Chapter 119: Grand Line Adventures, Next Stop! (Patreon)

The sky was a clear, vivid blue, dotted with a few lazy, cotton-like clouds. The sunlight wasn't scorching, but warm and pleasant, casting a golden shimmer across the sea.

On the water, the Collector Adventure Crew's ship drifted leisurely with the gentle current and breeze, cutting a faint white trail across the endless blue canvas.

"Coo! Coo!"

A few News Coos flapped past the ship's railing. One of them landed lightly on the wooden rail, tilting its head and eyeing the people on deck with its beady little eyes.

On deck, Moren sat lazily on a small wooden stool, holding a simple fishing rod. The line hung into the sea, as if he were fishing just for the peace and quiet.

Hearing the bird's arrival, he glanced over and casually pulled a few coins from his pocket.

"Here, thanks for the hard work." Moren flicked his wrist. The News Coo deftly caught the coins in its beak, dropped a newspaper, and flapped away to continue its delivery.

"Anything interesting, Captain?" Nearby, Nami sat cross-legged on the deck, trying to calm her mind. But hearing the commotion, she couldn't help opening her eyes and glancing curiously at the paper in Moren's hand.

"THWACK!"

Moren walked over and tapped her lightly on the head with the rolled-up newspaper.

"Focus. I told you to calm your mind and sense your surroundings, didn't I?" Moren frowned. "Awakening Observation Haki isn't that easy. You need to sharpen your perception."

"Ow!" Nami rubbed her head, grumbling. "But sitting here is so boring. I can't feel anything special..."

"Captain, isn't there a faster, easier way?" She blinked, her big eyes full of hope.

Looking at her expression, clearly hoping for a shortcut, Moren's lips curved into a mischievous grin. "There is! A much simpler, more direct method: getting hit!"

"By constantly walking the edge of life and death, under intense crisis and pain, a lot of people accidentally awaken Observation Haki that way."

"What do you say? Want me to help you out right now?"

"G-get hit?!" Nami's face went pale. She remembered how miserable those CP agents had looked in the desert, then looked at Moren's bright smile. She shrank back involuntarily.

"N-no thanks! I'll stick to meditating!"

She quickly closed her eyes again, putting on a look of intense concentration, though the corner of her mouth twitched.

Moren chuckled and shook his head. He took the newspaper and walked over to the deck area where Robin and Baccarat were lounging comfortably on a wide sofa.

Robin was holding a thick book in one hand and a steaming cup of tea in the other, elegant and focused.

Baccarat was slouched against the armrest, eyes closed, looking lazy and half-asleep, her red hair swaying in the sea breeze.

Moren plopped down without ceremony into the gap between them, leaning back comfortably as he unfolded the newspaper.

"Mmm... don't be a bother..." Baccarat mumbled, stirred by his movement. She lazily patted the hand that was idly drawing circles on her leg.

But she didn't push him away. Instead, she shifted slightly so he could lean more comfortably, then turned her gaze to the paper.

Robin set her book aside and took a sip of her tea, her dark blue eyes also falling on the World Economic News in Moren's hands.

The three of them squeezed together on the sofa, browsing the newspaper, occasionally murmuring comments.

Recent news wasn't particularly explosive. Reports on the "Collector" Adventure Crew seemed to have faded from the headlines, with only a small mention.

The Alabasta royal family's cleanup had been thorough. At least for now, news of the "Foxhunt" Squad's total annihilation in the Alabasta desert hadn't spread widely.

The World Government was likely still investigating or suppressing the information, so Moren and his crew's bounties remained unchanged.

"Hmm... looks like we've been 'forgotten' for now," Baccarat said lazily, uncertain whether to feel relieved or bored.

"That's a good thing. It buys us some peace," Robin said calmly. "But the World Government won't give up. The next round of trouble will probably be even bigger."

"Meet force with force," Moren replied carelessly. "As long as we keep getting stronger, trouble is just another spice of life."

