Rain poured down in heavy sheets on Loguetown's waters
The dark sky seemed to press right down on the sea surface while surging waves several meters high crashed fiercely against the small sailing ship.
Under the aft rain canopy, Nami kept both hands locked on the helm, cursing the rough current under her breath.
Zoro dozed against a thick coil of rope by the mast, one hand resting lightly on his swords.
Sanji stood near the port rail with a cigarette pinched between his fingers, still not entirely used to the wild rocking conditions outside the sturdy safety of the Baratie.
Zaraki stood steadily on the slippery deck, casually holding a hot cup of black tea.
The violent pitching sway of the ship seemed completely irrelevant to him, his boots stayed firmly planted on the wet wood and even the hot tea in his cup barely rippled.
"Is this the weather near the gateway to the Grand Line? It's definitely nastier than Foosha Village."
He took a small sip of tea, his lazy gaze dropping not on the crashing waves ahead but toward the port side of the hull.
Just moments ago a heavy foul stench had drifted into his nostrils.
It wasn't the smell of dead fish—it was something much more aggressive and wild.
Splash—!
Without any warning the sea surface to the port side erupted. A massive maw packed with razor-sharp fangs burst straight through the water, bringing a nauseating stench and tons of crashing seawater as it lunged for the deck.
It was a Sea King nearly the size of a small warship.
Just its exposed scaly head was large enough to snap half the main mast in a single bite.
Its eyes glowed a hungry vicious red, clearly treating this small ship as a quick midnight snack.
Zaraki didn't even bother putting down his teacup.
He merely sidestepped slightly to avoid the splashing water.
"Don't dirty the deck, Carina." His rough voice wasn't loud but it cut clearly through the roaring wind and rain.
"Got it, Zaraki-san! You really know how to order people around by the way!"
A purple figure flashed out from behind the mast.
Carina held her modified Kar98k at the ready.
The thief slid and pivoted smoothly on the slippery deck, her skirt flaring in the rain. She shoved the dark barrel of the gun almost directly into the Sea King's closing maw.
"Goodbye, big guy."
A sly smile curled the corner of Carina's lips as she pulled the trigger.
Hum—!
The gunshot didn't sound like an ordinary lead round or a thunderous cannon blast.
It was a tight highly compressed vibration followed by a nearly invisible shot drilling straight into the Sea King's soft upper palate.
The heavy impact detonated deep inside its skull a split second later.
The colossal creature didn't even have time to let out a cry of pain before its entire head exploded into a massive mist of blood in mid-air, looking exactly like a watermelon smashed by a heavy hammer.
The massive body lost control and crashed heavily back into the sea, kicking up even larger waves.
Thick blood immediately stained the black seawater, washing up along the edge of the deck with the rain.
"Whew..." Carina blew out a breath and lowered the smoking barrel, shaking her wet purple hair as she looked back at Zaraki.
"So, how much is this shot worth in Beli?"
"Not bad."
Zaraki watched the headless corpse sinking into the depths and finished his black tea. His tone stayed perfectly calm, exactly as if they were discussing the weather.
"Your reaction speed was 0.5 seconds faster than before. Looks like the recent special training wasn't a waste."
"Tch, just a verbal compliment?" Carina pouted in open dissatisfaction and got ready to sling her weapon back over her shoulder.
But Zaraki suddenly narrowed his eyes.
His dark gaze passed over the blood-stained sea and fixed right on the deeper darker waters below.
The loud commotion from that shot was significant, but more importantly the heavy scent of fresh blood from a Sea King of this size served as a massive deadly lure in the deep sea.
The sea surface, which had only been churning with white foam moments ago, suddenly began to boil in an eerie violent manner.
Not in just one spot.
Seven, eight... countless massive bubbles began to surge frantically around the hull of the ship.
The water churned violently, surging with large patches of white foam as a massive shadow instantly engulfed the gloomy sea!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
After several deafening roars, seven colossal Sea Kings burst straight through the water, fully surrounding the small ship.
They were draped in thick deep-sea mud and jagged barnacles, each staring down with eyes as large as millstones.
