Somewhere else in the open sea.
The wind howled like a wild beast, whipping the sails and sending violent waves crashing against the hull of a small but determined ship.
This ship belonged to the Straw Clown Pirates—a pirate alliance between the unpredictable Monkey D. Luffy and the theatrical, self-proclaimed genius pirate, Buggy the Clown.
It hadn't been long since they had left Drum Island. Their newest addition, Tony Tony Chopper, the adorable blue-nosed reindeer doctor, was still getting used to life at sea with this chaotic crew. He wasn't sure if joining them was a blessing or a terrible mistake, but he knew one thing: he had friends now.
At the moment, however, friendship didn't matter much. A monstrous storm loomed on the horizon, dark and violent, stretching across the sky like a great wall of doom.
"Storm! Dead ahead!" yelled one of Buggy's crewmates, his voice trembling.
Buggy's eyes bulged. "Wh-What kind of storm is that?! It's massive!"
"I told you we shouldn't have taken this route!" shouted Mohji, gripping Richie the lion tightly as the ship rocked violently.
Chopper trembled as lightning crackled above. "This… this isn't just any storm…"
The sea erupted in chaos. Towering waves crashed into the deck, threatening to capsize them with every passing second. Rain lashed their faces as wind screamed around them.
"We're gonna die!" someone cried.
"Don't just stand there, paddle!!" Buggy barked, grabbing an oar himself. "Move it or we're fish food!"
Luffy, meanwhile, was calmly eyeing a large empty barrel at the edge of the deck. "Hmm… maybe if I hide in that, I'll be okay."
Bonk!
Buggy smacked him over the head with a wooden mallet. "This is no time for jokes, you rubber idiot! Help us paddle!"
"Tch! Fine, fine!" Luffy grumbled, stretching his arms toward the oars and paddling with exaggerated speed. "Sheesh…"
Despite all efforts, the sea showed no mercy. The ship was drawn into the heart of the storm. Thunder boomed like cannon fire, and waves rose like mountains.
"Hold on to something!!" yelled Chopper as a wall of water came crashing down on them.
Then, everything went white.
Sometime later…
The sound of seagulls. A gentle breeze. The scent of damp earth and salt.
Luffy groaned, rolling over on warm sand. "Ugh… What happened…?"
He sat up and blinked. All around him were the scattered remnants of their ship—broken planks, tattered sails, floating crates—and members of his crew sprawled on the beach.
Chopper emerged from a barrel, coughing and soaked. "We… we made it?"
Buggy sputtered awake a few meters away, covered in seaweed and sand. "My beautiful ship…! Nooooo!!"
As everyone slowly came to their senses, they realized they'd been washed ashore on a mysterious island. Jungle trees loomed inland, and strange bird calls echoed from deep within.
"Where are we…?" Chopper asked nervously.
Luffy grinned, already back on his feet. "Don't know. But I'm hungry. Let's explore!"
Buggy's eye twitched. "You idiot, can't you take anything seriously?!"
But his frustration fell on deaf ears—Luffy was already charging off into the trees with boundless energy, and the rest of the crew, seeing no other option, begrudgingly followed.
"Tch," Buggy snorted, stuffing his hands into his coat pockets. "He's going to get us all killed one day." Still, curiosity tugged at him, and he followed along with wary glances at the unfamiliar forest.
Dense foliage stretched endlessly around them. The air was thick with humidity and buzzing with unseen life. Strange bird calls echoed in the canopy above, and vines twisted like serpents around gnarled branches.
"What *is* this place?" Chopper asked, looking around nervously. "There's no sign of civilization…"
They trekked through the jungle for nearly an hour, brushing aside leaves and dodging thorny bushes. No buildings, no paths—just wild nature.
Eventually, Luffy's pace began to slow. He hunched over, dragging his feet.
"I'm starving…" he moaned dramatically, as if he hadn't eaten in days.
"Me too…" Chopper echoed weakly, holding his rumbling belly. The others were no better. Even Buggy's stomach growled audibly, though he pretended not to notice.
Then suddenly—"MUSHROOM!!" Luffy's eyes lit up as he spotted a fat, spotted fungus poking out of the forest floor. "FOOD!!"
