The weather on the Grand Line was simply like the mood of a menopausal woman—unpredictable.
One second it was raging winds and torrential rain with monstrous waves reaching for the sky, but in the blink of an eye, it would become calm and tranquil, with a clear blue sky stretching for miles.
(Really, if the weather stayed this sunny all the time, how nice that would be...)
Nami carefully observed the clouds in the sky and the changes in the surrounding airflow. After confirming again and again that the weather wouldn't turn terrible anytime soon, she leaned against the ship's railing and breathed a sigh of relief.
Compared to when they first entered the Grand Line, this exceptionally gifted navigator had already made significant strides in her navigational skills.
Composing herself, the orange-haired navigator looked around, gazing at her companions.
Perhaps exhausted from running around to deal with the storm earlier, the idiot captain was rarely seen lying on the deck, sound asleep. He was emitting loud snores, and who knew what kind of sweet dreams he was having.
Right beside Luffy, Usopp was wearing a wretched grin, using a marker to perform some "artistic creation" on Luffy's face. Watching from the side, Chopper was desperately covering his mouth with his little hooves, terrified that his laughter might wake the idiot captain.
(Hey, that marker is what I use to color the sea charts...) Nami's face darkened with frustration, but after seeing Luffy's hilarious appearance, she decided not to stop them.
Zoro sat cross-legged in a corner, eyes closed in meditation like an old monk entering a trance. His every breath revealed a unique rhythm.
Ever since comprehending the secret to cutting steel during his battle with Mr. 1, Zoro had added meditation to his daily routine aside from physical training. In his words, doing so helped him understand the "Breath of All Things" more profoundly.
Several unmanned mops were speeding across the deck, cleaning the Going Merry until it was spotless. They looked just like the magic mops from a fairy tale—very fantastical.
Undoubtedly, this was Sherlock's handiwork.
Sherlock, actually much like Sanji, had a slight obsession with cleanliness. But compared to the curly-browed cook who only kept the kitchen organized, the Sorcerer was much more capable. Furthermore, the powerful efficiency of the Mirror-Mirror Fruit made this kind of comprehensive cleaning a very common occurrence.
Consequently, ever since Sherlock joined the crew, the hygiene quality of the Going Merry had instantly improved by more than a grade, moving Usopp—who cherished this little ship the most—to tears.
As a side note, although controlling mirror images to clean was just a method the Sorcerer used to train his Devil Fruit abilities, Sanji and the others coincidentally added "Janitor" to the list of Sherlock's titles in their minds, right after "Strategist" and "Vice Captain."
One really wonders what Sherlock would think if he knew.
(What a truly convenient Fruit ability. Putting aside its combat capabilities, it's so practical in daily life too!)
Watching the mirror-image mops scrubbing diligently, Nami blinked, then cast her gaze to the other side of the deck.
On two lounge chairs, Sherlock and Robin were reading quietly as usual. Even though the previous storm had been biting cold, these two remained completely calm under the protection of an invisible field (Mirror Reflection). It seemed as if, apart from the books in their hands, they were indifferent to everything else. Their synchronized behavior left Nami quite speechless.
Just then, Nico Robin, who had been maintaining the same posture while reading, likely felt her body go a bit numb. She put down the book in her hand, narrowed her eyes, and stretched her waist, her languid appearance resembling a house cat that had just woken up from a nap.
Snap... A soft sound was heard, and a very awkward scene occurred.
With the charming woman's motion of arching her back and expanding her chest, a button on the white women's shirt she had borrowed from Nami actually popped off.
Instantly, the front of Robin's chest was left wide open, revealing a patch of alluring creamy white skin and a hint of black lace trim. From Nami's elevated angle, that deep, captivating ravine was particularly eye-catching!
"..." Seeing this, Robin blinked. Her face showed not a trace of embarrassment. She first turned her head to look at Sherlock, and seeing that he was still focused on the book in his hands, she silently buttoned up the shirt. Her calm and casual demeanor made it seem as if nothing had happened at all.
