Chapter 26

The whirlwind of the New World

"Iceberg ahead!"

Nami veered to starboard, throwing the rest of her friends violently in the process. She didn't have time to warn them at each change of direction and they could only count on the sniper's alerts to get ready if they managed to hear them. The weather was apocalyptic and the navigator gritted her teeth, glancing worriedly at the triple Log-Pose that now adorned her wrist.

They had barely entered the New World when its unpredictable weather had befallen the Sunny. Giant hailstones of more than two meters had started to fall on the ocean, creating icebergs when they fell in the water before sinking. The black clouds were streaked with lightning of unprecedented intensity and her Log-Pose was spinning in all directions, making navigation even more difficult.

Suddenly, Nami jumped when she saw the captain's fist explode a huge hailstone that threatened to crash down on the foredeck. A thinner but still sharp rain of hail fell on the ship and she forced herself to ignore it when the pieces of ice scratched her hands and face. Her raincoat barely protected her, but she had more urgent things to do than complain about the pain. Her gaze fixed on the ocean and on Usopp who was holding on as best he could at the front of the ship, she was trying to prevent the next shifts in direction so that the crew could survive their first day in the New World.

Amidst the hustle, she heard the sound of Zoro's blades slicing through another block of ice at the back of the ship and Franky's Fresh Fire melting another one on her left. Chopper and Brook tried not to fall with each swerve and Robin helped them to hold on while also observing the sky to prevent the points of impact as numerous as they were unpredictable.

The cold made the young woman shiver, and she couldn't help but chatter her teeth for a second. The stormy sea had soaked her and her fingers were trembling against the Sunny's helm to which she clung with all her might. Yet she held on. She needed to keep the ship afloat and escape the elements at all costs. She then observed her Log-Pose again and spotted the right needle that Luffy had chosen.

Before leaving Lordly, she had unearthed a book that had given her some explanation of how Log-Pose worked in the New World. She had understood that some islands were losing their magnetic field in the second half of the Grand Line so having multiple directions available was a matter of survival. She had also noticed that the dangerousness of the island depended on the force with which the needle moved. And obviously, hearing this news, Luffy had preferred the most agitated needle. At that moment, Nami had grumbled but she was accustomed to the behavior of the straw hat boy, and she had finally quickly decided to accept it. However, considering what they now had to face when they weren't in the island's sphere of influence yet, she was beginning to regret that she hadn't stood up to the captain more.

The New World had nothing to do with the start of their journey. They had only been here a few hours, but the navigator was already aware of the gap between the two halves of the Grand Line. The first part was dangerous but the second part seemed downright fatal. The ocean and its climate were totally inhospitable and the meteorological phenomena that she caught a glimpse of made her fear the worst for the future. And she didn't even count the pirates' threat on this sea or the fact that the Four Emperors themselves fought here to defend their territory every day.

Just to reach the Red Line and pass it, they had been lucky. Indeed, for a long time, Robin and she had believed that there were only two ways to reach the New World: to pass through the Holy Land of Marie Geoise reserved for the Warlords and the Marines or under the ocean via Fish-Man Island.

Of course, the first was unthinkable and the second involved several months of crossing, which had left the two young women disconcerted until they heard of a forgotten passage by the air. In a dusty book, the archaeologist had discovered an old legend about pirates who had used their ship to fly above the waves instead of sailing. Thanks to their revolutionary invention at the time, they had succeeded in passing the Red Line by flying over it but no one else had done it this way ever since.

Immediately, Nami had come up with a plan to use Coup de Burst to give the Sunny momentum and with Franky's help, a way to hover above the obstacle had been imagined. The shipwright had combined hydrojets using the power of the sea with large removable wings on the sides of the Sunny. In this way, the ship launched into the sky by the initial power of Coup de Burst could use the air to maintain its flight and the propulsion allowed them to direct the power and range of their flight with its control panel not far from the helm.

All in all, Nami had been in control of a half-ship, half-plane that she had quite brilliantly managed to get past the massive rock of the Red Line. However, the landing had almost been fatal because of the hailstorm they had encountered while approaching their goal. The Sunny's wings had torn and the raging waves had prevented the propulsion from effectively playing its role of deceleration. The ship had been thrown into the chaos at full speed and only the sails that the navigator had unfurled just before impact had saved the crew from crashing into the sea. Yet now, they were still grappling with this improbable storm that didn't calm down.

"Fire!"

Nami jerked her head up at the sound of Chopper's voice to find that the main sail had been struck by lightning and that it was indeed burning at full speed. Drawing his sword, Brook cut the ropes to contain the flames and the sail fell on the deck, almost entirely consumed. Nami veered around again.

"Hang on!"

Her swerve caused the Sunny to make a sharp U-turn and the ship hit a wave head-on on the side. The weight of the water shook the hull and a good amount washed over the deck. The wave put out the fire but carried away the poor reindeer, who hadn't had time to take shelter, weakened by the salt water.

"Chopper!"

