Chapter 6: The Celestial Dragon's Severed Arm
"Just trust me, Uncle Garter! Fire the cannons first. We need to force its body completely out of the water. I can't aim if it keeps thrashing around like this."
Shane could see Garter hesitating and added another sentence in a deep voice.
Without waiting for a reaction, Shane turned back, his eyes once again fixed on the Sea King's wound-riddled abdomen.
A few minutes ago, when he realized what this creature, which looked so much like the Lord of the Coast, was doing, a bold idea had formed in his mind.
The reason for its frenzy was, in the end, the unbearable pain in its stomach. What if he could help it remove the source of that pain? Sea Kings were intelligent creatures, with quite a high IQ. For such a huge favor, he didn't expect a reward, but at the very least, it probably wouldn't treat them as a meal afterward, right?
With his current strength, trying to defeat this Sea King head-on was pure fantasy. To avoid ending up in its belly, this was his only option.
Regardless of the chances of success, at a life-or-death moment, how could he not at least try?
"...Alright. We'll do it your way." Garter sheathed his cutlass, having finally made his decision.
"Captain..." a veteran sailor started to say, but then stopped.
"Say no more. Do we have any other choice?!" Garter cut him off directly. Having made his choice, he became extremely decisive. "Starboard gunners, load the cannons immediately and await my command!"
"Are you ready?" he asked, looking at Shane.
"Yes."
The boy's gaze remained fixed on the sea as he gave a slight nod.
"Good." Garter took a deep breath, swung his arm down forcefully, and gave the order. "Aim for the Sea King's abdomen! Three, two, one, light the fuses, FIRE!"
BOOM!
The eight cannons on the right side roared in unison. The orange-red flames that erupted from their muzzles illuminated the taut muscles in Shane's legs.
His pupils reflected the trajectory of the cannonballs tearing through the night sky. After a brief moment of silence, the Sea King's abdomen exploded in a burst of fire and light.
ROOOOAR!!!!
A blood-curdling roar shook the entire sea. The massive shadow churning violently beneath the surface made everyone's heart skip a beat.
The next instant, the iron-grey, scaly body broke through the waves. Its monstrous head whipped up a colossal wave, and as it lowered itself, its long, viper-like pupils were already fixed grimly on the sailors on deck.
Now!
Shane's entire body tensed. He kicked off the deck, using the momentum to leap over the railing. In that same instant, the Sea King's abdominal muscles, spasming from the pain, just happened to form a sloping fold.
Smack!
The boy landed one foot firmly on that fold. His right fist, already charged with the full force of his body, shot upwards from below, aimed directly at the base of the bulge!
Huh?
The Sea King paused, stunned. Before it could even look down to see what had happened, an uncontrollable, violent tremor shook its throat. It gagged, spitting out a small amount of dark green slime that formed web-like threads in the air.
And at the same time, Shane's left fist had already plunged into the folds of its esophagus with all its might. The vibrations from the blow caused the scales on the monster's throat to burst open like a pinecone. The foreign object, separated only by a layer of abdominal skin, was pushed several more meters upwards.
It's working!
A flash of joy crossed Shane's eyes, which instantly turned into a savage glare. One last punch!
Using the rotational force of his waist, he delivered the final uppercut. The spinning power technique, honed day and night in the orange grove, sent a shockwave from this single punch rocketing straight up the beast's gullet!
"BLEEEAARGH—!!!"
The intense feeling of nausea finally reached its limit. Huge clumps of mucus mixed with mud and seaweed erupted from its mouth, splattering down. A small portion landed on the deck, instantly corroding through the wooden planks with a sizzle and puff of green smoke.
The vast majority of it, however, fell onto the sea like a torrential downpour.
Shane, who had been thrown aside by the Sea King's thrashing, immediately started swimming desperately towards the mess. After rummaging around for a few seconds, his gaze suddenly locked onto a specific spot.
Floating there was an arm.
A human arm.
I knew it!
Shane snatched the severed arm, his eyes filled with delight.
He had guessed correctly!
This Sea King was the Lord of the Coast!
And this severed arm was the culprit, the very thing that had caused it so much agony, making it desperately ram against anything it could find!
How long had it been? Shane didn't know. He only knew that on that day, even the Bandit King Higuma, who had killed fifty-six men, couldn't withstand the Lord of the Coast's stomach acid and bile. He had been turned into feces and excreted long ago.
But this arm alone could not be digested. The beast couldn't vomit it out on its own, so it remained stuck in its stomach all this time.
He glanced up, confirming that his position was blocked by the ship's hull and that the people on deck couldn't see him. Without any more hesitation, he initiated the sacrifice.
The next instant, the severed arm in his hand vanished into thin air, and the system notification for a successful sacrifice appeared.
[Sacrifice: Shanks's Severed Arm]
[Quality: Legendary]
[Value: 10,000 Points]
[Appraisal: The severed arm of a Celestial Dragon, Saint Shanks, son of the Supreme Commander of the God's Knights. It was swallowed by the Lord of the Coast while saving Straw Hat Luffy. The world's timeline was drastically altered from this point. The future Emperor of the Seas left this arm in the East Blue, yet firmly believed he had "bet it on a new era."]
Legendary Quality!
Ten thousand points!
Shane's eyes widened. After confirming that there were indeed four zeros, an uncontrollable wave of ecstasy surged through him.
Under the inky black night sky, he couldn't help but burst into loud laughter.
Before he acted, he had worried about whether he would succeed. He had feared being swallowed whole before he could even get close to the Sea King. Even in the moment he found the arm, he had doubted whether it could actually be sacrificed.
Now, the sacrifice was a success, and he had an enormous amount of points he'd never possessed before.
In an instant, all his worries and doubts vanished, leaving Shane feeling utterly euphoric, as if he weren't floating in the sea, but soaring among the clouds.
"Hey! Are you alright, Shane!"
Garter's urgent shout suddenly came from above, pulling him back to reality. The captain had grown anxious when he couldn't see the boy.
"I'm fine, Uncle! Please lower the rope ladder!" he shouted back with a smile.
After the ladder was lowered, he began to climb. Halfway up, he felt the swell of a massive wave behind him, followed by a thick, salty stench.
"Hiiisss—!!!"
It was the voice of the Lord of the Coast, right behind him.
From its hiss, which was completely different from before, Shane could hear relief and joy. He looked up and met the Lord of the Coast's scarlet eyes.
"How about it, big guy!" Shane grinned at the beast, his face showing no fear. "The digestive tract surgery I performed for you was pretty effective, right!"
The Lord of the Coast narrowed its eyes, staring at Shane. Saliva dripped from between its fangs. For a long while, it didn't move.
Above, Garter and the others watched the scene, their hearts in their throats.
After a full ten seconds, the Lord of the Coast suddenly extended its tongue and gently licked Shane's back. Then, it raised its head to the sky and let out a roar that could tear the night apart.
Finally, with a backward flip, it plunged back into the sea with a tremendous splash and gradually disappeared from sight.