As the *Freewill* continued its advance, the sky finally darkened completely. The surrounding sea was blanketed in thick fog, causing visibility to plummet.
The crew gathered on the central deck, while Allen and the officers stepped out onto the cabin balcony.
"The Florian Triangle. This stretch of sea is shrouded in fog year-round and covers a massive area. It's a mandatory route on the Grand Line."
Nami looked around at their surroundings and explained,
"Once we pass through here, it's only a few more days of sailing to reach the Sabaody Archipelago, right near Marine Headquarters."
"In other words, we'll soon be able to see the other side of the Red Line, completing the first half of our journey through the Grand Line."
Sanji stepped forward, taking the cigarette from his lips. His shoulders trembled with excitement as he spoke.
"That also means we're finally going to reach *that* place, right? Ten thousand meters below the sea, the dreamland filled with young, beautiful mermaid ladies!"
"Fish-Man Island!"
Sanji pumped his fist and shouted with burning passion, his eyes turning into hearts. His mind was completely filled with lewd fantasies of being embraced by naked, beautiful mermaids.
"Filthy."
"Disgusting."
"Creepy."
Nami and the Nyaban Brothers shot him looks of absolute disdain, as if they could see the exact images playing in his head.
"Still, Fish-Man Island isn't that easy to reach. Setting aside how we're supposed to dive ten thousand meters underwater, just passing through this sea requires caution."
Nami added, her expression turning somewhat serious.
"The newspaper we read earlier mentioned that fourteen ships have mysteriously vanished in the Florian Triangle just this month."
"Mysteriously vanished?"
The others frowned upon hearing this. Gin asked with a confused expression,
"Did they get lost in the fog? As long as you follow the Log Pose, you shouldn't lose your way, right?"
"I'm not sure, but the reports say hundreds of ships disappear here every year..."
Nami stared into the ever-thickening fog surrounding the *Freewill*, a hint of worry in her eyes. She spoke in a hushed tone.
"When those ships are eventually found, they're completely empty. Rumor has it that people have even spotted ghost ships drifting around, carrying the dead."
"Ghost ships?!"
Sham and Buchi nearly jumped out of their skin, their eyes wide with terror as they hugged each other tightly.
"..."
Allen couldn't help but give them a deadpan look.
"You guys are actually scared of things like that?"
"But they're ghosts, Boss!"
"I heard they eat children!"
The Nyaban Brothers said, trembling like leaves.
Killer looked at the two of them as if they were complete idiots.
"That's obviously just a story to scare people. Besides, even if ghosts were real, you two aren't kids, you morons."
"Oh, right."
The Nyaban Brothers realized he was right. They let go of each other, scratching their heads and laughing sheepishly.
"Yeah, we aren't kids anymore."
"Ghosts won't eat us! Hahaha."
"What a bunch of... idiots..."
Nami sighed helplessly, lacking the energy to even retort. She put her hands on her hips and reminded them,
"Anyway, even if we don't know the exact reason those ships disappeared, it never hurts to be careful. We need to stay on high alert from here on out."
"It would be nice if there were ghosts. I'd love to see what a man-eating spirit looks like."
Robin smiled faintly, seemingly quite intrigued by the idea.
Seeing this sent a chill down Nami's spine, making her shiver.
Allen, however, was reminded of something else—the mysterious, colossal shadows hidden within the fog.
Although no one knew what they were to this day, it brought another event to his mind.
Right before the Lulusia Kingdom—where Sabo had fled—was destroyed, the sky above the island had been covered in dark clouds, and within those clouds, a massive shadow had appeared.
Then, under Imu's control, that shadow rained down dozens of devastating attacks, obliterating the Lulusia Kingdom in an instant and leaving nothing but a giant abyss in the ocean.
It was hard to say whether the two phenomena were connected.
...
Soon, the *Freewill* ventured deeper into the Florian Triangle. The sea was gloomy and oppressive, and the light in the sky had almost entirely vanished, making it look like an ordinary night.
Torches and Lamp Dials were lit all over the ship for illumination. After advancing through this dreary sea for an unknown amount of time, the silhouette of an island gradually emerged from the fog.
"Is it already night? Time sure flies."
Nami checked the time and stepped out of the navigation room. She turned to the captain's quarters next door and called out,
"We've reached that deserted island, Allen."
"Coming."
Allen walked out of his room, his gaze fixed on the shadowy island ahead.
It was Kuraigana Island, a deserted island left in ruins by war, located between Demonic Beast Island and Marine Headquarters.
Since they were passing right by it while navigating with the Eternal Pose, Nami had designated it as a rest stop.
Although the total voyage was estimated to take less than five days, it was naturally better to have some land to rest on midway.
"Tell everyone to prepare for landfall. We'll rest for the night and set sail again tomorrow, making a straight shot for the Sabaody Archipelago,"
Allen ordered.
Soon, the *Freewill* slowly approached the island.
A gloomy forest stretched along the coast. Bizarre wails echoed from the woods from time to time, making it impossible to tell what kind of animal was making them.
Looking inland from the balcony, they could faintly make out the dark silhouette of a building hidden in the fog. Its outline resembled a massive castle.
The *Freewill* docked at the shore, and the crew disembarked to set up camp. Allen and the others also hopped off the ship, taking in their surroundings.
"Why does it look so creepy here? And what exactly is making those noises in the forest..."
Nami cowered behind Allen.
The thick fog, combined with the dark, eerie woods, the bats that occasionally flew out, and the bizarre animal wails...
Coupled with the talk of man-eating ghosts, Nami couldn't stop her mind from conjuring up all sorts of bloody, terrifying images, sending a chill down her spine.
"Damn it, Buchi, and you too, Sham! It's all your fault I can't stop thinking about those scary things."
Nami glared at the Nyaban Brothers, both panicked and annoyed.
However, they were currently even more terrified than she was. The two brothers huddled together, nervously scanning their surroundings.
Meanwhile, deep within the island.
The forest surrounded a town that had been reduced to ruins. Collapsed houses lay scattered as broken walls and rubble, while the cracked floors were overgrown with weeds and gnarled tree roots.
And in the center of the ruins, an elegant, relatively well-preserved ancient castle stood in silence.
"Boohoo... I'm so bored..."
Inside the castle's grand hall, a girl floated in the air. She wore a crown and a gothic dress, her pink hair tied into twin tails, and she held a burgundy umbrella.
Perona hung her head in dismay, two streams of tears flowing pathetically from her eyes.
"This isn't fun at all! Even though I said I wanted to go to a dark, damp, ancient castle filled with resentment..."
"But!"
"I never said I wanted to come to a place with absolutely no one around! Damn you, Kuma! You jerk, jerk, jerk!"
Perona cursed and shouted in anger, flailing her limbs in the air and throwing wild punches, as if she were beating up Kuma instead of thin air.
A few seconds later, she looked at the empty space in front of her, sighed, and hung her head resentfully once more.
"Sigh... Lord Moria, Absalom, Hogback, where are you guys right now..."