Clusters of shadows emerged from the edges of the green light. Massive deep-sea creatures of bizarre shapes just like that barged into the area illuminated by the green light.
At a glance, creatures were eyeing the prehistoric shark carcass from almost every direction.
"Crap, we're surrounded. Did these monsters team up to raid a dungeon?" Shiro said gravely.
"It's probably a coincidence," Ging said, giving Shiro a helpless glance for using gaming terms to describe the situation.
"A coincidence? But their target seems very consistent," Knov adjusted his glasses, looking at the deep-sea creatures whose forms were now visible under the green light, a hint of fear deep in his eyes.
The surrounding creatures were not only eyeing the prehistoric shark carcass; the turtle currently feasting on it was also their target, emanating clear hostility.
In contrast, there seemed to be no hostility among the creatures themselves.
If it were a coincidence, it was just too coincidental.
"Deep-sea creatures generally operate solo. Besides, their species are different… the chance of them teaming up is minuscule. However, they aren't stupid… they know the turtle is the biggest obstacle."
Law's gaze drifted over the watchful deep-sea creatures. "You guys are in luck. With so much prey, the turtle probably can't finish it all. You might get to taste some of these deep-sea delicacies later."
When the turtle hunts, it usually takes just enough, not wasting kills by not eating. Often, Law and the others couldn't even scavenge some meat.
Now, this group of converging deep-sea creatures would certainly attack the turtle. Given the turtle's nature, it would probably fight to the death rather than retreat, killing these troublemakers.
Nique swallowed hard, not because Law's words had whetted his appetite, but because he feared for their own safety.
Forget about deep-sea delicacies… if the turtle went down, they'd all be doomed.
The thought of being utterly helpless in this environment made Nique feel powerless.
He wasn't the only one, and most people in the shell room felt the same.
Tonpa glanced at Law and mumbled, "There are twelve deep-sea creatures around. Can the turtle handle them?"
He was one of those the turtle had brought back from the Dark Continent and knew the turtle's status in the deep sea. But this was the first time the turtle had to deal with so many big guys.
Even though he'd witnessed the turtle's combat prowess in the deep sea, he found it hard to have confidence in it now.
"I can assist it," Law said calmly.
Everyone was stunned by this.
If they were on land, they might be able to help a little against these giants.
But this was the ocean floor, and very deep at that.
Forget helping… leaving the shell room would likely get them crushed by the water pressure instantly.
"You're not going, it's too dangerous," Machi immediately grabbed Law's arm, her eyes filled with anxiety.
"Law, this is the ocean. Don't do anything foolish," Salin said seriously.
Biscuit said gravely, "Didn't the turtle just eat not long ago? If it retreats, these big guys probably won't chase it."
"I think so too. The deep-sea creatures' primary target is likely that sea monster carcass," Knov glanced at Law… he also didn't want Law to take such a risk.
Everyone began urging Law not to go, except Uvogin, who said excitedly, "You sure? I'll go with you! I want to see if my Big Bang Impact can knock these sea monsters down."
Immediately, Nobunaga hit Uvogin on the head with the hilt of his sword. "Idiot, don't stir things up. Remember where we are."
"Trust me."
Facing everyone's dissuasion, Law didn't say much.
That one sentence silenced them all.
From the moment Law said he would go out to assist the turtle, Ging hadn't spoken. Now, looking at the silent group, he said, "Don't worry too much. As long as Law is within my line of sight, I can pull him into the game space at any time."
Law looked at Ging and nodded. "Right, that's one safety net."
In fact, this was also one of the reasons Law decided to leave the shell room.
"But why fight? Wouldn't it be better for the turtle to escape? Even if you want to explore the ruins, can't you wait for them to leave?" Nique cautiously offered his opinion.
Law glanced at Nique but didn't explain. Instead, he said, "Little Nana, help us establish a communication bridge with the turtle."
"Okay."
Bruna first took a photo of the scene outside, then extended tentacles, one attaching to a random spot in the room, the rest reaching out to everyone present.
"Law?"
The moment the communication bridge was established, the turtle sensed it.
However, Law wasn't the only one currently in the communication state… everyone else could also hear what the turtle said and could speak up during the connection.
"The situation doesn't look good. Can you retreat for now?" Law said to the turtle in front of everyone.
"Impossible. I won't give up food that's already in my mouth. Don't worry, I can deal with this bunch of food," The turtle immediately refused.
This response was within Law's expectations.
"Understood. I'll assist you in a moment."
