"Are you sure about this?"
Under the intense gaze of the surrounding naval soldiers, the sergeant subconsciously licked his lips, turning to confirm again with Bai Yu.
Leading a team to complete a mission meant claiming far more credit than simply tagging along. It was a chance to rise, to be promoted.
Naturally, the sergeant was eager to take the lead.
"I'm sure," Bai Yu replied, his tone flat and expression unchanging.
He swept his gaze over everyone present, pausing on each face.
"Do you want to come at me one by one, or all at once?"
His calm words were like oil on fire.
The atmosphere instantly ignited with hostility. These soldiers had proven themselves through numerous battles, earning their current positions through grit and bloodshed.
Yet this freshly recruited soldier dared to look down on them?
After Bai Yu's provocation, the surrounding officers clenched their fists, their bodies twitching with anticipation.
BOOM!
WEE-OO-WEE-OO!
Just as the conflict was on the verge of erupting, the entire small warship lurched violently.
An urgent alarm blared.
"Sea Kings!"
"Ahead on the route—Neptune-class lifeform sighted!"
The sailor on deck responsible for navigation shouted, his voice panicked and strained.
Not far ahead, a colossal silhouette emerged beneath the waves—an enormous octopus-like Sea King!
The warning spread like wildfire through the corridors. In an instant, over a hundred navy soldiers flooded the deck, weapons drawn.
Bai Yu and the others, startled by the siren, immediately abandoned their quarrel and rushed toward the bow.
Bai Yu narrowed his eyes, gazing into the distance.
Sure enough—less than 500 meters away—a massive creature burst out from the water, its gargantuan tentacles thrashing, sending violent waves crashing toward them.
The giant octopus-like Sea King flailed on the surface, its limbs smashing the water, creating whirlpools that rocked the warship violently.
Because this mission wasn't led by Vice Admiral Garp himself, their vessel was only a small-class warship, not the reinforced juggernauts seen in the main fleet.
Smaller warships were agile, ideal for reconnaissance and mobility—but severely lacking in defense.
Against a Sea King of this scale, one wrong move could mean total annihilation!
Plop!
Suddenly, the giant octopus seemed to notice their presence. With a tremendous splash, it twisted and submerged.
"Did… it lose interest?"
Some marines sighed in collective relief.
"No," Bai Yu muttered, stepping forward with a frown. "It's swimming toward us."
He pointed to the sea. "Right there."
Though it was night, Bai Yu's exceptional vision picked up the dark silhouette beneath the waves—hurtling toward them like a torpedo.
The others followed his gaze.
The moment they saw it, their expressions changed. Grim. Serious.
"Oh no, oh no…"
"With a ship this thin, we won't last a second if it hits us head-on!"
"None of us can handle that thing!"
"If only Vice Admiral Garp were here!"
Murmurs of dread rippled through the soldiers. Some were already imagining the outcome if Garp had led the mission instead of Bai Yu.
BOOM!
Suddenly, the sea exploded with force.
SPLASH!
A massive tentacle erupted from the depths, rising high above them like a mountain peak. It coiled in the air—then slammed down toward the ship.
If that thing hit, the warship would be split in two before anyone could even react!
"Quick!"
"Prepare cannon fire! Load the shells!"
The sergeant snapped out of his daze, barking commands. Gunners scrambled to ready the deck cannons.
"Too late," Bai Yu said calmly.
The tentacle's descent was too fast. By the time the cannons were loaded and aimed, the warship would already be rubble.
"What do you want us to do—sit here and die?!"
The sergeant, already disgruntled by Bai Yu's authority, glared furiously.
All eyes turned to Bai Yu, waiting.
"I said you're too late," Bai Yu corrected, voice emotionless. "I'm not."
He ignored their looks and stepped forward.
"Soru!"
Whoosh!
In the blink of an eye, Bai Yu vanished.
Gasps followed as everyone stared at the empty space where he had stood.
"He's fast!"
"No one even saw him move!"
He had already launched into the sky.
"Geppō!" (Moonwalk)
Under the stunned gaze of the crew, Bai Yu stepped into the air, bounding higher and higher with each movement, accelerating straight toward the falling tentacle.
At the apex of his ascent, Bai Yu bent his knees slightly, gripping the handle of his beginner-grade katana with both hands.
Calm breaths.
Focus.
He poured power into his arms, his body still mid-air.
As the tentacle came down like a tidal wave, Bai Yu slashed.
SHLUKK!
The katana sliced clean through the outer flesh of the tentacle, embedding itself deep into the monster's muscle.
Cheers erupted from below.
"He cut it!"
"No—wait!"
A few sharp-eyed soldiers quickly noticed: the tentacle, massive in size, was too thick to be severed by a single strike.
Despite the deep cut, it was still coming down!
High above, Bai Yu had realized the same thing.
Yet his expression remained calm.
Tightening his grip, he stepped again in the air—spinning with the force of his body and dragging the blade in a full circular arc.
Tear—Sliiice!
The blade traced a perfect ring around the tentacle, slicing deeper and deeper as he rotated through the air like a whirlwind.
A full revolution—completed in seconds.
Below, the soldiers stared in awe.
A massive wound now spiraled around the entire circumference of the tentacle!
SPLURCH!!
Blue blood sprayed into the sky as the colossal limb was cleanly severed, its top half crashing into the sea with an earth-shaking splash.
Victory—by one blade.