"It's finally settled down..."
Looking up at the sun in the sky, Usopp let out a long sigh of relief.
"But this temperature is way too high."
Looking at that massive sun high above, Chopper stuck out his tongue and said, "I'm miserable..."
He felt as if he were about to die.
"Hmm?"
Glancing at Chopper's pained expression, Perona asked in confusion, "Chopper, are you really that sensitive to heat?"
"Of course I am," Chopper said weakly. "I was born on a Winter Island; I'm definitely afraid of the heat."
"A Winter Island, huh..."
After carefully examining Chopper's fur, Perona nodded and said, "That makes sense."
With so much fur, it was only natural for Chopper to be afraid of high temperatures.
"I'll help fan you guys~" Merry chirped as she came over.
With that, Merry activated her ability, creating a very gentle, cool breeze that instantly cooled everyone down.
"You can even do things like this, Merry!" Luffy exclaimed excitedly. "So cool!"
"Of course~"
Merry said with a giggle, "The wind is my partner, after all~"
So... doing something like this was no trouble at all!
"I'm better!" Chopper shouted, fully revived.
He loved this cool and refreshing feeling way too much!
"That's good then~" Merry laughed.
"Weather like this really is perfect for reading~" Nico Robin remarked with a smile.
With that, Nico Robin headed toward the upper deck of the pirate ship, clearly intending to read on a lounge chair at a higher vantage point.
Zoro, on the other hand, scratched his head and said, "I think this kind of weather is better suited for drinking."
"Drinking?"
Meiser paused for a moment, then his eyes lit up. "Then how about we grill some deep-sea fish?"
This kind of sweltering day was perfect for drinking and having skewers!
"Grilled deep-sea fish!"
Luffy's mouth began to water, and he raised his hand, shouting, "I want some!"
"Me too!"
"Sanji~"
"We want to eat grilled deep-sea fish~"
"I heard you, I heard you."
Leaning against the ship's railing and smoking, Sanji blew out a smoke ring and said, "It's about time for a meal anyway. I'll go make some for you."
After saying that, Sanji tapped off his cigarette ash and continued, "Meiser, take out the deep-sea fish meat."
He remembered that Meiser had stored the deep-sea fish meat inside a scroll.
Meiser nodded at the words, then reached into his Ninja Tool Pouch and pulled out a Sealing Scroll.
"Seal: Release!"
Poof!
In a burst of white smoke, a massive block of deep-sea fish meat appeared on the deck.
Gulp...
Looking at the enormous piece of fish, Luffy subconsciously swallowed and said, "It looks so delicious."
As he spoke, Luffy's body drifted closer instinctively, looking like he was about to take a bite out of the raw meat.
Thud!
Intercepting Luffy with his leg, Sanji said crossly, "What do you think you're doing, kid?"
"I want... a taste!"
"Taste what? Wait until I've cooked it."
"But I'm hungry..."
"Me too!" Merry added, raising her hand.
"Then I'll prepare some sashimi for you to eat first," Sanji said.
With that, Sanji dragged the massive block of deep-sea fish meat away.
However, entering the kitchen was a bit of a struggle because the meat was simply too large.
After a moment's thought, Sanji looked back at Zoro and said, "Hey, Moss Head, come over here and cut this deep-sea fish meat up."
Zoro looked at Sanji with a hint of annoyance and said, "You actually need me for something like this? What a pathetic cook."
After his insult, Zoro obediently walked over and sliced the meat apart in a few quick strokes.
Seeing Zoro obediently cut the meat, Sanji nodded in satisfaction and said, "Good job!"
"Hmph."
Zoro snorted and then turned to walk away.
Sanji didn't mind. He carefully examined the deep-sea fish meat before him, pondering what kind of dish to create.
Grilled fish was a must, but he couldn't just make one dish.
"Hmm, I'll make a few more dishes," Sanji murmured.
As he spoke, he carried the ingredients into the kitchen.
Watching him leave, Luffy said expectantly, "I wonder what deep-sea fish tastes like."
"It must be amazing!"
Luffy's drool started flowing again.
"While Sanji is cooking, I'm going to practice my ability," Nami said.
Hearing this, Usopp immediately gave a thumbs-up and said, "Great idea!"
