The ocean wasn't water. To Arthur, it was a crushing debt of atmospheric pressure.
The cold was absolute. His lungs burned, screaming for air that didn't exist. Above him, the surface was a shimmering sheet of obsidian, lit by the fading sparks of the destroyed dock.
[Status: Submerged / Oxygen Levels: 8%]
[Warning: Neurotoxin reactivating due to cold-induced slowing of blood flow.]
Think, Arthur commanded himself. Every crisis is an undervalued asset.
He could see the shadows of the CP9 agents above. They were fast. If he surfaced now, he'd be a target. If he stayed down, he'd be a corpse.
His "Eye of Calculation" flickered, scanning the seabed.
[Anomaly Detected: Underwater Cavern / Air Pocket (Probability: 82%)]
[Distance: 40 Meters North-West]
He kicked. His muscles felt like lead, the "Adrenaline Surge" from the guards' life-force was flickering out.
He reached the cavern entrance—a jagged crack in the coral. He pulled himself in just as his vision started to turn black.
Gasp.
He broke the surface in a cramped, dark pocket of air. He vomited salt water and blood, his chest heaving.
"System..." he rasped. "Status of the 'Fail-safe'."
[Target 'Ren' Status: Captured by World Government (CP9 Unit 4)]
[Warning: The Fail-safe carries 30% of your System's processing power.]
[Penalty: 'Future Vision' range reduced by 70% until retrieval.]
Arthur leaned his head against the cold stone. They hadn't just taken a boy; they had taken his hardware. The CP9 thought they had captured a mysterious child. They didn't realize they had stolen a piece of a "God" that was currently trying to rewrite Arthur's soul.
"They'll try to extract the data," Arthur whispered, a dark smile forming. "Good. Let them try to download a virus they can't comprehend."
Suddenly, the cave vibrated.
Thump. Thump.
The sound of footsteps. Not from the water, but from the land above the cavern.
"I know you're in there, little rat," a voice boomed. It wasn't the refined, cold tone of CP9. It was guttural, smelling of cheap rum and gunpowder.
A massive hand reached through a hole in the cave ceiling, ripping through the rock like it was wet paper.
Arthur scrambled back.
A man looked down at him. He was a giant, but not a "Giant" of Elbaf. He was a human of grotesque proportions, with a jaw made of rusted iron plates.
"Iron-Jaw" Gantz. A bounty hunter with a 15-million biri price on his head, known for "recycling" slaves.
"The CP9 guys said I could have the scraps," Gantz grinned, showing his metal teeth. "A man in a velvet coat? You look like you're worth a few gold coins in the slave pits of Tequila Wolf."
Arthur didn't move. He felt the System's prompt.
[Target: 'Iron-Jaw' Gantz]
Current Power: Tier 5 (Physical Strength Focus)
Future Potential: Low (Destined to die in a bar fight in 6 months)
Low potential... Arthur thought. Perfect. I don't need his future. I need his present.
"Gantz," Arthur said, standing up despite his trembling legs. "You have a choice. You can take me to the pits and make a few coins... or you can take me to your ship and become the King of the Underworld."
Gantz laughed, the sound echoing in the tiny cave. "A King? Look at you! You're half-dead, boy!"
"I am the man who predicted the fall of the Red Silk shipment," Arthur said, his eyes glowing with a sudden, terrifying intensity. "I am the man who walked away from Dracule Mihawk. And right now... I am the only man who can tell you that in exactly twelve seconds, a CP9 'Rankyaku' (Tempest Kick) will cut through this cave and take your head off."
Gantz froze. "What?"
"Ten," Arthur counted. "Nine... Eight..."
Outside, a whistling sound began to grow. High-pitched. Deadly.
"If you want to live," Arthur hissed. "Pull me up. Now!"
Gantz didn't think. He reached down and grabbed Arthur's collar, yanking him out of the hole just as a blue arc of compressed air sliced through the cavern, collapsing it instantly.
They stood on the cliffside, the rain pouring down. Gantz was shaking. "How... how did you know?"
Arthur didn't answer. He was looking at the harbor.
A massive Marine warship was docking. But it wasn't a standard ship. Its sails were black, and the figurehead was a golden scale.
The World Economic Journal ship.
Arthur's heart skipped a beat. If the CP9 were the "sword" and the Marines were the "shield," then the News was the "currency."
"Gantz," Arthur said, looking at the bounty hunter. "We're not going to your ship. We're going to that one."
"Are you crazy? That's Morgans' territory! Even the Marines don't mess with them!"
Arthur smiled—the first real, predatory smile since his reincarnation.
"I'm not going to mess with them, Gantz. I'm going to give them the only thing they value more than gold."
"Information?" Gantz asked.
"No," Arthur replied, his "Eye of Calculation" locking onto the ship's Captain. "A scandal that will bankrupt the World Government."
Suddenly, the System shrieked.
[CRITICAL ALERT]
[New Potential Detected in the area: 100/100]
[Entity: Unknown / Hidden]
Arthur turned his head. In the shadows of the newspaper ship, a woman stood. She was wearing a simple white dress, holding an umbrella. She looked like a noble, but her "Potential" bar was so bright it blinded the System's sensors.
She looked at Arthur and raised a si
ngle finger to her lips.
Behind her, the air itself began to ripple, and a door—a literal door in space—began to open.
[TO BE CONTINUED]