Time seemed to stretch.
Usopp's screams rapidly faded in the howling wind as his body plummeted toward the cavernous mouth below.
"Damn it! That Giant Frog Monster!"
Luffy gripped the railing with one hand while his other arm stretched out rapidly, trying to catch the falling Usopp.
Almost simultaneously with Luffy's move, Giyu Tomioka's pupils constricted sharply.
There was no process of weighing pros and cons - instinct overwhelmed everything.
His left foot slammed hard against the violently rolling Merry's railing, propelling his body forward without hesitation as he launched himself into the air!
"Water Breathing Eighth Form: Waterfall Basin!"
He forcibly adjusted his unbalanced posture mid-air, swinging his Nichirin Blade with his single arm.
The cold blade furiously drew in the surrounding dense moisture, the temperature of the air around them seeming to drop abruptly as a massive slash resembling an inverted waterfall formed.
With unstoppable momentum, it struck the fleshy nose of the Frog Sea King!
BOOM!!!
The slash collided violently with the thick, slippery flesh, producing a dull impact sound.
Giyu felt his left arm shudder as an unprecedented powerful recoil surged back through the blade into his arm!
Excruciating pain instantly shot through him! The disadvantage of wielding power with a single arm was fully exposed at this moment.
After all, he was right-handed, and Water Breathing techniques were fundamentally designed for two-handed sword use. Even though his left hand had been trained, in this moment requiring full explosive power, the transfer of strength fell slightly short, making the slash less powerful than he had anticipated.
But, this strike was enough!
"Gwaa—!!!"
The giant Frog Sea King let out a pained whimper from the heavy blow. The intense pain made it instinctively close its massive mouth, the disgusting long tongue instantly retracting as its body began to fall back into the sea.
Now!
Seizing this tiny opening he had created, Giyu's figure brushed past Usopp while rapidly descending.
He didn't use his hand to grab him, but instead kicked Usopp's back with precise force.
"Catch him!"
Usopp flew like a kicked soccer ball, his falling trajectory altered as he shot toward the Merry.
"Woah! Leave it to me!" Luffy shouted, his prepared rubber arm wrapping around the screaming Usopp mid-air and quickly pulling him back to the deck.
Having accomplished this, Giyu lost his point of leverage, his body completely out of control as he began accelerating downward.
Below him, several Sea Kings waited with their abyssal mouths gaping open.
"I'm coming, Giyu!"
Just then, the distinctive sound of rubber stretching echoed!
Luffy's legs twisted tightly around the Merry's main mast like braided rope, his body extending outward at extreme speed.
His arm wrapped around Giyu's waist like a rope in mid-air, holding him firmly.
"Got you!!"
Luffy's face broke into a brilliant, sunny grin as his retraction ability instantly activated, pulling both of them whooshing back toward the still spinning, falling Merry!
Mid-air, Giyu held tightly by the rubber arm, looked down to see several massive Sea Kings staring up at them from the sea surface below.
He looked up again to see Luffy's grin stretching ear to ear, and his signature straw hat that never fell off no matter how turbulent the situation.
Giyu silently sheathed his blade, allowing that force to pull him back to the noisy "temporary companions."
Just seconds after they barely returned to the deck—
BOOM!!!!!!!!!
The Merry crashed violently back into the roaring stormy seas! The tremendous impact made the entire ship groan as if it would shatter at any moment.
The waves stirred by the ship's crash spread outward on both sides.
Everyone on deck, including the newly rescued Giyu and Usopp, was thrown completely off balance by the violent impact, tumbling into a tangled heap on the flooded deck.
The familiar roar of wind, rain, and towering waves surged back, drowning out the creaking of the ship's keel.
"Ugh..."
"Cough... cough..."
"My bones... feel shattered..."
Gasping breaths of survival mixed with the storm's fury.
Everyone lay collapsed on the deck, only able to muster the strength to speak.
"It's really great to be back here..."
Luffy's body was somewhat flattened by the fall but quickly regained its shape as he laughed carefreely: "Flying through the sky was so exciting! When can we do it again?"
Giyu lay on the deck, rain continuously beating against his face.
He stared up at the still gloomy, lightning-streaked sky, the dull ache in his left arm remaining vividly clear.
He had just... been saved.
In a way he never imagined: pulled back by what seemed like a rubber body, using that seemingly playful ability.
This feeling... was somewhat unfamiliar... somewhat familiar...
Nami struggled to her feet, instinctively checking their speed first. Suddenly, as if piecing everything together, the terror on her face vanished, replaced by a navigator's excitement and understanding.
"I get it now!!!" Her voice cut through the storm, filled with triumphant realization.
Zoro struggled to sit up, puzzled: "What?"
