MM Racing 11: Smoke from the Ice Floes
11: Smoke from the Ice Floes
The morning sea breeze carries a cool, fishy smell, and as it brushes across the deck, it stirs up fine gold dust in the air.
"Hey—this is so boring—"
Listening to Lingling's complaints, Auro sighed softly:
"The planet we live on is a water planet, with oceans covering more than 90% of the entire planet. The oceans are so vast that it is unimaginable, so most of the time spent at sea is very boring."
"Didn't I tell you before, Lingling?"
Oro was holding the permanent compass to Mermaid Island given to him by Elder Yorulu, and he was making notes and sketches on a large nautical chart spread out in front of him, comparing the chart with the map.
"I never thought it would be this boring, Auro."
"uh-huh?"
"Are there any games that are fun, good for relieving stress, and have long playtime?"
Oro tapped the table with his pen where the nautical charts were displayed, lost in thought.
"How about I design a new board game for you after I finish drawing the nautical chart?"
"Oh, another board game?"
Lingling lay sprawled on the side of the boat like a salted fish.
"Are you that disappointed?"
Oro was somewhat helpless, but luckily at that moment Gails came out pushing a food cart.
"Aurogo, Lingling, breakfast is ready!"
She was wearing a light brown apron and carrying a ceramic pot larger than a regular dining table. The pot contained steaming hot fish soup—a deep-sea fish that Lingling had chopped up from the sea with Ba Guo during her morning exercise an hour earlier.
Gails used the Eating Fruit to turn the fish bones into soft tofu, making them both delicious and eliminating the worry of choking.
"Oh!! Gals, you're my savior!"
Upon hearing Gals's voice, a salted fish on the ship's side suddenly came to life.
Gails handed a piece of toast to Lingling, who rushed over: "Don't rush, we've only been out for a month or so, maybe we'll encounter something interesting soon."
Oro also came over, took the soup from Gails, and had just taken a sip when he saw Lingling, who was eating voraciously, suddenly stop:
"Hey, Gails, do you know divination?"
Lingling narrowed her large eyes, which were so different from when she was a child, raised her hand, and pointed towards the port side:
"Look over there! Isn't there smoke?"
Oro and Gale looked in the direction she was pointing and saw a thin wisp of gray-black smoke slowly rising from the distant horizon.
"That's impressive! To be able to spot them even while they're eating from this far away, our lookouts are getting better and better!"
Oro immediately raised his hand, and the wrist guard on his arm melted rapidly, then condensed back into a golden telescope more than a meter long. The lens was made of compressed gold crystal and its clarity far exceeded that of ordinary telescopes.
He stared at the direction of the smoke for a moment, his brows furrowing slightly. "It's a pirate ship, and a floating island... The pirates are attacking that island."
"Floating island? Is anyone up there?" Gails leaned closer.
Oro adjusted the angle of his binoculars and then said in a deep voice, "Yes, it's the Giant race... about five of them. They are poorly equipped and seem to be injured, but they are still fighting against the pirates."
Lingling, who was about to feel smug after being praised by Auro, suddenly teared up upon hearing these words.
She put down the delicious fish soup in her hand, grabbed the giant axe beside her, its blade gleaming coldly.
"How dare they bully our people! Oro! We have to get over there!"
"Don't be impulsive," Auro said, pressing down on her shoulder.
"First, confirm the pirates' strength. The pirate ship's flag has the Icebreaker Hammer symbol, so it should be the 'Icebreaker Pirates'."
"I heard that this group of pirates specializes in raiding in cold waters and is very ruthless. Their ships are reinforced so they can smash through ice floes."
He paused, then looked at Gale: "Gale, go and prepare the first-aid kit."
"Okay!" Gails immediately turned around to prepare.
Oro then looked at Lingling: "Be careful when the fight breaks out later, don't let it affect the floating island. That island doesn't look very sturdy and can't withstand any damage."
Lingling nodded vigorously, her initial anxiety somewhat calmed by Auro's composure, but her hand gripping the axe handle remained taut.
Gail quickly packed her things, strapped the medical kit to her back, and used the Eat-Eat Fruit to transform several frozen flatbreads into warm meat buns, which she then put into a cloth bag: "Ready!"
Oro then snapped his fingers, and the large bundle of golden ropes on the ship instantly began to move, each rope performing its own function to jointly control the great ship.
The mainsail of the Golden Dawn slowly filled, the hull cut through the sea, and it sped towards the floating island.
As they drew closer, the scene at the edge of the smoke became clearer and clearer—
It was a small floating island, at least not for the giants.
The island's surface was covered with a thick layer of ice, with large and small ice shards floating along its edges. Several hardy plants on the island had been blasted to pieces by artillery fire.
The Icebreaker Pirates' ship was anchored not far from the floating island. The ship was black, and the huge icebreaker hammer at the bow was still covered with ice shards and bloodstains.
A dozen or so pirates were lying on the ship's side firing at the island, while the cannons on the deck were still firing intermittently.
The pirates were so engrossed in their fight that no one on the entire ship noticed a giant ship approaching from behind them.
"Lay down your weapons and surrender! Or we'll sink your lousy island!"
A burly pirate leader with a face full of scars shouted through a megaphone, his voice rough and unpleasant.
There were indeed only five giants on the island. One of them, an old giant with gray hair, was leaning on a broken spear, his arm wrapped in a blood-soaked bandage, and was being supported by a middle-aged female giant.
There were also three giants who looked like children hiding behind an igloo, holding simple stone swords in their hands, but with very stubborn eyes.
"We are members of the Giant Warrior Pirates! Even if we die in battle, we will never surrender to you!"
The old giant responded in a loud voice, weak yet carrying an undeniable pride.
"The Giant Warrior Pirates? They're a thing of the past!"
The pirate captain sneered and waved his hand: "Blow them up! Blow up all their igloos!"
"You're not allowed to bully them!"
A roar, still sounding somewhat immature, suddenly echoed across the sea.
Lingling stood atop the red-headed seahorse ram of the Golden Dawn, raising her giant axe in both hands. She took a deep breath, and the muscles in her arms instantly tensed.
Armament Haki surged towards the axe blade like a tide, turning the originally bright white edge into a dark black.
This was Lingling's first time stabbing someone, done with the determination to take a life and with the power to shake the sea.
"A hegemonic nation—!"
With a loud shout, the giant axe swung down fiercely!
In an instant, a crescent-shaped black wave of air suddenly cleaved the surface of the sea!
The shockwave, carrying tiny gold particles, slashed straight at the bow of the Icebreaker Pirates' ship!
"boom!!!"
Before the pirates could react, they heard a loud "boom"—
The icebreaker at the bow was instantly cleaved in two!
The blast wave tore a huge hole in the ship's hull, seawater rushed into the cabin, and the entire pirate ship began to tilt.