One Piece: From Picking Up Red Hair's Broken Arm

Chapter 5 King of the Near Sea?

Boom!
There was another dull crash, much louder than the previous one. The merchant ship shook, and faint screams of pain could be heard mixed in.

Gat listened carefully and waved his hand suddenly.

"Right stern, nine o'clock!"

Before he finished his roar, the watchtower at the top of the mast had already shone its searchlight over.

Xia Nuo was knocked off balance by the running sailors. When he finally squeezed to the side of the ship, the pale beam of light had already split the night sky, vaguely revealing the outline of the thing.

Everyone couldn't help but gasp.

It was a huge creature tens of meters long, resembling both an eel and a sea snake. Beneath its aqua-blue fins, its iron-gray scales reflected a cold light.

"What the hell is this?!"

A young crew member shouted in panic.

"It's a sea king, idiot!"

"What the hell! When did a sea king appear on this route?!"

"Fire! Fire quickly and scare this guy away!"

"No! It's right next to our ship. We need to create some distance between us!"

Amidst the clamor, Xia Nuo held on to the railing, forcibly suppressed the subconscious fear and shrinking in his heart, and squinted his eyes to stare down.

Having grown up in Kokoasi Village, this was his first time seeing a sea king.

The excitement brought by the adrenaline made his eyesight seem much sharper at this moment.

Or perhaps it was because the angle was just right, but through the inky black night, he was able to see the appearance of this sea king clearly.

In the bloodshot, black pupils were slender like snakes, and ferocious fangs stretched across the neck...

The more I look at it, the more it seems wrong, and the more familiar it looks.

"King of the offshore?"

He froze for a moment, frowning and muttering uncertainly.

As far as I can remember, the King of the Sea often roams around the Kingdom of Goa, which is quite far away from here. Could it be that after being scared away by the Conqueror's Haki, he directly changed his range of activities?
Or maybe they are not the same one, but just of the same species?

Boom!
A dull roar resounded across the sea again, and this time many sailors could see clearly that it was clearly the sound caused by the sea king actively ramming the ship's hull with its belly.

What is this doing?
Including the old captain Gart, everyone was a little surprised and confused. If it was hunting, many people on the deck would have been swallowed up long ago, and it might even be possible to overturn the entire ship.

But this sea king didn't seem to have such an intention.

"Hey, look!"

A sharp-eyed sailor pointed somewhere and exclaimed, "There seems to be something in the monster's stomach!"

Boom! Boom! Boom! As everyone looked over, the frequency of the sea kings' collisions suddenly increased. One after another, the merchant ship was pitched more and more violently, and the screams from under the sea became more and more painful. Every time it arched its back, the unnatural bulge in its stomach would be briefly exposed.

The surface of the skin around the raised area was covered with scars and bruises, including blunt injuries and scratches, as well as many pus-filled blisters that had ulcerated and become infected.

It seemed as if something was stuck in its internal organs, causing it excruciating pain. It kept looking for hard objects to hit and scratch it, trying to force it out.

Eventually, he ended up in the bruised and battered state he is today.

Islands, rocks, ships... Judging from the various scars, these may have been its targets, but it has never been able to solve the problem.

"This is really a big problem."

Gat's face turned pale. If this continued, it was only a matter of time before the ship completely disintegrated, its cargo and crew bound for the sea.

The crisp sound of the cargo box ropes breaking and the dull sound of the cargo boxes colliding with each other in disorder had been coming from the bottom cabin for a long time.

The old captain turned his head suddenly and looked at the pale face behind the steering wheel - the young helmsman was almost hanging on it, just to avoid being thrown out, and the veins on the back of his hands bulged with every turn.

"Still can't distance yourself?"

As he roared, another wave of salty foam hit the deck, soaking everyone.

"Can't do it, Captain!"

The helmsman's neck flushed purple, and his voice was filled with despair. "This guy is very agile. Our boat's speed is no match for him. If we pull away even a little, he'll be stuck again!"

"Oh shit!"

Gat spat out a mouthful of saliva, which mixed with blood oozing from his gums, leaving a dark red track on the bumpy and tilted deck.

He threw away his pipe, suddenly drew out the sword from his waist and clenched it tightly. When he looked at the sea king again, there was a hint of madness in the corners of the old man's eyes.

Okay, okay, you really won’t give me any chance to live, you really think I’m a wimp. Even if I can’t take you down with me, I’ll break a few of your teeth before I die!

Don't be fooled by the fact that he is kind and gentle to everyone now. When he was young, he was a veteran who had fought in the battlefield to defend the kingdom. He had fought his way out of the bloody pile of corpses!
"Those in charge of logistics, take that kid named Shanuo to the safety cabin downstairs and hide there. Maybe there's still hope of survival!"

"All other combatants, prepare to fight me to the death!"

Gat squeezed out a hoarse voice from between his teeth, "Fuck, big deal..."

"Mr. Garter."

Xia Nuo's calm voice suddenly interrupted his passionate charge.

Ok?
Gat subconsciously turned his head, but was surprised to see the young man clenching his fists and staring at the sea, eager to try.

"Have the starboard guns aim at the Sea King's belly and fire a few shots. Leave the rest to me. I have a way to calm this guy down."

"What a joke!"

Gat's face darkened, and without a second thought, he cursed out loud, "Hide in the safe cabin! Is this the time to be a hero, you little brat? What nonsense are you coming up with?"

"Is there any other way?"

Xia Nuo turned around abruptly, his voice rising in pitch. "I know what you're going to do! You're going to jump over and die, and then you'll get stabbed a few times before you die to show you're not cowards. What's the point? Let me give it a try!"

"besides!"

While yelling at him, he tore off his thick coat and shirt, revealing his well-defined and muscular body.

The chest, full of explosive power and beauty, reflects a cold and hard luster like iron in the dark night. The cheetah-like back muscles only move slightly, and knife-like grooves are instantly formed.

"My mom might have something and forgot to tell you. Sorry."

The black-haired boy looked at him from the side. His delicate and childish face did not match his low and calm voice at the moment.

"In the entire village of Kokoyasi, there's no man who can fight better than me."

"..."

Gart's eyes widened instantly.

After a brief contact over the past few days, he had the impression that this person was clearly a thin and frail bean sprout, and the wooden sword he carried with him was a toy used by children for playing house, which was funny.

Who would have known only now that it was clearly the overly bloated maternal love in the autumn and winter that concealed the other person's true figure.

(End of this chapter)