With a single strike, Colonel Smoker—the feared Logia user—was defeated.
The entire street fell silent.
Every Marine, led by Sergeant Tashigi, stood frozen in shock. Even Erza, Mirajane, and Nami stared in disbelief, unable to process how quickly the battle had ended.
Moments passed before the silence broke.
"Ohhh, President, that was amazing!" Nami cheered, her voice ringing with excitement.
"As expected of our President." Mirajane smiled warmly, clapping her hands together.
"Mr. Smoker!" Tashigi finally screamed, her voice cracking with panic. She rushed into the rubble with the other Marines, desperately digging out Smoker's unconscious body, blood trailing from his wounds.
Meanwhile, Sugisawa Yuuto casually swung the captured weapon in his hand, turning away as if the fight had been nothing more than a brief warm-up. "Let's go, girls."
"President," Erza asked as she fell into step beside him, brows furrowed, "how did you do it? That man's body seemed completely immune to my blades. No matter how I attacked, it had no effect."
Yuuto twirled the weapon between his fingers and spoke evenly. "Simple. The tip of this jitte was inlaid with seastone. That stone suppresses the powers of Devil Fruit users."
"That kind of stone… it must be incredibly rare," Erza said, astonished.
"Rare, yes. But not impossible to obtain. If you want more, I can get plenty."
Her eyes lit up. "In that case—can you craft me a full set of seastone armor? I'd pay any price!"
Yuuto chuckled. "That might be a little difficult. Seastone is harder than diamond."
"What?!" Erza exclaimed, nearly dropping her sword. "Harder than diamond? Forget it then… Are there other ways to fight someone like him?"
"Haki," Yuuto answered.
"Haki?" Erza repeated, tilting her head in confusion.
"It's a hidden power within every person," Yuuto explained briefly.
"Do you know how to use it, President?" Mirajane asked curiously.
Yuuto smirked. "Not yet."
The three women exchanged a collective sigh.
By the time their conversation ended, they had already reached the ship. With awe-filled eyes following them from the ruins of Loguetown, the sails of Fairy Tail unfurled once again.
Their next destination: the Grand Line.
The Red Line
An hour later, the weather shifted.
Dark storm clouds rolled across the once-clear sky, unleashing sheets of torrential rain. The sea churned violently, waves crashing higher and higher.
"Look!" Erza pointed ahead through the downpour. "Is that… a wall? Why would there be a wall in the middle of the sea?"
"That's not just any wall." Nami's voice trembled with awe. "That's the Red Line. This is my first time seeing it, but… if we climb the Reverse Mountain canal, we'll reach the Grand Line!"
Mirajane frowned. "Climb? How do we even get to the other side of that enormous wall?"
Yuuto's eyes gleamed with determination as he gripped the helm. "It's simple."
Through the haze of rain, they saw it—the narrow canal carved into the Red Line itself, water rushing upward with impossible force. The current climbed like a raging waterfall in reverse, dragging ships toward the sky.
Even Erza and Mirajane, warriors accustomed to the wonders of magic, could only gape in shock.
"Hold on tight!" Yuuto shouted, steering Fairy Tail straight into the roaring current.
The ship surged upward, battling the furious water. Spray blinded their eyes, the deck rattled beneath their feet—but Yuuto's steady grip never wavered.
Five minutes later, Fairy Tail burst through the storm clouds and crested the peak of Reverse Mountain.
The sky opened above them, dazzlingly bright.
"So beautiful…" Nami whispered, her eyes wide as she gazed at the endless sea stretching out before them.
But their awe was short-lived.
The ship tilted forward—then plunged down the other side like a roller coaster.
"KYAAAAHHHHH!!!"
The screams of the girls echoed as Fairy Tail shot downward, riding the raging current toward destiny.
Twin Cape
At the base of Reverse Mountain lay Twin Cape, the starting point of the Grand Line.
For any crew daring to enter these seas, this was the first checkpoint.
But today, the cape seemed unusually grim. Rain had fallen endlessly for two days, a soft drizzle soaking the lighthouse and its surroundings.
Beneath an umbrella by the shore stood an elderly man in a floral shirt and slippers, a pipe dangling from his lips. Crocus, the lighthouse keeper, stroked his chin, his mood as damp as the weather.
The Grand Line's climate was unpredictable, yes, but this storm… it felt unnatural.
His gaze drifted to the shoreline, where a solitary figure stood unmoving in the rain.
She was a young woman with long curly blue hair, dressed in a matching blue slit dress and a wide-brimmed hat. A lace umbrella shielded her as she stared silently toward the sea.
Two days ago, after checking on the great whale Laboon, Crocus had found her there. At first, he thought she belonged to some passing crew and paid her no mind. But hours later, when he returned, she was still standing alone in the rain.
Moved by pity, Crocus had offered her hot food and conversation.
Her name, she told him, was Juvia Lockser. She was waiting for her partner to come and retrieve her.
"Partner, huh…" Crocus muttered bitterly now, memories gnawing at him.
Fifty years ago, another companion had left something behind here. The great whale Laboon had been abandoned with the promise that its friends would return after a short journey around the world.
But five decades had passed. They never came back.
Juvia's situation was too similar. He feared her partner had also abandoned her. But he couldn't bring himself to say such cruel words aloud. All he could do was wait for her to realize it herself.
"Ahh… when will this rain ever end…" Crocus sighed.
But in the very next moment—
The drizzle stopped.
Sunlight broke through the clouds, golden and warm.
And for the first time in days, Juvia smiled.
She turned to Crocus, eyes shining. "Grandpa, thank you for taking care of me these past two days. My partner has come to pick me up!"