Chapter 269: The Strange Curtain of Rain

That night, they didn't stay in town. Everyone returned to the Dream ship.

After dinner, they all gathered on the deck, looking out at the strange curtain of rain falling over the sea not far away.

"This rain curtain is amazing. It's only about ten meters thick, but it feels like a big storm is about to hit," Daisy said, leaning on the side of the ship, staring in wonder at the foggy white sheet in the distance.

"Nami, can you tell how this was formed?" Robin asked curiously.

Everyone looked to Nami. They had been to so many places, but never seen anything like this.

A curtain of rain stretching dozens of kilometers!

Nami stared at it carefully, thinking out loud: "From the looks of it, this rain curtain is made up of condensed moisture, but I'll need to study it more to figure out the exact cause. I'm sure it's related to the local environment, weather, and sea ecosystem."

She remembered that strange ocean current that suddenly changed direction earlier today. She was sure this unusual sight was connected to it.

The others nodded, then continued to admire the strange and beautiful view.

But Ryuen wasn't just watching like they were. He was looking up at the highest point of the island. Something about this island felt off to him—like it was alive.

"Ryuen, earlier you said something felt strange about this island. Did you notice something?" Hogg asked, puzzled.

"The sea current under the island is moving," Nami answered first.

"Nami's right," Ryuen said slowly, still looking up at the island's highest point. "The current is moving under the island. This place feels like it's alive."

"Alive?" Reina's eyes lit up with surprise.

She immediately thought of the Mokomo Dukedom, their homeland, which was built on top of the giant elephant, Zou.

Zou was a living creature—a massive one.

"Heeheehee~"

"Don't get the wrong idea, Reina," Nami said with a laugh. "Ryuen doesn't mean the island is really alive. He means it feels that way because of the ocean current under it. We'll know for sure tomorrow."

"Soka~"

"I thought this island was some kind of giant animal too…" Reina said, eyes wide with innocent confusion.

The rest of the Dream Team used Observation Haki to check things out, and each of them sensed something, even if only a little.

"Alright, everyone get some rest. I'll keep watch tonight," Ryuen said quietly.

"Yaaawn~" Anya yawned and waved as she walked toward the cabin. "Now that you said that, I really do feel sleepy. I'm heading to bed. Goodnight."

The others didn't say much and headed back to their rooms.

Ryuen lightly jumped up to the lookout post on the mast. His eyes first turned to the island's highest peak, then shifted to the distant curtain of rain.

Something felt strange—he noticed the rainfall seemed to be getting lighter...

"What a mysterious island..." Ryuen muttered under his breath. He shook his head gently, deciding not to overthink it. Instead, he found a comfortable spot on the lookout post, sat down, and closed his eyes to rest.

Just as Ryuen had guessed, the rain was indeed thinning out, and the mist was fading too.

The sea level was slowly rising, and the underwater currents seemed to be speeding up as well.

In the cabin, Nami's room was filled with a warm atmosphere. She had just finished freshening up, and her body carried a clean, pleasant scent. 

She wore a silky, light sleepwear and sat by the desk, gently spinning a finely crafted pen in her hand. 

From time to time, she stopped, lost in thought, as if waiting for inspiration to strike. 

"This ocean current is really something... it even created that amazing scene…" Nami whispered with a soft smile. Her eyes sparkled with excitement. 

She was thrilled by what she had witnessed—natural phenomena she had never seen before. It made her even more curious and eager to learn more about the secrets of nature. 

Nami decided to write down everything she had seen. 

She began to write seriously, describing in detail how the strange current formed and the wonders it created. 

She hoped that by recording it all, she could keep this rare experience forever. 

At the same time, the other members aboard the Dream Ship were also busy with their own things. 

Reina, Lia, and Anya had already fallen asleep, quietly lying in their beds. The others were each doing their own thing. 

Robin was writing and sketching, recording all the events of the day in her own way, describing the thrilling scenes in words. 

Daisy was deep into her research on a certain medicine, trying to figure out its secrets. 

The rest were focused on training their Haki, working to become stronger. 

The whole ship was quiet and peaceful. Everyone was chasing their own goals and dreams. 

They supported one another, grew together, and faced the unknown as a team. 

This small space was filled with endless hope and possibilities. 

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking—

The ship was still quiet, but Ryuen was already awake, staring seriously at the sea in the distance.

After the whole night, the rain curtain had completely disappeared.

Waves on the sea were slowly getting bigger.

"This feeling... I've felt it before," Ryuen said softly.

Maybe sensing something strange beneath the sea, the others, who had just been asleep, soon came up to the deck.

"Ryuen, is something wrong?" Robin asked quickly.

"The rain's gone, but the ocean currents below are getting stronger. This feels just like when that skyward current happened before!" Ryuen replied from the lower deck.

"The skyward current?" Everyone was shocked.

"That's it! No wonder I thought the long line of clouds above looked so familiar—it's an Island Cloud!" Nami suddenly said with excitement.

"Nami, you mean that's really an Island Cloud?" Nojiko asked in surprise.

"That's right!"

"But it's not as high as the ones near Skypiea…"

Suddenly, before Nami could finish her sentence, the whole ship shook violently. The waves surged with force!

Everyone quickly grabbed hold of the ship, looking around with shocked expressions.

"Rumble rumble..."

A light tremor came from the island, but the sound it made was as loud as thunder and spread far and wide.

"Boom!"

A massive roar burst out, and everyone turned toward the source of the sound.

In an instant, everyone's face filled with shock—a huge ocean current shot straight up from the center of the island, launching toward the sky!

"It really is a Knock-Up Stream!" Robin gasped.

"But it's way smaller than the one from Skypiea!" Daisy followed up.

Nami, clearly excited, began explaining what was happening. "Just as I thought—the island is hollow inside. The ocean current from the seafloor flows into the island's inner space. When the pressure inside builds up to its limit, it blasts out as a Knock-Up Stream!

And the seawater that shoots up gets stored by the island clouds. When it finally falls back down, it creates that amazing curtain of rain!"

Thanks to Nami's explanation, everyone finally understood why this island had such a strange and beautiful sight.

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