Alex huffs, quickly reading through his newly acquired ability, barely able to focus on anything else.
It doesn't take long before Tereza lands beside the still-bleeding, yet dead beast, with Benezia jumping down right next to Alex.
"We need to hurry and get this thing inside Water 7... now!" Benezia orders sharply. "Its blood will attract more predators or worse... opportunists."
"Tereza... can you fly ahead and contact Iceburg and the Galley-La Company?" Alex asks, his tone serious, a drop of sweat running down his cheek from the high-intensity fight earlier. "Maybe offer them a share of the spoils, on the condition that we get first pick of the best parts."
"What about you?" Tereza shoots back, frowning. "Look where we are! We can barely even see the city—this thing dragged us so far out. You'll be completely on your own! Can you hold out this long? I am the only one who can fly!"
"It's fine," Alex assures her. "I can handle it... I just got a new upgrade. Hurry up and trust us!"
"Fine!" she says, launching into the sky. "Be careful!"
"A new ability, you say?" Benezia asks, casting him a curious glance.
Alex briefly explains what he received, then shrugs. "Not sure if I should be pissed off at getting a damn swimfin... or happy, because this thing honestly seems pretty overpowered in water. As long as there's any kind of ocean or lake nearby, I can always escape. And if anyone is dumb enough to follow me in? They'll be in for a brutal surprise once they realize my boosted speed and underwater stats."
"This..." Benezia starts, pausing mid-sentence. "This is by far the strongest skill I've ever seen—and it's only a subskill?! It basically makes it impossible to defeat you inside or underwater. Just like the fishmen in this world. You can stay submerged indefinitely, swim and dive at extreme speeds, and at level 5, it grants you 10 STR, AGI, SNS, and PHY? That's... remarkable."
"But I can't use it on land, and the Aura cost is massive," Alex argues, though he doesn't sound fully convinced himself.
Maybe it is better than I thought. I just need to take advantage of it!
"You can use it right now," Benezia says, her tone suddenly tense. "I see vultures approaching!"
"Vultures?!" Alex echoes, his head snapping around—only to see a ship fast approaching across the waves.
His eyes narrow as he spots the Jolly Roger—an odd circle made of red dots, a crude caricature of a man with a scar, short black hair, a beard, and wings. The ship's figurehead is a massive, terrifying black Oni, staring forward with a terrifying expression.
"Who the fuck is that?!" Alex asks, confused.
"These should be the Fallen Monk Pirates, led by Urouge the Mad Monk," Benezia explains. "He has a bounty of 108 million Belly. However... later in the story, he actually manages to fight and beat one of the Four Sweet Commanders—Charlotte Snack. It would be extremely unwise to underestimate him."
"What the hell does he even want?" Alex asks, glaring forward. "This is just a Sea King! Why is he suddenly so interested in it?"
"Probably because Sea Kings rarely appear this close to islands and are almost impossible to transport," Benezia replies coolly. "Yet this one is different. It's right outside Water 7—and conveniently floating on the surface of the water. The meat alone could be sold for a fortune, and Water 7 has one of the highest population densities in the world. This is the perfect opportunity to sell enough meat for hundreds of thousands of people. This is an above-average Sea King, size-wise. Still, forget that for now, Alex," she says, her eyes turning serious. "Leave me with the little one. You need to test out your new ability. I see an opportunity for an ambush!"
Her voice drops into something colder.
"I'm sure you remember a certain weakness of our visitor... right?"
"Weakness… devil fruit? The one that lets him convert damage into raw physical power, bulking him up?" Alex mutters to himself. "Right… I get it. I'll try to ambush him. If things go wrong, just hand over the corpse. I'm not interested in a reckless fight. We don't know how strong his crew is. Our survival is the most important thing... we can always ambush him later with Tereza."
Standing atop the slain Sea King, Alex activates his new Conjuration—Sea King's Giant Plate Swimfin—and leaps straight into the sea.
The moment he submerges, he feels a rush of air coursing through him, an odd but refreshing sensation spreading through his chest as if he can suddenly breathe freely underwater.
This... is amazing.
Still unfamiliar with the new Conjuration, he flaps his fin once and shoots forward through the water like a torpedo, the swimfin slicing the current cleanly, propelling him forward with such speed that his cheeks puff up. His body feels light, powerful—his strength surging with raw energy. The added 10 STR pushes him up all the way to a total of 38 STR. Combined with the boost to AGI, SNS, and PHY, his movements are fluid and fast. Far faster than anything he could manage on land.
Incredible... I have an idea. This guy is all arrogant and smug, thinking he is one of the strongest and toughest guys around, wielding his fucking pillar, like a douchebag... he's in for a big surprise... I can do this! He might still be stronger than me... but I have the cheapest tricks and the most unfair items one can imagine! I'll piss on him with my shamelessness, ingenuity, and wealth.
Using Zetsu, Alex slowly surfaces, gradually getting used to his new Conjuration.
He spots Urouge's ship drifting closer and closer until it finally comes to a full stop beside the floating corpse of the Sea King.
Benezia and Jewel stand on top of the carcass, staring directly at the ship as it stops, the crew throwing out their anchor.
"Nice catch!" Urouge calls out, grinning wildly—his signature look.
Benezia eyes him calmly and responds in a steady, yet unmistakably firm voice. "Thank you, Mad Monk. What exactly is your purpose for approaching us?"
