The sky had turned dark. The storm came out of nowhere, as it usually does. There was no warning, nothing. Tides of darkness engulfed the ocean, plunging their ship into obscurity. Lightning danced in the sky as if alive, while the entire terrain shook and brightened. Rain poured down in all its grace.
Everyone hid within the ship's interior, hoping it would hold on. Even Gamaton, a creature of water, decided to come back on board and wait until the storm calmed down. Silence weighed heavily in the room as nobody talked with each other.
The one who broke the silence was Gamaton. "All of you seem so depressed. How do you find even a bit of enjoyment in life if you are so serious?"
"I ain't serious, but this hangover is hitting hard." Killer B mumbled, going back to his resting position with his head against the wall.
"Why do you talk like that? Strange human." Gamaton sighed, turning his attention to the others, until finally settling on Gaara. "And what about you? Aren't you friends with Zeus? Your personalities don't match at all."
"I am just thinking... about stuff," Gaara answered truthfully, clearly lost in his thoughts. Gamaton's question seemed to bring even more bitter emotions to the surface. Gamaton sighed and spun around again, searching for Zeus, who would probably entertain him. However, no matter how he searched, he couldn't find the distinctive white hair. "Hmmm... guys, where is Zeus?"
It seemed that along with the storm, their minds had been clouded by troubling thoughts, and they hadn't even noticed when Zeus left. Killer B and Darui immediately stood up, followed by Gaara. Without exchanging words, they opened the door.
The door immediately swung open, forced by the wind. Everyone grabbed onto something as they peered through the door. There, on the ship's deck, stood Zeus, unmoving and undeterred by the storm. The wind pushed his hair from side to side, while the rain drenched his bare back.
Despite it all, he was smiling like never before, gazing into the sky above. For some reason, everyone watching this scene suddenly got goosebumps. The sight of a man facing the sky seemed terrifying and grandiose, leaving them speechless.
"What the—" Darui was about to shout something, but Gamaton smacked him in the face, causing him to forget what he wanted to say.
"Shh..." Gamaton put a finger to his mouth, signaling everyone to be quiet. "I don't know what the hell he's up to now, but I've come to understand that it's better to just shut up and watch. He's definitely going to do something crazy."
Upon hearing the toad's words, no one protested. Instead, they focused their attention on Zeus. They held onto various objects for support as the waves continued to collide with the ship, shaking their footing. However, their eyes remained locked on Zeus.
"How long has it been, Sky? I've forgotten how beautiful and striking you look." Zeus spread his hands in opposite directions, briefly closing his eyes as he absorbed the force of the wind. "What a storm indeed, yet it has no direction. A pity. It seems like you still don't recognize me."
Zeus stood in the same spot for a few seconds, seemingly saddened by his own words. However, it didn't last long. Intense energy suddenly exploded from him, momentarily suspending the raindrops in the air. He opened his eyes with renewed vigor. "Then I will make you remember me once again!"
He channeled his inner chakra but didn't stop there. He delved even deeper until his entire body structure lay before his eyes. The divinity was still there, now larger but still insignificant. He grasped it, drawing out its energy as it coursed through his body.
Zeus collected all that energy, encircling it within his chest and then his hands. Heat radiated from his palms as water droplets evaporated upon contact, turning into smoke. The onlookers behind the door widened their eyes, feeling the intensity of the energy.
The ship became unstable and halted in its place under pressure from above. Soon, a small sphere appeared in Zeus's hand. It didn't take him long to put it into his mouth and swallow it. Then, the heat began to build from within him, and he was ready.
"I will make you notice me, you bastard!" Zeus shouted, opening his mouth as a laser shot forth and traveled upwards. It was so powerful that the storm moved away from its path, and the ship started sailing backward. Killer B rushed forward, his tentacles extending from his back and latching onto the ocean below, preventing the ship from flipping over.
However, the struggle was evident on Killer B's face. The laser fought against the storm and undeniably emerged victorious. The sky split in two, and the storm ceased to exist. Sunlight poured through the newly created crack in the sky as if the heavens themselves had opened up to Zeus's prowess.
"I'm not dreaming, right?" Darui absentmindedly mumbled.
However, there was no response. Only utter silence. Killer B didn't rap or say anything; his face was serious. If such a man wanted to fight an entire village, would he actually win? Even Gamaton and Gaara didn't say a word. They both knew Zeus was powerful, but not to this extent.
In the end, Zeus's struggle against the storm proved futile, as the storm once again engulfed everything, and the protrusion in the sky disappeared. Now, the storm came back even stronger than before, forcing everyone to get serious and grab onto something for support.
The storm seemed more focused and alive. Everybody looked up, and suddenly something extremely disturbing appeared. A face had formed in the sky, made of clouds, with a peculiar expression as if sniffing for something but not finding it.
Eventually, the face twisted into something horrifying, and danger surrounded them. Winds stronger than ever attacked them, waves crashed into the ship, and lightning struck dangerously close.
Amidst it all, Zeus stood, still gazing at the sky, unaffected by his surroundings. His face held a certain joy. "It seems that you truly don't recognize me yet. Nonetheless, it was good to see your face. I'll become stronger as soon as possible."
At that moment, a lightning strike hit Zeus's body. Yet, instead of causing harm, Zeus remained standing in the same spot, much to the astonishment of others. Smoke escaped from his skin, but he was clearly uninjured.
"He's a monster," Gaara concluded.
"Indeed," Gamaton added.
"Yeah," Darui nodded.
Killer B nodded twice.
******
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