The sea shifted.
Not violently. Not gently.
But with a strange… anticipation, as if the ocean itself was holding its breath.
Kaen stood at the bow of the Tidebreaker, arms folded, eyes narrowed at the looming wall of weather ahead. Clouds twisted unnaturally, waves rolled sideways, and lighting struck in complete silence.
Cira whistled, wide-eyed.
"Yep. That's the Grand Line. A death trap wearing a water costume."
Rye gripped the ship's wheel tighter. "The Log Pose is shaking like it wants to jump into the ocean."
Toma peeked over the rail nervously. "Captain… this place is insane."
Kaen didn't look away.
"Good."
The crew stared at him.
He continued, voice steady:
"Normal seas can't hide what we're looking for. If Ohara's truth survived anywhere… it's in the place that breaks everything else."
Lightning cracked across the sky. The ocean surged like a beast waking from slumber.
Kaen stepped forward and placed one palm into the water.
The sea whispered instantly — thousands of currents speaking at once, tangling, colliding, fighting for dominance.
He whispered back,
"Guide us."
The water around the ship shimmered and parted, calming in a perfect circle around the Tidebreaker.
Cira blinked. "You're kidding me. You just told the Grand Line to chill?"
Kaen smirked. "Not told. Asked politely."
Rye stared at him with genuine awe.
"Captain… how deep does your control go?"
Kaen's eyes flickered blue. "I don't control the sea. I… negotiate."
Lightning struck nearby. The ocean walls rose, opening like a gate.
The entrance to the most unpredictable sea in the world was now calm—only for them.
Kaen exhaled. "Let's go."
---
Inside the Grand Line
The moment the Tidebreaker crossed the invisible boundary, the world changed.
The wind died completely.
The sky turned a strange violet hue, clouds moving sideways.
Whales sang beneath the surface—deep, ancient calls that rattled the hull.
Cira's voice shook. "This place… it feels alive."
Kaen nodded slowly.
"That's because it is."
The Umi Umi no Mi pulsed inside him like a second heartbeat.
He could feel the ocean floor shifting miles below, strange currents weaving like serpents, ancient voices whispering warnings.
"Captain!" Toma shouted from the starboard side. "Something's approaching!"
Kaen turned sharply.
The water ahead bulged upward.
A massive shadow rose beneath the waves — easily the size of a Marine battleship.
Cira backed up. "Oh no. Nope. Not happening. That is too big—"
Rye grabbed a harpoon, muscles tense. "Is it Sea King?"
Kaen shook his head.
The shadow rose higher — revealing smooth stone, carved lines, moss-covered edges.
Toma gasped.
"That's… not a creature. It's a structure!"
The ocean parted further, revealing an enormous ancient ruin — a temple made of black stone, preserved perfectly beneath the sea.
Symbols identical to Kaen's stone tablet glowed faintly along its surface.
Kaen's breath stopped.
He whispered, "Ohara writing… here?"
Cira frowned. "Was Ohara connected to the sea floor?!"
Before Kaen could respond, the tablet on his belt lit up brightly — as if reacting to the structure.
A deep rumble echoed through the water.
Then—
The temple opened.
A massive circular door slid aside, releasing a pulse of energy that blew wind across the ocean.
The Tidebreaker rocked violently.
The sky darkened.
The currents changed direction.
Rye shouted, "Captain! The sea is pulling us in!"
Kaen felt it too — a magnetic force dragging them toward the entrance.
He planted both hands on the deck and spoke to the water urgently.
"STOP!"
The sea trembled. The current slowed… but didn't stop.
The pull was too strong — older, deeper than him.
A voice echoed inside Kaen's mind.
"Child of Ohara… the sea remembers you… but others… remember too."
Kaen clenched his jaw. "Someone is calling us."
Toma panicked. "Someone?! What someone?!"
Cira yelled, "Kaen, do something!"
Kaen's eyes glowed fiercely.
"What do you think I'm doing?!"
He surged his power, commanding the sea to resist. For a moment, they held position—
Then another voice tore through the air.
A furious roar.
"Kehehehehe… such an interesting toy I've found."
The crew looked up.
A massive ship approached from behind, decorated with bone spikes and chained lanterns. A black flag flew above it—one they didn't recognize.
Rye paled. "Those markings… that's the Skull Requiem Pirates!"
Cira's face turned white. "B-Bounty over 300 million… and their captain is—"
A tall figure stepped onto the bow of the enemy ship.
Skin pale as death.
Long black coat.
Eyes glowing blood-red.
"Dread Captain Voss," Kaen muttered. "The man who sank an entire fleet alone."
Voss grinned, revealing razor teeth.
"Kaen Ohara… child of the sea. The world whispers your name already."
He pointed a clawed finger toward the temple.
"And you've found an entrance even the Yonko couldn't unlock."
Kaen stepped forward, fists clenched.
"This has nothing to do with you."
"Oh, but it does."
Voss licked his lips.
"The secrets of Ohara. The whispers of the sea. I want all of it."
The current surged violently again — pulling both ships toward the temple entrance.
Kaen cursed under his breath.
"We don't have time for a fight."
Voss spread his arms.
"Then let's fight inside."
Both ships lurched forward uncontrollably.
The temple door glowed brighter—
The sea roared—
And in a single blinding flash—
The Tidebreaker and the Skull Requiem Pirates were swallowed into the ancient underwater ruin.
---
To be continued…