The Power of Hearing

The light streaming down from the Eve Tree of the Sun above was completely blocked out. The colossal beast, as immense as a mountain, seemed capable of crushing everything in the world through the sheer force of its descent alone.

"Bright!!"

In the distance, Arlong's expression changed drastically. "Watch out!"

That was a Sea King!

And not an ordinary Sea King at that. From what they had seen alone, that thing had already defeated several Sea Kings even larger than itself!

Damn it, hadn't it shown no interest in them? Their several unexpected encounters had only ended in them passing each other by, and even when it noticed their presence, it had made no move.

But what was going on today? Why had it suddenly launched an attack?

"Brother Bright!!"

Shark Star's face was also filled with alarm.

The attack had come too suddenly, and the attacker was far too powerful!

This was a Sea King, a true ruler of the seas!

Bright paid no attention to Arlong and Shark Star's shouts. In fact, he had no spare focus to spare for them right now.

This monster that had suddenly attacked had put him completely on edge.

"Roar!!"

The lizard head roared, its gaping maw revealing a mouthful of savage fangs.

Bright kicked off the seawater, his body shooting upward like a missile, narrowly avoiding the monster's pounce.

Boom!

It had merely crashed down, yet in an instant, the impact was like an undersea volcano erupting.

The seabed cracked apart, and the seawater churned into terrifying whirlpools, even sweeping away the sea beast Bright had tossed aside.

The stirred-up silt obscured the seafloor.

But the silt drifted for only an instant before a sharp trajectory tore through it. With a sweep of its long tail, a massive tail club came smashing down at Bright's head.

So fast.

Bright's pupils contracted slightly. If that hammer came down, it could probably smash a small mountain to pieces.

Scales rapidly spread across his body. Bright did not underestimate his opponent and immediately entered his Dragon Human form.

To truly powerful people, a lone Sea King was nothing more than an ingredient. But this Sea King was clearly no ordinary one.

Arcs of lightning flickered as Bright launched himself forward, effortlessly tearing through the deep-sea water.

Before the Sea King's enormous tail club, Bright looked as tiny as an ant.

But in that instant, this ant unleashed power that shook the deep sea!

His right leg, wreathed in electricity, shot out in a flying kick and collided head-on with the massive hammer.

The shockwave from the collision blasted apart the surrounding seawater, creating a huge hollow.

Then, amid a cracking sound, the tail club that had come crashing down was kicked flying back by Bright. It traced an arc through the water before slamming heavily into the seafloor.

"H-He kicked it back!!"

Shark Star's eyes widened. "Amazing! That was incredible, Brother Bright! But—"

"What's with that appearance? Could Brother Bright be a Devil Fruit User?"

"Kid, that's a secret."

Arlong's expression was grave.

It'll be fine if it's you, right, Bright?

Having sent the giant beast's attack back head-on, Bright was also pushed backward by the recoil.

He frowned.

"So damn noisy!"

Since earlier, meaningless yet incredibly grating sounds had begun ringing in his ears again.

And this time, they were far louder than before. Bright could barely hear anything else; it felt as though his eardrums were about to burst.

"Roar!!"

With a roar that echoed through the deep sea, the beast drove its thick legs beneath its body, propelling its massive frame upward as its four enormous claws drew in before its chest.

"I said you're too damn noisy!!"

Bright clutched his forehead and roared.

Brilliant lightning erupted from him, instantly merging into the seawater.

"Roar!!"

The giant beast that had just approached Bright was the first to be baptized by the lightning.

It screamed as its body thrashed violently.

However, the electric shock conducted through the seawater in all directions was nowhere near strong enough to bring it down.

The next instant, the seawater exploded as though a cannonball had been fired.

A massive claw pierced through the water and struck straight at Bright.

Though the noise had left him somewhat dizzy and disoriented, Bright still had to marvel at how fast it was.

This thing's method of attack truly resembled that of a peacock mantis shrimp, snapping its claws out at lightning speed and unleashing earth-shattering force in an instant.

Fortunately, his reaction speed was fast.

Bright shifted to the side, narrowly evading the blow.

The vortex created by the aftershock alone made it difficult for Bright to keep his balance. One could only imagine how powerful the strike itself had been.

But—

"Hmm?"

Bright turned his head, only for his vision to be blocked by a dark shadow.

Boom!

Before the launched claw had even retracted, the second claw had already shot out.

Bright's reactions were quick, but his movement speed could not keep up at that moment.

The blow struck him squarely, smashing him straight into the seafloor and blasting a huge crater into the soft seabed.

"He got hit!!"

Among the spectators being continuously pushed backward by the currents, Shark Star cried out in alarm, "Brother Bright!! He'll be okay, right?!"

Even Arlong could not help but grow anxious.

He really would be fine, right?

At the bottom of the enormous crater, Bright stood up and shook his head. "That hurt. Its strength really is ridiculous!"

His entire body hurt. Even with Armament Haki protecting him, his bones had nearly been shattered.

That destructive power was far greater than Hag's.

And it was smart, too. The first attack had merely been a feint; the second strike had been the real attack.

The seawater accelerated again, and Bright hurriedly shot to one side. Almost at the same instant, a massive tail hammer crashed down, shattering this stretch of seabed once more.

Bright looked up. Above him, the giant beast stared down from on high, still roaring without pause as all four of its huge claws drew back.

Bright could not help repeatedly slapping his head.

It felt as though his head were about to explode. The deafening, chaotic voices made it nearly impossible for him to think.

The Sea King did not care about Bright's predicament. Its four enormous claws shot down one after another like a barrage of arrows.

"Damn it!"

Bright gritted his teeth against the torment in his mind and swam desperately from side to side, dodging the attacks.

But the beast's claws were not only fast when striking—they retracted just as quickly.

It clearly had only four claws, yet it somehow felt as though it were attacking without end.

The four massive claws struck and withdrew, over and over again.

Bright was ultimately distracted by two things at once. Even though he dodged with all his strength, he was still struck several times in succession and smashed back down onto the seafloor.

This time, his bones had definitely broken.

Yet Bright did not even have the mind to care about that.

The voices in his head grew even louder. His eyes were already bloodshot, and his hands unconsciously clutched his head as every muscle in his body trembled.

"Rooaar!!"

The giant beast looked down at Bright from above, but it did not continue attacking. It merely roared, its four claws waving constantly without striking down.

"So loud! So loud! So loud!!"

Bright's eyeballs were trembling uncontrollably by now.

That sound grew louder and louder.

It shook him until he could no longer think.

The sound drew closer and closer, completely threatening to drown Bright within it.

Boom!!

Inside his mind, there was a terrifying sound like the explosion of the universe. Everything turned into white light and faded away.

Bright's body suddenly shuddered. His expression froze completely, as though even his pupils had become fixed.

After a brief daze, the chaotic noise gradually began to soften—then become... clear.

Bright blinked.

"Come fight!! Powerful fish-man!! Come fight!!"

He heard the voice.

Bright raised his head and looked at the roaring behemoth.

"Come on, let's see who the strongest warrior in these deep seas really is!!"

Bright's mouth fell slightly open.

"You've recovered? Good! Then let's keep fighting!!"

The poised claw came crashing down.

A new voice rang in his ears.

Was it going to smash down from there?

Bright leaped to one side, nimbly dodging the descending claw.

Then came a storm of claws.

Bright looked somewhat dazed.

So strange. So strange.

Why was this guy's claw making noises?

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