(⊙o⊙)!!! The navigator froze, staring blankly at the charming woman who had picked up her book again to continue reading. She was completely petrified...
Women are creatures who love to compare, and Nami was no exception.
All along, Nami had prided herself on her cute looks and sexy figure. Back when Princess Vivi was on the ship, the sixteen-year-old blue-haired girl naturally had no basis for comparison with Nami in "certain aspects." Even if the navigator didn't express it overtly, she actually felt a little sense of "superiority" in her heart.
Now, Robin had joined the crew...
Although Nami's figure was indeed very hot, and her wild-cat-like sex appeal was truly teasing, compared to Robin—a top-tier oneesan akin to a perfectly ripe peach—she was still a bit green.
And the scene just now made Nami realize, directly and profoundly, just how cruel reality was!
(B:99 W:59 H:89, B:99 W:59 H:89... Hehe, no wonder Sherlock said those things when he was drunk back then, while his evaluation of me was just that I love swindling people's money.)
(So it turns out it's because mine aren't big enough! That guy really is...)
The corners of Nami's mouth twitched slightly, her face full of resentment.
Well, the navigator had completely misunderstood a certain innocent bespectacled man.
The orange-haired girl, inexplicably and suddenly self-conscious about her figure, lay weakly on the railing, her mind wandering who knows where.
After a while, Nami suddenly raised her head, her expression very serious.
(But I'm still young, my body is still developing, there's still plenty of room for growth!)
(First of all, I need to pay more attention to my personal diet...)
Thinking of this, two gleams of light shot out from Nami's eyes. Without another word, she stomped her way back into the cabin with heavy steps.
Moments later, the extremely excited wolf-howl of a certain love-struck cook suddenly came from the cabin.
"Ah!! Nami-san, if you become even sexier, what should I do..."
Thud! A muffled sound, followed by the noise of a heavy object hitting the floor and not getting up.
"Idiot! Don't say it so loud!"
After Nami finished roaring, the Going Merry fell into a rare silence again.
A long time passed.
Finishing the last page, Sherlock closed the book in his hand and simultaneously dismissed the mop mirrors that had completed their task. He rolled his neck, turned his head to look at a certain rubber idiot whose face had been drawn on beyond recognition yet was still sleeping like a dead dog, and couldn't help but freeze.
(What kind of grudge does he have with you, Usopp? Also, stop being a bad influence on Chopper! Well, okay, he's already been corrupted by you and Luffy...) Sherlock shook his head helplessly, then asked the intellectual beauty reading quietly beside him:
"What book are you reading, Robin?"
Ever since the two had a long talk during the night of the meteor shower, Robin's faint hostility toward Sherlock had vanished, and the relationship between the two had become quite good, like old friends who had known each other for years.
Actually, thinking about it carefully, it didn't seem strange that two people with such similar personalities and hobbies would become good friends.
Robin smiled elegantly and replied, "The Rainbow Mist. It's a quite interesting novel. You all really brought out quite a few interesting books from the palace in Alubarna back then."
Although her smile was affectionate, it carried a sense of distance that made people unable to stop wanting more. That was probably one of the most charming things about Nico Robin.
"That book? I remember it's about a ship that enters a patch of rainbow-colored mist while sailing and travels through time. There's also a Mist Fairy inside who can grant people's wishes."
"It is indeed a very interesting book, especially the ending..."
"Ahem." Robin coughed lightly twice to interrupt Sherlock's next words, then glanced at the Sorcerer somewhat reproachfully: "No spoilers, Sherlock."
"You should know: people who spoil things get their necks snapped while they sleep."
"Uh, I'm really sorry, I was a bit too excited just now." Sherlock smiled apologetically. "Also, snapping necks and such—you just made that up, right?"
However, just then, the little reindeer's surprised and uncertain cry came from nearby.
