The sea rose like a wall.
Not a natural wave.
Not wind-driven.
Not even storm-born.
It was dense.
Heavy.
Controlled.
Captain Morrow lifted one hand slightly and the ocean obeyed.
A towering mass of compressed water curled above Ryu and the others like a suspended avalanche waiting for gravity to return.
Kenji stared upward. "…That's not fair."
Aira tightened both hands on the helm, knuckles whitening. "Fair left the conversation when he threw the ocean at us!"
Ryu's Observation spread outward in a controlled pulse.
He could feel it clearly now — the unnatural pressure in the water. It wasn't simple manipulation. Morrow wasn't *moving* water.
He was compressing it.
Increasing density. Increasing force. Turning the sea itself into something closer to iron than liquid.
If that mass fell directly on them—
The ship wouldn't survive.
"Angle us thirty degrees starboard," Ryu said calmly.
Aira didn't question him. She spun the helm hard, adjusting sail tension with a quick pull of rope. The ship tilted sharply as the compressed wave began its descent.
"Now!" she shouted.
The wave slammed down.
The ocean detonated beside them, not with the splash of water but with the impact of something closer to a falling cliff. The shockwave alone rocked their vessel violently, throwing spray high into the air and sending cracks racing across already damaged sections of railing.
Kenji slid across the deck and caught himself on the mast, ribs screaming in protest. "He's trying to crush us outright!"
Ryu stayed upright, though the impact traveled straight into his still-healing torso. He ignored it.
Across the water, Morrow watched quietly.
Not excited.
Not angry.
Just measuring.
"…Your navigator is skilled," he called across the distance.
Aira glared at him. "I'm not taking compliments from someone trying to drown us!"
Morrow's expression didn't change. "You will."
He lifted his hand again.
This time the sea didn't rise in a single mass.
It split.
Three compressed columns surged upward around their ship, twisting into dense spiraling pillars that began to close inward like tightening jaws.
Kenji swore under his breath. "He's boxing us in!"
Ryu stepped forward onto the bow again, knives already in hand. "Then we break it."
The first column struck.
Not downward.
Sideways.
A compressed wall of water slammed toward them like a charging beast. Ryu moved instantly, Armament coating his blades as he slashed through the densest part of the incoming mass. The cut didn't *slice* the water — it disrupted the compression, breaking the structure enough for the wave to collapse into normal spray before it could fully hit.
Still, the residual force knocked him back a step.
Kenji leapt forward immediately, blade flashing as he cut through the second column mid-swing. His sword struck the compressed surface and for a split second it felt like hitting solid stone. His arms trembled from the impact, but his Armament held, forcing the structure to disperse.
The third column surged toward the stern.
Aira reacted without waiting.
She spun the helm and angled the ship sharply, forcing the compressed mass to strike at a glancing angle instead of directly. The impact still rocked them violently, but the hull held.
For now.
Kenji landed back on deck, breathing harder. "Okay. He's not just strong. He's ridiculous."
Ryu didn't disagree.
Across the water, Morrow lowered his hand slightly.
"…You're still standing," he said.
It wasn't praise.
It was interest.
Ryu met his gaze. "We plan to stay that way."
Morrow stepped forward along his own deck, boots echoing against reinforced wood. The distance between their ships remained safe for him—far enough that close combat wasn't possible yet, close enough that his ability dominated the battlefield.
"You are injured," Morrow observed calmly. "Both of you."
Kenji grinned. "We're always injured."
Morrow ignored the joke.
"And yet," he continued, "you stand against me without retreat."
Ryu's expression stayed level. "We're learning about this sea."
A faint pause.
Then, surprisingly—
Morrow gave a small nod.
"Good."
The sea surged again—but this time not toward them.
Behind them.
Aira felt it first through the hull. She spun and saw a massive compressed wave rising not to strike but to push.
"Ryu!" she shouted.
He turned just as the wave slammed forward—not onto them, but *behind* them, propelling their ship forward like a cannon shot. The sudden force sent them surging across the water at dangerous speed, away from Morrow's vessel.
Kenji grabbed the railing. "What—?!"
Another compressed wave formed and struck behind them again, driving them farther.
He was launching them away.
Aira fought the helm to keep them stable under the sudden acceleration. "He's… pushing us out!"
Ryu watched Morrow carefully.
"…He's not trying to kill us," he realized.
Kenji blinked. "That's new."
The distance between ships widened rapidly.
Soon Morrow's voice carried faintly across the wind one last time.
"This sea devours the weak," he said calmly. "Return when you are stronger… or be consumed elsewhere."
Then he turned away.
Just like that.
His ship shifted course, disappearing gradually into the cold haze of the North Blue as if the encounter had only been a passing curiosity.
Silence returned slowly.
Only the wind and waves remained.
Kenji slumped against the railing, exhaling hard. "…Okay. I officially hate this ocean."
Aira leaned against the helm, breathing heavily. "He could have sunk us."
"Yeah," Ryu said quietly.
They drifted for a moment, letting the tension drain from their bodies.
Kenji glanced sideways at him. "You smiling?"
Ryu realized he was.
Just slightly.
"…A little," he admitted.
Aira stared at him. "You almost died."
Ryu shrugged lightly. "We didn't."
Kenji laughed once. "You're getting weird."
"Maybe," Ryu said.
He looked out across the cold, endless sea stretching ahead of them.
Stronger pirates.
Devil fruit monsters.
Hunters that hunted hunters.
And somewhere out there—
An underworld beginning to take shape under a man who would one day rule it from shadows.
Ryu rested his hands on the railing.
Aira adjusted their course.
Behind them, Reverse Mountain was long gone.
Ahead of them—
The North Blue waited.
And it had just tested them… and let them live.
___