Halfway through speaking, Nami suddenly looked up in terror, her face turning pale in an instant.
"What is that?!"
Huge "raindrops" had begun falling from the sky at some unknown moment. No, they could no longer be called raindrops.
Water spheres would be more accurate, each one dozens of meters in diameter, crashing down densely from above.
Boom boom boom!
The water spheres struck the sea like cannonballs, sending massive sprays into the air.
While carefully steering the ship to dodge them, Leno cursed inwardly. What kind of insane weather was this? He had never seen anything like it.
The entire vessel rocked violently under his control.
Chopper, who had just come down from the lookout tower, failed to find anything to stabilize himself with. His small body rolled across the deck like a bouncing ball.
"Help! What's going on with this weather?!"
"This is the Maubeugemur Sea Region, also called the 'Unhappy' Sea!" Nami raised her hand to block the splashing water while quickly explaining.
"Many abnormal weather phenomena appear one after another in this area..."
"Ah!! It's happening—giant hail!"
Before she could finish, Chopper's panicked scream cut her off.
Having just steadied himself with Robin's help, he didn't even have time to catch his breath before his eyes widened in shock at the next scene.
The massive falling water spheres in the sky rapidly began freezing, turning into enormous ice balls in the blink of an eye.
A new wave of attacks descended, several times more destructive than before.
However, Leno and the others actually felt relieved—these were much easier to deal with than the water spheres.
Everyone used their own methods, quickly shattering the incoming ice balls.
But it wasn't over yet. After the hail came a blizzard-like torrent of snow cascading from the sky.
Robin was about to use her ability to block the snowfall when a cold voice sounded beside her.
"Ice and snow control."
Buzz—
Kaya, now transformed into an ice snow maiden, lightly raised her arm. The waterfall-like snow froze in midair, completely motionless.
A moment later, she swung her arm and flung the massive quantity of snow into the sea.
Seeing another disaster narrowly avoided, Carmen gave Kaya a thumbs-up.
"Nicely done, Kaya!"
"It was noth—"
Feeling everyone's approving gazes, a faint blush flashed across Kaya's pale face.
She waved her hands shyly, about to say something modest, when suddenly the sky poured down heavy rain again.
Everyone instinctively looked up, wary of another sudden attack.
Chopper, already tense to the extreme, muttered under his breath, "I hope it's just normal rain..."
As if tempting fate, Vivi suddenly let out a scream from the railing, making him jump.
"Everyone! Look at the sea..."
"What is it this time?!"
Chopper cried out in near despair. One wave after another—would it ever end?
What kind of cursed place was this? The weather changed far too strangely.
Despite his complaints, curiosity got the better of him, and he joined the others at the railing to look down at the ocean below.
"Th-this..."
"The sea split open?!"
A massive fissure had inexplicably torn across the sea surface, with surging water rushing violently into it. Everyone aboard stared in stunned silence.
This was too outrageous!
They exchanged glances, once again thankful that their ship could fly.
After observing for a moment, Nami turned to Leno with a serious expression.
"You idiot, we can't stay in this sea any longer. Use the Wind Rift Cannon—let's fly out in one go!"
"No problem..."
Leno vanished in a flash. Moments later, the Gale shot forward like an arrow released from a bow, speeding rapidly into the distance.
Only after the ship finally flew beyond the cloud-covered region did everyone truly relax.
After tidying up and changing into fresh clothes, they returned to the deck.
But not long after, Chopper wilted again, collapsing onto the floor with his tongue hanging out.
"This time it's scorching heat... I-I can't take it..."
"It's so hot..."
Yamato sat beneath a sun umbrella, fanning herself weakly, looking completely drained.
The vivid bikini against her fair skin barely contained her impressive figure.
Her towering curves swayed gently with each movement, the thin straps looking as though they might give out at any moment.
Leno's gaze shifted, surrounded by rolling peaks of dazzling white that nearly blinded him.
Slurp... slurp...
"Yeah, this weather... so big, so white..."
"Huh?!"
Several bored crew members blinked in confusion, turning toward their captain.
Once they noticed where he was looking, they collectively rolled their eyes.
This pervert. Always thinking about dirty things no matter the situation.
Nami's eyes flickered mischievously. She stepped in front of Leno and deliberately puffed out her chest, speaking with a proud tone.
"You idiot, you're drooling..."
"Huh? Oh..." Leno snapped back to reality and instinctively wiped his mouth. After realizing he had been tricked, he didn't get angry.
Instead, he studied the girl in front of him and asked tentatively after a moment:
"Nami, did you get bigger?" he said, even gesturing with his hands.
Nami's lips curled slightly upward. She lifted her delicate chin proudly, a flash of delight appearing in her eyes.
"Hmph, I told you before—I'll definitely get bigger!"
"Really? My eyes aren't very accurate." Leno stroked his chin, then grinned wickedly. "Come here, I'll measure for you."
"...Pervert, go die!"
Seeing Leno's lecherous expression and the slowly approaching dragon-claw hand, Nami kicked him without hesitation.
After glaring at him fiercely, her face flushed red as she ran away.
Watching her alluring figure and graceful curves disappear into the distance, Leno smacked his lips regretfully.
With a casual wave, a massive block of ice appeared before him.
Cool air spread instantly, drawing everyone's attention.
Chopper scrambled up and rushed over, looking at Leno with admiration.
"Su-goi! Le-Leno, where did that come from?"
"Hehe... where else? The 'hail' from earlier."
Leno narrowed his eyes and lifted his nose proudly.
Who would have thought that the few pieces of "hail" he had casually collected out of laziness earlier would come in handy now?
Life really was full of surprises.
"Everyone, a fleet has appeared ahead!"
Before Leno could fully enjoy everyone's admiration, Uta's voice came from the lookout tower.
The people beneath the umbrella immediately stood up, shading their eyes as they looked into the distance.
A fleet approached slowly, led by a massive warship.
Even from afar, they could see the emblem printed on the sails—a skull with a long beard backed by a golden sword.
Looking at the somewhat familiar symbol, Leno thought for a moment before his eyes suddenly narrowed.
"That is... Z?"
...
...