After observing for about two minutes, everyone saw that Shanks was right — the dark shapes beneath the waves were growing thicker and more numerous by the second.
"Sea Kings?" the navigator asked, stepping forward.
Having sailed the seas for so long, they were no strangers to such creatures — but what they were about to witness was like nothing they had ever seen.
Shanks' eyes narrowed sharply. "Look out!"
BOOM!
As the warning left his lips, a massive marine lizard with mottled red‑and‑yellow skin burst from the water.
Yasopp raised his rifle with one hand still wrapped in bandages and grinned broadly. "Just as I thought — Sea Kings."
As members of the Red‑Hair Pirates, they had faced them countless times and felt no trace of panic.
"Not Sea Kings — these are Deep‑Sea Lords."
The navigator corrected him, studying the creatures closely. Though slightly less destructive than true Sea Kings, they were still forces to be reckoned with.
"And there's more!" Shanks shouted again.
CRASH! SPLASH!
One after another, countless Deep‑Sea Lords erupted from the depths: giant fish with bulbous heads, misshapen creatures with fish‑like bodies and two legs, and others with necks stretched like mutated giraffes — a chaotic mix of species, appearing in endless numbers.
"Wait a minute — have we accidentally sailed into the Calm Belt?"
Even the usually calm Yasopp began to feel unsettled as he stared up at the towering beasts surrounding them, so many they almost blotted out the sky.
"This is impossible," the navigator muttered in disbelief.
"Deep‑Sea Lords are far more solitary than Sea Kings. They only gather in groups if they belong to the same kind. In all my decades at sea, I have never seen so many different species come together like this."
"Look — that's Mannoroth, one of Grimm's men!" Beckman suddenly pointed toward the horizon, where the colossal figure was swimming rapidly toward them.
"I knew it — that bastard Grimm is behind this!" Shanks growled.
"How can you be so sure, Captain?" Lucky Roux asked through a mouthful of ham.
"Because he always has tricks up his sleeve!"
Furious, Shanks leaped high into the air. In a flash of steel, his sword drew from its sheath and sliced clean through the head of the nearest beast.
ROARRR!
The rest of the sea monsters roared in rage and surged toward him.
"Captain!" several crew members called out in alarm.
At that same moment, the Red Force shook violently, throwing everyone off balance and sending them tumbling across the deck.
Beckman gripped the rail with both hands to steady himself, then leaned over the side and shouted, "They're attacking the hull from below!"
"They're using tactics?" Lucky Roux gaped in shock.
They had fought Sea Kings many times before, but never had they encountered Deep‑Sea Lords smart enough to split their forces and strike from both above and beneath the water.
"I can't explain it either!"
Even Beckman, the crew's brilliant strategist, was at a loss. He pushed the thought aside and called out, "Turn the ship around! We need to break free from their attacks first!"
"Damn it!"
The helmsman fought to keep control, twisting the wheel left and right to dodge the blows from below.
But the beasts were relentless — some kept up the chase while others lunged at the crew on deck. It felt less like fighting wild animals and more like facing an organized army.
On land, they would have had nothing to fear, but out on the open sea, no one dared underestimate the power of Sea Kings and Deep‑Sea Lords — especially when they came in such overwhelming numbers.
"Should we try to make for land?" one crew member asked, firing shots into the water.
"Are you an idiot?" the helmsman snapped back. "The only island nearby is Artemis itself!"
Shanks had just told them this was Grimm's doing — whatever trick he was using, running straight back to his territory would be nothing more than walking into a trap.
High above the waves, Shanks landed atop the head of a giant Sea King, blocked two more charging beasts, then spun around and kicked aside a long‑necked creature resembling a marine giraffe.
He pushed off the water's surface and leaped back onto the stern of his ship.
"Whoa… this is getting completely out of hand!" he exclaimed, staring at the horde of beasts still rushing toward them without hesitation.
THUD!
Suddenly, an enormous sea serpent shot up from the depths. Before anyone could react, it slammed its head hard against the side of the Red Force, tilting the vessel dangerously.
"Not good!"
Shanks unleashed a second wave of Conqueror's Haki, knocking out nearly ten of the closest creatures.
He then slammed his palm down onto the deck, using sheer force to right the listing ship and prevent it from capsizing.
But it was only a temporary fix. Two minutes later…
ROOOOARRR!
Another wave of sea monsters erupted from the depths, surrounding the ship once again.
"I've had enough!" a newer crew member cried out, clutching his head in despair.
"What on earth have we done to make them target us like this?!"
Shanks had already used his Haki twice to knock them unconscious, yet every time, a fresh wave arrived within minutes.
It was true that Sea Kings and Deep‑Sea Lords normally inhabited the Grand Line and the Calm Belt, but this behavior was anything but normal.
They did not attack every ship that passed — otherwise, no one would dare sail these waters at all.
Yet these beasts were acting as if driven mad, throwing themselves at the vessel without pause.
Unleashing his Conqueror's Haki three times in quick succession was already taking its toll. No technique was without side effects, and this one was no exception.
"By the time the first ones wake up, they'll just come back again — it's an endless cycle!" Shanks muttered with a bitter smile.
Suddenly, he remembered the legend he had heard while sailing with Roger long ago: the Three Ancient Weapons.
Pluton, a warship capable of destroying entire islands with a single blast.
Poseidon, the one who could command all sea creatures across the world.
And the most mysterious of them all — Uranus, which held the power of the heavens.
Everything that was happening right now pointed to the second weapon: Poseidon.
"Is it really possible…?" Shanks murmured, his expression turning grim.
They were in serious trouble. He did not possess Roger's advanced Observation Haki, which could sense every living thing for miles around, so he had no way of knowing just how many more monsters lurked in the depths.
But just as the crew readied themselves to fight to the death, something strange happened.
The sea beasts, which had been circling with bared fangs and ready to strike, suddenly lost all aggression.
Their eyes went blank, and one by one, they sank back beneath the waves and swam away in every direction.
The entire crew stood frozen, stunned into silence. What just happened?
"Beckman — what is going on?" one of them asked.
The first mate shook his head, equally baffled.
"Your guess is as good as mine. All I know is that this is the perfect chance to get out of here!"
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