Sunlight. Sea breeze. A sleek new ship. Laughing nakama. A Jolly Roger in the wind.
Any sailor seeing them would think: a ship of dreams and joy.
They had left Water 7 behind.
The captain of this joyful ship, Monkey D. Luffy, sat cross-legged on the deck. His face was unhappy.
Nearby, Usopp, Chopper, and Franky were playing cards, shouting at each other. Nami and Vivi were reading on deck chairs, soaking up the sun. Sanji was preparing afternoon tea.
Luffy sighed.
Only Zoro was doing anything useful. Lifting weights. No matter what else he did, he was always training.
A kindred spirit.
The sea was calm. The wind steady. The helm and sails needed no adjusting. Everyone was resting.
Zoro was in the crow's nest, keeping watch. Doing his duty.
"I want to play too," Luffy said.
"Play what?"
Robin closed the history book she had been using for their study session. She smiled, sipping her tea.
"Anything!"
Luffy perked up. He did not want to focus on ancient texts. Slacking off was his nature.
His history skill was Level 2 now. Robin had praised his progress. A supernova in archaeology, she said.
Of course he was progressing fast. He was always studying. Everyone was used to it.
Every day, he set aside hours for lessons. Some days with Robin, Nami, and Vivi. Other days with Zoro, Sanji, and Usopp.
He was not an expert in anything. But he knew a little of everything. Sometimes, that made all the difference.
Robin saw him fidgeting. Her eyes gleamed.
Luffy tensed.
She smiled her knowing smile. "Then let's do what you and Vivi did in Water 7."
"Pfft—cough!"
Luffy choked. "We didn't do anything! Just walking. Training!"
"Do what?"
Nami looked over.
Vivi was helping her with a face mask. Her face went red. She tried to push Nami back down. "Nami, you misheard! Robin is joking!"
Nami looked at Vivi, flushed. At Luffy, innocent. At Robin, amused.
Something had happened that night. She was sure.
But Vivi would not admit it. She let it go.
Robin laughed. She was not trying to expose anything. She just liked watching Luffy squirm.
"Forget it," Luffy said. He looked defeated. He picked up his book. "Studying."
"Good. Where was I?"
Robin smiled at him. Her eyes teased.
Luffy made a silent vow: one day, he would get her back.
How? He had not figured that out yet.
They must have entered a special weather zone. The waves were growing. No longer calm.
The wind was unpredictable. Strong one moment. Light the next.
The leisure time was over. Nami gave orders. Turn the helm. Adjust the sails.
Vivi felt it first. Her fruit let her sense the wind. She pointed.
"Seven o'clock. A storm cloud. Moving fast."
Luffy shaded his eyes. On the horizon, a dark mass was spreading. Coming toward them.
"A storm? Already? We just left Water 7!"
"In the Grand Line, storms are normal."
Nami checked her Log Pose. She watched the sea, the sky. "Sometimes several a day. Calm seas are the exception."
She frowned. "The cloud is too wide. We can't go around. We'll have to go through. Hope it's just a storm."
The old shipwrights in Water 7 had warned them. In the Grand Line, storms were lucky. Here, things could be worse. Things could fall from the sky.
"Everyone ready."
Nami's voice was clear. She gave orders.
The Merry was stored in the Sunny's dock. Safe from the waves.
Zoro left the crow's nest. He stood at the bow, watching.
Against nature, people were small. One mistake, and the ship would be gone.
Chopper shifted to human form. He stood by Zoro at the helm.
Merry was the best helmsman—she was a ship spirit. But she needed time to learn the Sunny. She could not control it like she controlled her own body.
"Hard to starboard!"
Nami's voice cut through the wind.
Zoro and Chopper turned the wheel. The ship turned slowly.
"Reef the sails!"
Sanji and Usopp worked the ropes. The great sails folded, tied down. Less wind to catch.
"Waaah!"
A strong wind hit. Merry was running on deck, excited. Her small body was lifted, flying.
Luffy's arm stretched. He caught her, held her close.
"That was scary!"
Merry clung to his neck, her face buried in his shoulder.
***
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