The originally planned three-to-five day voyage was forcibly shortened to just two days by the crew-not because of Rowen's orders, but because they were being targeted.
Targeted by the world itself!
Since the sea serpent storm two days ago, they had crossed an endless zone of extreme weather. Tsunamis as high as mountains? They were just small fry.
A horde of over a hundred sea kings gathering for the mating season, writhing into a mass more terrifying than a ''snake ball''?
''This was far worse.''
Their colossal size alone was petrifying.
Each of their eyes was as large as the Qilin, the ''War Behemoth'' itself!
Even though they were sailing through unfathomably deep waters, the chaotic fighting and mating of these primordial beasts violently displaced the ocean, exposing the seabed below!
Then came colossal hail, oceanic maelstroms, and devastating cyclones. The crew experienced every extreme weather imaginable, leaving the soldiers exhausted and barely alive.
Faced with the collective complaints of the crew, the chief navigator nearly committed seppuku to prove his innocence.
"How is this my damn fault?!"
Finally, after two days and nights, they emerged into a calm, clear sky. The soldiers collapsed en masse, sprawled across the deck like fish out of water, gasping for breath. While relieved to be alive, many couldn't help but think that death would have been easier.
"Stay calm, stay calm... the real thrill is yet to come," Rowen muttered with a faint smile as he watched through the glass of the command room.
---
"Admiral, we're running low on repair materials. Shouldn't we..."
The logistics officer in charge of the ship's supplies hesitated as he spoke.
During the harrowing journey, the Qilin had naturally taken heavy damage, depleting their resources. At times, they even had to jettison some cargo in order to gain speed.
While most of the structure was metal and could be repaired under Rowen's control, some parts were beyond his ability to repair.
After makeshift repairs, the Qilin was riddled with holes, barely afloat thanks to Rowen's metal encasing of the hull to keep water out.
Rowen would never allow his flagship to sink - if that happened, Garp would laugh at him for the rest of his life.
Nodding, he instructed, "Let the soldiers rest for now, and begin searching the nearby seas as soon as possible. The sooner we can return, the better."
"Understood!"
---
Watching the logistics officer leave with visible relief, Rowen stretched and stood up.
"Now, it's your turn to take the stage."
Placing his teacup on a flat table, he sent a spark of electricity along the metal wiring that spanned the ship. The current gathered under the hull, deep in the water.
---
''Ding-ling-ling!''
In the pitch-black ocean depths, a dazzling golden light began to radiate outward, casting an otherworldly glow as it sank further.
It was a thin metal wire with Olga's two hundred year old ring tied to the end.
Like bait on a fishing line, the golden light disappeared into the dark abyss.
Unbeknownst to the cheering crew excited about their upcoming feast, an even bigger "surprise" was on its way, carefully planned by their beloved Admiral Soryu (Azure Dragon).
Even if they knew the truth, what could they do?
This was the ship they had chosen - they had no choice but to see the journey through, tears and all.
Unlike ordinary battleships, the crew of the Qilin were all volunteers who had undergone rigorous selection and testing. This wasn't just an assignment; it was a personal choice.
---
As the Pure Gold sank into the ocean, Rowen closed his eyes and patiently waited for the appearance of the Bonbori.
The ocean was vast, and unlike in the original story, the Bonbori wouldn't appear instantly. Even if its sensitivity to Pure Gold was as sharp as a shark's sense of blood, distance still played a role.
It wasn't until dusk that something happened.
---
Rowen was in the dining hall, calmly enjoying his dinner when a sudden, oppressive force slammed into him like a tidal wave. His head snapped up instantly.
"So, you've finally shown yourself, Bonbori!"
The air around him turned suffocating, thick with an overwhelming sense of danger. Rowen couldn't identify the exact source of the threat—not because he lacked the ability, but because its presence was incomprehensibly vast.
So immense, in fact, that even Rowen's vaunted Heavenly Network could barely graze its edges.
Feeling the crushing pressure, Rowen acted quickly. He deftly manipulated the steel wire to reel the Pure Gold back up.
If the Bonbori managed to swallow the Pure Gold and escape, it would be an unthinkable loss. He wasn't confident that the decoy Pure Gold could lure it out again.
---
Boom!
As the Pure Gold moved, so did the Bonbori.
The monstrous entity lurking beneath the ocean unleashed tremors that shook the ship violently, sending the soldiers into immediate high alert.
"Something's not right!"
"An enemy? Where is it?!"
Before panic could take hold, Rowen's commanding voice rang out, carried by a thunderous vibration that filled the air.
"Everyone, prepare for impact!"
Unlike pirates, the Marines were disciplined and well-trained. A single command was enough to spur them into action.
Without hesitation, they dropped what they were doing and secured themselves to the nearest stable fixtures.
---
Boom!
The ocean roared in protest as a colossal wave, towering a thousand meters high, surged into the sky like a mountain rising from the depths.
Then, as if mocking the laws of nature, the wave exploded outward, revealing an actual mountain of flesh emerging from beneath the surface.
Jagged white teeth and glistening pink ridges came into view, and a collective gasp of terror spread through the soldiers.
"What is that thing?!"
"It's massive—unbelievably massive!"
Next to this behemoth, the Qilin appeared no larger than a sesame seed caught in its maw.
Yet, what truly drove the soldiers to despair wasn't just the sight of one monstrous mountain—it was the realization that there were two of them.
Flanking the ship, the twin leviathans began closing in, their vast forms creating a terrifying sense of inevitability.
"Helmsman! Move! Get us out of here!"
Desperate voices called out, but the helmsman's face was pale, his hands frozen on the wheel.
"We can't! The water's collapsing around us! We're being… swallowed whole!"
The vortex created by the creature's gaping maw stretched several kilometers wide, pulling everything in its grasp downward. The Qilin, caught in the very center, had no way of escaping—unless it could fly.
---
"Stay calm!!"
Suddenly, Rowen's voice rang out again, shaking the soldiers out of their panic.
But then, he followed up with a comment that made their hearts sink.
"Don't worry, I did the math. The monster's teeth can't reach us!"
Oh, the teeth can't reach us? That's good to know…
''What kind of reassurance is that?!''
(╯‵□′)╯︵┻━┻
Sure, the teeth won't get us, but we're still inside its mouth…
''This is being swallowed alive!!!''
---
Amid the soldiers' frantic complaints, the water beneath the Qilin finally gave way entirely. The ship plummeted downward at an alarming speed.
---
''Boom…!!!''
A muffled crash echoed, like steel colliding while wrapped in heavy blankets. The enormous upper and lower jaws snapped shut with overwhelming force.
The Bonbori's massive body breached halfway out of the water, then plunged back beneath the surface. A thunderous ''crash'' followed as it disappeared, creating tsunamis that radiated across the ocean.
---
"What the hell is that thing?!"
Several kilometers away, a pale-skinned sailor who had spent years under the sea stared through a diving lens, his throat dry as he swallowed hard.
Realizing the gravity of what he had seen, he snapped to attention.
"I must report to Orrick Sama immediately!"
"A giant lanternfish… it really exists!!!"
'(End of Chapter)'
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