Chapter 511
A deep night, where darkness blanketed the surroundings. Two ships, their sails fully unfurled, sliced swiftly through the waters.
Shaaah—
Any sailor with keen eyesight would be astonished first by the extraordinary speed of these vessels and then again by the banners barely visible behind the dim torchlight.
Yangtze River Waterway League.
These five words, painted in deep blue, were not just a passage permit that guaranteed safe and unrestricted travel across the vast Yangtze River.
It was also the mark of raiders.
“That’s… wait, Yangtze River Waterway League Pirates!”
“Kyaaa!”
The noble revelers who had been throwing a banquet aboard a pleasure barge erupted into chaos. However, the fishermen pulling in their nets nearby reacted differently.
“Damn fools. They should just keep drinking instead of screaming.”
“Don’t mind them. It’s not like this is the first time.”
“But… is that the famous fast ship of the Yangtze River Waterway League?”
“I’ve seen one before. If it’s moving that fast, then yeah, it must be.”
“I swear, if I had a ship like that, I wouldn’t ask for anything else.”
“And what would you do with it? Catch more fish?”
“What? Hell no. If I had a fast ship, I’d stop fishing and become a pirate.”
After all, fishermen and pirates were separated by only the slimmest of lines.
When times got tough, the same hands that had wielded nets and harpoons to catch fish would grab weapons for plundering instead.
That was why the fishermen showed no fear toward the pirates.
“Oh, they’re heading this way.”
“Leave them be. They won’t bother us.”
“Damn. We’re so poor even the pirates don’t want to rob us.”
The fishermen chatted idly, watching the situation unfold with casual interest.
Fishermen were just as rough and hardened as sailors—too much so for inexperienced pirates to mess with. Attacking fishermen over mere pocket change would only get a raider skewered by a harpoon.
The Yangtze River Waterway League wasn’t stupid, either. Robbing fishermen simply wasn’t profitable.
So from the fishermen’s perspective, this was nothing more than watching someone else’s misfortune.
However, a short while later, they furrowed their brows as they watched the fast ships pick up even more speed and disappear into the night.
“Huh? They just left?”
“Yeah. Maybe there was someone important on that pleasure boat?”
“If that were the case, they would’ve stopped to check their identities first.”
“Eh, whatever. Not our problem. Let’s finish pulling in these nets and head home.”
“Sounds good.”
With the two fast ships vanishing without incident, lively music once again flowed from the pleasure barge. The fishermen, clicking their tongues in disinterest, returned to their work.
At least… until they heard the first of the strange cries.
“Kkyyatmeuu!!”
The fishermen, at first, dismissed it.
“What the hell. Some drunk’s making a scene.”
“Must be someone who knows how to have fun.”
“I’m already exhausted, and now I have to listen to this nonsense? I swear, I’ll punch a hole in the bottom of that boat.”
One of the older fishermen grumbled, pulling on his net.
Then—
“It’s coming! It’s coming! It’s—SHOOONG—COMINGGG!!”
“Yeah, yeah, I’m coming, you little bastards.”
The fisherman, now furious, grabbed his harpoon, eyes blazing.
“Damn it, that’s it. I’m going over there and putting a hole in their damn boat. Don’t try to stop me.”
“Wait—hold on a second.”
It was only then that the other fishermen sensed something was wrong.
“This… doesn’t sound like it’s coming from the pleasure boat.”
“Yeah, you’re right. Then where the hell…?”
As if on cue, they all lifted their heads and looked around.
The music on the pleasure barge cut off abruptly. Even the finely dressed nobles at the prow stopped their revelry, staring out into the dark waters of the Yangtze.
“…Did I mishear?”
“No, I definitely heard something weird.”
“Damn it. It’s not like we’re being haunted or anything.”
And at that moment—
KWOAAAAAAA!
The water churned violently.
And from the depths, a figure emerged.
No—he wasn’t alone.
“…Oh my god.”
“W-What the hell is that?”
Everyone who saw the spectacle went wide-eyed.
It was already shocking enough to see a shirtless young man speeding across the Yangtze at night.
But then they saw what was in front of him.
“…Sa…sa… SA-YU! It’s a Sayu!”
Someone screamed the name of a dreaded creature, shattering the silence.
And at that moment, they all realized—
This madness was real.
KWOA! KWOA! KWOA!
A Sayu.
A monstrous fish, massive in size and grotesque in appearance. Infamous for its savage nature, it was said to devour even humans.
And yet, a person was riding one.
No—
“H-He’s not riding just one!”
“Look at the fins—one, two… five! There are FIVE Sayu!”
The sheer absurdity of it made them dizzy.
The Sayu typically resided in the vast ocean, yet here they were in the Yangtze.
And not just one or two—five had gathered in one place.
Even that, however, was not the most shocking part.
“Tell me… I’m dreaming, right?”
“…If you are, then I’m having the same dream.”
“Because it looks like that young man… has put a leash on them.”
The Sayu—those terrifying, man-eating creatures—had luminous ropes tied around their snouts, with all five leads held tightly in the young man’s grip.
“Turn left!”
With his shout, he yanked his wrist.
KWOAAAAA!
The Sayu veered left as one.
“Turn right!”
With another pull, they turned again.
