An unusually oppressive atmosphere shrouded Raging Tides Gorge in the southeastern waters of the West Blue. Lead-gray clouds hung low, yet the sea lay as still as a mirror-the deathly silence before a storm. Along both sides of the narrow strait, jagged reefs rose like the fangs of giant beasts, with hidden currents surging between them.
Zhou Yu stood at the bow of his flagship, the Wave-Calming, his moon-white robe utterly motionless in the sea breeze. His fingertips lightly touched the jade belt at his waist as his gaze pierced the thin mist and fixed on the distant shadow bristling with masts-the Thousand Sails Alliance's strongest fleet. More than three hundred warships of various sizes used the natural defenses to form a seemingly insurmountable naval blockade.
"Those landlubbers from Hua Country dare come running wild at sea?" Torres sneered, his sharp teeth gleaming coldly in the sunlight. "Today, I'll show Zhou Yu what a real naval battle looks like!"
Aboard the Thousand Sails Alliance's flagship, the Sea King, Commander Torres bared a mouthful of gold teeth and leered at Hua Kingdom's scattered fleet in the distance. "They dare force their way into Raging Tides Gorge with that handful of ships? Relay my orders! Ready every cannon! Let these landlubbers witness the might of the sea!"
Zhou Yu stood quietly at the bow, his moon-white robe fluttering gently in the sea breeze. The peculiar flames on his body drifted with the wind-the power of a Mythical Zoan on the same level as Guan Yu's Rayquaza and Zhang Fei's Groudon. Unlike the overwhelming force of those two, Ho-Oh's power displayed greater sanctity and majesty.
"Grand Commander, the wind has changed." Sai's low voice broke the silence. The signal flag atop the mast began fluttering northwest. "The southeastern wind has risen, and it's