"The currents! It's the currents!" Nami exclaimed excitedly, pointing at the sea. "If four massive ocean currents from different seas all flow toward that mountain!"
Her finger traced the imagined path of the currents upward: "The four currents would converge, then rush up the mountain through the canal!"
Finally pointing toward the navigation light at the storm's edge: "Then plunge straight into the Grand Line!!!"
She turned back to the collapsed crew, her face radiant with confidence: "We're already caught in the current now! As long as we don't deviate, the current will carry us forward! But!"
Her tone turned deadly serious again, "We must be careful! That Reverse Mountain! If we fail to hit the canal entrance precisely! We'll be smashed to pieces, ship and all!!!"
Luffy's eyes sparkled with excitement: "So! It's an amazing mountain, right? So interesting!"
Nami looked at her captain's pure smile and sighed in resignation: "Never mind... I guess you'll never understand..."
The storm seemed to ease slightly, but their sailing speed noticeably increased—clearly, the ship had fully entered that miraculous current leading to wonders.
Giyu silently stood up, retrieving his Nichirin Blade that had fallen nearby. He felt his soaked haori clinging heavily to his body, deeply uncomfortable.
He did not participate in the following discussion, but silently turned around, pushed open the dining room door, and walked inside.
Under the orange lamplight, the relatively dry environment allowed him to relax slightly. He untied his half-red, half-green haori and, with his only left hand, struggled to wring out the rainwater. Drops pattered onto the floor.
With a creak, the door was pushed open again.
Usopp and Nami entered one after another.
Usopp's face was still somewhat pale. He looked at Giyu, forcing a complicated expression—both awkward and grateful—onto his face.
Giyu stopped what he was doing and looked at the long-nosed boy before him, a flicker of confusion in his eyes as he failed to understand the reason for such an expression.
He chose to sit down silently, placing the partially wrung-out haori folded on his knees.
The atmosphere in the cabin grew momentarily stagnant, with only the sounds of wind and rain outside and the ship cutting through the waves breaking the silence.
Usopp rubbed his hands together, his eyes darting nervously. Finally, he mustered his courage and stammered, "Th-thank you... for saving me earlier..."
He took a deep breath. "M-my name is Usopp!"
After expressing his gratitude, he seemed to immediately puff out his chest, trying to salvage a bit of his pride. "A-and let me tell you! The person you saved is none other than Captain Usopp, leader of eight thousand followers! You've performed a truly monumental deed!"
He grinned foolishly at Giyu, though his eyes clearly betrayed his lack of confidence.
[Interpersonal Interaction Manual (Trial Version)]
[Subject: Usopp]
[Status: Insecure, Grateful]
[Preferences: Boasting]
[Suggestion: Acknowledge and play along]
Nami, standing to the side, sighed helplessly at Usopp's unchanging behavior and explained to Giyu, "He's always like this. Don't take his tall tales seriously—he's actually a good person."
She smiled warmly and introduced herself gracefully. "Come to think of it, we haven't formally met yet. My name is Nami, the navigator of this ship! I love money and tangerines!"
"Hn." Giyu nodded calmly to show he'd heard.
His gaze returned to Usopp, the suggestion to [Acknowledge and play along] crystal clear in his mind. He didn't quite understand why he should do this, but based on his recent "lessons in interpersonal interaction," he decided to give it a try.
Thus, in his usual monotone voice, he looked at Usopp very seriously.
And asked, "Then, where are your eight thousand followers?"
"Pfft—" Nami nearly burst out laughing, quickly covering her mouth as she said, half-amused, half-exasperated, "No way?! You actually believe him?!"
Usopp's eyes instantly lit up! He hadn't expected this cold, incredibly skilled swordsman to actually engage with his story!
"They... they're, let me tell you!" Usopp immediately perked up, gesturing animatedly. "They're waiting for me to regroup with them at... at UsoLand Island up ahead! My great fleet! It's made up of... of..."
He launched into an endless stream of fabrications, boasting about how amazing his "Usopp Warriors" were and recounting their numerous sea adventures with extravagant flair.
Giyu sat there quietly, listening expressionlessly.
From time to time, following the manual's prompts like [Nod here] or [Respond with "Hn"], he gave some reaction, which already provided Usopp with immense satisfaction.
Nami stood to the side, rubbing her forehead as she watched this bizarre yet strangely harmonious scene, unable to suppress a slight upward curve at the corner of her mouth.
Just as Usopp's tall tale was about to reach the part where his fleet conquered the Grand Line—
"WAAAAAHHHHH!!!!"
Luffy's extremely excited shout suddenly came from outside, piercing through the wind and rain:
"I SEE IT!!!"
"IT'S HUGE!!!"
"I SEE THE INCREDIBLE MOUNTAIN!!!"