A powerful Ki Blast erupted with an ear-splitting "Boom—!!!" The calm, azure sea instantly reacted as if an immense bomb had detonated beneath the waves. A colossal white column of water, more than ten meters wide, shot toward the sky like a roused Sea Dragon, its spray momentarily eclipsing the sun. Along with the crashing seawater, the bloody corpse of a gigantic Sea King—a horrifying, fifty-meter-long monstrosity—was violently ripped from the deep by the blast's fearsome power.
Crimson blood, mixed with shattered organs, immediately stained a vast area of the ocean. However, in the famously dangerous and "bountiful" waters of the Calm Belt, this level of slaughter was far from substantial. Instead, the rich scent of blood acted as the most potent magnet, instantly attracting every top predator lurking in the deep surrounding waters. Suddenly, the entire surface of the sea began to churn violently, as if it were boiling.
Countless enormous, terrifying dark shadows were swiftly converging on the deck's occupant, Takuro, from a distance. Every single shadow wanted a share of the sudden, bloody feast.
"Hahahaha! Excellent!"
On the deck, Takuro looked upon the magnificent, monstrous scene—which resembled a "Night Parade of One Hundred Demons"—and rather than showing any fear, he let out a laugh of pure excitement. He simply leaped, and with a great "splash," plunged into the deep blue water, which was already enveloped in danger and the scent of death. He clearly desired a primal, intimate battle with these overlords of the great sea.
Though he referred to it as a "battle," it was more of a solitary "slaughter"—a gruesome game played for amusement. Amidst the churning water, Takuro's two-meter figure was like an inconspicuous small fish compared to the surrounding behemoths, which were often hundreds of meters long. Yet, it was precisely this "small fish" that stirred up monstrous, chaotic waves in this hunting ground belonging to giants.
The seawater churned and exploded without end, as if countless explosives had been dropped beneath the surface. The ear-splitting, non-biological shrieks of the Sea Kings rose and fell in a cacophony of pain and rage.
After what felt like an age, that chaotic, hellish stretch of ocean gradually began to calm down. There was no longer any movement on the sea surface.
"Whoosh—!"
Takuro's figure shot out of the water like a cannonball, soaring skyward before landing steadily back on the giant ship's deck. Seawater slowly ran down his body, which was sculpted with the perfect, chiseled strength and beauty of an ancient Greek god. It traced paths along his muscular chest and abdomen. He shook his wet hair and let out a thunderous, hearty laugh of pure exhilaration.
"Extra meal! Extra meal! Tonight, we're eating well!"
As a Saiyan, he possessed an enormous appetite. While Tesoro had already stocked the ship with enough food to feed an army for months, the quality of frozen goods naturally deteriorated over time. Today, the ship's voyage had fortunately encountered such a massive Sea King nest, which made Takuro, the ultimate foodie, overjoyed. Finally, he would be able to eat something truly fresh.
He turned to Nico Robin, who was walking out of the ship's cabin, and cheerfully instructed her: "Robin! Go tell someone to salvage all those 'ingredients' down there for me! Tonight, I want roasted whole 'lamb'! No, I want a roasted whole Sea King!"
"Yes, Master."
A faint, knowing smile graced Robin's lips. Her eyes held an indescribable, captivating charm, like a perfectly ripe peach. She looked more radiant than ever before. Ever since that day, she had acquired a unique, mysterious, and alluring aura that was impossible to ignore. Here, Robin was already directing the crew to lower giant fishing nets, retrieving the mountain-like corpses of the Sea Kings that now floated on the ocean.
Meanwhile, Fisher Tiger stood on the deck, watching it all unfold with a mixture of awe and lingering fear. Although he had personally experienced Takuro's unfathomable, god-like strength during the events on Ambri Island, this was the first time he had witnessed the Saiyan take action in a true fight. One could only conclude that this man was truly a monster among monsters. Those were dozens of Sea Kings, each powerful enough to easily destroy an island! And he had jumped into the sea, all alone, to engage them in close-quarters combat?
This was simply the act of a peerless beast wearing human skin! Looking at the endless corpses floating on the sea and the crew members busily processing the "ingredients,"Tiger couldn't help but secretly congratulate himself.
'Good thing... good thing I surrendered quickly back then. I didn't actually lose my mind,' he thought to himself. 'Otherwise, my fate probably wouldn't have been much better than theirs.'
Just as he was still contemplating his wise decision from the past, Takuro's hearty laughter pulled him out of his reverie.
"Hey! Tiger! What are you spacing out for? I'm asking you, how good are you at drinking?"
Tiger was startled, but then replied humbly, "It's... it's alright. I can hold my liquor."
"Haha! That's good!"Takuro laughed heartily, walking forward and placing his strong, powerful right arm heavily onto Tiger's equally broad back. "Then tonight, I'm going to drink you under the table!"
Tiger's heart warmed at the casual camaraderie, and he, too, opened up, responding magnanimously: "Who drinks whom under the table? That's still up for debate, Boss Takuro!"
"Good! Whoever chickens out is a grandson!"
Sometimes, the friendship between men is truly that simple and direct. As the two men were bragging and exchanging playful "threats," the seawater beside them suddenly churned again! A Sea King that had luckily managed to escape the earlier slaughter suddenly surfaced from the water!
"Oh? There's still a 'fish' that got away here?"Takuro was about to make a move again, but Tiger stopped him.
"Boss Takuro!" he said, a spark of pure fighting spirit in his eyes, "Let me handle it! I'll use this as a warm-up before dinner!"
"Alright then. Go for it,"Takuro nodded indifferently.
Tiger twisted his neck and stretched his limbs, and his entire skeleton crackled with tension. With a single bound, he leaped from the deck! He was plunging straight towards the Sea King's massive, grotesque head!
"Fishman Karate Secret Art: Seven Thousand Brick Fist—!!!"
However, just as the Fish-Man was about to strike...
An extremely sharp "swish-swish-swish" sound, as if air itself was being torn apart and could cleave one's very soul, suddenly came from the distant sky!
Immediately afterward, what arrived was an extremely fast, unbelievably condensed, jet-black blade light! Wherever that incredibly sharp, soul-stirring blade light passed, even the vast sea was forcibly left with a deep, straight "scar"!
The unlucky Sea King, which had only just surfaced and was directly in the path of the blade light, didn't even have time to let out a single scream before it was instantly and cleanly sliced into two by the attack!
Tiger remained suspended in mid-air, looking utterly bewildered.
He... he just got... his kill stolen?
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