Where's Grandpa Going?

Thick, dark clouds covered the sky, and glistening snowflakes danced in the air.

The vast sea flows turbulently, with wave after wave rolling into the distance.

On the vast ocean, so wide that the horizon seemed to disappear, dozens of warships belonging to two different sides were locked in a fierce battle, bombarded by arrows and cannon fire.

Fight! Fight! It's a fight to the death!

On the west side, more than twenty modern steel warships, with their cannons having a range far exceeding that of the enemy, relentlessly bombarded nearly a hundred ancient-looking sailing wooden ships in the distance.

In the air.

Every now and then, a dozen or so silver rockets, spewing flames, would swiftly pass by, destroying enemy ships or massive sea monsters with an accuracy far superior to cannonballs.

These are "Thunder Spear" type rockets produced in the "Giant World". The Weapons Research Institute modified them according to the requirements of the Marine Headquarters and then installed them on the warships.

Thus, the World Government now has its own dedicated missile destroyers.

Although the World Government does not yet have artificial Satellite -assisted navigation, Vegapunk of the Academy of Sciences has taken some time to develop something called a 'Hemispherical Inertial Navigation Gyroscope'.

It can provide accurate positioning and navigation without Satellite, and it has better stability against electronic interference than Satellite.

Certainly.

If the distance is too far, the accuracy is indeed somewhat worse than that of Satellite, but it is still sufficient for missile strikes.

However, the World Government's navy's biggest enemy at this moment is not those sailing wooden ships, but those strange monsters in the sea.

These are the Danger Beasts in this world.

Not only are they enormous, but they also possess extraordinary abilities, with one of them, a black octopus that is two to three hundred meters tall, being the most ferocious.

Despite enduring various artillery shells, rockets, and even slashing attacks from naval officers, it swung its eight thick tentacles and frantically slapped at the World Government's warships.

Or it could spew out highly toxic ink, turning the surrounding sea black and poisoning even its own sea creatures.

The Shenhe Island fleet, located on the eastern side of the sea.

They seemed to possess some means of taming or controlling these sea monsters, and the wooden boats were truly just used as ships, without even a single cannon on them.

Besides.

They possessed a large number of sword-wielding Samurai, each of whom was extremely agile and highly skilled in Swordsmanship, with many capable of unleashing sword energy.

These swordsmen used the massive bodies of sea monsters as stepping stones to fight back and forth on the sea surface with the officers and soldiers of the Marine Headquarters.

They sometimes crisscrossed, sometimes collided, and the crisp clanging sounds continued endlessly.

Although these swordsmen often find it difficult to contend with officers who Observation Haki.

However, when facing naval officers who only possess Armament Haki or have no Haki at all, they are able to achieve certain results through their superb Swordsmanship and teamwork.

Not only that.

On the side of the Divine Harmony and the fleet, there was a group of archers wearing black masks. They appeared to be both men and women, but their archery skills were exceptional.

It can not only hit naval soldiers moving at high speed, but it can even intercept shells whistling through the air from time to time.

If someone approaches.

Some of them would draw their twin swords from their backs and summon the Kappa) on guard duty underwater to join them in engaging the attacking naval captain, thus creating an opportunity for their comrades behind them to continue firing.

These people are Shenwa Island Country!

In this country, those skilled in archery are not necessarily ninjas, but any ninja is invariably proficient in archery.

Those Kappa are a type of Danger Beasts.

It resembles a human with four limbs and flowing hair, but has a sharp mouth and a light green tortoise shell on its back.

Not only can they move normally in the water, but they also swim at an astonishing speed, and their leg strength is terrifying. They love to jump out of the water and then kick their target to death.

Or they could swim quickly from underwater and kick the bottom of the boat open.

In other words, they pose a very similar threat to warships as torpedoes, although they are slightly weaker in terms of firepower, but they have the advantage of maneuverability and attack frequency.

If one kick isn't enough, then try a few more.

Because these Kappa only exist in Shenwa Island Country, the empire has not included or classified them.

At this time.

The Kappa guarding the vicinity of these ninjas are a minority; the majority of the Kappa are in the deep sea, engaged in underwater combat with the World Government's Fish-Man Unit.

In terms of numbers, there are around five hundred Fish-Man Race from Sea Star, but the number of Kappa is over three thousand.

And this isn't even all the Kappa that the Shenwa Island Country possess.

For nearly a thousand years, Shenwa Island Country have had a well-established model for raising Kappa, which are equivalent to low-ranking Kappa in the navy, laborers and cannon fodder.

To this day, countless Imperial Navy have perished at the hands of Kappa, and countless Imperial warships have sunk beneath their Kappa. Of course, countless Kappa have also died in naval battles large and small.

Esdeath must feel this most keenly.

All in all.

The Shenwa Island Country nation, through the combined efforts of sea monsters, Kappa, swordsmen, and ninjas, managed to hold off the World Government's naval fleet.

According to the plan, the former should have had the Imperial Navy led by Esdeath as reinforcements at this time.

However, throughout history, plans can never keep up with the changing circumstances.

The capital of the Shenwa Island Country.

Nestled in the green mountains behind Heavenly Wolf City.

There was an old man who looked extremely old, with his eyes closed, sitting cross-legged on top of a huge round rock, with an unremarkable white-handled longsword on his knees.

Behind it is a surging waterfall with a Water Curtain hanging down, and a large amount of water constantly crashes into the lake below, creating a series of awe-inspiring roars.

Next to this large round stone is a smaller round stone, a few sizes smaller.

A Black-Haired Girl who looked to be about seventeen or eighteen years old sat cross-legged on top, with a cool and aloof demeanor. She also had a long sword on her lap, but the scabbard was black.

Suddenly.

The solemn atmosphere was abruptly shattered when the old man suddenly opened his eyes.

"Grandpa, what's wrong?"

The Black-Haired Girl sensed the unusual atmosphere, opened her sharp, eagle-like black eyes, and looked up at the other person in surprise.

"The Divine Dragon has just given me a divine decree, instructing us to be cautious of the Otherworld enemies that have appeared this time. Among them are several powerful beings comparable to 'Immortal Spirit' (super Danger Beasts /Western Divine Beast)."

"Moreover, several other 'Immortal Spirit' around the world have also awakened from their slumber!"

The Black-Haired Girl was shocked. Someone comparable to a 'Immortal Spirit'?

"Grandpa, how could there be such a person? Didn't you say that even you, as a Sword Saint, and that Western Stigmata Alchemist, could only contend with 'Immortal Spirit' for a time at most?"

The old man gripped the scabbard and slowly rose. The spray and strong wind from the cascading waterfall behind him made his loose white kimono flutter loudly.

"So, I'm quite curious too; it's really something to look forward to!"

"I, Yami Tsukahara, have lived for eighty-one years without ever encountering a worthy opponent, my life undefeated. To have the opportunity to come into contact with such a person is truly fortunate. If he were a swordsman, that would be even better!"

As the words progressed, the fighting spirit emanating from this Divine Harmony and Sword Saint grew increasingly intense.

Its overwhelming aura created immense pressure that made even the Black-Haired Girl feel breathless.

This was the first time she had ever seen her kind and gentle grandfather display such a strong and assertive demeanor.

Let's go.

Where did Grandpa go?

"Sea."