Boom—
As the ship once again scaled Reverse Mountain and plunged into the waterway leading to the Grand Line, the group of young people aboard could no longer contain their excitement, cheering in unison.
"We made it!"
"The Grand Line!"
Barto, Ace, and Deuce slung their arms over each other's shoulders, jumping up and down in excitement. Law leaned against the mast with his long sword Ghost Cry in hand, a faint, almost imperceptible smile playing at the corners of his lips.
After several days of interaction, he had gradually let down his guard toward Caesar and his crew.
Or perhaps it would be more accurate to say that, aside from Caesar—the captain whose thoughts remained elusive—everyone else in this group was remarkably easy to read.
Yamato, Ace, and Bonney formed the trio of simpletons, utterly devoid of guile.
His first impression had been correct: Ace was, as he had suspected, a complete and utter hot-blooded idiot.
The thought of having to coordinate with this guy in the future gave Law a headache, but at the same time, it also brought him a small measure of reassurance.
Deuce was the one he got along with best on the ship, likely because both of them were doctors. Their abilities complemented each other perfectly—Law was a typical surgeon, while Deuce was an expert in diseases.
Though the latter lacked practical medical experience, his theoretical knowledge was rock-solid. Combined with his Sick-Sick Fruit ability, it wouldn't be long before he became a top-tier specialist in disease treatment.
As for the others, Kuma and Issho were both mature and steady, with gentle personalities. They reminded Law of Grandpa Wolf, and in his eyes, they were reliable companions.
Bartolomeo, Caesar's die-hard fan, had a fierce appearance and an eccentric personality, but he would accept anyone Caesar approved of.
When Caesar wasn't involved, Barto was relatively composed and thorough in his thinking, but at his core, he was still a simple guy.
Nami, the navigator, was the only woman on the ship besides Bonney who wasn't one of Caesar's lovers. She could detect changes in air pressure just by feeling the wind—her freakish navigational talent once made Bepo question his existence as a bear.
She was a bit clever and harbored a crush on Caesar.
Baby5—just a foolish woman, nothing more to say.
Still, the two of them were old acquaintances of sorts, and Law felt somewhat relieved that she had managed to break free from the Donquixote family. It was probably what Rosinante would have wanted, too.
Nico Robin, the Devil Child, the last survivor of Ohara.
Her experiences made Law feel a certain kinship with her, but judging by Robin's attitude toward Caesar, it was clear that, like him, she had found her own reason to live. That was good.
All in all, though everyone on this ship was easy to understand, none of them were simple. Almost all of them were Devil Fruit users!
"Hey, hey! Wait! What's that?"
Just as the ship was hurtling down the waterway at high speed, Barto suddenly shouted, pointing toward the exit of the river mouth below.
There, a massive black mound was firmly blocking the way out.
"A mountain?!"
Nami's pupils trembled, her face paling in fright. "Why is there a mountain here?!"
"Not a mountain. An Island Whale."
Caesar, who had been taking photos of the excited father-daughter duo Yamato and Kuma, tilted his head slightly at the commotion. "Issho."
"Leave it to me."
Issho stepped forward, his thumb lightly pushing against the hilt of his sword.
Hum—
A peculiar force field instantly enveloped the entire ship. The vessel, which had been rapidly descending, suddenly jolted and inexplicably took flight!
"Woohoo!"
Ace leaped onto the mast, steadying himself with one hand while using the other to press down his hat brim, shielding his eyes from the sun as he gazed into the distance.
"So this is the Grand Line?"
His voice carried a complex tone as he looked far ahead.
His win-loss ratio against Caesar had now reached 0:32.
Even though he was exceptionally talented and had mastered Two-Colored Haki within days, he still couldn't last a single round against that man...
Thinking of this, Ace turned to look at Caesar, who was busy taking photos for everyone, and waved: "Captain! Over here! Take one of me too!"
Click!
Caesar looked up and pressed the shutter, capturing the young man's spirited figure.
Whoosh—
Under the manipulation of gravity, the ship slowly descended in front of the Island Whale.
By the lighthouse on the shore, a stylish old man wearing glasses and a flashy shirt, who had been reading a newspaper, looked up in surprise.
"Looks like some formidable newcomers have arrived!"
Swish—
A dark shadow pierced through the sky as Caesar flashed before the old man.
Recognizing the face before him, the old man's eyes widened slightly: "Jin Caesar?"
"Apologies for the intrusion, sir."
