The orders reached the deck quickly.
Rosinante became nervous again when he heard he was going on another scouting mission with Aiden. This was especially true because they were facing the infamous Great Whirlpool Spider Pirates.
When Aiden heard the names "Great Whirlpool Spider" and "Squard," he felt a stir in his heart.
That name sounds familiar... where have I heard it before?
Aiden searched deep in his mind for memories of the manga from his previous life.
The Paramount War... the man who stabbed Whitebeard in the back!
He remembered it now!
So it's that guy. He eventually becomes a captain under Whitebeard, but during the Paramount War, he gets tricked by Akainu and stabs Whitebeard because of a misunderstanding.
Aiden couldn't remember all the small details, but he remembered that key event.
To be a captain under Whitebeard, he must be strong. He hasn't called Whitebeard "Father" yet, but he should already be a true S-level enemy.
I was only hoping for an A-level enemy to help my physical state reach the SSS tier. Isn't an S-level enemy a bit too much right now? Aiden decided right then that he would not try to stand out too much.
Several hours later.
Night fell, and the waves on the sea began to rise.
A small Marine scout boat with camouflage paint slid silently into the endless, thick fog.
On the boat, besides the driver and the communication soldier, there was only Commander Dal, the eight elite soldiers he had chosen, Aiden, and Rosinante.
The atmosphere inside the boat was heavy. You could almost hear everyone's heartbeats.
Everyone gripped their weapons tightly. Their eyes nervously scanned the rolling fog around them. Only the low growl of the engine and the sound of the boat cutting through waves echoed in the total silence.
After sailing only a few nautical miles, the scenery changed in a strange way.
The fog became thicker, like a frozen gray-white wall. Visibility dropped to less than five meters.
Even more worrying, the Den Den Mushi used for communication suddenly started making a hissing static sound. The boat completely lost contact with the main warship.
"Damn it!" The veteran in charge of navigation slammed his hand against the steering wheel. Cold sweat appeared on his forehead. "The magnetic field here is too chaotic! The compass is useless. We are completely lost!"
The boat had to slow down. The driver could only rely on his years of sailing experience and his sense of the small changes in the sea currents to move through the fog and hidden reefs.
Splash... Thud!
The boat suddenly jerked. It felt like the bottom of the ship had rubbed against something.
"Is it a reef?!" Rosinante grabbed the side of the boat nervously.
"No... based on the sound... it feels more like we hit something floating..." The veteran's face became even more serious.
Strange noises came from the fog from time to time.
Sometimes it was a "creak-creak" sound, like a ship's hull breaking apart. Other times it was a "whoosh-whoosh" sound of rushing water, as if a giant whirlpool was spinning nearby.
They could even faintly hear strange, ghostly sounds echoing in the total silence of the fog. it made their skin crawl.
The atmosphere in the boat was heavy. Every Marine gripped their weapon and scanned the area, even making their breathing quiet.
Aiden leaned against the side of the cabin, closing his eyes to rest as if he didn't care about the dangerous environment.
In reality, his Observation Haki was already spread out.
The strange fog really did interfere with his Haki's range. His sensing distance was narrowed quite a bit.
Just then, the veteran driving the boat suddenly cried out, "Look ahead! What is that?!"
Everyone looked in the direction he was pointing. Through a thin patch of fog, a mess of wreckage was floating on the water.
It was the wreckage of a Marine patrol boat!
Commander Dal's face changed. "It's Seagull 3! Move closer!"
The scout boat moved forward carefully. The sight in front of them made everyone gasp.
The hull of the patrol boat had been torn into pieces by some kind of force. Broken masts and shattered deck boards were floating everywhere.
The sides of the ship were covered in deep claw marks and dents from impacts. The deck was covered in blood, and dark red stains had soaked into the cracks of the wood.
There were only partial body parts hanging from the broken railings or moving with the waves. It was a terrible sight.
Gulp... Rosinante couldn't hold it back anymore. He grabbed the side of the ship and started retching violently.
"Commander, look at this!" a soldier said, pointing at a floating piece of the deck. His voice was full of fear.
On that piece of deck, and on the surface of all the wreckage they could see, was a layer of strange white silk.
This silk was incredibly tough. It even gave off a faint glow in the dim light. It wrapped around the wreckage like a spider's web, looking like a nest left by some kind of creature.
A soldier tried to cut the "spider silk" with his saber, but he found the blade felt like it was hitting tough leather. It only left a shallow white mark! "Damn it! What is this stuff?!"
Aiden watched the soldier struggle and felt a stir of curiosity.
He quietly moved close to a piece of wreckage covered in silk. While no one was looking, he pulled the high-quality sword from his waist.
After being carefully maintained with the top-tier tools Gion had given him, its sharpness was far beyond a normal high-quality sword. Aiden gave it a casual swipe.
Slice. There was a very quiet sound.
The incredibly tough silk was cut as easily as a normal rope! The cut was perfectly smooth!
As I thought... A sharp light flashed in Aiden's eyes. It seems that set of tools from Gion is truly something special. He quickly put his sword back in its sheath, acting as if nothing had happened.
Commander Dal frowned deeply. He leaned over to check the silk and the damage to the ship's hull. "This wasn't caused by cannon fire... it looks more like it was torn apart by some kind of... giant creature, or a special weapon. This silk... is it the slime of a sea beast? Or some special material?"
Information about the strange abilities and creatures of the Grand Line flashed through his mind. He felt a strong sense of worry.
This enemy was much more difficult than they had imagined!
While the Marine soldiers were focused on checking the wreckage for more clues, a sudden change happened!
Aiden's Observation Haki instantly caught several high-speed objects rushing toward them from deep within the fog!
"Enemy attack!!!" Aiden stopped hiding his skills and yelled out a warning!