The sky above the sea changed before the sound arrived.
Not darkness. Not a storm. Just a sudden pressure, heavy and unmistakable.The wind halted for a brief moment. The waves slowed, as if the ocean itself was holding its breath.
I stood behind a jagged rock and stared toward the open sea.
"This isn't because of Baratie."
My posture straightened.
"Someone just arrived."
Shadow Sense screamed.
This was not scattered killing intent. Not fear.It was a single, razor-sharp presence that cut through everything else, like a blade slicing wet cloth.
I narrowed my eyes.
At the edge of the horizon, a small ship advanced slowly.Too small to be an armada. Too calm for a battlefield.
Yet the sea around it seemed to retreat.
"…That thing."
The answer arrived without needing a closer look.
One slash.
I couldn't see it clearly from this distance, but I felt it.The ocean split. Water surged upward. Then came the sound—not of fire, but of wood being violently torn apart.
Don Krieg's first ship was cleaved in half.
I froze.
The second ship was destroyed before the first could even sink.
There were no war cries. No commands.Only destruction, fast and absolute.
"This isn't a battle."
"This is a massacre."
Krieg's armada collapsed within minutes. Massive ships shattered like toys.Masts snapped. Hulls split. The sea filled with broken wood, torn sails, and bodies thrown without mercy.
I held my breath.
"So this is Mihawk."
I didn't need to see his face.
One thing was crystal clear.
If he noticed me right now, I would die.
I forced my focus back to Baratie.
The distant destruction sent panic rippling outward. Some of Baratie's crew shouted. Others stared at the sea, faces drained of color. But before anyone could react properly, another problem surfaced.
Shadow Sense pulsed again.
Closer.
Lower.
Underwater.
I moved quickly along Baratie's side and crouched near the hull.The water below rippled unnaturally. Several shadows moved fast. Controlled. Silent.
"They're not drifting."
"They're swimming."
I took a slow breath and resisted the urge to dive immediately.
I observed.
Three figures surfaced briefly beneath the structure, clinging to metal and whispering before sinking again. Their movements were disciplined, precise.
"These aren't survivors."
"This is a special unit."
The system appeared.
—
[Survival Quest Triggered]
Title: Merciless Tides
Description:
Survive in open sea while safeguarding Baratie
Status: Active
—
A smaller note followed.
Multiple missions may activate under special conditions
I nodded faintly.
"So this is the next phase."
I slipped into the water from the shadowed side. Cold wrapped around my body. I held my breath.
Visibility was limited underwater, but Shadow Sense remained clear.I saw them now. Three men. Light gear. Short blades strapped to their thighs.
Assassins.
I approached from below and behind, slow and deliberate. One of them paused to regulate his breathing beneath the hull.
I grabbed his leg and pulled.
He jolted and tried to turn. Water churned violently.
I locked his arm from behind and crushed his throat.
He struggled, muffled bubbles erupting, until his movements weakened. I shoved his body downward toward the seabed.
I surfaced slightly and waited.
The other two sensed something wrong and signaled each other quickly.
One moved upward. The other stayed below.
I chose the one below.
I swam horizontally and appeared at his side. He slashed reflexively. I dodged and drove my knee into his abdomen.
Water exploded outward.
I caught his wrist and twisted. His knife slipped free and sank.
I slammed his chest against the metal hull. His head struck hard.
He weakened.
I dragged him up just enough for air.
He coughed violently.
I leaned close.
"Who gave the order."
His eyes widened.
"We just execute."
"The order."
He gasped.
"The captain."
"Name."
"Don Krieg."
I stared at him.
"What was your mission."
"Infiltrate."
"Open a path."
"Kill the cooks if needed."
I released him.
For a moment, he thought he was spared.
I struck his neck and pushed him back underwater.
He didn't rise.
I exhaled slowly and looked deeper.
Shadow Sense pulsed again.
Farther beneath Baratie.
And this time, there were more than three.
"This isn't harassment."
"This is an operation."
