Chapter 90:Rain Detection.

Some guests in the bar who heard Chiga say it was going to rain in the next few days burst out laughing.

"Are you kidding me? It hardly ever rains in Windmill Village all year. How can he be so sure it's going to rain?"

"Yeah, just say it's going to rain and it rains? Who does he think he is?"

"Young people love to talk big!"

Makino listened to their discussion, feeling increasingly uncomfortable. In her eyes, Chiga was young, capable, and humble. He even took care of both Luffy and Ace personally. Her impression of him couldn't be higher.

So, the usually gentle Makino was uncharacteristically upset. She raised her voice at the guests in the bar:

"He's not boasting! He's Vice-Admiral Uchiha Chiga of the Navy!"

After speaking, Makino turned and went into the back room, returning with an umbrella, which she placed beside the counter—her way of expressing faith in Chiga's words.

The guests looked at one another in surprise. It was the first time they'd seen Makino get genuinely angry, and from her words, they now understood the identity of the young man.

Uchiha Chiga—the youngest Vice-Admiral in the Navy. Rumor had it that his most frightening quality wasn't just his rank or youth, but the mysterious and versatile abilities he possessed. It was said he could perform feats that bordered on the impossible, turning hopeless situations into miracles.

Realizing this, the guests who had mocked him quietly finished their drinks, paid their bills, and some even apologized.

Later, when they returned home, each of them—without any coordination—told their families:

"It's going to rain soon. Make sure to take an umbrella when you go out."

---

Chiga rested for a day after returning to the warship. When he felt refreshed, he used the Den Den Mushi to report to Garp.

"Vice-Admiral Garp, I've done everything I could. I wasn't able to change Luffy's mind, but Ace probably won't become a pirate."

"Really, Chiga!? That's incredible! You've done me a huge favor—this is already way beyond what I hoped for!"

"Heh heh, glad to hear it."

"Chiga, I can't thank you enough!"

Garp's voice crackled with excitement through the Den Den Mushi. He knew his grandsons' personalities well—once they made up their minds, they were nearly impossible to sway.

Sending Chiga to talk sense into Luffy had been a last-ditch effort. If it worked, great. If not, he hadn't expected much.

As for Ace, Garp hadn't even asked Chiga to intervene. He never expected Ace would be swayed at all—so the result was an unexpected win.

That said, if Garp ever found out Ace had chosen the path of a revolutionary instead of a pirate, he might respond with a Armament Haki-infused slipper to the face.

After hanging up, Chiga called in Ain and Kalifa.

"Notify the soldiers on deck to bring raincoats today."

Kalifa didn't ask why. She turned and left immediately to pass on the order.

Ain, however, tilted her head curiously. "Chiga, when did you become a navigator? Are you unhappy with our current one after the last incident? If you want, I can start learning. You've got more important things to handle."

Chiga smiled and stood up. He gently took Ain's hand and led her up to the deck.

Under Ain's puzzled gaze, Chiga formed a few hand seals with one hand and whispered,

"Rain Tiger at Will Technique."

As soon as he finished, the sky darkened noticeably. Ain looked up in shock.

Moments ago, the sky was clear. Now, heavy clouds rolled in, and light rain began to fall.

With his current chakra reserves, Chiga could make it rain over nearly the entire East Blue. As the raindrops began to fall, he closed his eyes to concentrate, searching for his target—Shiki.

Ain reached out to catch the falling rain. Her thoughts drifted to the incident with Weevil, when she was badly injured. That day too, the sky had gone dark before it rained. Not long after, Chiga had appeared out of nowhere to save her.

It clicked. This was another one of his abilities.

Her eyes turned to Chiga. Just like back then, he was standing calmly in the rain, a reliable force amidst chaos.

Chiga opened his eyes, having pinpointed Shiki's location.

"Found you, Shiki," he muttered.

He prepared to dispel the technique when he suddenly felt Ain grab his hand—the one not forming signs. He turned to her, confused.

Ain smiled softly and said, "I like the rain. Can you let it stay a little longer, Chiga?"

Her voice was gentle. Chiga blinked, surprised. Was there something wrong with the rain he created?

But since she liked it, there was no harm in letting it continue. He could just issue rain duty bonuses to the crew on deck. After all, he'd just acquired a sizable treasure from that small island.

Seeing that he agreed to her small, somewhat selfish request, Ain felt her heart flutter. On impulse, she stood on her tiptoes and gave Chiga a quick kiss on the cheek.

Flustered by her boldness, she didn't wait for his reaction—she turned and ran to the other side of the deck, arms outstretched, enjoying the rain.

Chiga stood still for a moment, hand touching the spot where she kissed him, clearly stunned.

After a while, he simply muttered, "Women really are complicated creatures."

---

High above a remote part of the East Blue, an island floated hidden in the clouds.

"Damn it. It was sunny just a minute ago—how is it raining now?"

Shiki the Golden Lion scowled at the drizzle outside the window, taking a long gulp of sake.

A subordinate nearby echoed nervously, "Yes, Captain. The weather at sea is always unpredictable!"

Shiki's expression turned dark. The sake in his cup rose into the air, forming a small lion's head that floated in front of the unlucky subordinate.

"What did you say about the weather?"

"Uh… Unpredictable?"

Splurt.

The subordinate's eyes widened as a hole the size of a fist opened in his chest. He collapsed to the ground, lifeless, blood soaking the wooden floor. The surrounding pirates froze in horror.

"Hmph. I don't need someone like you stating the obvious."

Shiki stared coldly at the corpse, but in his mind, memories of the battle against the Roger Pirates surfaced.

He had victory within his grasp, but a sudden storm turned the tide. His fleet suffered massive losses, and worse, a ship's rudder got lodged in his head—crippling his full strength ever since.

"Damn the rain. Damn the weather."

He scowled, eyes narrowing.

"…I need to find a reliable navigator."

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