Time seemed to stretch.
Usopp's pained cry quickly faded in the howling wind as his body plummeted towards the cavernous maw below.
"Oh no! That giant frog monster!"
Luffy suddenly stretched his arm, trying to grab the falling Usopp.
Almost at the exact moment Luffy reached out, Giyu Tomioka's pupils constricted.
There was no process of weighing pros and cons; instinct overrode everything.
His left feet stomped fiercely on the violently rolling Going Merry's railing, and his body, without hesitation, propelled itself outwards, actively flying into the air!
"Water Breathing, Eighth Form: Waterfall Basin!"
He forcefully adjusted his unbalanced posture in mid-air, swinging his Blade with one arm.
The icy blade frantically drew in the dense moisture from the surroundings; the temperature of the air around them seemed to plummet, creating a massive, waterfall-like slash.
With an unyielding momentum, it precisely struck the frog Sea King's fleshy nose!
Boom!!!
The slash violently collided with the thick, slippery flesh, letting out a muffled thud.
Tomioka felt his left arm jolt fiercely, and an unprecedented, enormous recoil force surged back through the blade into his arm!
Excruciating pain instantly struck!
The disadvantage of exerting power with only one arm, making it difficult to fully control, was exposed at this moment.
He was, after all, right-handed, and Water Breathing techniques were primarily designed for two-handed sword use.
Even with his trained left hand, at such a moment requiring full power, the flow of strength was ultimately a step behind, and the power of the slash was discounted compared to what he had expected.
But, this strike was enough!
"Croak-woo—!!!"
The giant frog Sea King suffered a heavy blow, letting out a painful whimper; the intense pain made it instinctively close its massive mouth, its disgusting long tongue instantly retracting, and its body began to fall back into the seabed.
Now!
Seizing this small window of opportunity he had created, Tomioka's figure, while rapidly plummeting, precisely brushed past Usopp.
He didn't use his hand to grab, but instead used a skillful kick to Usopp's back.
"Catch him!"
Usopp, like a soccer ball that had been shot, changed his direction of descent and flew towards the Going Merry.
"Oh! Leave it to me!" Luffy shouted, his rubber arm already prepared, accurately coiling around the wailing Usopp in mid-air and quickly pulling him back onto the deck.
And Tomioka, having accomplished all this, lost his point of leverage, his body completely out of control, beginning to accelerate his descent.
Below, several abyss-like maws of Sea Kings awaited.
"I'm coming! Tomioka!"
Just then, the distinctive sound of stretching rubber rang out!
Luffy's feet were twisted like a pretzel, tightly wrapped around the Going Merry's main mast, and his body stretched out to its limit at an extremely fast speed.
His arm, like a rope, suddenly coiled around Tomioka's waist in mid-air, holding him firmly.
"Got him!!"
Luffy's face broke into a sunny grin, and his contraction ability instantly activated, pulling both of them sharply back towards the still-spinning, plummeting Going Merry!
In mid-air, Tomioka was tightly constricted by the rubber arm; he looked down and could see several giant Sea Kings on the surface of the sea below, looking up at them.
He then looked up and saw Luffy's grin, stretched to his ears, and his iconic Mugiwara, which never fell off no matter how much they jostled.
Giyu Tomioka silently sheathed his Blade, allowing the force to pull him back to that noisy "temporary companionship."
Just a few seconds after they barely returned to the deck—
Boom!!!!!!!
The Going Merry slammed back into the roaring stormy waters! The huge impact made the entire ship groan loudly, as if it would fall apart the next second.
The waves stirred up by the ship's impact with the sea surface instantly pushed outwards on both sides.
Everyone on deck, including Tomioka and Usopp who had just been rescued, was completely thrown off balance by this violent collision, tumbling together in a heap, sprawling on the waterlogged deck.
The familiar roar of strong winds, heavy rain, and huge waves surged back, covering the groaning sound of the ship's keel.
"Ugh..."
"Cough... cough..."
"All my bones... are almost shattered..."
The gasps of those who had survived a catastrophe mingled with the wind and rain.
Everyone lay sprawled on the ground, only having the strength to speak.
"It's really great to be back here..."
Luffy's body was also a bit flattened from the fall, but he quickly returned to his original shape, laughing lightheartedly: "Flying in the sky feels so exciting! When can we fly again!"
Tomioka lay on the deck, rain constantly beating on his face.
He gazed up at the still gloomy, lightning-filled sky, the intermittent soreness in his left arm still incredibly clear.
He had just... been saved.
In a way he had never imagined: pulled back by a body like rubber, with an ability that seemed like a joke, by sheer force.
This feeling... was somewhat unfamiliar... yet somewhat familiar...
Nami struggled to get up, instinctively checking the ship's speed first, and suddenly, as if she had understood all the key points, the horrified expression on her face vanished, replaced by the excitement and realization of a navigator.
