"Splutter" was heard as a pirate's head was chopped off. A strong man clad in armor stood atop the sea. Suddenly, a spear shot from his hand, piercing several other pirates one by one. A sunken ship emerged from beneath his feet. Steering the ship, he sailed to a nearby island.
Accompanying him ashore were several members of his clan. Once out of the water, the man's complexion appeared even paler, and his eagle-like eyes constantly swept the surroundings.
"Any movement to the south?" he asked.
"Not much of a problem, the rule is fairly stable," a subordinate replied, "It won't be long before we can dominate the entire Caribbean. This will help us gain the trust of the Seven Kings."
The leader nodded. But at this moment, another subordinate said, "Recently, a few unfamiliar ships arrived in the eastern seas, they look like they belong to that big country."
The man immediately halted, turned around, and asked, "Big country? You mean America?"
"Yes, it seems like they are their police, specialized ocean police. They are constantly patrolling the seas."
"Patrolling? What's out there on the sea?"
"In fact, nothing, nothing on the seabed either. But their search range is extensive, they seem to be looking for something."
"Send someone to find out what they're looking for." The man shifted his weapon to another hand and said, "Those guys who call themselves Americans are the most cunning and deceitful, they better not try to obstruct me."
Entering the tent on land, the man sat down. Soon, another subordinate reported, "Your Highness, we captured a policeman, do you want to see him?"
"Let him in."
The policeman, drenched and shivering, looked terrified. Sitting there, the man asked in accented English, "What are you looking for?"
"I...I don't know..."
A spear flew past his ear. The policeman screamed and then said, "I really don't know. They just said there's some weapon in the sea, insisting we dredge it up! We're just doing our job, who knows what those big shots are thinking!"
"Weapon? What kind of weapon?" The man's first thought was of the large cannons used by the human race, but he also knew most human artifacts become unusable once they fall into the sea, and no one would bother retrieving them. So what are they after?
"I...I don't really know. I've only heard that it can be used underwater... or else... I could call back and ask..."
"You better not think of tipping anyone off," he said, "though you certainly won't leave here alive, I assume you have a wife and kids, right?"
The policeman swallowed hard, then said, "I'll find out for you, just don't harm them."
The man nodded. The trembling policeman dialed the phone and said, "Well, we...we seem to have found something... but... you have to tell me specifically what it looks like before we can decide if we need to dredge it... Trident? The mythical kind?"
The man stood up abruptly. His subordinate immediately stepped forward to salute and then said, "Prince Orm, they must be talking about the golden trident."
Orm quickly walked out to the coast, gazing at the ocean, then said, "I certainly know, the legend is true, there really is a golden trident."
"But why would humans want to find this thing?" the subordinate asked puzzledly, "They don't intend to rule the seas, even if they find it, they can't use it."
Orm took a deep breath and said, "They can't use it, someone else can. Where has my dear fiancée gone?"
"Sorry, Your Highness, we haven't found her either," the subordinate said helplessly, "It's initially presumed she might have gone ashore."
"These women are never obedient, only absolute force and power can make them submit." Orm lightly flared his nostrils, showing a hint of ferocity, then said, "Tsunami plan suspended, I need to know why humans are searching for the golden trident, and whether they can actually find it."
The subordinate received the order and went to investigate immediately. Clearly, the A.R.G.U.S., controlled by agents, was leaking information like a sieve, resulting in Shiller and his subordinates' conversation being transmitted verbatim to Orm.
"Bastard..." Orm looked up with a fierce expression but quickly regained his blank facade and said, "Mera does not approve of my plan, she must have gone to that bastard, wanting to use him to stop me, but she is too naive."
"And the humans, they want to retrieve the golden trident to help that bastard defeat me. I won't let them succeed."
"Do we also need to find it, Your Highness?"
"Search for it, make sure to be faster than them!"
"Yes!"
Maine on the East Coast of the United States, is the most northeastern state in America, almost nestled into Canadian territory. Even so, it boasts a long coastline. And Port of Mercy is just an inconspicuous coastal town along this coastline.
The Lighthouse Keeper Tom is a true-blue local of Port of Mercy, living a somewhat dull but always steady life like other townspeople here. Until this day, he broke his usual tradition of not visiting the bar during the day and entered the only bar in town.
As soon as he entered, he heard the TV broadcasting: "Mysterious Man saves the hijacked submarine, is he a sea monster or a hero…"
The next image was a familiar face. Tom saw his son appeared on the news report, and at that moment, everyone in the bar cheered.
A tall figure walked over from the other side and sat down next to Tom. He turned to him and said with a smile, "I knew you would come here."
