"See anything?" Nami asked. "Nothing particularly noteworthy."
Meiser, with his Sharingan activated, scanned the surroundings but found no trace of anything resembling a cave.
Could they have come to the wrong place?
"Eh?!"
Brook stared at Meiser in shock. "Mr. Meiser, how can you see anything around here? It's pitch black!"
Although Shark Three had lights, their illumination range was too limited, making visibility extremely poor.
"The Sharingan has night vision," Meiser said, pointing to his eyes. "Didn't I mention that before?"
"Not at all!!"
Meiser: ...
Well, now that he thought about it, he really hadn't told his crewmates about his night vision ability.
"Ahahaha, that's amazing, Meiser!"
Luffy excitedly looked at Meiser. "Can I get eyes like that too?"
If he had eyes like that, he wouldn't even need to turn on the lights!
That way... he could sneak into the kitchen at night to grab meat without Sanji noticing because of the light!
At this thought, Luffy's eyes practically sparkled.
"No, these eyes are unique to me," Meiser replied, glancing back at Luffy. "Unless I gouge them out and give them to you."
Luffy: ...
"Never mind, then."
He would never do anything to harm his crewmates.
"Mr. Meiser, how can you say something so terrifying with a straight face...?" Brook said. "Those are eyes, you know...!"
What kind of talk was gouging out eyes? That was horrifying!
Meiser merely blinked. Was it really that scary?
Where he came from, plenty of people had their eyes gouged out.
"Meiser is as scary as Robin..." Usopp muttered.
Nico Robin simply smiled at this without comment.
"Meiser, Shark Three's maximum diving depth is only 5,000 meters. Be careful," Franky reminded.
He hoped these three wouldn't get too carried away and forget about this—it would be bad if something went wrong.
Checking the depth gauge, Meiser nodded. "Understood."
"Eh?!"
"What was that just now?" Brook pointed ahead. "Mr. Meiser, look! The light just reflected off something!"
Hearing Brook's words, Meiser turned to scan the water but saw nothing suspicious...
"Hmm?!"
Through the side window, Meiser suddenly spotted a massive sea creature!
"Is that... a Sea King?"
In Meiser's vision, a Sea King with a rabbit-like head floated not far from Shark Three, staring intently at them.
As if sensing his gaze, the creature's eyes suddenly gleamed menacingly, and it charged straight toward Shark Three.
At that moment, even Brook and Luffy—who lacked night vision—could see those terrifying eyes.
"A... a Sea King!" Brook screamed.
"Meat!"
Luffy was staring excitedly at the approaching Sea King, his expression making it seem like he wasn't looking at a giant sea beast but rather a massive piece of meat.
Meiser: "..."
Glancing at Luffy's enthusiastic face, Meiser couldn't help but comment, "You really never forget about food, do you?"
Brook, seeing Meiser still finding time to banter with Luffy, was utterly exasperated. "Mr. Meiser, now's not the time for this! We need to run!"
They were currently 5,000 meters underwater. If Shark Three got destroyed by the Sea King... only Meiser, a ninja proficient in Water Release, might survive.
"Hey, what's going on? What Sea King?!" Nami's anxious voice came through. "What's happening down there?"
"Nothing much, just a Sea King trying to eat us," Meiser replied with a grin.
Nami: "..."
Was laughing really appropriate at a time like this?
"Hmph, the underwater isn't just your domain, big guy."
As the Sea King drew closer, Meiser didn't hesitate to activate his ninjutsu.
"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!"
"BOOM!!"
Under the influence of Chakra, the seawater began to churn violently, swirling around Shark Three and gradually taking the shape of a dragon.
However, Meiser's technique also caused the underwater currents to fluctuate intensely, making Shark Three sway uncontrollably and descend rapidly!
"Uh-oh..."
Hearing the creaking sounds from Shark Three, Meiser's expression changed. He immediately stopped channeling Chakra, forcibly halting the technique.
It was clear that Meiser had realized a problem—using ninjutsu like this would jeopardize Shark Three.
He wasn't worried for himself; he could likely survive using the Swimming Fish Technique. But Luffy and Brook were vulnerable to seawater!
"Mr. Meiser..." Brook spoke up. "Was this part of your plan too?"
"Ahahaha, this is so fun!"
Luffy laughed heartily, clearly oblivious to the severity of the situation.
