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The voice on the other end of the Den Den Mushi was clearly confused, pausing for a beat before asking again,
"What kind of ship are we talking about?"
"A wooden boat!" Grand blurted out instinctively.
As a branch Commodore reporting to a Vice Admiral from Marine Headquarters, the pressure was suffocating. Sweat poured down his forehead, and his entire body stiffened like a statue.
There was a brief silence on the other end. The Den Den Mushi's expression flattened, its usually animated face growing still.
Grand dared not hang up. Every second of silence felt like a blade hanging over his neck.
"What's your name, Commodore?" The voice finally returned— low and calm but laced with a simmering fury.
"Grand!" He answered quickly, snapping to attention.
"Good. Commodore Grand. Now explain that ship to me— in detail." That voice wasn't loud, but the anger it barely held back felt deafening. It was as if the speaker were saying, "You idiot, tell me right now what's so special about that ship."
This time, Grand finally understood.
"It's a medium-sized wooden boat. There's one large man, a pregnant woman... and a cat!" He responded, trembling as he spoke.
From the corner of his eye, he noticed his colleague slowly dragging a hand across his forehead, clearly struggling to contain his frustration.
"Click!" The Den Den Mushi disconnected abruptly. The call went dead.
Grand's body quivered. He turned toward his colleague with a stiff smile. "Did I... say something wrong?"
"If the heavens are merciful, maybe not." His colleague sighed and pulled his hand away from his face.
"But he asked for my name. Why would he do that?" Grand's expression twisted, eyes moist with despair.
"Do you honestly think it's because he wants to promote you?" The colleague spread his hands, exasperated.
"Thud!" That single line struck Grand like a blunt weapon. He slumped to the ground, tears streaming down his face.
Rising to the rank of Commodore hadn't been easy. And now it felt like his career might vanish in an instant.
"I don't care why the South Blue branch has such a brain-dead Commodore! Everyone, MOVE!" The Vice Admiral on a nearby warship roared with fury, his voice echoing over the crashing waves.
"Target confirmed: a medium-sized wooden boat, northern waters of the Baterilla Sea Region!"
Marine squads mobilized at once. Warships sliced through the sea in tight formation, heading due north at full speed.
"A wooden boat? Seriously? What kind of joke is this?" The Vice Admiral spat over the side, rage still boiling in his chest.
Meanwhile, in the northern waters of the Tedali Sea Region—
On a quiet, unnamed wooden vessel drifting calmly along the current...
Jason's hand, resting on the ship's rudder, suddenly trembled.
He slowly turned.
"Meow!"
Lordling, perched near the bow just moments ago, leapt swiftly to Jason's shoulder. The cat let out a sharp cry, its golden eyes glinting with tension.
"Tap, tap, tap..."
Light footsteps echoed across the wooden deck. Behind them came the unmistakable crackle of ice forming beneath heavy boots.
A figure approached— tall, broad-shouldered, and wearing a Marine uniform. The cold surrounding him crept over the boat like a living thing.
Despite his imposing build, the man was still slightly shorter than Jason.
His expression was blank, almost bored. Dressed in different clothes, he might've passed for a typical, unimpressive young man.
But this man was no ordinary traveler.
"Marine."
Jason clenched his fists as he stepped forward, his expression turning grim.
"She's not here?" The Marine stepped onto the wooden boat, casually cracking his neck as he glanced around, somewhat surprised. "What exactly are you looking for, Marine?"
Jason's gaze turned steely. His body tensed, ready to strike at a moment's notice.
But the man in uniform seemed completely relaxed, as if he hadn't noticed the deadly atmosphere brewing on deck.
"A pregnant woman," The Marine replied with a faint smile. "Well, if that still doesn't make it clear… I'm looking for Roger's wife."
The air froze as the name alone was enough to send a chill down anyone's spine.
Jason's voice dropped, cold and sharp like a blade. "Get off this boat. Right now. And I'll let you leave in one piece."
Lordling, perched on his shoulder, arched its back and let out a low, aggressive growl.
"Oh?" The Marine gave a lazy grin. "Name's Kuzan. Rear Admiral of the Marines."
He took a relaxed step forward.
"And I'm not really the type to back down that easily."
Jason's eyes narrowed. Despite Kuzan's casual demeanor, every instinct in his body screamed danger. He unconsciously took half a step back.
"I'll say this one last time." Jason's muscles coiled, veins bulging along his arms as he clenched his fists tighter. "I won't hand her over. Ever. So Leave. Now."
"Man, what a pain..." Kuzan sighed, taking another slow step forward, completely unfazed.
'That was it.' Jason's expression twisted into fury as he stomped the deck.
Boom!
A shockwave erupted from under his feet, sending seawater exploding into the air like a geyser. The entire boat dipped under the pressure.
Using the rebound from the force, Jason vanished from view—
—and reappeared instantly in front of Kuzan.
"Then die!" Jason growled, his form warping into something more monstrous as his punch came crashing down.
Boom!
His fist landed square on Kuzan's face. For a brief moment, there was a flicker of shock in the Marine's eyes before his entire head shattered like fragile ice.
Crack!
Kuzan's body fractured from top to bottom, crumbling into a pile of glittering ice shards on the deck.
"What?!" Jason's pupils constricted, and Lordling yowled in shock.
But before their stunned eyes, the scattered ice shards began to stir—gathering, swirling, reforming.
Within moments, the pieces fused back together, reassembling into a human shape.
Kuzan stood there once more, completely intact.
"Sorry," he said calmly. "Your attacks don't work on me."
He stepped forward again, this time standing face-to-face with Jason.
Jason gritted his teeth and launched another punch, this one even more vicious than the last.
Boom!
Kuzan raised his arm to block—
Crack!
—and it shattered instantly.
Kuzan's expression finally changed.
"What insane strength..." His eyes narrowed in serious contemplation. This man's raw power had just overwhelmed his defenses, he'd been forced to fully elementalize.
"I don't care what you are!" Jason roared. "Get off my boat and vanish!"
With that, he surged forward again, fist raised for another devastating strike.
Kuzan's eyes flashed. His body flickered—
"Soru!"
Whoosh!
Jason's punch tore through empty space, generating a powerful shockwave that rippled outward, distorting the very air.
Then—
"Rankyaku!" A cold voice rang out from behind, and a slicing arc of compressed wind flew toward Jason's back.
"Hah!" Jason twisted and countered with a roar, his fist already cocked.
"Enhancement— tenfold!"
Boom!
His punch collided with the slicing projectile mid-air— obliterating it instantly.
Not far off, Kuzan's eyes widened again.
"This guy..."
This was no longer just overwhelming strength.
It was monstrous.
(End of Chapter)