Chapter 696

The sea suddenly churned, and huge, fountain-like waves surged, drawing all the ships towards the center. Giant, mountain-like Sea King appeared around the pirate ships, surrounding the dozen or so vessels and staring intently at those who dared to sail overhead. They were utterly audacious; any ship or human daring to sail overhead had to be killed.

All the pirates huddled together, clinging to those around them, staring in terror at the Sea King whose eyes were larger than their entire ship, their expressions pitiful and pleading. Unfortunately, the Sea King couldn't decipher what the pirates were thinking.

The Sea King opened their mouths wide, revealing sharp teeth, and the pirates also opened their mouths wide, but they all screamed in terror, "No!! Help!!"

"Boom! Boom...!"

All the Sea King pounced on the dozen or so ships, and with a "crack!" the ships were torn to shreds. How could the pirates escape? They all became food for the Sea King, leaving not even a single plank behind.

Nami and the others also witnessed this scene. Although they had previously wanted to kill all the pirates, they couldn't bear to see the carnage firsthand and turned their eyes away.

Robin spoke up, "We don't have time to worry about others. We're not out of danger yet; the Calm Belt is full of Sea King nests." Just as Robin was saying this...

"Boom...!"

Suddenly, the sea ahead of the ship bulged, and the current caused the ship to roll backward. Soon, a Sea King that looked like a frog appeared in front of the group. Its huge eyes moved slightly before finally fixing on Chen Fan's ship. The commotion also alerted the Sea King that had just devoured the pirate ships, and they all swam towards them.

Nami and the others couldn't help but feel a sense of fear on their faces. If Chen Fan were awake, things would be much easier, but Chen Fan was still unconscious, and it seemed that Lady Luck wasn't on their side.

Robin smiled, shook her head, and sighed, "Is this the end? Sailing the high seas is so dangerous; countless forced choices lead to death. Countless people have already perished on this Grand Line." But she was unwilling to accept it. She hadn't found any Poneglyph, hadn't uncovered the true history; she was unwilling to give up.

This enormous Sea King, resembling a frog, slowly opened its massive mouth, its tongue clenching together. Given the habits of frogs, one can imagine the consequences of that iron-whip-like tongue striking the ship's hull—it would surely pulverize the entire vessel and its inhabitants in an instant.

Suddenly, "Boom...!" The seawater on the ocean began to churn.

An even larger figure appeared, lunging directly at the frog-like Sea King from the side. At close range, Nami looked as if a small mountain swept past them, swallowing the frog-like Sea King whole before it sank into the sea.

The waves were rolling and surging, and the ship was rocking violently. Nami and the others screamed and grabbed the railing, managing not to fall into the sea.

"What's going on! What happened?!" They only saw a huge black shadow and couldn't make out what it was. It should be a Sea King, right? Did Sea King fight? Could it be...?

"Have no idea...!"

Just as they were saying this, the previously calm sea surface swelled up again, as if something was about to emerge. "Splash...!" Seawater cascaded down from the newly appeared Sea King, whose enormous figure seemed even larger than a small mountain.

But upon seeing the newly appeared monster, Vivi and Robin's expressions turned even more grim, while Nami and Tashigi exclaimed in delight, "Little One!!!"

The newly appeared Sea King was none other than Chen Fan's Sea King pet, Little One. Although its body had become enormous, its appearance had not changed much, and Nami and Tashigi recognized it at a glance.

Chapter 195 The Sea King War

(Chapter 195 The Sea King War)

"Little One?" Vivi and Robin exclaimed in surprise. This Sea King was far from small; calling it "great" would be an understatement.

"Nami, do you know this Sea King?" Robin asked incredulously. Having a deep knowledge of the history of the Ancient Weapon, Robin naturally knew that the ability to communicate with Sea King was a power possessed only by the Ancient Weapon 'Sea King' Poseidon. Commanding the Sea King in the sea was something no one could stop; the Sea King were the true rulers of the sea.

Nami exclaimed in surprise, "I know it! Of course I know it! This is Chen Fan's pet, named Little One. We parted ways at the entrance to the Grand Line and haven't seen each other for a long time. I didn't expect it to have become so much bigger. If it hadn't looked the same, I wouldn't have recognized it."

"Chen Fan's pet...!!" Vivi and Robin exclaimed in surprise. What was Chen Fan's background? How could he command Sea King? Could Chen Fan be the legendary Ancient Weapon 'Poseidon'? No, that's not right. Historically Ancient Weapon 'Poseidon' was said to appear every hundred years in the body of a mermaid princess who could communicate with Sea King. Chen Fan didn't look like a mermaid princess at all.

"Hmm..." Little One greeted Nami. Little One only knew Nami; it had only met Tashigi once and didn't have a deep impression of her. However, Nami had specifically instructed it to take good care of Chen Fan.

"Little One! Chen Fan is injured and needs to find an island to rest," Nami called out to Little One. She didn't know if Little One could understand her, but she was desperate and would try anything.

Suddenly, "Roar...! Roar...!" The group of Sea King who had been there earlier saw their Little One killed by the newly appeared Sea King, and they roared angrily to the sky. In the Calm Belt, Sea King are social creatures, much like pirates, each with their own territory. They gather together to protect their territory from other Sea King. Most Sea King keep to themselves, but the Little One's actions were a provocation to the Sea King in their area, and it would only be paid for with blood and lives.

"Boom...!" The usually calm, Calm Belt was unusually disturbed today, with hordes of enormous Sea King appearing, their purpose clear: to settle the blood debt with Little One.