The Calm Belt was a treacherous zone that isolated the Grand Line from the Four Blues.
Due to its lack of sea breeze and ocean currents, it became a haven for countless giant Sea Kings. For most pirates, it was an impassable danger zone.
Only Marine warships, powered by special propulsion systems and reinforced with Seastone hulls to repel Sea Kings, could traverse the Calm Belt freely.
Fortunately, the Wind Rider was powered by Air Dials, so the only concern was dealing with the Sea Kings.
On deck, the girls watched the water below with cautious eyes.
It was indeed the Calm Belt. Within half a day of entering, they had already faced several waves of Sea King attacks.
Luckily, they were strong enough to drive all of them back.
"These guys are such a pain. They're not particularly strong, but their size is insane."
Gion rubbed her temple, clearly frustrated.
She was used to sailing Marine warships reinforced with Seastone at the bottom, so she had rarely encountered Sea King attacks.
They hadn't even reached the Golden Lion yet, and they were already in danger of getting lost or sunk in the Calm Belt.
"If this happens again, or if a bigger one shows up, we might go under before even reaching the East Blue."
Robin frowned as she recalled how the Wind Rider had been shaken earlier.
The ship was only a hundred meters long, but most of the attacking Sea Kings were several hundred meters long, with some exceeding 500 meters. In comparison, the Wind Rider looked like a toy.
Even if they killed one before it got close, the mere splash from its corpse could toss the ship around like a paper boat.
"What's with the gloomy faces?"
Caelan stepped out of the cabin, visibly refreshed after synchronizing with his new template.
"It's those Sea Kings. They just keep charging at us like they don't care about dying."
Vivi complained bitterly.
"It's really annoying... and here comes another one."
Caelan's eyes narrowed as he sensed the massive presence beneath the water.
Below the surface swam a thousand-meter-long shark-shaped Sea King, a sharp horn protruding from its head.
Though it wasn't as massive as the one Shirahoshi could summon, it was far larger than the Sea King that bit off Shanks' arm.
The Wind Rider, at only a hundred meters long, wasn't even the size of its tail.
At the same time, the girls with Observation Haki sensed it as well, and their expressions grew tense.
"If this one surfaces, we might capsize before we can do anything."
Tashigi's face darkened as a blue flame ignited in her palm.
It was a special flame from the Cat-Cat Fruit, Mythical Zoan, Model: Nekomata. Once ignited, it could spread across a Sea King's entire body and continue burning underwater for over ten minutes.
The last few Sea Kings had suffered greatly from it.
But with something this big, even if she could burn it to death, its death throes might still flip the Wind Rider.
"I'll take care of it."
Caelan narrowed his eyes, eager to test the riding skill.
"This one's all yours."
The girls relaxed as soon as he spoke.
Having a reliable backbone really made all the difference.
Caelan gave a slight nod and dove into the sea.
With his strength, he sliced through the water, diving a hundred meters deep to confront the Sea King.
Compared to the thousand-meter-long shark, Caelan was like a tiny ant.
???
What does this human think he's doing?
The shark had lived for untold years and possessed considerable intelligence.
Normally, when it showed up, humans ran for their lives. No one had ever dared approach it directly.
Seeing Caelan swimming right toward it, the Sea King was utterly confused.
But prey was prey. No matter how small, meat was meat. The Sea King opened its abyssal jaws to swallow him whole.
Caelan, however, blasted forward like a cannonball, piercing through the suction and landing a direct strike on its head.
ROOOOAR!
The Sea King bellowed in pain, thrashing wildly in fury.
The proud ruler of the sea would never allow a human to stand on its head.
"What a strong shark. Perfect for pulling the ship."
Standing on the creature's horn, Caelan admired its size, clearly satisfied.
ROOAR!
Sea Kings will never be slaves!
As if sensing Caelan's intentions, the shark roared in defiance, its eyes filled with rage.
Caelan furrowed his brow and activated his [Riding] skill.
The next second, the furious Sea King calmed down almost instantly.
With Observation Haki, Caelan could sense a change — it had grown docile, even friendly toward him.
"Wag your tail."
The shark obediently swished its tail.
"Open your mouth."
It opened its jaws wide, revealing rows of jagged fangs.
"Perfect. It works."
Caelan nodded, satisfied.
Thanks to his Riding skill, the massive Sea King followed his every command.
After a bit of fun, Caelan returned to the surface, standing on the Sea King's head.
"What a massive shark!"
Seeing the enormous body rise from the sea, the girls exclaimed in awe.
The Sea Kings they had fought earlier were at most 500–600 meters long, nothing close to this one.
And yet, this beast wasn't roaring or thrashing. It seemed… tame?
The girls couldn't hide their confusion.
"Let's have it pull the ship."
Caelan jumped back onto the Wind Rider and secured a rope to the Sea King's horn.
The beast didn't resist at all. It steadily pulled the Wind Rider toward the East Blue.
Not only was it fast and stable, but it also deterred other Sea Kings from approaching.
With this shark leading the way, they could safely reach the East Blue.
"Did you tame it?"
Nami stared in disbelief at the creature towing them.
"How did you even do that? That's insane!"
Vivi was equally shocked.
Robin studied Caelan curiously. She had read countless books, but never heard of anyone taming a thousand-meter-long Sea King.
"Well... let's just say it's a talent."
Caelan shrugged with a slight grin.
His Riding skill was unique in this world. Calling it a talent wasn't wrong.
"Really? So there's a talent like that?"
The girls nodded, accepting it. With Caelan, impossible things seemed normal.
Taming a Sea King was just one more surprise.
Only Gion frowned, staring at Caelan thoughtfully.
Talent?
She remembered reading something classified in Marine records.
The legendary Ancient Weapon "Poseidon" could command Sea Kings.
Was Caelan controlling Poseidon? Or... was he Poseidon?
Excited by how well his Riding skill had worked, Caelan turned to Vivi and Tashigi.
Sea Kings were one thing. Now it was time to test Mythical Zoans.
That night...
Caelan called in Tashigi and Vivi to test whether Riding worked on Mythical Zoan transformations.
"Do we really have to do this? This feels so wrong..."
Tashigi's face was beet red.
She now had two small cat ears and a pair of soft tails. Her face glowed crimson with embarrassment.
Vivi, on the other hand, had golden wings sprouting from her back and her eyes had turned a majestic gold.
Caelan chuckled mischievously as he straddled them both and silently activated the Riding skill.
"Meow!"
"Chirp!"
Upon rigorous testing, it was confirmed that Mythical Zoan users were within the range of Riding.
The so-called "Mythical Beasts" in this world didn't match the Type-Moon definition. His Riding skill still worked.
However, the condition was that the user had to be fully transformed into their beast form.
Partial forms — like half-beast or three-part hybrids — couldn't be ridden.
For the sake of scientific accuracy and truth-seeking spirit, Caelan repeated the tests multiple times to confirm his findings.
It was a wild and ridiculous night...
(To be continued.)
***
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