Chapter 151: The Thawing Morning and the Steel Beast on the Sea
The morning sun spilled across the azure sea, shimmering with light.
It was as if the bone-chilling cold that had nearly frozen their souls yesterday was merely a nightmare.
The Going Merry sailed slowly across the sea with the breeze, its sails billowing and making a faint flapping sound.
However, in stark contrast to the bright weather was the silent atmosphere on board.
Although everyone's bodies had thawed out thanks to the warm water and Chopper's emergency treatment, and their body temperatures were gradually returning to normal.
But that was an Admiral from Marineford.
A combatant who stood at the pinnacle of this world.
In just a single instant, the four main combatants had been easily crushed.
This massive gap in strength had plunged the usually optimistic Straw Hat Pirates into an unprecedented state of depression.
On the deck.
Luffy sat in his favorite special seat—atop the sheep's head figurehead.
But he wasn't looking out at the sea in search of adventure as he usually did; instead, he sat with his knees hugged to his chest, head bowed, staring blankly at the waves below.
Zoro's eyes were vacant, lost in thought.
Sanji was chopping vegetables in the kitchen.
But the rhythmic sound of chopping today sounded a bit chaotic, punctuated from time to time by an irritable sigh.
And in the corner of the deck, Robin was curled up in a chair, holding a book in her hands.
Although her gaze was fixed on the pages, the book hadn't been turned for half an hour.
"Aokiji..."
That man's name was like a Sword of Damocles hanging over her head, ready to fall at any moment and sever her hard-won, fleeting happiness.
Just then, in this suffocating silence.
"Bang!"
The sound of a heavy object hitting the deck broke the deathly silence.
Everyone looked toward the sound.
They saw Tatsuya, his face pale, placing two huge wooden crates heavily in the center of the deck.
Those were the spoils they had won on Long Ring Long Land, along with the precious ingredients and fine wine brought down from Skypiea.
"Whew..."
Tatsuya gasped for air and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.
"Tatsuya?" Nami walked over worriedly. "Shouldn't you lie down a bit longer? Chopper said your internal organs were the most severely frozen..."
"I've laid down long enough. My bones are about to rust."
Tatsuya waved his hand.
His gaze swept over the dejected group, and a reassuring smile suddenly curled at the corners of his mouth:
"Why is everyone so down in the dumps?"
"Are we holding a funeral? Or do you think you're already dead?"
Tatsuya walked over and kicked the lid off a barrel of wine, the rich aroma of alcohol instantly filling the deck.
"Listen up, everyone."
Tatsuya picked up a cup and filled it to the brim:
"We were facing the 'highest combat power in the world,' the Admiral who makes countless great pirates tremble in fear."
"But look at us now! We're still alive! We have all our limbs, and the ship hasn't sunk!"
Tatsuya raised his glass, his eyes burning:
"In the New World, surviving under such a monster is a feat worth bragging about for a lifetime!"
"Since we aren't dead, we should celebrate! To our survival, and to that damn luck!"
"Come on! Drink! Eat meat!"
Tatsuya's words were like a ray of sunshine, tearing through the gloom that shrouded everyone's hearts.
That's right, they were still alive.
As long as they were alive, there was a chance for a comeback.
"That's right..." The confusion in Zoro's eyes dissipated, and he walked over to grab a large bottle of wine.
"Next time... I'll definitely cut him down."
"I want meat!!!"
Luffy seemed to wake up suddenly, his stomach letting out a thunderous roar in response.
He jumped down from the sheep's head and grabbed a large piece of meat on the bone, taking a huge bite. "Tatsuya is right! We're still alive!!"
"Since we're alive, we have to eat!" Sanji also walked out with hot dishes. "This is a special warm-up soup."
Although the atmosphere hadn't completely returned to its usual rowdiness, the ice of despair was melting bit by bit.
Tatsuya watched his companions moving again and breathed a sigh of relief.
He picked up two steaming cups of coffee and turned to walk toward the figure still hiding in the corner.
"Here."
Tatsuya handed the coffee to Robin.
Robin looked up, her eyes complex as she looked at Tatsuya, but she didn't reach out to take it.
"Tatsuya..."
Robin's voice was a bit hoarse, filled with deep self-reproach:
"I shouldn't have stayed on the ship... As long as I'm here, enemies of the Admiral's level will keep coming after us."
"We were lucky this time, but what about the next? You guys will be killed because of me..."
"Who knows about that?"
Tatsuya shoved the coffee into her hands, forcing her to hold the warm cup.
Afterward, he turned and leaned against the railing, looking at the boundless sea, letting the sea breeze mess up his black hair:
"Don't think too much."
Tatsuya reached out and gently patted Robin on the shoulder.
"Even if the sky falls, Luffy will be there to hold it up. If even he can't... he'll hold it up."