"Ah, you see, my crew and I are a bit low on funds, and this little beauty should fetch a fine sum. So we came to claim it. In return, we'll offer you, lovely madame, a ride back to the island. We'll treat you kindly, and no one will get hurt. I think that's a rather respectful and fair deal, don't you?" he says, still grinning like a madman.
"Heh, we'll treat you real good, you see," one of his men snickers, his tone filled with lust.
Benezia returns Urouge's smile with one of her own—cold and unreadable—then suddenly unleashes Warp on the pirate who just spoke.
Caught completely off guard, the man doesn't even flinch before the ability slams into his face. He's hurled backward, crashing down hard with blood all over his face, his entire face a bloody mess, screaming in pain, as he dies within 10 seconds, blood running onto the deck.
"Bitch!"
"How dare she?!"
"Kill her!"
Several of the robed pirates shout in outrage, already reaching for their weapons.
Urouge simply shrugs, his expression unchanged, still wearing that eerie grin. "I gave you a chance," he says flatly. "Whatever happens now is entirely on you. Men, get her!"
Alex watches as a few of Urouge's pirates leap from the ship onto the Sea King's corpse. Despite the distance, they clear it with ease, closing in fast.
This is my moment... but if I act now, I'll blow the whole plan. I need to trust them. I need to hold back... for now. I need to trust in Jewel and Benezia.
Floating in the water at a distance, Alex steadies himself, waiting. His eyes are locked on Urouge, ready to intercept the moment the man makes his move toward the corpse.
Mustrano.
Preparing for the clash, Alex switches to In and conjures Mustrano's Malice Mauler, the wicked claw quickly forming over his left hand, once again.
"Human... why did you sssssummon me?" Mustrano hisses playfully.
"Shut up," Alex whispers. "We've got one shot to kill this guy, so get the fuck ready, Snake... you're in for a treat. Trust me."
"Hehehe, I can't wait... I can ssssmell our target already... what a tassssty-looking piece of meat," Mustrano hisses in delight.
Alex glances over at the corpse, watching as Jewel and Benezia are locked in fierce combat with Urouge's crew.
Benezia, with her blade, skillfully parries, dodges, or evades her enemies' attacks, who are using a diverse set of weapons, countering them with precise and lethal strikes, as well as her biotics.
Jewel, perched on Benezia's shoulder like a mobile turret, unleashes a relentless barrage of Namtaru Poison Spit, Namtaru Web Shoot, and Hidden Power (Dark)—dousing their enemies in webbing, poison, and shockwaves of dark energy, causing them to scream in horror and frustration.
Urouge's smile remains, but his demeanor shifts when he realizes Benezia and Jewel are not merely fending off his men—they're executing them. Even those left wounded or trapped by Jewel's web don't get spared by Benezia, who mercilessly kills them.
"You! Enough!" Urouge suddenly bellows. "Men, stand back! I'll handle this myself. I recognize those two! Night Demon Benezia... and the Demon-Spider!"
As he prepares to leap toward the Sea King's corpse, Alex readies himself, ready for his one and only chance to ambush his opponent.
Fuck, I need to go all out!
Release Rage activated
You have lost 100 HP
STR and AGI + 20 for 10 seconds
Avatar of Vengeance activated
Unstoppable for 30 seconds
STR and AGI doubled for 30 seconds
With both effects from [Uzin's Rage] active, Alex feels raw power surge through him, his entire body trembling with intensity.
Jump already, you fucker...
Time ticks down.
Five seconds left until the first effect disappears.
Urouge finally jumps, soaring through the air toward the Sea King's corpse.
Alex activates Primal Sprint, doubling his swimming speed in an instant.
With explosive momentum, he launches himself out of the water, Mustrano aimed forward like a spear.
Urouge, caught off guard mid-flight, raises his massive pillar in a defensive reflex.
Alex spins midair and slams his fin into the pillar, knocking it from Urouge's grip, causing it to fall into the ocean, before crashing into him with Mustrano.
Toxic Breakthrough!
You have dealt 154 damage to Urouge
You have poisoned Urouge
"No—!" Urouge roars as Mustrano pierces deep into his chest. Alex doesn't hesitate—he drags the hulking man with him toward the ocean below.
Desperate, Urouge tries to flap his wings and pull away, but Alex quickly draws his [Enchanted Runeblade] and slashes at one of them, tearing through muscle and bone, cutting off a large piece.
You have dealt 91 damage to Urouge
You have caused bleeding
You have crippled Urouge (Left Wing)
Gravity finally takes effect, and the two crash into the sea with tremendous force.
Underwater, completely out of his element and powerless to resist, Urouge thrashes wildly—but it's no use. Urouge's body loses all of his power and he sinks, as Alex drives Mustrano into his neck once, twice, but three times, blood clouding the water around them.
You have dealt 101 x 3 = 303 damage to Urouge
You have dealt 95 x 3 = 285 damage to Urouge
You have dealt 91 x 3 = 273 damage to Urouge
You have killed Urouge
Alex stores Urouge's entire body into his inventory. Nearby, a Purple Chest floats in the water, slowly sinking. With a smile, he grabs it too.
Without wasting another second, he surfaces and jumps onto the Fallen Monk Pirates' ship, landing skillfully on the deck.
The crew stares in shock, frozen by the sight of Alex, soaked in blood, still gripping his weapons.
He tries to take a single step forward, forgetting his fins, which feel natural at this point, causing him to stumble, face-planting straight onto the deck.
Fuck... ruined my entrance. Not cool....
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