Because the Demon Sea completely surrounded Ohara Island, the Traveler inevitably sailed back into those cursed waters once again.
And precisely because of that, almost no one had set foot on Ohara over the years. No matter which direction you approached from, entering Ohara meant passing through the Demon Sea first.
"This annoying sea again!"
Sitting inside the cabin and staring out at the lightning-filled sky, Perona puffed out her cheeks and looked toward Arashi by the liquor cabinet.
"Arashi, can you split open the sky over this sea?"
"Afraid not."
Arashi smiled and continued leisurely,
"Even if I could split the sky apart, it wouldn't stop the weather here. Relax, little loli. We already have experience crossing this place. We'll get through it just fine."
"Mr. Arashi."
At that moment, Robin hurried into the cabin with a serious expression.
"The waves are getting bigger. Should we turn back for now?"
"No need."
Arashi stood and walked to the window to look outside before speaking calmly.
"We should already be in the central region of the Demon Sea. Endure it a little longer and we'll be through."
"Understood."
Robin nodded and turned to continue steering the ship.
Seeing this, Arashi casually grabbed the straw hat beside him and called out,
"Robin, take a break for a bit. I'll take the helm."
Once on deck, however, Arashi didn't immediately take control of the wheel. Instead, he raised his head to examine the stormy sky before sweeping his gaze across the surrounding sea.
His judgment had been correct.
This was the core region of the Demon Sea. Once they crossed it, they could leave these waters in the shortest time possible and officially begin the next leg of their journey.
"Hm?"
Suddenly, Arashi blinked in confusion and turned toward the sea on the right.
Rumble—!
The instant he looked over, thunder exploded across the heavens once more. Several bolts of lightning tore through the darkness, illuminating the surrounding ocean in blinding flashes.
"Did I hear that wrong...?"
Listening to the strange sounds beneath the thunder, Arashi frowned slightly.
Then, without hesitation, he unleashed his Observation Haki, spreading it across the entire Demon Sea.
As his Observation Haki blanketed the stormy waters, shrill screams and continuous explosions immediately became clear in his senses.
Although thunder constantly roared overhead, Arashi was certain now—it hadn't been his imagination.
A battle was taking place somewhere out on the sea.
More importantly, amid those sounds, he distinctly heard the words "Marines" and "pirates."
"So it's the Marines hunting pirates."
After identifying the situation, Arashi shook his head with a faint smile and decisively withdrew his Observation Haki.
Marine pursuits of pirates were far too common in this world. He had absolutely no interest in joining the spectacle.
The reason was simple.
Especially in the Four Blues, very few pirate crews dared confront the Marines head-on. Even the lawless pirates of the Grand Line usually avoided provoking the Marines whenever possible. Only when cornered beyond escape would they fight desperately.
Under Arashi's control, the Traveler rocked violently beneath the pounding waves, looking as though it could capsize at any moment, yet it continued pushing steadily forward through the storm.
Since he had already pinpointed the direction of the battle through Observation Haki, Arashi intentionally steered away to avoid running into them.
Unfortunately, while Arashi had no intention of getting involved, neither the Marines nor the pirates noticed the Traveler's presence. As the fighting intensified, the battlefield itself rapidly shifted across the sea.
Before long, the combat zone had drifted directly into the Traveler's path.
This time, Arashi didn't even need Observation Haki anymore. The roar of cannon fire and the sounds of battle ahead had become perfectly audible.
"Oh, come on!"
Hearing the increasingly clear explosions and killing cries from ahead, Arashi blinked in disbelief.
"Seriously? Are they not even going to let people pass through?"
Inside the cabin, Robin and Perona also heard the booming cannon fire from the sea ahead. Both of them quickly rushed out into the rain and came to Arashi's side.
"Arashi, why are there cannon blasts all of a sudden? Is someone fighting up ahead?"
Perona looked more excited than worried. Judging by her expression, she clearly wanted to go watch the chaos unfold.
"Yeah. Marines chasing pirates."
Arashi nodded helplessly.
"I already avoided them once, but their battlefield shifted right into the Traveler's route anyway. What a pain."
The moment she heard that, Perona's interest immediately skyrocketed.
"Since we can't avoid them anyway, let's go take a look!"
"Nope. Sounds boring."
Arashi rejected her instantly while smoothly steering the Traveler into a different direction.
"Um… Mr. Arashi, if we go this way, we'll end up returning to Ohara~"
The moment Arashi changed course, Robin quietly pointed out,
"We should be heading that way instead."
"There are Marines and pirates fighting over there too."
Arashi spread his hands helplessly.
"The battlefield is stretched really wide. There are at least twenty ships involved. From what I can tell, around five Marine warships and no fewer than fifteen or sixteen pirate ships."
Robin's eyes narrowed slightly.
With her understanding of the pirates in West Blue, there wasn't a single pirate crew capable of fielding that many ships. A battle on this scale between Marines and pirates had practically never happened in the West Blue before.
After a moment of silence, Robin looked at Arashi and spoke softly,
"Mr. Arashi… if there's something you want to do, you don't need to worry about me."
Hearing those sudden words, Arashi turned to look at her in surprise, staring at Robin without blinking.
Clearly, Robin had truly stepped out of the shadows of her past.
But the reason he was avoiding the battlefield had nothing to do with protecting Robin.
He simply didn't want to get involved in this mess.
Both sides were fighting fiercely right now. If he suddenly appeared in the middle of the battlefield, they would almost certainly notice him immediately—and very likely mistake him for the enemy before attacking him together.
It wasn't fear.
There was simply no reason for it.
Most importantly, he was just a traveler. The war between Marines and pirates had absolutely nothing to do with him.
"No, no, no!!!"
Suddenly, Perona—who had been restlessly fidgeting beneath her umbrella the entire time—shouted excitedly,
"Arashi! Arashi! It's not the Marines hunting pirates—it's the pirates attacking the Marines! Look! A warship is charging straight toward us!"
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