Chapter 17
"It is good to have an end to journey towards; but it is the journey that matters, in the end."-Ernest Hemingway
The Straw Hats had spent a few days at Cocoyashi Village, each day consisting of non-stop celebration. Now came the morning of the departure, and the crew was currently stocking up on food and other supplies. The villagers stood around the Going Merry, a mixture of emotions shrouding the air. Johnny and Yosaku stood at the very front, their hands placed on their faces like the first time they had met everyone.
"We will continue our lives as bounty hunters. Thank you for taking care of us." Yosaku said coolly. "We have to say goodbye now, and we wish to see you again someday." Johnny said thoughtfully. Kya swung her legs gently as she sat on the ledge in between Luffy and Sanji, a bored look on her face. Of course she was happy for everyone, but she never did like staying in one place for too long. "Good luck to you." Zoro told his friends, leaning back against the wall. "You too, brother."
"Mah, we should be leaving. But Nami hasn't arrived yet." Usopp spoke up, looking out at the villagers with a hand shielding his eyes. "Maybe she's not coming with us." Zoro put simply, causing Sanji to lose it. "Nami-san is not coming?!" He shouted angrily at his new Captain, who happened to be more concerned over the other night's matters. "You tricked me about those fresh ham melons right?" He stated matter-of-factly, pointing a finger at the chef. Kya couldn't help but snort; what a dolt.
"Raise the anchor!"
Off in the distance stood the young navigator, her face down to the ground as people began to gasp and call her name. Then suddenly, she took off running, straight for the Merry. "She is running here. What is she thinking?" Usopp asked. "She said to raise the anchor, so do it." Luffy told them.
"Unfold the sail!"
Kya did as she was told, climbing to the top of the main mast, untying the main sail. She watched as Zoro pulled the anchor up, and the other boys ran about, doing their duties. Nami ran through the villagers, ignoring whatever words they had to say to her. "Is it a good thing to say goodbye like this?" Sanji asked from the stern. "Just let her do it her own way." Luffy answered.
"Nami-chan!"
"Why?!"
The orange haired girl still ignored them, and leapt from the deck onto the back railing. She jumped down, lifting up her shirt slightly, and hundreds of wallets fell to the ground. "You little thief!" The villagers screamed at her as she kissed some Beli. "She never changes." Usopp sighed heavily. "Is she going to betray us again?" Zoro asked gruffly. "Nami-san that's so cool~!" Sanji gave her a thumbs up, along with a disturbing look. Luffy laughed loudly at her, and Kya merely shook her head, leaning over the crow's nest as the villagers shouted at her some more. "Don't forget out promise kid!" The stitched man, Genzo his name was, shouted at Luffy, who gave him a thumbs up. "Goodbye everyone! I'll see you later!" Nami smiled happily, watching her village disappear out of sight. "Well you guys, looks like we're headed for the Grand Line!" She said happily and everyone nodded in reply. "Let's go!"
It had been a few days since the crew had left Cocoyashi, and Kya was currently leaning over the crow's nest, bored out of her mind. "How can anyone sit up here and do this all day?" She sighed, when a loud noise caught her attention. "Don't touch it!" She looked down to see Sanji had kicked Luffy into Usopp, who was now screaming in pain. "It's just one orange!" Luffy defended, his stomach growling.
"No! I won't give you one! These are Nami-san's orange trees, I will take care of them with my own life!" Sanji told the boy, standing in front of the trees defensively. "Well, that's okay because I am in a good mood now." Luffy chuckled. "Nami-san! I will give my love to you with all my heart!" Sanji cooed. Said girl simply flipped through the pages of her newspaper. "Thank you Sanji~."
Usopp rolled on the ground, writhing in pain as the captain sighed. "We are finally about to get to the Grand Line!" He pumped his arms in the air. "That's not really anything to be excited about." She muttered but he ignored her. "Right now the world is in total chaos. Gas prices are increasing and there is a war going on." Nami said as she sat down in her lounge chair. As she flipped through the pages, a flyer came out, landing on Usopp's face. As the others looked down at the paper, aside from Zoro and Kya, the cried out; some in joy and some in terror.
