The sea wind howled, whipping up towering waves. Thick, dark clouds hung oppressively low over the ocean. Theodore swam beneath the surface, cutting through the deep like a knife. To him, swimming above the water felt far too ordinary to showcase his strength.
Breaking through a wave, he burst out of the sea like a dolphin.
But then...
"Who am I?"
"Where am I?"
"What am I doing?"
There was no sign of the Chris!
The ocean roared with unrelenting fury. Besides the endless storm winds, there was nothing in sight. Wave after wave rose higher, as if the sea itself was demonstrating its terrifying power.
A massive wave crashed down on Theodore, slamming him beneath the surface and dragging him to the ocean floor.
He allowed himself to sink, adjusting to the underwater calm. Below the stormy surface, the sea was relatively peaceful. He only needed to surface occasionally for air.
---
Meanwhile, the Chris heaved up and down, struggling through the waves. Rain pounded relentlessly on the deck.
"Captain, still no sign of him?" Jack asked anxiously, as Kadun steered the ship.
Weiss frowned deeply, his eyes fixed on the piece of "Vivre Card" in his hand—it was attuned to Theodore. Every crew member had one, prepared by Weiss in case of emergencies.
His Observation Haki had been pushed to its limits, sweeping across a ten-kilometer radius—yet there was no trace of Theodore.
"Nothing!"
"That doesn't make sense… It was only a moment. Where could he have gone?" Jack muttered.
Theodore's love for diving had once again caused trouble. The moment Weiss noticed his disappearance, he rushed out and swept the area with his Haki—but found no sign of him.
The ocean surface held no trace of his aura.
So Weiss turned the ship around in the wrong direction—completely missing him. If not for the Vivre Card, they wouldn't even know which way to go.
"Captain! The Vivre Card—it's moving!" Karina suddenly shouted, pointing at the paper in Weiss's hand.
Before Weiss could respond, Kadun shouted, "Captain! The undercurrents have shifted our course! We need to lower the sails immediately, or the mast might snap!"
"Captain!"
"No need!" Weiss said sharply. "If the mast breaks, we'll fix it!"
He stepped into the helm room, placing the Vivre Card on the table, watching it drift toward its target. For now, stabilizing the Chris and holding course was the priority.
Once the storm passed, they'd rush to Theodore as fast as possible.
"With Theodore's strength, surviving this storm shouldn't be too difficult," Kadun suddenly said. "As long as he doesn't cramp up or run into a sea beast, he'll be fine."
"Let's hope so," Weiss replied. "We're not far from the Calm Belt. If a Sea King shows up during this storm, things could get really bad."
---
While the Chris continued its frantic search, Theodore had indeed run into a bit of trouble.
If he'd heard what Kadun had just said, he probably would've choked him on the spot—without mercy.
There weren't any Sea Kings in front of him… but there was a sea serpent over twenty meters long.
Its scales were striped red and black, its fangs gleamed like knives. Even in the darkness of the deep, a chilling aura radiated from its body.
Normally, Theodore wouldn't be scared of a snake—even a huge one—especially not in the sea. But this one was different.
He'd already been swimming for over ten minutes, and this particular serpent was venomous. Even a scrape from it could mean death without a trace.
"Damn it… just my luck. What a shitty day!"
First, he'd been kicked off the ship, then nearly swallowed by a Sea King. Then he got separated from the Chris, and now this venomous monster? It was as if Kadun's bad luck had possessed him.
"I heard Kadun used to be super unlucky. But he always survived… Maybe I'll get some of that luck now," Theodore muttered to himself.
He floated silently in the water. The serpent had clearly noticed him. Its massive body twisted through the deep as it slowly slithered toward him.
Theodore didn't dare move.
He only had one shot at this. A drawn-out fight underwater with a venomous beast would be suicide.
It had to be an instant kill.
The sea serpent's head was nearing him. He knew that creatures like this had poor eyesight. As long as he stayed still, it probably wouldn't attack.
But it was getting too close now—likely drawn by his scent.
Then the serpent did something strange. Its massive body began coiling around him, clearly intending to squeeze him to death with its twenty-meter frame.
"I can't wait anymore. Gotta strike first!"
Even though it wasn't the ideal moment, Theodore launched his attack.
One punch!
The blow struck the serpent's head, causing it to open its jaws wide. Seawater rushed into its mouth—but not into its stomach. Two venomous fangs, needle-sharp, gleamed menacingly.
Theodore didn't hesitate. He grabbed one of the fangs with both hands, kicked off the serpent's head with both feet, and poured all his strength into snapping the fang off.
The sharp pain at its root sent the serpent into a frenzy, thrashing wildly in the water. But Theodore clung to it like a nail driven into wood, refusing to let go.
Crack!
A faint sound reached his ears—the fang was starting to fracture!
Crack!
With one final effort, he broke it off completely. Clutching the venomous tooth in his hand, he kept his mouth tightly shut. A single drop of venom dripped from the tip, dissolving slowly into the sea.
Kicking off with both legs, Theodore launched forward like a torpedo, aiming straight at the serpent.
The massive snake turned its blood-red eyes toward him, sensing the approaching threat. It lunged in fury, body twisting violently.
Theodore halted mid-charge, bracing himself.
Just as the serpent was about to crash into him, he kicked off the water again like a rabbit, propelling himself upward.
Schlik!
As the serpent passed beneath him, Theodore plunged the broken fang down, driving it deep into its head—right to the base.
With a single palm strike, he hammered the entire fang in.
The serpent thrashed wildly, its enormous body writhing in pain. Then, after a brief struggle, it sank to the ocean floor.
The venom had already begun to corrode its brain—instant death.
---
"Whew..."
Theodore burst out of the water, gasping for breath, his head tilted skyward. His whole body slackened like a corpse, floating limply on the surface.
The storm had passed.
The clouds were gone, and the sun once again bathed the sky.
"Surviving disaster must mean fortune ahead," Theodore muttered to himself.
After resting for about fifteen minutes, his strength had recovered slightly. Still, he didn't start swimming again.
He knew the Chris would come. The Vivre Card would guide them to him.
Drifting peacefully on the waves, Theodore spotted something in the distance—a wooden boat. He swam toward it quickly.
It looked like... a coffin?
A small wooden craft, almost coffin-shaped. Its massive sail had snapped, and there was someone lying on it—
That person seemed to be...
---
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