The Bumble Sea was a fairly prosperous stretch of water in a central part of the New World. It might not have been packed with ships racing across the waves, but it was usually lively.
A week ago, however, the number of ships there had begun to fall rapidly.
By two days ago, not a single unrelated vessel could be seen.
Only three Beast Pirates warships, led by the Queen Mama Chanter, remained anchored there, steady as mountains and utterly still.
Now the sky changed abruptly. Through wind and snow, the Oro Jackson emerged as if from the depths of winter and slowly entered the silent waters.
On the deck of the Queen Mama Chanter...
The Beast Pirates had gathered behind Charlotte Linlin and Kaido. Their principal members included Charlotte Katakuri, Abel, also known as King, and Queen.
As the Oro Jackson drew closer,
the biting wind and icy snow began to assail everyone's senses.
What did the sky look like before a blizzard arrived?
Just like this. Above Charlotte Linlin, Kaido, and the others, the sky was cloudless and the sun blazed.
Above the Oro Jackson, dense clouds hung like sodden clumps of cotton, so low they nearly touched the sea. A halo around the sun flickered through them now and then. As the ship drew nearer, the clouds blocked more of the light, leaving the sky dark and oppressive.
Warm and cold air currents collided, whipping up fierce winds. Snow spilled from the clouds and swept through everyone's view like a blinding white gale, hiding everything beyond it.
Faintly, Vikengam's presence mingled with the storm. Wisps of Conqueror's Haki seeped into the wind and snow, borrowing the might of the heavens and earth until they seemed magnified a hundredfold, even a thousandfold. There was little actual pressure behind