"Wow! 30 million Beli! We have become popular!" Kya squinted her eyes to see the paper Luffy was holding. It was a bounty paper, Luffy's smiling face plastered on it with 30,000,000 Beli on the bottom. "Jeesh." She whistled, looking back out to sea. "That's a lot for an East Blue man." She tuned out Nami's scolding and Luffy's cheering and focused out at sea. Something was off in the distance, not too far. "Hey! I see an island over there!" She called out, causing everyone to stop and look. "This means we are very close to the Grand Line." She informed them.
"This island is Loguetown, 'The City of the Beginning and the End'. The legendary Gol D. Roger was born and executed in this town." She continued as the others marveled at it. "The place where the Greatest Pirate was executed…" Luffy trailed off thoughtfully, and her mind wandered off to how much trouble they'd get in here. 'Wonder how many Marines will be there.'
It didn't take them long to dock, and Luffy was quickly standing in the middle of a busy square. Kya jumped off the Merry, standing next to him. "Mah, be careful Luffy. You've got a bounty on your head." She tried to tell him, but he only pumped his fists in the air. "Wow! What a big city it is! So the pirate era began here!" He nearly shouted. "I will go see the execution place."
"There must be a lot of food here." Sanji marveled. "I will go a buy some tools!" Usopp declared loudly. "I want to buy something too." Zoro added in; all these were directed at Nami. "I can lend you some money, only 300% interest." She giggled, and Kya shook her head. Good thing the young assassin didn't need anything crucial. "See you guys later!" She waved lightly, walking off through the bustling center. 'Let's see what we can find today.'
"Bah, I should've stayed on the ship." After walking around for half an hour, she found herself bored out of her mind. She fixed her black tube top, pulling it so it stopped just before her naval. Her white shorts stopped about 3 inches above her knee; her dagger and belt lay securely in their right spots.
"A bit OCD now are we?"
She froze as the low voice hit her hears. "I see you followed me." She growled lowly, closing her eyes. "You'd be correct." Ron snickered as he made his way over to her. "I'll be following you until you return to Sora and Niro-sama." He told her simply.
"Tch. I'll be there when I can. I'm not alone you know?" She retorted, walking away from him. "Well you can't take too long." He reached out and grabbed her wrist roughly. "Have you not seen the newspapers?" He asked tauntingly and she shook her head. "Well let's go look for yourself."
He dragged her into a katana shop, and who else happened to be there? Zoro of course, along with another girl. "H-How may I help you?" The weird looking man at the cashier's desk stuttered. "What are you doing in here? Who is that guy?" Zoro asked gruffly, a stern look on his face. She looked at him from the corner of her eye, but chose to ignore him. "I need a newspaper." She told the clerk quickly. "Do you know her?" The small woman piped up suddenly.
Kya turned to study her; short black hair, glasses, black pants, and a floral print shirt. She was currently on her knees, Zoro standing next to her, two more swords added to his waist. The clerk came back with a newspaper and handed it to the assassin carefully, Ron standing behind her. He had his arms on either side of her on the counter, looking over her shoulder at the paper.
"What exactly am I looking for?" She asked, flipping through the pages. "Ah, ah. Wait. Go back a page." He said suddenly, and she listened. There, printed in black and white was a picture of her home. The title was 'Uninhabited Island to be Destroyed Soon'. Her hands shook slightly and her small mouth formed into a frown. "They're going to-"
"We have no use for it anymore. They'll be leaving soon so you'd better hurry." Those were Ron's last words to her before he quickly departed. 'This isn't good. Shit. If I get there too late I'll never find them again.' She chewed the inside of her cheek, reading the article.
'Uninhabited island in the Grand Line is soon to be demolished due to dangerous materials found in its dwellings. The World Government cautions all travelers and Marines to avoid this island at all times, as the date of the destruction has not been released. The island is commonly known as Dark Island, due to the heavy fog and heavy rainfall. No beings, humans and animals alike, have been found on the island. Mar-'
A large hand was placed on her shoulder, pulling her away from the paper. "Is everything okay?" Zoro looked down at her, an eyebrow raised questioningly. She swallowed the lump in her throat, placing the slightly crumbled newspaper on the counter. "Thanks." She breathed to the clerk before practically running from the building.
