Ocean Monster

"What's wrong? Is there something wrong with my name?"

"N-No, nothing... Your name is really distinctive."

Aokiji wanted to make a snarky comment, but after thinking it over, he decided against it. He had to respect the other party.

In this world: animal + name = human surname + given name.

For example, Gamabunta, Gamakichi, and the like. So there was nothing wrong with a fox calling herself Fox Spirit. It completely followed the rules—it was just that the word "spirit" had been used with truly exquisite precision...

Having been praised, Fox Spirit's eyes lit up. Her tail swayed as she looked quite delighted.

Everyone liked hearing compliments, let alone a female fox.

"Alright, back to business. Fox Spirit, where is this place?"

"Aurora Ice Domain."

Aurora Ice Domain?

Aokiji froze.

Though it was an unfamiliar name he had never heard before, it sounded rather grand.

The world was so vast. Perhaps this place had beings similar to the sages of Mount Myōboku.

Fox Spirit gestured animatedly. "Sometimes at night, all kinds of colorful lights appear here. They're really beautiful!"

Aokiji nodded. From her description, it sounded somewhat like the aurora from his previous life, appearing in cold, high-latitude regions. It actually matched this environment quite well.

Aokiji continued, "Do you know how to leave this place?"

Fox Spirit looked surprised. "Aren't you a creature from here?"

Aokiji sighed. "Of course not. I'm human, so naturally I don't belong here."

Fox Spirit suddenly understood. "So you're human. No wonder I'd never seen a creature that looked like you before."

Aokiji keenly caught the key word and eagerly asked, "What? Have humans come here before?"

"Yes, but that was a long, long time ago. I probably wasn't even born then. Otherwise, there's no way I wouldn't recognize you, right?"

Aokiji asked hopefully, "I see. Then have you heard of anything like sages around here?"

"Sages?"

Fox Spirit tilted her head, looking confused. The term was unfamiliar to her.

This little fox looked adorably clueless and foolish. Aokiji explained in the simplest terms possible so that her simple mind could understand. "Something like... an incredibly powerful being."

"An incredibly powerful being?"

Fox Spirit lowered her head in deep thought.

"Yes, an incredibly powerful being." Aokiji repeated for emphasis. "Please think carefully."

Fox Spirit pondered for a while before coming up with an answer. "If we're talking about the most powerful being here, then it's undoubtedly the Snow Emperor."

Snow Emperor?

Hearing that name, Aokiji sucked in a breath.

Just from the name alone, it sounded incredibly powerful.

Aokiji asked curiously, "What does it look like?"

Though Fox Spirit was poor with words, Aokiji pieced together the Snow Emperor's appearance from her scattered descriptions. It seemed somewhat similar to the Ice Phoenix from mythology.

In the mythological system of his previous life, phoenixes were unquestionably ancient divine beasts. They were countless levels above frogs, toads, snakes, and the like—definitely sage-level beings. No, using levels to distinguish them was an insult to phoenixes. Dimensions would be more appropriate.

"How do I meet it?"

Aokiji asked excitedly. If he found the Snow Emperor, he should be able to find a way to leave this place.

Fox Spirit shook her head. "You can't meet it."

Aokiji asked in confusion, "Why not?"

"The Snow Emperor usually stays on Ice Island and rarely goes out. I've only been lucky enough to see it once in all my life."

Aokiji took it for granted. "Then I just need to go to Ice Island, right? I can ask to meet it in person."

Since it was a sage, its temperament should be reliable, right? It probably would not stoop to bickering with a small fry like him.

Fox Spirit shook her head. "Ice Island isn't on this island. It's on another island. On the only route leading there lives a huge black-and-white ocean creature."

At this point, fear appeared on her face. "Even someone as huge as Brother Bear wouldn't be enough to fill the gaps between its teeth."

Damn, that dangerous?

Aokiji immediately found himself in a difficult position.

His Great Fireball Jutsu was no problem for bullying the likes of Bear Big Bear Two, but against a monster that could swallow a bear in one bite, he would just be a mantis trying to stop a chariot.

What was more, this creature lived in the sea and held the home-field advantage. There was even less he could do.

"Damn it, is this as far as I go?" Aokiji bit his lip, unwilling to accept it. "What does that black-and-white creature look like?"

Though the chances were slim, Aokiji still had to try. He needed to gather as much information as possible and see whether there was any hope.

That Snow Emperor was his only hope of returning, and perhaps it could even offer him a path to cultivating Sage Art.

Danger and opportunity went hand in hand. He had to take a gamble—what if a bicycle turned into a luxury car? Seeing his attitude, Fox Spirit asked in shock, "No way, you're really planning to go?"

"How will I know if I don't try?"

"Ugh, why won't you listen? Let me tell you, not only are these monsters incredibly powerful, they also have a nasty habit of tormenting the prey they catch. Most creatures they capture aren't bitten to death—they're tortured to death while the monsters play with them."

Fox Spirit was not trying to scare him. She had seen it with her own eyes.

Aokiji frowned. "They?"

Fox Spirit answered, "That's right, they. These monsters often hunt together, which is why I told you not to go."

