The pitch-black deep sea.
Sky and water indistinguishable.
The churning clouds and the dark sea seemed to meld together, creating a scene of overwhelming, tumultuous pressure.
Amidst the rolling waves, a two-masted sailing ship bobbed up and down like a surfboard on the surf.
Compared to the ocean, the ship's insignificance was like a fallen leaf in an abyss, in constant danger of capsizing.
But the silver-haired figure sitting cross-legged at the ship's bow, clad in white clothes and beach shorts, with bare feet, faced the chaos head-on. His posterior seemed rooted, and despite the ferocity of the wind and waves, not a trace of panic flickered across his face.
"Konata, this stretch of ocean feels a bit odd. The air pressure is normal, but..."
Aro lowered his hand, his forehead tentacles swaying left and right. He then leaned over the ship's railing and called out to the silver-haired youth sitting in front of the windlass: "But the constantly rolling sea surface is extremely unusual."
"If we go any further, the waves will only intensify."
"Intensify?"
Konata set down his sake gourd, gazed at the sea ahead, and a strange smile curved his lips.
Then he stood up and declared loudly, "The bigger the storm, the more valuable the fish."
*Uh... wrong scene.*
Let's try again.
The youth lowered his head, looking at the dark sea. Nebulae swirled in his eyes, as if faint streams of light followed their rotation.
"Interesting, interesting, interesting..."
"What's interesting?"
*Fzzt!*
A blue lightning bolt streaked across the sky from the ship's cabin behind them, hovering to Konata's left. From the lightning emerged a clear, questioning voice.
As the voice faded, a figure appeared, dressed in a pink robe adorned with white cherry blossoms, wearing cloth shoes, with long, dark blue hair tied into a low ponytail, and a white-sheathed long sword at her waist. She emerged from the lightning like a god of thunder.
"Hmm!"
Upon appearing, before Konata could answer, Kuina herself sensed the anomaly.
Looking down, following Konata's gaze, a red glint flashed in Kuina's eyes, and arcs of electricity flickered around her.
"Something is coming."
As she spoke, Kuina's hand rested on her sword's hilt.
In her perception, the deep sea below, which should have been calm like any other ocean, was not.
Instead, she could feel the water beneath the surface surging even more violently than the sea above.
"A rare sight indeed."
As if witnessing something exceptionally intriguing, Konata's lips curved into a smile. He then turned to Aro on the deck behind him and said with a laugh, "Don't worry. There are two big guys fighting down there. Looks like they're fighting over territory, or perhaps a throne."
"Mhm!" Aro nodded, his gaze following Konata's downwards towards the sea ahead.
At this point, even without Konata's explanation, he could feel two colossal auras ascending from the deep sea.
Before long, the sea ahead rapidly began to bulge as they waited.
*BOOM—!*
A colossal tidal wave, accompanying the bulge in the sea, surged outwards like an unstoppable force.
There were no other ships in this area, so the Thousand Sunny was the first to be hit.
Looking at the most powerful wave they had encountered since setting sail, approaching head-on.
A Tao, who had moved from the stern to the bow, spread his hands in resignation, indicating he had given up.
"Yohohohoho!!" Brook, holding his coffee, laughed heartily as he gazed at the wave, over a hundred meters high, that seemed to have replaced the sky and was crashing towards them. "This is truly spectacular!"
It wasn't just Aro and the others who hadn't seen such a wave; even he hadn't witnessed anything like it.
While it wasn't a naturally formed wave, it was undeniably magnificent.
Looking down from above, two enormous dark shapes could be seen rapidly emerging from the sea, locked in a fierce close-quarters combat. To Brook, the colossal wave that had replaced the sky was merely a byproduct of these two shadows breaking free from the deep sea.
The wave was like a destructive force, capable of annihilating everything. The surface that ordinary people would have considered a colossal wave, and the various creatures within it, including Sea Kings, all became insignificant splashes.
And the Thousand Sunny before it was even more insignificant, like an ant in a giant's eye, easily crushed.
Yet, despite this, the people on the ship showed no fear. Facing the monstrous wave, their eyes held not only awe but also a sense of joy at witnessing such a rare spectacle.
*CRACK—!*
Just as the wave was about to engulf the Thousand Sunny.
A deafening roar echoed from the ship's bow.
A massive thunderclap replaced the sound of the crashing waves.
Following the thunder, a chilling sword cry resounded across the sea.
*ZING—!*
Emerging from the sword's hum was a massive, silver-white slash.
The slash, crescent-shaped and vertical, grew as it advanced against the wind. With a "whizz," it left a ripple across the entire sea surface and met the oncoming wave.
*Puff—!*
The slash met the colossal wave not with an earth-shattering explosion, but with a silky ease, like slicing through jelly.
Where the slash passed, the wave was cleaved in two.
As the wave continued its advance, the massive wave in front of the Thousand Sunny broke into layers, revealing to everyone's eyes a passage like a heavenly gateway, stretching from the sea to the sky.
"This..."
On the deck at the bow, even Aro and the others, who knew Kuina well, looked at her standing beside Konata, her sword sheathed as if nothing had happened, with a hint of envy in their eyes.
Ever since learning about the origin of Devil Fruits stemming from the desires of sentient beings, Konata had set a training direction for everyone.
The idea was that to grow stronger, one must embody the manifestation of the desire inherent in the Devil Fruit they consumed. Therefore, in both daily life and training, they had to immerse themselves in this desire to become closer to their Devil Fruit.
Of course, "closer" didn't mean "fusion," but rather amplifying an existing desire.
It hadn't been long since they left the Other Shore, only a few days.
Yet, Kuina had progressed beyond their wildest imaginations.
Previously, Kuina could certainly unleash such a slash, but never with such ease or power.
And now...
Watching the water on either side of the Thousand Sunny stand like two walls, refusing to step beyond the invisible line, everyone marveled at Kuina's rapid improvement.
It seemed Kuina had completely broken through her physical limitations and had truly become a monster.
They were, of course, aware of Kuina's lifelong obsession.
Seeing her now break through her physical limitations, they were genuinely happy for her.
After all, Kuina was not only their comrade but also their childhood friend and the person they had admired since they were young.
Although they were terrified of her, it didn't diminish their admiration.
As for Konata, well, that was a different story. He was the difference between a human and a god; they couldn't even hope to reach his shadow, let alone admire it.
Kuina, on the other hand, was more relatable, and her shadow was visible. Therefore, in terms of admiration, they found themselves admiring Kuina more.
In contrast, their feelings towards Konata were more akin to respect and faith.