In the cabin of the Going Merry, the Straw Hat crew sat around the dining table, their expressions all extremely serious.
Of course, that excluded a certain rubber idiot sprawled across the table, yelling about how hungry he was.
"We've been inside this Rainbow Mist for about half a day now, but nothing strange has happened. Based on the current situation, this Rainbow Mist is completely different from what's described in this novel."
Sherlock slapped The Rainbow Mist down on the table and continued, "So the Mist Fairy who can grant wishes and all that—none of it exists."
"Ahh... I'm so hungry..." —courtesy of a certain moron.
"Aww~ A fairy... What a shame." Sanji stubbed out his burnt cigarette, his expression full of disappointment.
"I just examined it—this rainbow-colored mist is no different from ordinary fog." Chopper's dark, round deer eyes widened. "But I still feel like there's something weird about it."
"Ahh... I'm so hungry..." —courtesy of a certain moron.
"Ever since the Merry sailed into this Rainbow Mist, my Log Pose stopped working!" Nami stretched out her hand with a distressed expression. The pointer inside the glass sphere on her wrist was spinning wildly.
"On the Grand Line, if even the Log Pose stops working, we won't be able to continue sailing at all!"
Zoro frowned. "We've been sailing for so long but still haven't escaped this strange fog. It's very likely these mists are to blame!"
"Ahh... I'm so hungry..." —courtesy of a certain moron.
"I told you from the start! This fog is dangerous! But none of you would listen." Usopp lay limply on the table, on the verge of tears. "Now we can't even leave this fog if we wanted to."
"Who knows, we might all be trapped and die in this thick fog." Robin elegantly crossed her legs, arms folded across her chest, speaking calmly with a serene expression. "Though dying in such a rarely seen spectacle as our graveyard would be acceptable."
"I just wonder how long it'll take for someone to discover our mummified corpses..."
"Hey, Robin, could you not say such terrifying things so matter-of-factly?" Sherlock glanced at the cowardly trio trembling in fear and lightly pushed up his glasses. "Also, your thoughts are way too dark."
"Ahh... My stomach..."
THUNK!!!! The heavy sound of a fist striking a head.
"So annoying!!! Luffy, you jerk, you still have the nerve to complain about being hungry?! We're in this mess because of you!" Nami withdrew her fist, roaring with sharp fangs like a descending demon lord.
"Hehehe, we can talk about all that stuff later. Right now it's time for dinner!" Luffy had a large, smoking bump on his head but still grinned cheerfully.
(I really don't know whether to call him overly optimistic or completely thoughtless?)
Seeing this, everyone else sighed helplessly in unison.
(We really can't win against this idiot captain...)
Faced with such a bizarre Rainbow Mist, the Straw Hat crew discussed it for ages but still came up with no clues. Therefore, they could only silently accept their dimwitted captain's suggestion: eat when it's time to eat, sleep when it's time to sleep, and wait to see what happens.
However, just to be safe, the number of night watchmen increased from one to two: Zoro and Sanji.
The night passed without incident.
Early in the morning, Zoro began his morning training, while Sanji busied himself in the kitchen, preparing a delicious breakfast for his crewmates.
Looking at his energetic appearance, he really didn't seem like someone who'd been up all night.
"Nami-swan, just watch—once you eat my love-filled cooking, your figure will definitely become even sexier!"
The lovesick cook gazed proudly at the special love breakfast he'd prepared for Miss Navigator, silently imagining Nami's smoking hot figure after becoming even sexier...
Spurt... Two streams of blood shot from his nose.
"Good morning, Sanji." Pushing open the door, Usopp—sporting two dark circles under his eyes—greeted him weakly. But when he caught sight of the blood on Sanji's face, he immediately jumped in shock.
"Ahhh! Sanji, what's wrong with you? Why are you bleeding?! Did a ghost from the Rainbow Mist attack you?!"
"Ah, it's nothing. I just got a nosebleed." Sanji awkwardly wiped away the blood, then looked at the long-nosed guy strangely and asked in confusion, "That's odd. Why are you the first one up today?"
