Reincarnated into the world of One Piece, in a land of giants with open eyes?!

44: Intelligence and Cooperation in the Fog

"We had two ships in total. Originally, we planned to sail from the edge of the doldrums to the Sabaody Archipelago for coating, and then go to the New World via Mermaid Island."

"But one morning when I woke up, the whole world was just a thick fog..."

York sighed and turned to look into the depths of the thick fog, as if searching for something:

"The crew members on watch on both ships had no idea what was going on, saying that this damned thick fog had appeared in the blink of an eye."

"We...were lost in the fog, the needles were spinning wildly, the compass was malfunctioning, one day, two days, a week..."

"Despite our frugal efforts, the water and food on board are slowly dwindling..."

York gripped the gunwale with an unconscious tightening of his grip:

That day,

"On August 25th, 1470 of the Ocean Calendar, around 6:30 in the evening, the captain of another ship contacted me and said that he felt something in the fog approaching us from one end to the other."

York tightened his grip, and the solid wood gunwale emitted a faint cracking sound.

"At the time, I was thinking that whether it was the navy or pirates, as long as I could see people, that would be fine. Then... one of those things attacked us."

"We didn't know when it appeared, or from which direction it approached, or even what it looked like until our other ship disappeared into the thick fog."

Oro watched as the ship's hull slowly cracked under York's hands and nodded.

"This sea area, or rather this dense fog, is not just a simple disturbance of the magnetic field; even a permanent pointer will occasionally malfunction and reverse."

York loosened the section of the ship's gunwale that he had twisted into a crumpled mess and turned his gaze back:

"I'm sorry, Captain Oro... We were chased like dogs, but all we know is... sonic attacks are ineffective against those things, and might even provoke them."

Oro said nothing, patted York's uninjured shoulder, and then walked to the damaged part of the Rumba pirate ship and squatted down.

He gently ran his palm across the huge scratches on the hull, where a few metal fragments remained deep within the scratches.

Oro closed his eyes, and the nano-gold powder seeped into the scratches, sensing the composition of these metal fragments.

What kind of thing would leave behind metal fragments after an attack?

Soon, Oro opened his eyes and made a preliminary deduction:

"These things may not be sea creatures, or rather, they may not be simple sea creatures, but more like some kind of 'metal symbiote'."

"A metal symbiote?" Captain York asked, puzzled.

"It's just speculation."

Oro gestured with his hand to show the claw mark: "This claw mark is indeed huge; it almost tore your ship apart."

"But it's not big enough."

"Unless that thing's claws are smaller than its eyes."

Oro pointed to the metal fragments deep within the claw marks: "The dark red mist and the claw strikes were their attack methods, not their actions."

York stared at the metal shards, his tone incredulous:

"So... that thing didn't actually swing its claws?"

Oro nodded and stood up: "Perhaps that's true, but there's too little information for me to be sure."

Oro's gaze returned to the depths of the thick fog, where the high-frequency metallic vibrations had weakened but not disappeared, like a lurking beast waiting for its next opportunity to attack.

Oro approached York and extended his hand: "Captain York, is it possible to cooperate?"

York was stunned. He stared at Oro's outstretched hand, his tone even more incredulous than before:

"Why? You could have just abandoned us. I was even considering kneeling down and begging you for some water and food when you left."

Oro still didn't let go—

There was more than one of those things. Before the Rumbar Pirates rushed out, Linlin had already seen a huge shadow in another direction.

The crew that came after the Rumbar Pirates were not the same as the one Linlin saw; they were heading in the opposite direction.

It seems the Golden Dawn has also been targeted.

But Oro didn't state this fact directly; instead, he slowly said to York:

"Not to mention pirates, even among all ships sailing on this vast ocean, there are very few that would let a stranger escape when being chased by a deadly threat, instead of dragging them overboard."

"And since you are the captain and can say it so directly, your crew members must approve of your actions."

"I admire you and your partner. What's your reason?"

York's pupils dilated. Instead of quickly avoiding the unfortunate guy being chased by a bomb on the road, he actually went up to him.

They've been fleeing all this way, and now they don't even have a bite to eat. They're penniless, have nothing, and have no profit to be made; they're just waiting to die.

It's just that they can escape for a little longer.

And now-

It's astonishing that someone would jump into the fire and offer a helping hand at such a time simply because they admired them.

How could he have such a dream?

Is this still the pirate world where going back on one's word is the norm and betraying trust is as common as eating?

Could it be that I've actually fainted from hunger?

In his daze, York heard Oro's voice again:

"And your other ship, your companions, may not necessarily be dead. Didn't you just see them disappear?"

York snapped back to reality! He swallowed hard, his voice hoarse with nervousness:

"You mean...they...they're still alive?"

"This is also just speculation."

Oro shook his head, his words earnest and straightforward: "But since there's hope, why give up?"

Oro raised his hand slightly.

This time, he wasn't made to wait. York gripped Oro's hand tightly, as if grasping at hope:

"I'd give you my life if it could save them!"

"good!"

Oro nodded seriously, raised his other hand to manipulate the gold, and temporarily repaired the damaged parts of the Rumba Pirate Ship with gold, while saying:

"We need a plan. We must find these guys' weaknesses or patterns as soon as possible."

"Although we have no shortage of water and food, we cannot keep fighting with them indefinitely, or things may change."

"Gails, please prepare some more detoxifying shortbreads; they need to be distributed to everyone."

"OK!"

Gails, who had been watching this closely, immediately replied.

Lingling, still on guard, stood on the railing of the Golden Dawn, carrying the giant golden axe, looking over from above.

The domineering aura emanating from the axe blade hadn't completely dissipated; she grinned, her eyes blazing with fighting spirit.

"What are you afraid of! If those charlatans dare to come again, we'll smash them to death with our mighty power!"

Looking at Lingling's confident demeanor, Oro's furrowed brows relaxed slightly.

"Confidence is necessary, but don't be careless, Lingling."

"I know!"

Lingling answered seriously, then turned back to remain on guard.