On the sunny sea, a single-masted sailing ship traveled across the ocean. The sea breeze brushed against the surface, creating ripples that stirred the calm waters and began swirling out in all directions.
Raiden Ei had been sailing for half a day now, getting further and further from Dokabaka Island. The ships she encountered were all heading in different directions, and she hadn't run into any pirate interceptions.
Raiden Ei set the ship's course. According to the sea chart, it would take over ten days to reach Loguetown, and she wasn't sure how much time would be lost at sea.
"Phew... all set. Now I can sail with peace of mind, but I still have to keep watch, so I can't do anything else. In that case, I'll just relax!"
Raiden Ei talked to herself, then went into the cabin to grab a fishing rod. Taking off her boots, which she found a bit cumbersome, she strolled barefoot to the gunwale and sat down. She took some Bait from her backpack, cast it into the sea, and manipulated the rod, letting the line stretch out long. She said confidently, "This is called 'letting out a long line to catch a big fish.'"
This was technically her first time fishing, and on the open sea at that, so she was quite looking forward to it. However, she had seen Haisier and the others fishing before, and they hadn't caught any big fish. Unknowingly, most of her anticipation faded.
Raiden Ei didn't mind; after all, there was no one here to cook for her anyway. She took some fruit out of her system backpack—she had bought a lot on the island because she found it delicious. She could use it to fill her stomach or slowly savor it to pass the time, as she was doing now.
"La la la ♬ ♬ ♬"
Raiden Ei hummed her favorite melody while looking at the surrounding scenery, entertaining herself during the tedious voyage. Every now and then, she fiddled with the fishing rod to see if any fish had taken the Bait.
The fishing line attached to the rod hung deep in the sea. As the ship sailed, the Bait followed, leaving behind a scent that was delicious to fish. Small and large fish in this area began to chase after the Bait.
As time passed, Raiden Ei saw the fishing rod twitching slightly, as if something was tugging at the Bait. She happily picked up the rod, a wonderful feeling surging in her heart. "Haha, I didn't expect to get a bite so soon. My luck is pretty good!"
"I've got one! Wow! It must be a big fish. I can't use too much force or the line will snap. I should drag it along first and wait until the fish is exhausted before pulling it back." Raiden Ei acted cautiously, following the method she had heard Haisier teach Nicola and the others.
Ten minutes passed, and the big fish was still desperately tugging at the rod. This made Raiden Ei wonder if Haisier had been wrong. But how could she have misheard? It was impossible for her to misheard.
Raiden Ei gave up on waiting for the fish to tire out before pulling it back. She decided to use her own way to bring the fish on board. "Fine! I don't want to waste any more time on a single fish."
Wrapping Armament Haki around the rod, the line instantly became incredibly tough. As Raiden Ei pulled with force, the fish in the sea flopped unwillingly but was slowly drawn toward her.
"Hee! See, it can be pulled back quickly this way." Raiden Ei continued to manipulate the rod to pull it in, but suddenly her Observation Haki sensed a sea beast swimming rapidly toward the surface, not far from the ship.
"A sea beast is coming this way." Raiden Ei slowed her pulling and alertly sensed the sea beast approaching, preventing it from damaging the dream. This was the ship she had just bought, and she couldn't let it be destroyed.
Within seconds, the sea beast reached the surface. Raiden Ei could see the dark shadow beneath the water from the gunwale. Just as she was about to stop it from getting closer, the sea beast suddenly turned and lunged for the fish on her line. The resulting current made the dream rock unsteadily.
A moment later, a sea beast that looked like a large bird burst out of the water, biting the fish in one mouthful, intending to swallow it. But how could Raiden Ei, who was holding the rod, allow that? With a sharp tug, the fishing line wrapped in Armament Haki immediately tightened. The hook successfully pierced through the sea beast's mouth.
"This time I've really caught a big fish—a sea beast." Seeing that the sea beast had no intention of attacking the ship, Raiden Ei wanted to play with it and teach it a lesson.
The Bird-type Sea Beast had just finished the fish and turned to return to the depths, but it felt a sudden pain in its mouth. A thread it hadn't noticed before suddenly tightened, yanking its diving body back to the surface.
No matter how much it struggled against the thread in its mouth, it was useless. The more it fought, the more it couldn't break free. The waves it kicked up made the sea surface surge violently.
Raiden Ei planned to play with it for a while. She let out more line while maintaining the supply of Armament Haki. Just as she expected, the sea beast dove into the water as soon as it had some room to move.
With a look of leisure, Raiden Ei reeled the line back in, and the sea beast was dragged back to the surface once more. "Let's see if you dare eat the fish I caught again. There's a price to pay for trying to get something for nothing."
These few appearances allowed Raiden Ei to see clearly what the sea beast looked like. It was sea-blue and looked very much like a bird, but it was massive. Its wings were not feathers but fins like a fish's tail, and its claws were also fins. To her, it was a very strange sight.
She had seen this kind of sea beast in the One Piece anime. They were like land animals but lived in the sea with fins for limbs. Perhaps this was a unique feature of this world!
Perhaps realizing it couldn't dive back down without breaking the line, the sea beast grew angry after several rounds of pulling. It let out a loud cry toward Raiden Ei and charged straight at the ship.
Hearing the bird cry in her ears, Raiden Ei's mouth twitched. She hadn't misheard; it really was a bird cry. "Is this really a bird that lives in the sea? What should I call it? A Sea Bird?"
There was no time to think about it now. To Raiden Ei, this sea beast was very weak; if she got serious, it wouldn't even be a game. She didn't want to kill it yet, as she felt it was different from other sea beasts.
The sea beasts she had encountered before were each more ferocious and bloodthirsty than the last, appearing mindless. This sea beast was different; there was a light in its eyes unlike the others, as if it possessed wisdom.
Facing the charging sea beast, she swung the fishing rod. The line acted like a whip, lashing against the sea beast's body. The soft fishing line moved flexibly in Raiden Ei's hands, keeping the sea beast at a distance.
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