"Hey, Usopp, stop drawing for a second. Look, that mist in the distance is actually rainbow-colored!"
!!!
Sherlock and Robin froze simultaneously, then both stood up abruptly to gaze into the distance.
They saw a large patch of hazy, thick mist suddenly appear ahead of the Going Merry's course, radiating seven-colored light under the sunshine—dreamlike and illusory.
But while beautiful, this Rainbow Mist gave off a very peculiar feeling.
On the deck of the Going Merry.
Nami, Sanji, Zoro, Chopper, and Usopp looked at the rainbow mist not far away, then looked at the book in Robin's hands, their expressions all different.
"There's definitely something weird, there's definitely something weird about this mist! Nami, let's hurry and go around this rainbow-colored mist." Long-Nose's attitude was quite firm.
Nami nodded, deeply agreeing. "That's right, protecting the safety of the crew is my duty as the navigator. While Luffy is still sleeping..."
Speaking of this, Nami glanced at the idiot captain who was still snoring away and swallowed hard. "Let's turn the ship around immediately."
"However, according to what this book says," Robin said with a graceful smile, "inside this thick mist, there is a [Mist Fairy] who can help realize people's wishes."
"Wishes?!" The navigator's eyes turned into two Berry symbols. Her wish was obvious.
"Fairy?!" The love-struck cook instantly grasped the main point, looking like a lovelorn pig.
"Don't be stupid, love-struck curly-brows. With the way you look, even if there was a fairy, she'd be scared away by you." Zoro began his habitual mockery.
"Looks like you bastard have trained your brain into muscles." Blowing a smoke ring with a dark expression, Sanji retorted unceremoniously, "Time for me to loosen your bones again, Moss Head..."
Clang, crash, crackle, pop.
Ignoring the two who had started their "daily friendly exchange," Robin added, "Also, although the protagonist's adventure in the novel is very bizarre, there isn't any danger."
"Eh? Really?" Hearing there was no danger, a certain blue-nosed reindeer with intense curiosity wavered too.
"Hey, hey, don't be like this! It's very dangerous there!" Seeing his partners starting to get eager, Usopp was so anxious he was about to cry.
(What strange mist; the Shadow Transmission Mirror doesn't work either.) Canceling his Fruit ability, Sherlock cast a very strange look at Nico Robin.
(And Robin, you said so many misleading things just now, actually you just want to go see it yourself, right...)
Sensing the meaning in the Sorcerer's gaze, the intellectual beauty gave a charming smile, seemingly admitting it by default.
After all, as an excellent archaeologist, Robin's thirst for knowledge was quite vigorous.
Sherlock pushed up his glasses lightly. "Although it's quite a coincidence, no matter what, a novel is just a novel. It's fiction created by people, so the credibility is extremely low."
"As for going or not going, that doesn't seem to be something we can decide anymore."
Just as Sherlock's voice fell, a familiar voice rang out beside everyone.
"Ah, that was a great sleep... Whoa, that rainbow mist is so interesting!"
The idiot captain, whose face had been drawn on until he didn't look human, pressed down on his straw hat and grinned at his partners who all wore different expressions:
"Let's go take a look there!"
Luffy's smile was very sunny and brilliant, but paired with the ghostly scribbles on his face, it appeared extremely comical.
Silence... The group fell into a mysterious silence.
(Pfft... I can't, it's just too funny...)
It wasn't clear who started laughing first, but eventually Zoro, Sanji, Chopper, Usopp, and Nami all began to clutch their bellies and roar with laughter, laughing until tears came out. Even Sherlock and Robin, who were usually the most composed, had faces full of smiles.
(Strange, why is everyone so happy? Do they want to go into the mist to take a look too?)
Unaware of the truth, Luffy tilted his head with a dumbfounded look, then followed suit and laughed heartily and heartlessly.
For a moment, the little ship was filled with joy and laughter. That jubilant laughter traveled far, far across the calm surface of the sea...
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