On the other side of the Grand Fortuna, now cracking and shuddering from the two previous battles, Bastien stood side by side with Juno. Before them stood a strange, short man—his body round like a cannonball, wielding two large spinning disc-shaped weapons in each hand. With every rotation, the surrounding water twisted, forming swirling vortexes.
"I am Sillo! The Water Dancer! You won't be able to stand once my dance begins!"
With a single stomp on the deck, Sillo leapt high into the air, spinning his discs at full force. The sea wind was sliced, and streams of water burst from the ends of his weapons, twisting like giant serpents. These were no ordinary waves—their suction distorted gravity itself.
"He's creating false currents!" Juno shouted, her hair rising from the air pressure. "One wrong move and we'll be dragged in!"
Bastien steadied his footing. The Grand Fortuna rocked violently, deck boards splintering under the pull of the currents. Sillo's whirlpools engulfed the left side of the ship, causing it to tilt dangerously.
"If we don't stop him now, this ship will split apart!" Bastien shouted.
"Almost there! My calculations are nearly done!" Juno yelled, crouching low, her eyes rapidly measuring disc rotation, wind direction, and current rhythm.
Meanwhile, Sillo landed lightly, then dashed forward in a spinning motion. His discs carved twin spiral paths, easily shredding masts and rigging. Each step was a dance, and every rotation brought destruction.
Bastien tried to slash through Sillo's path, but the water pressure hampered his movements. As he leapt to the left to flank, a small vortex from Sillo's right disc snagged his leg. He staggered—and Sillo didn't waste a moment.
The left disc slammed into Bastien's stomach.
Thud!
Bastien was thrown against a mast, the wind knocked from his lungs.
"Bastien!" Juno cried, stepping back while directing her hand toward the sea. She manipulated the small currents, forming a counterflow layer to ease the suction.
But Sillo leapt at Juno this time, discs ready to strike. Bastien, staggering to his feet, could only shout, "LOOK OUT!!"
Juno dodged with a backward leap, but Sillo's left disc still grazed her arm.
"Agh!"
Blood dripped from her torn skin. Yet she stood firm, jaw clenched. "I just need… a little more time…"
Sillo cackled. "You can't stand on my stage! This is the Spinning Game—and only I know the dance!"
He whirled again, bouncing off walls and masts, making the water and wind flow unpredictably. Even the ship's waves began spiraling, as if the sea itself joined the dance.
But Bastien had started moving again, breathing hard, his face focused.
"If he's using momentum... then we have to stop it, not fight it," Bastien muttered.
"ONE MORE SECOND!" Juno yelled.
Sillo leapt to the center of the ship, crossing his discs in a spinning motion that created a giant vortex like a colossal fan. Everything was pulled in.
Just as the eye of the vortex paused for a split second—a tiny gap in Sillo's spinning rhythm—Juno shouted, "NOW!"
Bastien shot forward like a bullet.
This time, he didn't strike directly—he dove into the current, riding the vortex's momentum to accelerate. His body spun, letting the wind hurl him toward the center, and then, with a single powerful kick, he reversed direction—from within.
A Haki-coated fist smashed into the core of Sillo's right disc.
CRACK!!
The right disc shattered. Its fragments flew into the sea, forming a small vortex before vanishing into the waves.
"GWAHH!!" Sillo staggered back.
But it wasn't over. Bastien spun with the recoil and drove a knee—also Haki-coated—into Sillo's left side. The round man was lifted and hurled, smashing into the main mast before being flung skyward.
But Sillo wasn't just any opponent.
In midair, his left hand spun the remaining disc and struck the air—creating a vertical wind spiral that slowed his fall. He landed on the deck, bloodied but still on his feet.
"Not... done yet…" he muttered.
Bastien stepped forward—but suddenly the ship trembled violently.
In the distance, a roaring sound echoed.
From the horizon, sea tornadoes emerged. Not just wind—but giant vertical whirlpools that devoured everything in their path.
"W-What is that?!"
"OH NO! THERE ARE FOUR OF THEM!" Juno screamed.
Panic spread.
"THE GRAND FORTUNA WON'T HOLD!" Bastien shouted.
The crew began to gather—Nara helping the limping Arthur, Ravi and Mia half-conscious, while Lise dragged Durak and Sillo's bodies onto an emergency raft. Juno used her powers to create a stable water path toward the storm tower—a fifty-meter stone structure in the center of the sea arena.
One by one, they leapt, ran, or slid across boards and rafts. Bastien was the last.
He looked back at the Grand Fortuna—the ship they had built and cared for nearly a year.
"I'm sorry... but we have to survive," he whispered.
He jumped, just as a massive wave split the deck in two. The Grand Fortuna was destroyed, swallowed by the ocean's whirlpools.
---
Atop the storm tower, they all gathered. The wind was still fierce, but for now, they were safe.
Silence hung over them.
Juno sat hugging her knees, eyes blankly staring at the sea.
Arthur gripped his sword with trembling hands.
Mia silently cried, clutching Ravi's hand.
Bastien stood at the edge of the cliff, wind whipping his hair, his face cold.
The Grand Fortuna—their home—was gone.
But they were still alive.
And in the distance, the storm was not yet over.