Where Did Our Captain Used to Run With?
The Kraken ensnared the Black Pearl and dragged it out to sea. The anchor got stuck in the rocks, and the anchor rope, which was thicker than a human arm, snapped. With a loud bang, the ship shook violently, and the crew members were thrown to their deaths.
The sea churned, churning up mud and sand until it became murky, and thick tentacles stretched upwards along the hull. At the muzzle, it was clear that the wet, sticky tentacles were covered with suckers, the largest of which were large enough to cover the entire muzzle.
"Hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo————"
The cabin was deathly silent. Perhaps they thought that if they didn't make a sound, they wouldn't be discovered. A muffled roar startled the pirates from their dreams, and they hurriedly stuffed gunpowder and solid cannonballs into the muzzle of the cannon.
On the deck, the pirates picked up their weapons—knives, guns, spears—and scattered to the ship's side, hacking at the enormous tentacles.
The tentacles that had just emerged were only about ten centimeters thick, soft and seemingly easy to cleave in two with an axe. But when the pirates actually tried to cut them, they discovered that the Kraken's skin was incredibly tough, even harder to cut than cowhide.
Swords and blades could not harm the Kraken, nor could they offer the pirates any solace. Its thick tentacles reached into the deck, easily lifting a person high into the air. Its immense strength allowed it to fight other monsters in the deep sea, easily tearing large chunks of whale skin. How could human strength withstand such power? Screaming, they were dragged into the sea.
"Fire! Fire!!"
Barbossa shouted the order, leaned against the rudder to dodge the tentacle attack that was within arm's reach, slashed down with his sword to create a gash, then drew his flintlock pistol from his waist and fired a vicious shot into the wound.
"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom—"
On the Black Pearl, all 32 16-pounder cannons fired in rapid succession. Due to the dense network of tentacles, all 16 powerful shells hit their targets. The solid shells whistled through the air, piercing holes in the tentacles or tearing away large chunks of flesh.
The severed tentacles were a bloody mess, and a thick tentacle dangled on the deck. Blood and slime splattered everywhere, a bluish-green color, and there was a burnt smell.
"Hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo————"
The tentacles twitched and retracted into the sea, but before the pirates could cheer, even more tentacles crawled up the ship's hull.
"Idiots, what are you all standing there for? Hurry up and load the shells and fire!" Barbossa roared, kicking a dazed pirate next to him. The pirates hurriedly loaded the shells, and this time, no command was needed; they fired freely.
The Kraken, writhing in pain, went berserk, its four largest and longest tentacles pulling at the Black Pearl, causing it to shake violently as if an earthquake had struck. The pirates, unable to stand firm, were completely unable to mount an effective counterattack.
Just then, a thick, long tentacle wrapped around the mainmast, twisting and pulling, causing it to creak and crackle. Barbossa's heart pounded, and he was about to shout when he heard a familiar call in his ear.
"The people on deck must protect the mast; it must not be torn down, or we're finished."
It was Jack who finally suppressed his fear of the Demon Prison when the Kraken damaged the Black Pearl.
Swords and knives had limited effect on the tentacles, and a flintlock pistol could make a hole, but against the Kraken's massive size, the injury was negligible. Jack pried open the barrel, poured the full amount of liquor onto the tentacle, then lit an oil lamp, setting half of the tentacle red-hot.
The tentacle released the mast and rapidly retracted back below the surface of the sea, followed immediately by another tentacle coiling up.
"Clang!!!"
Russell drew his sword in a flash, easily slicing through the incredibly tough skin. A glint of light flashed in his eyes as he unleashed a faint, almost imperceptible, sword aura. He pressed down with both arms, the immense force propelling the Adamantium Blade to cleave the tentacle that was attempting to harm the mast in two.
"Such thick skin, it really is a demonic creature..." Russell thought to himself, "This is troublesome." He did have a few cards that could crush the Kraken, but it would be a waste to actually use them.
It's just a mutated creature, at most a bit thick-skinned and a bit bigger. With his current combat power, he can still win with a little trickery.
Russell's gaze followed the severed tentacle downwards, and his eyes twitched violently. The flesh on the smooth cut of the tentacle he had just severed was writhing, showing signs of healing.
Okay, besides being thick-skinned and huge, the Kraken also has self-healing abilities!
Russell's gaze swept across the sea. Since the tentacles couldn't be cut off, there was no need to waste energy. He would deliver a fatal blow to the head with a single strike.
"Hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo————"
The sea surface churned with mud and sand, and a dark sand dune rose from the sea, the torso of the Kraken, its two large, bright eyes fixed on Russell's location.
"If someone's head is offered up willingly, why not take it?" Russell snorted coldly, accelerated on the deck, stepped onto the ship's side, and leaped high into the air, landing like a cannonball in the distant sea.
With his feet touching the sea surface, pressing down on the concave arc, he strode through the water, his legs crossed and moving forward, creating a white streak that flew straight toward the eyes of the Kraken.
"Hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo————"
As the Kraken rapidly approached Russell, its enormous eyes filled with rage, and its tentacles surged up from beneath the surface, crashing down in a devastating barrage.
Russell dodged left and right, adjusting his pace by accelerating and decelerating to evade the two men's massive tentacles that were embracing him. When he couldn't avoid them, he swung his Adamantium Blade, unleashing a sword aura that swept away the obstacles in his path.
More and more tentacles surrounded Russell, attacking him. The Kraken judged him to be the most threatening person present. By sheer luck, this greatly reduced the pressure on the Black Pearl, and the pirates on board were extremely grateful.
