Days at sea felt like an endless adventure, but this time, the highlight was the navigation lessons given by Juno. On the gently rocking deck, under the cool night breeze, Juno stood confidently in front of an old navigation board, pointing at the starry sky with a wooden stick he had somehow brought from inside the cabin.
"We have to know how to use these stars as our guide," Juno said, his voice serious, almost like a geography teacher competing for a promotion. "Every point in the sky has meaning. They are our directions. Without them, we would get lost in the middle of the ocean."
Arthur stared up at the sky with sparkling eyes, as if the stars were cotton candy floating in the air. "So, the stars are like a moving map?" he asked cheerfully, before immediately following it with another question that made Juno frown. "But… what if we see them wrong? What if we end up on an island full of lions that can play chess?"
Juno sighed, looking like someone trying his hardest to stay patient. "Yes, Arthur, if we misread them, we could end up in dangerous waters. For example, on an island full of... uh... monsters... or worse, an island made entirely of mirrors—so you'd have to see your own face every single day."
Arthur stared at him blankly, as if his brain was trying to reboot. His eyes blinked slowly, and he finally furrowed his brows. "Ugh, my head hurts, Juno. If even the stars can lead us astray, what about my brain!" he said, clutching his head like it was about to explode, before rolling across the deck like a dried shrimp.
Bastien, who was tinkering with his revolver on the other side of the deck, could only grin broadly at the chaos. "Arthur, if you're confused, try looking at the ocean instead. It's easier to understand—though a lot more dangerous," he said casually, without lifting his gaze from the complicated piece of metal in his hands.
"Yeah, the problem is, the ocean doesn't talk back, Bastien!" Arthur retorted without thinking, causing Nara—who was resting against the mast—to chuckle softly. Glancing over, she shook her head, wondering how Arthur could get so bewildered by something that should have been simple.
Meanwhile, Nara was seriously practicing her sword skills. She had started additional physical training to boost her speed. Although she often trained alone, this time she looked at Arthur seriously, as if trying to motivate her friend to keep moving.
"You need to move more, Arthur! Don't let your body freeze just because your brain is drowning in a sea of confusion!" Nara said, tapping Arthur lightly on the back with a broken wooden sword.
Arthur stumbled forward, nearly falling, before standing up again. "Yeah, yeah, I know. But... is there a star that can save me from your spicy soup, Nara?" he replied, trying to roll away on the deck like a squid escaping from a frying pan.
Juno let out a long sigh, clearly starting to lose patience. "I swear, if Arthur ever becomes our navigator, I'm jumping into the sea and swimming back to East Blue."
"If you can swim all the way back to East Blue, Jun... you're not a navigator, you're a legend," Bastien quipped without looking up, still absorbed in his revolver.
Amid the nonstop chatter, Arthur suddenly stood tall, feeling like he had something to prove. "Oh, really? If I become the navigator, you guys will make me a legend, huh?" he said with a confident tone. "Alright then, I'm ready!"
Juno, clearly tired of Arthur's antics, pointed at the stars in the sky. "Look over there, Arthur. That star shows the west. Can you read it?"
Arthur fell silent for a moment, then hesitantly pointed in the wrong direction. "That... that's east, right?" he said, unsure of himself.
Juno nearly exploded, but Nara just laughed. "Arthur, you know what? If we keep this up, we might end up sailing to Donkey Island and thinking it's an island full of stars."
Arthur turned away with an annoyed expression. "Hmph, fine. If you guys want to be legends, go ahead. Me? I just wanna sleep!"
Despite the slight chaos, one thing was clear: they genuinely enjoyed these moments together. Nothing could replace the warmth that came from laughing, talking, and facing every challenge as a team.
---
Five days later, in the middle of their voyage, Arthur, who was becoming increasingly fit and tactical, finally started practicing armament haki on his own. He realized the potential of this newly discovered power and didn't want to rely solely on his fists without preparation. With determination, he worked hard on the ship's deck, punching the ship's masts and rigging, trying to empower his strikes with haki.
"Come on, prove you can really do it, Arthur!" Bastien cheered from the side with a wide grin, still without lifting his eyes from his revolver.
Arthur looked at him with blazing spirit, then threw a full-powered punch. A blast of force shook the air, shattering the already-weakened mast. "HAAAAA!!" he roared.
Bastien came closer to inspect the damage. "The only thing that got destroyed after that punch... was our own mast," he said, laughing. "But still pretty impressive, Arthur!"
With lighthearted banter and unexpected comedy, they continued sailing aboard La Fortuna, the ship carrying them toward their next adventure. Even though they sometimes got lost following the stars—and Arthur kept getting confused about directions—they knew one thing for certain: they were always moving forward, no matter how complicated or ridiculous the journey became.
The days at sea continued, full of laughter, shouting, and the occasional threat of danger—whether from outside forces or from their own ship.