Outsiders?

A massive bolt of lightning tore through the sky and struck the mast in the middle of the ship.

Boom!

Crack!

The mast snapped under the force of the lightning. Flames engulfed it in an instant, then the wind sent it hurtling toward the rear of the ship.

Kolong watched the broken mast disappear into the distance. The red in his eyes faded fast, leaving him shaken.

That bolt had clearly been far more powerful than the previous two.

If it had struck the ship, their journey might have ended right there.

Kolong looked back up at the lightning overhead. All his earlier arrogance and stubbornness were gone.

Everyone feared death, especially someone like him, who prepared meticulously for everything he did.

Why else would he have stayed in the North Blue so long before coming to the Grand Line?

He had been a famous pirate ten years ago!

He had thought he was fully prepared this time, certain he would reach Sky Island and find the treasure he sought.

But they were only halfway there, and nature's power had already shattered his confidence.

If he could choose again, he would never have come, even knowing there was enough gold in the sky to spend lavishly for several lifetimes.

What good was gold if he was dead?

He was so frightened he wanted to kneel and kowtow to the lightning above, begging it to let him pass safely.

Whether his prayers worked or the Goddess of Luck smiled on him and his ship again, not a single bolt struck them for a long stretch of the voyage.

Whenever lightning fell, it either grazed the ship or struck far away.

He had no idea what to make of it.

The Freedom behind them was nowhere near as lucky.

Perhaps Kolong's crew