Mysterious Weather at Sea

Chapter 73: Mysterious Weather at Sea

The weather at sea is as unpredictable as a child's face.

One moment, it's clear blue skies and calm seas, but suddenly, a storm appears, catching people off guard.

The howling winds and raging waves turned the once peaceful sea into a ferocious beast, seemingly eager to swallow them whole.

"Reel in the sails! Quick, Robin, reassess the course. Reiju, come help. Reiju, take the helm. Leicester, hold your position," Rodney distributed tasks as the Black Pearl maneuvered through the turbulent sea.

He and his clones quickly gathered the sails to prevent the masts from being snapped by the strong winds. Robin, though not a professional navigator, was proficient in navigation knowledge and commanded Reiju to steer the ship.

For Reiju, helming the ship wasn't a difficult task. As for Leicester, he was currently busy tidying up the kitchen's belongings.

"Ouch!" 

One of the clones disappeared instantly as a fist-sized hailstone fell to the ground with a clatter.

"This is... hail... that's not good!"

The storm transformed into a hailstorm, and each hailstone was quite substantial.

Deciding it was better to take shelter in the cabin, Rodney and his clones prepared to retreat. The storm had subsided, and while the raging waves were still daunting, they posed no threat to them. The ship simply swayed uncomfortably.

"Wait, Captain, don't come back yet!" Robin suddenly shouted, "There's a big one in the sky!"

Rodney activated his Sharingan, looking up to see a massive hailstone plummeting from the clouds, clearly headed straight for them.

However, the ship's propulsion relied on the wind, and the current winds were too strong for the sails to be raised. Moving at such a slow pace due to the strong waves was not an option either.

"Captain, let me handle it." Reiju donned Germa's battle suite and said, "My strength should be able to slow down the ice."

"Let's go together. Robin, take care of Leicester, and the ship is in your hands. Reiju, let's go." 

Leaving a few clones behind to assist, they used the Moon Step to ascend to the sky. Reiju found the speed too slow and grabbed Rodney's hand, flying towards the incoming hailstone.

"No need to push; I'll directly shatter the ice. Thousand Brick Fist!"

His fists, wild like a torrential rain, relentlessly pounded the hailstone, causing its surface to gradually crack and break into smaller pieces that fell away.

"Fire Style: Great Fireball!"

"Fire Release: Dragon Fire Technique!"

"Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique!"

Below, the clones stood on the ship's mast, using Fire Style to evaporate or crush the remaining ice chunks, ensuring they posed no threat to the Black Pearl.

After their efforts, the storm passed, and what was once a sky filled with dark clouds had now cleared, becoming a serene blue canvas with only a few clouds remaining.

"This unpredictable weather is really annoying," Rodney grumbled as he and Reiju returned to the Black Pearl, raised the sails once again, and asked, "Robin, how long until we reach the next island?"

Robin's expression turned troubled as she said, "Captain, I have some bad news. It seems like we've deviated from our intended course."

"What??" Rodney widened his eyes and said, "How is that possible? The Log Pose was pointing towards the next island, wasn't it?"

"Well, yes, but the strong winds just blew us off our original course. It won't affect our navigation, but, Captain, we're about to enter the Florian Triangle. Shouldn't we be more cautious?" Robin expressed her concerns.

The Florian Triangle was a necessary route for them, but it was also the lair of one of the Shichibukai, Gecko Moria.

Speaking of Gecko Moria, he was a person who focused solely on developing his Devil Fruit abilities and neglected to train Haki. Just like Crocodile, he was eliminated by the times. 

Well, Rodney eliminated Crocodile, while Kaido, one of the Four Emperors, defeated Moria and locked him up like a dead otaku, dedicating himself to creating figures that could kill Kaido.

In the past, Moria also had dreams and ambitions, gathering a group of companions and venturing into the New World to make a name for himself. Until he encountered the recklessly strong Emperor, Kaido.

Kaido, the "Strongest Creature," loved being reckless and couldn't be killed no matter what. With his immense power and indomitable life force, he had survived until now. 

Over twenty years ago, he occupied Wano Country, selling and processing Seastone, and even established a "The New Onigashima Project" center, where future Luffy and Kid underwent treatment, but the effects... weren't very remarkable...

When Moria encountered Kaido, unfortunately, his entire army was wiped out, leaving only him to escape in defeat, returning to the Grand Line in great despair. He thought he could easily become the Pirate King, but he didn't expect to be stopped from partying by someone...

Upon his return, he didn't bother to train Haki but started making zombie figures. For some unknown reason, he heard rumors about Kaido having lineage from the Demon Tribe, so he began collecting the corpses of Demon Tribe members, which turned him into a dead fat guy...

If he had dedicated himself to training Haki and combined it with the abilities of the Shadow-Shadow Fruit, he would have undoubtedly achieved something significant on the open sea.

Luffy could stuff a hundred shadows into his body; his strength was remarkable. Similarly, Moria, who had fought against Kaido and survived, definitely had excellent physical qualities. Unfortunately, he took the wrong path, failing to think in this direction. As a result, he... became a dead fat guy.

Rodney said, "We don't need to worry too much about Moria. He imprisoned a friend of an old man's friend. The old man and another friend went to rescue him, and Moria is definitely not having a good time."

Moria had no chance against Rayleigh's power. However, he probably wouldn't give it up so easily; the possibility of a confrontation was quite high. Rayleigh would most likely win with ease.

After all, Moria was just a guy obsessed with developing Devil Fruit abilities. For this, Rodney wasn't worried. He was only thinking about when they would arrive at the Sabaody Archipelago to get the Shusui.

"Captain, are you so certain? He's one of the Shichibukai, just like you. What if that old man fails?" Reiju asked curiously.

Rodney's face looked inexplicable. What? You mean Rayleigh will be hammered down by Moria?

Impossible.

If Moria could defeat Rayleigh, he would have gone to the New World to fight Kaido long ago. Why would he be making zombies here?

"What's wrong? Did I say something wrong? Is that old man very strong?"

"It's not a question of strong or weak, but rather how long it took to defeat Moria. Reiju, that is Rayleigh, the Dark King."

As soon as Rodney spoke, the cabin fell eerily silent. Leicester was shocked, his mouth agape. The captain... actually knew the legendary pirate?

"Don't look at me like that. I don't know Rayleigh; I only know him because of the ship doctor of the Pirate King. I followed him and the whale for a while," Rodney said. "Maybe because the news about the Florian Triangle is quite closed off, no news has leaked out, but they should have already left."

"Captain, who exactly are you?" Robin couldn't help but ask. He knew so much information, had mysterious powers, and had an enigmatic background. Becoming one of the Shichibukai at such a young age... Could this person be a Celestial Dragon?

With such a thought in mind, Robin's mind started to wander.

Rodney looked at her without words and said, "If I were a Celestial Dragon, I would be living a life with pampered wives and concubines, indulging in pleasures and eating and waiting for death. Who would go wandering at sea?"

He had a point. With the captain's personality, he would definitely do that...