"Deploy side propulsion wheels. Continue advancing into the Calm Belt!"
After retracting the sails, the warship lingered briefly at the edge of the Calm Belt.
Then, Hina issued her next command.
In the Calm Belt, wind power was useless—sails provided no propulsion at all. So, alternate means of movement were necessary.
What the Navy now used was a type of concealed mechanism on both sides of the ship—like a rotary paddle system.
When needed, these devices would unfold and spin in the water, propelling the vessel forward.
And yes—it was powered by manpower!
The speed was extremely slow, with a maximum velocity barely reaching 3 knots.
Not every warship had this device. Only those that frequently operated within the Calm Belt, or ships assigned to high-ranking officers, were equipped with it.
As for Hina, hers fell into the former category. Her missions often required her to cross the Calm Belt, which was why she had a ship outfitted with this system even when she was just a colonel.
---
One hour later.
Under Hina's command, the warship came to a halt once more.
"This is far enough. Any deeper and we risk running into serious trouble," Hina said, standing on the bow deck.
Given the strength of Hina, Ian, and Luo Lan, ordinary Sea Kings posed little threat—they were each capable of taking one down on their own.
But...
That only applied to ordinary Sea Kings.
What did that mean?
Well, adult Sea Kings typically grew to around 200–300 meters in length. But as they continued to age, they could grow even larger. These creatures were extremely long-lived.
In the deepest parts of the Calm Belt, there were Sea Kings whose ages exceeded even that of the World Government—by a large margin.
These ancient giants were considered the "royals" of the Sea King species.
Individually, they could grow over 10,000 meters long.
So, a Sea King's strength could largely be estimated based on its size. The rest depended on its form.
For example, a Sea King with a tiger-like appearance would be far more dangerous than one of the same size that looked like a cow.
This was exactly why Hina didn't recommend venturing deeper. The powerful, ancient Sea Kings rarely appeared near the borders—they lived in the depths.
And importantly, this warship didn't have a hull lined with Seastone.
If a 1,000-meter class Sea King showed up, the three of them might not be able to handle it.
And a 10,000-meter class?
They'd be dead before they could even try.
Luo Lan nodded. He understood the logic perfectly.
Besides, he only came to hunt an ordinary Sea King—he had no intention of seeking death in the depths of the Calm Belt.
"Sister Hina, how far does your Observation Haki reach now?"
"Around 300 meters. But if it's underwater... only about 50 meters."
"There's interference from seawater?" Luo Lan was surprised.
This was a new bit of knowledge—something even the original series hadn't mentioned. He made a mental note of it.
"It's not just seawater. Any kind of water creates interference for Observation Haki."
"I see…"
Luo Lan hadn't awakened Haki yet, so he couldn't truly feel what Hina described, but he understood the concept.
As for the principles behind it…
He'd leave that to Seras and the others to research later.
---
"It's coming!"
Suddenly, Hina called out sharply.
A split second later, a massive creature breached the water's surface ahead of the warship—its emergence creating a tidal wave that drenched the entire ship.
"A... sea wolf?" Luo Lan muttered as he stared at the massive Sea King.
The part above water alone was over 200 meters long. For a moment, he wasn't sure what to call it.
"Want me to take care of it?" Hina asked.
"No need, sister Hina. Just protect the ship—I need to run a few experiments."
He waved her off and then shouted:
"Ian!"
"Yes, Captain!"
"Prepare for firing positions!"
Twenty sailors from the 157th branch quickly ran over, rifles in hand, lining up in formation.
They raised their weapons and aimed at the Sea King.
"These rifles... can they even hurt something like that?" Tina frowned.
From what she knew, Sea Kings had extremely tough hides—bullets shouldn't be able to penetrate them.
Even if Luo Lan's rifles were specially modified, they shouldn't be able to cause real damage.
But just then, Ian raised his right hand and gave the command:
"Fire!"
Bang bang bang bang bang—!
Twenty rifles went off in unison.
ROAR—!!
All shots struck the Sea King's head. As expected, the bullets failed to pierce its skin.
However…
It seemed to hurt.
The creature roared in pain, its eyes turning crimson. With a howl, it lunged forward with its jaws wide open.
Clearly, it had been enraged!
Yet Luo Lan and the others remained calm. Ian gave the next order coolly:
"All units—target its left eye!"
"Fire!"
Bang bang bang bang bang—!
Twenty-one shots rang out this time.
Why twenty-one?
Because up on the bow, Luo Lan had drawn a black handgun with his left hand.
The Sea King's left eye was hit by all twenty bullets and went blind instantly. As for the right eye—Luo Lan's 13mm armor-piercing explosive round blasted directly into it, detonating from within and obliterating the eyeball.
Now blind and in agony, the Sea King let out a series of wails and halted its charge.
"Ian—continue!"
"Yes, sir! All units, aim for the abdomen—fire!"
Another volley erupted.
---
Five minutes later.
The surface of the sea was stained crimson with blood.
The wolf-like Sea King now floated lifelessly, completely dead.
And it had not died an easy death.
First, its eyes were blown out, then it was turned into a shooting target as every part of its body was tested for weakness.
Only after enduring all that did they finally decide to kill it.
"Colonel," Ian reported. "From this test, we can confirm that aside from certain reinforced areas on the head and the eyes, Sea Kings don't have many other vulnerabilities."
"It would be risky for regular soldiers to attempt a hunt using just rifles."
That was the core of today's experiment—Luo Lan wanted to know whether ordinary marines, armed with new weapons, could take down a Sea King without relying on a powerhouse like himself.
As it stood, the answer was: not yet.
The biggest issue? They couldn't kill it quickly.
Even after blinding it, the Sea King had charged at the ship twice in those five minutes—though both times, Tina kicked it back into the sea.
In short, without a strong protector, it would still be extremely dangerous for regular soldiers to hunt Sea Kings.
That said, Luo Lan had tested multiple scenarios during the encounter.
While most of the standard-issue bullets failed to penetrate the skin…
His 13mm armor-piercing explosive rounds did work—capable of breaking through the hide and inflicting internal damage.
"Looks like…"
"We'll need Seras and the team to design a heavy-caliber firearm…"
"And more powerful specialized ammunition."
---
A/N: If you want an early updates, you can visit my Ko-Fi as I update there much early.
Currently at Chapter 54 for free chapters on my Ko-Fi and at Chapter 150 for advance chapters.
https:// ko-fi.com/sami27