154: The Undersea World (1)

"Swish..." The seawater undulated, crystal clear and breathtakingly beautiful, glowing in a myriad of colors beneath the radiance of the sun.

The distinctive sound of the vast ocean brings a sense of tranquility, yet it also sets the imagination soaring.

Standing amidst the frothy bubbles at the bow of the boat, Xuanye gazed upon the colorful underwater world with absolute calmness. There was no excitement, no fear—only persistence and a smoldering hatred.

Schools of fish, wondrous and diverse in shape, swam in circles around the vessel, rendering the scene lively and vibrant.

Channeling his power, the permanent log pose on his wrist pointed the way. With a burst of flames erupting from the soles of his feet, a wave of propulsion surged directly outward.

Although the fire was somewhat dampened by the water, the thrust remained. Of course, compared to traveling on the surface of the sea, the speed was inevitably much slower. After all, water and fire are natural enemies; maintaining even a sliver of propulsion under these conditions was already quite a feat.

At times, Xuanye could not help but wonder how wonderful it would be if he had mastered the true flames of the sun. If he possessed that power, an ordinary ocean would not even warrant a glance.

However, the progression of his flames was agonizingly slow. Up to this point, the maximum Xuanye could muster was one hundred and fifty million degrees Celsius. It was hard to imagine how that thunderous bastard in the skies managed to elevate his lightning to two hundred or even three hundred million degrees.

Even so, Xuanye felt no discouragement. He firmly believed that as long as he was willing to shed sweat, bleed, and strive relentlessly, he would carve out a place for himself in this dog-eat-dog world sooner or later.

Darkness slowly descended. As time drifted on, even the warm sunlight could no longer pierce the depths, and the ocean floor gradually grew dark.

Yet, this darkness was not absolute; rather, it resembled the dimness of twilight, illuminated by a kaleidoscope of vibrant hues.

One must not forget that the seabed abounded with luminescent entities—fish, coral, and distant volcanic vents, to name a few.

Six hours passed. Xuanye maintained his ability the entire time, and fortunately, he did not encounter any attacks from underwater creatures during this journey.

A faint reddish glow tinged with darkness—a shifting, active underwater volcano—drifted into Xuanye's line of sight.

One had to admit that the oceanic world was forever more mysterious than the continents, teeming with countless magical creatures that thrived in this dreamlike aquatic realm.

In his past life, Xuanye had only ever seen volcanoes on television. In this life, discounting the artificial ones simulated during his battle with Akainu, this should be the very first time he had witnessed a real submarine volcano with his own eyes.

It was truly shocking. That endless scenery was nothing short of a masterpiece sculpted by the divine hands of nature.

However, breathtaking beauty invariably harbors peril.

Sudden movement. Turning his head sharply, Xuanye sensed a rising threat. Although it was not overwhelmingly powerful, its presence was undeniable.

"Whoosh..." The seawater parted, violently churning. A massive limb tore through the currents, effortlessly wrapping around the entire boat and swiftly dragging it back into the darkness.

His Kenbunshoku Haki instantly expanded. Within his mind's eye, a colossal behemoth with blood-red eyes the size of a house was greedily staring at the vessel.

An octopus? A squid? Or perhaps a hybrid of both? This was a monster far larger than any medium-sized Sea King.

The seawater shuddered as the vessel was bound tightly by a single limb of the monster, slowly being pulled toward a pitch-black, cavernous maw.

His expression remained serene. Xuanye stood with his feet seemingly rooted to the prow, staring unblinkingly at the colossal entity.

As they drew closer, Xuanye gained a clearer appreciation of the monster's immense size and terrifying aura.

"Roar..." A deafening shockwave reverberated outward, propagating through the deep sea. In all directions, countless massive creatures scattered in panic, clearly terrified of this apex predator.

"Hmph." A cold snort escaped his lips. Stepping forward slightly, Xuanye opened his eyes wide, unleashing an invisible storm that pressed downward like the overriding will of heaven and earth.

Boundless tyranny and emperor's pressure crashed down as Xuanye locked his gaze onto those giant blood-red eyes, staring them down with unyielding intensity.

Time seemed to freeze. A mere moment later, fear bloomed within those crimson eyes, and the creature's entire body began to tremble. Yes, the gigantic behemoth was shivering. It voluntarily released the boat, shrank its head, and looked at Xuanye with abject terror.

That overwhelming Haoshoku Haki, akin to an ancient raptor monarch, made the giant octopus feel as though it were confronting the wrath of the cosmos, fracturing its mind and spirit. Even though Xuanye was merely a tiny speck before it—no more than a speck of dust in comparison—it was precisely this speck of dust whose gaze caused its very soul to tremble.

Trembling violently, the giant monster pulled its head back, its eyes filled with an anthropomorphic plea for mercy.

Expressionless, Xuanye continued to gaze coldly at the octopus-like behemoth.

After staring for a moment, Xuanye raised a hand, pointed at the boat beneath his feet, then pointed at the giant octopus, and finally pointed in a specific direction—the direction leading to Fish-Man Island.

The giant eyes were filled with utter confusion; the monster had no clue what he was trying to convey.

Trying a couple more gestures, Xuanye realized that this creature completely failed to understand his intentions. It seemed he was not the protagonist blessed with the ability to hear the Voice of All Things, unlike Luffy, who could effortlessly converse with animals.

Useless, then. Standing upon the vessel, Xuanye brought his palms together and then pulled them apart, causing a tiny spark of flame to swell rapidly.

If it couldn't understand, it had no value. Besides, since this creature had sought its own death, Xuanye was more than ready to eradicate it.

A sudden wave of crisis washed over the octopus, jolting the creature out of its feigned ignorance. Its numerous tentacles instantly whipped around its body, flailing wildly in a frantic plea for mercy.

"Whoosh..." A tentacle swiftly scooped up the boat, rocketing through the underwater currents at astonishing speed.

Checking his log pose, Xuanye noted that this trajectory was precisely the path to Fish-Man Island.

At that moment, Xuanye understood. For some inexplicable reason, this creature had been playing dumb all along. But since it was cooperating now, Xuanye was quite happy to utilize some free labor. In an instant, the energy in his palm dissipated, causing the hardworking octopus ahead to breathe a collective sigh of relief.

The tiny creature before it was terrifying—completely incomparable to anything it had ever encountered in the past.

Without a doubt, a massive psychological trauma had firmly taken root in the beast's mind.

数十 minutes later, as they entered a bizarre and peculiar region, the giant octopus abruptly halted, a nervous expression crossing its features as a colossal entity blocked their path.

It was a gigantic tiger-striped fish-man, bearing a striking resemblance to a bald sea monster.

Glaring slightly, Xuanye unleashed another wave of terrifying willpower. In a fraction of a second, the seawater seemed to lock in place, and the bald sea monster shuddered violently. Its dazed eyes filled with pure terror, and lacking any shred of dignity, it flopped face-first onto the seabed, burying its head while sticking its massive rear end up into the water, trembling uncontrollably.

Feeling somewhat speechless, Xuanye gestured for the octopus to keep moving, too lazy to even throw a punch because the creature was simply too pathetic—possessing such a massive body yet utterly lacking in brains.

And thus, thanks to the presence of the octopus guide, after just over half a day, a vibrant, translucent landmass hove into view before Xuanye's eyes.

Fish-Man Island had been reached.