The Going Merry was speeding towards an iceberg, and as everyone held their breath in tension, Kai stood at the front of the deck, his Halberd resting quietly on the ground.
His eyes were cold and sharp, and his aura suddenly surged.
"Boom—!"
Kai tightened his grip on the Halberd, gently lifted it, and then swung it forward with a powerful motion.
A crimson burst of Armament Haki erupted from the Halberd, a lightning-fast red glow accompanied by whistling winds, forming a sharp slash that shot directly towards the iceberg.
"Crash!"
The massive iceberg was instantly split in half by the impact of the slash, and chunks of ice fell into the sea with a shattering sound, creating towering splashes.
The Going Merry sailed smoothly through the newly opened gap.
"So strong…" Miss Wednesday stared blankly at Kai's imposing figure, her eyes filled with shock. "What kind of monster is this guy?"
"Hmph, you'll get used to it," Nami glanced at her, a hint of pride in her tone. "Kai's abilities are far more than just this."
"Kai's Armament Haki has gotten even stronger!" Sanji lit a cigarette, took a deep puff, and exclaimed, "I need to intensify my training too!"
Just as everyone breathed a sigh of relief, a red glint suddenly flashed in Kai's eyes.
He stood at the bow of the ship, his gaze profound, seemingly piercing through the thick fog.
"What's wrong now?" Usopp noticed Kai's expression and asked nervously, "There aren't more icebergs, are there?"
"Not icebergs," Kai said in a low voice, tightening his grip on the Halberd slightly. "Something's coming."
"Something?" Nami looked at him in confusion. "What is it?"
Kai didn't answer but gestured to Zoro.
Zoro grinned, a flicker of excitement in his eyes.
He slowly drew the Sandai Kitetsu from his waist and said coldly, "Looks like I need to stretch my muscles."
"Wait, what's going on?" Usopp was still confused. "What are you talking about?"
Zoro stepped to the bow of the ship, gripping his long sword, his sharp gaze fixed on the depths of the fog.
"Leave the rest to me."
On the deck, Zoro held the Sandai Kitetsu, his gaze deep, the sharp glint reflected in the scabbard sending chills down one's spine.
He slowly walked to the bow, his steps steady, his aura formidable.
"What's Zoro doing?" Nami frowned, watching him draw the Sandai Kitetsu. "Is he putting on such a big show because he wants to practice his sword again?"
Usopp shrank his neck, staring at the sword in Zoro's hand, muttering, "He's not going to try to split the bow of the ship, is he?"
"You guys are really too slow," Miss Wednesday poked her head out of the cabin, looking at Zoro's back.
"Judging by his expression, he must have discovered something."
Luffy and Sanji simultaneously stopped what they were doing, smiles on their faces, as if they already knew what was about to happen.
Sanji, with a cigarette dangling from his lips, lazily said, "Hmph, the moss-head got ahead of me!"
Nami was stunned and asked, "What do you mean?"
Before she could finish her question, a massive wave suddenly erupted in the sea in front of the Going Merry, the turbulent waters suggesting some colossal creature was thrashing beneath the surface.
Immediately after, a huge dark shadow burst out of the water, bringing with it a sky-high spray, and charged towards the Going Merry.
"Oh my god!" Usopp screamed, hugging the mast, his voice distorted. "W-what is that?!"
"A… a sea fish?" Nami's eyes widened, looking at the giant beast in front of her, her face pale. "How is this fish several times bigger than the Going Merry?!"
Mr.9 screamed, clutching his head, "It's over, it's over! We're dead for sure!"
"That thing is treating the Going Merry as its lunch!" Miss Wednesday's face was ashen, her voice laced with terror. "Run! Or we'll be eaten!"
But while the others were in a panic, Kai, Luffy, and Sanji showed no signs of tension; instead, they grinned.
"This fish meat looks good," Sanji said, his cigarette dangling, his assessment incredibly serious. "It should be very tender."
"We just happen to need to replenish our food," Kai said calmly, a hint of playfulness in his eyes. "Our training has been intense lately; we need to eat more."
"Leave it to Zoro!" Luffy said with a chuckle. "Zoro hasn't gone all out in a long time."
The enormous sea fish opened its massive maw, a putrid stench assailing them, and its huge shadow enveloped the entire Going Merry.
Just as it was about to pounce on the ship, Zoro moved.
"Clang—"
The sound of Sandai Kitetsu being drawn was crisp and sharp, instantly cutting through the roar of the tumultuous waves.
Zoro's hand gripping the sword was as steady as a rock, the blade enveloped in Armament Haki.
"Hmph," Zoro's lips curled slightly, his aura instantly surging. "One-Sword Style: Iai—Lion's Song!"
Accompanied by a low roar, Zoro's body and sword moved simultaneously.
He drew his sword at an incredibly fast speed and then quickly sheathed it, the entire action seamless and swift as lightning.
Only a sharp sword energy remained in the air, soaring skyward, like a keen blade slicing through the heavens.
"Boom—!"
The sword energy sliced through the enormous sea fish, and the colossal creature paused in mid-air before being cut into two halves.
Blood rained down, and the two severed halves of the body crashed heavily into the sea, creating colossal waves.
"What…" Mr.9 stared blankly at this scene, his gaze fixed on Zoro. "One strike… he split that monster fish with one strike?!"
"Th-this is the power of a swordsman?!" Miss Wednesday's voice trembled.
She stared at Zoro standing at the bow, as if seeing something incredible.
"Zoro is really getting more and more amazing," Nami stood at the stern, a hint of admiration in her tone.
Sanji extinguished his cigarette and excitedly ran to the side of the ship, looking at the huge fish meat floating on the sea:
"The best parts of this fish absolutely cannot be wasted!" He jumped to the side of the ship, grabbed his tools, and began to work busily.
"How extravagant," Usopp stood on the mast, watching Sanji collect the fish meat, muttering, "Such a huge amount of fish meat, and we can only take a portion."
Kai walked over to Zoro's side, his gaze sweeping over the sea fish cut in half, a hint of approval in his tone:
"Not bad, your sword skills have improved a lot since before; you've already reached the level of a swordsman."
"Hmph, it's far from enough," Zoro grinned, his hands resting on the hilt of his swords at his waist, his voice firm, "My goal is to become the world's greatest swordsman, and I'm still a long way from that."
"What grand ambitions," Miss Wednesday's lips twitched slightly, and she muttered in a low voice, "Who exactly are these guys? Every single one of them is so abnormal."
"You'll get used to it," Nami stood nearby, a hint of teasing in her tone. "When you're with them, not getting scared within three days counts as progress."
Kai glanced at Luffy and Zoro, his eyebrows slightly raised: "I have a new idea!"
"What?" Luffy and Zoro looked over at Kai, and even Sanji, who was collecting fish meat, cocked an ear to listen.
"Our daily training is really too boring, and it's not good without actual combat," Kai said with a faint smile, continuing, "Practicing Armament Haki and Observation Haki on the ship really doesn't allow us to fully unleash ourselves; we need a larger space!"
"We can have an indiscriminate combat exercise on the island we're about to reach to test the results of our training!"
"What?!" Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji's faces all turned green, feeling that Kai was once again trying to mess with them.
The three of them remembered the fear of being dominated by Kai when they were first training Observation Haki and Armament Haki.
"What, do you have any objections?" Kai clenched his fist, making cracking sounds.
"No!!!" The three of them shouted in unison.