Please Keep This Secret...

After a period of continuous treatment, Sanji's condition was significantly better than before; at least he didn't start having nosebleeds shortly after entering the Illusion.

'It seems the treatment is working quite well,' Xi Yan thought to himself.

In that case... all we need to do is let Sanji experience a few more Illusion, and he should be able to recover, right?

Thinking of this, Xi Yan nodded affirmatively.

After glancing at Sanji, who had once again fallen into the Illusion world, Xi Yan stood up and said, "Call me if you have any questions."

Judging from Sanji's appearance, he won't have any problems anytime soon, so he doesn't necessarily have to stay here indefinitely.

"Profound!"

Chopper nodded, indicating that he understood.

Seeing this, Xi Yan smiled, then got up and came to the group, enjoying the view of the sea with them.

These kinds of opportunities don't come often, so you should take a good look.

Looking at Xi Yan who had come to his side, Usopp asked curiously, "Is Sanji alright?"

After saying that, Usopp glanced back at Sanji, and seeing that the guy didn't react too strangely, he looked away.

"There are no problems for now," Xi Yan said.

At least this guy didn't immediately have a nosebleed, did he?

Usopp nodded, then looked at the Log Pointer in Nami's hand and said, "Nami, isn't the course deviating from the Log Pointer?"

"I don't think it's directly below anymore."

Is this kind of voyage really safe?

"Yes, it's alright." Nami nodded and said, "Slightly deviating from the marker and heading southwest is the correct route."

Hearing Luffy, Luffy, who was observing the fish in the sea, turned to Nami with a puzzled look and said, "Going straight ahead is the fastest way, why don't we do that?"

"Normally that would be true," Nami said. "But this is the deep sea!"

"The conditions in the deep sea are completely different from those on the surface."

As she spoke, Nami pointed to the seawater outside and continued, "There's a special current in the sea. If you go straight ahead, you'll be swept away by it. That means... you'll crash into Sea Mountain or Underwater Volcano before you even reach your target area, and then it'll be all over."

Although Xi Yan is there, they are unlikely to face any life-threatening danger.

But for the sake of the pirate ship... it's best to stick to the course; at least she doesn't want her pirate ship to be destroyed.

"There are volcanoes underwater?!" Chopper exclaimed in fear, "The ocean is so scary!"

"Of course there are volcanoes," Nami said with a hint of helplessness.

The ocean is just a bit more seawater than land, but it has everything else you'd expect.

"I see."

Usopp stroked his chin thoughtfully for a moment, then continued, "Nature is truly amazing."

This ocean is really interesting!

"That's right, nature is truly amazing!" Nami exclaimed with a smile.

All they need to do now is follow the exact current, and they will safely reach Fish-Man Island!

After glancing at the Log Pointer in her hand again, Nami nodded affirmatively.

Listening to their conversation, Merry muttered, "I wonder if my wind can be used in the ocean."

If it were usable, could it be used to push a pirate ship?

"Want to give it a try?"

Hearing Merry's words, Perona seemed eager to try, clearly not one to stay put.

"It's best not to," Nicole Robin said.

Seeing that the two of them were looking at her with a puzzled expression, Nico Robin continued, "Merry's wind is rather special; if used, it could destroy the bubble."

Upon hearing Nicole Robin's explanation, a hint of fear clearly appeared on both of their faces.

Then Perona said, "Then forget it..."

Since this matter threatens their lives, let's just let it go.

Merry nodded in agreement with Perona's statement.

"Everyone, it's going to get cold," Nami said. "So you'd better put on your jackets or coats."

"Profound!"

Following Nami's words, Merry and the others went with Nami to the cabin to get clothes to wear.

"The temperature does seem to have changed," Brook said, hugging herself. "I can feel a chill on my skin."

Ah~

"Although I..."

Before Brook could finish speaking, Chopper said, "Even though you're a skeleton, you don't have skin, right?"

Brook:...

Looking at Chopper, who was smiling at him, Brook turned completely ashen.

"Chopper... please don't do this... don't steal my patent..."

That's his catchphrase!

"Ah, I'm so sorry..."

Seeing Brook lying dejectedly on the ground, Chopper felt a pang of embarrassment and blurted out something.

After glancing at Brook's dejected expression, Zoro looked at Nami, who was emerging from the cabin, and said, "Aren't we going to the deep sea? Why is it cold?"

"Deep-sea water must be cold," Franky said with a chuckle. "Isn't bathwater hot on top and cold on the bottom too?"

Is that so?

Luffy tilted his head and looked at Franky; he really didn't know this.

"You obviously don't like taking baths," Zoro retorted.

He realized this the day he met Luffy.

