A deafening peal of thunder split the sky as a bolt of lightning flashed.
Night on the sea had not turned peaceful. Black clouds packed the heavens, gales raged, and rain poured in torrents.
Under the storm’s fury, the sea seemed enraged, heaving up towering waves in layers.
Amid those waves, the trio’s triangular-sailed ship was like a skiff, as if the next second it would be smashed and sunk.
"Ahhhh... what kind of cursed weather is this?!"
On deck in a raincoat, Nami shouted in collapse as she directed Karl and Carina: "It was just snowing heavily, and in a few minutes it turned into a squall?!"
"Normal—for the Grand Line."
Each time the ship met a giant swell, Carina used the Barrier Fruit to raise a hemispherical shield that covered part of the ship. She smiled. "Because this sea is saturated with magnetic fields, the weather here is fickle. Everyone who enters the Grand Line will one day face such a baptism.
Taking it on the first day is actually a good thing."
"Big sis Carina, can’t you use your fruit to keep the weather normal?" Nami edged up to her, pitifully.
Carina rolled her eyes. "In your dreams. Who knows what ’normal’ is here? I don’t have the stamina to keep my power up that long, and the barrier’s area is limited."
"How about I toss a light spear up there and try it?" Karl suggested suddenly.
Carina and Nami fell briefly silent.
Then Nami’s eyes lit up. "Great idea!"
"Worth a try," Carina nodded.
Seeing they both agreed, Karl summoned the mysterious spear bound to his soul and dwelling within his body.
At a mere thought, his oceanic stamina surged into the spear as if drawn by a magnet, transforming into dazzling power of light.
When the charge was complete and the spear had become a golden lance of light, Karl hurled it skyward.
A golden meteor knifed into the heavens.
The explosion, louder than the thunder, boomed from the heavy clouds.
Dazzling gold drove back the night, as if illuminating the entire world.
The glare was so bright Carina and Nami below couldn’t open their eyes.
Long after, when the light faded—
The gale and the downpour vanished along with the clouds.
A sky full of stars, and the round moon, appeared overhead.
The surging sea gradually returned to calm.
"Too strong... I won’t fear squalls or nasty weather again," Nami said, staring at the beautiful night sky, eyes full of worship for Karl.
Carina, too, gained a new understanding of the light spear.
Not just city-busting—one strike to change the weather.
Having ended the Grand Line’s baptism by human hands, the three yawned and turned in below deck.
By noon the next day, the ship reached the first stop of the Grand Line.
It wasn’t Whiskey Peak from the original tale.
To hit Whiskey Peak among the seven routes by chance takes some luck.
A single Eternal Pose can change routes anyway.
The gold of Skypiea isn’t going anywhere; they could change course when the time came.
For now, they could enjoy the unknown adventure.
Sailing into the first stop’s harbor, Karl found that it was one of the more than 170 member nations.
A member nation positioned as the first stop on one of the seven routes—rare indeed.
Plenty of pirate crews entering from the Four Seas are green calves unafraid of tigers, the sort who like to make trouble.
Here, as a member nation, making trouble would draw Marine warrants or crackdowns.
But that sort of fame-boosting ruckus is exactly what those fame-hungry pirates want.
When Karl stepped ashore and saw that merely the port garrison and patrol soldiers numbered in the thousands, he understood.
No wonder it had survived as a first-stop kingdom; the Marines had a branch base here, and the nation itself was strong.
Newly arrived pirates, aside from a few defiant ones, usually hold a certain awe for this great sea.
Lacking experience, like newbie players, they don’t dare stir trouble in a place .
Conversely, a kingdom set as a first stop can profit off those pirates from the Four Seas.
After buying a local map at a pier stall, the three booked a random inn to let the Log Pose store magnetism, then began gathering intel.
"Boss, as one of the seven starting islands, with so many pirates gathering here, do fights break out—pirates vs. pirates, or bounty hunters vs. pirates?"
In a shop that looked to have many years of history, Carina bought some local specialties and asked the proprietress.
"Of course. Every few days there’ll be one or two; some days several."
The proprietress was very chatty. "But our standing army isn’t weak either. Most who cause trouble get caught. Either they compensate for the damage or, if they have bounties, they’re sent to the Marines; if not, they’re locked up and used as labor."
"Just compensation is enough?" Carina asked again.
Carina flashed a cute smile and left the shop.
At a snack stall nearby, Carina regrouped with Karl and Nami. The three walked the street, their voices swallowed by the bustle.
"I’ve checked—brawling isn’t banned here, as long as you keep collateral damage in check."
"Then I can make a killing, can’t I?" Nami’s eyes gleamed.
Carina nodded, then looked at Karl, who was eating takoyaki. "Karl, sensing any strong auras?"
"Yeah... a few dozen..."
Karl mumbled. "None as strong as me, but not weaker than those two from the black market. A few are above even them." ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ʀᴇᴀᴅ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs, ᴘʟᴇᴀsᴇ ᴠɪsɪᴛ 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵※𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮※𝓷𝓮𝓽
"Good. Targets chosen."
Carina decided at once and smiled. "I’ll use my fruit to make us a stage. Karl, finish the fights at top speed.
Remember—bounty or not, once we confirm they’re pirates, don’t let them go. But leave a breath in them so I can loot them after."
As always, Karl flashed an OK sign.
And with that, the three headed straight for the strongest auras.