Chapter 30: A Dance on the Waves
In a flash of thought, Kaizen Reiya envisioned the Level 100 King of the Near Shore evolving into a legendary figure like Whitebeard, possessing unparalleled, world-shattering power.
The thought spurred him to move even faster, his feet churning a long, white wake across the water. He needed to shake off this enraged leviathan, circle around to its back where the Life Gate was exposed, and take his shot.
But the thunderous roar of the Sea King churning the ocean behind him was growing closer.
Without looking back, Kaizen pressed on. If his past life's memory served him correctly, a massive reef, over thirty meters tall, jutted from the sea ahead. Using that obstacle, he could leverage his Lightness Skill to pivot sharply around it, slipping behind the Sea King to deliver a fatal blow.
As a Level 20 Player, the combat power he had absorbed using the Star-Siphoning Art was immense. He unleashed it now, his speed far surpassing that of a galloping horse.
Though it still couldn't match the Sea King's raw velocity, his head start was enough to reach the predetermined reef.
RUMBLE!
Suddenly, the sound behind him became deafening, as if mountains were crumbling. Kaizen's eardrums felt ready to shatter.
His pupils contracted, a powerful sense of crisis gripping him. His scalp prickled, goosebumps rising all over his body. In that moment of peril, his legs became a blur, leaving afterimages as he shot straight toward the giant rock.
His form was like a hurricane breaking through a barrier.
Six hundred meters, five hundred, four hundred, three hundred, two hundred, one hundred...
Whoosh! He finally dodged behind the colossal reef.
At that exact moment, a massive pillar of water slammed into the ten-story-high rock.
With a deafening BOOM, the incredibly powerful hydraulic force shattered the towering reef, sending fragments tumbling into the sea and spraying water everywhere.
Huff...
Kaizen gasped for air. This Level 100 behemoth had actually fired a water-dragon-like jet from its mouth. To think it could obliterate a ten-story reef standing proud in the ocean... What terrifying power!
If that had hit him, he would have been annihilated like a fly. Stunned, Kaizen could only continue his desperate flight.
According to his past life's memory, the area ahead was riddled with submerged reefs. Since the first plan had failed, he had to execute the second: lure the King of the Near Shore into the reef field. With its enormous size, even if it could navigate through, its speed would be drastically reduced, giving him an opportunity.
He glanced back. The impossibly huge body had already circumvented the shattered reef and closed the distance significantly.
One thousand meters, eight hundred, six hundred... it was about to enter the five-hundred-meter mark—the range of its water-jet attack.
Remembering the terrifying hydraulic force that had collapsed the ten-story structure, Kaizen's head throbbed. An unprecedented sense of crisis washed over him.
Fortunately, he could now see dark shadows beneath the rippling blue waves—the underwater reefs of this sea area.
This was the location for his second plan.
Driven by the crisis, Kaizen felt his blood surge. His entire body shot forward like a jet ski, carving a white wake as he instantly entered the reef-strewn waters.
His movements were like a deity walking on waves.
Suddenly, a wave of exhaustion washed over Kaizen's mind. His expression shifted; he knew it was a sign of overexertion, his body透支 from channeling too much combat power.
His mind connected to his storage backpack. Five red potions flashed into his hands—recovery potions typically used by wealthy, high-level players.
These potions were extremely valuable; ordinary players couldn't afford them.
They were rewards from the World Will system for killing the Level 35 sea monster.
Recovery potions were exceedingly rare in the early stages of the new One Piece world. Only by slaying Level 35+ monsters could one be rewarded. At this point, aside from Kaizen, no one else possessed them.
The players who had arrived now were still slaughtering kittens and puppies. How could they possibly have such high-level items?
Kaizen had struggled at the bottom of the new One Piece world for thirty years in his past life, and even then, such premium goods were scarce.
And the three blue potions were even more precious, possessing miraculous healing properties capable of snatching someone back from the brink of death.
Based on his past life's memory, the price for such a life-saving potion would eventually reach at least 500,000 to 600,000 gold coins. Even with money, others might not be willing to sell.
Killing a Level 35 monster didn't guarantee such a potion reward. Kaizen's luck was due to the specific type of Level 35 monster he had slain. Generally, the probability was quite low.
Kaizen was truly fortunate.
But he didn't hesitate now. He grabbed the five red potions and downed them in one go.