"Wait, wait!" She stormed away from the place, thoughts racing in her mind. She as so angry she could cry. They knew she was coming didn't they? All along; and it was probably all Ron's fault too. 'He should die a horrible death.' She thought bitterly, pushing her way through the crowd. "Oi, oi. Stop running away." The hand from before was back on her shoulder, stopping her from walking any farther. "What's up with you? And who was that guy?" He asked in one breath, but she simply just shrugged his hand off. "No one. Nothing happened I'm fine." She lied, looking at the ground. "Why can't-"
"I see you got new katanas." She changed the subject, pointing at his two new partners. He grumbled something incoherent, but nodded. "Ya. Just now. When I have three swords, I feel more secure." He told her and she nodded in reply.
They walked in silence, but the farther they walked the less people seemed to be there. "Where are…the people?" Zoro asked, looking around. She shrugged, and that's when they walked up to Usopp, Nami, and Sanji. Nami was carrying a large bag on her back, while Usopp and Sanji were holding an even larger fish. "Where is he?" The pink haired girl asked everyone. "He said that he was going to see the execution place." Nami stated. "Execution place? Isn't that right here?" As the crew looked towards the center of where everyone gathered, they noticed something a little odd. Someone was sitting on top of the execution platform, their head and arms bound by a wooden block. That person just so happened to be Luffy.
"What is he doing at the execution stake?!" Zoro shouted while Usopp screamed in terror. "Oh no…" Kya sighed, hanging her head. "Because this pirate, Monkey D. Luffy, has upset me, he must be executed!" Squinting a little, she saw there was another person with her captain, Buggy to be exact.
"Go and create chaos!"
"Whoever dares to move must die!"
"Yahoo!"
The clown-like pirate's crew began to shout and holler and Buggy and Luffy argued for a minute. "What should we do?" She asked frantically, slightly ticked about how this ended up. "And now I would like to begin the execution in front of you all!"
"A storm's coming; we'd better get out of here." Nami said suddenly. "Usopp! Protect Nami-san with your life!" Sanji threw the large fish at the sharpshooter, before taking off through the crowd with Kya and Zoro. "I…." Luffy's voice echoed around the whole entire island. "…..Am the person who will become the greatest pirate ever!"
"Stop that!" Zoro and Sanji cried out as they ran, Kya trailing behind them. "Sanji! Zoro! Kya!" Luffy shouted happily, struggling against the wooden stock. "Finally you've come, Zoro, Kya. But you are too late!" Buggy raised his sword above his head. "We have to hurry and destroy that stake!" Zoro yelled over the crowd. "I know!"
As they ran forward, some of Buggy's crew lunged at them. "We don't have time for this!" She shouted at them as they easily took down some of the crew. "All of you be prepared and watched, because this is the end of your captain's life!" Buggy laughed manically as she punched a man in the face.
"Kya! Zoro! Sanji! Usopp! Nami!"
The three of them stopped and looked up at Luffy, who was giving off his usually grin. "Sorry! But I don't think that I'll survive this time!" He chuckled, and she nearly lost it. "Don't-!" Zoro and Sanji began, but she finished for them. "Don't say that!" She screamed, eyes wide as Buggy brought the sword down to Luffy's neck.
Suddenly, a bolt of lightning came down right on the stake. 'What luck…' Kya breathed out heavily; Luffy was a rubber man so he shouldn't be hurt, right? The wooden stake fell to the ground, up in flames, and a straw hat floated gently to the ground before it. "Lucky! I am safe now!" Luffy laughed happily as he bent down and picked up his precious hat before placing it on his head.
"Well then…" She sighed, crossing her arms as she stood in between Sanji. "Hey! Do you believe in God?" Sanji asked while puffing smoke from his lips. "Don't say something so stupid. Let's get out of this town before Marines come." Zoro scoffed. As if on cue, the sound of Marines echoed around them. "Surround them and close all the streets! Let's arrest them!"
"Here they come! Let's go!" Sanji called out, and the four of them took off running. She was running in front of Luffy, Zoro and Sanji on either side of them as the Marines began to chase after them. Rain began to beta down on them as the Marines caught up. "Watch this!" Luffy cried suddenly, turning around. "What are you doing?!" Zoro screamed at him, pulling at his shirt so they could keep running.
