The going merry sailed on the deep blue sea, its sails hoisted high, and everyone on board was busy.
Miss Nami stood at the stern, watching the log pose, which pointed steadily in one direction, leading them towards Whiskey Peak.
Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, and Kai stood on the deck, practicing their Body Tempering Technique.
The few of them were bare-chested, muscles taut, sweating profusely, and the air was filled with the scent of sweat and power.
"Crack—"
A clap of thunder, and the sky suddenly darkened. The scorching sun was obscured by dark clouds, the temperature plummeted, and snowflakes began to fall.
"What kind of crazy weather is this?!" Usopp, shrinking his neck, pointed at the falling snowflakes. "It was sunny just a moment ago, now it's snowing!"
"Stop talking nonsense! Go shovel the snow!" Nami stood by the helm, already wearing a thick cotton coat.
Her face was full of impatience. "Don't let the snow pile up and affect our navigation!"
Usopp, with a reluctant expression, took a shovel and began to clear the snow from the deck, muttering incessantly:
"What kind of weather is this! It was summer just now, and now it's winter. Is a tornado coming next?"
"It's thundering…" Miss Wednesday, wrapped in a blanket, poked her head out of the cabin, looking at the lightning flashing in the snow.
Her face was full of helplessness. "This is the Grand Line."
"The Grand Line?" Usopp turned his head, his face full of confusion.
"Is this chaotic weather normal for the Grand Line?"
Miss Wednesday snorted, a hint of pride in her tone:
"It seems you people know nothing about the Grand Line! I don't know how you managed to get through Reverse Mountain alive."
"Hey! What do you mean?!" Usopp immediately felt indignant, putting his hands on his hips and saying, "We are a very powerful pirate crew!"
"Whether you're powerful or not has nothing to do with the Grand Line's weather." Miss Wednesday wrapped her blanket tighter, her tone serious.
"Listen up, the weather in the Grand Line is completely different from ordinary seas outside. The weather rules here are utterly chaotic!"
"Chaotic?" Nami raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"
"Every sea area in the Grand Line is affected by island magnetic fields." Miss Wednesday patiently explained.
"The magnetic field of each island interferes with the weather System, causing the weather in different areas to be completely different.
One second it might be sunny, the next it's a downpour; it might be summer here, and a kilometer further it's winter.
Trying to predict the weather? It's impossible!"
"So that's why?" Nami looked thoughtfully at the dark clouds in the distance. Snowflakes were still falling, and lightning flashed continuously.
"Of course, that's not all." Miss Wednesday continued.
"On the Grand Line, there are also strange winds, storms, tornadoes, and even climate superposition.
For example, thunder during a snowfall, or the sun suddenly coming out during a strong wind—these are all normal here."
"Normal?" Usopp's eyes widened. "Are you kidding me?"
"Do I look like I'm kidding?" Miss Wednesday raised an eyebrow. "What you're seeing now is just the daily routine of the Grand Line."
"What a troublesome place." Nami sighed, crossing her arms, her gaze becoming more solemn.
"It seems my navigation skills alone are not enough to cope with this environment."
"That's why you need a log pose." Miss Wednesday shrugged.
"Only a log pose can take you to the next island; otherwise, relying on an ordinary compass, you wouldn't even find the direction."
"Hmph, you talk as if you're so amazing."
"Aren't you guys also shivering wrapped in blankets?"
Zoro snorted, continuing his Body Tempering Technique practice.
His bare-chested body steamed with heat, like a large furnace, melting all the snow that fell near him.
"That's different!" Mr.9 shivered as he poked his head out of the cabin. "You monsters are practicing bare-chested in the snow; how can we normal people compare?!"
"Less talk!" Kai said coldly, glancing at the two. "If you can't even adapt to this weather, don't talk about surviving in the Grand Line."
"You people are all crazy!" Mr.9 shrank his neck and hid back in the cabin, not daring to say more.
"In short, you must remember one thing." Miss Wednesday sat at the cabin door, looking at the snowy scenery and saying,
"On the Grand Line, the only constant is its change."
"Change?" Nami looked at the log pose on her wrist and whispered, "It seems this really is a difficult adventure…"
The snow fell heavier, and the deck was quickly covered with a thick layer of snow. Usopp was shoveling when he was suddenly startled by a clap of thunder, jumping up:
"Hey! Why is it thundering again? Is this winter or summer?!"
"Stop talking nonsense! Get to work!" Nami picked up a snow broom and tapped Usopp's shovel. "If the snow on the ship isn't cleared, there will be problems with navigation!"
"Got it, got it…" Usopp mumbled softly while shoveling snow.
"With this chaotic weather, I really don't know if we can safely reach Whiskey Peak…"
Just then, Miss Wednesday suddenly looked at Miss Nami, with a hint of doubt in her tone:
"Hey, Miss Nami, you haven't touched the helm since just now. Is that really okay?"
"Ah?" Nami was startled, looking down at the log pose on her wrist. "Don't worry, I confirmed the direction just now."
As soon as she finished speaking, her gaze fell on the log pose again, and she instantly screamed: "What?! Something's wrong!"
"What happened?!" Sanji heard Nami's scream, immediately stopped his training, and hurriedly asked, "Is there a problem with the direction?"
"Of course there's a problem!" Nami grabbed the helm with one hand and pointed at the log pose with the other. "Quick! Turn the ship around one hundred eighty degrees! Hurry!"
"One hundred eighty degrees?" Usopp looked bewildered, hugging the mast and asking, "Why are we turning back?"
"You idiot!" Nami yelled exasperatedly,
"Our ship has completely turned around and is going in the opposite direction! I didn't pay attention to the log pose for a moment, and we went off course!"
"It can go off course like that?" Miss Wednesday frowned, a hint of skepticism in her tone.
"Miss Nami, do you really understand navigation? In the Grand Line, you can't trust anything; the only thing you can trust is the log pose!"
"What did you say?!" Nami instantly became furious, turning to glare at Miss Wednesday.
"Shut up! Don't act so superior here! Go shovel snow!"
Miss Wednesday was startled by Nami's roar and could only grumble indignantly as she pulled Mr.9 to get shovels.
"Usopp! Hoist the mainsail!" Nami commanded loudly.
"Understood!" Usopp grumbled as he climbed the mast. "What a hassle! This wretched weather won't let anyone rest!"
"Sanji, take the helm!" Nami then shouted.
"Received!" Sanji wiped the snow from his hands and quickly ran to the helm, gripping the wheel tightly and turning it with force.
Under everyone's busy efforts, the going merry slowly turned its bow and sailed back in the correct direction.
Strangely, the sky, which had been snowing heavily just a moment ago, suddenly became calm and sunny, with sunlight casting a long-lost warmth on the sails.
"This weather is too bizarre!" Usopp wiped the sweat from his forehead. "It was freezing cold just now, and now it's so warm."
Nami looked up at the sky, her expression growing more solemn: "Don't let your guard down; the weather in the Grand Line is never predictable."
Sure enough, the warm sunlight didn't last long, and a thick fog gradually rose from the sea.
The visibility was obscured by the vast white mist, and the entire world seemed to be enveloped in a labyrinth.
"Everyone, be careful." Nami stood at the bow, her gaze vigilantly scanning her surroundings. "This kind of fog is not a good sign."
As the going merry sailed forward, a massive dark shadow appeared in the fog.
"It's an iceberg!" Usopp shrieked, pointing ahead. "A giant iceberg!"
"Damn it! Too close!" Sanji gripped the helm, turning it hard. "Our vision is blocked by the fog; we can't completely avoid it!"