Usopp's dread added to the general panic but it was thankfully followed by a general sigh of relief when Zoro pulled the doctor out of the water and strode over the railing a few seconds later. The fencer then left the reindeer in Robin's hands and rushed to the other side to slice through a hailstone alongside his captain and the cyborg.

"Nami, get us outta here!" The straw hat boy shouted not far from her.

"I'm trying, what do you think?!" The navigator took a deep breath. She needed to choose a destination despite the constantly changing needles and if the storm disoriented the Log-Pose, she had to extrapolate and stay the course while waiting to regain some sort of stability. It was their only chance. The Sunny was already quite damaged by their flight and the pieces of ice they couldn't avoid. She couldn't hold out indefinitely.

Looking at her wrist, the young woman spotted the needle on the right. It was the most dangerous destination but it swirled less than the others at this moment and the young woman saw it as a sign of fate. She steered to port.


"I think I see something!"

The exhausted crew raised their heads limply in the direction of Usopp, who was still watching the horizon through his binoculars. Nami had finally led them out of the bad weather and everyone had collapsed on the deck, gasping. At these words, however, the navigator forced herself to her feet while at her side, Robin and Brook did the same.

"What is it?" She inquired warily. "We shouldn't see an island for several days."

"It looks like a small boat; it's coming in our direction!"

The young woman approached and took the sniper's binoculars while the rest of the crew came closer to her.

"There are people in there," Franky spotted after a few moments. "They must be around thirty."

"What are they doing in a boat in the New World?" Zoro growled, "It's suicidal."

"Maybe their ship sank in the storm," Chopper suggested.

"It seems unlikely, they're not coming from the right direction," Robin noted.

"They look in bad shape," The navigator grimaced.

"I think they're beckoning us," Brook noticed.

"Let's get closer!" Luffy decided.

Usopp took charge of directing the Sunny while his friends continued their observation. In a few minutes, the boat became clearer and the whole crew could see the puny and weakened faces of its occupants, men and women in rags.

"What's happening to you?" Luffy shouted as the small rowboat barely reached halfway up the Sunny's hull.

"Please, we're hungry!"

"Don't kill us, we got lost at sea!"

"Water! Give us water!"

Leaning over the railing, Nami recoiled in spite of herself, disgusted by the dirty faces and greedy hands that were already reaching for them. Behind her, Zoro folded his arms. "We're not gonna feed all the misfits of the New World; it's every man for himself here."

"I agree in principle but to send them back would make me uncomfortable," Brook pointed out.

"They're skin and bones," Chopper lamented.

"We stocked up on Lordly, maybe we can give them some stuff," Usopp suggested, undecided.

"Their tub won't last long," Franky sighed, observing the damp wood and cracks.

"How did they survive for days on this sea?" Robin wondered.

"Please let us rest for a few moments!" A man begged them again.

"Our ship is gonna sink!" Another man was worried.

"Luffy, what do we do?" Nami asked, turning to him uncomfortably.

The straw hat boy looked uncertain and he frowned. "I don't like the idea of not helping someone in need…" He then leaned towards the boat. "One of you can come up, we'll give you some food and Franky has some wood to repair your boat."

"That's so nice!"

Usopp threw the rope ladder and a man grabbed it to climb aboard. Yet, just like him, all the others followed suit with far more energy than the crew would have believed. In an instant, the first man put his foot on the Sunny and Zoro drew his sword.

"He said only one!" He roared, ready to fend off the next ones.

However, even before he could carry out his threat, the men and women of the boat deployed on the deck, revealing the bottom of the boat which actually housed a cache of weapons containing everything from bows to rifles and grenades.

Usopp quickly backed away and Nami stifled a cry of surprise. The Straw Hat crew barely had time to prepare for the inevitable as battle began.


Luffy wiped away the blood that flowed from his lips. The opponents they faced were incredibly powerful and even with his Gear Second, he struggled to dodge their arrows and bullets. Some were using their mere fists and he had seen Franky smash against the mast, his cola reserve in his belly half ripping off under the force of the impact and leaving him seriously handicapped in the pursuit of his fight. Nami was showering lightning around her but she was still overwhelmed by the speed of her enemies and Brook was struggling to fend them off as well despite the dazzling speed of his attacks, just like Chopper who had narrowly avoided a grenade thrown into his direction.

A little further on, Robin and Usopp were fighting back-to-back in the hope of better defending themselves, but even the multiple arms of the archaeologist and the skill of the sniper couldn't overcome those who surrounded them. For his part, Zoro swirled in the air, all blades out, which didn't prevent his enemies from managing to escape his formidable sword blows a little too often.

Luffy roughly grabbed an arrow covered in a strange silvery substance that was about to stick in his chest but he couldn't help but wince at his gesture: the weapon had almost taken his fingers away under its strength. Where did these guys come from that could happily attack a crew of over 600 million berries without flinching? Clearly, their approach technique was well established and they were here to seize the food and treasures of those who ventured into the New World without being well prepared.

The captain threw his fists forward, furious. He wasn't going to let his dream be stolen by about thirty individuals too greedy to try their own adventure and who preferred to plunder the ships of others!


