C26 The Dilemma of the Great Voyage
As the mosasaur neared the crocodile king, its head was enveloped in a layer of black Busoshoku Haki, and a streak of black light flashed by.
Caught off guard, the crocodile king hesitated. By the time it tried to snap its jaws at the mosasaur, it was too late.
The mosasaur, quicker to act, rammed directly into the crocodile king's massive, ten-meter-wide eyes.
"Puff..."
Like a piercing arrow, the mosasaur burst into the crocodile king's eye, blood spurting out in a fountain-like gush.
"Roar! Roar!"
The crocodile king let out frenzied cries, its colossal body churning the water into a slowly forming whirlpool.
The snakehead tentacle king recoiled in shock, yet its thick, lengthy tentacles reached out toward the crocodile king.
Suddenly, the crocodile king's belly swelled, and like a cracked egg, a small cut appeared, oozing blood.
The wound widened progressively.
"Puff!"
A massive, menacing head emerged.
It was the mosasaur.
With a pitiful scream, the crocodile king fell silent.
Its vast body ceased to move, ensnared by the snakehead tentacle king's tentacles.
The mosasaur had torn through the crocodile king's stomach and emerged, its blood-red eyes glancing at the remaining king before deciding not to attack.
With a powerful flick of its tail, the mosasaur shot upwards.
The snakehead sea king, startled, watched it leave before devouring the remains of the crocodile king.
...
"Pfft..."
The mosasaur's enormous head burst from the water, creating a splash.
Esaki watched from the ship.
"Let's move on if you've had your fill, or else we might draw bigger sea kings and be unable to escape," he murmured.
They could handle the sea kings a few hundred meters in size, but anything larger was a different story. A mere flip could send them tumbling with the waves, leaving no chance for escape.
The Australovenator bellowed at the mosasaur, its call seemingly a grumble: "Enjoy your feast alone, don't bother sharing with me."
The Mosasaur called out to him before casting a glance at the Australovenator and slipping back into the depths.
Boom!
The ship trembled slightly, then picked up speed and gradually vanished from its original spot.
...
Two days later.
At sea.
"If we don't find an island, we're out of fresh water, with only enough for two more days," Gaimon stated, his voice tinged with urgency.
Having traversed the doldrums, he had come to understand the chaotic nature of their grand maritime magnetic field, which even threw off the compass. Direction was indiscernible, and the weather, capricious.
His modest seafaring knowledge was of no use in this boundless ocean.
Their provisions were already scant, and fresh water was even scarcer, plunging them into a dire situation.
Esaki's expression grew somber.
He recalled how, in novels, the protagonist's journey was always smooth sailing, the ship heading wherever desired. Reality, he found, was starkly different.
Navigating the great sea lanes required a recording compass to locate islands.
Without it, a nautical chart was pointless, and they didn't even possess one.
Just then, the Wukongopterus he had dispatched returned.
Buzz!
A fierce wind swept over the deck as the Wukongopterus alighted, folding its wings.
"Ya ya~" it called out to Esaki.
At the sound, a smile broke through Esaki's grim demeanor.
There was a merchant ship ten kilometers ahead.
"Mosasaur, follow the Wukongopterus," Esaki commanded, giving the pterosaur a pat.
The Wukongopterus turned, wings unfurling, and with a gentle flap, took to the skies.
Below the surface, the Mosasaur answered the call and pursued.