Without hesitation, he lunged forward and yanked it out.
"*Hachaaa!!*" Chopper leapt like a ninja and slapped it from his hands. "Stop right there! You can't just eat random mushrooms! That one's *highly* poisonous!"
Luffy blinked. "Eeeh? But I'm hungry!"
He sniffed the air a few times, then paused. His nose twitched. "Wait… I smell something!"
Everyone turned toward him.
Luffy's eyes widened. "I smell food! Real food!" He spun around and pointed deeper into the forest. "That way!"
"Oi, Luffy! Don't just run off!" Buggy yelled—but the rubber boy was already gone, dashing through the trees like a bloodhound on a mission.
The crew sighed in collective exhaustion and ran after him.
After a few frantic minutes of chasing him through the underbrush, the group emerged from the jungle into a wide clearing. There, nestled within a ring of trees, was a small, quiet settlement.
Several wooden buildings stood in neat rows, surprisingly organized for such a remote location. It looked peaceful—too peaceful, given the storm that had just brought them here.
"Is this… a village?" Chopper asked.
"Looks abandoned," muttered Mohji.
Luffy wasn't listening. "Hellooo? Anyone here?" he called out as he followed his nose toward the center of the clearing.
There, in front of a modest wooden cottage, a man stirred a bubbling pot over an open flame. Steam wafted from the pot, rich with the scent of herbs, meat, and something savory. The man tasted it with a wooden spoon and smiled with satisfaction.
"Mmm… Perfect. I'm finally getting the hang of this."
A strange dripping sound broke his concentration.
He turned slowly—and froze.
Luffy stood just a few feet away, mouth wide open, drool pouring like a faucet as he stared at the stew with sparkling eyes.
The man blinked, startled. "Uh… Who are you…?" he asked cautiously.
Luffy beamed. "I'm Luffy. I smelled food. Can I have some?"
Behind him, the rest of the crew stumbled into the clearing, panting and worn out.
Buggy sighed, "I swear, this guy's stomach is a compass…"
...
Two hours later.
The Straw Clown crew lay sprawled across a patch of grassy clearing under the shade of towering trees, their bellies full and their faces content.
"That was delicious," Luffy sighed, arms behind his head, eyes closed in bliss. "Thanks, Tenshi."
"You're welcome," their host replied with a small smile—then blinked. "Wait, no, it's *Tensuro*."
"Oh, right! Ten-something," Luffy muttered sleepily, already halfway to a nap.
Tensuro gave him a deadpan look but didn't press it.
"Your cooking is amazing!" Chopper beamed, sitting cross-legged and rubbing his round tummy.
Cabaji, sitting beside a tree stump, gave a quiet nod of agreement while chewing on a toothpick.
On the other side, Richie the lion was still hunched over the now-empty pot, wooden spoon clutched in his paw as he tilted the pot, trying to scoop up any remnants of stew. He even tried to lick the pot.
*Smack!*
A paper fan came down on his head. Tensuro stood behind him, sighing as he folded the fan back up.
"Hey, don't lick the pot. That's gross."
Richie grumbled, ears flicking in protest. His large eyes glared at the man with disappointment.
"He said he only got one serving," Chopper translated, glancing up. "Also, he's still hungry."
"That's because Luffy kept stealing food from him!" Mohji growled, arms crossed.
"Eh? Sorry, Richie." Luffy waved lazily, still lying down. "It was too tasty to stop."
Richie let out an offended roar, baring his teeth toward Luffy and growling a challenge.
Chopper, eyes wide, raised both hooves in alarm. "He says you stole three of his servings and now he wants to settle it with fists!"
Luffy raised an eyebrow. "Wait, lions have fists?"
"Alright, alright! Settle down, all of you," Tensuro interrupted, chuckling awkwardly. He turned and walked back toward the modest wooden cabin. "Let me see what else I've got."
Moments later, he returned with a small wooden tray piled high with colorful fruits—bananas, peeled oranges, and a few shiny purple berries.
"Here," he said, placing the tray in front of Richie. "Not stew, but at least it's something."