With that, Usopp stepped aside, took out an object, and began using his ability to try and make it larger.
"My current limit is ten times; let's see if I can push it further..." Usopp muttered.
Nami, meanwhile, stared at the sky and said, "I wonder if I can change the weather in this area?"
"Change the weather?"
Perona was stunned for a moment, then looked at Nami incredulously. "Aren't you being a bit too imaginative?"
She admitted that Nami's ability was indeed powerful and that she could create thunderstorms on her own.
But the problem was... natural clouds and Nami's clouds weren't the same thing, were they?
"Maybe it's possible," Nami said.
Perona fell silent for a moment. Could an ability really do something like that?
Influence nature?
"If Nami can manage to assimilate with the clouds in the sky, she could do it," Meiser said.
At that point, it would mean... Nami had mastered a power strong enough to change the weather!
"Change the weather..." Merry, staring at the clouds, tilted her head and said, "If Nami can change the weather, does that mean she can change the climate?"
Hearing Merry's question, Nami bowed her head in thought for a moment before looking up. "If I can modify the weather of an area for a long period, I could indeed change the climate."
"But that's too difficult."
Activating an ability consumed stamina, and she didn't think she had the power to maintain a special weather pattern for a long duration.
As for whether she could make permanent changes without effort... she felt that was unlikely.
Even if she reached the Awakened State that Meiser and Uncle Rayleigh talked about, she wouldn't be able to make clouds stay in one place forever.
After all... clouds get blown away by the wind!
"I see..."
"It doesn't have to be a permanent climate change," Meiser laughed. "As long as it's practical, right?"
"After all... Nami isn't trying to become some master of environmental restoration."
"That's true," Nami smiled. "As long as it's useful."
She had never thought about permanently changing the weather anywhere anyway, so she didn't need to consider such things.
"Oh, Nami!"
Luffy suddenly remembered something and scrambled up from the deck. "Can you make a cloud for me to fly on now?"
He had been thinking about that for a long time.
"A cloud..."
Nami thought for a moment and then said, "I'll give it a try."
With that, Nami focused on her ability and soon created a cloud of appropriate size in front of her.
After finishing, Nami reached out and pressed down on it. Finding that the density was fine, she said, "Give it a try."
"Okay!"
Watching Luffy run over excitedly, Meiser asked in surprise, "You actually made it?"
How long had it been? Less than two days, right?
And Nami had already completely mastered how to use the ability?
Was this ability just that perfect of a match for her?
"I just got some inspiration after the battle at Fish-Man Island," Nami smiled. "And I'm more skilled at using the ability than before."
"So, making this isn't really anything surprising."
Listening to Nami, a look of admiration appeared on Meiser's face.
It had to be said, Nami was a genius too.
"It actually works!" Luffy said excitedly as he sat on the cloud. "Great! I can fly too!"
"I want one too! I want one too!"
Chopper also ran over excitedly, looking up at Nami. "I want to sit on a marshmallow!"
"It's not a marshmallow," Nami said somewhat helplessly. "It's a cloud."
"Oh, oh, it's a cloud!"
Chopper nodded adorably, then continued to look at Nami with expectant eyes. His cuteness almost made Nami melt.
"I'll make one for you right now."
Nami created another cloud.
Then, she picked Chopper up from the deck and placed him on it.
"This is amazing!"
Lying on the cloud, Chopper's ears twitched. "It's so soft... so comfortable!"
As he spoke, Chopper leaned down and took a bite, then coughed and said, "It's definitely not sweet."
"Hahaha!"
Everyone burst out laughing at the sight. This little guy was just too funny.
Nami also couldn't help but smile as she looked at Chopper. She had already told him it wasn't a marshmallow, so why did he still try to eat it?
"Alright, you two play. I'm going to try changing the weather."
"Okay!"
"Go ahead, go ahead!"
Luffy and Chopper, lying on their clouds, waved their hands without looking up, clearly not paying much attention to Nami's words.
Nami rolled her eyes at the sight. These two...
Shaking her head, Nami walked to the bow of the ship, closed her eyes, and began releasing mist, letting the clouds drift toward the sky.
Standing at the bow, Franky looked at Nami curiously and said, "You plan to send clouds into the sky?"