"What a heavy storm…" Kya muttered, her hair now sopping wet and clinging to her small face. "They're still following us! Should we stop and fight them?" Luffy asked, itching to punch someone. "No. it's worthless. Besides, Nami-san told us to get back to the ship as soon as possible." Sanji informed them, before looking forward and spotting the young woman.
'It's that girl from the shop, except she has a Marne jacket on.' Kya noted as the girl frowned. "Roronoa Zoro!" She called out, the rain pouring down on her. "Sergeant Tashigi!" The Marines behind the pirates called out. "I would have never thought that you are Roronoa Zoro. You must be so proud that you can trick me! I can't forgive you now!" She said, making Sanji turn to his swordsman crewmate. "What have you done to that lady?!" He shouted in Kya's ear, making her flinch. "So you are a Marine?" Zoro ignored Sanji, per usual. "I will take Wado Ichimonji from you!"
"Try it if you can."
She moved out of the way as Zoro and the woman clashed swords, grabbing Sanji's arm in the process. "You go first!" Zoro told them, and Luffy nodded in agreement as he helped drag Sanji off. "That moron is thinking about hurting a lady!?" The cook screamed, flailing about. "Sanji! Calm down!" The assassin tugged his arm, calming him down slightly. "Oh Kya-chwan!~ You always know how to make me feel better!" he cooed as the three hit a road block. "Who is standing there?" Luffy asked as they ran closer.
"You have come Luffy." Than man said darkly, turning his dark eyes too Kya. "And you. I'd never thought you'd become a pirate." He noted grimly, smoke pouring from his mouth which held two cigars. She studied him carefully; an open Marine jacket, white hair, dark pants and gloves. "Shit." She murmured, chewing the inside of her lip. "Who are you?!" Luffy shouted at him. "My name is Smoker. I am the major of the Marine Base." From his hands shot clouds of white smoke at the three. "I won't allow you to get out of here!" The smoke encircled Luffy, lifting him off the ground, while Kya and Sanji were able to dodge it. "What is this, you!?" Sanji ran at Smoker as his captain cried for help. "Sanji no!" Kya yelled; knowing exactly what would happen. "You evil!" Sanji shot his leg straight through Smoker's head, which immediately turned to smoke. "Don't mess with me you weakling. White blow!" The chef was sent into the building next to him, causing debris to fly everywhere. "Sanji! You!" Luffy turned to Smoker. "Bullet Punch!" His arm went straight through the Marine's body, just like before.
'Shit. Shit. I've got to stop this.' Kya thought, looking for a way to attack the man. Haki, of course, but he moved around too much for her to hit him; she could hit Luffy. "So your head is worth 30 Million Beli?" Smoker was quickly behind the straw hat boy, grabbing his head and pushing him into the ground. "You are just in bad luck." He pulled his weapon from his back. "Luffy!" Kya ran over to them, but someone hopped down from the building in front of her, grabbing Smoker's weapon. "I don't think so." The cloaked figure said deeply, causing Smoker to gasp. "You!"
She couldn't see his face, but obviously he was someone of importance, but why was he helping Luffy? "The government is looking for you!" Smoker said roughly, and the man chuckled. "The world is waiting for our answer." The cloaked figure chuckled lightly. "Storm!" The wind and rain picked up heavily, knocking the small girl off her feet. "Luffy!" She cried out, making the boy on the ground look at her. "Kya!" He stretched his arm out, wrapping it around her before pulling her back to him.
"Let's go Luffy, Kya! Before they close this island!" Zoro ran up behind them, picking both them up off the ground. "Ah! What's happening?!" Luffy yelled as Kya closed her eyes, the rain beating down on her face. "So this is what Nami-san talked about?!" Sanji cooed, even though the parsimonious navigator was not among them. After running for a few minutes, Zoro eventually dropped them to the ground. "What the hell happened?" He panted. "I don't know! Smoker was about to hurt Luffy, when some cloaked guy showed up! I'm pretty sure he did this!" She cried back at him. "What the hell were you two doing while that Marine had him?!"
