Scholar of Strawhat Pirates

As the days went by, Douglas managed to create an island-wide communication system for the crew, designed to aid in missions and coordination. He knew how dangerous it could be if someone got separated—especially with people like Luffy and Zoro. When he handed the devices to the crew, they all stared at them in confusion.

"I call these earpieces," Douglas explained. "Each one has a built-in antenna that allows real-time voice communication across long distances. You just press here to activate it, speak, and it transmits your voice to everyone else wearing one."

Luffy immediately tried it, pressing the button and yelling: "MOSHI MOSH!"

Everyone wearing an earpiece winced as Luffy's voice blared directly into their ears. Nami promptly punched him in the head.

"Shut up!" she snapped.

The rest of the crew laughed and then praised Douglas for the invention.

"Wow, having a scholar on board is actually awesome," Usopp said, and the others nodded in agreement.

Vivi looked at Douglas, clearly wanting to ask if he had finished the rain machine for Alabasta. But she held herself back—she'd already asked for a huge favor. Of course, Douglas noticed her hesitation and walked over to her.

"Vivi, don't worry. I have a prototype of your rain machine ready. Want to see it?" he asked, grinning.

Vivi nodded, intrigued. Douglas summoned the device from his body using his Devil Fruit ability and carefully set it down, far from the chaos of Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper, who were busy playing.

As Douglas revealed the device, the rest of the Straw Hats gathered around.

"This is the prototype of the machine I promised Vivi," he said, showing off a compact but complex device. It resembled the machine from Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs—but instead of raining food, it was designed to stimulate real rain.

The crew looked baffled by the interface and buttons.

"Let me demonstrate. Say you want rain, Vivi. You press this 'Start' button and input the duration—like three minutes for a drizzle. Then it flies into the sky."

Douglas pressed a few buttons, and the machine took off.

"Now, here's how it works," Douglas said, entering full explanation mode. "This device creates artificial rain by stimulating a process called cloud seeding."

He continued, gesturing upward. "First, it rises to the correct altitude and releases a mist of silver iodide particles—or in this case, a substitute I developed from a rare mineral found in Drum Island's mountains. These particles serve as nuclei that attract moisture in the atmosphere."

"Next, it rapidly releases supercooled vapor and ionized particles, causing water droplets in the surrounding air to condense faster. That forms rain clouds. The internal cooling system ensures a cold-air burst above the atmospheric inversion layer, disrupting the hot, desert air that normally suppresses precipitation. Think of it as reversing the effect of heat domes that block rain."

The Straw Hats were already lost halfway through, except Luffy, who listened intently despite not understanding a single word.

"Since we only set it for drizzle, the process will only take a few minutes—"

Just then, a gentle rain began to fall over the ship.

The crew clapped in amazement, as though they'd just witnessed a miracle. The rain gently tapped against the deck, and Vivi closed her eyes, feeling hopeful for the first time in a long time.

Moments later, the prototype descended back down, but its metal casing was visibly cracked and iced over.

"Why does it look like it's gonna break?" Luffy asked.

"Touch it," Douglas replied.

They all did—and recoiled immediately as the icy chill burned their hands.

"What is that?!" Vivi asked with concern.

"Well, I used metal for the outer shell, and when the system releases cold air so rapidly, it creates internal frost build-up," Douglas explained. "The temperature difference causes stress fractures in the material—especially around joints and seams. That's why the structural integrity failed."

He tapped the device lightly with his staff. The prototype shattered apart with a metallic crack, causing the crew to panic.

"Douglas! Why did you break it?! Vivi needs that machine!" Nami shouted, her voice filled with frustration. The others chimed in agreement.

"Relax. That was just the prototype," Douglas said calmly. "I've already finished the final product. I just didn't want to bring it out until the test run succeeded."

The crew sighed in relief and turned to smile at Vivi, who looked overwhelmed with gratitude.

"Thank you, Douglas," she said sincerely.

"Eh, it's nothing," Douglas replied. "Now, let's talk about the price…"

He pulled out a notebook and began calculating something, but before he could get far, Nami and Sanji hit him on the head and dragged him away from Vivi.

Vivi smiled warmly, watching them.

'Wait for me, Father,' she thought to herself as the Straw Hats laughed, cheered, and watched Nami beat up Douglas.

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Elsewhere in the world, Ace could be seen gliding across the sea in his boat, flames trailing behind him. He used his Devil Fruit powers to accelerate, fueling the engine that Douglas had modified. Thanks to Douglas's upgrades, the boat was now capable of traveling at nearly 200 km/h—far faster than relying on wind alone. However, there was a catch: the engine required a constant supply of heat, meaning Ace had to continuously pour his fire into it to keep it running at such high speed.

Ace was now sailing through the New World, headed toward Wano Country, driven by a promise he had once made to Tama. Chopper had reminded him of her—not just through words, but by his presence. Both Chopper and Tama were small, kind-hearted, and impossibly cute. Ace smiled at the thought and glanced at the large cache of food on board. He had brought plenty for Tama, knowing that Wano was still suffering from severe food shortages.

'I hope Yamato is still there,' Ace thought, as he sped across the perilous waters of the New World, following the Permanent Log Pose he had obtained—one that always pointed directly to Wano.