entire ship if it wanted to.
But this Sea King didn't seem to have any such intention.
"Hey, look!" a sharp-eyed sailor shouted, pointing. "The monster's belly! There seems to be something inside it!"
THUD! THUD! THUD!
Just as everyone turned to look, the frequency of the Sea King's impacts suddenly increased. One blow followed another, rocking the ship more and more violently. The screams coming from beneath the waves grew more agonized. Each time it arched its back, the unnatural bulge in its stomach was briefly exposed.
The skin around the bulge was covered in a dense network of scars and bruises. There were blunt-force injuries, cuts, and many festering pustules that had swollen up from infection.
It seemed something was lodged in its organs, causing it unbearable pain. It was constantly searching for hard objects to ram against, trying to force the object out. It had ended up covered in wounds as a result.
Islands, giant rocks, ships... Judging from the variety of scars, it had likely used all of these as targets, but the problem remained unsolved.
"This is big trouble."
Garter's face was ashen.
If this continued, it was only a matter of time before the ship broke apart completely. The entire cargo and all the sailors would inevitably sink into the sea. The sharp cracks of snapping ropes and the dull thuds of cargo containers colliding with each other had long been echoing up from the hold.
The old captain whipped his head around, looking at the pale face behind the helm. The young helmsman was practically hanging onto the wheel to keep from being thrown off, the veins on the back of his hands bulging with every turn.
"Still can't get away from it?!" he roared. At the same time, another salty wave crashed onto the deck, drenching everyone.
"I can't do it, Captain!" the helmsman's neck turned purple with strain, his voice laced with despair. "This thing is the agile type! Our ship's speed is no match for it. The second we create some distance, it sticks to us again!"
"Dammit!" Garter spat, a mixture of saliva and blood from his gums tracing a dark red line across the tilting deck.
He threw his pipe away, yanked the cutlass from his belt, and gripped it tightly. When he looked at the Sea King again, a crazed, crimson glint appeared in the old man's eyes.
Fine, fine! So you won't give us a way out! You think I'm a coward, huh? Even if I can't take you with me, I'll knock out a few of your teeth before I die!
Don't be fooled by his current kind and friendly demeanor. In his youth, he had been a veteran who fought on the battlefield to protect his kingdom, a man who had crawled out of piles of bloody corpses!
"Logistics crew, take that kid Shane down to the safe room! There might still be a chance to survive!"
"All other combat personnel, prepare to fight for your lives with me!" Garter hissed through gritted teeth. "To hell with it, if it comes to it..."
"Mr. Garter."
Shane's calm voice suddenly cut through his blood-pumping, pre-charge speech.
Huh?
Garter instinctively turned his head, only to stare in astonishment. The boy was clenching his fists, looking eagerly at the sea below.
"Have the cannons on the starboard side fire a few shots at the Sea King's belly. Leave the rest to me. I have a way to calm this thing down."
"Are you kidding me?!" Garter's face darkened, and he immediately cursed. "Get to the safe room, now! Is this the time to play hero, you damn brat?! What kind of stupid idea is that?!"
"Is there any other choice?!" Shane whipped his head around, his voice suddenly jumping an octave. "I know what you're planning to do! Jump over there to die, slash it a few times before you go, just to prove you aren't cowards. What's the point?! It's a desperate situation, so what's the harm in letting me try?!"
"And another thing!"
As he yelled, he tore off his thick outer coat and shirt, revealing a lean, powerfully defined torso. In the darkness, his chest, filled with the aesthetic beauty of explosive power, reflected a cold, hard glint like iron. The muscles on his panther-like back rippled, instantly carving out deep grooves like a sculpture.
"There might be one thing my mom forgot to tell you. My apologies."
The black-haired boy looked at him from the side. His handsome, youthful face was a complete mismatch for his deep, calm voice.
"In all of Cocoyasi Village, you can't find a single man who can fight better than me."
"..."
Garter's eyes instantly went wide.
In their few days of contact, his impression of the boy was that of a thin, weak bean sprout. The wooden sword he carried was a laughable toy fit for a child's game.
Who knew that under the puffy layers of "motherly love" appropriate for autumn and winter, the boy's true physique had been sealed away.