The Wavebreaker Warship followed a secret route known only to the Marines. It was safe and fast, but there was a saying: a mountain might look close enough to reach, yet wear out your horse before you got there.
The same held true at sea. The Calm Belt looked as though it lay right ahead, but it still took them half an hour to reach it.
Aside from the groaning of a certain layabout throughout the trip, the voyage was uneventful.
The Calm Belt was vast. Even the Wavebreaker Warship could not cross it quickly.
With nothing else to do, Arudo hefted his custom-made Iron Tower and worked up a sweat training on deck.
"1,096..."
"1,097..."
"1,09—"
Boom!
The sea beside the Warship suddenly erupted, sending tons of water into the air. It was a spectacular sight.
The impact rocked the Wavebreaker Warship violently. Loa's stomach churned as he lay in bed, and he could not help throwing up.
Caught off guard by the lurch, Arudo lost his footing and his grip. The custom-made iron tower, weighing several tons, slipped from his hands and smashed a hole in the deck.
"What happened?"
Mingde emerged from the cabin, gripping the doorframe as he shouted.
Arudo did not answer. He kept staring off the Warship's port side.
Mingde followed his gaze and immediately looked as though he had seen a ghost.
"It's a Sea King!"
The Vibration had woken the Marines aboard too. From deckhands to navigators, they all rushed onto the deck.
They immediately spotted the enormous shape beside the Warship, blotting out the sunlight.
"Isn't there Seastone on the bottom of the ship? Why are we being attacked?"
Ever since Dr. Vegapunk proposed fitting Marine warships with Seastone hull plating, the Marines had rarely been attacked by Sea Kings. Seen