Caesar nodded slightly. "Might you have an Eternal Pose to Alabasta here?"
The old man nodded. "Yes, for 100,000 Berries."
"Quite cheap..."
Caesar casually pulled out a stack of 10,000-denomination Skull Yugi notes. "Do you have a pointer to Karakara Island?"
"No..."
The old man shook his head regretfully. "That place has long been abandoned due to war. No one goes there anymore."
Caesar asked again, "What about Amazon Lily?"
"Young man, you're asking for the impossible."
The old man glared. "I'm just a lighthouse keeper. How could I possibly venture into the Calm Belt?"
"Whisky Peak?"
"That one I have!"
"What about Drum Island?"
"That one too!"
The old man led Caesar back to his room, where numerous Eternal Poses were displayed on shelves. "I have pointers for some nearby islands, as well as a few farther but more famous ones. Take your pick."
Caesar scanned the collection and took one of each—after all, he wasn't short on money, and they might come in handy someday.
After purchasing the pointers, Caesar had no intention of continuing small talk with the Pirate King's former ship doctor and flew back to the deck.
Time was of the essence—he intended to speedrun Paradise!
Though Caesar had no interest in the title of Pirate King, the prevailing belief was that only by truly conquering the Grand Line could one claim mastery over these seas.
In other words, this was an unavoidable step on the path to supremacy, forcing even someone as powerful as Caesar to start from the beginning.
Coincidentally, he had promised Deuce a visit to Little Garden, and both Bonney and Yamato were curious about giants, so Caesar decided to follow the route via Whisky Peak.
"Set sail for Whisky Peak!"
Nami took the Eternal Pose to Whisky Peak. On her left wrist, she wore an ordinary Log Pose. Back in the East Blue, Caesar had already briefed her on the Grand Line's peculiarities, so she remained perfectly composed, calmly beginning her first official duty as the crew's navigator in these waters.
However, reality soon taught this naive woman a harsh lesson.
Whoosh—
A cold wind swept in unnoticed, and before anyone realized it, heavy snow began to fall from the sky.
"Huh? Snow? But with this humidity... sleet?"
Nami sniffed the air with her small nose, thought for a moment, then went back inside to put on a padded coat.
However, by the time she stepped out of the cabin, thunder suddenly roared across the sky, and freezing rain mixed with hail came pelting down.
"Hail?! You've got to be kidding me! How did the weather change so fast?!"
Thud!
A dull impact sounded as a fist-sized hailstone crashed onto the deck beside Barto, leaving a sizable dent.
Barto turned belatedly to look, his eyes bulging in shock: "Huh?! What the hell is this?!"
"Stop yelling! Where's your barrier?"
Nami called out: "Put up your barrier now!"
"Oh! Right! Protective Barrier!"
Barto formed the ability's hand sign, and a green barrier materialized above the deck, blocking the falling hail.
"This barrier's coverage seems a bit small!"
Deuce examined Barto's barrier: "Can't you make it any bigger?"
"Well... ahem!"
Barto scratched his head sheepishly: "This is already the maximum range I can manage."
The advantage of the Barrier Fruit: Its defensive capability is practically bug-level—even the Four Emperors can't break through it.
The disadvantage of the Barrier Fruit: The barrier's area is limited, and it requires a specific hand gesture to activate.
Due to this limitation, many parts of the ship's hull were dented by the hail.
"Bad news—iceberg at twelve o'clock!" Bepo shouted.
"Leave it to me!"
Ace leaped to the bow of the ship, his right fist winding up: "Fire Fist!!"
Boom—
A brilliant blaze of flames struck the iceberg head-on, instantly melting the massive structure into nothingness.
"Nice one!" Deuce cheered.
"Wait! What's going on here?!"
Nami's exclamation drew everyone's attention. The Eternal Pose in her hand, which had been pointing toward Whisky Peak, had somehow shifted direction and was now pointing toward ten o'clock.
"Hahaha... shocked, aren't you?"
Caesar, seeing this, couldn't help but gloat.
"In these waters, you have to throw out all your common sense from the four seas! You can't trust the wind, the sky, the waves, or even the clouds! The sun you see might just be a mirage reflected by water vapor—there's no way to navigate by instinct here. But there's one thing that will never deceive you: the direction the Pose points!"
Nami's face darkened: "Then why didn't you say so earlier?!"
"You needed to experience it firsthand!"
Caesar chuckled. "But your sensitivity to weather changes is impressive. With a bit more experience, you'll be able to sail freely within Paradise."
