A dark shadow emerged from the sea under the moonlight, as if intending to swallow the warship whole in one gulp.
Countless seawater slid off the shadowy figure, crashing onto the ocean's surface and sending up even larger waves.
Fortunately, Roya used the power of Talismans to pull the warship into the sky.
At the same time, he grabbed Hancock and shielded her directly in his embrace.
At this moment, the two women from the warship also rushed out.
"Sister, what's happening?"
They were both very panicked, but when they saw Hancock safely in Roya's arms, they immediately relaxed.
Moonlight illuminated the shadowy figure, allowing Roya and the women to clearly see what it truly was.
It was a Sea King—so massive that even just its exposed head appeared to be over a kilometer long.
Its full body length, unsurprisingly, could easily exceed five kilometers.
This was an existence that would give even an Admiral a headache.
Hancock, nestled in Roya's arms, suddenly widened her eyes in shock.
She urgently tugged at Roya and said, "Roya, this is the Deep Sea Serpent from the legends of Amazon Lily! It's said that once this serpent reaches adulthood, its body length can reach at least five kilometers!"
Hearing Hancock's words, Roya became even more intrigued by this legendary Deep Sea Serpent.
"I never imagined such a creature existed in these seas."
This serpent had greatly captured Roya's attention.
After reaching a certain altitude, Roya released Hancock and said to her, "Since it's a legendary creature, let me test its strength!"
With that, Roya leaped off the warship, leaving only Hancock and her two sisters behind.
The night was beautiful, with the moonlight shining brightly.
As Roya jumped from the warship, fierce winds howled around him, making his cloak billow wildly.
For a Sea King like this, there was no need for formalities.
Roya drew Flowing Blade Like Raging Fire mid-air, flames erupting from the blade and leaving a dazzling trail of fire in the sky.
This fiery trail was exceptionally striking in the night, instantly drawing the attention of the five-kilometer-long serpentine Sea King!
The sea churned, waves towering into the heavens.
The water surged violently as the Sea King's tail suddenly broke through the surface, lashing toward Roya from the depths of the ocean.
Though it appeared slow, both its speed and power were terrifyingly immense!
Hancock, worried for Roya, leaned over the ship's railing and witnessed this scene.
Her heart instantly clenched in fear. "Roya, be careful!"
As if hearing Hancock's voice, Roya clearly sensed the Sea King's movement.
"For anyone else, this might be troublesome. But you had to run into me!"
"All Things in the Universe, Turn to Ashes, Flowing Blade Like Fire!"
As Roya's words echoed, Flowing Blade Like Raging Fire erupted with dazzling flames.
Blistering inferno surged skyward.
Roya, gripping the flaming blade, had eyes ablaze with fire!
After Bankai, Flowing Blade Like Raging Fire could reach temperatures of 10 million degrees Celsius—equivalent to the core of the sun.
Though Roya couldn't achieve that level yet, even Shikai was more than enough!
At this moment, the blade unleashed its full power, reaching temperatures comparable to the sun's surface—6,000 degrees Celsius.
This was the first time since arriving in the world of pirates that Roya had released the full might of his Shikai.Before Roya could even reach the Sea King, the surrounding ocean within a certain radius had already begun to boil!
"ROAR!!!"
As if sensing the scorching heat in the water, the five-thousand-meter-long Sea King seemed to grow even more ferocious. The speed of its tail whip appeared to increase as well.
In the blink of an eye, it came crashing down with a howl.
Roya paid no attention to the Sea King's attack. Activating the power of his Talisman, his descent accelerated several times over!
At that moment, Flowing Blade Like Raging Fire erupted with unparalleled flames, transforming into a crystalline blade of fire.
Simultaneously, six massive pillars of fire rose from the ocean, stirring up violent hurricanes that shot straight into the sky. A Karmic Fire Crimson Lotus spanning thousands of zhang bloomed eerily across the sea's surface!
Millions of hectares of seawater surged upward, forming towering waves thousands of zhang high. The deafening roar was like the combined cries of tens of thousands of dragons.
"Incinerate the Heavens and Boil the Seas!"
As Roya's words fell, Flowing Blade Like Raging Fire plunged directly into the eye of the nearly five-kilometer-long Sea King.
The fiery slash erupted then and there.
A slash nearly a kilometer long cleaved straight through the creature's head.
Because he wielded the sword with both hands, the fierce winds tore Roya's cloak wide open!
The Sea King opened its maw to roar, only to realize its body had already been severed in two!
Blood mingled with flames, staining vast stretches of the ocean crimson!
From aboard the warship, Hancock watched as the entire sea below transformed into a sea of fire.
The sky itself turned fiery red. Through the flames, she could clearly see nearly ten thousand meters of ocean boiling violently!
"So... so incredible!"
Hancock's eyes sparkled like stars.
In her heart, Roya was the strongest—no one could compare to him!
But when she looked at Roya again, she froze instantly, for she saw him removing his cloak...
——
The sky filled with flames and the spectacle upon the ocean were visible even from extremely far away.
On Amazon Lily, the current Empress of Amazon Lily and captain of the Kuja Pirates also noticed this phenomenon.
Standing in her palace, she gazed at the raging sea of fire in the Calm Belt, her heart sinking.
The sheer power required to achieve such a feat was unimaginable!
Most importantly, it had appeared in the Calm Belt.
This suggested that this person's target might very well be Amazon Lily!
With this thought, she immediately issued the order: "Prepare for battle!"
Most inhabitants of Amazon Lily had mastered both Armament Haki and Observation Haki, making them formidable warriors.
Upon receiving the Empress's command, they swiftly armed themselves and took up ambush positions in the jungle facing the direction of the flames.
——
Elsewhere, not far from the sea of fire.
A small boat drifted slowly across the waves.
On the tiny vessel stood an elderly woman even shorter than the average person. White wavy hair adorned with a flower framed her face as she clutched a snake coiled into a staff, her expression frozen in shock at the sight before her.
"These flames... could it really be that man?!"
The old woman murmured to herself, reaching out to touch the seawater.
"Tsk—"
She gasped sharply, then exclaimed in astonishment: "The water's this scalding even at this distance?! How terrifying!"As she spoke, the old woman sat down on the wooden plank of the small boat. Within seconds, she immediately jumped up, shouting, "Hot, hot, hot~"
If any outsiders had seen this scene, they would surely have found it quite comical!
...