Cursed Seas and Slashing Tides

Frozen Resolve

Zoro squinted into the distance, his gaze locked on a man standing on the surface of the ocean, just a few meters in front of him. The man carried a bow and arrows on his back, and his face was painted with unease.

“Boy, it sure is cold today.” The man said abruptly, his breath visible in the chill air.

Luffy and Usopp nodded in agreement, unfazed by the absurdity of the situation. “Yeah, sure is.” Luffy added casually.

“It’s cold alright.” Usopp chimed in.

“Really?” The man asked, but was met with silence.

The four of them stared at each other, confused and at a loss for words.

Suddenly, the calm was shattered by the appearance of a massive ship-like dome rising from the ocean.

“A watermelon!?” Luffy exclaimed in surprise, his eyes wide with excitement.

Inside Nami’s room, Ryomen, Vivi, and Sanji braced themselves as the ship started shaking violently.

“What’s happening!?” Vivi gasped in alarm.

Nami, lying on the bed, was nearly flung into the wall as the ship rocked. Ryomen, reacting swiftly, caught her just in time.

“Vivi, can you take care of her?” Ryomen asked as he gently set Nami down again. Vivi nodded, worry creasing her face.

Outside, the dome’s walls collapsed, revealing a monstrous ship several times the size of the Going Merry.

“A ship!?” Zoro muttered, eyes widening.

“What happened!? Nami-san nearly got hurt!” Sanji barked, furious.

“That ship attacked us.” Luffy said matter-of-factly.

“Well, that wasn’t hard to figure out.” Ryomen mumbled as he found himself suddenly surrounded by pirates, all aiming their guns at him.

“I’ve got a question…” A large man with wild purple hair said, gnawing on a knife, to the disgust of the Straw Hats. “We’re headed to the Drum Kingdom. You have an Eternal Log Pose or a regular Log Pose?”

“Never heard of it.” Sanji replied, his tone cold.

“If you’re done, leave.” Luffy commanded, undeterred.

“Well, if you don’t have it, I’ll just have to take your treasure and your ship!” The man declared with a smirk, shocking the crew.

Then, to their horror, he took a bite out of the Merry, tearing off a chunk the size of his head.

“What is that guy!?” Usopp screamed, dumbfounded.

Luffy then ran toward the man.

The pirates moved to stop him, but they quickly discovered their guns had been dismantled, courtesy of Ryomen’s subtle use of his powers.

One by one, the crew dispatched the pirates with ease.

“Hey, you!” Luffy growled as he reached the man.

The large man’s mouth opened wide, swallowing Luffy whole, the only part of him remaining outside being his arms. But before the pirates could celebrate, Luffy’s fists shot back in a slingshot motion.

“Gomu Gomu no Bazooka!” Luffy roared, launching himself free and sending the man flying into the sky.

The pirates stood frozen in shock, staring after their defeated leader.

Ryomen watched the scene unfold, his brow furrowed as the man’s face struck a familiar chord.
…

Later that night, the crew slept on the floor of Nami’s room, vigilantly surrounding her to provide help at any moment. Nami’s labored breathing filled the quiet room.