The next day, the sky was clear and bright.
Golden sunlight spilled down from the horizon, scattering across the sea until the surface glittered as if it had been dusted with gold. A light breeze rolled over the water, stirring gentle ripples and small white waves that slapped against one another with a crisp, pleasant rhythm.
In the distance, a small sailboat cut through the calm sea. Its bow split the water like a blade, leaving widening trails of foam behind it.
On the deck, Kai ended his daily training.
He picked up a towel and casually wiped the sweat from his forehead, then raised his head and swept his gaze across the surrounding waters.
The sailboat was currently in the middle of the sea. There were no landmarks around him, no islands, no reefs, nothing he could use to judge his exact position.
All he had was the Log Pose.
Following the direction it pointed in, he had left the Beck Archipelago and sailed all the way here. The journey had been surprisingly smooth, without any accidents or delays.
Because of that, Kai could roughly estimate his current location.
"At most, one more day."
"I should be able to reach Alabasta within a day."
Kai narrowed his eyes slightly.
A cool sea breeze tugged at his hair and brushed against his skin.
It had already been a full day since he left the Beck Archipelago. During that time, he had not stopped at any island, choosing instead to sail straight toward Alabasta.
Naturally, he should not be far from his destination now.
Kai exhaled and pushed the thoughts aside.
Clenching his fists lightly, he felt the small but steady growth in his strength over the past few days. A satisfied smile appeared on his face.
The improvement was not obvious in a single day.
But he had time.
With enough accumulation, his strength would continue to rise without end.
"There was also an unexpected Devil Fruit along the way. Not bad."
Kai lifted the wooden box beside him and looked at the Wax-Wax Fruit inside.
After a moment, his gaze moved away from the fruit and toward the sky.
The blue, cloudless sky had begun to change. Thick dark clouds drifted in from the distance, gathering overhead and bringing with them a heavy, gloomy pressure.
It felt like the warning before a storm.
"A heavy rainstorm?"
Kai's expression remained calm.
Since he began sailing this sea, he had rarely run into severe weather.
But this was the Grand Line.
On this dangerous stretch of sea, apart from the endless Sea Kings lurking below, the most common reason ships were swallowed by the ocean was the bizarre and unpredictable weather.
Once a ship encountered extreme weather, even the most experienced navigator could end up dead, their vessel shattered and dragged beneath the waves.
Now, for the first time since leaving Marineford, Kai was about to face a true storm.
"My luck has actually been good."
"Most people sailing this region would probably run into storms every few days. I've only met one so far."
Kai showed no panic.
There was no unease in his eyes.
Above him, more and more clouds gathered.
Heavy black clouds covered the sky and swallowed the light. It was as if the heavens over the surrounding waters had been sealed beneath a dark curtain.
Even the sea breeze grew colder.
Sharp enough to sting the skin.
"It's coming."
Kai narrowed his eyes.
Almost the moment the thought appeared, the weather seemed to answer him.
A torrential downpour crashed from the sky.
The wind howled.
Thunder roared.
Lightning flashed.
Boom!
Rolling thunder tore through the clouds. Thick purple bolts of lightning descended from above, striking down with terrifying force and lighting up the dark sea.
The sound shook the surrounding waters.
Even the Sea Kings below the surface seemed to shrink away from the heavenly wrath, hiding deep in the water and refusing to rise.
Thunder was a power all living creatures instinctively feared.
That fear was engraved into bone and blood.
Kai stood on the deck as the storm raged around him. Towering waves rose and slammed into the sailboat, tossing it violently across the water.
Rain poured down in sheets.
Under the influence of the violent wind, the rain fell at an angle, lashing across the deck.
The sea became wild.
Wave after wave rolled in, each one carrying enough force to crush an ordinary vessel.
The sailboat was soon soaked from bow to stern, and Kai's clothes were drenched through.
The sky had turned so dark it seemed almost impossible to see ahead.
The pressure would have made ordinary sailors despair.
But to Kai, even this storm could not threaten him too much.
Even if the sailboat were smashed apart by the waves, he could rely on Moonwalk and force his way to Alabasta through the air.
He was certain he was already close.
With his mastery of the Six Powers, he could step through the sky and reach the island even if the ship was lost.
In other words, whether the sailboat survived or not would not affect his safety.
His strength had already reached a level where ordinary natural disasters could no longer easily take his life.
Rainwater ran down his body.
Seawater splashed over the deck again and again.
The entire sailboat trembled like a fragile leaf in the middle of a storm.
Time passed.
One hour later, the storm finally began to weaken.
The violent sea gradually calmed.
After another half hour, the rain stopped completely.
The dark clouds dispersed.
Blue sky returned.
White clouds drifted across the heavens.
After the storm, the sun shone again.
Golden sunlight fell upon the sea, driving away the darkness, cold, and dampness in the air.
"Good. The sailboat survived."
Kai stood on the deck and inspected the vessel.
It had taken some damage.
But fortunately, its craftsmanship was excellent. It had not been broken apart by the storm.
At the very least, it would hold together long enough to take him to Alabasta.
After the rain passed, Kai cleared away the debris that had been swept onto the deck by the storm.
The sea had thrown up all kinds of broken scraps and floating junk, leaving the sailboat in a mess.
Once he finished cleaning, he changed into a fresh set of clothes.
Standing beneath the warm sunlight, Kai closed his eyes for a moment and enjoyed the comfort of the sun on his skin.
The cool sea breeze brushed past him from time to time.
The waves slapped gently against the hull.
Three hours later, he saw land.
A vast shape appeared on the horizon.
No.
It was not an island.
It was a continent.
A huge landmass stretched across the distance, far too vast to be described as a mere island.
"So that's Alabasta?"
Looking at the reddish land ahead, Kai's eyes flashed.
After several days of sailing, he had finally arrived at his destination.
Alabasta.
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