As the colossal creatures vanished into the deep sea, the shadows blotting out the sky dispersed, and bright sunlight once again bathed the deck.
The apocalyptic scene disappeared without a trace, as if everything had been an illusion.
Yet the still-churning waves and the lingering salty scent in the air were undeniable proof that the massive Sea Kings had just been there.
"Ah! Meat! My meat ran away!"
Luffy let out a grief-stricken wail as he stared at the empty sea.
His shout instantly shattered the tense atmosphere on the deck.
The interns, having narrowly escaped death, unanimously turned their gazes toward the calm figure at the ship's bow.
Awe, reverence, and even a trace of fear filled their expressions.
Zoro's knuckles turned white from gripping his sword hilt too tightly, his heart pounding wildly as he stared fixedly at Orion's back.
To make these sea monsters bow and flee in panic using sheer presence alone—Orion's power once again redefined his limits!
Zoro's mind flashed back to the words Orion had spoken to him a month ago.
'You still have a chance to surpass Mihawk. But surpassing me is absolutely impossible.'
He took a deep breath.
The soul-deep trembling didn't bring him despair but instead ignited an almost insane determination.
One day, he would climb step by step to become the strongest!
Not only surpassing Mihawk, but also surpassing Orion!
On the other side, Ace was also staring intently at Orion, his eyes burning with fervor.
Trafalgar Law leaned against the ship's railing, holding onto Kikoku, a cold sweat trickling down his temple.
He felt immensely grateful for the choice he had made back in the North Blue.
To be an enemy of such an existence—even death would be a luxury.
But the most devastated was undoubtedly Basil Hawkins.
He sat slumped on the ground, staring blankly at his Tarot cards.
Divination? Fate? Probability?
In the face of absolute power, all of these were nothing but a joke.
Amid this eerie silence, Orion patted Nami, who had slid off him and was now sitting on the deck gasping for breath, and calmly said.
"There's something abnormal ahead in the sea. Change course."
"Yes!"
Morgan acknowledged the order and left.
The training ship quickly adjusted its direction and sailed toward another stretch of sea.
...
Half an hour later.
On the distant horizon to the right of the training ship, a strange mist abruptly appeared without warning.
The mist was not pure white but shimmered with a bizarre, iridescent rainbow hue, refracting an eerie glow under the sunlight.
What was even more unsettling was the astonishing speed at which the colorful mist spread.
It surged visibly toward the training ship's location, silent yet carrying a suffocating pressure that seemed ready to devour everything.
At that moment, Hawkins, who had been sitting in a daze, suddenly remembered something.
He snatched up his Tarot cards and began another divination.
The moment he flipped over the card, his pupils contracted sharply.
[Death].
Mortality rate... 100 percent!
Another 100 percent!
After a brief moment of shock, Hawkins suddenly understood.
Clearly, the 100 percent mortality rate was not due to the earlier Sea Kings but to the spreading mist.
"Hurry! We must avoid that mist immediately!"
Hawkins scrambled frantically to the bow of the ship, his voice shrill with terror.
"That mist is dangerous! Once we're swallowed by it, we're finished!"
Thump!
Thump!
Usopp and Chopper, who had just been revived by Franky with cold water, heard this, rolled their eyes, and promptly fainted again.
On the deck, everyone's expressions changed.
Compared to the earlier enemies—massive but at least visible—this silent, encroaching unknown was far more terrifying.
Because there was no clear target to fight, nor even a way to resist.
"Damn it! This mist is spreading too fast!"
Vinsmoke Niji watched the colorful mist closing in, panic appearing on his face for the first time.
"The ship can't outrun it!" Yonji gritted his teeth. "Let's use our Raid Suits and escape first!"
"You want to abandon your comrades?" Reiju's pink eyebrows shot up as she shouted sharply.
"Have you forgotten the rules set by the Fleet Admiral? If you run now, it won't just mean being discharged from the Marines!"
The three brothers stiffened, their gazes shifting in unison to Orion, who stood nearby with a calm expression.
They knew all too well that in the Marines under Orion's command, the phrase "abandoning comrades" was synonymous with "traitor."
And the fate of a traitor was far worse than death.
The entire Vinsmoke family would be doomed beyond redemption.
As the eerie, colorful mist drew closer, it loomed like a giant maw ready to devour the entire training ship.
The interns on the deck were utterly panicked, and everyone's gaze instinctively converged on Orion.
Orion took in the varied expressions on their faces and finally rose slowly from the deck chair.
He scanned the group and spoke with a smile.
"The situation is critical now. If any of you have a way to leave alone, you may go at once. I will not hold it against you."
His words plunged the scene into dead silence.
Everyone was stunned.
What did the Fleet Admiral mean by that?
After a brief silence.
"I'm not going anywhere!"
Luffy was the first to step forward, pounding his chest with a wide grin.
"I want to stay with everyone!"
"Exactly," Zoro gripped the swords at his waist. "If we die, we die together."
"Hmph, I would never abandon Nami-san and the others in a place like this," Sanji crossed his arms, hearts appearing in his eyes.
Ace and Sabo exchanged a glance before simultaneously moving to stand beside Luffy, their actions speaking louder than words.
Usopp and Chopper, who had just woken up, had tears and snot smeared across their faces and their legs trembled uncontrollably from fear.
Yet, still crying, they shuffled to stand behind the others.
"Waaah... we... we're not leaving either!"
"With the Fleet Admiral here, what is there to fear? SUPER!" Franky struck his classic pose.
"Yohohoho, being swallowed by the fog together with everyone sounds like quite the adventure," Brook leaned on his sword cane, telling a joke that wasn't funny at all.
Orion nodded with satisfaction, then his gaze fell upon the Vinsmoke siblings, Trafalgar Law, and Hawkins.
"What about you?"
No one spoke.
Reiju was the first to walk over to Nami and take her hand.
After a moment of hesitation, the three brothers Ichiji, Niji, and Yonji gritted their teeth and finally stood behind Sabo.
Trafalgar Law and Hawkins silently joined the crowd as well.
Seeing this, Orion smiled and said, "The internship this past month has yielded remarkable results."
"Since you've all chosen not to abandon your comrades—"
"I naturally won't abandon you either!"
"Hold on tight."
"I will take you home!"
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