When Senga steered his little boat toward the shore in the direction the Sea King had been blasted, he found its white-eyed corpse already washed ashore. A crowd of villagers had gathered around it, chattering about the Sea King that had suddenly appeared.
"Th-this is a Sea King, right? How did it end up here?"
"No idea. Could it be a gift from nature?"
"A gift from my ass. Even if something this huge got washed in by the waves, there's no way it could have been pushed this far onto shore!"
"What about that kid Senga? Hurry and go out to look for him—it's dangerous right now."
"Yeah. Any strong young men, come with me to find him. Don't let anything happen to him."
Among the crowd, pink-haired Bellemere stood with eight-year-old Nami and twelve-year-old Nojiko, arms folded as she silently watched the Sea King's corpse before them.
The lively Nami pointed at the corpse and said curiously, "Bellemere, look! What a huge fish! It's my first time seeing such a big fish!"
"I wonder how Brother Senga is doing. He should have gone out fishing today, right?"
The more reserved Nojiko worried about Senga instead. Bellemere rubbed both girls' little heads without saying anything, though a trace of concern flashed through her eyes as well.
Having once been a Marine, she could tell from the Sea King's wounds that it had been killed by someone.
Since when did East Blue have someone this strong? Was it the Marines? If it was pirates, then that would be troublesome. I don't care about myself, but Nami and Nojiko...
Bellemere clenched her fists.
No matter who it is, if he tries to hurt them, I'll protect them even if it costs me my life!
By then, Senga had also come ashore and reached the corpse. The villagers quickly crowded around him.
"It's Senga! You're finally back. A Sea King appeared—Granny Lisa was worried sick about you!"
"Yeah, yeah. Don't go out to sea for a while. A Sea King has shown up. If your little boat ran into one, wouldn't it get flipped over immediately?"
"Brother Senga!" x2
The two little girls popped out of the crowd and tightly hugged Senga's... calves. They were Nami and Nojiko.
"You're all right, Senga? These two little brats were worried to death about you." Bellemere squeezed her way over as well.
Nojiko's face reddened as she held tightly onto Senga's leg without saying a word. Nami, on the other hand, sprang away like a lit firecracker and shouted that she had not been worried at all—she just did not want to have no one to catch fish for her in the future!
Feeling the concern from the people around him, Senga's heart warmed. For someone who had spent years living on edge in the Naruto World, such concern was exceptionally precious.
Shaking his head, Senga smiled at the people around him.
"I'm fine. Thank you for your concern. As for the danger, you don't need to worry either. That Sea King was my prey."
Once Senga finished speaking, he noticed that the surroundings had suddenly fallen silent. Everyone stared blankly at him.
After a while, Nojiko suddenly stretched out her hand and hopped a few times. Senga looked at her in confusion. Realizing her actions seemed a little silly, Nojiko blushed and stammered worriedly,
"Brother Senga, were you scared stupid? Or do you have a fever?"
Nami beside her wore the exact same expression, as if she were saying: Me too!
As soon as she said that, the villagers around them erupted in laughter.
"Haha, Senga, even the kids think something's wrong with you."
"You usually seem like such a cool guy. Who knew you had a talent for telling bad jokes?"
"Hahahaha!" Another burst of laughter followed.
Bellemere did not laugh. She looked at the young man before her, and her instincts told her he was not telling a bad joke. She knew Senga was no ordinary person. The pressure his eyes gave off was simply too strong—only an idiot would believe they merely looked unusual.
The villagers around them had only unconsciously avoided looking into his eyes during their usual interactions. Or perhaps, after spending so much time with him and realizing that Senga was a good person, they had gradually ignored this difference.
Senga did not get angry. He said nothing, merely raised a hand toward the Sea King and softly uttered four words.
"Shinra Tensei."
Then, before everyone's stunned eyes, the Sea King's corpse was blasted several hundred meters farther away.
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