Taming a wild horse on land is dangerous enough, but a great white shark over six meters long? That's a whole new level.
The shark's small, beady eyes gleamed with feral intensity as it began thrashing violently.
It whipped its body sharply to the left, then to the right, trying to fling Luke off its back with rapid, forceful twists.
But Luke was ready. His right hand gripped the rope tightly, while his left dug into the shark's gill slits for leverage.
As a martial arts master, Luke knew better than to fight head-on against a force far stronger than himself. The best move was to flow with it and redirect the energy.
With an agility stat of 24, Luke could react swiftly to every move the shark made.
His master-level hand-to-hand combat skills, with techniques for redirecting force and stabilizing his body, kept him anchored.
So, despite the shark's wild thrashing, Luke clung on like a barnacle to a ship's hull, unyielding.
The crew on the research vessel went wild, erupting into cheers and applause.
"That's so badass! Way cooler than those cowboys riding bucking bulls!" Annie exclaimed.
"He's unstoppable—land, sea, you name it. I'm in complete awe," said Bob , who, as a colleague, could truly appreciate Luke's strength.
"But won't this burn through his oxygen faster? Could that be a problem?" Director Verbinski asked, concerned.
"Luke's got insane underwater endurance. He can handle at least four minutes of intense activity down there," Bob replied.
"Four minutes? Against a shark? Can he really pull it off in that time?" Depp asked.
"He doesn't need to tame the shark. Four minutes of epic footage, and we're done," Bob said with a shrug.
"I heard great whites aren't warm-blooded, so their stamina's way less than mammals like us. Think Luke could actually wear it out?" Depp asked, his imagination running wild.
Dr. Carl rolled his eyes. "You've got to consider size and environment. Their stamina might pale compared to, say, an orca, but a human's not even in the same league."
"Fair enough. So as long as Luke nails this shot smoothly, he can head back to the boat," Depp said.
"Don't get too cocky. A great white can pull off way more hunting moves in the water than you think. Luke might not wrap this up as safely as you hope," Dr. Carl warned.
Sure enough, the next moment, the shark realized it couldn't shake Luke off easily and bolted toward the surface.
"Luke, watch out for the great white's breaching move! It can leap out and do a backflip to stun seals. If it hits you, it'll crush every bone in your body!"
Dr. Carl's pre-dive warning flashed through Luke's mind.
So the shark's done trying to shake me and is going for a finishing move?
Being flung into the air by a three-ton great white and slammed back into the sea…
The thought sent a chill down Luke's spine.
He tightened his grip on the shark with both hands, bending his knees slightly, his body coiled like a bow ready to spring.
Whoosh!
The shark exploded out of the water with a massive splash, leaping over four meters high, even with Luke on its back!
In mid-air, the great white pulled off a 180-degree backflip, like an acrobat, aiming to crush Luke beneath it.
But Luke was one step ahead. He planted a foot on the shark's back, using it to propel himself upward, dodging the crushing flip.
He even seized the moment to gulp down a few breaths of air, replenishing his oxygen from the intense exertion.
Splash!
With a huge crash, man and shark plunged back into the water.
The shark landed belly-up, its back slamming into the sea.
Luke hit the shark's softer belly, cushioning most of the impact.
Once underwater, Luke yanked the rope, flipping himself back onto the shark's back with a deft move.
In that split-second flash, both shark and Luke delivered a jaw-dropping performance, prompting cheers from the crew on the research vessel.
"Luke's a beast! How does he even do that? The guy's a freaking superhero!" Depp shouted, hyping him up.
"It's like a miracle. I'd bet anything this clip will blow audiences' minds in the movie. This scene alone could boost the box office by at least a hundred million bucks!" Director Verbinski raved.
"There's this theory that humans evolved from coastal 'aquatic apes' that hunted alongside dolphin ancestors. I never bought it, but seeing Luke today, I'm starting to think there might be something to it," Dr. Carl mused.
"Luke's unreal. He didn't just dodge the shark's killer move—he used it to catch his breath. Now he can stay down even longer," Bob said, zeroing in on the action's finer points.
As Luke and the shark submerged again, their battle resumed.
But after two failed attempts, the shark seemed to develop a hint of fear.
Not of Luke specifically, but of the potential danger he represented.
For many wild animals, instinct kicks in: when danger's sensed, the first choice is to flee.
Going head-to-head is never a wild animal's go-to, whether it's a top predator like a tiger, a lion, or a great white shark.
Initially, the shark didn't see the puny Luke as a threat, so it didn't bother fleeing.
But after this ordeal, it realized this human on its back was no pushover, triggering its instinct to escape danger.
Plus, the spear shaft lodged in its mouth was causing serious discomfort.
Every time the shark thrashed, the rope tugged the shaft, grinding painfully in its jaw.
Great whites aren't the smartest, but even they can figure out that staying still hurts less.
So, an odd scene unfolded:
Unable to shake Luke, the shark stopped thrashing wildly and instead began swimming off into the distance with Luke still attached.
Seeing the shark calm down a bit, Luke, clinging to its back, activated his talent: [Life's a Stage]!