Chapter 28: Giant Sea Kings
In the boundary zone of the waters surrounding Ring Tree Island—boom! boom! boom!—the sound of enormous raindrops rang out again and again. The downpour had already lasted an entire hour!
Under the dim sky, Luo Han was still patrolling.
Elsewhere, a hundred meters above sea level, Uncle Kate sat cross-legged atop the giant Kun-beast form of Cole.
He used Observation Haki to carefully sense the movements beneath the sea surface.
Fortunately, there was no unusual activity. Uncle Kate, after extending his senses, silently breathed a sigh of relief.
"All right, Cole! Go back up a bit higher," Uncle Kate instructed.
Cole opened his mouth slightly and let out a loud voice in reply, "Okay, Uncle Kate."
He then ascended once more to a thousand meters above sea level. Why "again"?
Because Uncle Kate's range with Observation Haki was limited—he could only vaguely sense major disturbances. Unlike Luo Han, he couldn't perceive over great distances.
So whenever Uncle Kate wanted to get a more precise sense of Sea King activity in the deep sea, Cole had to descend to about a hundred meters above the ocean, where Uncle Kate could use his Haki more effectively.
Once he confirmed the situation, they would fly back to a thousand meters up!
Hmm... Just like before—no movement. It looked like the storm wouldn't cause the Sea Kings to attack the island prematurely.
Uncle Kate pondered silently.
Meanwhile, Luo Han continued flying through the rain at an altitude of one thousand meters.
Blub! Blub! Suddenly, a series of strange bubbling sounds reached his ears.
Hmm? Luo Han stopped midair and focused his spiritual sense—it felt like something large was rising from the depths of the sea...
…But it wasn't a creature!
Pop! Pop! Pop! It was a series of massive bubbles, each several dozen meters in diameter, rising from the sea floor and popping at the surface.
Not good! Luo Han's heart tightened. The Sea Kings might be on the move!
What now? Should I warn everyone immediately, or wait and assess the situation?
Luo Han was visibly anxious. At that moment, the Sea Kings below began to surface.
One by one, heads the size of mountains broke through the water, and towering waves followed their emergence, rippling out in all directions.
"Look! What is that?" A member of the hunting team atop the island pointed toward Luo Han's direction.
"That's…!!" Everyone turned their gaze toward the distant sea, eyes stunned.
From afar, the heads of the Sea Kings rose like mountain peaks from the sea, forming a ring of peaks encircling Ring Tree Island.
"Those are giant Sea Kings!!!" one of the hunters shouted, his voice trembling.
Boom! Boom!
Waves generated by the surfacing Sea Kings surged toward Ring Tree Island like tsunamis, each cresting over ten meters high. Crashing sounds echoed as the waves pounded the island's rocky cliffs.
Within the island, residents paused their work, clasped their hands in prayer, and hoped the hunting team would return safely.
Back in the boundary zone, the Sea Kings were now only a few hundred meters from Luo Han.
Directly in front of him floated a Sea King with a bull-like head, its massive eyes fixed not on Luo Han, but on Ring Tree Island behind him.
Alone in front of these towering beasts—
Cold sweat instantly drenched Luo Han's body.
All the Sea Kings stared at the island as if confirming something.
Luo Han didn't move—he couldn't. He could only hover there, watching the creatures below.
The Sea Kings paid him no mind. Perhaps, to them, Luo Han was just a little insect flying through the air—completely irrelevant.
After some time, the Sea Kings seemed to have verified whatever it was they needed, and they slowly submerged again.
Huff... Huff... Luo Han exhaled heavily.
It's okay now... huff…
It took a long time for Luo Han to recover and breathe a sigh of relief.
As I thought, I'm not the protagonist. I don't have some kind of fearless mindset. Just now, I really couldn't move. It felt like my entire body was being suppressed on a fundamental, existential level in front of those Sea Kings.
Luo Han thought to himself, feeling a bit inadequate.
If they had attacked him just now, he didn't even know if he would have been able to react. If not... his pirate journey would've ended here.
He felt shaken, but also lucky.
Fortunately, the Sea Kings hadn't attacked him—or the island. Otherwise, it would've been disastrous...!
Suddenly, Luo Han's expression darkened. Even if they didn't attack now, once the scent of the Scaled Fruit ripening spread, these Sea Kings would definitely assault the island—and it would be far worse than this.
Thinking of that, Luo Han grew more puzzled. By logic, the Divine Tree had already transmitted the fruit's scent through its roots into distant sea regions.
So why were these Sea Kings still lingering here?
There was only one possibility Luo Han could think of: these giant Sea Kings were highly intelligent.
And their memory was strong—just like Zunesha on Zou, who remembered a promise made centuries ago.
These Sea Kings remembered that long ago, this place had once produced a fruit capable of enhancing physical talent. That was the only explanation for why they continued to stay.
And that only made the situation more hopeless. Realizing this, Luo Han felt despair creep in.
He looked up at the heavy, dark clouds above. The pounding of the rain on the sea mirrored the pounding in his heart.
If there's really no other choice, we might have to evacuate some people. Uncle Kate and Uncle Witt must be thinking the same thing.
Sigh! My head hurts. This kind of decision... should be left to the adults. I'm just a thirteen-year-old kid, even if I'm a nearly two-meter-tall one.
Luo Han forced himself to act casual.
Then continued his patrol.
Elsewhere, Uncle Kate and Cole also sighed in relief.
That moment had truly startled them. First, massive bubbles erupted from the sea, and then dozens of gigantic Sea King heads surfaced.
Uncle Kate, whose Observation Haki didn't extend far, had been caught off guard.
Fortunately, they had been up at a thousand meters. If they had gone down to check just then, they would have flown straight into the Sea Kings.
Next time, I need to be more cautious, Uncle Kate reminded himself.
He and Cole resumed their patrol.
Sitting atop Cole as the rain poured down, Uncle Kate's eyes dimmed slightly.
He had thought of the same thing Luo Han had earlier—what if there really is no way out? Uncle Kate didn't want to abandon the island or its people.
But… they were powerless.
Uncle Kate stared out at the endless ocean.
For the first time, he hated how weak he had become. If he had continued training these past few years—
Maybe if he had Admiral-level strength, he could resolve this crisis.
In the end, the years of peace had dulled his vigilance. He thought there would never again be a crisis he couldn't overcome.
Thinking of that only deepened the weight in his heart.
For the rest of the day, Luo Han, Uncle Kate, and Cole continued patrolling the skies around Ring Tree Island.
At midday, they briefly returned to the island peak to eat, then resumed patrol duty.
And just like that, the day came to an end. As night fell, the rain finally stopped.
There probably wouldn't be any trouble tonight. Sea Kings usually remained inactive at night, and only a few hunting team members who had awakened Observation Haki would need to stay vigilant.
Back on the island peak, everyone gathered around Luo Han and Cole with concern.
"Are you tired? Eat more meat and get some rest!"
"Be extra careful next time, okay?"
The concern was repeated several times before Luo Han and Cole could finally excuse themselves.
Given the situation, only Luo Han, Cole, and Uncle Kate were suited to patrol now.
The other hunters wouldn't be able to escape if something happened.
Luo Han and Cole quickly headed home—after all, their families were probably waiting anxiously.
(END CHAPTER)
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