"Rehn… do we really have to take this shortcut?"
The Grand Line, Paradise.
Their speedboat cut through the waves, but Sanji's expression was oddly stiff.
Rehn, holding a professional-grade astronomical telescope, was carefully observing the sky and currents. Without turning around, he replied:
"Of course! Sanji, time is life! No, time is Lord Renzo's afternoon tea! According to my precise calculations, crossing this Devil's Sea Zone, while dangerous, will save us a full three days compared to the regular route!"
"And those three days are the key to the success of our mission!"
Sanji sighed and lit a cigarette.
"It's not the danger I'm worried about… Are you sure your calculations are right? The magnetic field and weather here are notoriously chaotic."
"Please trust my expertise!"
Rehn thumped his chest proudly.
"My 'Lord Renzo Special Navigation Efficiency Algorithm' accounts for more than a hundred types of emergencies! It's absolutely foolproof!"
But the moment he finished speaking,
BOOOOOM!!
A lightning bolt as thick as a barrel struck the water less than ten meters ahead of their bow, exploding into a towering pillar of sea spray!
The speedboat jolted violently. Rehn's round body rolled across the deck three full times before slamming into the rail with a thud.
Sanji, unfazed, casually hooked one foot around the mast to stabilize himself and blew out a smoke ring.
"This is your 'foolproof' plan?"
"...A miscalculation! A teeny-tiny deviation!"
Rehn scrambled up, wiped his glasses, and coughed awkwardly.
"The route, yes, the route needs correction! We have to land on that island to recalibrate our Log Pose!"
He pointed toward the hazy silhouette ahead, half-shrouded in sea mist.
"That island…"
Sanji narrowed his eyes.
"That looks like… Jaya Island?"
"Correct! The lawless pirate nest, Mock Town!"
Rehn's expression turned deadly serious.
"Sanji, for Lord Renzo's coffee, we must take this risk!"
"Heh. Mock Town, huh? Sounds like just my kind of place."
Sanji's lips curled into a sly smile.
An hour later, their speedboat docked at Mock Town's chaotic port.
The moment they stepped ashore, a cocktail of alcohol stench, gunpowder fumes, and cheap perfume slapped them in the face. Pirates of all shapes and sizes, all equally ugly and hostile, littered the streets.
"Such a lively place," Sanji muttered, adjusting his suit.
"Please stay low-profile, Sanji."
Rehn clutched his briefcase, which was filled with their massive procurement funds.
"Our goal is to buy an Eternal Pose and leave immediately. Efficiency! Efficiency above all! Absolutely no unnecessary trouble!"
"Yeah, yeah, I heard you."
They entered a tavern that looked somewhat "normal", at least compared to the rest.
The moment they stepped inside, a drunken one-eyed pirate with rotting teeth staggered toward them, his filthy cup spilling toward Sanji's suit.
"Outta the way, blondie!"
Sanji's eyes instantly turned cold.
But before he could react, Rehn moved.
BANG!
With a deceptively gentle sidestep and shoulder bump, Rehn struck the pirate with uncanny precision and force.
The pirate shot backward like a rubber ball, flying three times faster than he came, crashing through three tables before collapsing unconscious, whites of his eyes showing.
The tavern went dead silent.
Every pirate stared in shock at the pudgy, harmless-looking man who had just casually sent someone flying.
Rehn didn't even glance at the guy. Instead, he pulled out a handkerchief and carefully wiped the shoulder where contact had been made, muttering with disgust:
"Unbelievable… to get contaminated by such trash before acquiring Lord Renzo's holy ingredients… Terrible omen! Efficiency -10%!"
Sanji blinked, stunned.
"Oi oi, fatty, you-"
"Low profile, Sanji."
Rehn adjusted his glasses and whispered so only Sanji could hear:
"In Lord Renzo's 'Efficiency Doctrine,' small fry like that aren't worth dirtying your golden feet, those feet are reserved for ladies and for cooking. Leaving them to me is the most efficient, least noisy solution."
Sanji stared at Rehn's "just taking out the trash" expression and burst out laughing.
'This guy… was a monster after all.'
The terrified tavern owner quickly told them where to buy the Eternal Pose.
But just as they were about to leave,
BOOOOM!!
A thunderous noise erupted from the center of town, shaking the ground!
"What was that?!"
"It's Bellamy! That idiot's smashing buildings again!"
"Run for your lives! The Knock-Up Stream is coming!!"
"What?!"
The entire tavern exploded into chaos as every pirate, including the owner, ran for the exits like they were fleeing the end of the world.
"Knock-Up Stream?" Sanji grabbed the owner by the collar.
"Yes! Marine sir!" the man cried.
"That thing! The legendary sea current that shoots ships straight into the sky! It's about to erupt! If you don't run now, Mock Town will be swallowed whole!"
"What?!"
Sanji and Rehn exchanged horrified looks.
They rushed outside and froze.
Out on the sea, a gigantic white whirlpool, hundreds of meters wide, was rapidly forming!
In the sky, thunderclouds gathered like an apocalyptic wall.
"Oh no, our ship!"
They sprinted toward the port.
But it was already too late.
The terrifying suction engulfed all of Jaya Island.
"Hold on tight, Sanji!" Rehn roared, wrapping both arms around the main mast, and clutching his briefcase with the other.
"You don't have to tell me that, fatty!"
Sanji grabbed the helm, trying desperately to stabilize the boat.
BOOOOOOOOOM!!!
Before their horrified eyes, a colossal white water column burst from the sea, connecting ocean and sky.
Their scout boat, helpless as a leaf in a storm, was instantly swallowed up and launched upward with unimaginable force.
"NNOOO-!!!"
In the last moment before the white torrent consumed them, Rehn let out the most despairing scream of his life:
"LORD RENZO'S AFTERNOON TEA…!! MY PROCUREMENT PLAN… IT'S ALL OVER!!!"
"AAAHHHHH, !!"
Sanji, however, caught between terror and an undeniable spark of excitement, let out a very different kind of scream:
"Sk…Sky Island?! Don't tell me it's real?!"