In an instant all the weight tipped and the Ship fell! Wind rushing! Their stomachs rising into their chest as the inertia hit them full force!
"WOAAHHH!" Screams were heard as they fell!
It took only a few seconds of free fall at over 200 mph for the Balloons and Parasol to Activate! Large Orange and Yellow balloons inflated and appeared at the side of the ship while a giant piece of fabric attached to many long strings unfurled and expanded above the ship! Bigger than the palm itself!
A sudden jolt shook the Palm, the wood of the mast creaked from the upward pull! The Descent was slowed by a huge amount! But it caused the crew to be lifted into the air! Before falling back to their feet as the Palm continued!
"It's still…Going too fast!" Jeanne winced.
"I don't know if the Ship is gonna make it in one piece at this rate! We got maybe…15 seconds before impact!" Kirk yelled across the deck!
In the Remaining few seconds, Raven attempted to create a large secondary Parachute to slow the Palm! Leroy letting go and shooting his hand and feet at angles for him to fly into the air and act as a third!
His body expanded and flattened from the wind! Only a few moments left! "Get- Ready!" He screamed. The crew bracing for impact!
Crash! Water slammed into the bottom of the Palm! Vibrations wracking the ship harshly like an explosion! The Ship rocked from side to side while the Parasol above began to shrink in size, no air keeping it expanded.
Ravens Hands disappeared as Leroy landed back on the Deck.
"Hah…Hah…We-! Made it back to the Grand Line!" *Leroy cheered! Leaning back with his fist high in the Air!"
The crew all huffed and puffed in various degrees of worry and relief as they were finally in the Salty azure waves of the Grand Line once again. The first time in over an Entire month
"Hah…Yeah. And we're locked onto the next Island too!" Kirk looked at the Specialty Compass on his wrist. The needle pointing to the northwest.
*
Dishes clattered, and cupboards closed as Kirk and Noir replaced the Dishes, Cutlery, and food all back in their places.
Jeanne and Leroy moving the furniture back into place in the Galley, Raven had made sure to hold down the furniture in the crew quarters with her Bloom Bloom fruit, cutting down on the time of putting everything back
"Wait, twist it the other way dude!" Leroy complained as he and Jeanne struggled to get the table back into the Galley despite having gotten it out in the first place
"I am!" She shot back
"Nuh uh! We gotta face the table up! Not to the side!" The two continued to struggled to get it in for what seemed like minutes
"Nuh uh! We gotta face the table up! Not to the side!" The two continued to struggled to get it in for what seemed like minutes
"Shit…" Jeanne hissed as she held her hands on her hips. Looking the mast up and down.
"Whats goin on-?" The Captain walked up before noticing what had been unseen before
"Oh damn…" He held a slight grimace.
Upon inspection the mast had large cracks all around it's radius, deep enough that you could stick an entire finger knuckle deep into it. This would call for an emergency repair. If the sails were out in a storm, enough wind could shred the entire mast from its post!
"Do we have enough spare materials to make the Repairs Jea?"
"We should, we've got steel staples. And some sheet metal that we could wrap around it to give it more support."
The Captain and Markswoman got to quick work. Hammering nails into the mast, attaching the sheet metal on top of Staples that acted like stitches into a wound, holding the deeply fractured wood together. The metal was like a bandage wrapping around it all.
"Hah…Think we may need a new ship?" Jeanne asked with an exhausted and disappointed sigh. Gesturing with the hammer in her hand
"Maybe…" He frowned, disappointed in how the ship was becoming more and more rugged and shoddy by the day. "But! We won't stop usin' her till we can't any more!"
He reassured with that smile. "She's a valued member of the crew ain't she?"
*
By the time they were finished it was only 1 o'clock.
Leroy was laid out on the deck. Eyes shut in a quick cat nap while Noir got to cooking.
A simple dish of chicken pasta casserole. Which the Crew devoured. A perfect filling meal to regain their energy from the excitement of returning to the Blue
The rest of the Day was Spent lounging around and relaxing on the open sea. Some of the crew enjoyed smelling the salty sea air again. It felt like it'd been years since they'd sailed on open waters.
Steps clattered against the wood of the ship as the ambient noise of the crew's typical chatter filled the air.
Steps clattered against the wood of the ship as the ambient noise of the crew's typical chatter filled the air.
"So, Kirk. What's the next Island?" Leroy said to the Shirtless Fishman as he sat on a folding chair, basking in the sun. Large brown sunglasses on his face. The Captain hoping onto the railing and hunching forward.
With a small push, his Sunglasses were at the end of his nose. "Hmm. Actually- I haven't checked yet. It may be in the Atlas that King Ramze gave me."
He sat up, and no sooner had the Fishman began to crack open the Atlas had the scholar of the Crew interrupted the twos discussion.
"I actually know. I visited the 6th island of Route 3 many years ago. Its a grand forest archipelago." She said with a smile. Reminiscing on her time on the island "There was no Poneglyph however. But last time I was there, it had a lively Community and Culture!"
There was a Palpable excitement in the Scholars' words.
"Really?!" Leroy was intrigued as his eyes lit up. Kirk had a similar look in his own
"What's its name?" Kirk inquired
"Wringly Archipelago."