Higuma stood amidst his fallen underlings, gripping his longsword, his hands trembling.
He finally realized just how powerful these pirates were.
No, he couldn't even realize it, because there was no such level of powerhouse in his knowledge.
He knew only one thing: if he stayed here, he would die.
Higuma suddenly reached into his pocket, pulled out a smoke bomb, and smashed it hard on the ground.
Thick smoke exploded instantly, enveloping the entire open space in a grayish-white mist.
When the smoke cleared, Higuma had already stumbled and rushed to the beach with Luffy, who was tucked under his arm.
He jumped onto a small wooden boat moored to the shore, cut the mooring rope with a knife, and rowed hard away from the coast.
It wasn't until the boat was more than a hundred meters from the shore that Higuma finally dared to stop and catch his breath.
He glanced back at the still-burning smoke on the shore, then at Luffy, whom he had tossed onto the deck and who was still kicking his legs, and a twisted smile appeared on his lips.
"We're safe. No matter how powerful those pirates are, they can't possibly fly over here—"
He looked down at Luffy, his eyes turning cruel and fierce.
"Kid, your men can't save you now."
He raised his foot and kicked hard, sending Luffy crashing into the sea.
Luffy's small body traced an arc in the air before crashing into the sea with a splash, creating a tiny white spray.
" Luffy!!!"
Roy witnessed this scene as soon as Ace arrived at the beach.
Ace saw Luffy being kicked into the sea, saw the water ripple briefly before quickly returning to calm, and saw that his stupid little brother sink without even struggling a few times.
His mind went blank, and his body reacted faster than his consciousness, wanting to jump into the sea to save the person.
Roy placed his hand on his shoulder, pinning him firmly to the spot.
"Wait," Roy said.
"But he--"
"Wait."
Roy's gaze never left the sea.
His Observation Haki had already been fully activated, allowing him to perceive everything clearly.
Luffy can't swim.
I ate Devil Fruit yesterday, and today I've become a landlubber. If I fall into the sea, I'll sink straight down like a rock.
Seawater poured into his mouth and nose from all directions, and the suffocating feeling of his lungs being filled with liquid made him frantically claw and kick.
But he wasn't alone underwater.
A huge, dark shadow was slowly rising from the depths.
Lord of the Coast.
The dominant Sea Kings that can grow to over twenty meters in length.
It opened its enormous mouth, and two rows of serrated teeth gleamed a ghastly white in the sunlight.
Higuma, who had initially thought he could escape, was instantly targeted by it. Under Higuma's terrified gaze, the Lord of the Coast pounced suddenly.
A wave rolled in, leaving only the fragments of the wooden boat floating on the sea.
Having dealt with Higuma, the Lord of the Coast turned his attention to Luffy, who was still struggling.
The Lord of the Coast twisted its massive form and lunged towards the direction Luffy was sinking.
Just as the giant maw was about to close, a red figure shot out from the shore at a speed too fast for the naked eye to see.
Shanks jumped into the sea like an arrow released from a bow, the seawater bursting open behind him to form a white wall of water.
His right hand gripped Luffy tightly, pulling him out from under the giant mouth and protecting him in his arms.
Then the giant maw of the Lord of the Coast closed.
A mist of blood filled the air.
The seawater turned red.
The scene seemed to slow down for a moment—
Shanks ' right arm was tightly wrapped around Luffy, completely protecting the small body in his embrace.
His left side was exposed, and as the Lord of the Coast closed his massive jaws, two rows of serrated teeth pierced his left shoulder.
The sound of bones shattering was swallowed by the sea, but the blood gushing from the wounds could not be swallowed.
Dark red blood mist bloomed in the azure sea, like a constantly expanding, shocking flower.
Shanks ' face turned deathly pale in an instant.
A sharp pain shot through his body from his shoulder along the severed nerve, causing his body to convulse instinctively, but his right arm, which was wrapped around Luffy, remained motionless.
The force was even stronger than before.
He glanced down at Luffy in his arms.
The kid's eyes had rolled back from lack of oxygen, and his face was turning purple, but he was still alive.
That's enough.
After a brief pause, the Lord of the Coast resumed his attack.
The Sea Kings, its primal ferocity stirred by the smell of blood, opened its gaping maw and lunged at Shanks once more.
Shanks's flesh and Bone Crusher were still hanging from the teeth inside that enormous mouth, and the waves on the sea surface were churned up as if boiling by its massive body.
Shanks looked up.
His face was deathly pale, his lips were blue from blood loss, and shocking blood was still gushing from the severed wound on his left shoulder.
But his right arm still held Luffy firmly, and he stood between the boy and the Sea Kings like an insurmountable wall.
Then he opened his eyes.
Conqueror's Haki.
A dark red arc of electricity exploded outwards from Shanks, creating a visible shockwave on the sea surface.
The seawater was pushed outwards by this force, and the momentum of the Lord of the Coast was abruptly stopped.
The ferocity in those enormous, bell-like eyes instantly transformed into fear.
That kind of pure fear etched deep into biological instincts, the fear felt when facing an apex predator.
"Roll."
Shanks uttered only one word. But the killing intent and oppressive aura contained in that word caused the Sea Kings to turn and flee like a frightened little fish.
Its enormous tail thrashed frantically at the seawater, creating a chaotic spray before disappearing into the deep ocean.
All of this happened in less than five breaths.
Everyone on the shore was stunned.
Ace knelt on the beach, his fists clenched so tightly that his nails dug into his palms and drew blood.
Kuina's hand holding the wooden sword trembled slightly. She had grown up in a dojo and witnessed countless sword sparring matches, but a true life-or-death struggle—
A man was willing to have his arm bitten off to protect a child.
This was the first time she had seen it with her own eyes.
Rouge covered her mouth with both hands, tears streaming silently down her face. Makino supported Rouge, her own eyes reddening as well.
Luffy, who had just recovered from his shock on the sea, clutched Shanks's shirt tightly.
" Shanks --!!!"
Luffy's tears streamed down his face like a burst dam, snot and tears smeared his face, and his voice was hoarse from crying, repeating the same sentence over and over again:
"I'm sorry... I'm so sorry... It's all because of me... If I hadn't been so stubborn..."
If I hadn't gone and argued with that person...
If I hadn't been taken away... your hand... your hand...
He couldn't continue, as if all his strength had been drained away, and he knelt on the beach, wailing and crying.
The cries were filled with self-blame, fear, regret, and immense pain that a six-year-old child could not possibly comprehend.
Shanks used his only remaining right hand to press down on Luffy's head and vigorously rubbed the fluffy head.
"Stop crying. It's just an arm, it's not your fault."
"But--"