Compared to A Tao and A Luo, who treated this voyage like a game of speedboating.
Ahead, Kolong's pirate crew was not in such a relaxed mood.
After all, not every ship had a navigator to A Luo's caliber.
Such long-range natural lightning strikes, to be able to sense them in advance and predict where they would land, there were only a few navigators in this world who could do so.
These navigators were usually found in world-renowned pirate crews.
Clearly, Kolong's pirate crew could not have such a navigator.
Therefore...
*Crack—!*
A flash of white light.
Even as the helmsman saw the white light, he made a turn, but how could his movements be as fast as lightning?
Therefore...
*Boom—!*
A white lightning bolt struck the port side of the sailboat's deck.
The blinding light of the lightning instantly illuminated the entire sky, forcing everyone on the ship to involuntarily close their eyes.
*Rumble!!*
Only then did everyone hear the thunderous sound of the lightning.
When the bright light disappeared, everyone looked towards the left side of the ship.
They saw a large hole, that pierced through the entire hull, on the deck of the ship, blasted by the lightning.
Around the hole, sparks were fiercely burning. If the ship were not traveling at high speed, and if the wind did not carry a large amount of water molecules, the sparks might have already turned into flames.
The hole on the deck was one thing, but the piercing damage of lightning was very strong!
This lightning bolt not only pierced the deck but also the hull.
If the deck had not blocked most of the damage, the hull might have been directly perforated with a hole large enough to sink the ship.
The dazed crew members quickly grabbed water to extinguish the sparks on the deck.
The wind fueled the fire, and if these sparks were not doused, they might soon turn into actual flames.
The pirates in the cabin, in a flurry of activity, quickly brought out wooden planks. Without a second thought, they focused on plugging the leaking hull.
At the bow of the ship.
Kolong had transformed back into his giant mountain demon form.
He stared at the clouds in the sky, his eyes bloodshot, his feet digging into the deck, his body stiff and straight, exuding an aura of ferocity that constantly challenged the heavens, as if his insignificant body was going to confront the divine might of the sky.
Full of defiance.
He had known before coming that the Heavenly Road would be difficult to ascend, but he hadn't expected it to be this difficult.
And they were only halfway through the voyage.
He still vividly remembered the Sea Kings at the entrance. If it weren't for the silver-haired group attracting their attention, they might have been the ones attacked.
With his strength, he could have dealt with those Sea Kings, but he wasn't like Silver Hair, who could dispatch them in an instant. His ship would have likely been damaged at the entrance.
As for this storm zone.
Although he possessed strength, when faced with the divine might of nature, he could only watch helplessly. He had not awakened Observation Haki, and even if he could see the lightning forming, he wouldn't know where it would strike, thus he couldn't prevent it.
Why was it said that one needed courage and luck to traverse the Heavenly Road?
This is it...
For an ordinary pirate crew, to pass through this storm zone, they could only entrust their fate to Lady Luck. If they were unlucky, a few consecutive lightning strikes could destroy even the sturdiest ship, leading to ruin and death on this path.
The "Road to Heaven" was not just a mere saying.
*Crack—!*
"Again!"
A flash of white light. Kolong had just started to turn when the lightning struck the right side of their ship, giving him no time to react.
Fast, too fast. So fast that the moment he saw the white light, the lightning struck.
Kolong turned around, looked up at the sky, and stared at the white lightning bolts darting erratically.
His pupils were completely covered in crimson. This feeling of powerlessness, despite having strength, filled him with a wild aura.
Gazing at the thunderbolts in the clouds, which seemed like giant white snakes due to their proximity, as if within reach, they inspired awe.
But having come this far, even with fear in his heart, he could not turn back.
Well... he couldn't turn back.
Once on the Heavenly Road's currents, unless one could fly, there was no possibility of retreating. One could only press forward: either ascend to the legendary Sky Islands or be utterly destroyed, reporting to the true heaven, with no other choice.
*Crack—!*
"Still coming?"
Kolong's aura surged, and he stared at the direction of the white light, roaring, "Ah... when will it end!"
However, his anger, his aura, was so insignificant to nature. The lightning would not stop because of his roar.
A massive lightning bolt pierced the sky and, this time, struck the ship's central mast directly.
*Boom—!*
*Crack—!*
Under the power of the lightning, the mast immediately snapped. Then, flames instantly engulfed the entire mast, and carried by the wind, they quickly drifted towards the rear.
Kolong watched the direction where the mast disappeared, looking at the broken mast, the crimson in his eyes rapidly faded, and a trace of fear flashed in his heart.
This lightning bolt was clearly not comparable to the previous two.
If it had struck the ship, their journey might have ended here.
Kolong withdrew his gaze, looked up at the lightning in the sky, and the arrogance and defiance in his eyes were completely gone.
No one was not afraid of death. Especially someone like him, who meticulously prepared for everything, was filled with dread of death.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have stayed in the North Blue for so long before venturing into the Grand Line.
He was, after all, a well-known pirate ten years ago.
He thought he had prepared sufficiently this time and was sure to reach the Sky Islands to find the treasure he sought.
Unexpectedly, halfway through the journey, the divine might of nature had completely shattered his confidence.
If given a choice again, he would never have come here, even if he knew there was gold in the sky that could sustain someone for lifetimes.
But what good was gold to a dead person!
He was terrified at this moment, wishing he could kneel and kowtow to the lightning in the sky, begging for safe passage.
Whether his pleas were answered or if Lady Luck's gaze once again fell upon him and his ship, they were not struck by lightning for a long stretch of the voyage.
Even when lightning struck, it either grazed their ship or fell far away.
It was unclear what this meant.
However, the Going Merry behind them did not have such good luck.
It was unknown if they had absorbed the luck of the Going Merry, but as the Going Merry sailed, whenever there was lightning, it inevitably struck towards the Going Merry.
If not for A Luo's command, if not for knowing about Kōta's existence.
The state of mind of everyone would not be like this right now!
After all, only those with sufficient strength had the confidence to conquer nature and overcome all difficulties encountered on the journey.
Therefore, Kolong's ship and the Going Merry formed two extremes.
One had to beg for luck, while the other faced the divine might of nature with a playful attitude.
...