Time flowed like water—half a year had passed in the blink of an eye.
Dark clouds loomed overhead, streaked with crackling serpents of lightning. Thunder roared like the sky itself was tearing open. Ferocious winds howled, churning towering waves across the vast sea. Amidst this chaos sailed a colossal three-masted warship, its wolfhead prow slicing through the storm-tossed waters. Sheets of rain poured from the sky, pelting the deck with relentless force.
Inside the captain's quarters on the second floor of the stern cabin, lights blazed brightly against the gloom.
"This damn weather. We've only been at sea for two days, and we're already in a storm."
Seated on the couch, Aeridar muttered as he glanced out the rain-smeared window, visibly annoyed.
Glug—
Oliver, sprawled lazily nearby, took a swig from his bottle before muttering with a shrug, "Eh, this one's nothing. Still better than that once-in-a-decade storm we got caught in last time."
"The Captain's just scared," Arlan said matter-of-factly. "He's a Devil Fruit user. If he falls into the sea, it's game over."
"He's afraid of drowning!" Gorbo added with a deadpan tone.
"PAPPAHAHA!"
Everyone burst into laughter—even the usually composed Millie and Mina couldn't help doubling over. Arlan, the most dramatic of them all, laughed so hard he fell off the couch and hit the floor.
"Who—Who's scared?!" Aeridar snapped, flustered. Damn it, why'd they have to say the quiet part out loud?
To be fair, Aeridar used to know how to swim. Not great, but well enough to splash around with his two best bros every summer at the pool—and maybe sneak some glances at bikini girls. But ever since coming to the world of One Piece and eating a Devil Fruit, swimming had become a death sentence.
He tried once. Just once. Nearly drowned. Oliver had to dive in and pull him out. That incident shook him to his core. He hated how powerless it felt—like all his strength had been stripped away. He had power, but couldn't use it. That helplessness… he loathed it.
And then there was that monstrous storm—the once-in-a-decade one. Terrified him. Back on Earth, he'd always weathered storms from the safety of land. But that one? He was on a ship, in the middle of the sea. If he had been even slightly weaker back then… he'd have ended up part of the ocean.
Still chuckling, Dimitri finally sobered and said reassuringly, "Captain, relax. We'll be out of the storm's range soon. We're close to Reverse Mountain."
"Reverse Mountain?" Arlan asked, confused.
Seeing Dimitri about to explain, Aeridar cut in with a smug smirk, "What, you don't know that? Idiot."
"Alright then, Captain," Arlan replied with a shrug. "Why don't you explain it?"
"Tch." Aeridar stood up and said with mock pride, "Listen up. Reverse Mountain is a bizarre and perilous peak that marks the gateway to the Grand Line."
Oliver frowned. "I get that it leads to the Grand Line… but what makes it so dangerous?"
Dimitri pulled out a rough sea chart and pinned it to the wall, pointing as he spoke: "Reverse Mountain has five rivers, forming an X-shaped system. Four of the rivers flow up the mountain—each connected to one of the four Blues: East Blue, West Blue, South Blue, and North Blue. The fifth flows downward—into the Grand Line."
"The top of the mountain?" Oliver asked in disbelief. "Our ship has to climb a mountain?"
"Exactly," Dimitri said solemnly. "The current flows upward. Reverse Mountain is both the beginning of the Grand Line—and, in a way, its end. Because on the other side of this mountain… lies the entrance to the New World. And the end of the New World is none other than—Laugh Tale."
"The resting place of the Pirate King Roger's great treasure—One Piece."
Aeridar smiled, something unreadable glinting in his eyes.
"Wait," Gorbo cut in. "Aren't there other routes? Don't the Marines use this path too?"
"Unless you can climb the Red Line itself—which is a vertical continent—you'd have to go through Reverse Mountain," Dimitri replied. "Even if you managed to get over the Red Line somehow, your ship wouldn't make it. The Marines likely use a different route across the Red Line."
"Can't you go through the Calm Belt?" Arlan asked.
"No wind, no currents. Regular ships can't move at all in the Calm Belt," Aeridar said darkly. "And that's not even the worst part. The Calm Belt is the nesting ground of the Sea Kings—massive creatures, some as large as islands. The deeper you go in, the bigger they get."
"Sea King nesting ground…"
"Thousands of Sea Kings…"
"Each one bigger than the last…"
"Some as big as entire islands…!"
Everyone froze. Even Oliver, usually fearless, looked like his scalp went numb.
Island-sized Sea Kings?! What the hell were you supposed to do, stab their toenail?
"Captain! A light—off the bow!"
The lookout's shout snapped everyone to attention.
"Let's go check it out," Aeridar said. "That must be the lighthouse on Reverse Mountain."
Throwing on a raincoat, Aeridar led the way out. The others followed, grabbing their coats and heading to the deck.
At the ship's prow, the crew stood in the downpour, raincoats flapping in the wind. Even the sailors below deck had come up to witness the moment.
And then—they saw it.
A red mountain stretched into the skies, its peak lost in the clouds. Compared to it, even the massive Chris was just an ant.
Carved into the center was an unnatural waterway, flowing upward like a staircase. On either side, stone railings were etched with ancient, swirling patterns. It was awe-inspiring.
"So that's Reverse Mountain," Aeridar said, raising his spyglass. "Incredible."
"The seawater… it's really flowing up!" Arlan gasped.
"No… something's off," Oliver muttered. "The current's too strong."
The ocean was pulling them forward—like a magnet. The Chris was locked into the upward stream, unable to steer away. Oliver gripped the helm, but it wouldn't budge.
"Haha… then let's go straight ahead!!"
Aeridar laughed loudly, but inside… he was overwhelmed. He turned to the sky and shouted with all his heart:
"I will become a Warlord of the Sea! I will be the one who sets the rules!!!"
Inspired, the rest of the crew raised their voices:
"I'll make my name known across the world!" —Arlan
"I'll become the world's greatest swordsman!" —Oliver
"I'll find the legendary sea—All Blue!" —Gorbo
"I… I'll sail across every ocean!" —Dimitri
"We'll be the greatest sharpshooting sisters on the sea!" —Millie and Mina
Their voices roared skyward, louder than the thunder, louder than the wind.
And at that moment—they realized something…
The storm had passed.
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