"Up? No, no, no—I didn't sleep at all last night." Usopp sat down at the dining table and took a bite of the ham sandwich Sanji had made, his face immediately showing an expression of pure bliss.
"In such a dangerous place, how could someone as vigilant as me sleep soundly?"
"Tch, I think you were too scared to sleep..." The curly-browed cook lit a cigarette, then suddenly seemed to realize something. His brow furrowed slightly, a feeling of unease rising in his heart.
"Are Sherlock and the others still asleep?"
"Yeah, they're sleeping like babies." The long-nosed guy took another bite of his food. "It's strange though. I remember Sherlock always used to wake up the earliest..."
At that point, Usopp's words came to an abrupt halt. His movements froze, his eyes went blank, and cold sweat covered his forehead.
Something's wrong! Very wrong!
Luffy and Chopper were one thing, but Sherlock's schedule was extremely regular. Aside from that one time he got drunk, he was always the earliest riser among the Straw Hat crew.
Yet today he'd overslept...
Sanji and Usopp exchanged glances with ugly expressions on their faces. After a moment of silence, they hastily put down what they were holding and rushed toward the men's quarters.
Half asleep and half awake, Luffy regained consciousness. Groggily opening his eyes, what met his gaze was not the familiar ceiling of the Going Merry's men's quarters.
"Strange? Where is this? Wasn't I on the ship?" The dimwitted captain looked around in confusion.
This was a fairly large plaza. Probably because it was still early, only a few scattered figures could be seen, making the plaza seem quite empty.
However, what drew the most attention in this plaza was the platform located at its center.
An iron scaffold nearly twenty meters high, combined with the morning sun and the clear sky, gave off an air of solemnity and gravitas.
(This... This isn't!) Luffy's eyes beneath his hat brim gradually widened, and his body began trembling from sheer shock.
He was stunned. Even with his terrible memory, he now recalled exactly what this place was.
"Isn't this the Pirate King's execution platform?! This is Loguetown? This is the East Blue? How did I suddenly end up here?!"
Luffy's emotions were extremely agitated, his chest heaving violently. After all, anyone who experienced such an absurd situation wouldn't be able to stay calm. And more than his own circumstances, what he cared about most were his missing crewmates whose whereabouts were unknown.
"Zoro! Nami! Usopp! Sanji! Sherlock! Chopper! Robin! Hey! Where did you all go?!!!"
The dimwitted captain shouted toward the sky, his wailing cry immediately attracting the attention of the surrounding townspeople.
After yelling a few times, Luffy immediately deflated, his stomach making gurgling sounds.
"Ah, I'm hungry... Damn it, before I find my crewmates, I need to eat breakfast first."
Having made a plan for his next course of action, Luffy was about to leave when he was drawn by several whispered voices.
"Hey, hey, Sherlock, look—what's that guy in the straw hat doing? His yelling sounds terrible. Is he crazy?"
"Probably went insane after all his companions died. Ever since the Pirate King started the Great Pirate Era a few years ago, there have been more and more idiots like this who recklessly set sail without knowing their place..."
"But he seemed to be calling your name just now."
"You're overthinking it. When it comes to names, having the same name and surname is extremely common."
(Sherlock?) Luffy froze, then turned his head toward the source of the voices.
There were two children, both around five or six years old, both adorably cute with delicate features.
The older one was a little girl with strikingly beautiful silver-white hair that really stood out.
The younger one was a little boy with black hair and black eyes, holding a book. His fair, tender little face revealed a maturity completely inconsistent with his age.
"Ah, Sherlock, look—that crazy person is looking at us..." The silver-haired little girl instinctively shrank behind the black-haired little boy, her timid, adorable expression absolutely capable of destroying any lolicon's heart.
Snap~
The little boy named Sherlock closed the book in his hands and looked at the dumbfounded idiot captain. His eyes narrowed slightly, his expression calm and composed.
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