After that day.
A "shadow" appeared on the seas, coming and going without a trace.
Any pirate targeted by him met only one fate.
—Disappearance.
New World, somewhere at sea.
The wind and waves were calm as a pirate ship sped forward at full sail.
On deck.
Barrels rolled about, the scent of meat filled the air, and coarse laughter mingled with curses.
"HAHAHAHA!"
"Those recent rumors are way too ridiculous!"
"'The Azure Dragon has returned,' 'pirate hunter'—each one sounds more exaggerated than the last—"
"Who the hell are they trying to scare?"
The pirate smashed his cup against a barrel and cursed, "I've been sailing for years, and I've never seen any so-called—"
Before he could finish.
"Bzzz—"
The air suddenly grew heavy, and even the waves seemed to slow for a beat.
"Whoosh!"
A black shadow appeared directly above the ship without warning.
"—?!"
Someone instinctively looked up.
The next instant, his pupils contracted sharply.
It was a massive figure, a black coat slowly swaying high in the sky.
Without any announcement, Kuma merely slowly drew back his right hand. The paw-pad mark in his palm glowed faintly.
"Crack—"
"Crack, crack, crack—"
The air was forcibly compressed, invisible "atmosphere" gathering in his palm.
Twisting, collapsing, contracting.
Until it became the outline of a gigantic, indistinct "bear paw," transparent yet suffocatingly heavy.
"Th-that... what is that..."
Someone pointed at the sky with a trembling voice, but there was no time left for him to understand what he was seeing.
Kuma abruptly swung his hand.
"Ursus Shock!"
"BOOM—!!!"
In that instant, the atmosphere compressed to its limit rebounded all at once!
The shockwave formed by the recoil swept across the entire ship like an invisible colossal wall!
"BANG—!!!"
The hull ruptured from the middle, planks flying everywhere as the keel