Once Again

As Morgan faded away along the shore, the beach came alive with the Kuja warriors rushing to the scene.

Hancock, still trembling and staring blankly at the sea, remained seated on the sand. Her body, though free from immediate danger, was still tense.

A figure approached her... It was Gloriosa, who knelt beside the young woman.

"Hancock, are you alright?" Gloriosa asked with concern.

At first, Hancock didn't respond. Her eyes reflected a deep vulnerability. She blinked a few times, as if coming out of a trance, and bit her lower lip lightly.

Suddenly, as if an internal dam had burst, Hancock threw herself into Gloriosa's arms. The tears she had been holding back flowed uncontrollably, soaking the older woman's shoulder.

"I... I..." Hancock sobbed, unable to form coherent words.

Gloriosa wrapped her in a comforting embrace, gently stroking the young woman's forehead. "Shh, it's over now. You're safe," she murmured tenderly, while her mind raced.

"How can this be?" Gloriosa wondered to herself. "That Sea King... its aura... it was just like that little snake from years ago. But that can't be, can it?"

As she comforted Hancock, Gloriosa weighed the implications of what had just happened.

Now that that fool Roger is dead, a new era has been unleashed upon the seas, and even creatures like the Sea Kings seem to be changing, becoming bolder.

"Our home is no longer as safe," she thought bitterly. "We must be prepared."

With a final stroke to Hancock's head, Gloriosa stood up, holding the young woman in her arms. Her voice rang out over the beach:

"Listen to me, everyone! From now on, the island's watch will be tripled. I want constant patrols on the coast and scouts at sea. No threat, no matter how small, should go unnoticed. Understood?"

The women nodded in unison.

Satisfied, Gloriosa, with Hancock still clinging to her, turned and began walking inland.

----

Meanwhile, miles away, Morgan swam through the sea. Despite the distance he had covered, his heart was still racing.

"Damn it," he thought in frustration. "That woman... she must be the current Empress of Amazon Lily. Her Conqueror's Haki... I've never felt anything like it."

As he swam, memories of his past life intertwined with his present reality, helping him understand his situation better.

"Gloriosa... no, Granny Nyon of the future... Of course! Now it all makes sense. Her strength is monstrous, which is probably why she was part of the Rocks crew."

Despite this, Morgan couldn't shake a pang of envy. The power Gloriosa had displayed was something that he, even with his size and strength, couldn't defeat for the time being.

"Her Conqueror's Haki... If I had faced her head-on, I wouldn't have stood a chance." This thought, far from discouraging him, only strengthened his resolve.

____

After an entire day submerged, Morgan finally surfaced. The blinding sun forced him to squint.

"Where am I now?" he wondered, scanning the surroundings for any sign of land. The sea stretched endlessly in all directions.

As he contemplated his next move, a glint in the distance caught his eye. He squinted, focusing on the distant point. Slowly, the shape of a ship began to materialize through the mist.

"Another ship," Morgan thought. "This must be the seventh one I've encountered since I started this journey."

You must know that he has spent a long time at the bottom of the sea, and sometimes, when he surfaces, there might not be a ship passing by.

After all, the sea is so vast that even Morgan can't control a small corner of it as his territory.

As the ship drew nearer, Morgan could make out its features more clearly. His heart skipped a beat when he recognized the flag flying on the mast.

The Marines.

The Calm Belt is impossible to cross with regular ships. However, the Marines possess vessels equipped with Sea-Prism Stone on their undersides, allowing them to enter and exit the Grand Line at will.

Yet just as he was about to move closer, a sense of foreboding washed over him.

A chill ran down his spine as he sensed a massive presence emerging from the depths ahead of him.

His ability revealed to him a colossal aura, one that could only belong to a creature: a Sea King.

As if responding to his thoughts, the sea began to churn violently. A monstrous form broke through the waters, revealing a rare creature: a Sea King with the head of a penguin and the body of a crocodile. Its size was enormous, easily reaching 200 meters in length.

As it fully emerged, the Sea King sent massive waves crashing across the surface of the ocean. Its massive body blocked out the sun, casting Morgan into shadow.

But instead of feeling fear, Morgan's eyes filled with a fierce greed. He saw in this creature not just a threat, but an opportunity. "If I devour it," he thought, "I could evolve directly into an adult Sea King."

Morgan could sense that the Sea King also saw him as prey, its hungry eyes fixed on him. But instead of retreating, Morgan advanced with determination.

His body sliced through the water at a surprising speed, heading straight for his gigantic opponent.

"Come here, monster!" Morgan roared.

There was a massive splash as he attacked, suddenly appearing behind the Sea King, his sharp claws poised.

With precise movement, Morgan's claws dug firmly into the top of the Sea King's head.

His teeth sank mercilessly into the creature's flesh.

The Sea King howled in pain. Desperate, it dove back into the sea, trying to shake off its attacker. But it underestimated Morgan's tenacity, whose claws remained firmly anchored in its body.

When the Sea King surfaced again, thrashing violently, Morgan had already begun his feast. The sound of his jaws crunching through flesh and bone mingled with the creature's agonized screams and the roar of the waves.

….

The waves crashed violently against the bow of the Marine warship navigating those waters.

On the deck, a young marine scanned the horizon with binoculars. Suddenly, his body tensed, and he lowered the instrument with trembling hands.

"Sir!" he shouted urgently, turning to the imposing figure standing on the bridge. "There are two Sea Kings fighting to starboard! The sea... the sea is stained red!"

The Rear Admiral, a burly man in a white robe with a cape proudly displaying the kanji for "Justice" on his back, slowly approached the edge of the deck. His eyes, narrowed, fixed on the distant scene.

"Hmm…" he murmured to himself, "The cruel reality of the sea manifests once again."

The marines around him tensed, waiting for orders. But the Rear Admiral remained silent, his gaze fixed on the battle. After a moment, he continued speaking.

"It's not much different from how the Celestial Dragons treat humans like pets, is it? The strong devour the weak… that's how this world works."

A chill ran down the spines of the closest marines. They rarely heard their superior speak with such disdain for the world's nobles.

The Rear Admiral narrowed his eyes, focusing more on the battle. Something wasn't right. "Wait a moment…" he murmured, leaning slightly forward. "The smaller Sea King... it's winning."

"Sir," an officer interjected, "shouldn't we move closer to investigate? It could be a threat to navigation."

Before the officer could finish his suggestion, the Rear Admiral raised a hand, effectively silencing him. "No," he said firmly, his voice leaving no room for argument. "We'll keep our distance."

"But sir," another marine protested, "we've heard rumors of slave traders' ships in this area. Shouldn't we…"

"Precisely why we won't intervene," the Rear Admiral interrupted, "If there were slave traders in these waters, I'm afraid they've already met their fate at the hands… or rather, the jaws of something more capable than us."

A tense silence fell over the deck. The Rear Admiral's gaze remained fixed on the battle, but his eyes reflected fascination.

"That smaller Sea King… there's something special about it," he murmured, more to himself than anyone else. "Something dangerous. My instinct tells me that approaching would be a mistake we might not live to regret."

________

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