Deep down in his heart, a trace of self-pity indeed just began to surface...
"Where to next, Captain?"
Robin elegantly put down her coffee cup and naturally changed the subject, smiling, "If I remember correctly, the next stop on the Alabasta route leads to Gaya Island. Are we going there?"
"Gaya Island?"
Shano recalled.
If I remember correctly, following the nearby soaring currents, you can leave the Blue Sea and reach the Sky Island area ruled by Enel?
He eventually shook his head.
"No, the World Government's attention on us is now completely heightened. Continuing along this route without change is too risky, easily leading to ambush. A change is needed."
Needed precautions are still necessary.
He thought that now Gaya Island is most likely already filled with Navy spies.
Perhaps when pushing open the louvered doors of a tavern, someone in a baseball cap is already waiting at the bar.
"I remember you have Eternal Poses for the islands surrounding Alabasta, right?"
Shano looked at Robin, "Alright then, remove Gaya Island, and remove routes like going back to Drum Island, then cover the labels, and let's draw a lot."
To wherever is drawn?
Nojiko's eyes lit up, "Great idea! I agree!"
"I agree too."
"Me too, after all, unknown adventures are more charming."
The other crew members nodded one after another.
"Then wait for me here a moment."
Robin walked towards her room and soon returned with a backpack.
With a clatter—
A dozen or so Eternal Poses with covered labels scattered on the round table, their glass casings refracting a crystalline light in the sunlight.
"Go ahead, Captain."
Robin chuckled softly, gesturing a welcome, "The choice of fate."
"I've always been lucky."
Shano casually picked one up, inspecting it under the sun. The needle inside the glass cover quivered slightly, then quickly stabilized, pointing northwest.
"Let's go! We're heading here!"
Shano laughed heartily, tossing the Pose high and catching it steadily, "Going to this... well, I don't know where this island is either!"
......
In the blink of an eye, three days had passed.
The Endgame continued to sail full speed across the ocean.
And the climate of the Grand Line is always unpredictable.
One moment it was clear and sunny, the next, black clouds overshadowed the entire sea like a giant beast.
Rumble!
In the distant sky, lightning began to flicker indistinctly.
"Looks like a formidable storm is about to hit."
Nami stood up from the lounge chair under the sun umbrella, murmuring as she gazed at the sky.
At this moment, she had already recovered from the blow of the bounty. She extended her fair palm, sensing the flow of the wind, with a serious expression, "Much more terrifying than all the previous times combined."
Just as Shano had said.
His luck indeed has always been good, encountering few natural disasters in the Grand Line over this month.
Storms had only hit a few times, none of them large in scale, avoiding danger thanks to the sturdy ship built from Treasure Tree Adam.
But this time, things seemed different.
"Everyone, attention!"
Nami yelled as she turned around, "Reef sails, the main mast and the auxiliary ones, full left rudder!"
Before the words had finished, bean-sized raindrops began to fall.
Initially just a few sporadic drops, soon evolving into a torrential downpour, amidst the lightning and thunder, rain hammered the deck with a cracking sound, like a million pearls shattering simultaneously.
"Damn it!"
Smoker hurriedly donned a raincoat and rushed to the helm, "I'll handle the rudder, Nami, don't stay on the deck, go to a sheltered place to command!"
"Got it, leave it to you!"
Nami nimbly climbed up to the second-floor outdoor sword dojo, reaching the eaves.
Her orange hair stuck wetly to her cheeks, she casually brushed it aside, squinted her eyes, and gazed far into the rain, the strong wind blowing against her face, yet not affecting her sharp gaze at all.
"Breakthrough at the ten o'clock direction, the clouds are thinnest there! Taking this direction, we can quickly break out of the storm's cover!"
"Understood!"
Everyone immediately sprang into action.
Smoker followed Nami's instructions without hesitation, swiftly turning the helm in that direction.
Nami's navigation skills had long been recognized by everyone.
Even Smoker, who came from the Navy Headquarters elite camp, had to admit that among all the colleagues he had seen, Nami's Sailing Skill was truly one of the best.
Crash!
Suddenly, the wind intensified significantly, howling as it tore through the waves. The once calm sea suddenly turned furious, raising waves over a hundred meters high, roaring towards the deck.
Swish!
A shadow swept by, and Kuina flashed to the bow of the ship.
"Wind Barrier."
She calmly whispered, lightly pushing the Sword Guard with her thumb.
Zing—
The Wado Ichimonji unsheathed, and the fierce sword wind erupted at that moment!
In an instant, the air before the bow twisted and trembled, as a Gale Swordsmanship Sword Qi over ten meters wide stretched out in front, constructing a semi-transparent wind wall above the deck.
Boom!!!
The overwhelming hundred-meter-high wave slammed into the wind wall, the impact that should have been devastating was instead absorbed like a mud ox into the sea, disappearing without a trace.
Only a small amount of water on the edges turned into fine rain and sprinkled on both sides of the deck, having no effect on the Endgame at all.
"Huh? Completely absorbed?"
Nojiko's eyes widened, "Is this also learned from that Gale Swordsmanship manual? It's just too amazing!"
Originally, she had been prepared to freeze the incoming massive wave into ice and snow.
The wave came fast and furious, she actually didn't have much confidence in dealing with it.
Yet unexpectedly, Kuina neutralized the crisis effortlessly with just one sword strike.
"Yes, I only made a small accomplishment with this move yesterday, so it was just right for a test."
Kuina smiled.
Though her expression was calm, she was slightly panting, clearly showing that compared to the "Steel Cutting Flash," this move took a greater toll on her stamina.
She still needed more practice.
Kuina mused internally, the Wind Swordsmanship was truly profound, and currently, she had only grasped its basics.
Absorbing a wave was nothing.
If "Wind Barrier" was fully mastered, according to the secret tome, it could swallow any long-range form of attack completely.
When would she be able to achieve that level...
She shook her head, snapped back, and looked up.
Underneath the second-floor eaves, Nami didn't relax due to the wave being easily absorbed. Instead, she stared intensely at the distance, her expression growing more grave.
Was it because the storm was intensifying?
Kuina turned back, looking toward the sky.
In the pitch-black clouds, lightning serpents danced wildly, with each flash illuminating the entire sea area like daylight.
The roar of the waves grew increasingly intense, akin to the angry cries of a Deep Sea monster, while the surrounding currents suddenly became disorderly and wild, starting to whirl swiftly like a vortex.
"No, no! Such marine flow phenomena shouldn't occur simultaneously..."
Nami stared at the sea with realization, her pupils suddenly constricting as she shouted:
"It's a Super Large Sea King Species! The storm's too fierce, it's roused the giant lurking in this area's seabed, and it's venting its rage!"
As if proving her words, the sea suddenly swelled into a massive bulge, over a thousand meters in diameter, the surrounding sea surface began to churn turbulently like boiling water—
Boom!!!
A colossal blue tentacle, a hundred meters thick, burst from the water, carrying tens of thousands of tons of seawater, angrily smashing down onto the Endgame!
This is bad!
Kuina's face turned pale in shock, quickly drawing her sword to try to fend it off, but upon contact, she was struck away by the tentacle, heavily falling onto the deck.
"Kuina!" Nami cried out, her face white with fear.
Just at this critical moment—
Bam!
The training room's cabin door suddenly burst open, a shadow shot out like a cannonball, leaving cobweb-like cracks on the deck as it leaped into the sky!
"Elbaf's Spear..."
Shano's figure collided fiercely with the tentacle, yet remained unyielding. He grinned, his right fist entwined with Haki, striking fiercely at the gigantic figure that blotted out the sun.
"Overlord's Might!"