An Encounter

The Calm Belt, as its name suggested, was a windless stretch of sea located on either side of the Grand Line. The reason it was known as a sea from which none returned wasn't merely that ships couldn't sail without wind. It was also home to the most dangerous creatures in the ocean—the Sea Kings.

That was why the Calm Belt was also known as the Sea King Beast Nest!

For this reason, pirates who entered the Grand Line's routes didn't dare change course at will. They simply followed their Log Poses from one island to the next. Changing course could be fine if it took them onto another route, but if they accidentally entered the Calm Belt, they were as good as dead.

There were exceptions to everything. Once the Navy officially developed warships powered by Internal Turbine Power that could sail through the Calm Belt, the situation began to change. And after discovering that Seastone could shield ships from Sea Kings' senses, the Navy officially conquered this terrifying stretch of sea.

The ship Bai Ina was aboard used this same technology. It had been developed by the Revolutionary Army using a captured warship.

"Anything wrong?"

Seeing Mo Mo enter the cabin that had been specially built for his training, Bai Ina stopped swinging his sword. He casually picked up a mask from the side and put it on.

Sometimes, even Bai Ina didn't understand why he was so attached to the mask.

Perhaps he couldn't accept this world and wanted to use the mask to shut himself off from it.

Perhaps he instinctively wanted to hide some emotion and keep others from knowing about it—or perhaps it was both.

Seeing this, Mo Mo's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly. He hadn't spent much time with the old Bai Ina, but as he remembered him, Bai Ina had simply been a somewhat withdrawn kid, skilled with the sword and cold toward everyone except Loxi.

He didn't know why Bai Ina had become the cruel Asura behind the Demon Mask, but it was easy to guess that something must have happened to change him.

He didn't know what that turning point was. Tufang and Zongcilang didn't know either, and perhaps Bai Ina himself didn't know. But... all three of them had a vague feeling that Loxi might know what had triggered Bai Ina's change.

But Loxi hadn't said anything, so they respected his choice and never pressed him. However... as time passed, Bai Ina's increasingly extreme and cruel behavior had become too much for them to bear. It frightened them...

"What is it?"

Bai Ina's icy voice brought Mo Mo out of his daze. He quickly hid his lapse and said, "We've entered an area of thick fog. The lookout can't see anything more than ten meters away. Should we take any precautions?"

They had been at sea for half a month. After entering the Grand Line through the Calm Belt, they had traveled by day and hidden by night. Whenever they spotted any sign of trouble, they immediately changed course. This would delay their arrival at the supply depot, but it could help them avoid many dangers.

"An area of thick fog!"

Bai Ina frowned. If they had encountered thick fog on another route, they could simply follow the Log Pose straight out of it. But moving blindly through these waters, where Navy ships often appeared, was extremely dangerous.

With that in mind, Bai Ina walked straight out of the cabin. As Mo Mo had said, the fog outside was so thick that they couldn't see what lay ahead. There was nothing else he could do. He shouted toward the control room, "Reduce the Internal Turbine Power. Proceed at low speed!"

'Clang!'

But not long after Bai Ina finished speaking, a dazzling beam of light shone toward them from the distance.

"Not good!"

Bai Ina's pupils contracted. As the light drew nearer, the outline of a huge ship suddenly appeared before his eyes.

There was a ship so close by! The discovery made everyone's expressions change.

"Whooo... whooo..."

A piercing horn blared as the huge silhouette in the distance grew larger.

All the crew members rushed from the cabin onto the deck, their expressions tense as they watched the unknown ship speed toward them.

"I'm sorry, Commander Bai. This was all my—"

Mo Mo stepped forward, his face full of guilt.

"It's not your fault!"

Bai Ina cut him off before he could finish. "In an area this foggy, things like this are hard to avoid." Then he turned and shouted, "Everyone, prepare for battle! Gunners, get ready to fire! The rest of you, prepare the ropes for a boarding fight!"

"A boarding fight?"

Mo Mo was stunned. He didn't understand why they would choose to fight hand-to-hand. Once the two ships were connected by ropes and the boarding fight began, one side would be completely wiped out. There would be no escaping.

"The Navy's warships are far stronger than ours. If we rely on a direct exchange of fire, even if we fight while retreating, it'll be hard to survive. Our only choice is a boarding fight. We'll storm their deck, and whoever survives will be the victor."

The five hundred fighters tightened at Bai Ina's words, instinctively gripping their weapons.

The unknown ship was moving fast. In the blink of an eye, it had reached Bai Ina's warship. Its outline was now clear, and the Navy insignia on its sails dashed the last of Bai Ina and the others' hopes.

A blond, burly man stood at the bow of the warship. He wore a Navy colonel's uniform, its front left open to reveal a body of solid, rocklike muscle.

The colonel looked at the people on deck with a feral grin and shouted, "I never thought that after wiping out a Revolutionary Army crew, I'd run into another one on my way back to base!"

Seeing that he was only a colonel, Bai Ina secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He flicked a hand behind him, where no one could see.

'Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...'

At Bai Ina's signal, the waiting crew members threw out the ropes with iron hooks.

The grappling lines cut through the air and latched onto the warship.

The blond colonel at the bow watched with interest and made no attempt to stop them. His expression only grew more vicious.

'Shing!'

The twin swords crossed over his back flashed out of their sheaths. A feverish battle lust appeared on the colonel's face. "Hahaha! You've got guts! You want to fight hand-to-hand? Then I'll indulge you!"

With that, he charged without hesitation along the rope toward the warship carrying Bai Ina and the others. The Navy soldiers aboard the warship twitched at the sight. They were helpless in the face of their short-tempered colonel, but they didn't hesitate to follow him.

Seeing this, Bai Ina raised an eyebrow, the corner of his mouth curling upward.

He hadn't expected the other side's commander to be such a hothead. But that suited him just fine.

"Kill!"

With a battle cry, the two groups crashed into each other!

P.S. Thanks to 'Ding Bujue' and 'Xianqi' for the donations. Thank you for your support.

P.S. 2: From now on, the P.S. notes will go after the main text. Some readers said putting them before the story affected their reading experience. That was my mistake, Xiao Jiao. Sorry about that.

P.S. 3: I've been going crazy with writer's block and dragged things out for two chapters. They feel incredibly dull, so please bear with me. I think I need some post-release clarity to calm down... That's all for today. I've got no inspiration, and I can't even pad things out properly... Sigh!