Chapter 580: Captain Hook

A colossal cannon, nearly as large as the ship itself.

The force of its fire made Oliver lose balance and plunge into the sea.

Splash!

As he fell into the water, Oliver had two thoughts.

First, the sea was much saltier than he expected.

Second, Captain Hook used a rather unique style of dark magic.

Bubbling.

Instead of just creating sailors and enhancing the ship with creation-oriented dark magic,

Hook went beyond that—he used the ship as material and completely recreated it into something new.

The evidence was the split deck and the impossibly large cannon.

This wasn’t something a mere enhancement could achieve.

In summary, what was above the sea wasn’t just a ship, but a gigantic creature. One could even call it Hook’s personal little world.

Just like the Sleeping Forest where Sleeping Beauty resides.

Although, while its scale was incomparable, considering the unique environment of the sea, it was still a force to be reckoned with.

‘I need support.’

Oliver decided while submerged underwater, realizing he at least needed some footing.

No sooner he thought this, a green fish came into view.

He used Targeting on the fish as it tried to flee, pulling it towards him.

‘This won’t be enough…’

After examining the fish, Oliver instinctively reached into his robe and pulled out a vial.

The vial contained a piece of red flesh.

This flesh was from the summoned creature of a prince candidate from the Swan Sect, taken for research purposes.

Trusting his instincts, Oliver opened the vial, fed the fish the flesh, and activated creation-oriented dark magic.

[Mimic-Fish Man]

***

A living fish.

A piece of a summoned creature.

Dark magic imitating Fen’s creature, the Fish Man.

When these three elements combined, something astonishing occurred.

In a matter of moments, the fish, now with a faint trace of intelligence in its eyes, sprouted arms and legs. Its skeleton twisted, and its flesh bubbled before growing explosively.

It transformed into a giant based on the fish.

Creeeeeech━━━!!

The fish giant emerged from the water with a massive column of water behind it, letting out a bizarre sound as it clutched the Wendy with its webbed hands.

The ship lost its balance and rocked violently.

Standing on top of the giant’s head, Oliver looked down at the struggling Hook.

“That ship of yours is truly remarkable.”

There was no trace of deceit in his sincerity.

However, Hook didn’t respond. He simply swung his rapier, giving a stern command to his crew.

“Destroy him.”

As soon as the command was given, Hook’s crew swiftly regained balance on the swaying ship and leveled their firearms.

From simple pistols to submachine guns, rifles, hand cannons attached to prosthetic arms, and even full cannons. There was a wide variety.

Of course, these weapons, too, were creatures just like the crew, naturally possessing extraordinary power.

Considering that, Oliver then signaled the fish giant.

“Please handle this.”

Creeeeeeech━!!

The fish giant let out a sound like an ultrasonic wave, raising one of the arms holding the ship. It swung the arm from left to right, sweeping across the deck.

Crash!!

As the giant arm covered in tough scales swung across, it sent most of the crew flying off the deck into the sea with a thunderous noise.

A simple but powerful physical force.

But the giant didn’t stop there. It raised its arm again, intending to crush Hook, who was clad in a red uniform.

Whip!

Suddenly, ropes attached to different parts of the Wendy, such as the deck, mast, columns, and even its sides, came alive like snakes, obstructing the giant’s move.

Creeeeeech…

Bound by ropes around its wrist, arms, shoulders, neck, and face, the fish giant let out a cry full of frustration as it struggled.

Normally, such ropes would have snapped by now, but these ropes, being part of the creature, only tightened their grip on the fish giant.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The cannons then came alive with a rumbling sound.

Hook had fired the cannons on the side of the ship, hitting the fish giant in the stomach.

Fortunately, the tough scales of the giant held up, preventing fatal injury, but the pain was immense.

Enraged, the fish giant then decided to overturn the ship entirely.

As the Wendy began to tilt, another event occurred.

The planks that made up the bow of the Wendy unfolded like a puzzle, and from the opening, a massive claw burst out, stabbing the fish giant.

Thunk!!

Creaaaagh!!

The fish giant shrieked in agony as water spray and fish scales mixed with blood scattered in all directions.

Crack!

Emerging with its legs like spiders, a colossal crab burst forth from the bow of the Wendy, making an incomprehensible cry.

Despite the intense pain, the fish giant roared back at the crab, attempting to intimidate it. The crab, unfazed, roared back and engaged in a brutal clash.

Creeeeeeech━━━!!

Crack crack crack crack crack!!

As the two massive creatures’ roars resonated, waves surged, and their webbed claws and pincers clashed.

Creeeech!!

But only the fish giant’s scream echoed.

