​Date: December 29, 2025. Location: The Waters of Labuan Bajo, Flores Sea (Multiverse Coordinates: Indonesia). Mood: Frustrated, Analytical, and Determined. Music: Memories by Maki Otsuki (Slowed Reverb).

I’ve charted waters from the East Blue to the New World. I’ve navigated through the Knock Up Stream, survived the crushing depths of Fish-Man Island, and outmaneuvered the erratic weather patterns of the Grand Line. Usually, when I look at a map, I see adventure and—let’s be honest—treasure. But today, looking at the charts of the Flores Sea surrounding the majestic Padar Island, I don’t see treasure. I see red flags.

We are currently docked in Labuan Bajo. It’s a place that feels deceptively similar to the Calm Belt—stunningly beautiful, prehistoric with its dragons (Komodos), and seemingly serene. But any navigator worth their Log Pose knows that beauty on the ocean is often a mask for brutality.

We received the news this morning. A tourist boat, the KM Putri Sakinah, capsized. Fernando Martin, a coach from Valencia, and his three children are gone. Just like that. The engine failed, the waves rose, and the sea took what it wanted. You can read Lalong's beautiful obituary "In Memoriam: Fernando Martin - A Tribute From Labuan Bajo" to know more about it.

​Luffy is quiet today. He’s staring at the horizon, hat pulled low. Even Zoro put his weights down. When a father and his children are lost to the sea, it hits a specific nerve for us.

​People here call this a "paradise," but as I sat in the ship’s library with Robin analyzing the local news archives, a chilling pattern emerged. This tragedy wasn't a freak accident; it was the punctuation mark on a disastrous year for maritime safety here.

​I pulled the logs for 2025. This year alone, the waters of Labuan Bajo have claimed at least four vessels:

• March 22, 2025: The KM Raja Bintang 02 capsized near Kelor Island due to high winds.

• May 14, 2025: The KM Wafil Putra suffered a hull breach and sank near Tanjung China.

• ​June 2025: Another incident was reported in the regional logs.

• ​December 26, 2025: The KM Putri Sakinah tragedy.

​If you zoom out to 2024, reports suggest there have been nearly 15 maritime incidents in these waters in just two years.

In the Grand Line, if a specific route sinks 15 ships, we call it a "Dead End" and we find a new path. But here? The boats keep sailing. The tragedy of the Putri Sakinah wasn’t just "bad luck"; it was a statistical inevitability in a system that hasn't adapted to the risk.

​This brings me to the reality of the workers. The crew survived. The tour guide survived. And while I am relieved they kept their lives, I can’t help but look at the economic storm heading their way.

​In this timeline, unlike the lawless seas of the Pirate Era, there are systems. There are governments. There is something called "Social Protection." And this is where my Navigator’s brain—and my love for financial security—starts ticking.

​The crew of that boat, the local tour guides, the fishermen who navigate these waters daily—they are the backbone of Labuan Bajo. They are the ones steering through this real-world "Grand Line" every single day. But here is the bitter truth: they are the ones taking the risk, while the industry takes the profit.

​They are what economists in this multiverse call "informal workers" or "gig workers." If they don't sail, they don't eat. If their boat sinks—like the four boats did this year—they lose their capital. If they get injured, their families are left with nothing but debt and grief.

​Here is my take, and I say this as the Treasurer of the Straw Hat Pirates who hates wasting money but loves investing it.

​The Government treats Labuan Bajo as a "Super Priority" destination. They spend billions on infrastructure and marketing. That’s great. But you cannot build a luxury industry on the backs of vulnerable workers in a zone prone to accidents.

​The State needs to step in with Subsidized Premiums (Penerima Bantuan Iuran - PBI) for maritime workers.

​Think of it this way:

• ​The Risk is Proven: 15 accidents in two years is not a hypothesis; it's data.

• The Cost is Public. When an accident happens, the cost of Search and Rescue (SAR) is borne by the state. The reputational damage to tourism costs the economy millions.

• The Prevention is Private: Insurance creates a safety net.

​The government should allocate a portion of the tourism tax revenue to fully subsidize the BPJS Ketenagakerjaan (social security protection to workers) premiums for registered fishermen, tour guides, and boat crews.

This isn't charity; it's risk management.

​If a crew member dies in the line of duty, their family should receive the Jaminan Kecelakaan Kerja (Work Accident Security) or Jaminan Kematian (Death Security). It ensures that a tragedy at sea doesn't turn into a generational tragedy of poverty on land. It ensures that the guide who survived the trauma of the Putri Sakinah has financial support while they recover mentally and physically, rather than being forced back onto the water the next day because they need to buy food.

​We can't stop the waves. I’m the best navigator in the world, and even I can't control the weather (well, not without my Clima-Tact). Engines will fail. The sea will be cruel.

But we can control the safety net.

​To honor Fernando Martin and his children, we must respect the sea and improve safety standards. But to honor the living—the locals who keep this paradise running despite the clear and present danger—we must protect them. A life jacket keeps you afloat in the water, but Social Security keeps you afloat in life.

​If the government wants to harvest the "treasure" of tourism, they must insure the sailors who brave the storm. Anything less is just sending people into the Grand Line in a dinghy without a Log Pose. And trust me, I know how that story ends.