This guy simply doesn't like the kind of bathing where you're completely submerged in water.

"That's right!"

Looking at Luffy grinning at him with his teeth Luffy, Zoro shook his head helplessly.

"I understand."

Usopp slammed his fist on his palm, a look of Satori realization on his face, and said, "So, the temperature in the deep sea is much colder than up here!"

"No, it's not just about a temperature difference..."

Usopp:...

Looking at Brook, who was still lying on the ground looking dejected, Usopp was dumbfounded and said, "When are you going to stop being so down?"

This guy hasn't gotten up since earlier, and he's still like this...

Brook ignored Usopp's words and instead pulled out a deep-sea map from who-knows-where, saying, "In the lower layers of the ocean, there exist enormous deep-sea currents that we can't normally see, and their movement is completely different from surface currents."

As he spoke, Brook pointed to the content of the drawing with his skull finger, allowing everyone to understand his meaning more intuitively.

"There's a current beneath the current...?" Usopp looked at Brook with some surprise, then praised, "You're really knowledgeable!"

"Yohohohoho~"

Upon hearing Usopp's words, Brook immediately perked up and jumped to his feet.

Then, he said with a laugh, "After all, I've been sailing for so many years, yo ho ho ho ho~"

'Has it been sailing for so many years?'

Xi Yan looked at Brook with some doubt. Wasn't this guy killed in the Thriller Bark? How would he know about the conditions in the deep sea?

Oh... I understand!

This guy must have been here before he became a pirate, since he mentioned that he used to be the captain of a guard regiment in some country.

Thinking of this, Xi Yan nodded firmly.

"Brook is right," Franky said. "There really is such a current on the seabed."

"Is there anything special about this ocean current?" Merry asked curiously.

Although she was Ship Spirit, this was the first time she had ever heard of such ocean currents.

"Of course it's special," Franky nodded and said, "These currents sometimes rise, sometimes diverge, sometimes go their separate ways, and sometimes they are closely connected, just like a giant dragon."

"It's fair to say that if you don't follow the route, you could easily get swept away and never be able to get out."

When that time comes... hell awaits the crew!

"I see..." Merry nodded thoughtfully.

What an amazing ocean current!

"How do you know so much?" Usopp asked Franky, puzzled. "Haven't you always lived in Water Seven?"

Could it be... that this guy actually came here before?

"I have indeed lived in Water Seven life, but my shipbuilding master didn't," Franky said. "That's all the information I've received."

His boatman was Fish-Man from Fish-Man Island, so it's normal that he knew these things.

Upon hearing Franky's words, Usopp recalled what Franky had mentioned before and nodded in understanding.

With such a master around, he could indeed know many things that ordinary people didn't.

Watching the two interact, Brook smiled and then said, "This ocean current is not only unique in its flow pattern, but also in its speed."

"As far as I know... once an ocean current sinks to the seabed, it takes about two thousand years for it to return to the surface."

After recalling the legends he had heard, Brook nodded with great certainty.

Upon hearing this, Xi Yan suddenly realized why Franky said that once he got caught up in it, he could never get out.

Two thousand years... How could a human possibly live for two thousand years?

Perona stared at Brook in shock and exclaimed, "Young Master... Young Master?!"

Two thousand years?!

Two thousand years... isn't that a bit of an exaggeration?

Even the World Government hasn't been around for that long!

"That's right, it's two thousand years!" Brook nodded firmly and said, "Therefore, all sorts of legends have been passed down in the dark and unknown ocean currents!"

"Monsters, curses, the souls of the dead... each one is an incredibly terrifying existence!"

"Yohohohoho~"

In the end, Brook shifted his focus to the shadows of the ship, deliberately speaking in a somber tone.

"Ah!!"

Hearing Brook speak from the shadows, Chopper and Merry immediately hugged each other, exclaiming in terror, "A monster in the deep sea?!"

"Huh?!"

"Will monsters appear? How scary!"

Xi Yan:...

Seeing Brook join the two in their exclamations, Xi Yan retorted, "Isn't this the story you told? What are you so afraid of?"

"Yohohohoho~"

"Because I'm also afraid of monsters~"

Xi Yan was speechless. This guy was really something else. If you're scared, don't say it, you bastard!

Seeing Xi Yan's reaction, Brook laughed even more heartily.

"Yohohohoho~"

"This is so exciting!" Luffy exclaimed excitedly.

Monster!

That's a monster!

If I could catch one and keep it as a pet... that would be so much fun!

Thinking about this made Luffy even more excited.

"That's right!" Perona said excitedly, "Those beings must all be some adorable creatures!"

