Chapter 395: An Unexpected Encounter
Using the Sharpshooter's Extreme Long-Range Vision trait, Zhou Ning could clearly see the full shape of the pirate ship emerging from the mist.
It was slightly smaller than the Black Pearl, likewise powered mainly by sails, and the flag fluttering atop its mast bore a skull wearing a horned helmet.
Zhou Ning narrowed his eyes slightly. Sometimes, fate truly had a sense of humor—standing on the pirate ship's deck was the very same middle-aged pirate he had met earlier in the tavern.
The two ships were about to meet head-on.
On the distant pirate ship, a lookout relayed a message to the middle-aged pirate.
"Boss, there's a strange ship up ahead!"
The pirate leader was taken aback. He raised the spyglass hanging from his chest and peered into the distance.
Through the thick fog, he saw a large ship draped in black sails, its entire hull pitch-dark, gliding silently toward them.
The sailors bustling about its deck were skeletons clad in strange garments, and at the ship's prow—armed with a sharp ramming spike—stood a man in black armor and cloak, his face half-covered by a bat-shaped mask, staring coldly in their direction.
That was... a ghost ship!
The middle-aged pirate's heart skipped a beat. Why would a ghost ship appear here? Who was that man at its bow—was he even alive?
Northern pirates had survived as long as they had precisely because they were cautious. Despite a flurry of doubts, the man made his decision immediately.
He barked an order:
"Everyone on alert—turn away! We're leaving, now!"
At his command, the pirate ship began to alter its course, steering away from the ghost ship. The two vessels soon passed each other—yet at that very moment, another ship suddenly appeared from the east.
It too was powered mainly by sails, but it dwarfed his own vessel—four decks tall, its enormous sails painted entirely red, as red as blood.
On those blood-colored sails was drawn a ferocious three-headed serpent, and at the front, the ship was being pulled by four massive Lavides—beastly sea creatures—charging forward at frightening speed. Trailing not far behind were over a dozen ships flying the same crimson flag with the three-headed serpent.
The middle-aged pirate's face instantly sank. This was the flagship of Saroyan, the King of Lavides—the Silent One!
Zhou Ning saw it too, drawing closer from the front-right. No wonder his compass had stubbornly pointed east—it was leading him straight toward those four Lavides.
This was absurd. He only needed two high-tier sea beasts, not four at once!
And Saroyan wasn't some merciful pirate—he was a sea king infamous for slaughter and greed, with a bounty of 200,000 Vecktas.
Beyond the four giant Lavides, his own strength was at least demigod-level, and he possessed multiple unknown, powerful artifacts.
Given his cruel and avaricious nature, he wouldn't spare even a ghost ship if it crossed his path.
The Silent One moved swiftly. In the blink of an eye, it drew near to Zhou Ning. With his Observation Haki and long-range sight, Zhou Ning could now make out the scene on its deck.
A dark-skinned, stern-looking Northerner stood there quietly, wearing a black pirate coat and a tricorn hat. At his waist hung a rapier encrusted with jewels—definitely no ordinary weapon.
At that moment, the Silent One slowed slightly and began steering toward Zhou Ning's Black Pearl. Simultaneously, all eighteen cannons along its port side swiveled to aim at him. The four giant Lavides pulling the ship grew restless, leaping through the waves and stirring up towering surges.
There was no helping it—he'd have to fight.
Time to see whether this world's pirate king was stronger, or the invincible oceanographer—and whose luck would prove harder to break.
Expressionless, Zhou Ning looked across at his opponent. A Summoning Card flicked into his palm, and without hesitation, he activated it.
In an instant, a platinum-colored wraith rose silently behind him, and the surrounding sea mist thickened dramatically.
"Tch, seriously…" Zhou Ning clicked his tongue in mild annoyance, glancing at the Bat Armor he was wearing. He didn't bother removing it, though—he kicked off the deck in a Moon Step, rocketing skyward, with Platinum Star following close behind.
"Phew… that was close."
Seeing the King of Lavides and the Silent One veer past him toward the ghost ship, the middle-aged pirate let out a breath of relief. But then he froze—the man in the black Bat Armor aboard the ghost ship wasn't fleeing. Instead, he was flying straight toward the Silent One, toward the sea's ruthless king himself. What was he trying to do?
The fog thickened. As Zhou Ning soared over the Silent One, Saroyan—the King of Lavides—lifted his head to look at him. At that moment, darkness suddenly swept across the sky, and arcs of lightning materialized out of thin air, exploding around Zhou Ning in midair. In an instant, the entire area was engulfed in blinding bursts of electric light.
Amid the crackling detonations, Platinum Star hovered with its arms crossed, conjuring a wall of mist to shield them from the raging lightning.
Meanwhile, the four Lavides in the sea were unchained. One after another, they surged upward at terrifying speed, leaping high to strike at Zhou Ning.
Each of the mature Lavides, as typical high-tier sea beasts, possessed three distinct attack modes—venom, lightning, and fire—making them extremely dangerous.
But then, red-black lightning surged around Zhou Ning as Conqueror's Haki burst from him, sweeping violently in all directions.
The four Lavides froze instantly, as though confronted by something unspeakably terrifying—their movements halted under the overwhelming pressure of Zhou Ning's Haki.
Saroyan himself, however, remained unaffected. With a mere motion of his hand, a golden chain of flame coiled around Zhou Ning, binding him tightly and dragging him downward.
But the binding lasted less than half a second before Zhou Ning shattered it completely, the golden links bursting apart into fragments of flame that scattered in the air.
Then—thud!—Zhou Ning's body suddenly plunged. Platinum Star followed closely behind, mirroring his motion. Just as they were about to collide with the Lavides, Zhou Ning activated Time Stop in one seamless motion.
Using the cover of mist, Platinum Star flickered like a phantom, reappearing between two of the Lavides. Its hands moved in a blur, tying together all six of the beasts' heads into a single knot.
A few seconds later, time resumed. The two Lavides thrashed wildly, their six tangled heads striking and biting each other, spraying venom and lightning in every direction. Within moments, all six heads were covered in wounds.
Zhou Ning's figure shifted again—he kicked off in a Moon Step, springing back into the sky, narrowly dodging the venom breath of the remaining two Lavides. When the Time Stop cooldown ended, he froze time once more.
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