The sea before them was calm—too calm. No waves, no whisper of wind. The surface of the water looked like a giant mirror, reflecting the shadow of the ship and the gloomy gray sky above. No sounds could be heard, aside from the faint clinking of sail ropes and the occasional groan of the ship's wood under constant pressure.
The compass on Bastien's deck spun slowly, then, as if exhausted, it stopped—pointing in one clear direction: a dark sky, slowly swirling in the distance. The vortex of black clouds resembled a towering spire rising from the horizon, devouring the sky's colors and splitting the sea like a boundary to another world.
"This isn't an ordinary sea," Bastien muttered, frowning at the compass. His hand tightened around the ship's railing. The wind, once a sailor's ally, had vanished completely, leaving a void that made every breath feel heavier.
They had been sailing this sea for four days, but since dawn, something felt different. Seabirds had vanished, and the gentle waves had gone silent, absorbed into the emptiness. Grand Fortuna moved forward slowly without the help of wind, driven only by the crew's efforts and backup sails they adjusted manually.
"I don't like this," Mia muttered, turning the helm. "A sea this quiet... usually signals something bad is coming."
"Are we lost in a dead sea?" Ravi asked from the deck stairs, gripping his tonfas. "I've heard legends about places like this. Seas that reject sailors... and swallow them whole."
"Then why is our compass still pointing ahead?" Juno asked, staring down at the navigation tool. "It's like... something is pulling us toward a fixed point."
Nara, chopping fish at the open galley table, looked up. "Maybe that's the problem. If this place is a trap, then the 'guiding direction' might be part of it."
From the topmast, Arthur lowered his spyglass. "There's fog ahead. But not normal fog. It's—dense. Like a wall."
Bastien looked up. "We keep going. Slowly."
"I'm not sure we can turn back," Juno murmured. "The wind behind us is completely dead. Even the sea's sound is gone. It feels like... we're being watched."
Grand Fortuna pierced through the fog slowly, as though stabbing an invisible curtain. The air around them grew denser, more humid. The fog didn't just obscure their view—it pressed against their lungs and carried every sound farther. Footsteps echoed like they were in a cave.
That's when a cracking noise emerged from within the swirling clouds. Through the fog's curtain, three black ships appeared slowly, as if they had been waiting all along.
Their emblem: a black tornado on a dark flag.
"Whoever you are," a voice shouted from one of the enemy ships, "you've entered forbidden waters: the Domain of the Sacred Wind!"
The voice was loud and cold, like it was amplified by some echoing device. The entire Freebone crew tensed. Ravi instinctively tightened his belt, while Juno stepped behind Bastien in alert.
Bastien moved forward, resting one foot on the ship's railing. "We mean no harm. We're simply exploring unknown seas."
"There is a price for every step taken on land you do not understand," the voice replied. "Turn back, or face the wrath of the storm's guardian."
Arthur scoffed. "Is that a threat or an invitation? Because if they want us to back off, they clearly don't know who we are."
"We don't know their strength," Nara warned. "Don't be reckless."
"Exactly why we need to find out," Ravi grinned.
Mia raised her spyglass, squinting. "They're heavily armed. And look at that..." She pointed to the sky. "We're getting closer to the vortex."
Bastien closed his eyes for a moment. "Grand Fortuna doesn't retreat just because someone raises their voice. We go forward. Slowly." He opened his eyes and looked ahead. "Nara, take the foredeck. Juno, monitor air pressure. Mia, stay on the helm. Arthur, Ravi, guard the starboard side."
The ship kept moving forward, its creaking hull breaking the dead silence of the sea. Around them, the fog began to thin, but the atmosphere grew stranger. The air pressure dropped drastically. The wind, once completely still, now began to stir—but it came not from the sky, but as if drawn from the vortex itself.
"Captain!" Juno called out. "The compass is acting up again. But it's still pointing to the vortex!"
"Keep the course steady. Don't deviate," Bastien ordered.
Suddenly, one of the black ships on their right dropped anchor and moved forward. Five figures leapt from its deck, landing atop the water as if walking on solid ground. Their faces were hidden behind spiral masks marked with a central black line. Thin streams of wind coiled around their feet, holding them afloat.
"Storm Heralds," Mia whispered. "A legendary group said to guard the forbidden routes of the Grand Line. What are they doing in the West Blue?"
"They don't appear in any official records," Juno added. "But I've heard old veteran navigators speak of them. Supposedly, they guard places no human should tread."
One of the masked figures raised a hand. "Captain of the vessel Freebone. Your ship will be seized and inspected. You've entered a filtering zone. If you fail the test, you will be cast into the depths."
Bastien stepped forward. "We will not surrender our ship. But we are willing to talk."
Before the dialogue could continue, Arthur stepped ahead and shouted, "If you want this ship, come and take it! Let's see who ends up at the bottom of the sea!"
Bastien turned sharply toward him. "Arthur..."
But it was too late.
One of the Storm Heralds waved his hand. A sharp gust of wind shot forth, slicing through one of Grand Fortuna's sail ropes. In an instant, tension turned into action. Ravi leapt forward, Nara drew her sword, and Mia pulled the helm hard to avoid another incoming strike.
The wind suddenly went wild.
The fog peeled away completely, revealing a slowly turning sky in the distance. At its center, a colossal tower loomed like a divine shadow—made of gray metal, rising from the seabed into the clouds. Around it, dozens of ships spun endlessly, trapped in an eternal wind spiral.
"That tower..." Juno whispered. "That's no ordinary structure."
Bastien stared at the tower, then back at the masked enemies standing on water. "If you want to test us, go ahead. But don't expect us to surrender easily."
The wind fell silent once more.
Moments later, a long, sharp whistle rang out from one of the black ships. One by one, the masked figures began moving, forming a circle around Grand Fortuna.
From the sky, the wind began to howl again—