Calm Belt

"Colonel Wuli, have you caught a cold? I'll get you a clean change of clothes." A Marine looked at the "Justice" coat still dripping with water on Wuli's body and asked with concern.

Wuli waved his hand. Just as he was about to say there was no need, he suddenly heard a Marine's voice beside him.

"Colonel Wuli! Colonel Shu! There seems to be a ship in the distance. It isn't flying a pirate flag, so it should be an ordinary civilian vessel. The people aboard also look like ordinary civilians. The ship is under attack by Sea Kings and is continuously sinking. The situation is urgent. Should we head over to rescue them immediately?" The Marine looked through his binoculars and reported to Wuli and Shu.

An ordinary ship? Ordinary civilians?

Wuli and Shu exchanged a glance, each seeing the other's confusion. This was the Calm Belt.

After encountering that extraordinarily abnormal weather at sea, the Navy warship had deviated from its original route and entered this Calm Belt.

But the Calm Belt was extremely dangerous. Why would an ordinary ship pass through here? Wasn't that courting death?

Though puzzled, Wuli immediately gave the order. "Proceed at once to rescue the people in distress!"

"Yes!" Several openings along both sides of the warship released large wooden oars. The Marines formed two rows and vigorously turned the oars, driving the Navy warship toward the vessel.

In the distance, an enormous Sea King, dozens of meters tall, stared at the tiny ship.

Long strings of drool hung from its mouth. Though these humans were not even enough to fill the gaps between its teeth, a change of flavor would not be bad. Those foolish, weak humans had dared enter its territorial waters. Their bad luck.

At that moment, the people aboard the ship stared at the colossal Sea King, their faces filled with terror and their eyes brimming with despair.

"Have we only just escaped the slaughter of war, only to become food for Sea Kings?" The people aboard were overcome with grief. They had risked everything to carve out a path to survival through the Calm Belt, yet they still could not escape death.

The Calm Belt was famously perilous within the Grand Line. Being rescued by chance was nothing more than a daydream.

The ship's bottom was leaking, and seawater was pouring in. Was it about to sink?

Perhaps sinking would be the best outcome. At least it was better than being eaten alive; they could leave behind intact corpses.

Apparently tired of waiting, the Sea King opened its blood-filled maw and charged toward the ship below.

Its body was so enormous that merely moving was like bending down, yet it whipped up a fierce gale.

The calm sea began to ripple, then rapidly turned turbulent. The ship on the water rocked violently, and the people aboard could not even raise their heads against the powerful wind.

"Are we really going to die here?!" A young man on the ship cried out in despair. Beside him, a woman screamed in equal terror and hopelessness.

"Ah, I don't want to die! Someone, please save us!"

"Stop shouting. There aren't really any gods in this world. Your prayers are useless." A burly middle-aged man spoke. In the face of such a desperate situation, there was no possibility of survival.

"Quietly welcome death. Hopefully, heaven truly exists."

A massive shadow enveloped the ship, and the intense wind pressure made its hull creak.

They could barely hear one another's words, but they could all clearly feel the stench of death.

Just as the Sea King, dozens of meters tall, was about to devour the ship, the sound of cannon fire suddenly came from afar.

Bang!

Bang!

Bang!

Shell after shell struck the Sea King and exploded, producing tremendous blasts.

The barrage made the Sea King recoil in pain. It retreated some distance, then roared furiously toward the direction the shells had come from!

Hearing the explosions, everyone aboard the ship immediately opened their eyes. When they saw a Navy warship sailing toward them, hope lit up in their eyes, and tears of joy streamed down their faces.

They cried out through their tears, "It's the Navy! It's the Navy! Someone has come to save us! We don't have to die after all!"

Ding~

A sound rang out in Wuli's mind. It was the long-awaited sound of the system! Wuli almost felt moved to tears.

The Marines on the warship, including Colonel Shu, could not help but admire him: they had not expected Colonel Wuli to be so moved even by a rescue. What a strong sense of justice! His concern for the safety of civilians was truly admirable!