"Yes," Nami nodded.
"Super~" Franky laughed.
"Of course," Nami said with a smirk. "Look who you're talking to."
Seeing that scene, Perona said with some realization, "If Nami really can change the weather, couldn't she easily destroy a country?"
"Yes, she absolutely could," Brook said, nodding.
"Why do you say that?" Merry asked, confused.
It was just changing the weather, how could it destroy a country?
"For example," Meiser explained, "Imagine an island with a warm climate whose livelihood depends on its crops."
"In that situation, if it suddenly starts raining heavily or snowing every single day, what do you think would happen?"
Merry thought for a moment and said, "Then... the crops would probably all die."
Granny Nyon grew some vegetables at home, and according to her, those plants couldn't be watered for too long or they would drown.
"Exactly, the crops would all die," Meiser nodded. "Once the things they rely on to survive are gone, the people lose the ability to feed themselves."
"Maybe they could survive on national aid for a short time, but in the long run..."
Meiser didn't finish, but everyone understood his meaning.
Over a long period, people would likely starve to death.
Nico Robin's expression turned complex.
Rely on national aid?
How many countries on this sea were actually willing to provide aid to their citizens?
Thinking of this, Nico Robin sighed silently.
Then, Robin felt a sense of relief in her heart: Thank goodness Nami was the one who ate this fruit...
If some ambitious person had eaten it, it would truly be the end!
"I didn't realize Nami's ability was so powerful," Zoro said, surprised.
"The strength of an ability isn't just judged by combat power," Meiser laughed. "Besides... the combat power of Nami's Devil Fruit isn't weak either."
"If nothing else, not many people can withstand the lightning she calls down."
Only a few of them could be struck by lightning without issue; if anyone weaker took a hit like that, they'd be heavily injured if not dead.
"Lightning..."
At the mention of their experiences on Fish-Man Island, several people who had been struck by lightning instinctively shuddered and moved away from Nami.
Nami: "..."
Opening her eyes, Nami saw this scene and said speechlessly, "I didn't do it on purpose. Do you really have to act like that?"
"Yeah, yeah!"
"We know, so... just aim better in the future," Meiser said.
Nami's mouth twitched. Why did she suddenly feel like hitting this guy?
Her gaze turned unfriendly.
Seeing this, Meiser let out a light cough and changed the subject. "How's your cloud control going?"
Though she knew Meiser was changing the subject, Nami cooperated and said, "Well, how should I put it..."
Nami looked up at the sky, which was gradually changing color. "I feel like my clouds can indirectly control the clouds in the sky, but..."
"But what?"
"But the difficulty of operation is very high," Nami explained. "Not only is progress very slow, but it's not as intuitive as controlling my own clouds."
It felt like... using a rope to pull an object rather than just picking it up with your fingers.
That was the general feeling.
As she thought, Nami increased the output of her ability, making the color of the sky grow even darker.
"I thought it was something serious," Meiser said, rolling his eyes. "That's perfectly normal."
"What do you mean?"
"How long have you had this ability?" Meiser said crossly. "Even if this Devil Fruit is a perfect match for you, you can't become a powerful ability user the moment you eat it."
"Take it slow."
"Once you've practiced for a while, you should be able to control the clouds in the sky perfectly."
"I see..." Nami said. "I thought the Devil Fruit's upper limit was just there."
She had just been thinking that her ability couldn't do what she imagined.
Turned out... she was just unskilled?
That was actually good news.
"You've only had it for less than two days; how could you reach the limit so fast?" Meiser said, giving Nami a look. "Keep working hard."
"Once you've completely mastered this ability, you'll be the Weather Queen~"
"Weather Queen, huh~"
As if imagining something, Nami's eyes immediately began to sparkle as she looked at the dark clouds in the sky.
Then, she said excitedly, "Then if a place is short on rain... can I charge money to make it rain?"
Meiser: "?"
Hearing Nami's words, several question marks appeared over Meiser's head.
Seriously, sister, why is the first thing you think of using this ability to make money?
The others also looked at Nami in disbelief. Clearly, they hadn't expected her to say something like that.
"You..."
Looking at the excited Nami, Perona's mouth twitched. "Truly the money-grubbing Nami."
