Chapter Five: Setting Sail Upon the Colossal Beast

Roar! The massive head of the King of the Coastal Seas was bleeding profusely as it let out a bone-shaking howl. At last, fear appeared in its enormous crimson eyes.

"Heh, finally feeling scared?" Shu Mingyuan curled his lips into a sneer, and with a fist crackling with lightning, he smashed it hard into the sea king's face.

Chidori exploded, opening a gaping bloody wound. The king’s body writhed desperately, attempting to shake Shu Mingyuan off.

Towering waves surged in the offshore waters—a tremendous swell crashed down, shattering Shu Mingyuan’s small boat into splintered planks that scattered across the sea.

Fury flared in Shu Mingyuan’s heart. Without his boat, how was he supposed to venture out to sea? Though the fishing village was nearby, was he to swim back, tail between his legs? He had promised the villagers he’d only return if he made something of himself.

If he came back defeated before even half a day had passed, what would people say? He’d never hear the end of it.

Shu Mingyuan shook his head firmly. There was no way he would do such a spineless thing.

He clamped a hand around the sea king’s eyelid, aiming his fist at the two lantern-like crimson eyes. Chidori sparked anew.

“Beast, you destroyed my boat. Either you become my vessel and take me to sea, or I’ll kill you right now with one punch!”

“I know your hide is thick, and my earlier punch didn’t reach your bones. But if I strike your eyes, I doubt you’ll be leaping about as you are now.”

The youth’s cold, murderous gaze fixed upon the king. His voice was devoid of feeling.

Under Shu Mingyuan’s threat, the sea king’s terror grew until it finally bowed its massive head in submission.

“Tch, what a coward.” Shu Mingyuan mocked. It was one thing to be scared off by Red-haired Shanks—after all, he was one of the Four Emperors, ruler of the seas. But this creature had been punched away by Luffy, who’d only just set out, and now cowered before him—was it really a sea king? Perhaps it had been chased from the depths of the sea and was now bullying the East Blue out of desperation.

“Coward, are you really a sea king? Aside from your size, what about you suggests the majesty of a king?” Shu Mingyuan sat atop its head and patted it.

Roar!

The sea king felt aggrieved—it had no answer for such words.

“My boat’s been smashed to bits, and all the luggage my kin prepared for me is soaking in the water. You’d better help me retrieve it, or I’ll beat you!”

The sea king was utterly miserable—what kind of person was this? Its face had a gaping bloody hole, yet the boy showed no concern.

Under pressure, it finally wrapped its tail around a bundle of luggage and tossed it to Shu Mingyuan.

“Good, that’s better. Follow me and behave. Someday, I might feed you a Devil Fruit, and you’ll become the invincible ruler of the whole sea!”

The giant beast nodded eagerly. If its new master kept his word, that wouldn’t be bad.

But the next words made it tremble in terror.

“I’m destined to become the man who conquers the Pirate King!”

Conquer the Pirate King? What nonsense! If this human wanted to die, let him go alone—why drag the sea king along? The terrors lurking in the depths were all too real, and for all its size, in those waters it was nothing but a small fry.

“Hey, what’s with the lack of confidence?” Shu Mingyuan laughed.

Then, in a gentle voice, he murmured, “Soon, my name will echo across the stars and seas.”

“Luffy…” Shu Mingyuan gazed toward the distant horizon, where a small town seemed to shimmer faintly.

“Hey, stupid fish, have you seen a boy wearing a straw hat recently?”

The sea king let out a low hum, confirming it had, and turned its bruised face aside.

“Heh, so you’ve already been beaten up. Judging by your injuries, he must’ve left not long ago. In that case, there’s no need to visit Windmill Village. Perhaps this is fate.” Shu Mingyuan looked up at the sky.

Hopefully he’d make it in time… Just thinking of those characters from the anime made his blood run hot.

Nami, Robin, the Empress, Vivi… None would escape him.

“Stupid fish! Head straight out to sea! Set course for Loguetown!”

…

Half a day’s journey later, Shu Mingyuan sat atop the sea beast’s head, finding it even more comfortable than a boat. The beast moved with incredible speed, yet not a single bump disturbed him.

Shu Mingyuan recalled the anime plot: Luffy’s boat was swallowed by a whirlpool, and he escaped by hiding in a barrel, which then floated downstream and was picked up by the crew of a luxurious cruise ship. However, the segment where the barrel drifted was left unexplained.

Given the vastness of the sea, where would he find a cruise ship? If memory served, Nami’s first appearance was on that very vessel. That meant he couldn’t afford to miss it.

“Stupid fish, use your abilities—search the surrounding waters for a cruise ship. If you find one, swim to it.”

At the mention of searching for a ship, the sea king perked up. If this terrifying human found a cruise ship, perhaps he’d let it go. No need to venture to the Grand Line, nor the New World—life could return to normal, ruling the East Blue.

With this hope, the sea beast focused, picked a direction, and sped off at full power. Shu Mingyuan lay back, enjoying the sea breeze in utter comfort.

…

Upon the waves, a luxurious cruise ship floated serenely. Nearby hovered a smaller vessel, its prow shaped like a swan. Three cannons lined each side, four large sails marked with heart symbols hung from the mainmast, and atop it flew a black pirate flag emblazoned with a white skull. Three chain hooks extended from the pirate ship, latching onto the cruise ship’s railings, as fierce pirates moved back and forth.

A pirate ship!

Cries and shouts echoed across the cruise ship—people were slain by ruthless pirates, the air thick with the stench of blood, civilian corpses strewn everywhere, and terror held sway over all.

Infamous pirates—murderers, arsonists, thieves, plunderers, kidnappers, guilty of every imaginable crime, feared by all. Wherever they went, blood soaked the decks and corpses littered the ground, leaving the people in misery.

Pirates—the very embodiment of disaster.

…

The sea king let out a sharp cry; Shu Mingyuan sat upright, eyes fixed on the two distant ships, a smile spreading across his face. It seemed he had made it in time after all.

The smaller vessel, if he guessed correctly, belonged to the Alvida Pirate Crew—the very first pirates Luffy encountered after setting out.

Shu Mingyuan patted the sea king beneath him.

“Stupid fish, let’s go aboard.”