Lin Ning gazed calmly at the surging waves, a slight smile playing on his lips.
Then, he slowly turned his head to look at Zoro and Sanji, who were still fighting, and shook his head helplessly, saying:
"Alright, if you two keep fighting, the going merry won't be able to take it."
"If this whole ship full of gold sinks... imagine what Nami will do to you two?"
Zoro & Sanji: "..."
The two, who had been wrestling in a tangled mess, instantly froze, their movements abruptly stopping.
As if acupoints had been struck, they silently turned their heads away, pretending not to have heard anything.
They hummed a few incoherent sounds, trying to mask their inner panic.
However, their peripheral vision couldn't help but glance at the deck, and sure enough—
Nami was approaching with a chilling smile, her fists clenched, her Aura fierce.
Her steps were firm, each one generating wind, and her entire being exuded a disquieting sense of oppression.
The two exchanged a look, finally letting out a silent sigh of relief in their hearts.
Fortunately, they stopped in time; otherwise, the outcome would have been even more terrifying than a shipwreck!
Nami nodded in satisfaction when she saw the two finally stop fighting.
Then, she changed the subject, looked at Luffy, and instructed him as a matter of course:
"Luffy, come here and clean the deck!
Soon, we still need to continue Cultivating the Body Tempering Technique.
It wouldn't be good if my newly bought training clothes got dirty."
"???"
Luffy looked bewildered, his mouth agape, his eyes full of confusion.
"Huh? Why me?!"
He was about to retort when his gaze flickered, and he suddenly noticed Nami casually holding a small plate.
She was eating while squinting, a satisfied expression on her face.
Luffy's spirits instantly lifted, and he pointed at the food in her hand, shouting:
"Hey, Nami, what are you eating?!"
Nami calmly chewed a couple of bites, licked the corner of her mouth, and replied with a smile:
"Paille, potato flavored."
"Potato?!"
Luffy's eyes suddenly lit up, and he turned to shout:
"Hey, Sanji!!!"
Lin Ning looked at Luffy and said:
"Luffy, you get hungry too fast... You just ate before Cultivating, right? It hasn't even been two hours yet!"
Nami, on the other hand, waved at Sanji, a sly smile on her face:
"Sanji, Captain says he wants to eat Paille!"
"Yes, Miss Nami!!"
Sanji's eyes immediately lit up, and he transformed into a phantom, rushing into the kitchen.
Almost instantly, he had a whole new plate of Paille ready.
Thus, under the collective "protest" of everyone on the ship, everyone received a plate of Paille.
On the deck, several people sat together, enjoying the delicious food heartily.
Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper leaned against the ship's rail.
Each held a large piece of Paille, their mouths full, eating with expressions of complete satisfaction.
Chopper chewed and asked indistinctly:
"By the way, what exactly is Paille?"
Usopp immediately perked up, straightening his back.
One hand on his hip, the other waving his plate, he spoke with impassioned tone:
"Paille is the meat from the tail of the great sea beast Paille! Super precious, super delicious!"
"Sea beast?! You mean, that super huge sea beast?"
"Exactly! It's a full hundred meters long!"
"A hundred meters?! Did you really kill a sea beast that big?"
"It was easy! For me, it's just a piece of cake!"
Chopper suddenly tilted his head curiously and asked:
"Then when did you kill it? Was it this morning?"
"..."
Usopp's smile instantly froze, the corners of his mouth twitching slightly.
His eyes flickered, and a few drops of cold sweat dripped from his forehead.
"Uh... well..."
He immediately stuffed a mouthful of Paille nervously, swallowed it with a "gurgle," and vaguely brushed it off:
"Yes, yes, yes, of course, it was this morning!"
Chopper looked at him with a puzzled expression and asked seriously:
"But... weren't we Cultivating together all morning?"
"..."
Meanwhile, Nami and Robin covered their mouths, chuckling softly.
Lin Ning, on the other hand, picked up the Paille in his hand, took a leisurely bite.
With a faint smile on his lips, he gazed out at the vast sea.
"Ding—ding—ding—!"
Just then, a sudden ringing sound echoed across the sea.
"Hmm?"
Nami's movements paused slightly, and she frowned, looking around vigilantly.
Immediately after—
"Woo—woo—woo—"
A low, deep whistle sounded.
"What's that sound?!"
Everyone abruptly looked up, gazing in the direction of the sound.
The next second, everyone's pupils suddenly contracted—
In the distance, a black silhouette was speeding across the sea.
Thick smoke billowed from the top of the colossal object, leaving a dark trail in the sky.
It was a... train?!
"How is that possible?!"
Nami's eyes widened in astonishment, her voice trembling slightly from shock:
"Why is there a... train traveling on the sea in a place like this?!"
However, she hadn't yet recovered from the shock.
Her gaze sharpened again, her face suddenly changed drastically, and she screamed—
"Quick! Quick! Turn around now!! We're going to be hit by the train!!!"
Everyone on the going merry finally came to their senses, looking at the rapidly approaching sea train with astonished expressions.
Zoro, standing by the ship's rail, saw this and his eyes narrowed slightly.
His right hand was already on the hilt of his sword at his waist, his voice calm and decisive:
"No need for such trouble."
With that, he slowly drew the wado ichimonji.
"Zoro, what are you trying to do?"
Luffy, standing nearby, looked at him with a puzzled expression.
"Could it be... you're going to split that train in half?!"
Zoro's face darkened, veins throbbing on his forehead, and he roared:
"There are people on the train! How could I do such a thing?!!"
However, before his words even finished, his sword had already slashed out—
A sharp strike whistled forth, Sword Qi surging like a fierce storm.
Under Zoro's precise control of force, it struck the sea in front of the going merry!
Boom—!
The sea instantly exploded, and a powerful shockwave spread from the point of impact.
The seawater was violently split into a deep ditch, and at the same time, this reverse impact force suddenly pushed the going merry backward at high speed.
It narrowly avoided the direction from which the sea train was rushing!
"Woo—woo—woo—"
The sea train roared past, creating a furious gust of wind pressure.
It made the clothes of everyone on the going merry flap wildly, and their hair flew.
Usopp slumped onto the deck, panting heavily.
Still looking shaken, he pointed at the departing train and stammered:
"What... what is that big iron thing?!"
Nami's heart was still pounding, she took a deep breath, and said in an incredulous tone:
"How can something of that shape... speed across the sea?!"