In gene cultivation, Mio had always chosen the human form and never the beast form. But now, seeing the wild aggression of the sea king before him, he couldn't help but reflect—was this the consequence of cultivating a beast form?
No, that couldn't be it.
Thanks to his golden finger, both human and beast forms were always loyal to him. This meant the issue wasn't about control—it was about others who lacked his system. For them, cultivating beast forms could easily result in failure, producing irrational and uncontrollable monsters.
Mio shook his head, narrowing his eyes as a certain figure came to mind.
Im.
This mysterious being, known to command the entire World Government from the shadows, could rightfully be called the master of the world. Mio's curiosity about such a figure was only natural—but so was the fear.
Powerful and hidden, Im's existence was both fascinating and terrifying.
Vegapunk had mentioned that he might cross paths with Im on the Grand Line. But that kind of encounter… could only be left to fate.
As the ship continued its voyage, Mio let the thought fade into the back of his mind. There was no point in worrying about something so uncertain. For now, he focused on training.
His Observation Haki had already entered the foundational stage. Progress was slow, but steady. The next step was simply consistent effort.
As for Armament Haki—it improved fastest in battle.
Whenever he had time, Mio sparred with Warwick.
Compared to Erica, Warwick was the perfect opponent for this kind of training. His physical prowess far exceeded hers, even if he wasn't as strong overall. That sheer physical pressure was what Mio needed.
"Finger Gun!"
Warwick stretched out his sharp, clawed index finger and thrust forward. The air cracked under the pressure, and his finger gleamed with Armament Haki, a strike packed with destructive power.
Mio's expression tightened. He twisted his body to dodge—
—only to be kicked away the next second.
Boom!
He slammed against the deck railing, the force rattling the ship.
"Tsk. Warwick, your mastery of the Six Powers is getting better," Mio muttered, grinning as he stood and dusted himself off.
"Master, are you okay?" Warwick asked with concern, scratching his head.
"I'm fine. Just got kicked, no big deal." Mio cracked his neck and waved it off. "Come on, keep going!"
Practicing alone was boring. Fighting was a better way to kill time—and it helped improve his strength. A win-win situation.
No, maybe even a win-win-win.
Training, experience, and entertainment.
Time flowed quietly on the sea.
Three days later.
Mio's ship arrived at the Calm Belt.
At first glance, the sea was just that—calm.
No islands. No ships. And more importantly—no wind.
The Calm Belt was notorious for this. With almost no air currents, traditional sailboats couldn't navigate it. And worse yet, it was the nesting ground of Sea Kings.
Naturally, people avoided it like the plague.
But Mio?
He steered the ship in, without hesitation.
"We've entered the Calm Belt. Stay alert," Mio instructed. "If Sea Kings appear, repel them—but don't kill them."
Killing one would release blood into the water, attracting more Sea Kings. Even with their strength, that kind of swarm would be trouble.
"I understand, Master," Warwick responded with a nod.
Erica stood by the side of the boat, her hands resting on the hilts of her blades, eyes sharp.
Lilith sat with Robin, holding a book and occasionally asking questions. Robin mostly shook her head in thought, showing signs of curiosity and puzzlement.
Upon closer inspection, Lilith's book turned out to be about common medical symptoms.
As the ship fully entered the Calm Belt, Mio immediately noticed the difference.
There was wind—just not enough to move the sails.
The ship's speed began to crawl.
Eventually, it barely moved at all.
"Master." Erica's voice snapped Mio's attention to the side of the ship.
She had drawn her swords, eyes locked on the sea.
"Something already?" Mio asked, his tone a mix of anticipation and curiosity. "Sea beast or Sea King?"
A moment later, a large figure burst from beneath the waves—its size imposing.
Mio's expression shifted.
"A sea beast… disappointing."
"Get out of here!!" Warwick roared. His scarlet eyes flashed with fury as he leapt into the air and delivered a devastating kick to the creature's head.
Boom!
The beast crashed back into the water with a massive splash and vanished, clearly unwilling to fight again.
The sea calmed once more.
With a sigh, Mio picked up a bottle of rum, sat at the bow of the boat, and scanned the quiet sea.
How come Luffy and the others in the original story ran into Sea Kings right away? he thought. Why can't I find even one?
Despite its reputation, this sea didn't feel like a Sea King's nest at all.
Bored, Mio wandered over to Lilith.
"What are you reading?" he asked.
"It's a book, Master." Lilith raised the small volume in her hands.
"I know it's a book. I'm asking what kind of book." Mio smirked.
"It's about symptoms of common illnesses," Lilith replied, tapping her chin and frowning a little. Clearly, she was struggling to understand some parts.
"Good work." Mio grinned and gave her a thumbs-up. "At this rate, we won't even need a ship doctor in the future."
"Mm!" Lilith nodded with a rare smile.
Gulp.
Mio finished off the bottle of rum.
As he tossed it aside, he squinted toward the ocean.
"It seems… the big guys have arrived."
"I agree," Erica said, her gaze fixed on the sea.
Faint shadows swam beneath the surface—then vanished.
Definitely Sea Kings. They were just deciding whether to attack.
Sea Kings were far more intelligent than regular sea beasts. They lived for hundreds, even thousands of years—long enough to develop wisdom close to that of humans.
Some of them grew to unimaginable sizes—up to 5,000 meters or more.
The largest, after all, would be the Sea King Queen near Fishman Island, far in the future.
As for the current shadow Mio had sensed, it was much larger than a regular sea beast—definitely a Sea King.
Boom!
The sea erupted.
A massive serpent-like creature with a lion's head rose from the waves, easily 600 or 700 meters long.
Its golden eyes locked onto Mio's ship.
"ROOOAAARR!"
It let out a deafening bellow, its breath shaking the sails.
Warwick roared right back, his eyes glowing. Try me.
Clang…
Mio slowly drew Raikiri from his waist. "This guy's my target. Don't kill it, got it?"
"Got it," Erica replied, unsheathing both her swords.
Warwick nodded in agreement.
"Master, want me to help?" Lilith asked, a hand on her staff.
"No need," Mio said with a smile. "Just watch."
Swish!
Erica acted first—twin blades flashed, sending two massive slashes at the Sea King.
At the same time, Warwick leapt and performed a storm kick. Waves erupted, momentarily blinding the Sea King.
By the time the water cleared, the slashes struck.
Slash! Slash!
Two huge wounds appeared across the beast's torso. Blood sprayed into the sea.
Mio's figure vanished from the ship—and reappeared on the Sea King's back, where one of its scales had been cut loose and fallen to the deck.
"This size is perfect," Mio muttered, grinning. "Any bigger, and it'd be trouble."
The Sea King roared in pain and began to dive.
But Mio didn't give it the chance.
"One Sword Style—Crow Flock!"
He swung Raikiri once—but it looked like he'd swung dozens of times. Black slashes, shaped like crows in flight, burst from the blade and slashed the creature repeatedly.
Blood sprayed everywhere. The Sea King shrieked in agony.
And finally—
Thrust!
Raikiri stabbed into its skull.
The beast convulsed.
In seconds, Mio had subdued it.
He activated his system and absorbed the Sea King into his culture tank.
Then, he looked back toward the ship—and at the empty bottle of rum still sitting where he left it.
In a blink, he reappeared at that exact spot.
The rum bottle was gone.
Only Mio remained, grinning to himself.