I returned to the shadows beneath the structure, muscles burning, lungs aching.
But my thoughts were sharp.
The seed had been planted.
"There are enemies who cannot be allowed to live."
"And this time, knocking them out isn't enough."
I surfaced at Baratie's dark side and inhaled quietly.
In the distance, another massive impact echoed. Krieg's fleet was truly finished now.The sea was filled with survivors drifting aimlessly.
And among them were killers still following orders.
I stared into the black water beneath the hull.
"If they get aboard…"
I shook my head.
"…Baratie falls before dawn."
I straightened.
The Survival Quest had only just begun.
And for the first time since arriving in this world, I knew that soon I would cross a line I could never step back from.
—————
The water beneath Baratie was no longer calm.
Minor currents shifted erratically. Bubbles rose in chaotic patterns.Shadows moved faster now. They knew something was wrong. They just didn't know what.
I stayed pressed against the dark side of the hull.My breathing remained steady, but the cold crept deeper into my muscles.
"There's a leader."
Shadow Sense locked onto a deeper presence.Its movements were different. Patient. Controlled.
He didn't surface even as others began to panic.
I descended slowly.
Two more shadows moved left and right, forming a triangle.They weren't scattering. They were hunting.
"Good."
"So am I."
The one on the left attacked first, swinging his blade in a cross slash.I dropped beneath it and let the steel pass overhead.
I caught his wrist and yanked him forward.
He tried to kick.
I locked his thigh and twisted my body. The water surged violently.His head smashed against the metal hull.
He went limp for a second.
I didn't finish him.
I shoved his body into the current and let it drift away.
The one on the right struck from above.I raised my arm to block and felt burning pain as the blade grazed my skin.
I endured it and drove my elbow into his chest.
He staggered.
I grabbed his knife and threw it toward the seabed.
He tried to retreat.
I chased him two strokes and slammed my fist into his neck.
He slackened.
I pinned him against the structure until his movements stopped.
Then I turned.
The last shadow remained.
The leader.
He didn't rush me. He waited.
I surfaced briefly beneath the hull to draw a silent breath.
"No more games."
I dove back down.
He finally moved, approaching from below. His movements were clean. Efficient.
He raised a hand and gave a short signal.
No one responded.
He stopped at a safe distance and looked directly at me.Even underwater, his eyes were sharp.
He opened his mouth slightly and spoke, voice muffled but clear enough.
"You're not a sailor."
I stayed silent.
"You're not Baratie's guard."
Still nothing.
A thin smile formed.
"You're an assassin."
I moved.
I surged forward and punched toward his face. He blocked and twisted my body aside.The exchange was smooth.
He countered with a precise thrust.
I dodged and kicked his abdomen.
He slid back, unfazed.
He lunged again, faster.
I retreated two steps. The sand shifted beneath me.
He took advantage and slashed at my shoulder.
I twisted and let the blade tear fabric. Heat flared across my skin.
I ignored it and charged.
I slammed into his chest and struck his jaw.
He fell onto the sand.
He tried to rise.
I kicked his wrist.
The blade flew free.
I planted my foot on his chest and raised my fist.
He stared up at me, fury in his eyes.
"Who are you."
I paused.
"Someone who arrived too early."
I struck his neck.
His body went slack.
I stood there, breathing hard.
Blood mingled with saltwater, bitter in my mouth.
The system appeared, heavy and deliberate.
—
[Survival Quest Progress Updated]
Underwater threats reduced
Warning: Minor injuries detected
—
I clutched my wounded shoulder.
"Still alive."
"But this is only the beginning."
I looked out across the sea, littered with wreckage and drifting bodies.Most were victims.
But beneath the surface, orders were still being carried out.
And now I understood something clearly.
Disabling isn't always enough.
Some enemies will keep coming as long as they breathe.
I stood beside Baratie and stared toward the open sea.
"If I want this place to remain standing…"
"…I have to cut them off at the root."
The system didn't respond.
But I already knew the next step.
And I knew the price.