Chapter 246: Colossal Sea King
"That was quite an experience."
Law slowly sheathed his nodachi, Kikoku, and exhaled heavily.
His Ope Ope no Mi ability was extraordinarily powerful—within his ROOM's range, he could instantly swap positions with sand, rocks, or even air itself, achieving something akin to teleportation. His movement speed was limited only by his reaction time.
However, extensive use of his ability consumed tremendous stamina, which remained a significant limitation.
Most Devil Fruit abilities shared this weakness. Even Kizaru's light-speed movement was constrained by his reaction and perception speed. Very few Devil Fruit abilities were truly perfect.
This also demonstrated Blackbeard's frightening potential.
He possessed the Yami Yami no Mi, with its damage-absorbing properties that dramatically increased his durability and defensive capabilities.
If he successfully obtained the Gura Gura no Mi, he would possess devastatingly high-intensity offensive power.
In that configuration, he would have overwhelming advantages in both attack and defense, thus justifying his leap into the ranks of the Four Emperors.
In fact, Rhodes was similarly a multi-faceted combatant.
His mastery of swordsmanship granted him devastating cutting attacks, while his lightning abilities gave him speed comparable to Kizaru himself.
However, his defense and recovery capabilities remained far inferior to other catastrophe-level powerhouses.
As Rhodes pondered these matters, the ship gradually departed the hail-covered waters, following the Log Pose's direction toward one of the indicated islands.
Because they didn't know precisely which sea region they occupied, despite the three needles pointing to different islands, they couldn't identify which specific island each indicated—they needed to reach one first to determine their location.
"Looks like we're finally safe,"
Bepo the polar bear cautiously poked his head out from the cabin and whispered hopefully.
However,
almost the precise instant this jinx was spoken,
Rhodes and Jinbe's expressions changed simultaneously. They both sensed peculiar disturbances in the seawater, and an immensely powerful life force rapidly approaching from directly beneath their vessel.
Without any hesitation, Jinbe immediately exerted his full Fish-Man Karate mastery to manipulate the ocean currents, causing the ship to accelerate dramatically and barely escape their previous position.
Under the shocked and horrified gazes of everyone aboard, a massive Sea King exceeding one thousand meters in length burst forth from the ocean depths. Their ship, which wasn't particularly large to begin with, appeared utterly insignificant before it—like an ant. The enormous waves created by its emergence nearly capsized their vessel entirely.
ROOOAAAAR!
This colossal Sea King seemed to have merely surfaced to bask in the sunlight and express its contentment with a joyful roar.
A nearly tangible sound wave erupted from the Sea King's gaping maw, sweeping across the area like a physical shockwave—vibrating the very air and suppressing the ocean surface itself.
Robin and the other crew members couldn't help but cover their ears desperately, feeling sharp pain in their eardrums and overwhelming buzzing in their heads.
Even Rhodes found it difficult to endure, feeling oppressive tightness in his chest.
This was merely because they were hundreds of meters away—if they'd been right next to its mouth, they would probably have been deafened permanently.
After this cathartic roar, the colossal Sea King seemed to notice the ship's presence and, almost reflexively, lashed out with its massive tail.
What was the destructive power of a thousand-meter Sea King's tail strike?
The wind pressure alone suppressed their constantly rocking ship, forcing the ocean surface to visibly crater downward.
Rhodes estimated that the power of this single tail strike could absolutely shatter an entire mountain—terrifying beyond comprehension!
The last time he'd left the New World, Rhodes had encountered a relatively small, medium-sized Sea King only slightly over one hundred meters long. But this one exceeded one thousand meters!
They were in completely different weight classes.
But how could the current Rhodes compare to his past self?
He snorted coldly, leaped into the air, and simultaneously drew Shodai Kitetsu, unleashing a dazzling and magnificent lightning-enhanced sword slash that swept across the sky, intercepting the massive, mountain-like tail.
BOOM!
When the Sea King's tail collided with the lightning sword slash, a deafening explosion erupted in the air, followed by catastrophic shockwaves radiating outward.
After a brief stalemate, Rhodes' lightning-enhanced slash proved superior, deflecting the massive tail and leaving a horrifying, deep sword wound.
Blood gushed forth like a crimson river.
The Sea King, having suffered such a grievous injury, didn't fly into blind rage and fight Rhodes to the death. Instead, after releasing a piercing screech of pain, it wisely retreated into the ocean depths and vanished.
Whoosh!
Rhodes landed smoothly back on deck, exhaling slowly.
The colossal Sea King hadn't wanted to continue fighting him, and frankly, Rhodes had no desire to battle such a creature either.
These enormous beings possessed immense strength, devastating attack range, and astonishingly vast vitality. Even a Yonko-level fighter couldn't guarantee killing one efficiently.
Rhodes was at a tactical disadvantage, especially since he also needed to protect Robin and the other crew members, complicating matters significantly.
"Jinbe, manipulate the currents and get us out of this area as quickly as possible."
Fish-men could control ocean currents to dramatically increase ship velocity.
"I can handle a Sea King of that size, but if we encounter anything larger, it would become truly problematic."
"Understood!"
Jinbe didn't dare delay either, immediately coordinating with the fish-man officers to manipulate the currents and accelerate their vessel.
Whoooosh...
Feeling the intensifying sea breeze, the ship's speed increased dramatically, though the crew's tension only grew.
They kept spotting enormous silhouettes leaping from the distant ocean, as if celebrating some massive gathering.
This region, while not technically a Calm Belt, might be a Sea King nesting ground—a highly dangerous congregation area.
"I—"
Bepo the bear attempted to speak, but the others immediately glared at him intensely, silencing him instantly. A hint of embarrassment crossed his furry face as he obediently shut his mouth.
He was genuinely afraid that if he spoke again, an even more colossal Sea King would immediately emerge.
Rhodes found the situation somewhat amusing.
Logically, characters like Bepo and Chopper were supposed to be lucky mascots—so how did this guy possess such an uncanny talent for jinxing them?
Fortunately, they encountered no further immediate danger. With Jinbe and the other fish-men expertly controlling the ocean currents, the ship quickly departed the Sea King congregation area and arrived at a relatively calm region with only gentle swells.
"Boss, an island appears ahead!"
Hearing this announcement, everyone turned to look, though due to the distance they could only perceive a blurry dark shadow on the horizon.
However, with Jinbe and the others continuously manipulating the currents, the ship moved swiftly, and the shadow grew progressively larger—gradually resolving into the distinct outline of an island.
From surface observation, it didn't appear to be an uninhabited wasteland. In fact, there were even faint signs of civilization and habitation.
Everyone looked expectantly toward Rhodes.
Whether or not to make landfall was entirely his decision as their captain.
Based on their accumulated experiences thus far, the former Sun Pirates fish-man officers—who had initially harbored some reservations—now possessed complete faith in and profound respect for their new leader.
"Since we're already here, let's investigate."
Rhodes smiled faintly. Every island in the New World possessed unique strategic value.
Even islands with extremely harsh environmental conditions, after proper surveying, might yield exploitable mineral deposits, rare metals, or unique specialty products.
These resources might be useless to an individual wanderer, but told an entirely different story for an ambitious organization building power.
(End of Chapter)