"Uu… uu… s-so this is how terrifying the weather above the sea is…"
Shirahoshi lay on the deck like a lifeless fish, tears at the corners of her eyes, whispering weakly.
Yes… the mermaid princess had gotten seasick.
But it really wasn't her fault. It was her first time sailing, and she had run into a storm, then hail, then a tornado, then a sky-piercing current, and finally an undersea volcanic eruption—all in one go. Anyone would struggle to adapt.
"As expected, once we enter the second half, the weather of the Grand Line becomes even more chaotic… how delightful, meow!"
As the expedition team only appointed navigator, Huamei was extremely excited.
Before, even when they encountered dangerous weather, Klee Meow good luck always let them get through safely without needing to worry. Her role as navigator often felt unnecessary.
But after entering the second half of the Grand Line, even Klee Meow luck couldn't completely avoid the constantly changing weather here.
The navigation skills she'd worked so hard to master finally had a place to shine, and Huamei was in a great mood because of it.
"Shirahoshi, are you okay, meow?"
(=ω=)σKlee Meow crouched in front of the mermaid princess and gently poked her soft cheek with a tiny paw.
"If you really can't take it, we can have the Dodo Advance dive underwater. You should feel better that way, meow."
"N-no need!" Shirahoshi struggled to sit up. "Since I chose to set sail, I must adapt to all this!"
"Oh—! Then do your best, meow!"
(=ω)
Klee Meow offered her encouragement and then promptly took a little bite of Shirahoshi tail.
After spending so much time together, Shirahoshi had mostly gotten used to Jinx and Klee Meow munching on her tail now and then.
She simply let the two mischievous cats hang from her tail with their teeth, and while the sea was calm, she took the chance to stretch and move her body.
"Shirahoshi dear, try my special black tea, meow."
Sanji Meow lifted a cup several times larger than himself, filled to the brim with steaming tea, and held it out to Shirahoshi.
"I added some refreshing mint and Skypiea coconut juice. It should help you feel better, meow."
"Thank you." Shirahoshi took the cup and sipped it. A blissful expression appeared immediately. "It delicious~"
"As long as you like it, meow."
Sanji Meow bowed gracefully, then turned around and instantly transformed into a "noodle cat," twisting his body while loudly asking in an overly fawning tone,
"Sister Shermie, Sister Huamei, Sister Purah, what would you lovely ladies like to drink, meow?!"
"I'll have some lemon water. My mouth feels a bit bland lately." Sherwin, who was petting Seijuro Meow and Link Meow, raised a hand casually.
"A simple cup of green tea is enough for me, meow."
(=ω=)
The two cats in Sherwin arms also took the chance to place their orders.
"I wasn't talking to you two, meow!"
(=`Д=)
Sanji Meow glared furiously at them, but even so, while preparing drinks for Huamei and the others, he still made lemon water, green tea, and the drink that Link Meow requested.
After a short break—mainly to let Shirahoshi recover from her seasickness—the Dodo Advance set off again.
Although the weather in the second half of the Grand Line was harsher, a situation as exaggerated as earlier was still relatively rare.
So during the next stretch, while the sky remained gloomy and the weather shifted unpredictably, it was still far more "gentle" than before.
And also…
"The frequency of the climate shifts is slowing, and the ocean currents are becoming more stable. We should be approaching the next island, meow."
Sherwin didn't really sense any major change in the weather himself, but since Lord Huamei said so, then it was definitely true.
And with her strength finally restored, Shirahoshi instantly became excited.
"Sherwin, do you think the island we're heading to this time will have a real forest?"
"Klee Klee, is there any difference between forests on land and forests under the sea?"
"Jinx, what kind of reaction do you think the humans on the island will have when they see me?"
"Waku waku!"
Shirahoshi immediately turned into a kid about to visit an amusement park, endlessly repeating the same questions she had already asked many times…
Well, she was eleven or twelve—an age full of energy and curiosity about everything.
Besides, her largest range of activity had only ever been Fishman Island and its surroundings.
And because of that Vander Decken guy, she had been trapped inside the Hard-Shell Tower for five or six years. Her reactions naturally tended to be stronger.
Understanding was one thing—headaches were another. Even Jinx eventually couldn't endure her endless chatter, released her tail, and slipped away as fast as a fleeing cat.
They should've taken her to the Sabaody Archipelago to play for a bit before leaving Fishman Island…
Sherwin couldn't help thinking that as he watched the mermaid princess annoy the little cats into scattering in all directions.
And then, under Shirahoshi boundless anticipation, the Dodo Advance arrived at an island completely shrouded in lightning…
Well, no matter how you looked at it, there was definitely no forest or humans up there.
"Eeeeh—?! Why is it like this?! Uuuh… even the thunder is scary… uuuh…"
Staring at the island before them—an island that had nothing but lightning and scorched earth—Shirahoshi let out a cute yet pitiful whimper.
Her whole expression instantly turned pale and lifeless, just like Sanji Meow back then, and she began crying out of sheer habit.
"Hm, looks like your luck isn't that great… You actually managed to land on the only uninhabited island."
Sherwin patted the discouraged mermaid princess, comforting her. "But it fine. The log pose still needs time to store magnetic signals. Once it done, we can just choose another direction."
In the latter half of the Grand Line, due to the increasingly chaotic magnetism, some island magnetic fields could even disappear for short periods.
Because of this, the single–needle log pose was no longer reliable, and the New World log pose had been upgraded to a three–needle version.
This way, no matter how bad one luck was, at least one of the needles would point to a relatively stable island.
As Fishman Island served as the turning point between the first and second halves of the route, the three islands its log poses pointed toward were long known:
Bilishkilled Island, Mysteria Island, and the island before them—Thunder Island.
Normally, the needle pointing toward Thunder Island was always the one trembling the most.
Because it was shrouded in lightning all year round, Thunder Island magnetic field had always been the most unstable among the three.
But exceptions were bound to happen—especially on the Grand Line, where the climate followed no logic whatsoever.
Sherwin and the others had just encountered a situation where the magnetic signals of the other two islands suddenly fluctuated violently.
"Uuuuu… Th-thank you, Sherwin…" Shirahoshi sniffled as she wiped her tears, speaking with a bit of embarrassment.
"I'm sorry… I just got scared by the thunder…"
Sherwin didn't mind at all. She was a little girl, after all—being afraid of thunder and prone to crying were perfectly normal.
Aside from the disheartened Shirahoshi, Haibara Meow also had no fondness for Thunder Island.
The tiny kitten was licking her paw, trying hard to press down the fur that had puffed up from the charge drifting off the island.
"Whether it static or lightning, I hate it, meow!"
(=`へ=)
Where there were those who hated it, there were also those who loved it. Having eaten the Lightning Fruit, Shermie was already unable to hold back.
She hopped onto Sherwin shoulder and tugged on his ear while shouting excitedly.
"Sherwin dear~ let hurry and take a look around this island! I have a feeling… the trigger for my Fruit awakening is right here, meow!"
(==)