Large Sea King

Outside the waters of Amazon Lily, the warship of Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral Momonga was still waiting, its deck covered in stone statues of Marines.

The control room was deathly silent. The longer time passed, the more restless Momonga became. This time, his mission to summon the Shichibukai was not merely a simple assignment; it was also to give them a better chance of wiping out the Whitebeard Pirates.

Every Shichibukai possessed strength comparable to a Four Emperors commander. Hawk-Eye Mihawk, one of the Shichibukai, could even compete with Four Emperor Shanks in swordsmanship. His true strength remained a mystery even to the World Government.

As long as the Shichibukai joined the battle, even if they did not give it their all, they would still be a force that could not be ignored in the war. Besides, two Shichibukai had been imprisoned in Impel Down for various reasons.

Only six Shichibukai remained now. When the war arrived, if only five participated in the Shichibukai system proposed by the World Government—

Then both morale and the World Government's reputation would suffer a severe blow.

Suddenly, footsteps sounded, and one of the surviving Marine soldiers entered to report.

"Vice Admiral Momonga, the Kuja pirate ship is heading toward us. Its intentions are unclear."

Hearing the report, Momonga immediately stood up. That Pirate Empress had indeed come after all.

During the wait, every day had felt like a year. Not only had he failed to complete the mission, but all the Marines under his command had been turned into stone statues. If word got back to Marine Headquarters, his colleagues would definitely laugh at him for quite some time. Even if the Marines later wiped out Amazon Lily, it would still be a stain on his record.

The red Kuja pirate ship was pulled alongside the warship by two giant serpents. Hancock, dressed in a white cape and a red long-sleeved qipao, boarded the warship with a valiant, heroic air.

"Marine, I have agreed to accept the Shichibukai summons. Before going there, I wish to see Fire Fist Ace, the fuse that started this war."

"Kuja Empress, I am pleased that you have accepted the summons. I will need to report this to headquarters."

As Hancock canceled her ability, all the Marines under her command returned from stone statues to normal, making Momonga breathe a sigh of relief. However, to see such an important hostage, she would need Fleet Admiral Sengoku's approval.

As for whether Boa Hancock might intend to break someone out of prison, not only did World Government intelligence show that Boa Hancock had no dealings with the Whitebeard Pirates, but a single Shichibukai simply did not have the strength to rescue anyone from Impel Down.

Other than Golden Lion, who had escaped prison at the cost of both his legs, Impel Down had remained unbreakable for over a hundred years. That was the source of the World Government's confidence.

The times were advancing, yet the Marine higher-ups had not considered that when the Marineford War arrived, most of the Marines' forces would be gathered at Marine Headquarters Marineford, leaving them with no time to support Impel Down.

One of Impel Down's two pillars, Chief Guard Shiryu of the Rain, had been imprisoned by Magellan for slaughtering too many prisoners. The two had nearly become mortal enemies.

When the war arrived, Impel Down's defenses would undoubtedly be at their weakest in a century. Even with Magellan, a quasi-admiral and the warden of Impel Down, guarding it, it would still be enough to draw the attention of those with ulterior motives.

Momonga hung up the Den Den Mushi. Fleet Admiral Sengoku had agreed to the Pirate Empress's request.

"Pirate Empress, the Fleet Admiral has approved your request. Please board the warship. We will need four days to ride the currents through the Gate of Justice and enter Impel Down."

"Very well. Thank you, Vice Admiral Momonga, for satisfying my curiosity."

Hancock boarded the warship alone, with the invisible Luffy following behind her. As they passed Momonga, Sal, who was hiding aboard the Kuja ship, felt somewhat nervous.

If Momonga discovered Luffy's presence, it would be a huge problem. They might even have to kill him to silence him. Fortunately, Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral Momonga's Observation Haki was indeed not at an advanced level, just as Sal had expected.

Watching the Marine warship leave the waters, Sal and the others also had to set off.

"Sandersonia, I'll have to trouble you to give me a ride."

"It is nothing, Sal. No... I should call you... brother-in-law."

Sandersonia found it a little difficult to call a man brother-in-law.

Sal was equally unaccustomed to being called brother-in-law, so he said casually.

"Don't force yourself. Just call me Sal. We're friends, after all."

The Kuja Pirates also set sail. This time, their destination was the Sabaody Archipelago, where Sal was about to return.

The distance between the two was not too far. It would probably take four to five days, while from the Sabaody Archipelago to Marine Headquarters Marineford, taking the proper route, one day would be enough.

