Pell, who fell onto the deck, was a bit dazed. He had already been flying quite high and only descended a bit after discovering that Vivi and Igaram had been captured.
His original plan was to rescue the princess and Igaram depending on the situation.
Unexpectedly, several bullets suddenly hit him. As a Zoan Devil Fruit User, he was quite durable and tough-skinned. But those bullets struck near his heart, nearly taking his life.
He was shot down only after being suddenly and severely wounded.
"Who!?"
Zoro moved with lightning speed, pressing Wado Ichimonji against Pell's throat.
After the Moria incident, Hiroto had returned Wado Ichimonji to him, saying he had passed his test.
"Don't!"
Vivi tried to stand up in a panic, but was held down by limbs growing from her own body.
Karoo, who was nearby, squawked, but was also unable to move.
"Don't move recklessly, or you'll get hurt, hehe."
Robin appeared, her Flower-Flower Fruit ability activated, and then she looked at the scene with surprised eyes.
The people of Whiskey Peak didn't even last a minute. As expected, are the subordinates of a monster also monsters?
And...
She was certain that Hiroto had accurately captured the only two useful people within the Whiskey Peak base. Obviously, even though she hadn't provided specifics, he indeed knew the answer.
This man is too terrifying. Just how much does he know?"
For once, a sense of wariness and fear welled up within Robin, emotions she had only felt frequently as a child. After maturing, she relied on her experience, Devil Fruit ability, and schemes.
She had long been in a state of "betraying others before they betray me." She had long since grown accustomed to various crises, even being able to view them calmly.
But this time was different.
Things like schemes are utterly meaningless if they are known in advance.
"Vivi!" Igaram struggled, but he didn't have the strength to break free from the ropes.
"How lively."
Hiroto commented, then said, "You few, let's talk."
As he spoke, he looked at Zoro and the others. "Continue the voyage."
"Yes."
Nami nodded and went with Van Augur and the others to take charge of the navigation.
As for Zoro, he went straight back to rest, and no one had any objections.
After all, Zoro and Van Augur took turns on the night watch, and it was his turn last night.
The Going Merry continued its voyage, ignoring the wrecked ship sinking to the bottom of the sea.
Nami focused for a while, using the log pose to determine the direction of the voyage and ensure no problems would arise. Then she relaxed and began to study her Devil Fruit Ability.
The weather on the Grand Line was extremely harsh. A moment's inattention could lead to a course deviation at the very least. In more severe cases, one could sail straight into a natural disaster zone.
Of course, it was nothing to her, especially after obtaining her Devil Fruit Ability.
"The weather, the climate... it has never been so clear."
Nami looked up at the sky above the undulating sea, carefully feeling the resonance between the vast sky and herself.
Cloud-Cloud Fruit, that was the name Hiroto had told her, but he also mentioned that perhaps calling it the Weather-Weather Fruit would be more appropriate.
Through her exploration, she confirmed once again that Hiroto's words were correct. What the Cloud-Cloud Fruit represented was the natural weather.
This allowed Nami, even though she had just obtained the Cloud-Cloud Fruit, to realize how she should develop her Devil Fruit Ability.
First, this...
After confirming the course, a burst of cold air emerged from Nami's body, and her figure instantly blurred and transformed, turning into three in the blink of an eye. Then she disappeared in a wave of distortion and transformation.
Obviously, this was an illusion similar to a mirage
Then this!
Nami snapped her fingers, and patches of dark clouds emerged from her body, hovering over her head, with streaks of lightning dancing within the cloud mass. If thrown as a weapon, it could certainly electrocute and kill ordinary enemies.
This was something a normal Devil Fruit user could do.
But she...
Nami raised her hand, sending these cloud masses continuously into the sky.
But it wasn't just thunderclouds, other types of clouds were also sent into the sky under her control. They gathered, merged, and spread with other clouds, and in a very short time, a large shadow appeared over the Going Merry.
The sky turned gloomy, and rolling thunder echoed from the horizon, with faint streaks of lightning visible. But no lightning struck down. Instead, a howling wind whipped up.
"Hehe, it's a windy day today."
Nami stood at the helmsman's position, drenched in sweat, feeling the strong wind blowing against her face.
She felt incredibly proud, her face full of smiles, because this was the result of her efforts over the past few days.
It wasn't just as simple as cloud masses, she was using the clouds she had produced to interfere with the weather.
For her, the frequently extreme weather of the Grand Line was actually very easy to guide and turn into weather she could use.
At this moment, Nami understood how she should walk her future path.
Like this, she should be able to help Hiroto more.
At the thought of that man and their interactions over the past few days, Nami's face flushed.
Then, she stealthily cast her gaze below the helmsman's position.
Carina happened to withdraw her gaze, her elbows resting on the ship's railing, one hand extended to reveal a wound on her wrist.
She had cut it herself. After asking Chopper for help, it had healed, but a scar remained.
Why did she do this?
Carina extended her other hand, pressing her index and middle fingers together, and with intense focus, she "slid" them over her scarred wrist again and again.
She had been trying for a long time, and after Nami ate a Devil Fruit, she had also gone to see Hiroto.
With the help of that magical "Time Amplification," she vaguely felt that she had touched that threshold.
Suddenly, Carina trembled, moving her joined index and middle fingers across her injured wrist, but the process was different from before. It was extremely difficult, like moving a huge boulder.
She gritted her teeth and persevered for over ten seconds. When her two fingers slid off her wrist, the scar on her wrist vanished along with them.
Her skin was as smooth as before, as if she had never suffered any injury.