Bab 53: chapter 51: Turning point
On the vast, endless sea, a lone boat drifted with the waves.
As the distance closed, a single figure came into view, seated calmly at the bow of the boat. His eyes were shut, as though asleep, yet there was a sense of alertness, as if he were fishing.
In his hands, he held a crooked green thread. It didn't resemble fishing line but looked more like a thin vine, although finer and more delicate than any plant one might find naturally.
Suddenly, the man at the bow opened his eyes. The green thread in his hand began to tremble violently, clearly indicating something had taken the bait.
Yet strangely, the man appeared aware of the catch before the thread even moved.
Indeed, he was. The fisherman was Baishi, and the "fishing line" in his hands was actually created using his Wood Release technique.
With a flick of his fingers, the "line" snapped back, pulling up a vibrantly colored fish bound tightly in his makeshift trap.
Baishi examined the multicolored fish, failing to recognize its species. He had no way of knowing if it was poisonous or edible.
As the saying goes: better safe than sorry. In his previous, mundane life, he had learned that many marine creatures could be lethally toxic. In this extraordinary ninja world, the dangers were bound to be even greater.
Still, discarding it outright wasn't an option.
Following his principle of "waste nothing," Baishi placed a Flying Thunder God seal on the fish before tossing it back into the sea.
Judging by his practiced movements, this wasn't his first time doing so.
In fact, over the past month, Baishi had marked countless marine creatures in the same manner.
Currently, within his sensory range, there were three moving targets with his seals, including the fish he had just released. It was a testament to how many creatures he had already tagged.
For now, however, he didn't dare teleport recklessly. The reason was simple: many of the marked creatures lived hundreds of meters underwater.
With his current physical abilities, he couldn't survive the immense pressure at such depths. Attempting to teleport there could very well crush him instantly.
Still, Baishi believed that as his body continued to evolve, it would one day become strong enough to withstand such pressure.
When that day came, all the creatures he had marked would become viable teleportation points, opening up a vast network of travel options.
For now, every mark he made was an investment in the future.
Baishi withdrew his thoughts and scanned the horizon.
As with most of the past month, the scene was calm. Everywhere he looked, there was nothing but endless water.
Then his gaze sharpened.
"Wait... What's that?"
Baishi stood abruptly, narrowing his eyes at the horizon. Far in the distance, three black dots appeared, growing larger as they drew closer.
Finally, he made out what they were.
"Pirate ships? They're actually pirate ships!"
At first, Baishi was puzzled. But then, as if struck by an idea, his expression turned excited.
Without hesitation, he adjusted the sails and steered his boat toward the pirate ships.
Before long, the three ships noticed him and began approaching as well.
The distance between them quickly shrank to mere tens of meters.
Suddenly, barrels were hurled from the pirate ships, flying toward Baishi's vessel like cannonballs.
"What's this?"
Baishi watched the barrels with mild curiosity, making no move to stop them.
Boom!
One of the barrels struck his boat, shattering on impact and spilling a thick, sticky liquid.
A single glance was enough for Baishi to recognize it: explosive oil, a favorite tool of pirates.
"Next, they'll fire flaming arrows," he muttered, his tone almost amused.
Sure enough, flaming arrows followed shortly after, igniting his small vessel. Yet Baishi made no effort to extinguish the fire, allowing the flames to consume the boat.
Amid the crackling of fire and the pirates' mocking laughter, Baishi leapt off the burning boat. To the pirates' utter shock, he began walking on the surface of the sea, steadily making his way toward them.
The laughter ceased abruptly.
Initially, they had mistaken Baishi for a lost, inexperienced fisherman, easy prey for their amusement.
But now, what they were witnessing seemed impossible.
"He's walking on water... Is he the Sea God?"
One of the pirates stammered, dropping to his knees in terror.
"Sea God, my foot!" the pirate captain shouted, kicking the man aside. "He's a ninja!"
Raising his voice, the captain barked orders: "Don't be afraid! He's just one man! Ready your bows and fire on my mark!"
Though fearful, the pirates obeyed, drawing their bows and taking aim.
Baishi chuckled softly. Raising his hands, he quickly formed hand seals.
"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!"
A massive water dragon, over ten meters long, erupted from the sea, roaring as it surged toward the pirate captain's ship.
The sheer presence of the water dragon left the pirates paralyzed, their bows dropping uselessly to their sides.
Only when the water dragon was almost upon them did they snap out of their daze, screaming as they abandoned their weapons and scrambled to flee.
Crash!
The water dragon slammed into the ship, destroying it effortlessly.
One by one, the pirates fell into the sea like dumplings dropped into soup.
The remaining two ships tried to retreat, but before they could turn, Baishi summoned another water dragon.
In a repeat of the first attack, the second ship was annihilated.
Seeing this, the crew of the final ship gave up entirely. They lowered their sails and stayed motionless, waiting in terrified silence.
Baishi stepped aboard casually, his eyes sweeping over the kneeling pirates with a faint smirk.
"Why aren't you running anymore?" he asked, his tone playful.
One of the pirates, likely a low-ranking leader, raised his head cautiously. Forcing a nervous smile, he replied, "We won't run, sir! Please spare us! It was the one-eyed captain who gave the orders earlier—we're just underlings!"
Baishi ignored his rambling, cutting straight to the point. "Where are you from?"
"Moon Island, sir! We're from Moon Island!" the man answered without hesitation.
Hearing this, Baishi's eyes lit up. He murmured to himself, "So there really is an island here. That guy wasn't lying."
Back in the Land of Fragrance, when Baishi had purchased his boat, the seller had mentioned rumors of an island in these waters—possibly hiding treasure.
Baishi had dismissed the treasure part but decided to investigate the island.
After a month of fruitless searching, he had nearly given up. Now, everything had changed.
In such an empty sea, pirates shouldn't exist. Pirates relied on plundering for survival. With no nearby nations or passing trade routes, this area had no profit to offer.
The only explanation was that this sea was their base of operations.
Realizing this, Baishi's earlier excitement now made perfect sense.
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