"Obviously not," Meiser admitted. "And... we're still descending."
Brook: "???"
"AHHH!!!"
Realizing the danger, Brook screamed in panic, accidentally knocking over the Den Den Mushi.
Coincidentally, Luffy also stumbled over due to the turbulent currents and crushed the receiver underfoot.
Crack...
"What happened now?!" Nami demanded.
But this time, there was no response.
"The Den Den Mushi got cut off..." Usopp said grimly.
Had something gone wrong with Meiser and the others? That shouldn't be possible—with Meiser, a Water Release expert, why would there be an accident?
"What do we do?"
"Don't worry. Meiser is skilled in Water Release Techniques. Even if something goes wrong, he can bring Luffy and the others back," Nico Robin reassured.
"But that's 5,000 meters down..."
"Trust him."
Nami opened her mouth but could only nod in the end. Right now, they had no choice but to rely on Meiser.
Meanwhile, due to the currents, Shark Three had descended another hundred meters. But thanks to Meiser quickly adjusting the controls, the machine finally stabilized.
"W-we're saved...
?
"Mr. Meiser, how are you keeping your balance?" Brook asked in shock, staring at Meiser.
The man had been sitting perfectly still without moving an inch since earlier.
Meanwhile, he and Mr. Luffy had been tossed around by the turbulent currents.
"Just a Ninja's specialty," Meiser replied before glancing at Shark Three's mechanical arm.
Though there were no leaks, the strange noises persisted—if this continued, problems were inevitable.
With that in mind, Meiser swiftly adjusted course and sped toward the surface at full throttle.
This sudden movement caught the attention of the sea beast.
Earlier, it had paused due to the shifting currents, but now that the disturbance had vanished, it wasn't about to let its prey escape.
With a furious roar, the massive beast charged after Shark Three.
"Oh no, it's chasing us!"
Peering through the rearview mirror, Brook spotted the creature's glowing eyes and screamed, "Mr. Meiser, speed up! Faster!"
"I've already got the pedal to the metal!"
Glancing back at the pursuing Sea King, Meiser scowled. "Just wait till we reach the surface."
Today, he was going to make sure this thing ended up as his meal.
Soon, Shark Three burst through the waves with a thunderous splash.
"Whoosh—"
"BOOM!!"
Hearing the commotion, the others rushed over and sighed in relief upon seeing Shark Three intact.
"Looks like everything's fine," Franky said.
As long as Shark Three wasn't damaged, the people inside would be safe.
"Bang!"
Meiser flung open the hatch and immediately dashed onto the water's surface.
"Huh?"
"What's Meiser up to?"
Merry blinked in confusion at his aggressive stance.
"Yohohoho, I believe Mr. Meiser intends to settle the score with that sea beast," Brook remarked as he stepped out.
"A sea beast, huh..."
The next moment, an enormous Sea King erupted from the water—its sheer size even dwarfing the Thousand Sunny!
"BOOM!"
The moment it surfaced, the Sea King locked onto the Thousand Sunny and let out a deafening roar.
"ROAR!!"
"Somehow, this guy doesn't seem that big," Usopp muttered.
"Probably because we've seen Meiser fight Oars before."
"Yeah, true."
The group exchanged glances before nodding in agreement.
"Hey, big guy!" Meiser shouted. "You were pretty bold earlier, huh?"
Sea King: ???
Hearing the voice, the Sea King instinctively looked down and spotted a tiny figure standing on the water.
Huh?
Standing on the water?
This discovery made the Sea King widen its eyes—it had never seen another Sea King capable of that.
But the next second, it flew into a rage.
How dare this insignificant speck challenge it?
"ROAR!!"
With another roar, the Sea King lunged at Meiser, jaws gaping wide to swallow him whole.
"You still dare to act tough up here?!"
Snorting, Meiser vanished from sight.
Sea King: ???
Where'd he go?
The next instant, Meiser reappeared right in front of it—and delivered a devastating punch.
"BAM!!"
A tremendous force struck the Sea King's abdomen, causing its eyes to bulge out.
"!"
The Sea King let out a shriek of pain, spewing a fountain of blood from its mouth.
"BAM!"
Its massive body crashed onto the sea surface, creating enormous waves.
That single punch nearly knocked it unconscious.
But its intense will to survive forced it back to awareness, and it immediately turned to flee toward the depths.
"Hmm?"
"It can still run?"
