Two days passed in the blink of an eye.
North Blue, Clear Sky Waters.
The sun shone brightly over the deep blue sea.
A medium-sized Marine warship sailed across the endless expanse, cutting through the calm surface and leaving ripples in its wake.
Waves rolled away from the hull with a steady rush.
On the deck, Leon reclined in a lounge chair beneath the golden sunlight.
He wore sunglasses and rested his crossed legs against the railing.
A small wooden table stood beside him, covered with desserts and drinks.
Every now and then, he took a sip from his glass or leisurely sampled one of the sweets.
From the way he was enjoying himself, anyone who did not know better might have assumed he was on vacation.
Not far from him, the open section of the deck was filled with Marines undergoing their daily training.
Dressed in neat uniforms, they worked beneath the scorching sun, sweat pouring down their faces as they used various training tools to strengthen their bodies.
The contrast could not have been more obvious.
On one side, Leon relaxed in complete comfort.
On the other, the recruits pushed themselves through exhausting drills.
From time to time, complicated gazes drifted toward Leon.
It was clear that many of the Marines resented his behavior.
However, because of his powerful background, none of them dared voice their dissatisfaction openly.
They were all new recruits, yet Leon alone had been exempted from training and spent his days lounging around without a care.
It was only natural that the others felt irritated.
Even though he was Admiral Kizaru’s nephew, his complete lack of ambition still struck many of them as disgraceful.
“Is he really Admiral Kizaru’s nephew?”
A young Marine lowered his voice while continuing his exercises.
“He doesn’t resemble the Admiral at all.”
“Actually…”
Another Marine hesitated.
“Now that you mention it, I think I understand why he’s so lazy.”
“Admiral Kizaru isn’t exactly known for being hardworking either.”
“The more I look at him, the more I think the resemblance is obvious.
They really do share the same blood.”
“Even their personalities are alike.”
“Watch your mouth!”
Captain Caron’s eyes narrowed as he angrily rebuked the whispering recruits.
“Who gave you permission to speak disrespectfully about Admiral Kizaru?”
Caron was not entirely pleased with Leon’s attitude either, but there was nothing he could do about it.
The young man had Kizaru backing him.
He was clearly joining a North Blue branch only as a temporary stop before eventually being transferred to Marine Headquarters.
Since that was the case, Caron had no intention of creating unnecessary trouble by offending someone with such powerful connections.
Leon would not remain under his command for long.
There was no reason for them to interfere with one another.
“Admiral Kizaru said his nephew surpassed him in certain talents…”
The corner of Caron’s mouth twitched.
“Was he talking about laziness?”
After observing Leon for the past two days, Caron was now almost certain of one thing.
Leon had not joined the Marines because he wanted to distinguish himself.
He had joined to collect a salary and coast through life.
Throughout the voyage, he had shown no interest in training whatsoever.
Naturally, Caron did not dare force him to participate.
In his opinion, someone with Leon’s attitude would probably end up as a clerk in the logistics division, sitting in an office and handling paperwork.
In a world where strength commanded respect, seeing someone with so little drive left Caron feeling strangely frustrated.
“Forget it.”
Caron sighed helplessly.
“If Admiral Kizaru has no intention of disciplining his own nephew, then it isn’t our place to interfere.”
At first, Caron had genuinely believed Kizaru’s nephew would be a gifted young genius with outstanding strength.
After two days of observation, he realized that had been nothing more than wishful thinking.
Leon looked like nothing more than a privileged loafer who intended to live off his connections.
So much for privileged recruits who gained their positions through connections.
It was deeply disappointing.
Suppressing his frustration, Caron turned his attention back to the recruits and continued supervising their training.
“Captain Caron!”
At that moment, a Marine came running over in a hurry.
“A Sea King has appeared in the waters ahead!”
Caron raised an eyebrow.
“I’ll assess the situation.
The rest of you, continue your training.”
After leaving the recruits with that order, he followed the reporting Marine toward the bow.
Looking ahead, Caron immediately spotted a massive figure moving beneath the surface.
It was a bizarre Sea King resembling a zebra.
Its enormous eyes bulged from its head, sharp fangs protruded from its mouth, and black-and-white stripes covered its body.
Yet its most striking feature was not its appearance.
It was its size.
Like most Sea Kings, the creature was enormous.
Although much of its body remained submerged, Caron’s experience allowed him to estimate that it was at least twenty meters long.
It could not be considered one of the truly colossal Sea Kings, but it was already approaching the size of a large one.
Its total length was nearly equal to that of the warship.
That alone made the danger obvious.
A single sweep of its tail might be enough to overturn the vessel and send every Marine aboard to the bottom of the sea.
“Notify the helmsman.”
Caron issued his orders calmly.
“Change course immediately and steer around the Sea King’s territory.”
“Do not provoke it.
Under normal circumstances, Sea Kings will not actively attack Marine vessels.”
“TThis warship has a Seastone-lined hull based on technology developed by Dr.
Vegapunk.
It can partially mask our presence from Sea Kings and reduce the likelihood of an attack.”
“Yes, Captain.”
The subordinate hurried away to notify the helmsman.
Even if it meant taking a longer route, avoiding the Sea King’s territory was the safest option.
If the creature interpreted their approach as a challenge, it might attack without warning.
On the open sea, the greatest threat was not always a vicious pirate crew.
Sea Kings could be far more dangerous.
“Captain Caron!”
A terrified shout came from the lookout stationed atop the wooden mast.
“The Sea King is approaching us!”
“It noticed the ship!”
“No—it looks like it has chosen us as prey!”
“It’s moving fast!”
“We’re in danger!”
“I can see that.”
Caron’s expression darkened as the massive creature rapidly closed the distance.
His mood sank, but he did not despair.
As a Marine captain entrusted with command of an entire branch and several hundred soldiers, Caron was no weakling.
“Tell the helmsman there’s no need to change course anymore.”
“Leave it to me.”
Caron’s face became solemn as he slowly drew the katana hanging at his waist.
He fixed a sharp gaze on the approaching Sea King and snorted.
“If it wants to die, I’ll oblige it.”
“Besides, this will give the men something fresh to eat.
We’ve all grown tired of the frozen supplies from the galley.”
“Fresh meat has delivered itself right to us.
It would be a shame to waste the opportunity.”
He turned toward the surrounding recruits.
“Watch carefully.”
“I’ll use this Sea King to teach you a lesson.”
“When faced with an opponent that appears impossible to defeat, the first thing you must never lose is the courage to fight.”
“This creature may be enormous, but size alone does not make it invincible.”
“As long as you train hard every day, there will come a time when you can face an opponent like this without fear.”
“One day, you may even become as strong as I am.”
The Marines who had been tense and uneasy gradually calmed down.
One after another, they looked toward Caron with trust, anticipation, and admiration.