Chapter 78: All According to Plan!
Chapter 78: All According to Plan!
Whoosh!
The gale howled, causing the fur cloak on Sag's back to flutter noisily, and his white hair to dance wildly.
On the deck, only Sag and Renitia stood firm, while Lily and Malika managed to maintain their balance with difficulty. The rest of the crew stumbled amid the tempest, clutching onto fixed objects to keep from being blown away.
Beneath the Death Harbinger, towering waves surged, making the ship seem like a child's toy in comparison. It was utterly powerless to halt the advancing swells.
"How is this possible?"
Lily exclaimed in disbelief, "The wind and waves are too strong!"
She had already pushed her power to the limit but still underestimated the might of the sea.
In the East Blue, they had never encountered such fierce gales and monstrous waves. It was as if the laws of nature had been defied.
"This is the Grand Line, Lily," Mary replied with a gentle smile, her expression unchanging even in the midst of the howling wind. "They say it's unpredictable, and it certainly lives up to its reputation."
"But even if it's unpredictable, it shouldn't be—"
Lily trailed off as a thought occurred to her, and she glanced at Sag before pursing her lips. "Well, I suppose it's possible."
Sag: "..."
He felt a bit offended.
He glanced at the raging storm around them and walked to the edge of the ship, peering backward. The waves were not only massive but also relentless, stretching as far as the eye could see. And in this tempest, the ship had no means of braking.
Even Renitia, her face flushed with effort, was struggling to maintain the ship's lateral propulsion, preventing it from capsizing in the fierce wind and waves.
It was all thanks to this girl that they were still afloat. Without her, their ship, suitable for safe passage in the East Blue, would have capsized as soon as they entered the Grand Line.
Sag was used to such setbacks.
He had encountered similar situations in his previous endeavors. Initially, he attributed his bad luck to mere misfortune, thinking that minor adjustments and increased investment would solve the problems.
When the seeds he planted failed to grow, he blamed it on inferior seeds and soil, opting to spend more on better seeds and land. But just as the seedlings started to sprout, they became infested with pests.
His fishing attempts also ended in disappointment. Blaming his rod and bait, he spent a fortune on new equipment and bait, only to attract a horde of fish and a small sea beast that surfaced, gave him a thumbs-up, and then disappeared.
Enraged, Sag snapped his fishing rod in two.
But he eventually realized a fundamental truth: the greater the investment, the greater the misfortune.
And now, despite acquiring a ship capable of withstanding fierce winds and waves, they had nearly capsized upon entering the Grand Line.
However, Sag remained unfazed.
"As long as we're strong enough, we can still take control!" Sag clenched his fist and smiled confidently.
A capable ship was not enough; they also needed capable crewmates.
With Renitia on their side, their ship would never capsize!
Just as he had persevered through his streak of bad luck, he remained alive and had finally seized the opportunity to pursue his dream.
Renitia was his subordinate and a vital member of their pirate crew. After all, what was a pirate crew without its members?
"Sag, something's not right!" Renitia exclaimed as she struggled to maintain control of the ship. Her face was flushed with exertion. "I can't seem to slow down the ship, not even to keep it still. Something is pushing it forward!"
With her power, she should have been able to keep the ship from veering off course, even if she couldn't steer it away from the storm. At the very least, she could have brought it to a complete stop and waited for the waves to subside. But now, she couldn't even achieve that.
"Hmm?"
At these words, Sag paused, and a red dot flashed in his eyes, prompting him to subconsciously glance at the towering waves. "There's something there!"
As his voice fell, the massive waves receded, revealing a colossal patch of bluish skin.
"Sea...Sea King!" Renitia exclaimed in shock.
It was a bluish Sea King, resembling an eel, swiftly darting through the ocean surface. The Death Harbinger, twice or thrice the size of their main warship, was perched atop its head like a tiny black hat.
Boom!
The eel leaped like a dragon, carrying the Death Harbinger even higher. Simultaneously, it tilted its head downward, about to slam the ship into the sea.
If it succeeded, the enormous force would cause the entire vessel to plunge into the depths.
Buzz! Just as the Sea King was about to descend, the howling winds surrounding them seemed to momentarily cease.
Lily swallowed, her hand instinctively gripping the hilt of her sword.
Mary's eyes, usually warm and smiling, now shone with a cold, moon-like gleam.
Even Renitia ceased using her ability at this moment.
Aside from them, only Ajin fared somewhat better, but his body was violently trembling as he struggled to stop, to no avail.
As for the other pirates on deck, some of them fainted and collapsed on the spot.
"Hey? What's going on? What happened?" Paru cried out, covering his head with his hands and looking at the fallen pirates in panic.
Just then, the descending eel suddenly stiffened, its tail rising out of the seawater and coming to a brief halt.
The Conquerer's Haki was still not precise enough to be released at such close range, and despite Sag's efforts to control it, some of his companions were affected.
"Stop right there! You beast!"
A black flame-like Haki coiled around Sag's right hand, and as he tapped his knuckles, he channeled all his Haki through his palm.
"Tenpo Kassatsu!! (Heaven-Shattering Split)"
Boom! The Haki slammed into the Sea King's head, creating a deep dent. The secret art of the Big Dipper Fist, imbued with Haki, penetrated the Sea King's pressure point, causing a fountain of blood to gush out.
"Roar!"
In response to the piercing pain, the eel roared, emitting an intense sound wave that plowed a temporary furrow across the ocean surface. At the same time, it violently shook its head, tossing the Death Harbinger off its head. Its body then dove into the depths, creating a massive splash that spread in all directions.
The Death Harbinger, which had been flying high in the sky, hovered for a moment before plunging downward, splashing into the sea and violently rocking before finally coming to a steady stop.
"Phew," Renitia sighed in relief as she stabilized the ship. She plopped down on the deck, wiping the sweat from her forehead. "That was one huge Sea King."
"It's not just a Sea King," Lily said, unsheathing her thin sword, White Lightning, and gazing forward with a cold glint in her eyes. "There's also the Navy!"
The Death Harbinger had landed directly in front of three warships sailing toward them.
If it were any other pirate crew, they would have thought their luck was at its worst and that their end was near after experiencing so much. But not Sag.
"Here they come, right on schedule," he said with a smile. "My original plan was to find someone on the sea and steal a Log Pose anyway."
Sag's smile widened. "Now, my plan has come to fruition, and here's the Log Pose I was after!"
There was no such thing as bad luck or good luck—it was all part of his plan!
(End of Chapter)
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