Seriously, it was perfectly logical how this woman could instantly break free from a Negative Spirit's control just by thinking about money.
She loved money too much!
"Thanks for the compliment~" Nami said with a grin.
Money-grubbing?
What's wrong with that!
She, Nami, was a woman who loved money... and more money!
Hmph!
"Then I think you'd be very popular if you went to Alabasta," Usopp teased.
It didn't rain often there, so... Vivi would probably love Nami's ability.
"Vivi's country..."
As if remembering something, the excited expression on Nami's face softened. "If I have the chance, I'll go help her."
Perona looked at Nami in surprise. Why wasn't she being greedy now?
Just as Perona was about to say something, she heard Nami say:
"Of course, if she's willing to give me some reward, I won't refuse it."
"Hehe~"
After saying that, Nami, lost in her fantasies, retracted her ability, clearly not intending to continue modifying the weather.
After all... her proficiency wasn't high enough yet.
Perona: "..."
Yep, that's the Nami I know.
Just then, two splashes sounded from the side of the ship, as if something had fallen into the ocean.
"He— gurgle gurgle gurgle..."
"He— gurgle gurgle gurgle..."
Everyone: "?"
The group paused at the sound, then turned toward the side of the deck and immediately noticed something was wrong.
Where did those two clouds go?
And... where were Luffy and Chopper?
Zoro lunged to the side of the ship and looked into the sea, immediately swearing, "How did those two idiots fall into the ocean?"
Don't just jump into the sea for no reason, you idiots!
Brook, arriving beside him, also turned pale. "Oh no, Luffy and Chopper are sinking!"
As he spoke, Brook jumped up, clearly intending to dive into the sea to save them.
Zoro, quick as a flash, grabbed him and pulled him back, then dove out himself while shouting:
"You're a Devil Fruit user, don't add to the trouble!"
"I've got this!"
Splash!
Seeing that Zoro had already jumped in, Meiser stopped his movements and asked in confusion, "How did those two fall into the ocean?"
"I don't know," Merry said, shaking her head.
She had been fully focused on the conversation between Nami and Meiser and hadn't noticed how Luffy and the other fell in.
Nami, however, seemed to realize something, and a hint of embarrassment flashed in her eyes.
Soon, with Zoro's effort, Luffy and Chopper were successfully brought back onto the pirate ship.
"Cough, cough..."
Spitting out water, Luffy stuck out his tongue and said, "I almost thought I was going to die."
"I was so scared, Zoro!"
"I know, I know."
Zoro helplessly patted Chopper's back and said, "So can you get off my face now?"
"I can't breathe..."
"Wah!"
"Zoro!!"
Zoro: "..."
Feeling it getting harder to breathe, Zoro decisively peeled Chopper off his face.
Then, he took a long breath.
"Phew..."
The feeling of breathing air freely was wonderful.
"Zoro..."
Looking at Chopper, who was looking at him with teary eyes, Zoro said helplessly, "You're fine now, aren't you?"
He could understand Chopper. After all, the sea was terrifying for Devil Fruit users, but... they were back on board now.
"How did you two suddenly fall in?" Meiser asked, walking over.
"I don't know," Chopper said, shaking his head. "We were just lying on the clouds, but for some reason, the clouds vanished, and the sea was right underneath us."
Meiser: "?"
Hearing Chopper's words, several question marks appeared over Meiser's head.
What did he mean, the sea was underneath them?
"Did you do it?" Meiser turned to Nami.
"How could I," Nami said. "The disappearance of the clouds was indeed related to me, but I didn't move the clouds' position."
"It really was you!" Luffy yelled.
Nami: "..."
She said it wasn't her!
"What actually happened then?" Perona asked curiously.
"I might have gotten too absorbed in my thoughts just now and forgot that Luffy and Chopper were sitting on the clouds," Nami said with a bit of embarrassment.
As if understanding Nami's thoughts, Meiser said, "So when you dispelled the ability, you just dispelled all of them at once?"
"Yes..."
Hearing this, Meiser's mouth twitched. This mistake was a bit absurd.
But considering Nami had only recently acquired this ability, Meiser found it reasonable.
Inexperience, after all, was normal.
