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  "Spsh, spsh..."

  Time passed.

  The sea journey was monotonous. Despite 'Umibozu', the great sea Homie, tinually pushing the ship named 'Demon King Lucifer'—a name given by El—speeding across the o, they were still some distance from Barbarick Isnd. At least a day’s voyage remained.

  "El-sama, there's movement on the sea ahead..."

  A swift fal desded from the sky, rep to El, who had just finished a hearty breakfast prepared by Streusen and was about to start training with Linlin, Gerd, and the others. This fal was a Homie, animated by iing a soul into an animal's corpse, tasked with scouting the sea.

  "Oh?"

  El grabbed the rge telescope beside him at the ship's bow. It ecial model crafted in Elbaf, designed fiants. He carefully observed the distant sea and quickly spotted their target.

  A fleet of seven ht warships appeared on the horizon. The lead ship was ae Navy battleship, escorted by medium and rge warships—indig that at least one Navy vice admiral was aboard, anding the fleet.

  "That’s a Navy fleet..."

  Streusen's eyes widened in shock as he watched the ships. "El-sama, those are the ships that were chasing me a few days ago, f me to flee into Dreamnd’s waters, where I was attacked by Umibozu!"

  "Hmm, when I visited Elder Mountain Beard and Elder Waterfall Beard, they mentio..." El shrugged. "For days, the Navy has been closely monit Elbaf, guarding against any further moves by the giants."

  Clearly, the Navy was attempting to discreetly blockade Elbaf. If any lone giants or small groups tried to leave, their ships would be sunk, and the giants would be hunted or captured ialiation for the destru of G-12 by Elbaf’s giant army.

  Of course, this a wouldn't st long; it was likely just a show of strength for the giants and the world at rge, to save fad intimidate other powers.

  "Ighem, Umibozu... crush them for me!" El’s expression turned cold as he gave the order.

  He harbored no goodwill toward the Navy. Sihey were now mortal enemies, dead enemies were the best kind.

  "El-sama, I think it would be wiser not to provoke them directly..." Streusen's expression ged as he hurriedly cautioned, "The fgship ahead belongs to Vice Admiral 'Steelbone' Kong, a renowned powerhouse in the Navy. He’s no ordinary vice admiral; I’ve heard he’s being sidered for promotion to admiral. His capture list includes tless notorious pirates!"

  "Steelbone Kong?"

  "A didate for admiral?"

  "Is he really that strong?"

  Linlin, Gerd, and Hajrudin were all astonished. Gerd and Hajrudin, having learned from El about the state of the world and the Navy’s strength, were particurly impressed. They knew admirals represehe Navy's highest bat power—monstrous individuals.

  Being sidered for admiral was no small feat.

  "Oh? Steelbone Kong?"

  El was slightly surprised. He raised his telescope again and carefully observed the fgship. The figurehead of the lead ship was a snarling, muscur goril, and the sails bore both the Navy and Wover emblems, along with Kong's personal fg.

  Soon, El spotted a tall figure standing at the bow of the fgship, also using a telescope to observe their ship. Their eyes met through the lenses, each aware of the other’s presence.

  "We’ve spotted a suspicious target ahead. What is that? A giant wave with a face?"

  In the distahe Navy fleet spread out in formation, steadily advang.

  "What?"

  "A wave with a face?"

  "Hey, are you joking?"

  "Be serious, this is no time for jokes!"

  "Idiot, do you want to be put in the brig?"

  The sailors below were stunned, bewildered. The officers scolded the lookout, thinking he had either seen things or was going mad from spending too much time in the crow’s .

  "I swear, I’m not joking! There’s a giant wave, and it’s... smiling!" The lookout on the fgship’s mast was incredulous. But soon, he spotted something else and hurriedly reported, "There’s a pirate ship riding the wave... with about five people aboard! Fe children, three of them likely young giants, and a small human!"

  His eyes widened further as he gulped, stunned. "The one leading them has gray hair, bck wings, and fmes at the back of his head... it’s unmistakable—it’s El, the 'Fallen Angel', who was just given a six-hundred-million bounty by the Navy!"

  "What!?"

  "Fallen Angel El?"

  "That Lunarian kid?"

  "No iants on board?"

  "Wait, that wave..."

  "Gulp! It’s really smiling!"

  "What in the world is going on?"

  The Navy personnel were astounded, struggling to prehend what they were seeing. The pirate ship in the distance seemed to be riding on an enormous, strange wave, whideed had a bizarre, smiling face.

  They were dumbfounded, eyes wide in disbelief.

  "That wave..."

  At the bow of the lead ship, a t figure, at least three or four meters tall, with spiked hair and a powerful, muscur build, stood. This was her than the fleet ander, Vice Admiral Steelbone Kong, head of the G-11 base and one of the Navy’s stro vice admirals, a didate for admiral.

  "What strange ability is this?" Steelbone Kong, dressed in a suit and draped in a Navy Justice coat, looked formidable as he peered through his telescope at the “giant wave” and the pirate ship atop it. He immediately reized the gray-haired, bck-winged figure at the bow: "There’s no mistaking it. That’s the Lunarian survivor, 'Fallen Angel' El!"

  "Fallen Angel El?" Beside him, another Navy rear admiral, also using a telescope, observed the young, angelic figure with a plex expression. "Six years ago, I resent when the Navy besieged his family. Even then, as a captain, I was shaken by what I saw. I’ll never fet it."

  "He awakened his queror’s Haki at just three years old—an exceedingly rare feat," the rear admiral remarked, shaking his head. "He’s not to be uimated."

  Steelbone Kong nodded. As a vice admiral in the Navy, he was already familiar with El’s detailed background. Born of a Lunarian father and a giant mother, the boy had beelessly pursued by the Wover. Following the deaths of his parents, El, at just three years old, was so deeply traumatized that he awakened his queror’s Haki, knog out many of the Navy soldiers involved in the siege.

  "He dispyed such potential at three, and as a Lunarian-giant hybrid, his strength and potential are terrifying. He’s said to be naturally invulnerable and monstrously strong," Kong mused. "This kid’s potential is extraordinary."

  "No, Vice Admiral Kong, that’s not what I meant..." The rear admiral shook his head, taking a deep breath as he spoke slowly. "What’s truly terrifying is that after his parents died, he quickly regained his posure. Instead of attag the Navy in a fit e, he calmly used his fire powers to burn his parents' bodies to ashes and scattered their remains into the sea."

  "At just three years old, his cold, calg demeanor shook many of the Navy personnel present."

  "Is that so?" Steelbone Kong’s face turned solemn. A child with such cold-blooded ess, bined with extraordinary potential, could indeed grow into a grave threat to the Navy.

  "Since we've entered him, we must do everything we to capture him!”