As if recalling a certain scene, Perona's little face flushed with excitement.

I really want to catch one... no, I want to catch several!

Usopp:???

Looking at the excited Perona and Luffy, Usopp paused for a moment, then remarked, "What kind of things are even worth being afraid of in your world?"

Luffy is such a nutcase, but why is Perona acting like this too?

Oh, right... Perona seems to have always been living with Moria, that guy who likes playing with zombies...

Thinking about it this way, it seems reasonable that Perona likes terrifying creatures.

"What do you know?" Perona rolled her eyes at Usopp and said, "You have no idea how adorable those guys are."

Usopp:...

It's better not to know these things.

"Perona, why do you like those things?" Chopper asked, swallowing hard.

That's a terrifying monster!

"Because I've lived with zombies since I was a child," Perona said matter-of-factly.

"No wonder..."

"Don't you guys think those zombies are cute?" Perona said with a smile. "They're all a bunch of adorable little guys!"

Those guys were the ones who played with her when she was little, so... those guys were the cutest!

Everyone:...

Seeing Perona's nonchalant attitude, everyone fell silent.

Then, the expressions on everyone's faces became somewhat complicated.

Isn't the other person a little too pitiful?

However, seeing Perona's delighted expression, everyone suppressed their thoughts.

Since Perona is happy, there's no need for them to say things that upset Perona.

Thinking of this, everyone nodded in unison.

"Hey, Zoro!" Perona glanced at Zoro and said, "If you encounter any monsters, remember to catch them for me!"

Perona's face lit up with a happy smile at the thought of raising such an adorable creature.

"Ha?"

Zoro looked at Perona with a disgusted expression and said, "Why should I help you catch that kind of thing?"

"What, are you dissatisfied?"

Perona floated in front of Zoro, lightly tapped Zoro forehead with her right index finger, and said, "Have you forgotten how you got to Sabaody Archipelago?"

"Are you...?"

"Stop, stop, stop!"

Zoro immediately interrupted, "I'll catch it, I'll catch it, okay?"

That wretched Ghost Woman, she only knows how to exploit his weaknesses.

"Hala hala hala~"

Seeing Zoro's somewhat deflated expression, Perona nodded with satisfaction and said, "That's more like it~"

"Pfft~"

Seeing Perona completely dominating Zoro, Xi Yan couldn't help but burst out laughing.

It really is true that everything has its counter.

As if sensing Xi Yan Xi Yan's thoughts, Zoro immediately glared at him.

Unfortunately, this look had no effect whatsoever; instead, it only made Xi Yan laugh even harder.

Zoro:...

Why do I suddenly feel like killing this guy?!

But before he could say anything, Luffy leaned over and laughed loudly, "Hahaha, Zoro, catch one for me too!"

Zoro paused for a moment upon hearing this, then said with a hint of helplessness, "I understand."

What can you do if you choose your own captain? Just spoil him.

However, after the commotion, the tense atmosphere eased considerably.

"Do those legendary monsters really exist in the sea?" Merry asked curiously.

"Who knows?" Usopp shrugged. "It's just a legend, after all."

Legends are mostly unreliable, so Usopp wasn't afraid at all.

"No, it's still possible," Nico Robin said seriously, standing on the high ground.

"What's the meaning?"

Seeing that everyone was looking up at her, Nicole Robin calmly said, "Have you all forgotten about Merry?"

"She's a legendary Ship Spirit!"

"If even such a thing has become a reality, then... the legendary monsters might actually be real!"

Upon hearing this, the Thousand Sunny immediately fell into complete silence.

"Scare!"

This time, not only Merry and Chopper, but even Usopp hugged them, his expression turning somewhat terrified.

"There really is one?!"

Doesn't that mean they might be captured by monsters?

Thinking about this, the three of them became even more frightened.

"That's true, but..." Nami said, sweat dripping down her face, "Robin, could you please not say things like that at a time like this?"

That's really scary...

Even she now senses that something terrifying might be lurking around her.

Nicole Robin simply smiled and said nothing more.

"I... I'm so scared..."

Seeing the three guys huddled together, Xi Yan shook his head helplessly and then said, "Don't worry, with our strength, we can kill even something like that."

Even if the opponent can't be killed, he can still seal them away with Sealing Technique, right?

After hearing Xi Yan's words, the three thought for a moment, then nodded seriously and said, "That's probably true."

"Then... Xi Yan, you must protect us!"

"Profound!"

Xi Yan gave them a thumbs-up and said, "Leave it to me with confidence!"

It's just a mere deep-sea legend; it's nothing to him, given his formidable firepower.

"I really hope I can meet someone like that soon~" Luffy said with anticipation.

