The next day at noon.
Will and his three companions were enjoying lunch on the deck, savoring the rare calm of the gentle weather around them.
Suddenly.
Nami's expression shifted drastically. She shot to her feet, exclaiming, "Something's wrong! I can feel the climate nearby starting to change!"
"Huh?" Vivi looked up, puzzled.
Will and Kalina, however, knew exactly what was happening. This was Nami's innate talent and navigational expertise at work.
"Tell us what to do, Nami," Will said immediately, his tone serious. He always trusted her judgment in these situations.
At his words, Nami didn't hesitate. "We need to change course right now. We can't keep heading forward!"
With that, she rushed to the helm, barking orders to coordinate the crew.
After some frantic effort, the ship began to make a sharp turn.
Vivi, though confused, didn't question it. She silently pitched in to help. She didn't quite understand why the other two trusted this navigator named Nami so implicitly, but changing the ship's course and slightly delaying their arrival in Alabasta wasn't a problem for her.
Not long after, a massive storm loomed on the horizon. A colossal waterspout connected the sea to the sky, a terrifying force of nature.
Vivi's jaw dropped, her eyes wide with shock. "It's really extreme weather…"
Kalina let out a sigh of relief. "Good thing Nami sensed the climate shift in time. If we'd been caught in that, this ship wouldn't have lasted a few seconds before being torn apart."
Nami, now reassured, checked the Log Pose and continued steering. "We just need to gradually adjust our course back. It shouldn't take too long."
Will nodded silently, not rushing her. He gazed at the monstrous storm devouring everything in its path.
Moments later, just as they escaped the storm's reach—
BOOM!
A deafening noise erupted as a massive figure burst from the sea ahead.
As the water cascaded away, a gigantic pirate ship came into view. Its figurehead was a crowned hippo, and its hull was fortified with steel barriers.
The enormous steel vessel slowly pulled alongside Will's ship.
"BAHAHAHA!" A grating laugh echoed as three oddly dressed, bizarre-looking figures emerged from the ship.
Vivi's face paled when she saw the man in the center. She muttered under her breath, "Wapol?!"
The sight of him brought back a childhood memory—the stinging slap he'd once given her.
"Hm?" Will caught the name, his brow twitching as a thought crossed his mind. "Didn't expect to run into that loser Wapol here."
"It seems Blackbeard has already been to Drum Island and destroyed the Drum Kingdom," he mused. "Otherwise, Wapol wouldn't be out here with his crew."
Wapol, flanked by two subordinates, swaggered down a large gangplank, his face twisted in arrogance. "Oi! You lot got an Eternal Pose? Or even a Log Pose will do! Hand it over quick, or I'll gobble you all up!"
Will had no patience for this. In a flash, he vanished from his spot.
The next instant, he reappeared in front of Wapol, his fist rocketing forward.
BAM!
Wapol didn't have time to react. The punch smashed into his iron-like jaw, sending a spray of blood as he flew backward.
With a CRASH, he slammed into the steel barrier of his ship, teetering on the edge of falling into the sea.
His two lackeys finally snapped out of their shock, scrambling to help.
But at that moment—
WHOOSH!
Kalina, now transformed into her two-tailed cat form, leaped into the air, treading on nothing but wind. She opened her mouth and unleashed a torrent of blue-purple flames.
The two subordinates, caught off guard, were engulfed in the searing fire.
"AHHH! It's so hot!"
"We're done for! I'm burning!"
"Damn it! Why won't this fire go out?!"
Flames roared across their bodies as they flailed desperately, trying to extinguish them. The one covered in black furballs burned even more fiercely.
"Shut up," Will growled, annoyed by their shrieks. His brows furrowed, and he lashed out with two swift kicks, striking both men square in the chest.
THUD! THUD!
The burning lackeys were sent flying, crashing into the steel barrier behind them. They twitched briefly before falling still, flames still flickering on their bodies.
Wapol, with no one to save him, slipped into the sea, unconscious.
Will watched the scene unfold, his expression as calm as if he'd just swatted a few pesky mosquitoes.
Vivi, standing on the deck, was stunned speechless by the chaos. It wasn't until Kalina returned to the ship and reverted to her human form that Vivi snapped out of it, blurting, "What are you doing?!"
Will, about to explore the enemy ship, turned back, puzzled. "What? Taking out pirates."
"Pirates?!" Vivi echoed, uncertain.
Will frowned, pointing upward. "Didn't you see?"
Without waiting for a reply, he turned and headed into the massive ship.
Vivi looked up and finally noticed the pirate flag fluttering at the top of Wapol's vessel.
"How… how is this possible?!" she stammered. "Wasn't that guy the king of Drum Kingdom? Why is he out here as a pirate? What happened to Drum Kingdom?"
Questions swirled in her mind, but no one was there to answer. Feeling conflicted, she walked to the edge of the ship, staring at the now-still sea where Wapol had sunk.
Even though Wapol had slapped her as a child, she'd never thought to kill him. Yet this man named Will had taken him out without a second thought, without even asking who he was.
It was as if he didn't care about the consequences.
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