Celestial Dragon's Severed Arm

"In short, trust me, Uncle Gatt! Fire the cannons first, let's force its body completely out of the sea. It's thrashing around so much, I can't aim."

Sensing Gatt's hesitation, Xianuo added in a deep voice.

Ignoring the other's reaction, Xianuo turned his head back, his gaze once again fixed on the Sea King's riddled abdomen.

Just a few minutes ago.

After realizing what this creature, so similar to the King of the Near Sea, was doing, a bold idea had surfaced in his mind.

The reason for its madness was, in the end, unbearable pain in its belly. What if he could remove the source of its pain?

Sea Kings were intelligent beings, and quite intelligent at that.

If he could help it so much, he didn't expect any reward, but at least it wouldn't see them as a meal anymore, right?

With his current strength, defeating this Sea King head-on was pure fantasy. If he didn't want to end up as fish food, this was the only way out.

Regardless of the possibility of success, in a life-or-death situation, how could he not try?

"...Alright, we'll do as you say." Gatt sheathed his saber, finally making a decision.

"Captain..." a seasoned sailor started, then stopped.

"Don't say it, do we have any other options!"

Gatt interrupted directly. Once his attitude was clear, he became extremely decisive. "Cannoneers on the starboard side, load the shells immediately, await my command!"

"Ready?" he looked at Xianuo.

"Mm."

The young man's gaze remained fixed on the sea, nodding slightly.

"Good." Gatt took a deep breath, waved his hand sharply, and gave the order, "Aim for the Sea King's abdomen, three, two, one, ignite, fire!"

RUMBLE!!!

The eight cannons on the right roared simultaneously, their muzzles spewing fiery orange-red tongues that illuminated Xianuo's tensed leg muscles.

His pupils reflected the trajectory of the cannonballs tearing through the night sky. After a brief moment of silence, the Sea King's abdomen suddenly erupted in flames.

ROAR!!!!

A piercing roar shook the entire sea. The shadow surging violently beneath the water made everyone's heart almost stop.

The next instant, an iron-gray scaled body broke through the waves. Its ferocious head whipped up a monstrous wave, and as it lowered itself, its viper-like, slender vertical pupils fixed menacingly on the sailors on deck.

Now!

Xianuo tensed every muscle in his body, his arches digging into the deck. Using the momentum, he leaped over the railing. At this very moment, the Sea King's abdominal muscles, contracted in pain, formed a sloped fold.

THWACK!

The young man landed steadily on the fold with one foot. His right fist, already imbued with the full strength of his body, shot upwards from below towards the lower part of the protruding area!

Huh?

The Sea King was stunned. Before it could even lower its head to see what had happened, the membranes in its throat vibrated uncontrollably. It gagged, spitting out a small amount of dark green mucus that formed a web-like strand in the air.

And at the same time.

Xianuo's left fist had already driven fully into the esophageal fold. The vibrations from the impact caused the monster's throat scales to burst open like pinecones. The foreign object, now separated by a layer of abdominal skin, shifted several meters further up.

The effect is excellent!

A flash of joy crossed Xianuo's eyes, quickly replaced by ferocity. There was one last punch!

Using the rotational force of his waist and abdomen, he delivered the final uppercut. The spinning and power-generating technique honed day after day, night after night in the orange grove, sent the shockwave of this punch straight up the esophagus to its very core!

"GAAAH--!!!"

The intense urge to vomit finally reached its limit. Large masses of mucus mixed with mud and seaweed were expelled, falling with splattering sounds. A small portion splashed onto the deck, instantly corroding and piercing the wooden planks, emitting sizzling smoke.

The rest fell into the sea like a torrential downpour.

Shaken off by the Sea King's struggles and landing nearby, Xianuo immediately swam desperately towards the debris. After searching around for a few moments, he suddenly fixed his gaze on a certain spot.

Floating there was an arm.

A human arm.

Just as he thought!

Xianuo grabbed the severed arm, his eyes filled with surprise.

His guess was correct!

This Sea King was that King of the Near Sea!

And this severed arm was the culprit that caused it unbearable pain, forcing it to rub and scrape its belly everywhere!

How long had it been there?

Xianuo didn't know. He only knew that on that day, the Bandit King Higgs, who had killed fifty-six Four Emperors, couldn't withstand the corrosive power of the King of the Near Sea's stomach acid and bile. It had long since been expelled as feces.

Only this arm, for some reason, couldn't be digested. It couldn't be expelled on its own either, and it had been stuck in its stomach all this time.

He glanced up, confirming that his position was hidden by the hull and people on the deck above couldn't see him at all. Without any further hesitation, he activated his sacrifice.

The next moment, the severed arm in his hand vanished into thin air, and the system chimed with a success notification for the sacrifice.

[Offering: Shanks' Severed Arm]

[Quality: Legendary]

[Value: 10,000 points]

[Appraisal Comment: The severed arm of Saint Shanks, son of the highest commander of the Knights of God and a Celestial Dragon, was swallowed by the King of the Near Sea while saving Straw Hat Luffy. The worldline has drastically changed since then. The future Pirate King would have thrown this arm into the East Blue, yet he firmly believes he gambled it on the new era.]

Legendary quality!

Ten thousand points!

Xianuo's eyes widened. After confirming there were indeed four zeros, an uncontrollable surge of ecstasy flooded his heart.

Beneath the ink-black night sky, he couldn't help but burst into loud laughter.

Before taking action, he had worried if he could succeed, feared being swallowed before even touching the King of the Near Sea, and even at the moment he found the arm, he doubted if it could actually be sacrificed.

Now that the sacrifice was successful and the colossal amount of points he never possessed before was in hand.

For a moment, all his worries and doubts vanished, leaving Xianuo feeling utterly refreshed, as if he wasn't floating on the sea but drifting among the clouds.

"Hey! Are you alright, Xianuo!"

Gatt's anxious shout from above suddenly pulled him back to reality. He was getting worried because he hadn't seen the youth's figure for a while.

"I'm fine, Uncle! Please lower the rope ladder!"

He replied loudly with a smile.

As the rope ladder was lowered along the hull and he was halfway up, the youth suddenly felt a surge like a giant wave behind his head, and a thick, salty stench flooded his nostrils.

"Hiss--!!!"

It was the King of the Near Sea's voice, right up close.

From this hiss, so different from before, Xianuo heard a sense of satisfaction and joy. He looked up and met the King of the Near Sea's scarlet pupils.

"How is it, big guy!"

Xianuo grinned, staring at the creature without a trace of fear on his face. "The digestive surgery I performed on you, the results seem pretty good, right!"

The King of the Near Sea also narrowed its eyes, staring at Xianuo, saliva dripping from its fangs. It remained motionless for a long time.

Gatt and the others watching from above instantly felt their hearts clench.

After a full ten seconds.

The King of the Near Sea suddenly stuck out its tongue and gently licked Xianuo's back. It then raised its head and let out a roar that could tear the night sky apart.

Finally, with a powerful flip, it plunged into the sea with a tremendous splash, gradually disappearing without a trace.