The climate of the Grand Line was like a tyrant with unpredictable moods.
Just a few days ago, Ronan and the others had still been on Little Garden, trapped in the suffocating heat of the ancient jungle that felt like a giant steaming cauldron.
Yet as the Going Merry sailed north following the Log Pose, the world around them seemed to have been drained of all warmth overnight.
The sky shifted from bright blue to a dull leaden gray.
Heavy clouds hung low above the sea.
Biting winds howled through the gaps in the mast, whistling sharply as they completely drove away the once warm sea breeze.
"So cold…"
At some point, the first snowflake drifted down silently, melting into a drop of icy water on Usopp's nose.
Then, thick flakes of snow began to fall from the sky, covering the ocean in a vast gray-white curtain.
On the deck of the Going Merry, the atmosphere was extremely tense.
Nami wore a thick coat, gripping the sea chart and Log Pose tightly in her hands. Her knuckles had turned white from the force of her grip.
She paced the deck restlessly, her anxiety swirling like the endless snow around them.
"Hey! Still no island in sight?!"
Nami shouted at the men scattered around the ship, her voice trembling despite her efforts to stay calm.
"Sailing aimlessly in a snow sea like this is suicide on the Grand Line! And Vivi's condition…"
She turned toward the cabin.
Through the window, Vivi could be seen lying on the bed with a pained expression, her consciousness clouded by the raging fever.
The prehistoric virus called Kestia was relentlessly devouring the princess's life.
"Damn it…"
Nami bit her lip.
Ronan stood at the bow, allowing the snow to settle on his shoulders.
His blood flowed like a dragon now, and his inner qi protected his body.
The freezing temperature that could easily paralyze ordinary people felt to him like nothing more than a cool breeze.
But he never lowered the telescope in his hand, scanning every rise and fall of the sea like a hunting hawk.
"Nothing."
Ronan lowered the telescope slightly, frowning.
"As far as I can see—there's nothing but water."
"I don't see anything either."
Luffy lay across the sheep-head figurehead. Although the cold didn't bother his body, his mood was clearly low.
"This is like trying to find a needle in the ocean."
Sanji exhaled a ring of smoke that quickly dispersed in the cold air.
"The Grand Line may have many islands, but with visibility like this, the chances of randomly finding one with advanced medical technology are ridiculously small."
"Then we'll keep looking!"
Nami interrupted sharply, her eyes red.
"Alabasta is too far from here. At our current speed it will take at least another week."
"Vivi can't hold on that long! And besides…"
She pointed at the chart in her hand, tracing her finger across a blank stretch of sea.
"The direct route to Alabasta is a straight line according to the Eternal Pose. We wouldn't encounter any islands along that route."
"Heading north is Vivi's only chance!"
The crew fell silent.
They all knew Nami was right.
This was a race against death.
"Then we search the ocean."
Ronan spoke in a steady voice.
"Since we chose to head north, an opportunity will appear sooner or later."
"Everyone stay sharp. Missing even the smallest black dot could mean missing Vivi's chance to live."
Time passed slowly.
The oppressive tension spread across the ship.
Then suddenly, from the lookout post high atop the mast, Zoro's voice drifted down through the cold wind.
"Hey… I've got a question."
His tone carried a hint of confusion.
"Do you think a person can stand on the ocean?"
"Huh?"
Usopp looked up, rubbing his freezing red nose.
"Zoro, did the cold freeze your brain? How could someone stand on water?"
"Don't joke around, moss-head," Sanji said impatiently. "This isn't the time for bad jokes."
"Tch. Who's joking?"
Zoro clicked his tongue and pointed toward the sea ahead.
"Then tell me… what the hell is that?"
Ronan, Luffy, and Sanji immediately raised their telescopes and looked in the direction Zoro indicated.
Through the heavy snowfall and churning waves, a strange black dot appeared on the ocean.
As the Going Merry approached, the dot gradually became clearer.
It was actually a person.
A tall, thin man wearing a strange tight bodysuit.
He had two extremely thick, wavy lips and carried a massive bow on his back.
With his arms folded across his chest, he stood perfectly upright on the rolling surface of the sea—as if it were solid ground.
Waves crashed against his ankles, but he didn't move in the slightest.
It was as though his feet were rooted in place.
"That's…"
Usopp rubbed his eyes, his jaw dropping.
"There's really someone standing on the ocean?! What kind of sorcery is that?!"
"No… wait."
Luffy squinted.
"There's something under his feet… looks like a big iron plate."
But the moment Ronan saw the man clearly through the telescope, a long-buried memory surfaced in his mind.
Those thick lips.
That lanky body.
And the bow on his back.
Chess. One of Wapol's two chief officers.
"So you've finally appeared…"
Ronan lowered the telescope with a relieved smile.
He suddenly remembered why this man could "stand" on the ocean.
It wasn't some martial art that let him walk on water.
Nor was it a Devil Fruit power.
He was standing on top of a massive submarine beneath the waves.
The flagship of the Bliking Pirates—
The Large Submersible Surprise Assault Ship — Bliking.
"After searching everywhere with no luck, the answer appears effortlessly."
Ronan tightened his grip on his ebony staff, a sharp gleam flashing in his eyes.
"Now Drum Island is guaranteed. That's our guide to finding a doctor."
In the original storyline, it was Wapol's crew attacking the Straw Hats at sea that indirectly revealed the location of Drum Island.
Because they were already sailing in the waters near it.
Just as everyone was still stunned by the bizarre man standing on the sea—
Something changed.
"Grrrrrrr—!!"
The seawater beneath the man suddenly began to boil violently, like water in a pot reaching its limit.
Massive bubbles surged upward.
A deep mechanical rumble echoed through the ocean, as if some colossal beast was awakening from the abyss.
"Everyone hold on!!"
Nami screamed.
"Something's coming up!!"
"BOOOOOM—!!!"
With a thunderous explosion, the surface of the sea burst apart.
Tens of thousands of tons of water were pushed aside, transforming into towering waves that surged outward in every direction.
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