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When a force of nature like that rears its head on the sea, there's only one smart move a pirate can make retreat.
You don't fight the ocean. You respect it.
Even with Aero, a Logia-type Devil Fruit user aboard, no one on the Dove had the power to counter a monster like that waterspout. It wasn't just wind or rain it was nature in full wrath.
Thunder cracked distantly through the gloom. Golden streaks of lightning danced in the clouds above. Rain pelted the deck like falling glass, icy and unrelenting. The sea mist had vanished, replaced by something far more dangerous.
Tap tap tap…
Rainwater quickly slicked the deck, and Aero standing at the bow felt that same creeping wetness seep into his thoughts. It mirrored the unease growing in his chest.
Soon, crewmates who had been inside emerged from the hold, drawn by the thunder and howling wind. They stood frozen at the sight of the massive vortex in the distance, awe and dread etched on their faces.
Not long ago, they'd left Orange Town under clear blue skies. Now, it was like the sea had turned into a graveyard.
"That thing's bigger than Buggy's whole damn palace," Eddie muttered from the helm, wide-eyed.
"What are you all gawking at?!" Aero barked, breaking the silence. "We've got work to do!"
Gin and Dylan snapped out of their trance and ran to secure lines and supplies.
Eddie rushed to the helm but quickly called over Grey to take the wheel. He then ran to the base of the main mast to direct the ship's course more precisely.
"Hard about! Turn her around!" Eddie shouted, not hesitating for a second.
The crew hesitated. The waterspout was behind them. Was he seriously suggesting they turn into it?
"You heard him! Trust your crewmate!" Aero roared.
That was all they needed. Their doubt vanished. Without hesitation, they followed orders and spun the Dove around bow now pointed directly at the oncoming beast.
Eddie barked a rapid series of orders. Ropes were tightened, sails adjusted, and the Dove surged forward.
Aero, now standing at the bow, could feel the ship beginning to gain speed too much speed. They were getting dangerously close to a head-on collision with the vortex.
"Captain!" Eddie yelled. "Head to port! We'll need your powers to pull this off!"
Aero nodded sharply and sprinted to the left side of the deck.
The waterspout loomed ahead only a hundred meters away now.
The wind shrieked.
The mast groaned.
The tension in the wood beneath their feet said it all: one wrong move and this ship was going down.
Just then, a lookout shouted from the mast: "Captain! Another ship! They're getting pulled in!"
Aero climbed to the stern and spotted it instantly a ship slightly larger than theirs, sucked into the vortex within seconds. One moment it was there… the next, gone.
That's the power of nature.
He clenched his fists. They couldn't afford the same fate.
Back at the helm, Eddie made a split-second call: "Starboard full rudder—NOW!"
Grey obeyed instantly, and the Dove veered to the right, sliding along the edge of the waterspout's outer winds.
It's spinning counterclockwise…
Eddie used that wind force like a springboard. He wasn't trying to fight the vortex he was riding its outer edge, manipulating the current to slingshot them to safety.
It worked but only barely.
They'd avoided a head-on collision, but the ship was still caught in the drag. Not strong enough to pull them in… but not weak enough to let them go.
Aero looked toward Eddie, who wiped rain from his eyes and locked gazes with him.
"Captain!" Eddie roared. "Lend us the wind! We need your power now!"
Aero raised his hand. A glowing green sphere of compressed wind formed in his palm roaring like a wild animal. Without hesitation, he hurled it straight at the heart of the vortex.
WHOOOOOOM!
A blast of controlled wind surged through the side of the waterspout breaking the pull.
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Moments Later
The storm had passed.
The ship rocked gently in the now-calm waves, sunlight breaking through the clouds overhead. Crewmen collapsed onto the damp deck, soaking in the warmth like survivors of a shipwreck.
Seagulls returned, perching on railings, waiting for fish to leap from the sea below.
They were alive.
Aero stood slowly, gazing out at the sea. His eyes scanned the battered deck and then drifted upward.
The mainmast had cracked.
That mast had already been crudely repaired with steel plates after their last battle. The storm had finished the job it was now leaning, barely hanging on.
"Great. Looks like we'll need to fix it again," Aero sighed.
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