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  --xLOVEx--

  The turtle froze, clearly terrified by the sight. With a frightened bellow, it turned and swam away as fast as it could, retreating into the depths. But the two crews weren’t faring much better. The sheer size of the shadows left everyone on edge. The giant figures seemed ready to strike at any moment.

  Masira, who had just avoided being devoured by the turtle, quickly ordered his crew to set sail. "Get us out of here! Now!" he yelled, panic evident in his voice. His ship lurched forward, cutting through the water as they made their escape.

  Even Luffy, usually fearless, looked uneasy as he stared at the gigantic shadows. "What the hell are those things?" he muttered, fists ched.

  Coby chuckled. "It's just a shadow. Don’t be afraid."

  The crew g him, fused. Coby smirked as he did a pung gesture. Ace's fire formed on his fist. Since he had only copied Hiken, he couldn’t create normal fire, just this particur attack. He moved his other hand in front of the fire, casting a shadow that danced across the deck of the ship.

  Usopp, still on edge, asked, "How big must they be if their shadows are gigantic?"

  Coby didn’t answer. Instead, he adjusted the distance of his free hand from the fire, making the shadow grow and shrink.

  Nami caught up, eyes wide as she stared at the giant shadows. "I uand now. Those are people who live on Sky Isnd. Sihey’re so high up, their shadows stretch down here and look enormous."

  Coby smirked, nodding. "Exactly. It’s just a trick of perspective."

  Luffy grinned, his fear evaporating in an instant. "So they’re not giants? Just normal people in the sky?"

  "That’s right," Coby firmed, crossing his arms.

  Usopp exhaled in relief, though he still seemed shaken. "Man, that was terrifying. For a sed, I thought we were about to be squashed like bugs!"

  The tension on the ship eased as the crew realized the truth. Luffy’s unease melted away, repced by his usual enthusiasm. "That’s awesome!" he shouted, his excitemeurning in full force. "We’re definitely going to Sky Isnd!"

  Robin, the se with a small smile, remarked, "The mysteries of the world never cease to amaze me."

  Coby then asked if Robin got it. She nodded and handed over the Eternal Pose that read "Jaya." He g the log, satisfied, and turo the crew.

  "Here’s the pn," Coby began, his tone practical. "We’ll head to Jaya first. While we’re there, we o find out how long it takes for the Log Pose to adapt. Before it does, we’ll gather all the information we a out of there so we still head to Sky Isnd."

  Luffy immediately jumped on the idea, excitement brimming in his voice. "Alright! Sounds like a p’s get to Jaya!"

  Nami studied the Eternal Pose before steering the ship in the right dire. "It shouldn’t take us too long to get there," she said, eyeing the horizon.

  Coby looked Luffy and Zoro, and added, "Jaya’s known for attrag sh crowds."

  Sanji lit anarette, exhaling a puff of smoke. "Just don’t start any unnecessary fights, Marimo. We’re there to get info, not brawl."

  Zoro shot him a gre but didn’t argue. Usopp, still rec from the earlier scare, sighed in relief. "I’m all fathering info, but let’s avoid any trouble if we . I’d rather not get into another mess."

  Chopper nodded in agreement, stig close to Usopp. "Yeah, let’s focus oing to Sky Isnd safely."

  On the way to Jaya, the sea was calm, and the crew rexed a bit after the earlier excitement. But out of nowhere, three birds fell from the sky onto the ship, their bodies hitting the deck with dull thuds.

  Chopper hurried over to check them, his expression quickly turning serious. "They were shot! The bullets came from the dire we’re heading," he said, pointing ahead.

  The crew exged fused looks. Nami sed the horizon. "But the isnd isn’t even visible yet. How is that possible?"

  "It means someone’s got some serie," uttered. "We’re heading into a dangerous pce."

  As they got closer to Jaya, the shouts and screams of people echoed across the water. The sound of violence was clear even from a distahe crew grew tense, believing in Coby's words that this isnd would be nothing but trouble.

  Arriving at the town on Jaya's western shores, the crew disembarked, taking in the rough and wless atmosphere of the pce. Coby was the first to speak. "This isnd has no Marines, so it’s basically a pirate town. Those who go out, be careful." He then turo Nami. "Nami, e with me."

  Nami nodded and quickly grabbed Coby's arm, stig close to him. Luffy followed them, his usual curiosity leading the way.

  Zoro stretched and yawned. "I’ll stay bao point in wandering around if it’s just full of pirates."

  Coby, Usopp, and Sanji agreed to stay behind as well, watg over the ship and the area. Robin, oher hand, decided to explore on her own, quietly disappearing into the crowd.

  As Coby, Nami, and Luffy walked through the town, they noticed the rough edges of the pce—shady characters lurking in alleys, buildings with boarded-up windows, and the overall sense of wlessness. The atmosphere was tense, but the trio moved forward without hesitation.

  On their way to a bar, they entered a sickly-looking man who had just fallen off his horse. The man struggled to stand, his legs weak and shaky. He gnced up at Coby and Luffy, desperation in his eyes. " you help me bato my horse?" he asked, his voice strained.

  Coby grinned, nodding as he and Luffy moved to help the man. They lifted him up, and once he was seated ba his horse, it became clear that the horse was just as sick as its rider. The poor animal coughed up blood, barely able to stand.

  The man reached into a basket hanging from the saddle and offered it to Coby and Luffy. "Thank you. Take an apple iurn," he said, his hand trembling as he held out the basket.

  Luffy reached for ohout thinking, but Coby stopped him with a hand on his shoulder. "Only if you eat one first," Coby said, his grin turning sly. "What do you say?"

  The sick man’s eyes narrowed, then the ma out a dry ugh, clearly caught in his act. He pulled the basket bad quickly urged his horse forward, not saying another word as he disappeared into the crowd.

  Luffy blinked, looking from the man’s retreating figure to Coby. "What was that about?"

  Coby shrugged, his grin widening as he poioward the dire of an explosion that rang out in the distance. People around started murmuring, "Whoa, he took an apple from an old man, and it exploded."

  Luffy's face paled. "That bastard was trying to kill us?"

  Coby shook his head. "Not all of them were tampered with, but still..."

  Luffy nodded, uanding the close call they had just avoided. They tinued walking until they arrived at a bar. Coby, Nami, and Luffy walked in, the dim lighting and rough atmosphere adding to the town’s seedy vibe.

  As they took their seats, Luffy immediately called out to the bartender. "I’ll take a cherry pie!"

  The bartender nodded and soon pced a cherry pie in front of Luffy. Luffy eagerly took a big bite, only to stop mid-chew, his face twisting in disgust. "This cherry pie is gross! I thought I was gonna die!"

  At the same time, a big man sitting at the bar o him, wearing a white shirt. His expression was the plete opposite of Luffy’s—pure delight. "This cherry pie is delicious. It’s to die for."

  The stark trast in their reas caught everyone’s attention. The man and Luffy turo face each other, their gazes log. A tense silence filled the bar as they sized each other up.

  Then, without missing a beat, both reached for their drinks and took a swig. Luffy smmed his mug down on the bar. "This drink is perfect!" he excimed.

  At the exact same moment, the man beside him frowned, his voice dripping with disdain. "This drink is terrible."

  The tensioween them grew as they argued bad forth. "You got a problem with your tongue?" Luffy snapped, gring at the man.

  "Maybe it’s your brain that’s messed up," the man shot back, eyes narrowing.

  --

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