Early the next morning, Barnett ordered the warship to set sail. With the sea beast pulling the ship, the crew could take turns resting on board.
Victor didn't mind—he could already replace sleep with meditation.
He suspected that his constant practice of attuning himself to nature under the open sky had led to his awakening of willpower. Though he still didn't fully understand it, he had no intention of stopping his meditative practice.
Rebecca and Wendy joined Victor as he delivered a Haki-coated fist to the seahorse's head—its daily wake-up call. Otherwise, the creature was nearly impossible to rouse.
'This thing sleeps like a log.'
If not for its loud snoring, one might think it had died in its sleep.
A visible lump swelled on the seahorse's head, growing taller by the second. Victor had abused this spot so much that the bump now resembled a horn, faintly glowing red.
The seahorse blinked groggily at the starry sky before rolling its eyes toward Victor.
Only after receiving his nod did it snap to attention, rearing its head to begin pulling the ship—
—only to immediately flop back onto the deck.
Turns out, its own drool from the night before had glued its tongue to the wood. Like a rubber band, the stretched tongue yanked its head back down.
Victor's eye twitched.
'This thing's IQ is' 'painful' 'to witness.'
Beside him, Rebecca and Wendy clutched their mouths, faces contorted with suppressed laughter. The struggle was real—maintaining ladylike composure while dying inside from amusement.
"Rebecca, go fetch some water. This idiot never learns."
Victor sighed.
This wasn't the first time. Every time the seahorse slept, its tongue got stuck. Its dried saliva had freakish adhesive properties—probably some evolutionary trait.
"Mhm!" Rebecca replied, voice trembling with barely contained giggles as she hurried off.
"Me too!" Wendy bolted after her, desperate for a place to laugh freely.
Victor massaged his temples, suddenly tempted to disown this creature.
'...Wonder if its meat's any good?'
The seahorse shuddered, as if sensing the dark thought, and froze like a statue, silently begging for someone to free its tongue.
---
By the time Rebecca and Wendy returned (after thoroughly laughing their fill), the sky had begun to lighten.
Gion emerged from the cabin only after sunrise, her face screaming "I didn't get enough sleep—don't talk to me." (What she'd been doing all night, no one knew.)
By noon, the crew lounged under the mild sun, drowsy and content. With Peace Island nearing and the seahorse handling navigation, life was blissfully relaxed.
Around 1 PM, most had dozed off. Those still awake occupied themselves quietly—all except the seahorse, which pulled the ship with admirable dedication, tongue lolling out from exertion.
Then—
Victor's eyes snapped open.
His Observation Haki had detected multiple monstrous presences.
He glanced at the seahorse. Oblivious, it kept swimming—until a gigantic dark water column erupted right in front of it.
The beast jolted to a stop, but the ship's momentum carried it forward, smashing the seahorse's head into another swollen lump before halting.
'Poor thing. That forehead's taken too much abuse.'
The water pillar soared 500 meters high before collapsing, revealing a dinosaur-like Sea King at its core.
Then, more emerged—multiple colossal Sea Kings, surrounding the ship.
The seahorse freaked out, fins clutching the bow as it hyperventilated, snot and tears streaming. "WE'RE ALL GONNA DIE!!!"
The recruits woke to this nightmare, legs turning to jelly at the sight.
How do you escape when surrounded by Sea Kings?
Short of the ship growing wings, there was no way out. Some female recruits burst into tears.
"Phoebe! What the hell?! Since when are there this many Sea Kings here?!" Barnett's voice shook, though he remained outwardly calm.
"Barnett... I checked the charts. We've entered the 'Calm Belt.' Peace Island is on its edge, but the idiot on permanent watch fell asleep and didn't notice our course deviation. The seahorse dragged us right into it!"
Phoebe's hands trembled, but she delivered the explanation clearly.
"Did this beast 'try' to kill us?!" Barnett muttered, staring blankly.
Phoebe shook her head helplessly.
"Likely an accident. Look at it—it's terrified too. Sea beasts are prey for Sea Kings. It wouldn't kamikaze us."
Gion sighed. One or two Sea Kings, she could handle. But this many? Hopeless.
Victor scanned the crew before locking eyes with her.
Gion gave a slight, resigned shake of her head. 'No way out.'
His gaze returned to the seahorse—still a pitiful, quivering mess.
'Probably pissed itself underwater.'
Victor stood up and walked step by step toward the bow.
Each footfall landed solidly, the sound growing louder and more resonant with every stride.
By the time he reached the prow, his final step sent a tremor through the entire deck—like the reverberation of a drumskin, rippling outward in waves.
A deep, thunderous 'boom' echoed in all directions.
Instantly, the screams, murmurs, and panicked chatter aboard the ship ceased.
Silence.
Even the encircling Sea Kings halted their roars, their massive eyes locking onto the small figure at the bow.
To the humans—and the Sea Kings—that figure seemed to grow taller with each passing second. An invisible pressure thickened the air.
Victor's left hand gripped 'Chikara's' scabbard.
'Ting.'
A single, crystalline sound—barely more than the flick of a fingernail against steel—yet it pierced the silence like a gunshot.
Every soul on board heard it.
Every Sea King heard it.
The noise came from Victor's thumb, nudging 'Chikara' just five inches free of its sheath.
The exposed blade caught the light, gleaming with a cold, lethal edge.
Every pair of eyes—human and monster alike—locked onto that sliver of steel. Unwilling. Unable. To look away.
"Ladies and gentlemen," Victor spoke, voice calm but edged with steel. "Today, we've lost our way and trespassed into your domain. We ask for passage—a single path forward—so we may leave peacefully."
He tilted his head up slightly, brows furrowed like drawn swords, gaze sharp enough to cut.
"I hope you'll grant me this courtesy."
His presence swelled, oppressive and unyielding.
Over the past two years, Victor had slain countless Sea Kings—some nearly as large as these. Though the ones before him now were bigger, the killing intent radiating from him was something far more terrifying.
Especially to marine life.
Even the seahorse often startled at the aura Victor unconsciously emitted.
He was ready.
One wrong move, and 'Chikara' would leave its sheath entirely.
His words carried a blade's sharpness, cutting through the tension.
These ancient Sea Kings understood human speech.
Victor's display wasn't just a request—it was a challenge to their dominance.
Fighting didn't worry him. His newly perfected slash hungered for a test.
But the recruits…
If the Sea Kings struck, he might not save them in time. A single swipe could send the entire ship to the depths.
The lead Sea King—the dinosaur-like behemoth—stared at Victor, its massive eyes flickering with something like consideration.
It glanced at the other Sea Kings.
A minute of silence passed.
Then—
Its jaws parted.
No sound emerged, but the Sea Kings blocking the ship's rear parted, opening a path.
The message was clear.
"My thanks."
Victor didn't move, remaining perfectly still. Only his eyes flicked toward the seahorse.
The beast jolted, spun around, and bolted, fins blurring as it hauled the ship through the gap at breakneck speed.
They hadn't ventured deep into the Calm Belt. Escape came swiftly.
Behind them, the Sea Kings didn't disperse or dive.
They simply watched the retreating ship, their massive forms silent sentinels.
Occasionally, a jaw would move—but no sound came.
Had someone with the "Voice of All Things" been present, they'd have heard:
"Why let them go? The Calm Belt is forbidden."
"That human… carries the shadow of a slaughterhouse."
"He's slain countless of our witless kin. His killing intent is palpable—only we of the sea can sense its true depth. Terrifying."
"The 800-year covenant nears its end. I smell fate upon him."
"Enough. Return to your posts."
And with that, the leviathans sank beneath the waves.