Violent collisions echoed across the sea's surface as a colossal sea beast carried out a one-sided slaughter on the ocean floor. As blood began to stain the water, the feeding frenzy swiftly came to a close.
"Roooar~" Mohmoo breached the surface, letting out a satisfied roar. Spotting The Ryuuto in the distance, he flicked his tail and gave chase.
"Roar! Roar!" Swimming alongside the ship, Mohmoo greeted everyone aboard. It was only then that Ryuuto noticed Mohmoo had grown a full size larger, the black, lightning-like patterns on his body becoming much more distinct. His length had now reached fifty meters.
"Well done!" Ryuuto praised him, pleased.
"Roar!" Mohmoo responded cheerfully.
After a brief exchange, Mohmoo began to look drowsy. It seemed this evolution would still take quite some time. Seeing this, Ryuuto had Mohmoo follow The Ryuuto as Nami steered the ship, following the direction of the Log Pose.
It was worth mentioning that this was the very same Log Pose that Bell had given him. When Bell had handed it over, he'd said that Ryuuto would definitely love the place it led to. This made Ryuuto incredibly curious.
He had to go and see for himself. After all, his philosophy was simple: if he wanted to do something, he did it.
"Full speed ahead!"
The Ryuuto's golden hull cut through the waves, the orange glow of the setting sun reflecting off its cream-white railings and scattering across the sea.
On deck, the four of them were having dinner, which had been prepared by Princess Vivi today. Noticing the ship had no cook, Vivi had voluntarily taken on the duty of feeding everyone.
They sat around a small table, a whole roasted fish laid out before them, all sampling Vivi's culinary skills.
"Hmm, the fish is good. It would be even better without all this sauce," Ryuuto finally couldn't help but say, carefully eating a large piece of fish as an intense wave of spice and salt exploded in his mouth.
"Let me try!" Nami stood up and took a piece from the fish's belly.
"I agree with the captain's assessment!" After swallowing a mouthful, Nami immediately grabbed her drink and gulped it down.
"I'm getting old. I'll just have some vegetables," Crocus said with a smile, waving his hands as Ryuuto and Nami's gazes turned to him. He focused on the plate of vegetables in front of him.
"Is it really that bad?" Seeing their reactions, Vivi rolled up her sleeves, picked up a piece of fish, and put it in her own mouth.
"Huh? Well... this fish must not have been very fresh today!" Vivi forced herself to remain composed as the flavor hit her. She quickly picked up the plate and carried the well-presented but terrible-tasting roast fish back to the galley.
"That's not right. I saw Igaram cook it just like this!" Vivi mumbled, staring at the dish with suspicion. It turned out this was our dear princess's first time ever cooking a meal herself.
Fortunately, no one really minded. They ate some of the other food and finished their dinner.
The sky gradually darkened as moonlight spilled over the sea.
Ryuuto closed the door to his room and lay on his bed, his thoughts drifting far away as he watched the moon hang silently in the sky.
Creeak~
Suddenly, a strange sound came from the door.
Ryuuto quickly shut his eyes, pretending to be asleep.
The sound of furtive footsteps approached, and a figure slowly climbed onto Ryuuto's bed. He felt the mattress dip beside him. The figure had actually laid down next to him.
"Captain, are you asleep?" a soft, gentle voice whispered in his ear.
*Nami, you can't be serious!* Ryuuto was stunned. His mind flashed back to everything that had happened during the day. In an instant, the blanket covering him slowly began to rise.
Seeing no reaction from Ryuuto, Nami grew bolder. She stared at him for a long moment before slowly shifting closer, moving toward the center of the bed.
"What is this thing!?" she wondered, casually pushing the bothersome object aside. Nami then leaned in and kissed Ryuuto on the eyebrow.
"The captain is so handsome," Nami murmured, admiring his peaceful expression. His sharp, sword-like brows, the high bridge of his chiseled nose—everything was perfect.
Mwah~
She kissed his nose, growing increasingly annoyed by the bothersome blanket. "What's with the captain? Does he even sleep with Shusui?" she whispered.
With that thought, Nami slipped her hand under the covers. Her soft, delicate hand explored inward, determined to find out where he was keeping Shusui.
"Got it!"
Ah~
A jolt shot through Ryuuto. His "Shusui" had been grabbed. "Shusui," which was already angry, grew even more furious.
"Ah! This...!" Nami let out a small shriek, then quickly clamped her other hand over her mouth. "Ahhh! This is...!!"
Her mind involuntarily flashed back to the sauna in Alabasta. The image from that day replayed in her head. Instantly, Nami's face turned beet red as "Shusui" throbbed restlessly. But she was reluctant to let go. She glanced at the window and the door before carefully giving a little tug, wanting to pull it out for a better look.
It seemed too big to get a handle on...
With his "Shusui" captured, Ryuuto let out a gasp. He couldn't tolerate this. The sword had to be unsheathed! He flipped over in an instant, the sharp sword pointed straight at Nami.
"Ah!"
Nami cried out in surprise, feeling the sharp edge of "Shusui" about to graze her thigh!
But it was too late.
A powerful presence washed over her, and Nami's eyes widened, her body freezing in place. The damage from Shusui was immense.
"Hmm? Nami, where's your armor?" Ryuuto asked, looking her over.
"Ah... I'm not wearing any tonight!" Nami said, embarrassed, averting her gaze.
Tonight, Nami wore a loose, one-piece dress adorned with yellow and green flowers. Unfortunately, it offered no protection. Without her armor, Nami's physical resistance was extremely low, and she was steadily being overwhelmed by Ryuuto...
But as Nami launched an attack with her legs, Ryuuto was caught off guard and quickly brought down. Nami began to take the offensive.
A fierce match was about to begin.
Nami made the first move, serving the ball.
It was a shame there was no referee, or the sound of a whistle would have surely filled the air. The scene grew chaotic.
Ryuuto played multiple positions at once: power forward, small forward, point guard, shooting guard. He executed frontal breakthroughs, driving layups, and powerful slam dunks!
Unfortunately, as a rookie player, Nami lacked the strength and was completely suppressed, unable to even lift her head on the court under Ryuuto's overwhelming pressure.
The milky moonlight slowly crept into Ryuuto's room, illuminating the court. The atmosphere of the match started low, then steadily rose to a crescendo before gradually settling down.
The feedback was excellent!
On the court, Ryuuto's stamina was astounding. Combined with his natural talent, he defeated the rookie Nami in just two rounds.
When the moonlight finally fell upon the bed, a slender arm hung limply over the side, glowing faintly. Strands of orange hair were scattered across the court. The match was over.
Nami had been defeated and was now sleeping peacefully. A look of deep satisfaction was etched on her face.