Rumble~~~
Heavy snow fell as thunder and lightning flashed across the sky at the same time! In the normal world, how many lovesick fools would have been heartbroken by that?
As the saying went, "Winter thunder rumbles, summer rain turns to snow; only when mountains flatten and heaven and earth join would I dare part from you!"
Such "natural" phenomena existed in the Grand Line.
"Just like Roman said..."
Nami, bundled in a cotton coat and earmuffs, looked at the Log Pose in her hand. The Golden Merry was clearly sailing in a straight line, yet the needle kept drifting to one side.
"Roman, turn left!"
At Nami's command, Roman, who had been in standby mode, immediately turned the helm. Inside the cabin, the fake prince Mr. 9 and the real princess Miss Wednesday, wrapped in blankets, complained to Nami.
"It's so cold."
"Doesn't this ship have any heating?"
?
Bang!
"Where do you think you are? Get out there and help shovel the snow!"
Just as Nami kicked the two of them out of the cabin, the sky, which had been dropping goose-feather snow moments ago, abruptly cleared, and a gentle spring breeze began to blow.
??
"What the hell..."
Unfortunately, the mild spring breeze had not lasted more than a few minutes before thick fog suddenly filled the air! Visibility dropped to less than a dozen meters.
"It's foggy..."
"Careful, iceberg ahead!!"
"Hurry, turn—"
Bang!
"Roman, turn right."
"Usopp, Sanji, grab some tools and check the hull. If it's leaking, patch it up immediately!"
"Luffy, turn the mainsail into the wind. Take the wind from the port side..."
"You two, handle the jib..."
Nami had everyone running in circles under her command, including the two passengers. The only exception was Zoro, who was sleeping against the rail. Not even thunder, lightning, wind, frost, rain, snow, or a brutal kicking from Nami could wake him! In the end, they had no choice but to give up on him...
"Come on, everyone, eat while you work~~"
With Sanji aboard, all kinds of food that could quickly replenish their strength kept coming out of the kitchen, continuously fueling everyone as they rushed about. But then:
"Luffy! Don't eat and grab more at the same time!!"
"I want some too~~"
"Of course, mysterious Miss Wednesday~~"
"I want some too~~"
"Don't you have hands? Do I need to feed you too?"
"The weather is changing so fast!"
As a sudden gale struck, waves several times taller than the Golden Merry surged toward them, forcing Nami to scramble to respond.
"Luffy, furl the sails—"
"Damn it, the needle drifted again..."
"Roman, turn right!"
Having to face all kinds of harsh conditions while rapidly adjusting the ship's course made the overwhelmed Nami miss the days when Roman had been normal. He had always been able to resolve every crisis with his Devil Fruit ability...
No!
She shook her head fiercely, casting away that weak thought.
Nami, you were this ship's navigator. If even you relied on others for your own job, what kind of partner would that make you?
"Hurry, hurry, everyone move..."
Bang!
Beneath the lighthouse at Twin Cape, the old man Croccus threw a punch that blew half of "Roman's" head into scraps of paper flying through the air.
"Focus! Letting your mind wander in battle—are you looking down on me?"
Facing the stern Croccus, Roman, his eyes "closed," bowed in apology.
"Sorry. It felt like something chaotic happened on my 'main body's' side just now..."
"So you're going 'back'?"
Faced with the old man's question, Roman, whose eyes remained shut, shook his head.
"No. I believe in Luffy and Nami."
"Hmph. Then continue—"
Over the course of their interactions, Croccus had discovered that the boy named Roman was desperate to grow stronger, seemingly not for his own sake. Judging from how familiar he was with many major powers and secrets of the New World, this kid's background had to be extraordinary!
If he had not boarded the Straw Hats' ship, he should have had plenty of time to steadily improve his strength. Instead, he was now trading all sorts of secrets for Haki training.
Unfortunately,
learning through a puppet could never compare to learning with one's real body. Croccus had no idea how much this kid could truly learn.
"Your aptitude for Armament Haki is far too poor."
"Experts who specialize in Armament Haki are usually close-combat masters with absolute confidence in their own bodies..."
"Your fists and kicks are decent too, but you are more accustomed to relying on external things for defense than devoting your heart and soul to your muscles..."
Roman felt deeply wronged by Croccus's words. He was already a tough guy who would not even blink when faced with blades and axes! And as for being afraid of getting hurt...
"Charlotte Cracker of Big Mom's Four Emperors crew spends all year fighting from inside biscuit puppets created by his ability. He's even afraid of injections. Am I really less of a man than him?"
Roman refused to accept it!
"You know quite a lot. Then tell me, how old is Charlotte Cracker this year?"
Uh...