Their greedy gazes fell first upon the still-bleeding corpse of their kin before shifting right to the people standing on the deck.
A foul fishy wind swept over the crew.
Zaraki's peripheral vision swept past Sanji standing by the ship's railing.
The blond chef's fingers were trembling slightly around his cigarette.
It wasn't Sanji's fault.
Back at the Baratie restaurant the biggest trouble he had ever faced was pirates like Krieg armed to the teeth with regular weapons.
But these massive beasts traveling in packs, each capable of capsizing a full-sized warship, were truly beyond his experience.
"Is... this the Grand Line?" Sanji's throat felt dry.
He tried to light his cigarette with his lighter but his thumb failed to strike the spark wheel several times.
"Hey, this is a bit too much."
He instinctively raised his leg but faced with the enormous shadows looming overhead his poised kicking stance didn't know which direction to aim.
"Don't block the way, Mr. Chef." A calm female voice sounded from right behind him.
Nami pushed aside the dazed Sanji.
She didn't hold a weapon, just a heavy steel harpoon tethered to a thick iron chain she yanked from the ship's winch.
"The air pressure is bottoming out, and this humidity is right where it needs to be." Nami glanced up at the dark, rolling clouds overhead.
Her gaze stayed resolute, like everything playing out was well within her calculations.
She hefted the heavy steel harpoon, took a running start, and hurled it with all her strength.
It arced through the rain and lodged deep into the thick scales of the central Sea King.
The beast roared, thrashing wildly.
"Cover your ears," Nami warned, stepping back.
With a deafening crack, a tear ripped through the overcast sky. Drawn by the towering metal rod and the dense storm clouds, a massive pillar of natural lightning struck down, hitting the harpoon and chaining through the wet, clustered bodies of the Sea Kings.
Sizzle—Boom!
Blinding electric light flooded the sea. The heavy rainwater evaporated into white steam from the intense heat.
The sharp smell of scorching flesh accompanied the heavy crashing thuds of the giant beasts collapsing into the waves.
As the electric light faded, the sea fell into a dead silence.
The seven Sea Kings now floated belly-up on the water.
Thick black smoke rose from their bodies and the air filled with the aroma of grilled fish.
"Ahhh,"
A short cry of pain broke the calm.
Sanji jerked his hand—the cigarette between his fingers had burned down to the nub, scorching his skin.
Ignoring the pain in his fingers he stared blankly at the massive charred corpses on the sea, then stiffly turned his head to look at Nami, who was retracting the harpoon and complaining, "My clothes are all soaked."
Then he looked at Carina, who had taken one down with a single headshot.
Then he looked at Zaraki who was crouched on the deck examining a chunk of Sea King flesh.
Sanji looked at the crazy scene, then at the people on the ship. He suddenly felt like he might be the most useless person on board.
"Um... Zaraki."
Sanji walked up behind Zaraki with his head bowed, his bangs covering his eyes as his voice sounded muffled.
"I don't want to be dead weight."
Zaraki stood up, brushed the fishy smell from his hands, and looked at the chef whose entire worldview had just been shattered.
Without saying much he bent down, reached beneath a tarp-covered crate near the mast, and pulled out a pair of heavy metal wrist and ankle weights he had prepared earlier.
"Here."
Sanji instinctively reached out to catch them.
The exact moment the metal landed in his hands his arms sank fast, nearly throwing his back out.
"This is..." Sanji looked at the weights in his hands in shock. They weighed at least half a ton.
"Your kicks are flashy, but your power is way too scattered." Zaraki pointed a thumb at the Sea King corpses floating in the water.
"When you can wear these and kick the water to a boil, you won't have to worry about holding anyone back."
Sanji looked at the heavy weights in his hands, then at Zaraki's calm eyes.
He tightened his grip on the metal.
The confusion in his eyes vanished completely, replaced by a hot spark of excitement exactly like the look he got when facing top-tier ingredients.
"Kick the sea to a boil..." Sanji stamped out his cigarette butt, lit another one, and took a deep drag.
"Sounds like a tough ingredient to handle. But... it suits me just fine."
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