The only notable news was about a rising pirate star.

"Fire Fist Ace!" Moren looked at the photo on the wanted poster, a young man in an orange hat with a bright, cheerful smile, his eyes thoughtful.

"He's already left the East Blue? Formed the Spade Pirates and entered the Grand Line..."

Back when he watched the anime, Ace had always been one of his favorite characters. At the time, the Flame-Flame Fruit hadn't yet been reduced to the status of "even a dog wouldn't eat it." As one of the few Logia fruits, it looked incredibly cool.

Since Ace was already in the Grand Line, there might be a chance to meet him someday.

Robin glanced at the photo but said nothing. Baccarat yawned. "Another rookie who might not live long..."

As a "veteran" adventurer, she had seen too many new pirates rise and fall.

After a while, bored from meditating alone, Nami couldn't resist coming over, squeezing in beside Robin, and peering at the paper.

"Nothing interesting," she said after a moment, pouting. "Oh, Captain, where are we heading next?"

She pulled a few small, delicate boxes from her bag. Inside lay several Eternal Poses, their needles stable, pointing steadily in fixed directions.

These were parting gifts from Princess Vivi when they'd left Alabasta.

"That girl Vivi is really generous," Baccarat remarked, thinking of how teary-eyed Vivi had been at their farewell.

Eternal Poses pointing to specific islands were incredibly valuable navigational tools in the Grand Line. Vivi had given them several, making them an exceptionally generous farewell gift.

With these Eternal Poses, they no longer needed to rely on a Log Pose, sailing from one island to the next in magnetic order and waiting for it to record each island before moving on.

Instead, they could sail directly to any island an Eternal Pose pointed to. As long as they had enough supplies, they could even skip over multiple islands, greatly increasing their freedom.

Moren looked at the Eternal Poses spread across the table, stroking his chin in thought. He didn't have anywhere he urgently needed to go.

Strictly speaking, they should head to Water 7 to pick up the new ship he'd commissioned from the Galley-La Company.

But he'd recently spoken with Iceburg over a Den Den Mushi about some design details.

Back when he'd commissioned the ship, he'd been traveling alone. Now he had Nami, Baccarat, and Robin as his companions.

Naturally, he wanted to hear their opinions about the rooms and facilities on board, so he'd come up with a number of new ideas and requests.

As a result, he'd increased the budget and asked Iceburg to customize the ship to better suit everyone's needs.

That also meant a longer construction period. Iceburg estimated it would still take another two or three months before the ship was finished, so there was no need to hurry there now.

"Hmm... it still feels a little early to head to Water 7," Moren muttered, his gaze sweeping across the Eternal Poses on the table.

"Since we don't have a specific destination..." His eyes lit up. "Let's let our Goddess of Luck decide! Baccarat!"

"Huh? What?" Baccarat blinked sleepily. She'd been kept up late the previous night and was still genuinely exhausted.

Moren helped her sit up, then covered her eyes with one hand.

"Now, just point at one of the Eternal Poses. Whichever one you pick, that's where we'll go. It'll make things more interesting."

"Like this?" Baccarat waved her hand around a few times before extending a finger toward the table at random.

Tap!

Her fingertip landed squarely on the glass cover of one Eternal Pose.

The small label beneath it read:

"Drum Island."

"Drum Island, huh..." Moren picked it up and weighed it in his hand. "I've heard it's a medical kingdom that's covered in snow year-round. The scenery should be beautiful."

"And we still don't have a proper ship doctor. We might as well see if we can find one."

"A ship doctor?" Nami's eyes lit up. "You're right! If we had a doctor on board, we wouldn't have to worry about getting hurt or falling sick!"

Robin nodded.

"Drum Island's medical science is famous throughout the world. It's definitely worth visiting."

Baccarat shrugged.

"Anywhere is an adventure. The snowy scenery on a winter island should be beautiful. I've never been to one before."

"Alright!" Moren clapped his hands.

"That's final! Next stop: Drum Island!"