Deep Sea King

"Ah? That probably won't happen, right?" Kama said seriously. "Those powerful Sea Kings that aren't afraid of deadly poison usually live in the deep sea. We shouldn't be unlucky enough to run into one, right?"

Just as her voice faded, a huge shadow suddenly appeared in the sea ahead. It twisted and swam through the water, large enough to coil around the Kuja several times.

In an instant, the sea began churning like boiling water. Then countless bubbles rose to the surface, followed by a loud splash as a gigantic Sea King emerged, revealing its huge, ferocious head. Its gloomy eyes coldly stared in the direction of Lu Ge and the others—or more accurately, at the two Yuda.

"Hiss~ hiss~!!!"

At the same time, the two Yuda immediately let out hissing cries as a warning and threat. Their forked tongues flicked in and out, revealing their icy fangs as they prepared to attack at any moment.

Seeing this, Sanya's expression instantly turned solemn. "We really did run into one! And it's Manroba, known as the Deep Sea King!"

Lu Ge saw it clearly. It was a gigantic Sea King resembling a sea snake, but it definitely was not a sea snake. It looked more like an eel, and it was a full size larger than the two Yuda. Its enormous dark-green vertical pupils made his scalp tingle.

Mana also cried out in surprise. "Wow~ The Deep Sea King, Manroba! I can't believe we ran into such a huge fellow the moment we left. Everyone, be careful. This thing can release electricity. Prepare for battle!"

"Yes!"

Bolan and the other women immediately gripped their bows and arrows tightly, aiming them at the Deep Sea King, Manroba.

It had to be said that even when facing such an intimidating Deep Sea King, they showed no fear or cowardice at all. They truly lived up to their reputation as Amazon Lily warriors who had grown up in the Calm Belt. Their mental fortitude was astonishing.

Facing such an overwhelmingly imposing king among the Sea Kings, Lu Ge also felt his blood begin to boil. He wanted to know exactly how effective his recent training had been. As he circulated the mysterious power within his dantian, his physical abilities were instantly enhanced tremendously.

During this time, he had clearly discovered that ever since he gained the abilities of those two Devil Fruits, the mysterious power within his body had grown considerably stronger. Its assistance had become more potent, and his physical constitution had also improved significantly. This was one of the reasons he had been so eager to venture out to sea.

Since devouring Devil Fruits not only granted him their corresponding abilities but also strengthened the power within his body and enhanced himself, hunting Devil Fruits had become his primary objective.

"Protect the ship. I'm going to meet that thing."

Hearing this, Sanya's expression immediately turned serious. "Why don't we forget it? Although Manroba isn't particularly large among the Sea Kings, it can release electricity and is extremely troublesome. It practically has no opponent in the sea, so even the poisonous Yuda aren't something it fears. Besides, we're already in the deep-sea region. If a battle breaks out and attracts more Sea Kings, it'll be troublesome. We should go around it."

"Don't worry. It'll be over soon." As Lu Ge spoke, he extended his right hand forward, and a door suddenly opened. He immediately flashed into it. The next moment, another door suddenly appeared above the head of the Deep Sea King, Manroba. Lu Ge abruptly shot out from it and swung down a sword containing a fierce and terrifying sword light with seemingly effortless simplicity.

Accompanied by blood and a shrill cry, Manroba's head tilted to the side with a thud and fell limply downward, instantly sending waves more than ten yards high rippling across the sea.

One strike—only one strike—and Manroba's entire head had nearly been severed by Lu Ge's sword. In an instant, blood rapidly dyed the entire surface of the sea red.

"My god!" Bolan and the others were completely stunned. They knew Lu Ge was strong, but they had never expected him to be strong enough to kill the Deep Sea King, Manroba, in a single strike. That was a king among the Sea Kings! Even the Empress would not dare provoke it lightly. After all, its ability to release electricity was extremely troublesome.

Yet Lu Ge had easily killed it with a single sword.

"Looks like this Sea King still can't test my true strength." Lu Ge shook his head in disappointment. The Deep Sea King, Manroba—the name sounded so imposing. He had never expected it wouldn't even be able to withstand a single one of his strikes. It seemed to be famous in name only. Its ability to release electricity was probably the only troublesome thing about it for others.

It could only be said that Lu Ge's sword had been too sudden and too treacherous. It had appeared without warning at the enemy's vital point. No Sea King could withstand such an unexpected strike.

The Door-Door Fruit was indeed difficult to guard against. Unless someone had awakened Observation Haki or possessed an exceptionally keen combat instinct, ordinary people truly could not block such a sudden sword strike. At the very least, the Sea Kings lacked the reaction speed to do so.

As the Deep Sea King, Manroba's corpse gradually sank into the sea, Lu Ge opened another door in front of himself. He stepped into it, and the next moment, he had already appeared aboard the ship.

Kikyo and the other women immediately surrounded him. Their eyes were filled with admiration. "That was incredible, Lord Lu Ge! That was Manroba! We can't believe you killed it with a single sword strike! We never dared hunt a Sea King like that before!"

Bolan said, "Manroba is dead. Does that mean the area around Amazon Lily will be safer now?"

Mana said, "You're overthinking it. There's more than one Manroba. Who knows how many there are in the Calm Belt? We should hurry and leave. The smell of blood here is about to attract a huge group of Sea Kings."

Hearing this, Lu Ge nodded silently. Through his Observation Haki, he had indeed sensed several Sea Kings rapidly swimming toward them. He immediately reached a hand forward, and amid ripples in space, a huge door appeared out of thin air.

Seeing the door, Sanya glanced at the several enormous shadows appearing and disappearing in the surrounding waters before decisively shouting, "Mana, hurry! Sail into that door! If we're surrounded by Sea Kings, we'll be in trouble."

Mana nodded solemnly, immediately straightened the rudder, and steered the sailing ship into the door ahead.

Everyone felt a burst of light before their eyes. The next moment, they shot out from the door and discovered that they had arrived in a blue sea. The surface glittered with rippling waves, and the breeze brushed past them, bringing a refreshing coolness.

As they watched the sea ripple around them and felt the lively sea breeze blowing across their faces, they heard the continuous roars coming from behind, along with the huge figures fiercely thrashing about and biting one another. Kikyo and the other women all wore lingering looks of fear. "Those Sea Kings seem to have started fighting. Luckily, we left quickly!"