"I understand!!!" Her voice pierced through the wind and rain, carrying the joy of a sudden realization.
Zoro struggled to sit up, puzzled: "What?"
"It's the current! It's the current!" Nami excitedly pointed at the sea, "If four huge currents from different oceans all converge on that mountain!"
Her finger traced the imagined path of the currents upwards: "The four currents will converge, then flow up the mountain along the canal—"
Finally, she sharply pointed to the navigation light at the end of the wind and rain: "—and then flow straight into the Grand Line!!!"
She turned back to the sprawling crowd, her face radiating confident light: "Now we've been caught by the current! As long as we don't deviate, the current will carry us forward! But!"
Her tone became incredibly serious again, "You must pay attention! That Reverse Mountain! If we can't accurately enter the canal's entrance! What awaits us is utter destruction, the ship wrecked and everyone dead!!"
Luffy's eyes lit up as he listened: "So! It's an incredible mountain, right? How interesting!"
Nami looked at her Captain's pure smile, helplessly rubbing her forehead: "Never mind... it seems you won't understand..."
The wind and rain seemed to have lessened somewhat, but the sailing speed had clearly increased, indicating that the ship had completely entered the enormous current leading to the miracle.
Tomioka silently stood up, picking up his Blade that had fallen nearby; he felt his soaked haori heavy and uncomfortable against his body.
He did not participate in the subsequent discussion but instead silently turned, pushed open the door to the mess hall, and went inside.
Under the orange light, the relatively dry environment allowed him to relax slightly. He untied his half-red, half-green haori, laboriously wringing out the rainwater with his only left hand, water droplets pattering onto the floor.
With a creak, the door was pushed open again.
Usopp and Nami entered one after another.
Usopp's face was still a bit pale; he looked at Tomioka, forcing a complex smile that was both very awkward and grateful onto his face.
Tomioka paused, looking at the long-nosed man before him, a flicker of confusion in his eyes, not understanding why he wore such an expression.
He chose to sit down silently, folding his half-dry haori on his lap.
The atmosphere in the cabin was momentarily stagnant, with only the sounds of wind and rain from outside and the ship cutting through waves.
Usopp rubbed his hands, his gaze wandering, but finally plucked up the courage and stammered, "Th-that... thank you, for saving me just now..."
He took a deep breath: "I... my name is Usopp!"
After saying thank you, he seemed to immediately puff out his chest, trying to regain some face: "I... I... I'm telling you! You saved Captain Usopp, who has eight thousand subordinates! You've done a tremendous service!"
He looked at Tomioka, a silly grin on his face, but his eyes clearly showed a guilty conscience.
[Interpersonal Communication Manual (Trial Version)]
[Subject: Usopp]
[Status: Guilty conscience, grateful]
[Preference: Bragging]
[Suggestion: Acknowledge and play along]
Nami, seeing Usopp's incorrigible behavior from the side, sighed helplessly and explained to Tomioka: "He's just like that; don't listen to his nonsense, he's actually a pretty good guy."
She smiled, introducing herself gracefully: "Speaking of which, we haven't properly met yet. My name is Nami, and I'm the navigator on this ship! My favorite things are money and oranges!"
"Mm." Tomioka calmly nodded, indicating he had heard.
His gaze returned to Usopp, the suggestion to [Acknowledge and play along] incredibly clear. He didn't quite understand why he should do so, but based on his experience of "learning interpersonal communication" these past few days, he decided to try and follow it.
So, with his usual uninflected voice, he looked at Usopp very seriously.
And asked: "Then, where are your eight thousand subordinates?"
"Pfft—" Nami almost burst out laughing, quickly covering her mouth, saying with a wry smile, "No way?! You actually believe what he says?!"
Usopp's eyes instantly lit up when he heard that! He hadn't expected this seemingly cold yet incredibly skilled swordsman to actually engage with him!
"They... they, I'm telling you!" Usopp immediately perked up, gesticulating wildly: "They're... they're waiting to rendezvous with me on Ussopland Island ahead! My great fleet! It's made up of... of..."
He began to ramble on, fabricating stories about how powerful his "Usopp Squadron" was, how many sea adventures they had experienced, talking effusively.
Tomioka sat there quietly, listening expressionlessly.
Occasionally, based on the small prompts from the manual, such as [Nod here] or [Respond with "Mm"], he would give some reactions, but this was already enough to give Usopp immense satisfaction.
Nami, holding her forehead nearby, watched this bizarre yet strangely harmonious scene, her lips subtly curving upwards.
Just as Usopp's story was about to reach the point where his fleet conquered the Grand Line—
"Wah ah ah ah ah!!!!!!"
Luffy's extremely excited shout, piercing through the wind and rain, suddenly came from outside the door:
"I see it!!!"
"It's huge!!!"
"I see the incredible mountain!!!"
The first 15,000 words are done!
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