"Don't talk to Kya-chwan like that!" Sanji snapped at the swordsman, who gave him a low look. "Look, we need to get back to the ship now. Smoker won't give up this easily." She took off, the boys following after her. "How do you know that smokey guy?" Luffy asked innocently. She sighed, shaking her head. "It's not really that big of a deal, but I'll tell you later."
They reached the Merry in record time, Usopp and Nami were out on the deck waiting for their return. "Luffy!" Usopp cried happily, last seeing the boy in a stock. "We are back Nami-san~!" Sanji swayed from side to side, but he was ignored. "Hurry up! We have to go now!"
The crew worked quickly and efficiently, trying to get away from Loguetown as soon as possible. "Ah! Our ship will sink!" The boat was rocking back and forth violently, though it showed no sign of giving up on them. Everyone stood on the front deck, peering out into the dark as a small light shone through.
"Look at that!"
"A light house?
"That's a guiding light."
"And the end of that light, it's the entrance to Grand Line." Kya stated thoughtfully as the icy wind hit her face. "So?" Nami breathed, brushing her hair back. "Don't any of you feel anything in the middle of a storm!?" Usopp cried, his entire body shaking.
Sanji left for a moment, returning with a large barrel and placed it in the middle of everyone. "Shall we begin the ceremony for entering the Grand Line?" He placed his foot on the edge of the barrel. "I want to find All Blue." He said, smiling lightly. "I want to become the greatest pirate!" Luffy followed, a deranged look on his face. "I want to become an invincible swordsman." Zoro chuckled to himself and Kya placed hers up next. "I want to get my home back." She stated, her face placid. "I want to draw a map of the world." Nami was a bit breathless from the weather, but managed to stand tall as they all waited for Usopp. "I want to become a great warrior of the sea!" He shouted the loudest.
"Let's go to the Grand Line!"
They hadn't been sailing for long; Nami and Luffy were outside navigating while the rest of the crew was in the kitchen and lounge area. Kya had her head down on the table beside Usopp, her arms wrapped around herself. She wasn't just cold, she was freezing. "What are you doing baka?" Zoro questioned from across the table, his head in his hands. "I'm cold." She said simply, making him snort. "Get a jacket." She sat up and looked at him. "Shut up."
That's when Sanji hit the green haired man on the head with a rolling pin. "Leave my poor Kya-chwan alone!" He fumed, only earning a glare from Zoro. "What was that Ero-cook?!" He nearly shouted, earning a sigh from the sharpshooter and assassin. "Is it going to be this way forever?" Usopp muttered, making Kya frown. "I believe so."
That's when Nami burst through the door, causing Sanji to swoon, and Luffy followed in after her. "I'm thirsty!" The boy whined, sitting across from Usopp. Sanji was gave him a glass of water, which Luffy picked up with his teeth and gulped it. "It seems that the entrance to the Grand Line is a mountain." Nami said simply, slamming her map on the table. "Mountain?!" Usopp cocked his head to the side, his jaw dropped.
"Yes. At first I thought that it's impossible. But look at this. The place the guiding light is pointing to is Loose Mountain on the Red Line." She pointed at the map. "What? Do you mean that we will hit the mountain?!" She sighed and shook her head. "No. It's not like that! Can't you see a canal here?"
"A canal? Don't be stupid. Even though there is a canal there is no way that a ship can go up that mountain." Usopp countered. "But that's what the map says!" She defended. "Yes! Don't you trust Nami-san?" Sanji, of course, sided with her. "You stole that map from Buggy right? Are you sure that it's accurate?" Zoro asked her. "Use a ship to cross a mountain? Sounds interesting! A magic mountain!" Luffy chuckled lightly, causing the navigator to sigh and look at Kya. "You're from the Grand Line right? How do we get there?" Kya looked at the paper lazily, lips pursed. "No idea. That's not how I got to East Blue." She informed casually.
"I want to ask you something. What is the reason of going to the Grand Line by using this as an entrance? If you head south, you can go to the Grand Line right?" Zoro asked, a hand on his head. "That's a bad idea Zoro!" Luffy was quick to his feet, pointing a finger at the swordsman. "Luffy's right. There is a reason for that." Nami agreed, surprisingly.
"We're supposed to go to the Grand Line by using this entrance because it's cool!"
