It has to be said that the atmosphere within the Straw Hat Pirates is truly relaxing.
Luffy and his two companions bickered and argued the whole morning.
Lunch was made by Sanji using the giant ingredients he brought back from Elbaf.
The long table was piled high with dishes far exceeding normal proportions, and the " Giant Tribe's Secret Recipe Roasted Giant Beast Ribs" lay across the center of the table, longer than Franky himself.
Roy forked a piece of meat and put it in his mouth.
He chewed three times, paused for three seconds, and then Sanji a thumbs up.
Sanji, a cigarette dangling from his lips, raised an eyebrow smugly. "Of course."
This ingredient requires a completely different cooking time than regular meat; it needs to be slow-roasted for three times the time, and paired with herbs unique to the Giant Tribe ...
Robin sat in the corner reading a book, with a nautical chart of the waters near Laugh Tale spread out on the table.
The map is covered with a dense array of red crosses and question marks, almost filling the entire sea area.
Roy walked over and glanced down.
These are all known failed flight paths.
Robin pushed up his glasses.
"Since Roger became the Pirate King, at least thirty-seven fleets have attempted to find Laugh Tale, and all of them have disappeared."
"You think they're just missing?"
Robin looked up and met his gaze. "I think they've simply entered the area where Laugh Tale is, but without the correct coordinates, they certainly can't find the right location."
The atmosphere became slightly somber.
The sea breeze blew through the cabin window, lifting a corner of the nautical chart.
In the afternoon, Luffy climbed onto the railing at the stern of the ship and sat there, swinging his legs back and forth.
Roy leaned against the railing, holding a glass of juice made by Sanji.
Roy, why are you coming with us?
Roy thought for a moment, "I want to know the secret of Laugh Tale too."
Luffy was troubled, scratching his head for a long time. "Then... who exactly deserves the title of Pirate King?"
Roy chuckled. "I'm not interested in that title."
"Real?"
"Real.
I just want to know what's on Laugh Tale.
Besides, I'm just a 'passenger'; you're the captain.
Luffy's eyes lit up instantly, and he sprang up from the railing, shouting:
"Then I am the Pirate King --!!!"
Usopp and Chopper burst out of the cabin:
" Luffy is the Pirate King! We are the Pirate King's crew!"
Nami facepalmed, Sanji a cigarette, Zoro's lips curled into a slight smile, and Robin smiled and took notes.
" Luffy, the Pirate King, has nine crew members plus one passenger."
Roy took a sip of juice and found the trip more interesting than he had anticipated.
As evening fell, Nami stood at the helm, her expression unusually grave.
Robin stood beside her, holding a map with the coordinates of the location confirmed.
"The magnetic field in the sea area ahead is completely disordered."
The compass and Log Pose are both malfunctioning.
Nami's voice was tense.
"This area is no longer within the coverage area of any known flight path."
Roy walked over, his Observation Haki flashing forward. His brows quickly furrowed:
There's a very thick fog ahead.
There's something in the fog... but I can't quite put my finger on it.
Nami took a deep breath. "Whatever it is, we have to get through it."
Luffy shouted from the bow of the ship, "Charge in!"
Nami punched him on the head. "Shut up! We're discussing serious business!"
After nightfall, the Thousand Sunny anchored in a relatively calm area of the sea, waiting to enter the fog zone after dawn.
The Straw Hat Pirates members went back to their cabins to rest, but no one actually fell asleep.
Roy sat at the bow, his Observation Haki extending outwards, attempting to pierce through the thick fog.
What did his senses touch?
It felt like putting your hand into a ball of cold cotton; you couldn't feel anything, but your fingertips could feel a very faint pulse.
Loki's Iron Thunder emitted a very low hum.
Roy looked back and saw Loki standing on his warship, his vertical pupils fixed on the darkness ahead.
"You felt it too?" Roy asked.
Loki was silent for a moment. "An aura of chaos."
His voice was very soft, and most of it was carried away by the sea breeze.
Roy turned to look at the unseen fog ahead.
In the darkness, the sea was as calm as a giant piece of black glass.
He knew this calm wouldn't last long.
Meanwhile, at the entrance to the New World, the Hachinosu fleet had completed its deployment.
A dozen or so warships blocked the key shipping lane, their Seastone cannons aimed at all possible entry routes.
Bullet stood at the bow of the flagship, the white tiger stripes shimmering in the moonlight.
Kyros's floating islands patrolled slowly at a higher altitude, with sentries on the islands scanning the sea with binoculars.
Stella was in the intelligence room gathering information from all sides.
Martial law is declared in Mary Geoise. Fujitora and Kizaru provide support to Mary Geoise, and the Revolutionary Army's offensive across the Four Blues continues unabated.
She wrote a line at the end of the report:
"Everything is normal, but it feels too normal."
She folded the note and put it in the drawer.
The lights were on in Akainu's office at Marine Headquarters.
Fujitora sat on the sofa, leaning on his Cane Sword, silent as a stone statue.
Kizaru stood by the window, drawing circles on the glass with his finger.
"The Navy is not the World Government's private army," Akainu teeth.
Fujitora didn't speak.
Kizaru turned around, a smile that never changed on his lips:
"How scary."
Mary Geoise, Shamrock, stood atop the tallest tower in Pangaea Castle.
In the distance, the Army was assembling, its black formations covering the top of the Red Line.
He glanced down at the pocket watch in his hand; the hands were stopped at twelve.
He closed the watch case and turned to walk into the shadows.
·······
Roy closed his eyes.
The sea breeze blows from afar, carrying a salty taste and a faint scent that doesn't belong to this sea.
It was as if something from a very distant horizon was calling to the Dark-Dark Fruit within him.
He opened his eyes; a hint of gray was already appearing on the horizon. Tomorrow, he would enter the fog.
When the Thousand Sunny entered the fog zone, visibility dropped from several hundred meters to less than ten meters in less than ten seconds.
The fog was as thick as melted milk, enveloping the entire ship.
All the lights on the ship were turned on, but the light could only illuminate the outline of the ship; anything further away was completely swallowed up by the fog.
Nami gripped the steering wheel tightly with both hands.
The Log Pose on his hand was also spinning, spinning twice as fast as the fastest Nami had ever seen.
"The magnetic field is completely disrupted."
Nami gritted her teeth,
"Now I can't even tell which way is which."
Robin unfolded the old sea chart.
This area on the nautical chart is blank, without even a single label.
She looked up out of the ship; occasionally, blurry outlines flashed by in the thick fog.
It looked like an island, or like ocean waves, but when the ship got closer, nothing could be seen.
Roy stood at the bow, his Telekinesis forming a transparent barrier around the hull.
The impact of the ocean current was minimized, but the Telekinesis itself was being continuously eroded by some force within the fog.
He could feel the barrier slowly thinning and needing constant replenishment.
"This fog is strange."