Evolution: Start AS A Raft

The intelligence mentioned that there are 44 fleets vying for the Sea God Fruit, almost including all the fleets in the Sky-class sea.

Among them, what particularly caught Raine's attention was the term Winged Dragon used to refer to them - "The Nine Great God-Demon Fleets"!

In Winged Dragon's notes, it was explicitly stated that he knew his fleet was not a match for the Nine Great God-Demon Fleets. They were the most powerful in the Sky-class sea.

"The Sea God Ancient Tree, also known as the World Tree, stands 999 meters tall. Its root system has formed nine god-demon islands. The Nine Great God-Demons have been growing stronger based on these islands for hundreds of years!"

"The power of the Nine Great God-Demons cannot be separated from the World Tree!"

"Ordinarily, we wouldn't have a chance to compete with these freaks. Angering them will certainly bear no good fruit for us, but this time it's different. This is our chance to solidify our footing in the Sky-class sea!"

"The Sea God has prophesied that this Sea God Fruit will be unlike any before. This time, the World Tree will only bear one fruit, which will be an extremely powerful Sea God Fruit. Excitingly, obtaining this super Sea God Fruit does not rely solely on strength."

"When the Sea God Fruit matures, the World Tree will open two paths. One leads to "Heaven", and the other to "Hell"! Who knows which will be the right choice?!"

"This competition for the Sea God Fruit will result in a reshuffling of power in the Sky-class sea. We must seize this opportunity!"

Raine finished reading Winged Dragon's records, his brow furrowed. This competition for the Sea God Fruit had such an incredible secret hidden within.

"One path to Heaven, one to Hell? What does that mean!" Raine shook his head.

"Boss, I... I couldn't find any specific information about this. It seems there has never been a situation with 'two paths' before, only one leading to the Sea God Fruit," Armin said.

"Is there any other intelligence?"

"Yes! Boss, from the other information I gathered, major fleet wars have occurred in the past, causing some damage to the World Tree. After that, the major powers of the Sky-class sea set a rule prohibiting warship fire within the area of the World Tree. I believe it's because of this rule that weaker fleets dare to compete for the Sea God Fruit."

"Furthermore, this time there's a rare chance of randomness, adding a great deal of uncertainty. Fleets like Winged Dragons suddenly have a sliver of hope."

Raine asked, "If fleets are not allowed to fire, does that mean the Sea God Fruit can only be obtained through crew battles?"

"Yes, boss."

"Who has obtained the Sea God Fruit in the past?"

"Boss, Winged Dragon's records show that the World Tree has produced the Sea God Fruit four times before. The first time it produced 4, the second time 1, the third time 4, and the fourth time 2."

"Based on past experiences, the quality of the Sea God Fruit is inversely proportional to the quantity produced in the same batch. The less that is produced, the higher the quality of the Sea God Fruit."

"Of these eleven Sea God fruit, almost all were won by the captains of the nine major God-Demon fleets. There were only two exceptions. One, the first one, was obtained by the Sea God. The ability of this Sea God fruit is rather peculiar, with no combative power. However, the Sea God managed to gain a psychic connection with the Sea God Tree. The other was claimed by another powerful figure in the Sky class sea, the Demon God Dalkel, who controls the Dark Seas, were not included among the nine God-Demon fleets."

Raine couldn't help but be internally shocked, it seemed the top powerhouses of the Sky-class sea were these eleven individuals.

"Also, Captain, according to the other notebooks we have, it's now confirmed that the ten strongest in the Sky-class sea, the nine God-Demons and Demon God Dalkel, all inhabit bodies of the Sea God's Child!"

"Holy..." Raine was even more startled now.

A child of the Sea God could endlessly consume the Sea God Fruit. His current strength was largely credited to it.

And the top ten powerhouses all inhabited bodies of the Sea God's Child. They had dominated the Azure Era for quite some time, obtaining countless powerful Sea God fruits.

Given Raine's growth trajectory, these people would have at least ten abilities. If they reached higher levels, they might possess more than ten abilities.

"No wonder even the prowess of Winged Dragon can't make its mark in the Sky-class sea," Raine mused.

"But what about the Sea God?" Raine suddenly recalled the prophetic figure who was the first to obtain the Sea God Fruit from the World Tree.

"It seems he has no fleet of his own, yet no one dares to confront him. Firstly, he poses no threat to anyone, and secondly, people seek the revelations of the World Tree from him."

Armin, having perused numerous captains' logs, had a comprehensive grasp of the current situation, "Whenever the Sea God Fruit of the World Tree is contested, the major fleets will outbid each other to recruit him. He should be in the Sea God Tree Sea area right now. I wonder which fleet he will align with this time."

Raine shook his head. A person with a psychic connection to the Sea God Tree was surely a precious commodity everyone would scramble for.

"Let's hasten. Time is of the essence. We should head for the Sea God Tree Sea area posthaste, and perhaps seek out this so-called Sea God to see if he's willing to join us!"

...

The Sky-class sea was the smallest in the area among the six major sea zones. Yet 'small' was relative.

Furthermore, after the incident with Winged Dragon's fleet, Raine was acutely aware of the brutality of the Sky-class sea.

In this place, encountering other fleets could be disastrous. Given they had no reputation in the Sky-class sea at all, the others would surely not be shown mercy.

Raine was not in the mood for conflict, so they traveled mostly by night.

The climate of the Sky-class sea was exceedingly harsh. Coupled with evading other fleets and islands, it took Raine's fleet six months to journey from the edge to the heart of the Sky-class sea.

Six months later. Raine entered the control room. Through the glass window, he witnessed an astounding scene.

Before them, an unimaginably enormous tree towered between the sky and the sea.

The part of the tree emerging above the sea surface exceeded five or six hundred meters. From a distance, it appeared as a world pillar shouldering the heavens.

"Damn, how can a tree grow so enormous!" Fancy exclaimed in astonishment.

"This is the World Tree..." Onebear murmured, lost in thought.

"Its position must be the core of the world, right?" Twobear queried, "From a geographical perspective, it seems to indeed be located on the equator."

Snapping back to reality, Raine quickly activated the system radar.

After radar detection, Raine was even more taken aback.

The current seabed was entirely composed of the root system of this giant tree, which further extended into the distance.

"So the massive island we found earlier truly was formed by the entangled roots of this tree!" Raine drew in a sharp breath.

The reconnaissance aircraft relayed a message that many fleets were currently sailing toward the World Tree.

However, even fleets that are not far apart from each other are not engaging in warfare.

"Have we entered the waters of the World Tree?" Raine asked.

Fancy examined the nautical chart and replied, "Captain, we are still five nautical miles away."

Raine nodded. It seemed that these fleets were not here to fight. Their objective, just like his, was the Sea God fruit produced by the World Tree.