"Really."

Perona also looked at the sea with anticipation, showing no fear whatsoever.

For them, the unknown monsters are what attract them.

Nami shook her head helplessly upon hearing this, then looked at everyone and said, "In short... as long as we can ride the Descending ocean current from the upper layers to the deeper layers, we can reach Fish-Man Island."

As for whether we'll encounter the legendary thing... nobody knows.

"I see."

"Deep..."

"Surface layer..."

"Descending flow..."

"Decline..."

"Hahaha, so it's an incredible ocean current, right~"

Looking at the group of idiots standing side by side, Nami opened her shark mouth and roared, "You guys definitely don't understand!"

So all their previous explanations were for nothing?

"Yohohohoho~"

Upon hearing this, Brook laughed and said, "How about I sing a song to lighten the mood?"

"Shut up!!"

"Yohohohoho~"

Looking at those idiots pretending to understand, Nami shook her head helplessly.

That's true, saying such things to them is indeed a bit too profound.

In a sense, none of these idiots are as intelligent as Merry.

At least Merry understood.

Just then, Sanji, who was lying on the ground, let out another strange laugh, and his body began to tremble.

Hehe~

Then, the man's expression changed, and he looked like a fiery chili pepper about to explode.

Perona:!!!

"Negative Ghost!"

"Weng~"

"I... I'm such a scumbag..."

Seeing Sanji's expression turn somber again, Perona wiped imaginary sweat from her forehead and said, "We really can't let our guard down at all..."

Her face turned so red... she thought it was going to explode.

Then, she looked up at Xi Yan and said, "Speaking of which... isn't doing this a bit too cruel to this guy?"

Something like having your sweet dream abruptly cut off halfway through...

"This is for his own good," Xi Yan said, shrugging. "We can't just watch him have a stroke."

Perona paused for a moment after hearing this, then nodded and said, "That's true."

To prevent this guy from being killed by a dream, well... let the pain be.

A moment later, Sanji, having recovered, stuffed a crumpled piece of paper into his nose and then stared blankly ahead, seemingly lost in thought.

"What's wrong with Sanji?" Merry asked, staring blankly at Sanji. "Why isn't he responding?"

Could it be that there's something wrong with Xi Yan's treatment?

Thinking of this, a hint of anxiety appeared in Merry's eyes.

Upon hearing this, Chopper immediately ran over to check on Sanji, then said with some doubt, "He doesn't seem to have any major problems..."

"Although you're a little weak from blood loss, that's normal; you'll be fine after some nourishment."

"So... overall there's no problem?"

"Yes."

Usopp paused for a moment, then asked in confusion, "What's wrong with Sanji?"

If nothing's wrong, why would this reaction occur?

That's really strange...

Perhaps as if he had heard the calls of the others, Sanji's eyes gradually returned to normal.

Then, he calmly stood up and said, "I'm just a little dazed."

He couldn't very well say that he was still reliving the hallucination he had just experienced.

Back Mountain darted away in a flash.

"I'm going to change my coat!"

Usopp:???

He didn't feel cold, so why did Sanji feel cold?

Could it be due to excessive blood loss?

Thinking of this, Usopp said with some worry, "Chopper, is Sanji's health okay...?"

"You want to ask if he lost too much blood, right?" Chopper nodded understandingly, then said, "Don't worry, Xi Yan's treatment is very effective, Sanji's body is fine."

Although this treatment method is rather outlandish, it is indeed effective.

"That's good..." Usopp nodded.

Then he became puzzled. If it wasn't due to excessive blood loss... then why was Sanji reacting like he'd been stepped on?

Xi Yan, however, seemed to have noticed something and gave a meaningful look.

Hey~

A moment later, Sanji, who had changed his clothes, calmly walked out, his eyes much clearer than usual.

Wow~

Sanji is really alright!

Looking at Sanji, who was calmly watching them, Merry exclaimed in surprise, "Xi Yan, you're amazing!"

As expected of a powerful Medical Ninja who could heal Hancock's sister, that's amazing!

That is...

Xi Yan smirked and said, "Don't you even know who I am?"

As a powerful Medical Ninja, he had no problem helping Sanji solve this small problem.

After all... many of the patients he treated back then were mentally ill!

"So, what exactly did you show Sanji?" Usopp asked curiously, "That actually cured Sanji's illness..."

Sanji no longer gets nosebleeds when he sees Nami, that's really amazing!

"Of course..."

Before Xi Yan could finish speaking, he noticed Sanji giving him a look.

That look seemed to say: Please don't tell anyone what happened before...

Having understood Sanji's meaning, Xi Yan laughed even more heartily.

