After the torrential rain came heavy snowfall. Rosen didn't feel very cold. Did Logia Devil Fruits have this kind of benefit?
Hathaway, however, felt cold—freezing. The temperature had dropped dozens of degrees in an instant. The deck outside was already covered in thick snow, and it was still falling.
The earlier storm had battered the broken ship even further. The two of them sat inside the cabin in a relatively intact corner, though wind still slipped through. Rosen used sand to block some of the gaps, making it less frigid.
They kept a fire going, breaking off wood from outside and feeding it into the flames.
Hathaway wore Rosen's coat, crouched in a corner, watching him bring in wood from time to time. He had also caught several large silver-gray fish and cleaned them.
A midnight snack? It seemed necessary.
"I didn't expect this sea to have such premium fish. If I remember right, you like this kind… Come to think of it, do all you Lantis people prefer fish?" Rosen suddenly thought of that chatterbox iron-headed girl and casually asked.
"We Lantis people don't share such a common preference," Hathaway said, warmed by the fire, almost drowsy. Watching him busy himself was oddly interesting.
"Oh, right… the fire's enough. If we add more, I'm afraid we'll burn this wreck down before we leave. Let's conserve it. I don't want to live soaking in the sea."
If the snow lasted longer, the wood might run out. They couldn't afford to lose even this temporary shelter.
"Alright."
"If you're cold, sit closer. I've heard men like to act tough," Hathaway said suddenly.
Rosen was about to say that as a Logia user, his body might be different, but seeing her sitting there alone—and realizing it might be the first time she had made such a request—he nodded.
Sitting close, their body heat passed between them, easing Hathaway's chill. It was strange—people in this world could wield immense power, yet their bodies were still human, unchanged.
Perhaps that was better. They felt more like living humans, not something else.
"Say, if we joined the Marines, getting a Vice Admiral or Admiral rank shouldn't be a problem, right?" Rosen chatted idly, staring at the flames.
"Probably not. Why, do you want to join the Marines?" Hathaway looked at him in confusion.
"Not really. It's just… we seem a bit down and out, sitting on a wreck, warming ourselves and eating grilled fish. By our standards of strength, isn't this a little shabby?"
"I think it's fine. We have a place to rest, and someone grilling fish for me…" Hathaway's face reddened slightly, as if she were being cared for.
"You've got pretty low standards."
Time passed. The snow didn't stop. They took turns resting. As Hathaway leaned against the wall, her head slowly slid onto Rosen's shoulder. He glanced at her and let her be. It was a good sign.
It meant she trusted him completely.
They didn't sleep at the same time. One had to stay alert. In the latter half of the night, Hathaway kept watch.
The sky outside was dark, but aside from being trapped in the misty sea, they hadn't been attacked by sea beasts yet—just plagued by harsh weather.
The next morning, Hathaway woke and saw Rosen, who hadn't slept all night. She also noticed a small patch of drool on his shoulder. She froze.
Did she drool in her sleep? No… impossible. She never had before. Had she slept too deeply?
"Forget everything you just saw." Hathaway rested her hand on her blade and looked at Rosen seriously.
"I don't know what you're talking about." Rosen wisely chose submission. Starting a fight over this? Natalie, could this be your long-lost sister?
They fell silent. Rosen drew fresh water from the mist to wash up, then began planning.
"I don't suggest we split up to scout. We might get lost in different waters. That would be worse."
"True. But if, as you say, we have almost no sense of direction here, searching blindly won't yield results. And this ship is our foothold. If we leave it, we might not even have a place to rest at sea," Hathaway said thoughtfully.
"This ship has drifted here for so long without escaping. That means following the current won't get us out. Any current has patterns. We shouldn't abandon the ship to search blindly. If we want to rely on it, we first need to push it off its original current path, then let it follow a different current entirely. That way we can stay aboard. We'll alternate using Observation Haki to sense any changes along the new route. If we're lucky, we might drift straight out."
Rosen had come up with this idea the previous night.
It wasn't flawless, but worth trying.
After thinking it through, Hathaway agreed. There was no better option. His method had some feasibility, though it relied heavily on luck.
But searching in one direction blindly was no different. Hathaway understood ocean currents somewhat. If multiple currents existed here, they could repeatedly shift and follow different wind-driven or density-driven currents.
It required sharp observation, but Hathaway was exceptional in that regard. While not perfectly precise, she could distinguish current changes after some time.
"Sandstorm!" Rosen slammed his palm down. Dozens of horizontal sand tornadoes burst from the hull. Maintaining the output, he gave the wreck momentum. It sharply turned left, advancing toward the nine o'clock direction, breaking from its original current.
Creak… creak…
The hull groaned under the strain but held together.
After changing direction and traveling a considerable distance, they still hadn't left the misty sea. However, they sensed the flow here differed from before.
They then let the wreck drift freely along this unknown path. Rosen couldn't maintain the sandstorm indefinitely. The ship wasn't small, and forcing it too far might lead them in circles.
Better to let the strange currents carry them and trust their luck.
The Grand Line held too many mysteries. After drifting for a day, Rosen encountered several more wrecked ships, wandering like ghosts across the sea.
By nightfall, they still hadn't escaped. It seemed many ships had once been trapped here, some for years.
Likely, many vessels had vanished here before. Over time, word spread of this dangerous region, and fewer passed through. That was why they saw no newly wrecked ships.
"Besides some treasure, nothing useful. No Log Pose either," Rosen said, returning from exploring another wreck.
"What fish are we eating tonight?" Hathaway asked calmly.
"Fish again?"
"In this place, do we have other options? If I dive down and lose direction, beyond the range of Haki perception, that'll be trouble."
"Then let's try catching small squid. I remember they're attracted to light at night."
"That works."
Moments later—
"You call this small squid?" Hathaway lifted a squid nearly the size of the ship with her blade and looked at Rosen in confusion.
"Something feels off. It's not just giant squid attracted by the light. Other sea beasts are coming too… and I think they see us as food…"
(End of Chapter)