"That's not a reason." She punched him on the back of the head, making the assassin chuckle. "Look! The storm has gone!" Usopp told them. "Ya, the weather is so calm." Sanji added and everyone shuffled their way outside. "That's impossible. If we head towards the storm, we will arrive at the entrance."
"Wow! Nice weather!"
"What happened here?"
Kya looked around them, noticing the placid waters. 'Shit!' She looked at the sails, and seeing them unmoving confirmed her suspicions. "Nami!" She shouted loudly, gaining everyone's attention. "We're in the Calm Belt!" The navigator stared at her wide eyed, unable to speak. "Cam belt?" Luffy repeated. "What is that?" Zoro asked lazily. "Ah! Look! There's still a heavy storm out there. But this side is so calm." Usopp said lightly.
"Just shut up and prepare to row! We have to go back to the storm!" Nami shouted angrily at them. "Yes Nami-swan~!" Kya ran over to the side of the ship, looking down at the water. She saw the shadows moving around wildly; they were in trouble. "Why do we have to hurry? You told us to row the ship but this is not a rowboat." Luffy countered stupidly. "Why do we have to go back to the storm?" Usopp whined pitifully. "Just shut up and do it!" Her and Nami yelled at the same time.
"It's nice weather here, why do we have to go back there?" Zoro agreed with the other two idiots. "I am going to explain it to you! Now the ship is going south like you wanted!" Nami screeched at him. "Oh! So we're in Grand Line now?" he asked. "If it was that easy to go there, then there would be many people there!"
"Grand line is surrounded by two seas." Kya explained, watching fearfully as bigger shadows swam by. "And one of the seas is the Calm Belt, the sea without wind." Zoro looked at her, then to the sky. "You're right. There's no wind at all." He noted. "Because this sea is-" Nami didn't get to finish her scream as the boat rocked back and forth violently. "Aah! An earthquake!" Luffy cried. "Don't be stupid! We're in the middle of the ocean!" Usopp yelled at him.
That's when the Merry was lifted into the air on top of a giant Sea King surrounded by at least six others. Kya let out a cry as she fell forward, latching onto the railing so she wouldn't fall. "Kya!" Nami shouted and the boys ran over to her. "I'm fine." She breathed, hoisting herself back onto the main deck. Usopp collapsed right in front of her, behind him Nami hugged the pole and cried. "This sea is the giant Sea Kings' nest!"
Zoro and Luffy quickly grabbed the oars, looking over the side. "When this monster dives, let's begin rowing as fast as we can!" The Sea King they were residing on rocked its head side to side, taking in a deep breath before letting out a loud sneeze. "What is this?!" The Straw Hats were quickly flung into the air, the Merry flying below them. "Hold on tight" Luffy instructed them. Kya reached out and successfully grabbed one of the ropes that tied the main sail. "Oh no, we're doomed." She muttered to herself, watching as a frog-like Sea King noticed them. "Aaah! The giant frog is following us!" Luffy screamed, holding onto the crow's nest. She watched, horrified, as Usopp began to fall into the beast's open mouth. "Usopp is falling!"
"Usopp!" Luffy stretched his arm out, grabbing onto the sharpshooter's nose just before the Merry hit the water in the storm. The force cause Kya to release her grip on the rope and she fell to the main deck on her back. "Ow." She whined, closing her eyes. "We are safe now! We've come back to the storm!" Luffy panted, laid out with his arm on Usopp's back. "Do you understand why we have to use this entrance now?" Nami asked shakingly. "Yes I understand now." Zoro answered, leaning up against the mast.
"I got it!"
Suddenly Nami sat up, smiling to herself. "What?" Kya muttered, cracking her back as she rolled onto her stomach. "We have to go up that mountain!" The navigator said happily. "Are you still on that?" Zoro grumbled. "If the waves from four oceans head up to that mountain, it will create a stream!" Nami said thoughtfully. "That stream will push the water up to the canal, and when the water has reached the mountain's peak, it will push back to the Grand Line. So, the ship can go up the mountain by the stream power. The only problem left is how to control the rudder. Loose Mountain is a huge iceberg. When the stream hits the mountain, the water will cool down. If we can't control our ship to the entrance, we will hit the mountain and sink. Do you understand?"