Tom smiled and patted his shoulder, saying, "You did the right thing. You saved a lot of people. I'm proud of you, Arthur."
The tall man known as Arthur took the drink from the bartender's hand. The bartender knocked on the table and said, "This one's on me, big hero."
Arthur laughed again. Just as he was about to say something, he turned his head and saw a tall, burly man standing behind him, looking quite unfriendly.
Arthur was a bit puzzled. He knew this man; he was the town's mob boss. Although he had a bad temper and often got into arguments with people, he wasn't too bad. Moreover, the Lighthouse Keeper was a very important role, and the townspeople generally wouldn't want to offend him easily. After all, the light from the lighthouse was the hope guiding fishermen home, and everyone owed him a debt of gratitude. Sometimes, his words carried more weight than the mayor's.
Arthur clenched his fists, ready to teach this bunch a lesson if they dared to act out of line. He would show them how he defeated the pirates on the submarine.
But to his surprise, the tall mob boss simply hugged him and pulled out his phone to take a selfie with him. Arthur was a bit helpless, but he still smiled at the camera.
The mob boss extended his hand for a handshake and said, "Well done, Arthur. You and your father are good people. God bless you both."
Arthur returned a smile and sat back in his seat. Tom looked at him and asked, "How does it feel to be famous?"
Arthur shook his head and said, "This isn't really fame. It was only a thirty-second spot on the news. It would be true fame if one day the golden channel had my name all over it."
Tom also laughed and said, "Don't chase fame, just follow your heart..."
"I know, stay kind and be a good person." Arthur nodded.
After finishing their drinks, they drove home. Halfway there, Arthur suddenly saw something ahead. He thought it was a deer, so he slowed down to avoid it, only to find it was a woman with strange red hair.
Arthur slowly came to a stop, opened the car door, and got out. He looked her up and down and then asked, "Are you okay?"
The woman stepped forward and took a look at him. Suddenly, she reached out and touched his shoulder. Arthur immediately stepped back warily. The woman, however, seemed relieved and said, "It really is you."
"Who are you?"
"Mera, I'm from the Sea Clan."
"Sea Clan?"
"Yes, and so are you. I came here to find you."
Arthur thought about it. He didn't dispute the fact that he was from the Sea Clan, because he knew that ordinary humans couldn't function freely in the water, let alone possess his immense strength. And regarding his mother, his father had always been vague. Now it seemed he might indeed be a hybrid of the Sea Clan and the human race.
"Alright, what do you want with me? If it's to plead for those pirates, then we might have to have a fight."
"Pirates? What pirates? I came to find you for something related to the sea," Mera said, looking at him, "The Prince of the Sea Clan, Orm, wants to rule the entire world. He's planning to start a war."
Arthur turned and walked away.
"Hey, don't go!" Mera chased after him, saying, "He plans to conquer the Seven Kings of the Sea first, and then annex the Mainland. The entire land world will be destroyed..."
"Stop playing video games, what do you think this is? Metal Slug?" Arthur said, exasperated, as he walked back to the car and drove off. Mera reluctantly raised a hand, and a curtain of water blocked the car.
Arthur was instantly angry since his dad was still in the car. So he jumped out of the car and charged at Mera. Mera, not used to the land, was directly tackled to the ground.
Arthur grabbed her by the neck and said, "Stop bothering me."
But then, his father rushed out of the car, wrapped his arms around Arthur's waist, and pushed him aside, saying, "What are you doing! You can't treat a lady like that! It's too violent!"
Mera got up from the ground, wiping the water off her cheek, and said, "I'm not joking. That Orm is a complete madman. It won't be long before he causes a tsunami. He calls it a warning to the human race, and many people will die!"
Arthur was still unwilling to believe, but Tom seemed to remember something. He said, "Your princess... I mean..."
"She was exiled," Mera sighed and said, "She had a conflict with the old king. Although she ultimately married her fiancé and gave birth to Orm, she's been exiled to the trench and is probably dead by now."
Tom took a deep breath, looking shocked and unable to believe it. He staggered and almost fell to the side. Arthur quickly supported him and shot a glare at Mera.
"I'm sorry," Tom said, looking at Arthur, "About your mother, I..."
"It's okay, Dad, if you don't want to talk about it, forget it. It's all in the past," Arthur said, "I think life now is pretty good. Don't overthink it."
"No... no..." Tom suddenly straightened up and looked at Arthur, saying, "We need to find a way to stop them."
Arthur frowned and looked at his father, a bit confused. Tom shook his head and said, "You don't know what happened back then, those strange people who came ashore... you two come with me, I'll take you somewhere."