It was inevitable.

Though the fish giant’s claws were sharp and its scales tough enough to withstand cannon fire, its opponent was a crab.

The fish giant’s claws couldn’t pierce the crab’s thick shell, nor could they block its massive pincers.

In short, it was at a disadvantage.

Meanwhile, the Wendy’s ropes tightened even more, and the crab’s spider-like legs pulled the fish giant down, adding to the pressure.

The wounds intensified, the bleeding increased, and the tide of battle turned against the fish giant.

As the fish giant’s defeat grew more certain over time—

—Bang!

A deafening sound rang out, one that shook not just flesh but bones.

It was akin to the sound of massive steel bars clashing.

The source of the sound was none other than a hammer made by wrapping a Quarterstaff in Black Armor and a Black Suit, smashing the crab’s legs.

“Excuse me.”

Using Targeting, Oliver clung to the fish giant. With one hand, he hefted the hammer high and spoke.

Boooom!!

When the hammer struck the crab’s legs again, the boneshaking sound echoed, shattering the crab’s legs.

This was the result of the Quarterstaff layered with multiple layers of Black Armor and Suit, combined with the monstrous strength acquired from the Flesh Cook.

Using the fish giant as a steppingstone, Oliver even struck the claw that tried to pierce it.

Booom!!

Boom!!

Two shockwaves rippled through the air.

However, while the claw, much thicker than the legs, was not completely shattered, it was cracked, and part of its shell was damaged.

But that was enough. The continuous pain caused the crab to recoil.

Hook then tried to bind Oliver using the ropes that even withstood the fish giant’s strength.

From above, below, in front, left, and right—the ropes came at him from every direction.

Oliver responded by pulling out his Blood-Stained Dagger and swinging it wide.

Shraaack━!

With a single swing of the Blood-Stained Dagger, Oliver cut through the ropes coming at him, as well as those holding the fish giant.

“…!!”

Hook’s eyes widened in surprise, but the real shock came when diseases quickly began spreading through the severed rope ends.

Alarmed, Hook severed the infected sections, and the now free fish giant once again grabbed the ship, attempting to overturn it.

“Obey my command!!”

As Wendy tilted and blasted a jet of white water, Hook stabbed the deck with his rapier and shouted.

With his commanding voice, the control over the Wendy only strengthened. The frightened crab reemerged and tried to cut off the fish giant’s arms with its damaged pincers.

Just when Oliver was about to swing his black hammer-wrapped Quarterstaff again at the pincers, gunshots and cannon fire erupted.

The crew members who had been swept into the sea by the fish giant were re-summoned onto the deck by Hook’s command, aiming at Oliver.

Interestingly, the crew members emerging from the sea had transformed, mixing with the appearance of fish, crustaceans, and shellfish while their weapons became part of their bodies.

Their dark magic power had grown stronger as well.

Some even attempted close combat with superhuman movements, using the crab and the fish giant as steppingstones.

In response, Oliver created a massive wave with his magic, sweeping away the advancing crew. He then froze the Wendy with ice magic before unleashing an intense barrage of magical and dark magic attacks.

The Wendy itself emitted heat to melt the ice, and the freed crew slashed through fire and lightning, hiding behind crustacean-like shells for protection.

The crab and the fish giant continued their chaotic battle.

After freezing the ship, Oliver rained fire and lightning, firing Bullets of Hatred at the Wendy.

The Wendy responded by radiating heat to melt the ice, while the crew fired guns and cannons and swung swords and hooks.

The battlefield, the ocean, churned with waves, creating artificial waves that overwhelmed the natural ones, spraying water all around.

The result was a downpour of water, like rain, and the formation of mist.

Whether it was affected by the intensity of the battle or simply hungry, Oliver’s shadow started to tremble again.

After all, to the shadow, Hook’s ship would be a feast.

At that moment, a fact Oliver had forgotten and a good idea struck him simultaneously.

He immediately calmed the shadow and retrieved an item stored within it.

It was the Greedy Bag, fashioned into a vest, an item acquired from the Verdant Forest.

The item’s original owner was none other than the Bomb Merchant.

The Bomb Merchant was Puppet’s apprentice and Claude’s companion, a black market dealer who sold corpse bombs and was killed by Puppet. Oliver had taken his body and items afterward.

Now was the time to use it.

Oliver lifted the Greedy Bag vest and made a request.

“Could you assist me?”

In response to Oliver’s polite request, the terrified Greedy Bag reacted even though Oliver wasn’t its owner, producing items from within.

It formed hundreds of corpse bombs, continuously spitting them out through its enormous mouth.

