When Fang Yi woke up the next morning, he found himself back in his cabin. Predictably, a splitting headache greeted him—a natural consequence of last night's drinking.
"Yo~ Xiao Yi, up so early?" one of the crewmates greeted him as he stepped onto the deck. There weren't many people around, and the area was shrouded in thick mist, making it hard to see anything.
"Where are we? Why is there so much fog?" Fang Yi asked in surprise.
Dense fog was a rare sight on the open sea. Normally, ocean winds would blow it away easily. Such fog typically only occurred near islands.
"No clue," replied Yanlong, the spiky-haired brawler with spiked gloves. "Mr. Jaba just went to bed. This fog was already here when we woke up."
"Huh? Then we'd better watch out for reefs!"
As soon as Fang Yi said that, a loud boom echoed from the hull, shaking the ship and almost knocking everyone over. They all assumed the Oro Jackson had struck something.
"I'll check underwater," said Sambel the fish-man, immediately volunteering to investigate.
"Be careful, Brother Sambel!" Fang Yi shouted as he leaned over the railing, watching the fish-man dive into the sea. He had a strange feeling that something wasn't right.
"What happened?" Roger and Rayleigh emerged from below deck, likely woken by the impact.
Fang Yi quickly explained the situation.
"Looks like we've drifted close to an island," Rayleigh concluded with a calm nod, agreeing with Fang Yi's assessment due to the fog.
But just then, Sambel burst from the water, shouting anxiously, "Captain! There's an underwater volcano erupting nearby!"
So the earlier tremor wasn't from striking a reef—it had been the underwater volcano's rumble.
Roger and Rayleigh exchanged glances and sprang into action—Rayleigh to the bow, Roger to the captain's quarters.
"Xiao Yi! Wake the others!" Rayleigh shouted as he ran.
"Yes, sir!" Fang Yi immediately rushed into the ship, heading first to wake Jaba, their skilled navigator. In emergencies like this, experience mattered.
By the time he returned with Jaba, the fog had thickened.
"This is bad—an underwater volcano. Looks like it's about to blow!" Jaba quickly took command, barking orders to the crew.
"Golan, can you see anything ahead?" Jaba shouted toward the lookout atop the mast.
"No! Visibility's awful—too much fog!" Golan yelled back.
"That's not good. If we can't see, we might sail straight into an eruption," Jaba muttered grimly. This could be the greatest danger the Roger Pirates had ever faced.
"Jaba-sensei! If visibility's no good from above, can't we read the ocean currents?" Fang Yi suggested from the deck.
It was a reasonable thought—his basic navigation skills gave him just enough grounding to offer ideas, even if Jaba was the expert.
"Not fully reliable, but worth a try. Sambel, dive again and check the current's direction!" Jaba agreed immediately.
"Wangzai!" Fang Yi whistled for his companion. "Let's go down too. Try to sense anything dangerous—see if you can detect where the volcano is."
"Woof?" Wangzai tilted his head, confused. He didn't understand what a volcano was—he'd never seen one before.
"Just sense danger, okay?" Fang Yi simplified his explanation.
"Woof!" Wangzai understood now. He barked once and signaled Fang Yi to hop on his back.
Without hesitation, Fang Yi mounted him, and together they dove into the sea.
Surprisingly, visibility underwater was slightly better than on the foggy surface. Fang Yi popped a water-breathing pill from his inventory, and his breathing stabilized even in the depths.
Soon, Wangzai pointed toward the bow of the Oro Jackson. Fang Yi's heart tightened. He patted the dog's head, signaling him to resurface.
"Jaba-sensei! Wangzai sensed danger ahead!" Fang Yi shouted once he breached the surface.
"Good! Keep him in the water—he'll guide our way out!" Jaba instructed.
Fang Yi nodded and dove again with Wangzai.
Because the thick fog obscured everything, without someone guiding them, they wouldn't even know if they'd changed direction. That's why Jaba had ordered the ship to halt earlier.
But now, with Wangzai marking the volcano's direction, they could adjust their course accordingly and steer clear of danger.
BOOM!
Moments after they turned, a fiery eruption burst skyward behind them, momentarily clearing the fog.
"Phew… If it weren't for Wangzai, we'd have been done for," Jaba said, wiping sweat from his brow.
But Roger remained tense. "Jaba… I don't think this is over."
"What do you mean?" Jaba asked.
"That pressure… It's still there. I don't think we're safe yet," Roger said solemnly.
"Jaba-sensei! Wangzai just sensed danger to the rear left as well—and it's getting closer—"
BOOM!
Another eruption rocked the ship from the rear left. Water surged nearly ten meters high.
"A whole volcanic field?!" Jaba's face turned pale.
"What now?!" Roger grabbed the railing to steady himself. The blast had nearly capsized them.
"We've no choice but to rely on Wangzai. The fog's thinner now, but we still don't know where the other volcanoes are!" Jaba said.
"Sambel! Help Fang Yi! He's human—he can't stay underwater too long. It's getting dangerous down there!" Roger ordered.
"Yes, Captain!" Sambel dove again without complaint.
"Xiao Yi, let us handle it—you head back!" Sambel grabbed Fang Yi when he surfaced.
"No! Wangzai says there are multiple danger zones. You can't understand him like I can!" Fang Yi protested.
Sambel realized he had a point and nodded. Instead of arguing, he swam to the bow to assist with navigation.
Working together, Fang Yi and Wangzai continued detecting volcanoes, signaling directions to Sambel, who then relayed them to the crew.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Volcano after volcano erupted, but thanks to Wangzai's early warnings, the Oro Jackson dodged them all.
"This much mist could only come from a whole volcanic field… We're lucky to have Wangzai and Fang Yi," Jaba murmured in awe.
Roger, sensing the oppressive feeling had finally lifted, relaxed slightly.
But just then, Sambel—who had swum ahead—suddenly shouted, "Hold on! There's a volcano directly below us—it's about to blow!"
Roger and Jaba dashed to the side and looked down. Sure enough, a mass of bubbles was rising from beneath them.
"We're screwed…" Jaba whispered, going pale.
Fang Yi, underwater, also panicked. The volcano was too close. The Oro Jackson couldn't escape in time.
It wasn't a massive volcano, which was why neither he nor Wangzai had sensed it earlier. Only now, with its imminent eruption, did Wangzai detect the danger.
Glub…
A large bubble rose. Fang Yi knew the eruption was seconds away.
No time to think—he summoned his Sun-Chaser Bow, dismounted from Wangzai, and sent him away. Then he dove.
"Ice Arrows…"
He rapidly fired five icy arrows downward, hoping to freeze the surrounding water, slowing the pressure wave and buying Oro Jackson time.
The ship, built from Adam Wood by master shipwright Tom, could likely endure the eruption's shock—if it wasn't hit directly.
Splash!
Just then, another figure dove down—Roger.
"That damn brat…" Roger muttered, seeing Fang Yi already firing arrows into the depths, the eruption swelling beneath him.
But the current was too strong. Roger knew he wouldn't reach him in time…