Mr. 9 leaned over the railing and asked, "Are they… eating?"
Miss Wednesday tilted her head. "No… they should be eating ice cream, right?"
Mr. 9's eyes widened. "Wow, they're really geniuses!"
"So noisy," Nami snapped. "I say, you're wearing short sleeves. Aren't you cold?"
Short sleeves? Cold?
Sandy and the others finally reacted.
Luffy shivered violently. "S-so cold!"
Sandy smirked. "Not eating anymore?"
Usopp shuddered. "Eat? Of course we'll eat. But let's get some clothes first… Oh, where's Zoro?"
Sandy pointed lazily toward the deck. "He's dreaming."
Zoro was half-buried in snow, sleeping soundly like nothing happened.
Mr. 9 muttered, "I feel like everyone on this ship is abnormal. Don't you think so, Miss Wednesday?"
Sandy shot him a glare. "Can you talk properly, you freeloading passenger? When we get to port, you'd better pay the boat fee."
As for Miss Wednesday, Sandy already knew she was the princess of Alabasta.
But seeing how she acted with hidden motives behind every move, he couldn't help but feel irritated.
Just then—crack! A blinding flash of lightning streaked across the sky.
Everyone froze.
Wait… wasn't it snowing? Why thunder now?
Dark clouds were gathering in the distance. A small tornado twisted across the sea.
"Damn!" Sandy cursed.
He raised his sword, half-tempted to try slicing the clouds open. But before he could, Nami cracked him on the head.
"Don't mess around anymore!" she barked. Planting her hands on her hips, she declared, "Everyone, when even my best navigation skills can't work on this sea, it means things are serious!"
Usopp stared blankly. "Not working… and you say that with confidence?"
Luffy's eyes sparkled. "Sugoi!"
Sandy clapped and laughed. "I've never seen someone this shameless."
Sanji walked out of the kitchen, eyes turning into hearts. "As expected of Miss Nami! Please give me any orders you want!"
Heavy rain and snow raged—a full blizzard.
The Going Merry drifted in the storm, riding the chaotic waves.
Thanks to Nami's skill, they somehow stayed afloat. Without her, half the crew would've been fish food.
Finally, the storm passed. The sky cleared. The wind blew gently across the deck.
Zoro yawned and stretched, finally waking up. Looking at the blue sky and drifting white clouds, he smiled lazily. "Another beautiful day."
He glanced at Sandy and the others lying half-dead on the deck. "Hey, even if the weather's good, you don't have to be so lazy. If you wanna sleep, go back to your rooms. You'll catch a cold."
Nami's eyebrow twitched dangerously. "Zoro…"
Zoro turned around, clueless. "What's wrong, Nami?"
Duang!
She slammed him on the head.
Zoro rubbed his skull. "What the hell was that for?!"
Duang!
Another knock.
Nami roared, "You idiot! Do you even know what happened while you were sleeping? We were calling you the whole time!"
Zoro finally understood a core truth: the women on this ship were tigers. When you see one angry, run.
The Going Merry eventually sailed into Whiskey Peak.
On the way, Mr. 9 and Miss Wednesday jumped overboard and returned home.
As the ship entered the harbor, the townsfolk on both sides enthusiastically welcomed the Straw Hats. Their smiles were warm—but fake.
They were bounty hunters of Baroque Works, luring Pirates in before taking their heads for cash.
Usopp waved happily. "Ah, hello everyone! My name's Usopp, brave warrior of the sea!"
Sanji, meanwhile, was useless. Seeing all the beautiful women smiling at them, his eyes turned to hearts. "So many lovely ladies… Is this heaven? I love you all…"
Only Nami and Zoro stayed on alert. Sandy, having seen this part of the story before, just didn't bother to care.
Once the Merry docked, Igaram (Mr. 8) led the crowd to invite them to a grand Pirate banquet.
Luffy heard "banquet" and followed without a second thought.
Zoro heard "booze" and followed right behind.
Nami heard "100,000 Belly reward" and was already running ahead.
Sanji saw women and didn't even need an invitation.
Usopp, the king of joiners, wasn't going to be left out either.
Only Sandy remained on the deck.
One of the bounty hunters noticed his indifference and approached respectfully.
"Esteemed guest, may I ask what you prefer?"
Sandy smiled faintly. "A quiet place to sleep would be perfect. Thanks."
The leader gestured subtly. Two beautiful girls stepped forward, linking arms with him.
"Handsome, please come with us."
Sandy raised a brow. "Oh? A trap?"
Before he could react, they each took an arm and led him into a room.
One woman purred, "You must be thirsty after the long voyage, right? Hehehe…"
The other pressed a cup into his hand. "Try this. It's a local specialty. Very famous in the East Blue."
Sandy exhaled slowly. "Hiss… so that's the kind of vibe this is, huh."
With a single pulse of his Conqueror's Haki, the room fell silent. Everyone except Sandy collapsed.
"Much better," Sandy muttered as he started eating and drinking peacefully.
Drinking with people who had ulterior motives? Yeah, no thanks.
He looked at their unconscious faces and chuckled. "So, tell me… who's the hunter, and who's the prey?"
Tonight was going to be fun.
Because tonight was the battle where Zoro made his name—
Zoro vs. over a hundred bounty hunters.