Oliver then exerted control over the corpse bombs, directing them towards the crab’s cracked pincers and the ship.

“Graaaghhhh!”

The corpse bombs, packed with life force and emotion, obeyed Oliver’s will, clinging to the crab’s cracked pincers and self-destructing.

Boom━━!!!

The cracked pincers, weakened by the explosion, shattered completely.

Free from the pincers, the fish giant’s eyes glinted with revenge. It grabbed the crab’s black eyes, crushed them, then forcibly pried open its split jaws.

Cr-cr-crack!

As the thin shells of the crab’s jaws shattered, its death throes were drowned out by the crashing waves.

The Wendy began to tilt. The battle between the monsters seemed to be nearing its end.

Riding that momentum, countless corpse bombs poured out from the Greedy Bag vest, climbing the fish giant and latching onto the Wendy’s deck to confront the crew.

Hook’s crew put up a fight, showing superhuman strength to fend off the corpse bombs, but in the end, the sheer number of bombs prevailed, forcing them to succumb and self-detonate.

Boom boom boom━━!!

The explosion, as if dynamite had been scattered across the Wendy, engulfed the entire ship.

The impact was strong enough to be felt even in the distant harbor, with smoke from the explosion covering the entire area.

Many people watching the battle from Bean City’s harbor naturally assumed the Wendy had been blown to pieces, leaving no trace.

But then, a short, distinct gunshot rang through the air.

Thunk!

The distinct shot of a harpoon cannon was heard, and a massive harpoon pierced through the smoke, hitting the fish giant right between the eyes.

The fish giant, which had withstood the ropes and the crab’s pincers, slowly crumbled backward from the surprise and deadly blow.

Standing on the giant’s head, Oliver attempted to Extract its emotions to repurpose it as a zombie,

But Hook thwarted him by unleashing a barrage of fire from a gatling cannon and a sniper-like cannon he had attached to the ship.

Boom boom boom━━!!

Dozens of cannon barrels spewed fire, punching large holes all over the now lifeless fish giant’s body.

At this point, it was impossible to salvage it into anything useful.

With the fish giant’s body now reduced to mere rags, Oliver shifted his footing onto the Wendy—the only stable platform left.

Remarkably, the Wendy had retained its shape despite the explosion of hundreds of corpse bombs.

The result of the immense resources put into its creation, Hook’s mastery of dark magic, the creature’s resilience, and Hook’s dedication to and will for the Wendy.

“This creature is astonishing. I honestly thought I’d disable it at least.”

Oliver remarked with admiration. This time, Hook responded.

“I’m barely keeping it together.”

Oliver understood what he meant.

The crew that once filled the Wendy had all disappeared without a trace. They were likely used temporarily as materials to keep the damaged Wendy in one piece.

“Even so, it’s still amazing.”

“You’re amazing too. It’s been a long time since I was this pushed back on the sea.”

He was genuine.

“So, tell me. How many times have you fought at sea?”

“This is my first time.”

Hook didn’t react much to Oliver’s answer, at least not outwardly.

“I also made the fish giant for the first time today—thanks to some special materials… I thought you’d be curious.”

Oliver had read Hook’s emotions and answered his unspoken question.

Seeing this, Hook laughed.

“Heh heh heh… I finally have to admit it. You’re strong. Really strong. But I think that’s the problem.”

“What do you mean?”

“You might be too strong. I feel like you’re not bringing out your full potential.”

“…”

“Whether it’s out of consideration, arrogance, or carelessness, I can’t tell, but it doesn’t matter. Whatever the reason, it leads to the same result—a fatal mistake… Just like this!!”

Hook slammed his rapier into the deck once more.

The fairy inside Hook’s pocket emerged, sprinkling red powder on Hook before igniting itself and landing on the rapier.

As the fairy landed, crimson flames spread across the Wendy, starting from where the rapier was embedded.

[Fireship]

As its name implies, the Wendy, which had been like a fortress on the sea, became a massive fiery weapon meant to burn away everything except its master, Hook.

This was Captain Hook’s secret technique that had even sunk battleships manned by dozens of warlocks.

As the intense heat scattered the black smoke from the explosion, steam formed from the boiling sea began to take its place.

It was like witnessing a heated piece of steel plunged into water.

In the midst of that intense heat, Hook looked ahead.

“As expected, even you…”

Admiring Oliver’s exceptional skills yet disappointed, Hook’s voice faltered at the sight before him.

He had expected Oliver to have turned to ash, but there he stood, unharmed except for his scorched clothes.

Standing in the midst of a gigantic blaze.

“Well… This is awkward?”