As Law spoke to the turtle, he looked at everyone.
They had heard the turtle's words too and were all left speechless.
'Compared to life, is food more important? Besides, you just ate not long ago!'
Law signaled Bruna to disconnect, which she did.
"You all heard it."
Law then glanced outside. Some sea creatures were already growing restless, as if they might attack the turtle at any second.
The reason he was able to save the turtle that time was precisely because of the turtle's stubborn nature… it could have fled but often refused due to some matter of principle.
Looking at the speechless group, Law smiled and said, "Don't worry. If things look uncertain, I'll have Ging pull me into the game space immediately."
Then he looked at Kuro and said, "Get ready."
"Understood."
Kuro leaped and landed in front of Law.
He wasn't sure what he needed to do, but no matter what command Law gave, he would execute it without hesitation.
After all, Hakuro's appearance had given him a deep sense of crisis.
"I need you to provide oxygen constantly. When necessary, the attacking task will be up to you," Law said.
"What exactly should I do?"
"Take out the oxygen algae and light algae, then turn into a bodysuit for me to wear."
Hearing this, Kuro immediately retrieved two oxygen algae from his space, then, under everyone's watchful eyes, transformed into a cool-looking black combat suit, complete with a cape.
It seemed that no matter what he transformed into, Kuro insisted on the 'cool' factor.
Law looked at the floating black greatcoat, covered his forehead, and said, "I asked for a bodysuit."
"Oh, okay."
Kuro immediately manipulated his Nen and transformed into a black bodysuit with silver flame patterns, clearly having no idea how to spell 'low-key'.
Law shook his head slightly and put on the bodysuit Kuro had transformed into. The silver flame patterns shimmered under the light.
"Be careful," Machi said worriedly.
"Hmm."
Law nodded to Machi, then approached a section of the shell, focusing to release his Domain.
With his current level of control, creating a confined space underwater shouldn't be too difficult.
The Domain's circular boundary passed through the semi-transparent shell, forcibly pushing the seawater outside.
'Pretty heavy, but manageable.'
Law furrowed his brows slightly. This was his first attempt, and it felt quite novel.
Inside the room, everyone watched as Law pushed the shell and the water aside enough to create an opening, unable to hide their astonishment.
"This is too exaggerated..." Nique muttered to himself.
"I'm heading out. Ging, keep an eye out."
Ging nodded upon hearing this.
Law left the shell room, entered the seawater, and then strenuously sealed the shell opening shut.
'It's definitely not easy, but I can adapt with some practice.'
Law thought to himself, then looked at the specific positions of the scattered sea creatures.
Inside the shell room, Bruna raised her camera and pressed the shutter on Law's retreating figure.
Click!
"..." Everyone couldn't help but look at Bruna.
"Let me see."
Ging moved closer, only to be immediately pulled back by Shiro.
"You, keep your attention on Law."
Shiro scolded Ging, then went to Bruna's side himself.
Ging's lips twitched slightly. Although he really wanted to see the photo, given his situation, he probably shouldn't be so casual. He could only stand by the semi-transparent shell, keeping an eye on Law's movements.
"It looks great!"
Bruna held up the camera and said adorably.
"Holy crap, I've got material for my next book," Shiro exclaimed after looking at the photo, his eyes nearly popping out.
Seeing this, the others raised their eyebrows, thinking, 'Is it really that exaggerated?'
Their previous worry for Law seemed to lessen at that moment. They all gathered around Bruna to look at the freshly taken photo.
"Huh."
It was a distant shot.
Law's back was to the camera. He wore a cool black bodysuit, emitting a white light as he hovered in the sea. In front of him, several terrifying sea creatures and the turtle could be seen in a standoff.
Due to the lens adjustment, Law didn't appear insignificant in this photo.
The bubbles around made it easy to tell the environment in the photo was underwater.
"Looks almost photoshopped," Nobunaga commented, stroking his chin.
Outside, Law, who was focused on the turtle and the sea creatures, didn't know that his teammates had gone from worried to critiquing a photo in the blink of an eye.
Just then, a powerful current suddenly surged toward him, pushing him far away.
The sea creatures were making their move!
Their massive bodies churned up currents, and the people in the shell room also felt intense vibrations. They had no time to focus on the photo now, watching the commotion outside gravely.
Law controlled his Domain, which is less than a meter in diameter, then formed a pair of webbed paddles at the edge of the Aura Circle to generate propulsion and change direction.