"So that's how it was," Luffy said. "It wasn't on purpose."
"Of course it wasn't on purpose," Nami shook her head. "But it was still my fault. I'm sorry."
"It's fine, it's fine. Anyway, neither of us got hurt, right, Chopper?"
"Mhm."
Seeing that Nami hadn't done it intentionally, Chopper didn't say anything more and simply nodded obediently.
"But that still doesn't make sense," Franky said, puzzled. "The cloud was dispelled by you, but how did those two end up in the sea?"
As soon as he said this, confusion reappeared in everyone's eyes.
Right, how did they get there?
"I don't know either," Nami shook her head.
This really wasn't something she had done, so she had no idea how it happened.
"Try it again," Meiser said.
"Okay."
Nami nodded and raised her hand to create another cloud.
Seeing this, Meiser jumped down without hesitation, intending to see what was going on.
"Nothing seems different," Usopp said.
"Don't rush," Meiser replied. "Luffy and the others didn't immediately end up in the sea either."
With that, Meiser began carefully observing the cloud, trying to figure out what was happening.
A moment later...
"I think I know what's going on," Meiser said, his mouth twitching again.
"Yeah, we saw it too."
Right before their eyes, the cloud was slowly drifting toward the sea, not even trying to hide it.
"So, this cloud has its own consciousness, right?" Luffy exclaimed excitedly.
"How is that possible?" Nami said, exasperated. "It's just a cloud created by an ability. How could it have consciousness?"
If it really had consciousness, she, as the Ability User, would definitely be the first to know!
"Then how did it happen?"
"Because of the wind."
Nami pointed at Merry and said, "You haven't forgotten that Merry is releasing wind on the ship, right?"
"I remember," Luffy said, confused. "But what does that have to do with the cloud moving?"
"Of course it does, you idiot!" Usopp said, annoyed. "Clouds move when they encounter wind. That's why this cloud was blown away."
"Oh, so that's it!"
Luffy wore an expression of sudden realization. "No wonder I fell into the sea."
Now he understood how he had ended up falling—it was because of Merry's wind.
"I'm sorry..."
"Why are you apologizing?"
Luffy looked at Merry in confusion, clearly not expecting her to apologize.
"Because of my wind," Merry said, lowering her head. "Otherwise, you wouldn't have fallen into the sea."
"But it's not your fault," Luffy scratched his head. "After all, you didn't do it on purpose."
Who would have thought that the wind meant to cool them down would end up making them fall into the sea?
"That's right, Merry," Chopper jumped down from Franky's shoulder and walked up to Merry. "It's not your fault."
"Really?"
"Really!"
Seeing that the other party truly didn't blame her for her earlier blindness, Merry quickly recovered and said, "Then I'll fix the wind circulation range on the Thousand Sunny. That way, even if you use the clouds, you won't fall into the sea."
"Okay!" x2
Luffy and Chopper nodded simultaneously, then turned to Nami with smiles and said, "Nami~"
"Got it, got it."
Nami, somewhat helpless, came before the group and created several cloud platforms, saying, "If anyone wants to play, come over here."
"Yohohohoho~"
"Then I'll gladly accept~" Brook chuckled.
Meanwhile, Usopp laughed and said, "I think experimenting with abilities on the cloud platforms is also a great choice!"
After saying that, Usopp exchanged glances with the others, and they all burst into laughter.
"Hahahaha~"
Seeing how happy everyone was, a smile also appeared on Nami's face.
Then, she said, "Don't worry, this time the clouds won't cause any problems."
At least, she wouldn't dispel the cloud platforms here until she confirmed everyone was safe.
"Okay!"
Luffy and the others nodded, then lay back comfortably on their respective cloud platforms, enjoying the sunlight and the cool breeze.
"I suddenly feel a bit envious, what's going on?"
Hearing Meiser's words, Nami, who was checking the Log Pose, looked up with a smile and said, "Then why don't you come over too?"
With that, Nami created a few more cloud platforms, signaling for Meiser and the others to come try them out.
Meiser and the others exchanged glances...
Then they all lay down on the cloud platforms, enjoying a wonderfully relaxing break.
"Ah~"
"This feeling really is amazing, isn't it?"
"Right!"
"Hahahaha~"