The strategist risked his life to save me; I'm definitely sticking with such a great leader!
Jack stood on the ship's railing, gazing into the distance. Thinking of Russell's self-proclaimed captain of the Black Pearl, a sense of despair washed over him. His face twitched as he asked, "Barbossa, that weirdo... where did our captain used to work?"
Barbossa frowned, turned around and yelled, "You bunch of useless trash, stop watching the show, load the shells and fire!"
After giving instructions to the pirates, he replied, "I first met him in Xiao Feng's territory. From what I've observed, he should be Xiao Feng's boss."
"Xiao Feng ..." Jack's face twitched even more. Xiao Feng hadn't said anything bad about him, had he?
On the sea, Russell's attack was thwarted as more and more tentacles filled the space in front and behind him, making it difficult for him to advance any further. The seawater beneath his feet churned violently, and a huge tentacle, as large as the Black Pearl and as long as it was, suddenly leaped out, pushing Russell high into the air.
Russell sliced through the skin of the tentacle with a single stroke, his five fingers digging into the flesh to prevent him from falling from the sky. He stepped onto the several-meter-thick tentacle, heading towards its base, which was the Kraken's eye.
He stored the longsword in his Space Ring, switched to Desert Eagle God, and fired a rapid-fire shot with his left hand, breaking up the slippery membrane and leaving footholds for his advance.
Meanwhile, the Desert Eagle in his right hand was aimed at the Kraken eyeball. A gunshot rang out, and pale blue sparks burst from the muzzle. The Kraken's right eye socket exploded, and blue fluid splattered everywhere.
"Hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo————"
Dozens of tentacles stretched straight into the sky as the Kraken swung its massive body, stirring up towering waves. Its protruding mouth, baring its fangs, let out a desperate roar.
The high-energy Mana Destruction Bullet had a slow firing rate, so Russell couldn't fire two shots in a row and had to continue moving forward to find an opportunity to attack.
The intense pain nearly drove the Kraken into a frenzy. It writhed and rolled around on the edge of the shallows, its twisted tentacles covering the entire sea surface.
"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom—"
The Black Pearl's support arrived a little late, whistling as it landed on the Kraken. The minor injuries were nothing compared to the blown-out eyeball. The Kraken completely ignored the Black Pearl's offense, its only thought being to swing its tentacles and devour Russell.
The sudden cannon fire startled Russell, who was performing parkour on his tentacles, effortlessly executing various high-difficulty moves. He was nearly thrown onto the sea by the noise.
"A bunch of bastards, always making things worse at crucial moments!" Russell cursed, mainly because Jason wasn't behind him and there was no one to cover him. He was afraid that if he jumped high and struck a pose in the air, he would get hit on the back of the head.
The Kraken, writhing in pain and going berserk, faced less resistance as it moved forward. Although its tentacles twisted more frequently, the number of effective attacks against it decreased by more than half.
Seizing the opportunity, Russell accelerated his sprint, leaping and dodging the flailing tentacles, finally reaching the front of the Kraken's torso. His eyes met the raging inferno, and Russell raised both pistols, pulling the triggers simultaneously. A hail of bullets and devastating bursts of fire erupted at once.
"Hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo————"
A mocking, anthropomorphic glint flashed in the Kraken's single eye. It suddenly opened its mouth wide and let out a deafening roar. The barrage of bullets hit the single eye, causing it to explode with a large amount of fluid. Meanwhile, the eyeball that should have been blind suddenly opened.
Its self-healing has ended; it was just trying to lure Russell in by deliberately keeping itself closed.
"What a clever big guy, but my target was never the eyes from the beginning..." Russell grinned, putting his Desert Eagle into his Space Ring and replacing it with a card, which he held tightly in his hand.
Clow Cards!
"Let's get to know this little guy better!"
Magic Power flowed into the Clow Cards, and the Thunder Beast leaped into the air. Russell grabbed it by the scruff of its neck and threw it forcefully into the gaping maw of the Kraken.
The Kraken only saw a small blue cat in front of it, and without thinking, swallowed it whole. The taste was terrible, and the cat was covered in thorns. The moment it swallowed, its esophagus was pierced with pain.
This injury was nothing to it; it spat out a mouthful of viscous liquid and swung its tentacles, sending Russell flying.
As the Thunder Beast approached the Kraken's digestive system, Russell used the momentum to fly backward, landing on the sea surface with a somersault. Wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth, he stepped on the rising tentacles beneath his feet and turned to run towards the Black Pearl.
It is said that the digestive system and brain of squid are very similar. Although the Kraken has been modified beyond recognition, its general body structure should not be much different, which is a weakness that can be exploited.
Russell had originally planned to throw Jason into the Kraken's mouth to destroy his brain upon reaching the digestive system. Considering its thick and tough hide, he was even prepared to give Jason the Adamantium Blade. However, due to the shallow waters, the Kraken couldn't get too close to the Black Pearl, so he had to settle for using the Thunder Beast instead.
Russell only looks at talent, not appearance, so it's definitely not because the Thunder Beast was too cute that he wasn't included in the first plan, nor is it because Jason was too ugly that he was assigned all the dirty and hard work.
"Rumble—"
A muffled sound emanated from the Kraken's body. All its tentacles stopped moving instantly, its entire body stiffened, and its two enormous eyeballs shone like light bulbs.
Electric Arc surged across the metallic, dark gray skin. After a series of crackling and popping sounds, several Lightning Snake shot out from its Barry, followed by billowing black smoke.
The aroma of meat wafts from the sea!