one piece: gene extraction and fusion system Chapter 58: The Arrival of Hanba – Guardian of the Deep

The enormous creature, completely covered in red skin with two thick horns protruding from its forehead, looked like a demon of the deep. It had a human-like body structure, and a massive tail lashed casually behind it, creating huge waves with each movent.

At this mont, the creature gripped the large sea king with one hand and pinned it into the water. With his other hand clenched into a massive fist, he rained down punches without pause.

"Who told you to bully the master?!"

"Look, I'll kill all of you! No one can hurt the master!"

The voice echoed like thunder.

Even while pumling the giant sea king, the red-skinned figure swung its tail outward, smashing into another sea king that tried to sneak in an attack. The sea king was sent flying, unconscious from just one hit.

"Stop! Stop! I was wrong! It hurts, please stop!"

The wounded giant sea king cried out desperately, struggling to break free. But no matter how much it squird, the red figure's grip was far too strong. The difference in strength was overwhelming.

"It's wrong to attack the master!!"

The red creature roared again, grabbing the tail of another nearby sea king. He flung it into the air and hurled it across the sea like a rag doll.

At the sa ti, one of the sea kings tried to lunge at Mio.

When the red figure spotted it, his eyes widened in fury. He lunged forward, caught the sea king mid-air, and lifted it above his head.

"No one can hurt the master!!"

"ROAAARRR!!"

His roar tore through the air, shaking the entire sea.

His muscles bulged as power surged through him. With both arms, he pulled hard—and in a terrifying display of brute strength, ripped the sea king clean in half.

"Tsk... This guy's strength is terrifying," Mio muttered, stunned by the sight before him. A grin tugged at the corners of his mouth.

Then he raised his voice. "Alright, that's enough!"

The red-skinned giant was still wreaking havoc in the water, causing enormous waves and chaotic currents. This place was supposed to be a Calm Belt—yet there was nothing calm about it anymore.

At Mio's command, the giant creature halted imdiately. He turned his head to look at Mio, and for a mont, Mio saw sothing curious in his eyes—amber irises with a flickering scarlet gleam deep inside.

"Master, do you want to kill them?" the red figure asked.

"No, please don't kill !!" the giant sea king cried out again, writhing pitifully in panic.

BOOM.

The red-skinned giant slamd his fist onto the sea king's head with a loud thud. "Don't move!!"

"...Oh~" ca the sea king's defeated, sulky voice.

Mio's mouth twitched slightly at the ridiculous scene, then turned his gaze back to the red figure. Massive, horned, red-skinned, with a long tail... This beast looked every bit like a demon of the underworld. Ferocious and wild.

"There's no need to kill them," Mio said with a smile. "Let them go. We're leaving too."

Killing these sea kings would bring no benefit. Mio considered harvesting their genes for future use—but sea king genes didn't have much appeal for his current plans. Unless he needed to build a full underwater army in the future, they were more or less disposable.

"Fine, I'll let you off this ti," the red creature grumbled. He slamd the sea king into the seabed one last ti before backing off.

Soon after, the giant sea king reerged and shouted in gratitude, "Thank you, human! I'll never ss with humans again! Goodbye!"

Mio's lips twitched. That farewell sounded weirdly like sothing out of a tragic drama. Judging by the bruises and wounds on the creature's body, it might actually be serious.

After the leader retreated, the remaining sea kings, now terrified, were stared down by the red creature. Trembling, they quickly dove beneath the waves and disappeared.

"...He's so strong," Robin whispered, finally recovering her composure. She looked at the massive red figure in awe, then turned to Mio. "Captain, is this... one of our partners too?"

"That's right," Mio answered with a wide grin. "This big guy just showed off what he's capable of. With him around, we don't have to worry about enemies at sea. Not unless they can fly."

And such opponents were exceedingly rare in this world.

"From now on, your na will be Hanba," Mio said, looking up at the red figure.

The na might not be perfect, but it reflected Mio's expectations. If Hanba could one day learn Armant Haki—like Douglas Bullet, who could coat his entire giant body in Haki—he'd beco an unstoppable force.

He didn't know whether that was possible... but he was willing to try.

"Hanba? Hanba likes this na!" the red giant replied happily, scratching his head like a bashful child. "Thank you, Master!"

"Hahaha, as long as you're happy." Mio chuckled, then looked toward Warwick. "Warwick, go get a rope. Hanba's going to tow us out of here."

With a small hop, Mio landed on the bow of the ship. He casually lifted his right hand—then realized he was missing sothing.

Just as he was about to ask, Erica appeared beside him with perfect timing, holding a bottle of rum. "Master, here."

"Haha, Erica always gets ," Mio laughed, uncorking the bottle and taking a long swig.

Warwick soon returned with a thick rope and tossed it toward Hanba. The giant caught it and tied it securely. Then he dove into the water and began swimming, effortlessly pulling the ship forward through the once-dangerous Calm Belt.

Mio sat comfortably at the bow, watching Hanba's hulking figure glide through the waves. The corner of his mouth lifted into a satisfied smile.

"Next... I need to make a Vivre Card. If Hanba gets lost in the sea, that'd be a big problem."

He took another drink and narrowed his eyes thoughtfully.

"And after that... maybe it's ti to visit Impel Down."

A smile crept across his lips, anticipation gleaming in his eyes.

He'd wanted to go there for a long ti.

But the ti wasn't right just yet.

So he would wait.