"What the hell is this?!"
The helmsman gripped the steering wheel with both hands, expertly maneuvering the ship to dodge the sea beasts attacking its underside. But the creatures wouldn't give up, attacking the
crew while chasing the ship, making the Red Hair Pirates feel like they weren't fighting wild beasts, but a highly intelligent army.
On land, they would have nothing to fear, but on the sea, no one dared to underestimate Sea Kings or Deep Sea Kings, especially when they came in swarms.
"Should we go back to the island?" one crew member asked the helmsman as he fired his gun at the Deep Sea Kings chasing them.
"Are you an idiot?! Arderay is the only island nearby!" the helmsman yelled back. The Captain had just said that this was Alucard's doing. Although he didn't know what trick Alucard used, running back to Arderay now would be like walking into a tiger's den.
In mid-air, Shanks stood on the head of a giant Deep Sea King. After deflecting two attacks, he spun around and kicked a long-necked Deep Sea King that looked like a giraffe, sending it flying. He then leapt off the water and back to the ship's stern.
"This is getting ridiculous, isn't it?" Shanks couldn't help but sigh as he watched the Deep Sea Kings swarm toward them like an endless wave of zombies. This was just too much.
CRASH!
Suddenly, a giant sea serpent burst out of the water and slammed its head into the Red Force's hull, causing the ship to tilt dangerously and almost capsize.
"Damn it!"
Shanks unleashed another burst of Conqueror's Haki, stunning dozens of the Deep Sea Kings, and then slammed his hand onto the deck, righting the ship and preventing it from overturning. But this was only a temporary solution. Two minutes later...
ROAR, ROAR, ROAR!
An endless stream of new sea beasts burst from the deep, surrounding the Red Force once again.
"I've had enough!" A new crew member of the Red Hair Pirates shouted in frustration, clutching his head in his hands. "What do these guys want from us?!"
Shanks had already stunned the sea beasts with his Conqueror's Haki twice, but a new batch had appeared in less than two minutes. It was understandable, as sea beasts, Sea Kings, and Deep Sea Kings all lived in the Grand Line and the Calm Belt. The question was, why were they only attacking the Red Hair Pirates? Sea beasts didn't usually attack every ship they saw; otherwise, no one would dare sail. But these sea beasts were acting like they had mad cow disease, relentlessly charging at them for some reason.
Releasing Conqueror's Haki three times in a row was starting to take a toll on Shanks. Every technique had a side effect, big or small, and Conqueror's Haki was no exception.
"When the first group of them wakes up, this is going to be an endless loop, isn't it?" Shanks said with a wry smile, thinking back to the three Ancient Weapons he had heard about during his time with Roger. There was Pluton, with the power to destroy an island in one blow. There was Poseidon, with the power to command all the world's oceans. And there was Uranus, the most mysterious, with the power of the skies.
The scene unfolding before him reminded Shanks of the second Ancient Weapon, Poseidon.
"This is really happening, huh..." Shanks said with a bitter smile. This was truly a perilous situation. Who knew how many sea beasts were in this ocean? He didn't have Roger's Observation Haki, which could perceive the voices of all things.
But just as the Red Hair Pirates were preparing for a life-or-death battle, the sea beasts that had been glaring at them and preparing to attack suddenly lost their will to fight. Their eyes went blank, and they began to dive into the ocean and swim away.
The Red Hair Pirates, who had just been preparing to die fighting, were now completely dumbfounded. What... was going on?
"Beckman, what's happening?" a crew member asked their strategist. But Beckman looked just as confused. "Who knows? All I know is that this is the perfect time to retreat!"
Beckman immediately turned to the helmsman. "Full speed ahead! Let's go!" "On it!"
Beckman walked to the stern and watched the distant Arderay with Shanks, which was now just a tiny dot.
"What did you figure out?" As the first person to follow Shanks, Beckman was more in tune with his captain's thoughts.
"We can't deal with him yet," Shanks said, shaking his head. "I agree, but why…"
"Alright! We survived! Time for a party!" Shanks cut Beckman off, avoiding the question, and turned to excitedly rejoin his crew.
"This guy…"
Faced with Shanks' attitude, Beckman had no choice but to rub the back of his head and temporarily give up on finding the answer.
On the coast of Arderay, Wolf climbed out of the sea and onto the shore. Shirahoshi looked exhausted, leaning against a reef on the beach, while Viola gently stroked her hair and comforted her.
Alucard walked to Shirahoshi's other side and looked at the calm sea, where just five minutes ago, thousands of sea beasts had been swimming.
"Is this your limit?" Alucard said in a flat tone, his emotions unreadable. Shirahoshi took a breath and replied in her unique, soft voice, "Yes."
"Well done. For your first time using it in a real battle, you were able to force the Red Hair Pirates to this point," Alucard praised her.
"Thank you~~" Shirahoshi gave a cute smile.
At just seven years old, she had already been able to corner the Red Hair Pirates like this. Who knew what she would be capable of in the future? While it was true that they had the advantage of a sea battle, most of a pirate's battles took place on the sea, after all.