Several days had passed since the crew left Twin Capes behind.
The Grand Line wasted no time reminding them that it followed no rules.
Snow drifted lazily from the sky, settling on calm waters that reflected a pale, wintry light. The sea was quiet—too quiet—and the cold bit deep enough to sting exposed skin.
Luffy sat on his cloud-forged throne as if the temperature meant nothing, one leg crossed over the other, calmly drinking whiskey. His coat fluttered lightly in the wind. To his right, Zoro slept soundly on the deck, arms folded, swords at his side, snow collecting on his clothes like he was part of the scenery.
Nami and Nojiko wanted nothing to do with this madness. Wrapped head to toe in winter clothing, they stayed inside the kitchen where it was warm, keeping an eye on the two "guests" Luffy had allowed aboard—Mr. 9 and Miss Wednesday—both of whom were tied, watched, and visibly uncomfortable.
Out on deck, Usopp and Johnny were building a snowman with intense concentration, while Sanji and Yosaku shoveled snow off the deck with growing irritation.
Luffy watched the scene in silence for a moment.
Then he smirked.
"Hey, Usopp! Johnny!"
Both froze and turned toward him.
"If you're going to mess around," Luffy said lazily, "at least make it useful."
"…Huh?" Johnny tilted his head. "What do you mean, Big Bro Luffy?"
"Blindfold yourselves," Luffy said, taking another sip. "Snowball fight. Observation training."
For a heartbeat, they stared.
Then their faces lit up.
"That sounds awesome!"
They bolted into the kitchen, grabbed their blindfolds, and sprinted back out, immediately pelting each other with snow while laughing like idiots—occasionally dodging balls they couldn't possibly have seen.
Luffy nodded approvingly.
He leaned back and glanced up at the sky.
Thunder cracked.
Lightning flashed.
The sound was sharp enough to make everyone freeze and stare straight at him.
Luffy didn't even look back. "Don't look at me. That one's natural."
The crew slowly returned to what they were doing—but the weather didn't stop there.
The wind picked up.
Snow thickened.
The calm snowfall twisted into a full-blown blizzard.
Luffy sighed.
He reached inside his coat and pulled out a square, gold pendant attached to a chain anchored inside his mantle. He flipped it open with his thumb.
Inside were two navigational systems.
The top held a standard Log Pose.
The bottom held a triple-log mechanism, clustered together—far more advanced, far more dangerous.
Luffy stared at the top needle.
It was spinning wrong.
"…Tch."
He snapped the pendant shut.
"Something wrong, Captain?" Zoro muttered, half-awake beside him.
Luffy stood.
"Yeah," he said flatly. "My navigator is about to sail us into nowhere."
He stepped forward and shouted across the ship.
"LISTEN UP!"
Everyone jumped.
"STOP WHAT YOU'RE DOING AND TURN THE SHIP AROUND. NOW."
Confusion rippled instantly.
Nami and Nojiko rushed out from the kitchen.
"Luffy!" Nami demanded. "Why would we—"
Luffy turned, eyes cold.
"Because," he said evenly, "we're sailing in the opposite direction."
The deck went silent.
"What?" Nami whispered.
"If you'd checked the Log Pose," Luffy continued, voice calm but sharp, "you'd know that."
A beat.
Then chaos.
Sanji and Nojiko rushed to the wheel. Johnny and Yosaku scrambled to adjust the sails. Usopp ran from mast to mast shouting warnings while Nami barked orders like cannon fire.
Luffy returned to his throne, poured a full glass of whiskey, and drank it in one go.
He didn't interfere.
She needed this.
Thirty exhausting minutes later, the ship finally stabilized, sails aligned, heading corrected.
Only then did Zoro wake up.
He stretched, yawned, and wandered over.
"Hey, Captain," he said. "Something's been bothering me."
Luffy glanced at him. "Go on."
"The two we picked up," Zoro said. "Their names. I've heard them before."
Luffy's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Watch them," he said.
Zoro nodded.
Then Luffy grabbed him by the collar.
"Captain—what the hell—"
Luffy dragged him across the deck, marched straight up to Nami, and threw Zoro off the upper deck onto the main deck below.
"Our enchanting vice-captain slept through everything," Luffy announced with a grin.
Zoro's screams echoed beautifully.
Luffy turned back—
"ISLAND AHEAD!"
Johnny's shout cut through the noise.
Fog parted just enough to reveal land.
"So that's Whiskey Peak," Sanji muttered, lighting a cigarette.
The island was strange—towering rock formations shaped like massive stone cacti, jagged and unnatural.
A narrow waterway led inland.
"I don't like it," Usopp said quietly.
"That's the Grand Line," Zoro replied.
Luffy turned to Johnny and Yosaku.
"Bring the prisoners."
They obeyed immediately.
As the ship glided deeper into the waterway, fog thickened. Visibility dropped. Sound dampened.
Mr. 9 and Miss Wednesday were placed before Luffy.
He didn't look at them.
He looked outward.
Even without sight—
He felt hundreds of eyes.
The Grand Line had welcomed them.
And Whiskey Peak was smiling.