Then, Xi Yan said, "Of course, we'll use hypnosis!"

"Um?"

Seeing the puzzled looks on their faces, Xi Yan said, "You wouldn't understand even if I told you."

"In short... just Hypnotic Treatment technique."

"Profound!"

Usopp and the others immediately looked Satori and exclaimed, "So it's an incredible Hypnotic Treatment!"

Although I don't understand what it means, it's definitely amazing!

Nami:...

These idiots still didn't understand!

Nami rolled her eyes at those guys who pretended to know everything.

Then, she looked at Xi Yan and Sanji with a suspicious gaze.

She had a vague idea of what was going on, but something didn't feel right to her, so she didn't dare to ask.

Nico Robin gave Xi Yan her signature mature smile, clearly already guessing what was going on.

Xi Yan simply coughed lightly and looked away from her.

This action made Nicole Robin realize that she had made the right decision.

However, she didn't seem to mind, simply smiled and looked away.

"Um?"

Just then, Nico Robin noticed a change in the seawater.

"Has the speed of this ocean current changed...?"

Nico Robin glanced at the seawater outside the bubble and frowned subconsciously. Then, as if remembering something, she said, "Nami, it seems we've reached the current you mentioned."

"Really!"

Looking up at Nico Robin, Nami immediately smiled and said, "Looks like we need to start our descent."

"Quick, quick, let's go take a look!" Luffy exclaimed excitedly.

Luffy and his crew then ran towards Nico Robin, intending to see what the legendary ocean current looked like.

Soon, the group arrived at Nico Robin's side and noticed the enormous underwater current ahead, resembling a waterfall!

"Amazing!"

"Wow!"

"Is this a massive ocean current flowing from top to bottom? It certainly looks spectacular."

"Hey, this looks like a giant underwater waterfall!"

Everyone was stunned by the Descending ocean current that resembled a giant waterfall.

Having lived this long, this was the first time they had ever witnessed such a breathtaking spectacle!

"This sea is truly amazing," Xi Yan exclaimed. "It's incredible that even a place like this exists."

He had never had the chance to see a landscape of this caliber before.

It must be said, this world is indeed very interesting.

"That's true," Nicole Robin said. "This current must be several hundred meters in diameter."

After saying that, Nicole Robin looked around, as if trying to see the end of the waterfall.

However, her vision was limited, so she couldn't see clearly at all.

"It should be more than a few hundred meters."

Having activated his Sharinggan and obtained the Xi Yan, he looked into the distance and said, "It's definitely at least a kilometer away."

As for the more distant places... they are blocked by huge protruding rocks, so Xi Yan doesn't know if there are any other huge waterfalls on the other side.

"So big?"

Franky paused for a moment, then said with some emotion, "Nature is truly amazing."

"It is precisely because of this wonder that all sorts of races have been born, isn't it?" Xi Yan laughed.

Fish-Man Race, humans, Giant Clan... these are all real people!

"That's true," Franky said with a smile.

Just as Xi Yan said, if this ocean weren't magical enough, it wouldn't have given birth to so many strange creatures.

"Hey, look!"

Luffy exclaimed, "This current is rushing all the way to the bottom of the sea, right? The speed is amazing!"

Looking at the rapidly descending, massive ocean current, Luffy's eyes were filled with excitement.

Wouldn't it be fun to just rush down there?

"Seabed..."

Upon hearing this, Usopp looked down at the unfathomable depths of the sea and his expression immediately changed.

Then, with a look of terror on his face, he said, "Hey, it's pitch black down there!"

"If our ship goes down at that terrifying speed... won't it just smash to pieces?!"

He doesn't want to be smashed to pieces!

As a Devil Fruit User, I feel absolutely no safe in the deep sea, damn it!!!

Hearing Usopp's words, Nami's face also showed worry.

"Are you sure everything's okay, Franky?"

"Don't worry," Franky said, giving a thumbs up. "The Thousand Sunny is the strongest ship ever built from the Adam Treasure Tree; it's perfectly capable of surviving currents of this magnitude."

After saying that, Franky paused for a moment, then continued, "Besides... isn't Xi Yan still there?"

"We're not afraid even if we encounter Underwater Volcano or something."

With Xi Yan's Water Release abilities, he could easily stop the pirate ship before the Thousand Sunny crashes into it!

"That's true..."

After hearing Franky's explanation, Nami relaxed completely.

Their ships are powerful, Xi Yan is powerful too, so... there's really no need to worry about this.

"Yoshi!"

Luffy waved his hand and said, "Then let's go straight ahead!"

"Swept downstream by this incredible current, all the way to Fish-Man Island!!!"

"Profound!!!"