​Stay safe, and watch the skies.***

​Date: December 29, 2025. Location: The Waters of Labuan Bajo, Flores Sea (Multiverse Coordinates: Indonesia). Mood: Frustrated, Analytical, and Determined. Music: Memories by Maki Otsuki (Slowed Reverb).

I’ve charted waters from the East Blue to the New World. I’ve navigated through the Knock Up Stream, survived the crushing depths of Fish-Man Island, and outmaneuvered the erratic weather patterns of the Grand Line. Usually, when I look at a map, I see adventure and—let’s be honest—treasure. But today, looking at the charts of the Flores Sea surrounding the majestic Padar Island, I don’t see treasure. I see red flags.

We are currently docked in Labuan Bajo. It’s a place that feels deceptively similar to the Calm Belt—stunningly beautiful, prehistoric with its dragons (Komodos), and seemingly serene. But any navigator worth their Log Pose knows that beauty on the ocean is often a mask for brutality.

We received the news this morning. A tourist boat, the KM Putri Sakinah, capsized. Fernando Martin, a coach from Valencia, and his three children are gone. Just like that. The engine failed, the waves rose, and the sea took what it wanted. You can read Lalong's beautiful obituary "In Memoriam: Fernando Martin - A Tribute From Labuan Bajo" to know more about it.

​Luffy is quiet today. He’s staring at the horizon, hat pulled low. Even Zoro put his weights down. When a father and his children are lost to the sea, it hits a specific nerve for us.

​People here call this a "paradise," but as I sat in the ship’s library with Robin analyzing the local news archives, a chilling pattern emerged. This tragedy wasn't a freak accident; it was the punctuation mark on a disastrous year for maritime safety here.

​I pulled the logs for 2025. This year alone, the waters of Labuan Bajo have claimed at least four vessels:

• March 22, 2025: The KM Raja Bintang 02 capsized near Kelor Island due to high winds.

• May 14, 2025: The KM Wafil Putra suffered a hull breach and sank near Tanjung China.

• ​June 2025: Another incident was reported in the regional logs.

• ​December 26, 2025: The KM Putri Sakinah tragedy.

​If you zoom out to 2024, reports suggest there have been nearly 15 maritime incidents in these waters in just two years.

In the Grand Line, if a specific route sinks 15 ships, we call it a "Dead End" and we find a new path. But here? The boats keep sailing. The tragedy of the Putri Sakinah wasn’t just "bad luck"; it was a statistical inevitability in a system that hasn't adapted to the risk.

​This brings me to the reality of the workers. The crew survived. The tour guide survived. And while I am relieved they kept their lives, I can’t help but look at the economic storm heading their way.

​In this timeline, unlike the lawless seas of the Pirate Era, there are systems. There are governments. There is something called "Social Protection." And this is where my Navigator’s brain—and my love for financial security—starts ticking.

​The crew of that boat, the local tour guides, the fishermen who navigate these waters daily—they are the backbone of Labuan Bajo. They are the ones steering through this real-world "Grand Line" every single day. But here is the bitter truth: they are the ones taking the risk, while the industry takes the profit.

​They are what economists in this multiverse call "informal workers" or "gig workers." If they don't sail, they don't eat. If their boat sinks—like the four boats did this year—they lose their capital. If they get injured, their families are left with nothing but debt and grief.

​Here is my take, and I say this as the Treasurer of the Straw Hat Pirates who hates wasting money but loves investing it.

​The Government treats Labuan Bajo as a "Super Priority" destination. They spend billions on infrastructure and marketing. That’s great. But you cannot build a luxury industry on the backs of vulnerable workers in a zone prone to accidents.

​The State needs to step in with Subsidized Premiums (Penerima Bantuan Iuran - PBI) for maritime workers.

​Think of it this way:

• ​The Risk is Proven: 15 accidents in two years is not a hypothesis; it's data.

• The Cost is Public. When an accident happens, the cost of Search and Rescue (SAR) is borne by the state. The reputational damage to tourism costs the economy millions.

• The Prevention is Private: Insurance creates a safety net.

​The government should allocate a portion of the tourism tax revenue to fully subsidize the BPJS Ketenagakerjaan (social security protection to workers) premiums for registered fishermen, tour guides, and boat crews.

This isn't charity; it's risk management.

​If a crew member dies in the line of duty, their family should receive the Jaminan Kecelakaan Kerja (Work Accident Security) or Jaminan Kematian (Death Security). It ensures that a tragedy at sea doesn't turn into a generational tragedy of poverty on land. It ensures that the guide who survived the trauma of the Putri Sakinah has financial support while they recover mentally and physically, rather than being forced back onto the water the next day because they need to buy food.

​We can't stop the waves. I’m the best navigator in the world, and even I can't control the weather (well, not without my Clima-Tact). Engines will fail. The sea will be cruel.

But we can control the safety net.

​To honor Fernando Martin and his children, we must respect the sea and improve safety standards. But to honor the living—the locals who keep this paradise running despite the clear and present danger—we must protect them. A life jacket keeps you afloat in the water, but Social Security keeps you afloat in life.

​If the government wants to harvest the "treasure" of tourism, they must insure the sailors who brave the storm. Anything less is just sending people into the Grand Line in a dinghy without a Log Pose. And trust me, I know how that story ends.

​Stay safe, and watch the skies.***