With their incredible endurance and speed, the five Sayu cut through the river’s surface like arrows, towing the young man behind them.
His feet barely skimmed the water, yet he was keeping up.
Compared to the fast ships from earlier, he was at least as fast—if not faster.
“…What in the goddamn hell am I looking at?”
—
At the exact moment someone muttered in a dazed voice, the young man who had surged ahead at an impossible speed waved toward the fishermen.
“Hey, fishermen! Nice to meet you.”
“Sorry for the sudden question, but I need some directions. Have you seen two ships pass by recently? Should’ve been around half a shichen to a shichen ago.”
One of the fishermen, who had been preparing to ambush the pleasure boat with his harpoon, hesitated before lowering his weapon and answering.
“S-Saw them, yeah. You mean the fast ships, right?”
“That’s right. Yangtze River Waterway League. There should’ve been a brat at the stern with a face that just screams bad attitude.”
“Uh… don’t know about that, but if you’re talking about the fast ships, they went that way. About half a shichen ago.”
“Half a shichen? Damn, I’ve almost caught up. Whew, shit, that was close.”
His words carried the kind of raw, unfiltered crudeness only a true sailor could manage. The fisherman momentarily froze.
Then, the young man casually loosened one of the strange ropes in his hand.
The fishermen barely had time to react before they noticed—one of the monstrous fish was now free.
“Ugh!”
“T-The Sayu is loose!”
“Back away! Row, row!”
But their fears were misplaced.
The released Sayu simply blinked placidly, gazing up at the young man as docile as a carp. Meanwhile, the young man himself looked utterly unconcerned as he spoke.
“Sayu? Oh, you mean the shark.”
“W-What the hell are you doing?!”
“I get why you’re worried, but my little buddy here doesn’t bite.”
“Your… buddy?”
“Here, let me show you. Fin, up.”
The fishermen’s eyes nearly popped out of their skulls.
As soon as the young man extended his hand, the Sayu—whose eyes had been twitching wildly—immediately raised its fin like a trained dog.
“See? It listens well. It’s a good boy.”
More like… it had become obedient.
The fishermen swallowed their words.
The Sayu’s ragged fin, its trembling body—it had to be their imagination. It had to be.
The young man, oblivious to their horrified stares, continued speaking with a carefree grin.
“This one used to have some anger issues, but after I gave it a proper beating, it’s learned to control itself. So don’t worry, it’s safe now. You won’t get another chance like this—why not take one?”
“W-Wait… what?”
“A gift. A thank-you for the directions. I was going to let one go anyway. By the way, you wouldn’t happen to have any food, would you? I’ve been eating raw fish for three meals a day, and my stomach feels like an aquarium.”
They had no idea what was happening, but their survival instincts kicked in.
The fisherman, trembling like a leaf, pulled out the snack he had tucked into his clothes and handed it over.
“H-Here! Take it!”
“Oh, thanks. Appreciate it.”
The young man accepted the lightly seasoned rice ball with a grin.
“Alright, then. Hope you have a good catch!”
KWA-KWA-KWA-KWA!
And just like that, he was gone, vanishing into the darkness with his bizarre aquatic entourage.
The fishermen stood frozen, staring blankly into the void where the One Man, Five Fish had disappeared.
Then, their gaze drifted downward—toward the thing the young man had left behind.
Gulp.
The Sayu—no, the white sturgeon, who had taken a brutal beating, trembled violently.
And the fisherman, now its new owner, realized in that moment that his entire life had changed.
“…I guess I don’t need a fast ship anymore.”
Thus, the new rising star of the pirate world was born.
—
I’m willing to bet that across both modern civilization and Murim, no one has ever experienced water skiing as naturally as I just did.
Shaaah!
“Shark #4, your posture is off.”
Flinch!
“Yeah, you. The one that just twitched. You think you’re special?”
Rustle.
“Good, keep it steady. You’re not swimming alone here—match your fins with your buddies.”
Of course, I had to resort to a little violence.
A few punches weren’t enough to get the message across, so I had to refine their fins a bit. Also, I might’ve pulled out a few teeth.
If an environmentalist saw this, they’d have me executed for crimes against nature. If marine biologists knew what I did, they’d haunt me in the afterlife.
But I didn’t care.
‘I mean, it’s not like I’m Shanks or anything.’
Only in old comics would some fool feed his own arm to a starving shark out of sheer goodwill. (T/N: Damn, Shanks got burned! It’s a One Piece reference by the way.)
I caught one shark, beat the sense into it, had it call its buddies, and then—boom—I had a fully operational shark-powered waterskiing team.
Officially named: Graburee Farming.
‘Still, without these guys, I never would’ve made it this far.’
I looked down at my new waterskiing squad with pride.
After a half-day of alternating rest and travel, I’d recovered a good amount of my depleted energy. More importantly, I’d managed to close the distance with the fast ships.
Hard work deserves freedom.
“Alright, boys. You’re free to go.”
I loosened the ropes—no, the [Tendon of the Water Dragon] I had secretly stashed away earlier.
The moment I did—
“…What kind of lunacy is this?”
A voice, slicing through the air, forced me to turn my head.
Beyond the deep darkness, someone walked across the water toward me.
