Bonney's eyelids began to droop. She slapped her own cheeks and whispered to herself, "No, can't fall asleep!"
Another half hour passed. Sleepiness washed over her like a tide. She started nodding off like a chick pecking at rice, then jolted awake.
She caught quite a few "fish."
After repeating this several times, her head finally dropped completely. Leaning against the ship's railing, she fell into a deep sleep.
In her daze, she felt someone approach. A jacket still carrying body warmth was gently laid over her.
She struggled to open her eyes, but the heavy drowsiness firmly dragged her into dreamland.
When Bonney was woken by the morning sun and the noise on the deck, she found herself still curled up in the same corner from last night, with a piece of clothing draped over her.
She rubbed her sleepy eyes and saw Merry hopping over with a glass of milk and a few slices of bread.
"You're awake? Here's breakfast. Hey, why were you sleeping here?" Merry chattered as she came over.
Bonney was dazed for a moment before taking the breakfast. She stammered, unsure how to answer.
She looked up and saw Luffy already brawling with Zoro and Sanji on the deck, as energetic as if he hadn't been the one training all night.
"Straw Hat... Luffy... does he train like this every day?" Bonney couldn't help but ask.
Merry nodded matter-of-factly. "Yep. Luffy has always been the hardest worker."
Bonney watched the three figures working up a sweat—especially Luffy—and asked again, "Doesn't he feel pressured? Doesn't he get tired?"
Training like this every day would mess with anyone's head.
Merry was silent for a moment, her small face showing a strange expression. Then she secretly glanced at Robin, who was sitting on a beach chair nearby, leisurely reading a book and occasionally looking up to watch the fight, and then at Nami, who was standing by the mikan orchard doing accounts while looking toward Luffy.
"Someone helps him release his pressure," Merry said quietly.
Bonney followed her gaze and looked confused.
Release pressure?
How do you release pressure?
Life on the Thousand Sunny gradually unfolded.
On days when she didn't need to steer, everyone had their own things to do.
There were the hard-training types like Zoro and Sanji, following in Luffy's footsteps.
As a ship spirit, Merry spent more time sensing the sea conditions and ensuring smooth sailing.
Bonney had wondered why Merry wasn't on the Straw Hats' bounty posters. Only then did she learn that Merry was actually a ship spirit.
"A-a ship spirit?!" Bonney hadn't expected to encounter such a legendary existence.
If legends like ship spirits existed, what about the other legend—the one who brought people freedom and laughter, Nika?
Surely it couldn't be that tanuki named Nika.
Bonney glanced at Nika, who was gulping down sake, and shook her head vigorously.
No way. Absolutely not!
Bonney wanted to ask, but at a glance, everyone seemed busy.
Vivi spent most of her time organizing and analyzing intelligence from various sources. In her free time, she discussed Devil Fruit ability development with Robin. Bonney still felt too shy to approach those two big sisters.
She went into the cabin. The navigator was nowhere to be found either.
Nami was in the mikan orchard, bent over her desk drawing detailed sea charts.
When she got tired, she would lean against the orchard railing and watch Luffy fighting with Zoro and the others.
Franky and Usopp had already thrown themselves into the workshop, clanking away on new inventions. When Bonney walked over, she was nearly scared to death by those two.
What kind of chaos inventions were those?
The most leisurely were Brook and Chopper—one sipping tea and playing violin, the other fishing.
"This is way too peaceful."
Bonney looked at this everyday scene of the pirate crew—everyone having their own role yet closely connected—and couldn't help muttering under her breath.
This atmosphere was completely different from what she had imagined or heard about other pirate crews.
"Come on, Bonney, let's go fishing!"
Merry ran over excitedly, grabbed her hand, and pulled her toward the ship's railing, temporarily interrupting her thoughts.
...
Time slipped away quietly.
During a break,
Luffy, chugging water, pressed down his straw hat and looked into the distance with a smile. "Come to think of it, if we're going to the Sabaody Archipelago, we'll reach Fish-Man Island soon, right?"
"Mermaids!"
At the sound of that word, Sanji who had been fighting fiercely with Zoro instantly lost focus. His eyes turned into hearts. Pink bubbles appeared around him.
Zoro seized the opening and slashed at him, yelling, "You pervy cook, do you want to die?!"
But Sanji was already completely lost in fantasies of mermaid sisters, ignoring Zoro's attack.
Nami stood up, checked the Log Pose and the sea charts, and confirmed, "Mm. At our current heading and speed, we are indeed getting closer to Fish-Man Island."
Bonney swallowed her food and reminded them, "From Fish-Man Island, you'll go straight to the New World. Are you ready?"
From what she knew, the Straw Hat crew had only been formed for a short time, yet their bounties were terrifyingly high.
If they entered the New World the so-called pirates' graveyard now, wouldn't that be too rushed?
This question caught Luffy off guard for a moment.
He scratched his chin and grinned. "Of course I'm ready."
The truth was, he, as captain, was certainly ready. His crewmates were preparing feverishly. But they still needed time.
Just then, Nami suddenly frowned, looking out at the sea. Her expression became grave. "Everyone, something's strange."
Everyone immediately stopped what they were doing.
Zoro's hand went to his sword hilt. He looked ahead. "What's that?"
In the distance, where the sky had been clear, large storm clouds had gathered without warning. The clouds hung low, as if about to press down onto the sea.
Usopp shrank back in fear, noticing Nami's expression.
"Nami! You've got that 'something bad is about to happen' look!"
"It's a Serpent Current!"
Nami explained rapidly, while quickly issuing commands. "This kind of current is like a living giant serpent completely unpredictable. It can form huge whirlpools and tornadoes. Extremely dangerous! Everyone, be careful!"
Before she finished speaking, the previously calm sea surface suddenly spawned countless huge whirlpools. The seawater spun wildly, emitting a low roar.
Then, several tornado-like water columns connecting sea and sky appeared out of nowhere. They twisted and spiraled, truly like living giant serpents, lunging at the Thousand Sunny.
The sea was a synonym for miracles. Anything could happen.
After experiencing so much, seeing such bizarre scenes was no longer surprising.
Times like this were when a navigator's skill truly shone.
"Sanji, Chopper! Take the helm and follow my orders!" Nami shouted.
"Got it!" Sanji and Chopper immediately rushed to the helm.
"Vivi, Merry! Watch the gaps between the currents and look for an opening!" Nami continued deploying.
"Understood!"
***
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