The sea monsters, who were previously swaggering and domineering, were swept into the super whirlpool and instantly turned into drowned rats, emitting roars filled with fear.
No matter how powerful an individual might be, they remained utterly helpless against the forces of nature.
However, in this context, it seemed more like a layered predator-prey relationship. The appearance of the whirlpool wasn't purely a natural phenomenon.
The roars of the sea monsters echoed across the sea. Without exception, all of them were pulled into the downward-spiraling vortex.
If even those massive sea monsters couldn't break free from the vortex's pull, the Lawlie, which is not even comparable to one of the squid's tentacles, stood no chance. It was swallowed whole in the blink of an eye.
Before being sucked into the whirlpool, Law and Biscuit acted simultaneously. They quickly brought Tonpa back to the cabin and gathered with Kuro in the captain's cabin.
By then, the Lory was already engulfed by the seawater, the hull shaking violently as if thrown into a high-speed washing machine. The ear-piercing sound of tearing metal filled the air.
This crisis had emerged too abruptly. Law had no time to deploy Divine Script, and the Lawlie's hull strength couldn't withstand such a terrifying disaster. The ship was on the verge of disintegration.
In less than ten seconds, the light abruptly dimmed, as if they had instantly sunk to the depths of the sea, where pitch-black darkness prevailed.
In the boundless darkness, seawater poured into the cabin but was blocked by Law's deployed Domain.
The water pressure increased at a terrifying rate. Within seconds, Law felt immense strain, as if everything would collapse at any moment.
He knew that if his Domain shattered, they would lose any chance of survival.
Even if it seemed like a futile struggle now, as long as they didn't give up, a glimmer of hope might appear in the next second.
"Get closer, quickly!"
Amid the violent shaking, Law gritted his teeth and called out to Tonpa and Biscuit.
In the pitch-black darkness and with the intense turbulence, moving closer to Law was challenging.
However, Biscuit, with her rich on-the-spot experience, immediately gathered aura in her eyes and used Gyo, spotting Law's position in the darkness instantly.
She alerted Tonpa and swiftly clung to Law's right waist. Tonpa, in this critical moment, unleashed considerable potential, instantly overcoming the unstable footing and also throwing himself onto Law.
To save space, Kuro turned into black smoke and retreated into Law's palm.
With everyone gathered, Law immediately contracted the range of his Domain to increase its strength and resist the continuously multiplying water pressure.
Law's plan was simple: wait for the turbulent underwater currents to weaken, then ascend to the surface. The oxygen stored in his Domain, shared among the three, could only last about ten minutes.
The most critical issue was that he didn't know how deep they had been dragged. Judging solely by the water pressure, estimating an approximate depth was extremely difficult, but it was likely considerable.
If the uncontrollable situation prolonged, their chances of survival would diminish rapidly.
Law forced himself to stay calm and avoid wild speculation.
Right now, there was only one thing to do, and that is, persist relentlessly.
About a minute passed, and the Lawlie suddenly flipped over. Law and the others slammed into the wall.
In the darkness, the sound of rushing water and the roars of sea monsters echoed.
The Lawlie was like a sink with the stopper removed, the seawater that had flooded the cabin found an outlet and gushed out in an instant.
Law and the others were pinned against the wall, the entire cabin tilted at a bizarre forty-five-degree angle.
'The environment had changed...'
The rapidly shifting signs made Law realize this, and Biscuit felt the same.
They had been underwater, but now they were clearly in a state of falling from a great height. How this transition had occurred, neither of them had a clue.
However, compared to being trapped in an endless sea vortex, falling from a great height was far preferable.
"Hold on tight!"
Law made a quick decision, gripping Tonpa and Biscuit's clothes tightly. He broke through the cabin and emerged outside, where pitch-black darkness still prevailed.
Just then, a soft white light approached from above, moving from far to near at incredible speed.
They instinctively looked up, their faces filled with horror.
The source of the light was a massive lantern from a giant anglerfish.
Around the light source were various giant sea monsters, accompanied by shattered seawater. They twisted and turned, their bodies striking alluring poses mid-air.
They formed a chaotic formation, rapidly descending from above.
The white light, which had been far away seconds ago, was now directly above them.
In that moment, time seemed to stand still. They could even see the crimson flesh stuck between the sea monsters' teeth.
"Ah!"
Tonpa couldn't help but scream, then his eyes rolled back, and he fainted outright.
Law gritted his teeth, not caring whether there were obstacles to the left or right. Clutching the two, he stepped on air, moving to the right in an attempt to avoid the terrifying mass descending upon them.
However, the sea monsters and seawater covered too vast an area, and their weight was absurd. The falling speed was astonishingly fast.
Before Law could evade, they were struck by the seawater and plummeted together into what seemed like an abyss below.
Even under the pressure of the seawater, Law stubbornly maintained his Domain while keeping an eye on the situation below.
It was too bizarre.
One moment they were in the sea, the next they were somewhere entirely unknown.
The anglerfish's light was bright, but the end it illuminated was still shrouded in darkness, making it impossible to discern their surroundings.
…
In the deep, dark seafloor, a pair of eyes lit up, emitting a dazzling blue light.
They were eyes the size of two football fields, moving through the depths with a rumbling sound. Each movement stirred up large amounts of sediment.
The seafloor was pitch black. Though the eyes were enormous, their light couldn't even illuminate a part of their own body.
Just then, a school of glowing giant fish suddenly appeared like a light switched on in a dark room, instantly illuminating the seafloor.
Under the dazzling light, the owner of those giant eyes was an indescribably colossal crab. Its body was covered in layers of rock adorned with shells and corals.
The rock crab moved slowly across the seafloor plates. As the school of glowing fish passed above it, they suddenly descended, sucked into the crab's back.
In that fleeting glimpse, an abyss-like mouth on the crab's back opened wide, swallowing the sizable school of glowing fish like a whale before snapping shut.
After devouring the fish, the crab continued walking slowly in a certain direction as if nothing had happened.
It was indeed a crab because it was moving sideways.