"Wake up. We must go! They are here!" Roger said in a rush while gripping Noah's shoulders.

Roger hauled Noah to his feet from the rising water that had risen to almost knee height. Basil was perched on Roger's shoulder, soaking wet from his swim to refuge from where he had been on the table.

"Who's here?" Noah asked in confusion.

"Bad spirits that are drawn to us. We must warn the boss."

Noah was knocked off his feet, briefly submerged into the rising water before sitting up, spluttering and coughing. Roger had steadied himself on the table. Blue-lifeforce appeared on his skin as his [Air Manipulation] ability activated in response to the window caving in with a torrent of water. His ability acted as a plug. Something had caused the fishing trawler to begin sinking a lot faster while they meditated. A shadow swam past the outside of the boat where Roger held the water at bay.

"What was that?" Noah exclaimed.

"It is not important, get the boss. Quickly!" Roger commanded.

Noah dashed from the room, splashing through the rising seawater in search of the boss. He found him on deck, holding a makeshift spear, poised to throw as Noah reached the top of the stairs. Green-lifeforce pulsed from his hand through the shaft before launching the spear with supernatural force. There was a roar of pain as the spear's target was struck out of Noah's line of sight. As Noah took the last step onto the deck, he could detect the faint smell of blood in the air. It left a coppery taste in his mouth.

Green-lifeforce flowed out from the boss' hand as he gripped the railing as his [Metal Manipulation] ability activated. The metal under his grip detached from the railing while beginning to mutate. The glowing green clump of metal stretched to become a slender shaft with a narrowed point at each end, similar in appearance to a toothpick. The boss raised his newly formed spear as he poised to throw it at a second target. Noah was still unable to see what it was as he approached.

"Boss!" Noah interrupted his throw.

The boss turned towards Noah, speaking in a questioning tone. Noah couldn't understand what he said. Noah pointed to the turbulent water behind him in the stairwell. It churned from the torrential outpour through the damaged crack of the hull. The boss became alarmed. He thrust the spear into Noah's hands while pushing past to go down the stairs, to wade through waist-deep water out of sight.

Noah turned his new spear over in his hands. He could feel a subtle texture, which allowed him to grip the shaft without slipping. It was comfortable to hold and perfectly balanced. The spear looked like a metallic toothpick, made of stainless steel without any noticeable blemish as it reflected the aurora of the night sky above.

There was a violent lurch as something crashed into the fishing boat in the water below. Noah looked down while using his new spear to stabilize himself. A set of teeth was revealed as seawater poured off the opening maw. Noah found himself looking into the waiting jaw of a gigantic crocodile hoping for him to fall in. He noticed other shadows in the water. The crocodile was not alone. The ocean was infested with them. Noah could see more crocodiles resting on the sandy beach.

"Things just keep getting better and better," Noah muttered before gripping his spear tightly.

Noah held the shaft in a double reverse grip as he drove the spear's bottom point into the crocodile's exposed eye. The giant crocodile let out a shriek as it flailed, almost wrenching the spear from his grasp. Noah's [Six Spirit Arms] appeared to grip the spear, driving it deeper into the crocodile's brain. The monster ceased its struggles as it began to twitch in the breaking waves.

The boat is still sinking. Were the boss and Roger unable to prevent the leaks?

Noah's musing was interrupted by another enormous crocodile clambering onto the deck, causing the fishing trawler's railing to crumble under its weight. Roger, Uncle Joey, and the boss appeared at the top of the stairs, quickly joining Noah to face a new threat.

"Haiyah! Uncle Joey never try crocodile. Smart animal can still be tasty!" Uncle Joey hefted his meat cleaver as he licked his lips in anticipation.

The enormous crocodile clanked its teeth together in apparent dislike of Uncle Joey's words. Blue-lifeforce appeared on Roger's skin as he once more activated his [Air Manipulation] ability, this time to immobilize the monster. Noah didn't hesitate after seeing the beast struggling to move in slow motion towards the group as the oarsmen fled behind them. He charged forward with his metal spear raised, held with both hands along with his purple, ethereal arms. He drove the spear through the roof of the crocodile's mouth to impale its brain. The point of the spear emerged from the back of the monster's skull in a shower of gore.

"How are we supposed to make it to shore past all of these hungry crocodiles?" Noah asked as he pulled the bloody spear free.

"We swim if we must. The boss will power the boat to get as close as we can. But then the rest belongs to fate," Roger replied indifferently.

In response to Roger's words, the boss made a short dash towards the makeshift huts on the deck, leaping to grip hold of the edge. He pulled himself onto the hut's roof before agilely climbing the mast to the top. Green-lifeforce flowed through the fishing trawler from the boss' perch, powering the propeller accompanied by cheers from the oarsmen.

Uncle Joey readied his cleaver in front of himself to approach the gigantic crocodile's corpse. He hacked into its neck to quickly retrieve the monster's blank origin crystal, tossing it to Noah. He placed his hands on the carcass as pink-lifeforce spread across its body. The crocodile's flesh visibly melted in reddish-pink goop, taking form in a neatly piled stack of grade-two rations. It was the largest stack Noah had seen so far. Uncle Joey swept the rations into his apron pocket before distributing them among the crew.

Noah looked down at the crystal held in his hand, tightly gripping his hand closed into a fist. He felt a rush of lifeforce enter him to reinvigorate his withered body. Uncle Joey approached with a handful of grade-two rations to give to Noah. He made a display of hiding them inside his shirt before placing them along with his new shaving razor into his [Zero-Space Dimension Ring] in preparation for the unwelcome swim.