Aokiji's mouth twitched.

What the hell were these monsters?

Not only were they absurdly powerful individually, with the sick hobby of tormenting prey, they even hunted in groups. What the hell were they? Were they not leaving anyone a way to survive?

No wonder Fox Spirit turned pale whenever she mentioned them and repeatedly warned him not to go.

To completely crush Aokiji's thoughts of seeking death—and also to tie down this meal ticket—Fox Spirit planned to let him see the monsters for himself. After all, words could never compare to images in terms of impact and persuasiveness.

"Maybe not."

At this point, Aokiji was already considering backing down.

Based on Fox Spirit's description, these ocean monsters were practically unbeatable. In the short term, there was no way he could go to Ice Island and meet that Ice Phoenix.

For now, he could not return to Konoha. He had even begun preparing himself for the possibility of living here long-term.

Thankfully, there was still a little fox here to keep him company and ease his worries.

Why was my life so damn miserable?

Aokiji let out a deep sigh. One Summoning Jutsu had nearly gotten him killed.

"It's fine. Sometimes these monsters come ashore too. As long as we stay farther away, we'll be okay."

Hearing that made Aokiji even more cowardly.

They even came ashore? What kind of invincible Marine Life was that? Were they Cthulhu or something?

As sea creatures, they should have sea creatures' weaknesses, damn it.

Fortunately, Fox Spirit later explained that when the monsters came ashore, they merely rode the waves into the Shallow Sea Area to catch prey, then repeatedly slapped their tails against the water to retreat back into the sea. That finally dispelled Aokiji's terror.

I knew it. How could this world possibly have such bugged-out lifeforms...

Even so, Aokiji was deeply shaken. The fact that they could hunt prey from the sea onto land showed just how intelligent these creatures were.

Since there was not much danger, Aokiji grew increasingly curious about these monsters. He was even a little impatient to see them. "Ikuso."

"Eh, wait a minute! Let me finish this meat first!"

Fox Spirit looked at Aokiji pitifully, indicating that she had not eaten enough yet.

"Tch, you're such a hassle, Fox Spirit."

Impatience appeared on Aokiji's face. His interest had been stirred, and he could not wait to see the monsters.

Fox Spirit squatted on the snow in a very human-like manner, clutching her stomach with both paws. "Can't help it. I'm hungry."

"Fine, fine. Hurry up."

Aokiji had no choice but to urge her.

"Okay!"

Fox Spirit was overjoyed when she heard that. With Aokiji protecting her, she ate without restraint this time, happily burying her face in the food. Before long, her belly was round and swollen, making her as "fat" as two foxes.

"Done now?"

"Wait a little. Let me digest. I ate too much."

Fox Spirit curled up. Full and satisfied, she just wanted to take a nap.

Aokiji could not stand watching any longer. He directly picked her up and tucked her into his arms. Damn it, this fat fox was quite heavy. "You're really troublesome. Just point out the way. I'll go myself."

"Okay." Fox Spirit narrowed her eyes and let out an adorably cute yawn, then shifted deeper into his arms.

She had probably grown familiar with him and realized that Aokiji was easy to talk to. This Fox Spirit was becoming more and more brazen, pushing her luck.

Under Fox Spirit's guidance, Aokiji leaped over the terrain. Along the way, he encountered quite a few strange creatures, but only gave them passing glances. Eventually, he stopped by the shore.

A group of seals lived here, lazily basking in the sun.

These seals were several times larger than the seal Aokiji had eaten earlier. They appeared to belong to the same family but were a different species.

"This is the place?"

Aokiji asked.

Fox Spirit gave a soft affirmative hum.

"And then?"

"We just wait. If we're lucky, we might see those monsters hunting."

It was a little cold. Aokiji could not help hugging Fox Spirit slightly tighter. He had no other thoughts; he was simply using her for warmth. Her fur was quite warm.

He waited and waited. After an unknown amount of time, the sea level suddenly surged upward. Along with the appearance of a massive black dorsal fin, a pitch-black fish-like creature with white patches around its eyes burst through the waves. Its gaping bloody maw was packed with rows upon rows of sharp teeth, making for a terrifying sight.

The seals that had been lazily basking in the sun were frightened out of their wits and hurriedly scrambled toward the shore. But it was already too late. The monster snapped up a seal in its jaws, raised its head, and flung the seal behind it. Just as the seal was about to fall onto the surface of the sea, a huge tail suddenly lashed out with rolling waves, smashing the seal so hard that it became disoriented and its bones shattered.

However, it was not over yet. Another monster emerged. Just as the seal was about to fall into the sea, it flicked its tail and sent the seal flying with a single slap.

This behavior of batting prey back and forth like a Table Tennis ball, comparable to a shrike's cruelty, was utterly chilling.

Aokiji watched in stunned disbelief.

Aside from being far larger, these creatures looked very much like the overlords of the sea from his previous life. And their habit of tormenting prey—weren't they Orcas?

Orcas, also known as Killer Whales. They had another resounding, terrifying name: Murder Whales!

P.S. Embarrassing. The previous chapter got taken down because the driving went over the speed limit and crashed.