"Hey, did you hear? There's a massive Sea King tailing us—about twenty meters long."
"What? A Sea King? We usually don't run into them in the Calm Belt with this ship, do we? Let alone one that keeps following."
Many Marines looked confused.
"Forget that—wanna go watch?"
"Watch what?"
"Garp's grandson, Raifeng, is going to personally deal with it."
"No way."
"It's true."
In an instant, the ship buzzed with noise and excitement.
Koby and Helmeppo were also drawn in.
"A twenty-meter Sea King…?" Helmeppo swallowed. "Can Raifeng really do it?"
"Come on," Koby said, stopping his training. "Let's go see."
They rushed to the rear deck.
By the time they arrived, the place was packed.
Almost every Marine on board had gathered, filling the back of the deck with a noisy crowd.
Then Bogard's voice cut through everything:
"Silence!"
The entire deck went quiet.
Not a single person dared speak.
But curiosity and anticipation burned in everyone's eyes as they stared at the small figure beside Bogard—
Raifeng, holding a katana.
Koby and Helmeppo watched with tense expressions.
"I caught a glimpse earlier," Helmeppo whispered. "That Sea King is definitely over twenty meters. A real large-class one."
"Can Raifeng really do it…?" Koby asked, just as unsure.
Many people shared the same doubt.
After all—
That was a twenty-meter Sea King.
Raifeng was only seven.
No matter how talented…
Could he really handle something like that?
"Garp's grandson is seven years old!"
"Taking on a Sea King that big… that's gotta be difficult, right?"
"I just remembered—when I was seven, I still wet the bed sometimes."
"Compared to him… I've lived my whole life like a dog."
Low murmurs spread through the crowd.
Garp stood beside Raifeng and squinted at the shadow in the sea.
"Brat. You sure you can do this?"
With his eye alone, Garp estimated the Sea King was closer to twenty-three meters.
Even he had doubts.
Raifeng laughed.
"Old man, worst case scenario… you're still here, aren't you?"
"I'm just using this to polish my swordsmanship."
"As for whether it works—"
He tapped the blade lightly.
"That depends on this sword."
"You're asking me what the outcome will be?"
"Honestly… even I don't know."
"But I believe my swordsmanship won't embarrass me."
Garp didn't reply.
He simply watched.
Under countless eyes—
Raifeng slowly raised his katana.
The blade flashed in the sunlight, sharp enough to sting the eye.
In that moment, the smile on his face vanished.
His gaze became still.
His breathing settled.
His eyes were like a lake with no ripples—silent, unfathomable.
And then—
A faint presence spread from him.
A razor-like pressure swept outward.
Bogard, standing closest, felt it first.
"Swordsman's edge…" he thought, stunned.
"It's even stronger than when he fought Koby this morning."
"What a terrifying monster…"
That sharp aura expanded inch by inch across the deck.
Many Marines shivered without understanding why.
Koby swallowed hard.
"Raifeng's presence… it's deeper than before."
"It feels… bottomless."
He suddenly felt something crushing in his chest.
All his extra training, all his effort—
it felt meaningless.
No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't even see Raifeng's back.
The gap was too big.
Even Garp's eyelid twitched.
He chose not to speak, not to disturb the silence.
At this moment, Raifeng looked like a blade that had not yet left its sheath—
but could split the world the instant it did.
The young, small body…
yet everyone unconsciously looked up at him with awe.
"He has everything a true swordsman should have," Bogard thought.
And he was only seven.
Even worse—
his growth speed was terrifying.
Raifeng stared at the Sea King shadow about ten-plus meters away, moving beneath the surface.
His eyes sharpened.
Then—
A faint purple glow began to gather around his blade.
Thin at first… then clearer.
The purple light wrapped the katana's edge, making it look strangely ominous.
Cold.
A chilling sensation radiated from the sword and drifted outward.
Bogard's pupils shrank.
"This… this is—"
He stared at the purple aura around the blade, shocked.
No way.
Don't tell him—
Raifeng had already touched that realm?
A realm that symbolized a real swordsman:
A flying slash.
The mark of an accomplished swordsman—
And Raifeng, unbelievably—
had reached the threshold of it.
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