Voyage

"Thinking about it now, we really did go to an incredible place." Nami looked up at the sky. By then, there was no trace of Sky Island left.

"Especially after coming back down, it all felt even more like a dream," Robin said wistfully.

"I really want to go there again someday." Sanji's eyes were full of admiration for the women of Sky Island.

"It's close enough. We can go after we die," Zoro said indifferently.

"You really think you're going to heaven after you die?" Usopp shot back. "Why can't you go while you're alive?"

"It really was like a dream." Chopper sighed. "Sky Lord was a good snake."

"What's with everyone looking so sentimental?" Li Ziming asked curiously. "We'll encounter all kinds of islands in the future. If we stop moving forward, we won't get to see even more beautiful scenery."

"I know that." Luffy grinned. "So, let's head for the next island!"

"Don't say stupid things!"

"The sea isn't that simple." Nami sounded unhappy, but there was not a trace of fear in her eyes. "The waves are wrong. Something's coming!"

A huge wave suddenly rose without the slightest warning, and a Sea Monkey appeared directly on the ocean.

Luffy and the Sea Monkey stared at each other. Then the Sea Monkey suddenly charged toward them atop towering waves.

"Run! They're coming!" Luffy shouted hurriedly.

"No, there's no wind right now. Lower the sails and start rowing!" Nami ordered everyone aboard.

"Report, emergency report! A ship spotted at twelve o'clock!" Usopp reported to everyone on the ship through his telescope.

"Ming, can't you use the recoil from an explosion?" Nami hoped Li Ziming could use the recoil from an explosion as propulsion.

"I can try." Li Ziming shrugged and stopped Sanji, Zoro, and the others from raising the sails.

"Air Detonation!" Li Ziming extended his hand behind the sails. The air exploded, and the shockwave propelled the Going Merry swiftly forward.

"Yahoo!" Luffy cheered. "Ahahahaha, that was fun! Ming, do it again!"

"Give me a break. That kind of explosion drains too much of my stamina. Let me off." Li Ziming rolled his eyes. "By the way, Usopp, what happened to that ship?"

"I don't know. It's gone already, but it really was a strange ship." Usopp sounded puzzled. "There was no flag and no sails. I'm honestly impressed that a ship like that could sail on the sea."

"That really is a strange ship." Luffy looked thoroughly confused. "I never thought someone would set sail without even a pirate flag."

"Maybe it's some kind of competition," Li Ziming said. "I've heard of one where, if you lose, the winner gets one of your possessions. It could be a pirate flag, or they could even choose one of your crew members to become a new companion on their pirate ship."

"Davy Back Fight?" Robin seemed to have heard of the competition as well. "Does that mean someone nearby is holding that competition?"

Nami's expression suddenly turned ugly because she thought of the most troublesome person on her ship.

"That competition sounds interesting. Let's find someone to compete with!" Luffy said excitedly. "We still need a shipwright, don't we? Right, and it'd be perfect if we could find a musician too!"

"No way! You idiot captain!" Nami angrily punished Luffy with Nami's Iron Fist. "A competition means there'll be winners and losers! What if we lose? I'm so cute, they'll definitely pick me!"

"Come on, have a little faith in us. Besides, we might not even run into that kind of competition," Li Ziming comforted her.

"But I have such a bad feeling about this!" Nami clutched her head in agony. She always felt that as long as she was with Luffy, trouble would never stop coming. "And we're about to reach the next island. What if those people are waiting for us there?"

"We're about to reach the next island?" Luffy asked excitedly. "What kind of island is it?"

"How would I know? The temperature and humidity in this area are very stable, so we should have entered the climate zone of the next island." Nami explained, "Right, we'll turn the helm immediately and sail around the island!"

"But it seems you're already too late." Robin looked ahead. "I can already see the island."

"Ahhhhhhh!" Nami completely wanted to die.

"But the good news is, there doesn't seem to be anyone on the island." Robin shrugged. "So we might not run into that situation after all."

"That's good, but I'm staying on the ship!" For safety's sake, Nami decided to remain aboard. Staying with those guys was far too dangerous.

"Then I'll stay on the ship too. Honestly, I'm not very interested in this island." Li Ziming looked completely uninterested.

"That doesn't suit you at all. I thought you'd go down with those three." Robin looked at Li Ziming curiously. The three she meant were Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper, who had already run onto the island.

"Tch, I vaguely remember this island." Li Ziming said helplessly. "This island should be called Long Ring Long Land. Each island is actually connected to the others, but the path to the next island only appears at low tide. If there's no one on this island, they're probably on another one."

"So there's no one on this island?" Once Zoro heard that there was no one on the island, that meant there was no booze, so he lost interest in going ashore.

"If there are no beautiful ladies, I'm not interested in going ashore either." Sanji had little interest in natural scenery.

"Most nomadic peoples leave behind very little civilization, so I'm not interested in going up there either." Robin was a scholar, but only an archaeologist. She had no particular interest in the ecological environment.

"Thank you all!" Nami was moved to tears. She had thought no one would stay behind with her, but almost everyone reliable had remained, and she immediately felt incomparably relieved.

"But it seems someone has arrived." Everyone noticed two claws suddenly flying over and embedding themselves on either side of the Going Merry, blocking its path.