Redfield had no patience for the creature's roaring.
He hadn't even come out to fight—just to slice off a piece of meat and see if it was edible.
Dealing with something like this?
A glance would be enough.
Shing—!
He sheathed his blade.
Already back on deck, Redfield's crimson eyes locked on the raging North Sea Kraken.
His pupils shrank slightly—
Conqueror's Haki erupted!
BOOM!
The invisible wave rippled through the sea like a physical shockwave, distorting the water as it raced toward the massive beast.
For a moment, the Kraken froze.
Its countless tentacles stiffened; its eyes bulged and trembled, desperately trying to resist that overwhelming will.
It was useless.
The pressure crashed down like an ocean of mountains, and within seconds the giant creature's eyes rolled back as it fainted dead away.
For true masters, size meant nothing.
An ant was still an ant.
Waldo let out a whistle and gave a thumbs-up.
"Well done, Count. Still as ruthless as ever! Let's just kill it and be done with it before it wakes up."
Redfield shook his head and pointed toward the deck, where several enormous slabs of tentacle meat lay piled up like boulders.
"No rush," he said coolly. "Let's taste it first. If it's good, we'll come back for seconds."
Waldo blinked—then burst out laughing.
"Ha! You really are something else, old man!"
The unconscious Kraken twitched, a single sweat drop the size of the Golden Scale sliding down its forehead.
What the hell are these monsters?!
Do they really plan to farm me like livestock?
The heavens were silent. The gods, mercifully, didn't answer.
No one cared about the Kraken's mental breakdown.
The Golden Scale sailed on.
They passed through the descending current and plunged into an ocean of pitch darkness.
Below the surface, there was no light—nothing but black, endless water.
Everyone tensed instinctively.
"Golden Scale, turn on the lights!" Carmen said nervously.
"Carmen-sister," the ship's AI replied sweetly, "current terrain is unsuitable for illumination."
"Huh? Why not? It's too dark… please, Golden Scale, just for a moment?"
Her voice wavered, eyes glistening with tears.
The AI hesitated.
"If you insist, then—very well."
"Wait—don't—!"
Click.
Redfield tried to stop her, but it was already too late.
A blinding flood of light burst from the ship's hull, illuminating the abyss.
Everyone squinted, shielding their eyes.
And when they finally looked—
"Wh—what the—"
Waldo's jaw dropped.
Surrounding them were colossal shapes—shadows that stretched into infinity, scales gleaming, eyes glinting, teeth like mountains.
The light had drawn them in.
Redfield pinched the bridge of his nose.
The captain's not here, and now I've got to babysit this circus again…
He sighed. This was going to be another headache.
Even Crocodile, calm as ever, frowned deeply.
As a Devil Fruit user, the idea of being dragged into the deep sea made his stomach turn.
Carmen's face went pale.
Now she understood what Golden Scale meant—
these deep-sea giants lived in total darkness.
Light was a beacon, and curiosity could easily turn into hunger.
"R-Run! Golden Scale, go—go!" she screamed through trembling lips.
"Understood."
Whoosh—!
The ship's engines flared to life, tearing through the water like a torpedo.
That, however, was a mistake.
The moment it moved, the leviathans' curiosity turned to predation.
Dozens of enormous mouths gaped open, revealing rows of jagged fangs as they surged after the fleeing ship.
Golden Scale twisted and dove, darting through narrow gaps, narrowly avoiding each monstrous bite.
For every beast it escaped, two more joined the chase.
Even with its near-perfect navigation algorithms, it was a nightmare—
the sea itself had turned against them.
Redfield's Haki pulsed again, blasting several creatures back—
but the ocean was endless, and the pursuit relentless.
They couldn't keep this up forever.
If the ship's protective bubble was torn, everyone inside would drown instantly.
And at this depth, even Redfield couldn't guarantee a rescue.
The tension rose to a breaking point.
A massive mottled sea eel, hundreds of meters long, lunged from the shadows, jaws wide open.
Golden Scale swerved, but there was nowhere left to go.
Carmen clutched her head, tears welling up.
"No… no! Somebody—help!"
Her voice cracked.
"Captain… where are you? Carmen needs you!"
Redfield's jaw tightened.
He was about to act—no choice left—
When—
Zzzzzap!
From the distant darkness, a single streak of white lightning tore through the abyss.
BZZZZT—!
Electric arcs raced through the water, dazzling bright.
The pursuing monsters convulsed violently as bolts of thunder crashed around them.
Then, out of the storm, a familiar figure emerged—lightning crackling across his shoulders.
Arthur.
He moved faster than thought, crossing the gap in a heartbeat.
The sea boiled around him as he descended, leaving a gleaming trail of light before landing neatly on the deck.
Water dripped from his purple hair as he swept it back, lips curved in that infuriatingly confident smile.
The king had returned.
Everyone exhaled at once.
Sweat rolled down their faces.
All around, enormous sea beasts floated belly-up, twitching, completely knocked out cold.
If Arthur had been even a second later,
Redfield would've been forced to risk everything in a suicidal counterattack.
Redfield quietly re-sheathed his half-drawn blade Raiden Rain and let out a long sigh.
"Finally. Our backbone's back."
"Now then…" Arthur's smile deepened. "Who's been bullying our lovely Carmen?"
At the sound of his voice, Carmen's head snapped up.
Her eyes widened, shimmering with disbelief.
She pinched her own cheek.
"Ow—! It's real!"
A second later, she threw herself into his arms.
The moment she felt his warmth, all the fear and tension broke loose.
She clung to him, sobbing uncontrollably—tears streaming down her face like rain.
Even Redfield, Waldo, and Crocodile couldn't help but smirk faintly.
After what they'd just gone through,
no one could blame her for crying like that.
As for the battered sea beasts floating in Arthur's wake—
none of them dared to move again.
Not even the deep ocean could contain his thunder.
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