With a cold laugh, Meiser activated his Ninjutsu.
"Swimming Fish Dance!"
"Whoosh—"
Like an agile fish, Meiser plunged into the water, charging straight for the Sea King.
Huh?
Sensing the killing intent behind it, the Sea King instinctively glanced back—and nearly lost its soul from terror.
From its perspective, the human who had almost killed it with a single punch was now darting through the water even faster than it could.
It knew it was doomed.
The next instant, the figure in its vision vanished.
"Water Release: Water Instantaneous Body Technique!"
"Acceleration: Super Strength Fist!!"
"BAM!!"
A devastating blow smashed directly into the Sea King's skull, shattering it completely.
The critically wounded Sea King immediately rolled its eyes back, losing consciousness as blood gushed uncontrollably from the wound, staining the surrounding seawater.
Rumor had it that Sea King meat was incredibly delicious—this time, he was definitely going to try it.
Grinning at his kill, Meiser grabbed the creature's body and surged toward the surface.
"BOOM!!"
As he broke through the water, a massive spray erupted, catching his crewmates' attention.
"Ah!"
"It's Meiser! He's back!"
"He actually took down a Sea King..."
Brook stared in shock at Meiser standing on the water, dragging the Sea King behind him.
This wasn't just hunting a Sea King on the surface—this was in the open ocean.
The Sea King's home turf!!
Meiser's strength... was truly terrifying.
"Hey, Sanji, what do we do with this thing?" Meiser called out.
Killing it was no problem, but handling such a massive Sea King was beyond him.
When no response came, a question mark popped up over Meiser's head.
"Sanji?"
He distinctly remembered Sanji being on deck when he left.
"Right now, he probably can't hear anything outside..."
Nami glanced at Sanji, who was lying motionless on the ground, and twitched her lips.
The guy had been knocked down by that mermaid girl earlier and hadn't moved since.
Maybe... he was lost in his own world now?
Meiser: ???
A question mark appeared in Meiser's eyes. What did that mean?
Just then, Meiser noticed something at the ship's edge—a... starfish?
"Wow, you actually defeated a Sea Beast?!" Pappag exclaimed, staring at Meiser in awe. "Amazing!"
"A talking starfish?!"
Meiser gaped at Pappag, completely unprepared for it to speak.
"Hey—you just took down a Sea Beast! Why are you shocked by a talking starfish?!"
"Uh... because it's not the same thing," Meiser said.
Though he didn't understand what was going on, he decided to wait until they returned to the ship to learn more about this talking starfish from his crewmates.
With that thought, Meiser ignored the talking starfish and walked over to the Sea King's body.
After giving it a thorough look, he stroked his chin and remarked, "Even though it's a Sea King, it should be similar to a fish. So the tasty parts should be the same."
Having decided, Meiser immediately used Ninjutsu to begin cutting.
"Water Release: Water Severing Wave!"
"Whoosh~"
The sharp, high-pressure water jet effortlessly sliced off an enormous piece of meat.
Witnessing this, Pappag was utterly dumbfounded.
Not only could this guy defeat a sea beast, but now he was spitting out seawater?! What kind of ability was that?!
This guy... could he be a fishman?!
"Hmm, this should be enough to eat," Meiser nodded.
Even with Luffy's appetite, this massive chunk of meat would be impossible to finish.
Just then, the sea began to tremble, as if something terrifying was about to emerge.
The next moment, a gigantic wolf-shaped Sea King appeared on the ocean's surface.
Clearly, it had been drawn by the scent of blood.
"ROAR!"
But the moment it roared, it sensed an overwhelming killing intent enveloping its entire body—as if any unnecessary movement would mean instant death.
Cold sweat instantly broke out as it instinctively turned toward the source of the murderous aura.
"Scram," Meiser said coldly.
The Sea King: "..."
Without a second thought, the wolf-shaped Sea King turned and plunged back into the sea, vanishing without a trace.
"H-He... scared off a Sea King?!"
Camie stared at the man on the water's surface in shock, her eyes filled with disbelief.
With just a single sentence, he had frightened away a Sea King?!
Just how terrifying was this man?!
"That prey was mine to take—not yours to eat."
Meiser snorted. Had that creature lingered even a second longer, he would have casually lopped off its head too.
"What a terrifying man..."
Pappag gulped. Just what kind of people... had they been rescued by?!