Chapter 33: Cutie
On the surface, Nami was growing increasingly frantic. Ryu had been underwater for a full hour—how could anyone hold their breath that long? Had something truly gone wrong?
Beside her, Sanji and Zeff shared similarly grim expressions.
"Old man, he's not... really in trouble, is he?" Sanji asked hesitantly.
"He shouldn't be. With his strength..." Zeff trailed off, his confidence wavering. Truthfully, even he wasn't sure what was happening down there.
Could Ryu have met his end in such an unexpected way? But the next moment, a massive shadow appeared beneath them.
"Look! What's that?!"
Everyone turned their gaze downward. A fifty-meter-long eel-like creature emerged, accompanied by Ryu himself.
"The Sea Kings sure is hard to find," Ryu muttered, catching his breath. "Let me rest a bit before diving back down."
As he stood up, water dripped from his body. After the earlier battle, his clothes were in tatters—practically nonexistent except for covering the essentials.
Nami instinctively covered her eyes with her fingers, though her flushed cheeks betrayed her thoughts. She couldn't help but notice how strikingly pale his skin was.
But Ryu didn't seem fazed by the attention. Of course I'm handsome, he thought smugly. Deal with it.
He borrowed a set of clothes to cover his impressive physique, much to the disappointment of several onlookers. One lavishly dressed woman even began calculating how much it would cost to hire—or perhaps kidnap—him.
Handsome youths were rare in the pirate world, and one as attractive as Ryu was practically a treasure.
After a brief rest, Ryu stripped off his shirt and dove back into the water. With his previous experience, his efficiency improved significantly. He quickly reached the seabed and began searching aimlessly for the Sea King. Though it seemed inefficient, Ryu found joy in the process.
After all, the ocean was teeming with other Sea Kings whose blood could further enhance his power. This wasn't a waste of time at all.
How had he forgotten about Sea Kings until now? Perhaps his voyages had been too smooth, rarely encountering such creatures. Maybe settling in the Calm Belt would allow him constant access to their blood.
As he searched, his mind raced. Suddenly, an idea struck him—he still had a Devil Fruit! If he fed it to a Sea King, wouldn't its blood transform entirely into Devil Fruit-infused blood?
At this realization, Ryu paused mid-swim.
I'm a genius!
His eyes sharpened with determination.
In the distance, a small white dot appeared amidst the pitch-black depths. In the dark ocean, the pure white figure stood out starkly, impossible to miss.
Pure white creatures were rare in the sea, so Ryu swam toward it without hesitation. The dot grew larger as they approached each other—it was clearly heading in his direction.
Soon, they met face-to-face. Before him floated the very creature Zeff had shown him earlier: the Sea Kings. However, its size was smaller than expected. At only thirty meters long, this was likely just a juvenile. Adult Deep Sea Whale Sharks could reach lengths of a hundred meters.
The young Sea King stared at Ryu with wide, innocent eyes.
Its adorable gaze left Ryu momentarily speechless.
Who could harm something so cute?
???
But in the shark's eyes, Ryu was the truly adorable one. As marine animals like orcas and dolphins often found humans aesthetically pleasing, the little Sea king was utterly smitten.
Having spent its entire life in the deep sea, this was its first encounter with a human—and it was love at first sight. All it wanted to do was nuzzle the charming creature before it.
Noticing the shark's intent gaze, Ryu recalled that dolphins and similar species tended to adore humans. Could this little guy have taken a liking to him?
To test his theory, Ryu moved slightly backward. Sure enough, the young shark followed eagerly. Smirking, Ryu began ascending slowly.
Predictably, the shark trailed behind, maintaining a polite yet awkward distance. It seemed afraid of startling him, proceeding cautiously.
Under Ryu's guidance, the shark drew closer to the surface. But when a faint glimmer of light appeared above, the shark hesitated, sensing unease. It stopped, unwilling to ascend further.
Seeing this, Ryu swam back down and affectionately nudged the shark's face.
"Come with me," he said, gesturing for it to follow. To his surprise, the shark obeyed, swimming alongside him.
Sea Kings weren't human, and neither was Ryu. Since neither belonged to the human race, communication between them felt natural enough.
It didn't take long for Ryu to guide the shark to a position near the surface. Just as they prepared to ascend, Ryu's sharp instincts kicked in. He noticed a massive ship looming above—a familiar silhouette.
A Marine warship. Why were the Marines here? Their intelligence network was far too efficient.
Standing aboard the vessel was none other than Smoker, patiently waiting for Ryu to emerge.
"Stay here. I'll deal with this and come right back," Ryu instructed.
Surprisingly, the young shark understood his words. With a playful wiggle, it stayed put as Ryu swam upward. Satisfied, Ryu surged toward the surface.
Smoker sensed movement below. "Be careful—he's coming!"
With that, a pale figure burst through the water, landing gracefully on the deck. Spotting Smoker, Ryu raised an eyebrow. He hadn't expected Smoker of all people to be the one pursuing him.
Swallowing nervously, Ryu realized this encounter might yield more than just a boost to his Power Level. Smoker's Logia abilities intrigued him.
Acquiring elemental powers sounded tempting indeed.