"That kid is forty-three this year. And you?"
Fine...
"With your talent, you could match him in Armament Haki in twenty years. But—"
But Roman did not even have two years, much less twenty! Two months...
"Fine, let's continue."
Since his talent for Armament Haki was poor, he would develop his Observation Haki first.
Coo coo coo~~
The sea was calm, and seagulls flew overhead.
On the Golden Merry, Zoro stretched lazily and stood up.
"That was a good sleep~~"
Looking around, he saw Nami, Usopp, Sanji, and the others sprawled all over the deck.
"Hey, hey, hey. Even if the weather's nice, you shouldn't be slacking off like this, right?—Are we following the route?"
You—!!!
The few people exhausted on the deck did not even have the strength to curse him. Who knew how Zoro had managed to sleep so peacefully through thunderous storms and towering waves?
Even a pig did not sleep as deeply as he did.
Then Zoro looked at the equally exhausted Mr. 9 and Miss Wednesday and belatedly frowned.
"Why are these two on our ship?"
...You're way too slow!
"We're heading toward their town now." This came from Luffy, the only one sitting at the bow rather than lying down. He did not even look tired in the slightest, proving just how incredible his endurance was.
"We have no obligation to take them home."
In response to Zoro's words, Luffy grinned.
"Mm, we don't."
"Fine. You're the captain, so you call the shots. But—"
Zoro crouched beside Mr. 9 and Miss Wednesday, rubbed his chin, and gave them a sinister smile.
"Mr. 9 and Miss Wednesday, right?"
"Your names remind me of something interesting. What was it again..."
Bang!
Before Zoro could finish "threatening" the two passengers, Nami punched him in the back of the head.
"You idiot."
"Do you know how hard the rest of us have been working? You were the only one sleeping like a log!"
"Huh?!"
Turning around, Zoro's face darkened as veins bulged across his forehead.
Zoro was angry!
Bang bang bang bang—
????
Zoro sat blankly on the deck, covered in bumps, his face full of question marks. Who am I? Where am I? What am I doing?
Zoro fell silent!
"Anyway, we've seen how terrifying the Grand Line is!"
Nami stood at the helm, facing everyone. Beside her was Roman, whose expression had turned into a blank "aba aba" stare from being in standby for too long. Fortunately, it did not affect his ability to carry out Nami's orders.
"My previous navigation skills are completely useless here. There's no doubt about that..."
"Hey, don't get discouraged!"
Faced with the concern of her dear "bestie" Usopp, Nami smiled confidently.
"Even so, we can still find a way forward.—Look,"
Not far ahead, an island resembling a cluster of "cacti" emerged faintly into view.
"We won the first round!"
At that moment, Mr. 9 and Miss Wednesday both jumped onto the rail in perfect synchronization, making it impossible not to suspect they had rehearsed this many times.
Clap! x2
"Thank you for bringing us home~~"
"See you again someday, babies~~"
They did three-hundred-and-sixty-degree backflips into the water without making a splash. Perfect tens! x2
"These two..."
Were they here specifically to be funny?
"Forget it. Ignore them. Let's go ashore."
Nami raised the Log Pose on her wrist and explained to Luffy, Zoro, and the others.
"According to Roman, the Log Pose needs to 'record' an island's magnetic field again before it can point to the next island."
"That could take a few hours, or it could take several days..."
"So, if there are monsters on the island..." Usopp's face went pale. "Everyone, I've come down with Can't-Go-Ashore Disease..."
But as the Golden Merry slowly drew closer:
"Welcome~~!!"
"Welcome, heroes of the sea—"
"This is Whiskey Peak, the Town of Welcome, brave men of the sea!"
The Golden Merry was not greeted by monsters, wild beasts, guns, or cannons. Instead, the docks were packed with enthusiastic people! They waved all sorts of flags, their faces beaming with warm smiles as they cheered loudly and fervently welcomed Luffy and the others.
"Woohoohoohoohoo~~~"
"Just as I thought, pirates are heroes of the sea~~"
Faced with the cheering crowd, Luffy and Usopp shouted back excitedly. Even Sanji was dazzled by all the women in the crowd. Only Zoro held his forehead and sighed, while Nami quietly whispered a "code phrase" into Roman's ear.
!
In an instant, Roman, who had been blankly staring at the sky with an "aba aba" expression, suddenly "came to." His eyes turned sharp as blades!
"Nami, this is..."
"We've arrived at the first island in the Grand Line: Whiskey Peak Town. You can see the situation around us too—it's very abnormal."
So this was the place?
Roman rubbed his chin and nodded.
"I understand."
"You all go 'have fun.' I'll watch the ship."
Before you continue