"Usopp!"

The crew immediately turned their heads in the direction of Robin's alarmed voice despite the fierce battle they were all fighting. The archaeologist never panicked. She was one of the most calm and thoughtful members of the crew in the face of danger. Sometimes her friends even sighed for her way of taking things too lightly. But not at this moment when the young woman was holding against her the trembling body of the sniper from which escaped a trickle of blood on the deck because of the arrow stuck in his belly. She was also using two extra hands to compress his wound while protecting him from the next blows that his enemies rushed to land on her. She then received a blow from the rifle butt in the back which made her collapse forward.

"Robin!"

Luffy rushed in her direction, mad with rage at the sight of the archaeologist cowardly attacked from behind. He leapt forward and launched his elastic arm towards his enemies. "Gum-Gum Gatling!" The avalanche of fists swept the four attackers who flew up to the railing before piercing it and finishing in the water.

"Are you okay?" He asked her, tense.

"He's wounded," The archaeologist eluded, pointing to Usopp.

The straw hat boy glanced at Chopper who was trying to join them as a man and a woman fired on sight in his direction. At his side, Brook was still struggling to stand up to his assailants while an arrow was stuck in his right leg and Franky no longer knew where to turn as he launched rockets in all directions despite his injury. Not far from them, Zoro was now protecting Nami whose Clima-Tact lay in two pieces, cut clean by the blade of one of her opponents. Terrified, the young woman could no longer defend herself and she remained in the shadow of the first mate who had to get rid of his enemies while being careful not to hurt her.

Luffy clenched his fists. His friends were giving their all and despite appearances, he knew they were capable of snatching victory. However, the situation was critical: Usopp and Nami could no longer fight and Brook, Franky and Robin were in bad shape. He needed to quickly reverse the trend and the priority was to free Chopper.

"Take care of him for a few more moments, I won't be long."

Without waiting for an answer, the straw hat boy rushed to the little reindeer, an angry cry shattering his opponent along with his smoking fist. The man lost his weapon due to the impact and Luffy slammed his fist into his stomach again, smashing the deck of the Sunny as the man crashed into it.

Chopper straightened then, out of breath, and thanked his captain with a look before rushing towards the sniper.


"Are you in pain?"

"Hardly," The sniper assured him, "Just gimme a few hours and I could challenge the Grand Line's greatest pirates again!"

The doctor had carried Usopp to his infirmary in view of his condition despite the battle still raging around them at that moment. Robin had followed him inside to help compress the wound and prevent their friend from losing even more blood. Chopper had to operate on him and suture his liver. By the time he closed the wound, a good hour had passed during which Robin had been going back and forth to make sure her friends were winning the battle while helping the little doctor.

Now everything was quiet outside and Usopp had quickly regained consciousness. The doctor checked his blood pressure and took another long look at his stomach, frowning. "Is there a problem?" The sniper asked, concern showing through his slurred speech.

"I don't think so if you're not in too much pain," The little reindeer said, repositioning the bandage, "The skin is just a little red."

"Isn't it normal after I took an arrow in the stomach?" His friend grimaced.

"It is. It's normal."

"All right. Then go ahead."

The little reindeer nodded and left the infirmary trotting towards the other members of the crew, his doctor's bag full to bursting. In the shadows of the room, Robin then took the opportunity to walk towards the bed.

"You're an excellent liar," She said when she came up to him.

Usopp let his head fall back on the pillow. "Don't think I like pain. I want him to stuff me drugs and not open my eyes for days but the others are hurt too. Before I got skewered, I saw Franky spit out half the metal in his body and Brook's leg is already hanging on his bones so if he loses it, I don't know how he's gonna cope."

"They are fine," The young woman reassured him.

"Really? These guys were incredibly strong," He sighed.

"We were taken by surprise but I think we'll have to get used to this kind of misadventure in the New World," The archaeologist agreed.

The sniper nodded slowly and put an instinctive hand on his aching stomach, unable to help but wince at his touch. "We can't let Luffy down. We need to be ready."

A smile tugged at the archaeologist's lips and she sat down on the edge of the bed, looking into his eyes. "You shouldn't have put yourself in the path of that arrow. It was meant for me."

Usopp shrugged. "I'd have failed the reputation of the proud giants of Elbaf and then Sanji would have tortured me before slowly killing me if he had known I let you or Nami got hurt. I'm much more afraid of him than this little cut of nothing…"

At these words, Robin rested her head on her left hand leaning against her knee, amused. "This is kind-hearted Captain Usopp," She said with another smile.

The sniper puffed out his chest. "The proud Captain Usopp, tamer of the oceans and illustrious warrior!" He said proudly.

The archaeologist stifled a small laugh before getting up slowly. "Anyway, thank you."

"You'd have done the same."

The young woman nodded in approval then moved away towards the door to let him rest. "I'll let Chopper know as soon as he's done tending to the others."


I had never written a scene focused on Usopp and Robin before, and I liked it!

Sorry for the delay, I'll post the next chapter before Christmas for sure.