Chapitre 13: Toll
There was an extreme silence on the deck of Zeff's ship. The pirates, with their eyes fixed on their captain.
Zeff, with a furrowed brow and a drop of sweat sliding down his temple, quickly assessed the situation.
'If we stay here, we'll die sooner or later,' he thought. 'But if we lose our heads, we won't have even a miserable chance.'
In a voice that allowed no reply, Zeff barked his orders: "Listen to me well, you useless bunch! Get the oars out and start rowing as if your lives depended on it... because in fact, they do!"
The pirates, shaken by their captain's voice, hurried to obey. Spare oars and even bamboo poles appeared in the hands of the crew, who began to row with vigor.
But fate, that cruel puppeteer, had other plans for Zeff's crew.
A scream tore through the air: "Captain! Something's moving in the water!"
As if they were a single entity, all heads turned towards the sea.
The sea, previously as placid as a mirror, began to agitate violently. The pirates with oars still in their trembling hands watched in horror as the water rose, forming a liquid mountain.
And then, Morgan emerged.
It wasn't an appearance; it was an aquatic apocalypse.
First, a crown of sharp horns broke the surface, each as tall as the ship's main mast.
Then, a scaly forehead the size of the entire deck. And finally, a pair of eyes as blue as the darkest depths of the ocean, each as large as the captain's cabin.
Morgan's body continued to rise, and rise, and rise.
Its total length far exceeded the length of Zeff's ship; where the vessel ended, Morgan's body continued to extend, serpentining in the water like a living mountain range.
Its scales reflected the sunlight. Its tail, as long as the entire length of the ship.
The ship looked like a toy in a bathtub next to Morgan. The sea dragon's head alone was as large as half the vessel. When Morgan stood up completely, its body towered over the ship like a skyscraper over a cabin.
The pirates were paralyzed.
Some fell to their knees, their legs unable to support them in the face of such a sight. Others wet themselves, fear overcoming any sense of dignity.
Zeff, his face as pale as wax, tried to maintain his composure. But he felt his heart beating so hard that he feared it might burst in his chest.
In all his years sailing the seas, he had never seen such a creature.
And then... Morgan spoke.
It wasn't simply a sound. It was as if the ocean itself had found a voice.
"...What do we have here? A group of pirates lost in my domain."
The effect was instant and devastating.
Several pirates fainted on the spot, their minds unable to process the idea of a talking sea monster.
Zeff felt his knees threatening to give way. Every instinct in his body screamed at him to run, to jump overboard, to do something, anything, to escape this nightmare.
But he knew there was no escape. They were at the mercy of this creature, who looked at them with killer eyes.
With an effort, he stepped forward. His voice came out as a hoarse whisper:
"Great... Sea King," he began, carefully choosing his words. "We have strayed into these waters. If you allow us to leave, we will be eternally grateful."
Morgan tilted his colossal head, observing Zeff like a cat would look at a particularly interesting mouse.
When he spoke again, the pirates could feel the vibration of his voice in their own chests.
"Gratitude? Oh, my naive mustachioed friend. In these seas, gratitude is worthless. But Berries... those do have value."
Zeff, with trembling legs but a steady gaze, struggled to maintain his composure. "Are you... asking for a toll?"
Morgan's laughter shook the ocean, creating waves that hit the hull of the ship. Several pirates clung to whatever they could, fearing being thrown overboard.
"Well! The mustachioed one has a brain," shouted Morgan, his eyes shining with intelligence. "That's right, my little friend. One hundred million Berries. That's the price to cross my domains without... setbacks."
"...."
A deathly silence fell over the deck. One hundred million Berries. A sum that not just anyone had.
Zeff swallowed, his throat dry as sandpaper. "And if... if we don't have that amount?"
Morgan brought his draconic face close to the ship. His breath, smelling of salt and death, caused several men to vomit. A single one of his nostrils was as large as the ship's main hatch.
"Oh, in that case," he whispered, "I'll be forced to collect in another way. Perhaps with the wood of your ship. Or maybe... with the flesh of your crew."
Zeff closed his eyes, his mind working frantically.
When he opened them, there was a steely resolution in his gaze.
"We have the money," he declared, his voice firmer than he felt. "But I need your word that you'll let us pass without harm once we pay."
Morgan retreated slightly, an almost amused expression on his face. "My word? Well, well... a pirate seeking honor in a monster. How fascinating."
He stood up to his full colossal height, his silhouette blocking the sun and plunging the ship into an ominous twilight. "Very well... Red-Leg Zeff. You have my word. Pay, and you may pass."
Zeff's pupils dilated slightly upon hearing that this monster knew him.
With a trembling gesture, he ordered his crew to bring the treasure chest.
Two men, pale as ghosts, dragged a heavy box onto the deck.
Morgan observed the process with patience, like a predator sure of its prey. When the chest was open, revealing its shining contents, he extended a claw the size of a lifeboat.
"Excellent," he purred, collecting the treasure as if it were a trinket. "You have chosen wisely."
Before the astonished eyes of the crew, Morgan submerged the chest into the depths. For a moment, nothing happened. Then, a strange glow seemed to run through the monster's scales, as if absorbing the wealth through its skin.
[100 million Berries converted. +1000 evolution points acquired.]
The message flashed in Morgan's mind, invisible to others. A smile of satisfaction drew on his monstrous face.
"Ah, music to my ears," said Morgan, feeling his power. "You are much more reasonable than those marines. They only try to capture me... as if they could."
"The deal is sealed," he declared. "You may pass."
With a fluid movement of his tail, Morgan generated a massive wave that pushed the ship towards the edge of the Calm Belt.
The pirates clung to the deck, screaming in terror as their vessel was dragged like a leaf in a torrent.
When they finally stopped, the Calm Belt and Morgan were barely visible in the distance.
Zeff, still clinging to the helm, looked at his crew. Men hardened by years at sea lay on the deck, some crying, others laughing hysterically.
________
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