Chapter Nine: The Naval Base

A colossal sea beast emerged, its entire form rivaling the size of the cruise ship itself. The faces of the rest on board drained of all color in terror. This King of the Near Sea was the overlord of these waters, having thwarted countless attempts to venture out to sea. Its appearance now seemed nothing short of a harbinger of shipwreck and death; how could they possibly hope to survive?

With a mighty roar, the massive sea beast shook its body, conjuring towering waves from nowhere. Both ships, one large and one small, were tossed violently amidst the surging sea. The small escape boat that Nami had prepared in advance was obliterated by a single wave, splintering apart with a thunderous crash.

Nami’s face was already ashen with fear. She had nearly jumped onto the small boat to escape, and only sheer luck had kept her from doing so a moment earlier—otherwise, she would have been swallowed by the sea. The appearance of the King of the Near Sea completely shattered any notion of fleeing.

“Behave yourself,” Shu Mingyuan said impatiently from the side.

The King of the Near Sea immediately became docile, though its scarlet eyes and ferocious visage remained terrifying no matter how one looked at it.

“Oh! It’s you!” Luffy squinted at the sea beast, finding it familiar. After a moment’s observation, realization struck him. “It’s you! How dare you show up again—watch me send you flying!”

The King of the Near Sea eyed the boy in the straw hat and grew visibly fearful, recalling how it had recently been sent flying by a single punch from him.

“Ahem… Luffy, wait. The King of the Near Sea is my pet now. I won’t let it do any more harm,” Shu Mingyuan said, stepping in front of Luffy.

“Haha, amazing! You actually tamed it!”

Everyone was stunned by the young man’s words. Not only had he crushed the Alvida Pirates effortlessly, but he had also tamed a sea beast as a pet—just how strong was he?

Shu Mingyuan glanced at Nami’s bloodless face, the corner of his lips curving into a smirk before he leaped onto the King of the Near Sea’s broad back.

“The Marines will be here soon. If you don’t hurry up, you’ll miss your chance!” Shu Mingyuan called out.

“Oh? We can ride it too? Hahaha, Koby, let’s go!” Luffy grabbed Koby and jumped onto the sea beast’s back.

“What about you? Not coming?” Shu Mingyuan said to Nami with a smile.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Several more cannonballs crashed into the nearby sea, sending water skyward. Both ships rocked violently. Clinging to the railing, Nami could barely stand. She looked at the fearsome sea beast, took a deep breath, and steeled herself.

“Hurry up, or it’ll be too late!” Shu Mingyuan urged again.

“To hell with it,” Nami muttered, closing her eyes and gritting her teeth. She climbed onto the King of the Near Sea’s back, clutching her sack of treasure.

She glanced at the youth who stood nearby with a faint, playful smile, a sense of foreboding rising within her. In her eyes, this boy—about her own age—was no less dangerous than any ruthless pirate.

What’s more, he was a pirate hunter, a natural enemy of pirates. Now that she was on his turf, her fate lay entirely in his hands. If she angered him, he could throw them into the sea to feed the fish at any moment.

“Stupid fish, let’s go! Head for the Marine base!” Shu Mingyuan patted the King of the Near Sea, and with a roar, it sped swiftly away, giving the naval warship a wide berth.

To travel atop the legendary King of the Near Sea was a first. Nami and Koby’s legs trembled in fear, not daring to move on the back of the terrifying beast. Only Luffy kept shouting in excitement.

Shu Mingyuan looked at them, his heart filled with emotion. Here he was, journeying alongside the legendary figures he once knew only from fiction: the future Pirate King, the future Marine Admiral, and the most popular heroine.

“Hey, where are you taking us?” Nami mustered her courage and asked.

Shu Mingyuan’s lips curled into a roguish grin. “To the Marine base—to sell you all for bounty.”

Nami’s face turned ghastly pale. She was a pirate. If this pirate hunter handed her over to the Marines, she would be captured, and then what would become of her village…?

“No, I can’t go. At the very least, I can’t go as this man’s captive.” Panic-stricken, she tried to stand and made as if to jump into the sea.

As someone who knew the plot of Pirate King inside and out, Shu Mingyuan understood perfectly what this striking beauty was thinking. He moved his lips slightly and said, “I won’t stop you if you jump, but you won’t be taking that treasure with you. And where could you possibly go in this vast ocean? Even if you are lucky with direction, there are savage sea beasts below. Jumping into the sea may seem brave, but it’s actually utter folly.”

Nami’s body trembled and she sat back down, her eyes dull. She knew he was right—leaping into the sea was no different from courting death.

Shu Mingyuan cast her a sidelong glance and said coolly, “Just stay put. When we reach the Marine base, I promise you’ll be safe.”

Nami had no choice; she couldn’t fight him. Though she suspected this was just a delaying tactic to keep her from escaping until he could hand her over to the Marines, she was surrounded on all sides by endless sea, her life quite literally in his hands. All she could do was wait until they reached land to make her move.

She had slipped away from plenty of pirate ships before—surely she could do it again when the time came.

Seeing Nami’s reaction, Shu Mingyuan breathed an inward sigh of relief. He had truly feared that she might do something reckless and jump into the sea. He could retrieve her, but it would be a hassle.

“Hey, Koby, right? When we get to the Marine base, I’ll leave you there. Wasn’t it your dream to join the Marines? Make sure you do your best.”

“Yes! I… I’ll do my very best,” Koby replied, voice trembling.

“Hahahaha, the sea is just too much fun!” Luffy burst out laughing. Then he looked at Shu Mingyuan and asked, “Hey, I told you my name. Why haven’t you told me yours?”

“Monchi D. Shu Mingyuan.”

“Hahaha! Want to be my crewmate? Wait, Monchi D. Shu Mingyuan? I don’t remember having a brother with your name, and my grandpa never mentioned you.”

“You’ve got it wrong—my ‘Mon’ is different from yours,” Shu Mingyuan replied with a hint of exasperation.

He looked at Luffy and said solemnly, “Luffy, how about we become pirate hunters together?”

“Ah… I’m going to be the Pirate King one day. It’s a promise I made to a certain man,” Luffy replied, gazing at his straw hat.

“Well, nothing to be done then,” Shu Mingyuan said, spreading his hands in helplessness.

“Ah, I see. Next time we meet, we’ll be enemies,” Luffy grinned, nonchalant.

The sea breeze blew gently as the two of them stood atop the King of the Near Sea, gazing into the distance, their hair fluttering. Then, from the lips of the slender youth came words that would one day shake the entire ocean.

“Luffy, if you become the Pirate King, then I swear I will become the Hunter King before you, slaying every pirate steeped in evil. This great pirate era Roger began—I will be the one to end it.”