"So that means it's a magic mountain, right?" Luffy chuckled, his hand under his chin. "It seems that you don't understand it." She sighed heavily. "You're so good Nami-swan~!" Sanji cooed, hearts in his eyes. "It's pretty simple." Kya told her, standing to her feet. "I've never heard of a ship that can climb a mountain." Zoro scoffed at the idea.
"I've heard something about it." Sanji said, exhaling the nicotine smoke. "What? About the magic mountain?" Zoro questioned. "No. I heard the story about Grand Line. They said that it is very tough to even get in there. SO, I realized going to Grand Line isn't an easy job!" Sanji chuckled to himself, nearly making Usopp cry. "Ah, so is it true Kya? Is the Grand Line really that dangerous?" Nami asked.
"Aye. Sea Kings, pirates, Marines, unpredictable weather, anything you can name the Grand Line's got it. Granted I've only been to a few places in it, but they were some helluva trips." Kya frowned at the memories, but brushed them off. "I see the magic mountain! It's very huge!" Luffy suddenly yelled, causing everyone to look out. Through the thick fog and storm, you could a large rock standing miles tall in front of them. "Wait! What is that shadow back there?!" Usopp cried out. "Is that the Red Line?"
"There's a fog surrounding it. We can't see anything." The assassin noted casually, earning a few glares. The Merry lurched forward, revealing a large canal going up the mountain. She ran up to the front deck, staring wide eyed as they were being sucked up the large stream. "Take a deep breath and hold the rudder tight!" Luffy cried out, Usopp and Sanji following his directions. "This is impossible." Nami breathed out. "Am I dreaming?" Zoro muttered, looking through the binoculars. "The stream is going up the mountain." Kya stated, her heart beating. She'd never seen something so crazy!
"It's getting off route now! Turn right! Right!"
While obeying Luffy's orders, Usopp and Sanji somehow managed to snap the rudder in half, sending them straight into one of the wooden poles at the beginning of the canal. She fell to her knees, holding onto the railing tight. 'Shit.' She thought, frowning to herself. They couldn't just end before they begin! "We're going to hit the gate!" She cried out in fear, and that's when Luffy ran up next to her. "Rubber…" His hat flew off his head as he jumped in front of the boat. "Balloon!"
The boat hit the wooden pole, Luffy in between the two which sent the Merry back on track. "We're safe!" Nami rejoiced, forgetting that Luffy was about to fall into the water. "Luffy! Take my hand!" Zoro shouted, holding one hand out while the other held onto his captain's hat. Luffy's arm stretched, clasping Zoro's hand tightly as he flew onto the main deck, sending them both to the ground.
Kya laughed to herself as she stood up, leaning on the railing. The rest of the crew ran up there with her, laughing and rejoicing. "We did it!" They all yelled together; Sanji and Usopp were dancing and Nami threw her rain coat off into the wind.
The stream was carrying them, so Sanji and Usopp pulled the sails up while Luffy climbed to his spot on Merry's head. Nami stood next to him, while Kya and Zoro were on his other side as the stream shot them flying into the air. "I can't believe we're flying!" Kya grinned to herself; when would this ever happen to them again?!
"We are going down now!"
"Wow!" Nami gasped as they began to descend, straight into the ocean. "I see Grand Line!" Luffy shouted, leaning to the side with his hand shielding his eyes. "This is the largest sea in the world!" He added. "Let's go!" They all shouted together.
Suddenly, a piercing sound echoed around them. "Did you hear something?" Kya looked around, not seeing any form of life just yet. "Yah, what was it?" Zoro asked boredly. "Don't worry about it! Let's go!" Luffy shouted, pumping his arm forward. "Maybe it's just the wind. I guarantee that we will find a different atmosphere here." Nami concluded, until the sound echoed around them again.
"Nami-san! There is a mountain blocking our way! What's that?!" Sanji shouted from the mast, pointing forward. "A mountain? That's impossible. If we get through this passage there will only be sea." She told everyone as the sound reached their ears again. Kya squinted, looking for a mountain, but what she saw wasn't a mountain, though it was a large enough to be one. "It's not a mountain but a giant whale!" She yelled at everyone as the giant whale cried out again.
"What?!"
Thank you to everyone who reads my stories; I love you with my whole entire heart.3