Several days later, the Flame Fang continued sailing toward the Sabaody Archipelago, following the direction indicated by the Log Pose.
The sea was calm, and the voyage smooth.
From the training room came the shouts of sparring crew members and the dull clangs of weapons and equipment colliding. On deck, others carried out routine maintenance and lookout duties.
Everything was orderly—
Until a cry of surprise rang out from the crow's nest.
"Massive fog bank ahead!"
The warning traveled through the speaking tube to the deck below. Crew members paused their work and crowded toward the bow curiously.
In the distance, where sea met sky, a vast gray-white wall of fog stretched across the entire route ahead. As far as the eye could see, nothing remained but dense mist.
Navigator Hans quickly emerged from the cabin after hearing the report. Raising his telescope, he observed the phenomenon for a moment before turning to explain to the surrounding officers and crew.
"No need to panic."
"According to the charts, this should be the Florian Triangle."
"This region is covered in dense fog year-round, and the weather patterns are notoriously unstable. Ships entering the area can easily lose their bearings."
He adjusted his glasses.
"But it isn't as supernatural as the rumors claim. It's simply a dangerous natural zone that requires careful navigation."
"As long as we maintain our heading, we'll pass through safely."
Hearing Hans's professional judgment, the crew relaxed.
"So that's what it is…"
"That fog's enormous…"
After a few murmured comments, the crowd gradually dispersed.
The Flame Fang did not slow down.
It continued straight toward the colossal white wall.
However, standing by the rail, Riberra Riberra Riberra Sami stared fixedly at the approaching fog.
Crocus… Laboon… the Rumbar Pirates…
If we ever encounter the Rumbar Pirates at sea, I'll tell them that Laboon is still waiting for them.
Back at Reverse Mountain, they had accepted Crocus's request—to search for the Rumbar Pirates, whose fate had remained unknown for years, and to deliver Laboon's message that he was still waiting faithfully for their return.
Over the years, despite everything they had experienced—Skypiea, Water 7, clashes with Sengoku and Garp, even crossing paths with the future Pirate King—the crew had never forgotten that promise.
Of course, Riberra Riberra Riberra Sami already knew the Rumbar Pirates had long since perished and that Brook was likely somewhere within this very fog-shrouded sea.
But he could hardly reveal that directly to the crew, so he had simply let the matter rest.
Still…
This might be an opportunity.
Perhaps they could meet Brook and tell him that Laboon was still waiting.
With that thought, Riberra Riberra Riberra Sami turned and strode toward the wheelhouse.
Hans was inside making final preparations for entering the fog zone, checking charts and instruments.
"Hans," Riberra Riberra Riberra Sami called, "once we enter the fog, don't rush to cross it in a straight line."
"…Let's explore the area a little first."
Hans looked up from the charts, confusion appearing on his face.
"Explore?"
"Captain, this fog field is enormous, and visibility is terrible. Search efficiency would be extremely low, and we could easily drift off the safe route."
He paused.
"Do we have a specific target?"
Riberra Riberra Riberra Sami walked over to the window, gazing at the sea outside as it slowly faded into haze.
"Remember what we promised Crocus when we left Reverse Mountain?"
"To search for the Rumbar Pirates."
"All these years, there's been almost no trace of them."
He spoke slowly.
"I've been thinking… if they didn't simply sink in a shipwreck, but instead became trapped somewhere impossible to escape…"
"…then a place like this, where even direction itself becomes difficult to distinguish, seems highly possible."
Turning back toward Hans, he continued,
"Let's treat this as an attempt."
"With the Flame Fang's speed and your navigation skills, safety shouldn't be an issue even in the fog."
"We'll try."
"Just in case."
Hans fell silent in thought.
He remembered the young whale guardian standing beside Laboon back at Reverse Mountain.
Pushing up his glasses, he nodded.
"I understand, Captain."
"If it's for the sake of keeping a promise, then it's worth trying."
"I'll adjust our course and conduct an exploratory route while maintaining safe navigation."
"Good."
Riberra Riberra Riberra Sami patted him on the shoulder.
Soon after, the Flame Fang plunged headfirst into the dense fog wall.
The outside light instantly became dim and distorted. Even sound itself seemed distant and muffled.
The world around them transformed into a cold, silent realm of gray-white mist.
Visibility dropped sharply.
At best, they could barely see ten meters ahead of the bow. Beyond that, only rolling fog remained.
Hans focused completely on navigation, relying on the Log Pose and his keen perception of ocean currents as he carefully maneuvered the Flame Fang through the maze-like mist.
Riberra Riberra Riberra Sami and several officers who had awakened Observation Haki also came onto the deck, extending their senses into the fog.
But the results were poor.
Time passed minute by minute.
One hour.
Two hours.
Aside from endless fog and the occasional vague shadow drifting past, they found nothing.
The crew's calls carried poorly through the mist and received no response.
"Captain…"
Several hours later, a lookout finally reported through the speaking tube.
"The fog's too thick."
"We can't even confirm whether there are reefs or small islands nearby, much less locate a ship that might not even exist."
He hesitated.
"Searching like this is basically looking for a needle in the sea… and if the Rumbar Pirates really have been trapped here for seven or eight years…"
He didn't finish the sentence.
But the implication was obvious.
Their chances of survival were vanishingly small.
Hans also turned toward Sami.
"Captain, I've already expanded the search area as much as possible."
"But the conditions here are worse than expected. Visibility and sea conditions are both highly unstable."
"If we continue searching aimlessly, efficiency will remain extremely low."
"And if we encounter sudden currents or hidden obstacles, we could end up in a very dangerous situation."
Riberra Riberra Riberra Sami stood silently by the wheelhouse window, staring into the endless gray-white void.
He knew Brook was probably somewhere within this sea of fog.
Perhaps quietly playing his violin.
Perhaps softly singing Binks' Sake to himself.
But within this natural labyrinth of mist, finding that tiny ghost ship would require extraordinary luck.
He sighed softly, silently apologizing in his heart to the lonely musician who remained with nothing but bones.
It seemed…
The time for their meeting had not yet arrived.
"Alright," Riberra Riberra Riberra Sami finally said.
"Stop the search."
"Hans, correct our course."
"Resume the original route and get us out of this fog as quickly and safely as possible."
"As for the Rumbar Pirates…"
"…perhaps they aren't here after all."
"Understood."
Hans adjusted the rudder and sails accordingly.
The Flame Fang cut through the thick fog without lingering any longer, accelerating once more toward the Sabaody Archipelago.
After some time, the surrounding mist gradually began thinning before their eyes.
The endless gray slowly receded, and sunlight finally returned to the deck.
When the last traces of fog were left behind and the vast blue sea opened before them once more, every crew member visibly brightened.
Ahead lay the Sabaody Archipelago—
The final stop of the first half of the Grand Line.
And the gateway to even greater challenges beyond.
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