Richie eyed the offering, then looked up at Tensuro. His lip trembled, and tears welled up in the corners of his eyes. With a dramatic whimper, he began to munch the fruit slowly, though his expression screamed "this isn't meat."
Chopper listened carefully to the lion's grumbling and translated, "He said, 'Why give fruit? I'm a lion. I eat meat.'"
Tensuro gave a nervous laugh, scratching the back of his head. "Sorry, big guy. I'm out of meat for now. But those berries are full of energy!"
"How do you even understand him?" Buggy asked, glancing at Chopper.
Chopper proudly puffed his chest. "I'm a reindeer who ate the Human-Human Fruit. I can speak both animal and human languages!"
"Huh. That's... surprisingly useful," Buggy admitted, feeling amazed of Chopper's ability.
"Man, what a weird crew," Tensuro muttered under his breath, though a faint smile tugged at the corner of his lips. But his expression shifted quickly—his brows furrowed as a deep rumble rolled through the ground.
Rumble... Rumble…
Suddenly alert, Tensuro glanced at the sky. "Ah… I forgot to mention something."
The crew looked up from their lounging positions. "Huh? What is it?" Luffy asked, lazily sitting up.
"You all should be careful," Tensuro said, already stepping to the side.
Thud!
Something sharp and long slammed into the exact spot where he had just been standing—stabbing deep into the soil.
"Usually, around this time…" Tensuro continued calmly, "…there's an incoming aerial assault."
Thud! Thud! Thunk!
Several more objects rained down from the sky, stabbing into the earth like thrown javelins. Each one was long, glinting in the fading sunlight, and incredibly fast.
The Straw Clown crew froze, wide-eyed.
"What the heck was that?!" Buggy shouted, his eyes bulging.
"Don't focus on what's already fallen!" Tensuro barked. "Eyes up—watch the sky!"
The group immediately tilted their heads upward. Their faces went pale.
High above, black dots filled the sky—dozens, no, hundreds of them—falling fast, like a deadly rainstorm of spears.
"You all better dodge." Tensuro said, already skipping away lightly.
Everyone jumped away in panic, scattering across the clearing as the first wave of skyborne projectiles struck the ground with terrifying speed and force.
SHUNK! THUNK! THUD!
The ground shook under the impact. Grass, dust, and chunks of soil flew up in bursts. Luffy rolled behind a tree, Buggy twisted his body apart in several directions, Chopper ducked and covered, and Richie dove headfirst into a bush, whining.
Once the downpour stopped, silence fell—save for the rustling of the leaves and the ragged breathing of the crew.
"That… was too close…" Luffy panted, wiping sweat from his brow.
He got to his feet and walked cautiously toward one of the fallen objects. It looked like a javelin at first, but when he got a closer look, he blinked in surprise.
"Wait a minute… is this a *fish*?"
He held it up—it was long, sleek, and had a pointed nose like a sword. Its fins twitched once, then went still.
"A swordfish...ehhh~"
Luffy turned weak. He hurriedly let go of the fish.
"No," Tensuro corrected, approaching with a serious face. "That's a Todura. A rare type of flying fish unique to this island. They launch themselves from the upper cliffs at high speed and drop down like missiles."
"They can fly?" Chopper's eyes widened.
"Also, the work like a Kairoseki stone." Tensuro added. "Devil fruit user will turn weak if they touch it."
Luffy who just regained his strength sweated. "No wonder, I feel weak just now."
Tensuro already guessed it when he saw Luffy fall down weakly after grabbing the fist. He then said. "By the way, that was just the first wave."
"First… wave?" Buggy choked, eyes darting up.
"You mean there's more?!" Mohji shouted, panicking.
"Of course," Tensuro said as he calmly opened an umbrella. "The Todura migrate in waves around this time of day. You're standing right in their landing zone."
The crew looked around—the entire area was filled with embedded fish, their blade-like noses sunk deep into the earth.
"Why do they even do that?!" Chopper asked, his voice full of genuine curiosity and fear.
Tensuro shrugged. "No one knows. Maybe that's just how they hunt. Maybe they are going suicide. Either way—next wave's coming in about five minutes."
Everyone tensed. Alert and curiosity mixed in their mind. However, one thing was certain.
The Todura weren't finished yet.