As the ship was about to leave the Calm Belt, an enormous black shadow beneath the sea gradually became clearer. Its massive silhouette enveloped the pirate ship, and even the sea serpents, which could frighten off ordinary Sea Kings, began to stir restlessly.

This sudden change instantly alarmed every pirate and Sal. The nearby sea surface suddenly rose several meters, and the head of a huge monster burst from the water, lunging at the two giant sea serpents as if they were prey.

The disparity between them left the sea serpents powerless to resist. The shadow of death engulfed them.

"Whoosh..."

Sal suddenly appeared before the monster's head. A pitch-black fist smashed straight into its head, knocking the monster off course with overwhelming force.

Its enormous body fell back into the sea, sending waves dozens of meters high crashing upward.

The monster's head emerged from the water again, glaring viciously at Sal. That punch had not caused much damage, but it had truly hurt it. It would definitely retaliate and swallow this human.

Taking a closer look, Sal recognized the white monster that resembled both a dog and a fish. It was a Colossal Sea King, a nightmare for both Marines and pirates.

Its body stretched over 1,500 meters long, giving off a terrifying sense of oppression.

Even among Large Sea Kings, such a body length made it one of the best. It even possessed intelligence comparable to that of a six-year-old human. Other than the Giant Sea Kings that lived in the depths of the ocean, it had no natural enemies in the sea.

With such a massive body, even a Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral would likely be no match for it.

Seeing the Sea King, Sandersonia cried out in alarm.

"It is a Large Sea King, and not an ordinary one at that. What do we do? Big Sister isn't here either."

Sea Kings over 1,500 meters long were something the Kuja Pirates might not encounter even once a year. And even if they did, the Shichibukai Empress would deal with them.

Who would have thought that on the very first day after their backbone left, they would run into such a monster?

Sal waved his hand, signaling them not to panic.

"Sandersonia, leave it to me. Command the pirate ship and get away from here. I'm afraid this beast will damage the ship."

An aura of Conqueror's Haki slowly radiated from Sal's body. As his Supreme Conqueror's Haki spread, the Sea King's pupils widened and its muscles instantly tensed.

The Sea King showed a human-like expression of hesitation, but in the end, it turned ferocious again. Its enormous body lunged forward once more, its gaping maw looking as though it could swallow the pirate ship in one bite.

"Are you kidding me? I actually ran into one that holds a grudge."

Sal was speechless. Normally, when ordinary Large Sea Kings encountered someone with Conqueror's Haki, they would retreat on their own. Humans did not even have much meat on them; there was no need to take such a risk.

Yet this thing dared to charge even against Supreme Conqueror's Haki. Sal really wanted to see what it would look like attacking a Four Emperor.

Sal drew his sword and leaped with all his strength, instantly arriving before the Sea King. After meeting its enormous eye for a moment, the sword in his hand had already turned dark red, wrapped in lightning.

Conqueror's Coating, Sea Severing

Armament Haki might not inflict a fatal wound. He could only use his strongest move.

A massive dark-red slash struck the Sea King's head directly. Its tough scales were easily torn apart, the cut running down from the top of its head through its lower jaw.

The Large Sea King could no longer continue its attack. Vast amounts of blood sprayed from the deep wound as it let out an enormous cry of pain.

Its tail swept out as it tried to flee back into the sea.

Now that he had made his move, Sal naturally would not let it go. He used Geppo, which he had copied from Garp, stepping through the air to catch up with the Sea King and unleash another dark-red slash.

Conqueror's Coating, Mountain Crusher

The commotion of battle raised hundred-meter waves that repeatedly crashed against the pirate ship thousands of meters away. Soon, the sea calmed once more, leaving only a corpse as large as an island floating on the surface.

The nearby waters had been dyed red with blood. With a sweep of his Observation Haki, Sal had already discovered Sea Kings approaching several hundred meters beneath the surface. After all, such a gigantic Sea King corpse was undoubtedly a feast of flesh.

[A-class creature has developed negative emotions toward the host. High-level fear. Experience increased by 500]

[Greatly altered the fate of an A-class intelligent creature. Reward: 500 points]

Sal used Geppo to return to the Kuja pirate ship. He had not expected killing a Sea King to grant experience and points. He had tried killing ordinary animals before, but there had been no system notification.

Perhaps, in the system's eyes, a Sea King with the intelligence of a six-year-old also counted as an intelligent creature?

But this Sea King was only rated A-class. Wasn't that an underestimation by the system? This thing was far harder to deal with than Luffy. If they fought in the sea, who lived and who died would still be uncertain.