"Just trust me, Uncle Gatt! Fire the cannons first and force this creature completely out of the water. It keeps thrashing up and down, and I can't aim properly."
Seeing Gatt hesitating, Xiano added in a deep voice.
Ignoring the other's reaction, Xiano turned his gaze back to the Sea King's riddled abdomen.
A few minutes earlier.
Realizing what this creature, resembling the King of the Near Sea, was doing, a bold idea had formed in his mind.
The reason for its frenzy was the unbearable pain in its abdomen. What if he could help it remove the source of that pain?
Sea Kings were intelligent beings, and their IQ was quite high.
By helping it in such a significant way, he wasn't expecting any reward, but at least it wouldn't see them as prey anymore, right?
With his current strength, defeating this Sea King head-on was pure fantasy. If he didn't want to end up as fish food, this was the only way out.
No matter how slim the chances of success were, in a life-or-death situation, how could he not give it a try?
"...Alright, we'll do as you say." Gatt sheathed his sword and finally made a decision.
"Captain..." A seasoned sailor seemed to want to say something but hesitated.
"Enough! Do we have any other options?"
Gatt cut him off decisively. Once his mind was made up, he became resolute. "Starboard gunners, load the cannonballs immediately and await my command!"
"Ready?" He looked at Xiano.
"Yes."
The young man's gaze remained fixed on the sea as he nodded slightly.
"Good." Gatt took a deep breath and suddenly waved his hand, giving the order. "Aim at the Sea King's abdomen. Three, two, one, fire!"
Boom!!!
The eight cannons on the right side roared simultaneously, the orange-red flames from their muzzles illuminating Xiano's tense leg muscles.
His pupils reflected the trajectory of the cannonballs tearing through the night sky. After a brief moment of silence, the Sea King's abdomen suddenly erupted in flames.
Roar!!!!!
A piercing roar shook the entire sea, and the shadow beneath the surface surged violently, causing everyone's hearts to skip a beat.
In the next instant, the iron-gray scaled body broke through the waves, its ferocious head sending massive waves crashing down. As it lowered its head, its viper-like vertical pupils coldly locked onto the sailors on the deck.
Now!
Xiano's entire body tensed, his foot arch pushing off the deck as he leaped over the railing. At that moment, the Sea King's abdominal muscles, curled up in pain, formed a sloping fold.
Thud!
The young man's foot landed firmly on the fold, and his right fist, already charged with all his strength, shot upward from below, targeting the bulge.
Huh?
The Sea King was momentarily stunned, not yet able to look down and see what had happened. The membrane in its throat trembled uncontrollably, and it retched, spewing out a small amount of dark green mucus that formed web-like strands in the air.
At the same time.
Xiano's left fist followed the folds of the esophagus, striking with full force. The impact caused the monster's throat scales to burst open like pine cones, and the foreign object beneath the abdominal skin shifted upward several meters.
Great effect!
A flash of joy crossed Xiano's eyes, quickly replaced by a fierce determination. One last punch!
Using the force generated from the rotation of his waist and abdomen, he delivered a final uppercut. The spinning power technique he had honed day and night in the orange grove sent the shockwave of this punch straight through the intestines to the top of his head!
"Ugh—!!!"
The intense nausea finally reached its breaking point. Large clumps of mucus mixed with mud and seaweed were vomited out, splattering down. A small portion splashed onto the deck, instantly corroding and piercing through the wooden planks, sizzling and emitting green smoke.
The majority of it, however, fell into the sea like a torrential downpour.
Xiano, who had been flung aside by the struggling Sea King, immediately swam desperately towards the area. After rummaging around for a moment, he suddenly froze, his gaze fixed on something.
There, floating, was an arm.
A human arm.
Indeed!
Xiano grabbed the severed arm, his eyes filled with astonishment.
He had guessed correctly!
This Sea King was none other than the King of the Near Sea!
And this severed arm was the very thing that had caused it unbearable pain, forcing it to seek ways to squeeze and scrape its belly!
How long had it been?
Xiano wasn't sure. All he knew was that on that day, Higuma, the Mountain Bandit King who had killed fifty-six of the Four Emperors, couldn't withstand the corrosion of the King of the Near Sea's stomach acid and bile. He had long since been turned into feces and expelled.
Only this arm remained undigested, unable to be vomited out, stuck in the stomach all this time.
Looking up to ensure that his position was blocked by the ship's hull and that those on the deck above couldn't see him, he hesitated no longer and immediately initiated the sacrifice.
In the next moment, the severed arm in his hand vanished into thin air, and the system notified him of the successful sacrifice.
[Sacrificial Offering: Shanks' Severed Arm]
[Quality: Legendary]
[Value: 10,000 Points]
[Appraisal Comment: The severed arm of Saint Shanks, a Celestial Dragon and the son of the Supreme Commander of the God Knights, was swallowed by the King of the Near Sea while saving Straw Hat Luffy. The world's trajectory shifted dramatically from this point. The future ruler of the seas, who had lost this arm in the East Blue, firmly believed he had bet on the new era.]
Legendary quality!
Ten thousand points!
Xiano's eyes widened, confirming that he hadn't miscounted the four zeros, and an uncontrollable wave of ecstasy surged through him.
Under the pitch-black night sky, he couldn't help but burst into loud laughter.
Before taking action, he had worried about whether he could succeed, feared being swallowed by the King of the Near Sea before even getting close, and even doubted whether this arm could be sacrificed at all.
Now that the sacrifice had been successfully completed, and he had obtained an unprecedented amount of points, all his worries and doubts vanished in an instant, leaving Xiano feeling incredibly at ease, as if he were not floating on the sea but drifting among the clouds.
"Hey! Are you okay, Xiano?"
Gatt's urgent voice suddenly called from above, bringing him back to reality. Gatt, unable to see the boy in his line of sight, was growing anxious.
"I'm fine, Uncle! Please lower the rope ladder!"
He responded with a loud laugh.
As the rope ladder was lowered along the ship's hull and he climbed halfway up, Xiano suddenly felt a massive wave surge behind him, followed by a strong, salty, fishy smell filling his nostrils.
"Hisss—!!!"
It was the sound of the King of the Near Sea, right beside him.
Xiano heard a roar from the creature that was completely different from before, filled with relief and joy. He looked up and met the crimson eyes of the King of the Near Sea.
"How about it, big guy!"
Xiano grinned at the creature, his face showing no fear. "The digestive tract surgery I performed on you worked pretty well, didn't it?"
The King of the Near Sea narrowed its eyes at Xiano, drool dripping between its fangs, and remained motionless for a long time.
Above, Gatt and the others, watching this scene, felt their hearts tighten.
After a full ten seconds or so.
The King of the Near Sea suddenly extended its tongue and gently licked Xiano's back. Then, it raised its head and let out a roar that could tear through the night sky.
Finally, it flipped backward with a loud splash, disappearing into the sea and vanishing without a trace.
(End of Chapter)