Boom!
Not far away, countless bubbles shot upwards as the turtle extended its neck and bit a vital spot on one of the sea creatures.
The astonishing bite force immediately sent the creature into a frenzy, but it was futile. Not only did it fail to break free, but the wound rapidly widened, releasing a torrent of blood that mixed with the rising bubbles and dispersed.
Perhaps because of this blood, the surrounding sea creatures erupted into a frenzy, charging at the turtle from all directions.
Fangs, claws, tails.
The creatures' favored methods all came crashing down on the turtle.
However, the hardness of the turtle's shell exceeded their expectations. Despite the heavy blows, their attacks were ineffective.
Their attacks didn't shatter the shell, but they nearly scared the people inside to death.
The experience was like being on a high-altitude glass walkway. The creatures' attacks were real, hitting the semi-transparent shell. Besides the vibrations, there was a strong sense of almost being smashed into paste.
Law had no time to pay attention to his teammates in the shell room. Taking advantage of the creatures' gang-up on the turtle, he propelled himself with Nen and moved closer.
His minuscule size proved beneficial at this moment… the creatures didn't even notice the ant-like Law.
Thus, Law reached the head of one of the creatures without major incident. The light emitted by the light algae through Kuro's Nen served as a signal to the turtle, preventing friendly fire.
Inside the Domain, Kuro, who had transformed into the bodysuit, asked, "What's your plan?"
"Nyoi-Bo."
"Huh?"
Law didn't elaborate, moving quickly across the creature's head, searching for a suitable vital spot.
Back during his first trip to the Dark Continent, he never considered killing these giants, and he avoided them whenever possible.
But now, with his Nen Attribute at 100%, the resulting confidence made him start thinking this way.
Although this was underwater and not on land, it was still a first attempt.
If successful, maybe he wouldn't have to fear the giants of the Dark Continent in the future.
Meanwhile, teammates who had steadied themselves using various methods all looked toward Law's position.
The light from the light algae was like a beacon in the dark, giving his teammates his precise location.
Among everyone, Ging was probably the most focused. To keep his line of sight locked on Law, he had to keep moving within the room to ensure his view wasn't obstructed.
'Law seems serious. Does he really want to kill a sea creature under these conditions?' Ging thought to himself.
One of the fundamental obstacles to human exploration of the Dark Continent was the ubiquitous giants. Compared to the bizarre and difficult to understand Calamities, these giants were the real barriers.
For example, humans might painstakingly establish an outpost on the Dark Continent, only for a giant to come strolling by one day and accidentally trample it without even noticing.
Just thinking about that scenario was enough to break into a cold sweat.
But no matter how vast the potential and framework of Nen Abilities, they probably couldn't make much of a splash against these seemingly invincible giants, could they?
Just as Ging was thinking this, he saw Law make his move.
"Huh? A staff?"
The others also managed to make out what Law was holding… it was indeed a staff.
"What's Law planning to do?" Nobunaga whispered to himself.
On the sea creature's head, Law shrank his Domain to just around his body. Immense pressure instantly bore down on him.
He was positioned on the creature's forehead area.
"I can hold on."
Feeling the almost tangible pressure, Law muttered to himself, then raised the Nyoi-Bo and forcefully drove it into the creature's forehead.
The impact probably wasn't even as noticeable as a mosquito bite, and the creature showed no reaction.
The Nyoi-Bo was a conjured Nen Artifact left behind after Law defeated Saiyu. It could freely extend, shorten, thicken, or thin based on the amount of Nen infused into it.
Law held the staff, piercing the creature's skin, infused a limited amount of Nen, and willed the embedded part of the staff inside the creature to continuously lengthen.
"That should be long enough."
A sharp glint flashed in Law's eyes as he continued to infuse Nen.
This time, it was to thicken.
Whoosh!
The staff expanded visibly, like the legendary Sea-Fixing Needle.
Immediately, the creature beneath Law's feet finally reacted, thrashing its head wildly. Blood continuously seeped from around the Nyoi Bo, quickly engulfing Law.
The thickening of the staff had essentially drilled a large hole inside the creature's head, turning the initial pinprick into a fatal blow.
Around them, the other sea creatures, including the turtle, all noticed the commotion. They saw a massive staff lodged in the head of the writhing creature. As it thrashed, more and more blood spilled out, and the force of its movements grew weaker and weaker.
Inside the shell room, a deathly silence fell.
What they were witnessing had almost surpassed a Nen User's understanding.