"Paradise..."
Nami's expression turned grave. "I've heard you mention it before—it seems the two halves of the Grand Line are called Paradise and the New World?"
"Exactly..."
Caesar pointed at the dense clouds overhead, the flashing lightning, and the hail clattering against the barrier. "This kind of weather? In the New World, it counts as a good day!"
"WHAT?!"
A chorus of shocked cries erupted from the rookies who had just entered the Grand Line. Even someone as composed as Law was visibly stunned.
"Wait, why are you so surprised too? Weren't you from the New World as well?" Ace asked, turning to Yamato.
"This is Yamato's first time sailing too. Even in the New World, the climate within island ranges is relatively stable," Baby 5 explained.
"Just how chaotic is the New World supposed to be then..."
Deuce's mouth twitched. No wonder those who came from that place were so strong. Without some real skills, it would be impossible to survive in those waters!
"In any case, it's not something you can handle right now."
Caesar laughed heartily: "So let's all work hard to get stronger! Consider this your trial—I won't be lifting a finger."
"Hmph, don't underestimate us!"
Nami called out: "Ten o'clock direction, full speed ahead!"
"Too late, it's nine o'clock now. You have to account for the shifting currents," Caesar pointed at the Eternal Pose in Nami's hand.
Nami was startled: "What? It changed again?"
After a long struggle, the crew finally managed to steer the ship out of the bizarre, ever-changing weather zone.
Glancing at the blazing sun overhead, Nami wiped the sweat from her brow and slumped onto the deck with a sigh of relief.
"Whew... finally stable again!"
"It's not that things have stabilized—we're just reaching our destination."
Caesar gazed into the distance, where an island shaped like a cactus came into view.
The island's inhabitants seemed to have noticed the approaching ship. Through Observation Haki, he sensed many people gathering toward the harbor.
"Ha—"
Yamato stood beside Caesar, her eyes brimming with excitement: "The first island of our adventure! It looks so fun."
"Actually, the island's full of bounty hunters who specialize in preying on rookie Pirates just entering the Grand Line."
"Hey hey! Don't spoil it!"
Yamato quickly covered Caesar's mouth: "Where's the fun if you reveal everything?"
"Mmm..."
Caesar freed himself from her grip and pointed at his lips: "If you want to silence me, you'll have to pay the price."
"Mwah!"
Hearing this, Yamato grabbed Caesar's face and planted a bold kiss on his lips.
Baby 5 immediately clung to him: "Darling, I want a kiss too~"
Bepo stared blankly at the trio before tugging at Law's sleeve: "Captain, can I find three she-bears too?"
Law gritted his teeth: "Stop corrupting Bepo, you lot!"
Caesar glanced curiously at Bepo: "Speaking of which, I've always wondered—do Minks feel attraction toward regular humans?"
"Well... I still think she-bears are prettier."
Bepo hung his head apologetically: "Sumimasen..."
"No one's blaming you..."
Caesar chuckled: "But are there cases of Minks marrying humans?"
Bepo nodded: "Lots!"
"You're not... into Minks, are you?"
Nami gave Caesar a disgusted look: "Isn't that a bit weird?"
"Weird?"
Caesar tilted his head: "Have you never seen Yamato's Human-Beast Form? I think it's quite beautiful. And Mink women's bodies are closer to humans' anyway."
"That's just too..."
Nami cut herself off, suddenly realizing something. Her eyes widened as she looked at Yamato in shock, covering her mouth: "Oh—"
Seeing Nami's reaction, Yamato froze for a moment before blushing furiously two seconds later, awkwardly fidgeting with her fingers.
"If we're talking about this..."
Deuce spoke slowly with profound eyes: "I'd also like to find a Zoan-type Devil Fruit girlfriend!"
Barto and Ace nodded in agreement, their faces sporting shy yet perverted grins.
"Speaking of which, I actually know two..."
Caesar gave Deuce a meaningful look: "Want me to introduce them to you later?"
Deuce immediately grew wary, sensing his captain was up to no good: "They're not some bull-horse-ape-elephant types, are they?"
Caesar shook his head: "No, they're soft and flexible Snake Snake Fruit users!"
Deuce bowed at a perfect 90-degree angle: "Please absolutely introduce me to them!"
Ahem, since there are two of them..."
Barto rubbed his nose shyly: "Could you introduce one to me too?"
"Sure!"
Caesar replied with an inscrutable expression: "Then it's settled!"
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