"Everyone to your positions—we're escaping toward the southeast!"
While Leno and the others were chatting, they suddenly heard Nami's urgent call.
Turning their heads, they saw the girl sprinting toward the second-floor helm, still shouting reminders along the way.
"A storm is coming! About five minutes!"
"Chopper, go help Nami control the course!"
Hearing the urgency in Nami's voice, Leno didn't see any obvious change in the weather, but he issued the order immediately.
Countless past experiences told him one thing—when it came to weather judgment, Nami had never been wrong.
As soon as Nami finished speaking, the once-relaxed crew sprang into action.
Securing supplies, stowing items—everything moved quickly and in perfect order.
Under the sunshade, Rayleigh and Crocus exchanged a glance, both seeing surprise in each other's eyes.
The girls' instant reactions impressed them. This really was a solid crew.
Especially Nami—her performance genuinely shocked them.
She wasn't relying on any tools at all, but sensing the weather purely with her body. A truly terrifying talent.
Time passed in a blink.
Thick black clouds swallowed the sunlight in an instant, plunging the world into darkness.
Torrential rain arrived with howling winds, soaking everyone who hadn't managed to take cover in seconds.
Dense lightning streaked through the clouds, making the storm feel even more violent.
"Damn it, this rain just started out of nowhere!"
"Ah~ this time there's lightning too!"
"..."
Just as the soaked crew were still complaining, the ship suddenly tilted violently.
The newly secured supplies slid to the other side, and several people nearly lost their footing.
At that moment, Nami's voice came through the loudspeaker.
"Leno!"
"Received~"
Hearing her call, Leno instantly understood. His Devil Fruit power activated, and the ship began to rise slowly into the air.
Thinking of the two newly installed jet ports, Leno flashed into the helm.
"Nami, heading?"
"Two o'clock—straight ahead!"
After answering instinctively, Nami seemed to realize something when she saw Leno arrive and asked in surprise,
"You're going to use that?"
"That's right. Give everyone a heads-up—I'll make preparations!"
After Leno left, Nami's voice immediately echoed across the entire ship through the loudspeaker.
"Everyone, get ready—we're using the new equipment!"
"So we're using it now?"
"Haha... that thing is way too cool. I love it!"
"Charge~"
"..."
Everyone was filled with anticipation for the remodeled equipment. Back in Water Seven, they had only heard about what it could do.
Now they could finally see it with their own eyes!
Once he received confirmation that preparations were complete, Leno immediately activated the "Dual-Tube Wind Cannon."
Boom—
Two powerful air currents blasted out from the jet ports, rippling the surrounding air.
The Gale shot forward like a bullet, its speed several times faster than before!
The sudden acceleration made those unprepared stumble, saved from falling only thanks to Robin's quick action.
"So cool!"
"This speed is insane~ haha..."
"Way too awesome!"
"..."
Yamato, Chopper, and the others were all beaming with excitement. This equipment was unbelievably cool.
Even Rayleigh, who had just tagged along, couldn't help but praise it.
"What a fantastic ship!"
At his age, this was his first time experiencing high-speed flight through the air.
No regrets in this life!
Not long after, the ship finally burst free of the curtain of rain, and everyone let out a sigh of relief.
That earlier scene of raging wind, thunder, and lightning had been terrifying.
Soon, after changing into dry clothes, everyone returned to the deck to observe their surroundings.
Standing by the railing, Kuina spoke up, her voice filled with confusion and unease.
"What's going on with this sea? It's not even night yet, but mixed with all this fog, the darkness feels downright creepy!"
"Could it be that we've entered that area? I wasn't mentally prepared yet~"
Carmen walked over, towel in hand, looking around with sudden realization.
This environment looked exactly like what Granny Kokoro had described.
"Mhm~"
Nami nodded quickly in agreement. She wasn't prepared either.
She had only heard how terrifying this sea was—she didn't expect to enter it so soon.
"That's right—we've arrived! The Florian Triangle! And pretty smoothly too, hahaha..."
Rayleigh scanned the area with a wine bottle in hand, his expression confident and his mood excellent.
This trip was totally worth it—reuniting with old companions and getting free drinks!
"Old man, are there really living skeletons or ghost ships here?"
The moment she heard the name of this sea, Yamato grew excited.
"G-ghosts?"
That keyword instantly sent Chopper trembling like a leaf. He hugged Leno's leg tightly and refused to let go.
"Ghost ships? There have been legends, but no one's ever actually seen one."
Standing by the railing, Rayleigh gazed into the dim fog, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.
"Or maybe those who did… disappeared."
"What luck—running into him as soon as we get here!"
Standing beside Rayleigh, Leno stared into the fog with surprise. A massive, dilapidated ship was drifting toward them.
Glancing down at Chopper clinging to his leg, Leno grinned wickedly.
"Chopper, a living skeleton just appeared~"
"Aaahhh!!!"
Seeing Chopper scream in terror, tears and snot all over his leg, Leno's face instantly darkened.
Big mistake!
Why did he have to scare him for no reason? Instant regret!
"Nani? A living skeleton is coming?"
Hearing Leno's words, Yamato dashed to the railing, looking left and right.
"Where? Where?"
"I'm telling you, your Observation—"
"Yohoho... yo... hohoho..."
Just as Leno was about to remind Yamato to use Observation Haki, Brook's voice arrived first.
In this dark, silent environment, that highly penetrating humming sent chills through everyone unprepared.
Nami, Vivi, and Uta pressed back-to-back, nervously scanning their surroundings for the source of the sound.
Still clinging to Leno's leg, Chopper stiffly turned his head toward the fog.
"...yohoho... hoho..."
Along with the eerie humming, an old, tattered pirate ship drifted out of the mist.
"Ah! It appeared!"
"A ghost ship!!!"
...
...