The sea lay silent and still, its surface as smooth as polished glass—like an endless sheet of blue silk stretching toward the horizon.
The reflection of the sky shimmered upon it, a tranquil blend of blue and white that seemed to erase the line between heaven and ocean.
A small wooden boat cut gently through the calm waters, leaving behind a soft trail of ripples.
At the bow stood Loshue, facing the wind with his usual calm resolve.
"Twelve Commander Points, huh…" he muttered under his breath.
After taking down Arlong and completing that commission, he had earned a bounty of 120 million Berries. According to the system's calculation, that translated to twelve Commander Points.
"So basically, ten million Berries equals one point?"
He hissed between his teeth. "Damn, that's expensive!"
"Open the system space."
As soon as the words echoed in his mind, a vast, ethereal space appeared within his consciousness.
Suspended in the air were ten mysterious masks, all shrouded in dull gray mist except for one, which pulsed faintly with a crimson glow.
It was a demonic-looking mask with twin horns, pale white brows, and lips black as ink.
"The Tala Mask…" Loshue's eyes lit up, a rare smile tugging at the corner of his lips.
If it's you, he thought, then the price is worth it.
Anyone familiar with Jackie Chan Adventures would know about the ten masks, each representing a different general under the Shadow Khan.
Mantis Mask: General of the Mantis Clan.
Ninja Mask: General of the Ninja Clan.
Razor Mask: General of the Blade Clan.
Bat Mask: General of the Bat Clan.
Sumo Mask: General of the Troll Clan.
Samurai Mask: General of the Warrior Clan.
Squid Mask: General of the Alien Clan.
Miniature Mask: General of the Shadow-Eater Clan.
Crab Mask: General of the Claw Clan.
And finally the leader above them all the Commander of the Shadow Khan: Tala.
"If the first mask I activate is Tala's, then the rest might not matter much to me," Loshue mused.
"They'd probably be better off used by others."
After all, possessing Tala's mask meant he could command the others. Instead of wearing them himself, he could distribute them building an army of masked subordinates under his control.
But that wasn't his main concern right now.
"Let's get Tala activated first."
Loshue steadied his breathing and focused his attention on the glowing mask in his mind.
"Judging by how faint the light is… I'll probably need several billion just to fully awaken it," he muttered with a bitter laugh.
At twelve Commander Points, only a small section of Tala's chin gleamed red the mask's original color.
In other words, full activation would only occur once the entire mask turned crimson.
"Well, at least now I have a rough estimate." It wasn't good news, but knowing the scale of the challenge gave him a strange sense of relief.
He shifted his gaze from the masks to the talismans floating in the same space.
There were twelve in total, but only three shone brightly the Horse, Ox, and Rabbit talismans.
A fourth one glimmered faintly between gray and light.
That was the next talisman awaiting activation: the Dragon Talisman, the very emblem of Shendu's power.
Unlocking a new talisman always required fusion building upon the abilities of the previous one.
So, to awaken the Dragon Talisman, he had to start by mastering the Rabbit Talisman.
"The Rabbit Talisman, huh… what exactly can I do with that?"
Pacing back and forth on his small sailboat, Loshue pondered deeply.
The Horse Talisman had been about healing others.
The Ox Talisman had required daily physical training.
So naturally, the Rabbit Talisman the symbol of speed must involve movement.
"Speed, huh…" His eyes narrowed as realization struck him.
"I can't just sit in the clinic every day treating people. I've got to move. To run."
He clenched his fists. "It's time to get moving."
Just then
BOOM!
A thunderous crash shattered the calm sea. His tiny boat lurched violently, nearly throwing him off balance.
A massive surge of water erupted nearby, sending towering waves crashing toward him.
With a deafening splash, the wave smashed into the boat, splitting it clean in two.
"Son of a ! You just broke my boat!"
Loshue reacted instantly, leaping onto a floating plank before glaring out across the roiling sea.
Moments later, a colossal shadow surfaced beneath him.
A massive creature emerged its scaled body glistening under the sun, the water cascading off its form like liquid glass.
"A Sea King!" Loshue's eyelids twitched. "Damn, that thing's huge!"
It had twin whiskers and a humped back like a cross between a giant catfish and, oddly enough, Mrs. Puff from SpongeBob.
Even for someone as calm as Loshue, seeing such a behemoth up close was awe-inspiring.
But awe or not, it had destroyed his boat. That called for payback.
"Alright, you overgrown sushi platter, let's talk about compensation."
As the Sea King flailed in the waves, Loshue leapt onto its back in one smooth motion.
He raised his right fist and brought it down hard.
Then again. And again.
BAM! BAM! BAM!
Each blow landed like a cannon shot, the impact vibrating through the creature's thick hide and reverberating deep into its body.
Despite its massive size, the Sea King roared in pain, thrashing across the surface in agony.
"Not bad…" Loshue flexed his knuckles, smirking. "And I wasn't even using full strength."
If he could achieve that much power with raw physical might without invoking any talisman abilities then his strength had already surpassed that of most human fighters.
Add in the Rabbit's speed and the Horse's regeneration, and he was practically a low-tier Saitama.
"Still feel like showing off?" he taunted, sitting cross-legged on the beast's head.
The Sea King whimpered pitifully, its massive eyes filled with watery despair. It didn't dare move.
It hadn't even attacked him in the first place it had just been swimming happily when some crazy human jumped out of nowhere and started pounding it!
What kind of cosmic bad luck was this?
"Don't give me that look," Loshue said, noticing its sulky expression. He slapped it lightly on the side of the face. "Now move! You're my ride."
With his boat destroyed, he needed transportation anyway. The Sea King seemed perfect fast, sturdy, and conveniently available.
After that "friendly" reminder, the creature finally got the message. With a mournful groan, it began swimming in the direction Loshue pointed.
And so, the sight of a man riding a Sea King across the Grand Line was born.
Sailors and pirates alike gawked in disbelief as the monstrous silhouette cut through the waves with Loshue perched proudly atop its head.
"Oi! Is that guy riding a Sea King?!"
"No way! That's… that's raw, natural horsepower!"
"Who the hell is that monster of a man?!"
Loshue simply grinned, arms crossed against the wind, as the Sea King surged forward beneath him his next adventure already calling from beyond the horizon.
The Dragon Talisman awaits.