The larger ship did not rush.
It didn't need to.
Even at a distance, its presence pressed against the sea like a silent storm. Black sails hung heavy from reinforced masts, each marked with a deep crimson emblem shaped like a coiling serpent wrapped around a broken crown.
It was the kind of ship that didn't chase.
The kind others avoided.
Aira felt a chill crawl up her spine.
"…That's not normal," she muttered.
Kenji stood at the edge of the Silver Wolf deck, sword resting against his shoulder, watching the approaching vessel with narrowed eyes. "North Blue really doesn't believe in warm welcomes."
Ryu stepped beside him, gaze steady. "You know them?" he asked Varek.
Captain Varek didn't answer immediately.
His eyes stayed locked on the distant ship, jaw tightening in a way that said more than words.
"…Black Crown," he finally said. "Or what's left of it."
Kenji tilted his head. "That sounds dramatic."
Varek's voice lowered. "It used to be a pirate fleet. Now it's one man's hunting ground."
Ryu's eyes sharpened slightly. "One man?"
Varek nodded once. "Captain Morrow. Sixty-two million. Devil Fruit user."
Aira inhaled slowly. "Already?"
Kenji's grin widened instead. "Finally."
Ryu shot him a look. "Don't get excited yet."
"Too late," Kenji replied.
The Black Crown ship continued its steady approach, cutting through the waves with deliberate calm. No cannon fire. No shouting. Just inevitability.
That was worse.
On the Silver Wolf deck, Varek turned sharply toward his remaining crew. "All of you. Back to your positions. Now."
One of his fighters blinked. "Captain—?"
"Move," Varek snapped. "We don't fight them while that guy is around."
That got them moving.
Kenji watched as the surviving Silver Wolf pirates began pulling back. "They're running."
Varek shot him a look. "We're surviving."
Ryu studied him carefully. "You've fought him before."
Varek didn't answer.
He didn't need to.
Within moments, the Silver Wolf crew had disengaged entirely, retreating back in their ship. Varek lingered a second longer, meeting Ryu's eyes.
Ryu and Kenji Leaped back to their ship.
"If you're smart," Varek said quietly, "you'll leave too."
Kenji snorted. "And miss the fun?"
Varek shook his head once. "You'll understand soon enough."
Then he turned back to his crew issuing oders.
Ropes were cut. Sails turned.
The Silver Wolf vessel began pulling away at full speed—fast enough to make it clear they wanted distance before the larger ship arrived.
Aira stared after them. "…That's not reassuring."
"No," Ryu agreed quietly. "It isn't."
The Black Crown ship loomed closer now.
Details emerged.
The hull was scarred—deep claw-like gouges along its sides as if something massive had torn into it repeatedly and been repaired just as often. Iron plating reinforced the bow. Harpoons lined the railings. Heavy cannons sat ready but unused.
And on the front deck—
One man stood alone.
Tall. Broad. Motionless.
Even from a distance, the pressure of his presence carried across the water.
Kenji rolled his neck slowly. "Yeah… okay. This feels different."
Aira's hands tightened on the helm. "Ryu."
"I know."
He stepped to the bow of their ship again as the Black Crown vessel slowed, finally coming parallel within shouting distance.
Silence stretched.
Then—
A voice carried across the water.
Not loud.
But it reached them easily.
"…New hunters?" the man said.
He stepped forward into clearer view.
Captain Morrow.
He was massive—not quite Hale's towering size, but close. Thick black coat draped over wide shoulders. Dark hair tied back. A jagged scar crossed the bridge of his nose. His eyes were a dull, lifeless gray that didn't seem to blink enough.
At his side hung a single heavy cutlass.
He didn't draw it.
Didn't need to.
His presence alone felt… wrong.
He studied them openly, gaze moving from Ryu to Kenji to Aira, lingering just a fraction longer on each as if weighing their worth.
"…You don't belong to this sea," he said.
Kenji rested his sword on his shoulder casually. "We get that a lot."
Morrow's eyes slid to him.
Kenji felt it immediately.
Weight.
Like being measured by something that didn't care about human standards.
"…You talk easily," Morrow observed.
Kenji shrugged. "Helps with breathing."
Aira muttered under her breath, "Please don't provoke the man."
Ryu stepped forward slightly, voice calm. "We're just passing through."
Morrow's lips curved faintly—not quite a smile.
"No one passes through," he said.
A faint ripple moved across the sea.
Aira felt it through the helm like a vibration in the wood itself.
Ryu's Observation flared instinctively.
Something shifted beneath the surface.
"…Careful," he said quietly.
Too late.
The water beside their ship exploded upward.
A massive shape burst from beneath the waves—not a creature, not a cannonball—
A hand.
A giant, translucent, water-like hand formed entirely from compressed sea surged upward and slammed toward their deck.
Aira screamed and spun the helm hard. "MOVE!"
The ship lurched sideways just enough that the massive hand crashed into the water beside them instead of directly on top, sending a tidal wave across the deck. Wood cracked. Rope snapped. The mast shuddered violently.
Kenji leapt back, boots skidding across soaked planks. "Okay! That's new!"
The water hand dissolved instantly back into the sea.
Then rose again.
This time from the other side.
Morrow hadn't moved.
He stood on his deck, one hand casually extended forward.
"…Water manipulation?" Aira gasped.
Ryu's eyes narrowed. "Not exactly."
The sea rose again—this time forming multiple spear-like tendrils that shot toward them at high speed.
Ryu moved.
Armament coated his knives as he stepped forward and slashed through the first tendril, dispersing it into harmless spray before it struck the mast. Kenji followed, blade flashing as he cut through two more incoming spikes aimed at the sail rigging.
"Devil Fruit user who controls water?!" Kenji shouted. "That's cheating!"
Morrow's expression didn't change.
"I do not control water," he said calmly.
The sea surged again.
A massive shape rose behind their ship—this time forming a towering wave shaped almost like a coiling serpent. Its surface churned unnaturally, dense and heavy, not behaving like normal water.
"…I control pressure," Morrow said.
The wave slammed forward.
Aira reacted instantly, spinning the helm and dropping the sail angle. The ship angled sharply just as the wave crashed down, catching them along the side instead of dead-on. The impact still sent them skidding violently across the surface, wood groaning under the stress.
Kenji slid across the deck, boots barely finding grip. "He's throwing the ocean at us!"
Ryu planted his feet, stabilizing himself against the railing as his Observation spread outward. He could feel it now—how the water moved around Morrow. Not natural currents.
Compressed.
Directed.
Forced.
"He's increasing water density," Ryu realized aloud. "Making it hit like solid mass."
Aira's eyes widened. "That's worse!"
Another surge formed.
Bigger.
Higher.
Morrow stepped forward slightly, gray eyes fixed on them with mild interest.
"Let's see," he said quietly, "if you're worth remembering."
Kenji grinned despite the chaos. "Oh, I like him."
Ryu exhaled slowly.
Pain lingered in his ribs. Kenji's wounds hadn't fully healed. Aira was already pushing herself hard just keeping them maneuvering under this pressure.
And this was only the beginning of North Blue.
Ryu's grip tightened on his knives.
"…We're not sinking here," he said calmly.
Kenji stepped beside him, sword rising.
Aira steadied the helm, jaw set.
The sea rose again around them like a living weapon.
And for the first time since entering the wrong ocean—
The North Blue truly attacked.
___