"Drink your coffee in peace. I specifically added extra sugar to it."
Robin held the warm cup, looking at Tatsuya's profile, and the chill in her heart finally dissipated a little.
She lowered her head and took a small sip of coffee, a very faint, bitter smile tugging at the corners of her mouth:
"...It's really sweet."
Just then.
"Croak—!!!"
A huge and strange cry came from the sea ahead.
Everyone was startled and ran to the bow, and instantly, everyone's eyes turned into dots.
They saw a frog as huge as a small mountain right in front of the going merry.
It was swimming horizontally in the sea with an extremely standard freestyle stroke, blocking their path.
"A... a frog swimming freestyle in the sea?!"
Usopp's jaw nearly dropped. "And this size is way too big! Is that a Sea King?"
"It looks delicious!" Luffy wiped his drool.
Before everyone could figure out what this big frog wanted, suddenly—
"Whoo-whoo-whoo—!!!"
A deafening whistle, like the roar of a monster, echoed across the entire sea area.
"Rumble..."
The sea began to shake, and white waves surged.
Everyone was shocked to discover that two parallel tracks were laid out on the sea, extending to the end of their vision.
And at this moment, a pitch-black steel beast, billowing thick white smoke, was roaring along those incredible sea tracks!
That was a... train?!
"No, no way?!"
Chopper screamed while clutching his head. "A train running on the sea?!!!"
The Sea Train— "Puffing Tom"!
The steel locomotive broke through the waves, its massive chimney spitting out white smoke, and it sped past the going merry at an astonishing speed.
"Clack-clack-clack!"
The immense wind pressure made the going merry shake violently.
However, Luffy, Chopper, and Usopp, who had been a bit down, the moment they saw this train.
Any Admiral, any fear, was completely thrown to the back of their minds.
The three of them had eyes that instantly turned into sparkling stars, their mouths wide open to the limit:
"So cool—!!!!!"
"Sugoi!!! It's the Sea Train!!!"
"It's running on the water! How cool!!"
Luffy was so excited he climbed directly onto the mast, pointing at the direction the train was leaving and shouting: "We have to chase that! I want to ride that!"
Watching the idiot trio who had instantly revived to full health, Tatsuya shook his head helplessly, but the smile in his eyes grew deeper.
This was how the Straw Hat should be.
...
Following the direction of the Sea Train, the going merry soon arrived at a station standing alone on the sea— "Shift Station".
Here, they met the station master of the Sea Train.
She was an old woman with an extremely... "bold" appearance.
She had a monster-like physique, was always holding a bottle of wine in her hand, was tipsy, and her laughter was as shrill as a witch's.
Kokoro.
And her granddaughter, Chimney, who was always carrying a rabbit named Gonbe.
"Gagagaga! Are you pirates who just arrived here?"
Kokoro was flushed, and she hiccuped:
"Want to go to Water 7? You'd better be careful. Inexperienced ships are easily dragged into the currents there."
Tatsuya stepped forward at this moment.
He took out a bottle of vintage wine from the crate containing the specialties from Skypiea.
"Nice to meet you, beautiful Ms. Kokoro."
Tatsuya ignored the expressions of everyone wanting to complain and placed the wine bottle gently on the table:
"This is a small gift for our first meeting."
"We aren't very familiar with this sea area. Could you please give us some guidance, and by the way... give us a letter of recommendation?"
"Oh?"
Kokoro's nose twitched, smelling the rich aroma of wine emanating from the bottle.
Her seemingly cloudy eyes instantly lit up.
"Gagaga! Young man, you're very sensible!"
Kokoro grabbed the bottle, pulled out the cork, and took a sniff, a look of intoxication appearing on her face:
"Good wine! Is this from centuries-old craftsmanship? What a rare find!"
Having taken the gift, she felt obligated.
In a great mood, Kokoro immediately became exceptionally enthusiastic.
She not only gave them the nautical chart to Water 7, avoiding the dangerous vortex areas.
She also wrote a letter of recommendation for the landmark of Water 7—that is, the mayor, Iceburg.
"Take this and go find that kid named Iceburg. He's the mayor there and also the best shipwright."
When it was time to leave, the going merry slowly sailed away from the station.
Kokoro stood on the platform, shaking that bottle of wine in her hand.
"Hey, you kids."
"But be careful..."
She pointed to the water city that was looming in the distance:
"Water 7... that's a complex city. On the surface, it's all water, but underneath, there's plenty of hidden filth."
"Don't get... dragged into the great vortex there."
As the going merry sailed away.
The legendary city known as "Water 7" finally revealed its true form on the horizon.
A huge fountain stood like a crown at the top of the city, with countless waterways crisscrossing.
Water 7, they had arrived.
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