Betaread by The Patient One.
Chapter 28. To the Grand Line!
"Hi! Do you mind if I hitch a ride?"
The rain was coming down in great torrents, the wind whipping across the deck. Going Merry heaved and tossed, the sea beneath her turbulent and unforgiving.
The pirates stared at the stranger on their ship. Every sense on high alert, every muscle already working beyond normal capacity, various thoughts running rampant in their heads. Was he a friend? Or an enemy? With no other ships in sight, how did he turn up here? What kind of monster was he?
Waves of rain hit the wooden deck like the steady tap of a drum.
One second, Luffy attacked. Faster than anyone could react, his stretched-out arms latched onto the inner railing and he catapulted himself straight into the man, sending both of them into the mikan groove.
Two seconds, Zoro drew his new swords. Sanji's teeth clamped down on his soggy cigarette. Nami assembled her Bo staff. Usopp grabbed his slingshot and rummaged around his bag for suitable ammo.
A flash of lightning cracked the sky, silently. No thunder yet.
Everyone was ready. No way they would allow their captain to fight alone. This was neither time nor place for the prolonged battle; this violent storm posed enough danger on its own.
Three seconds, a soft laughter reached their ears.
Four seconds, Luffy's four crewmates shifted their feet, their balance steady and their bodies ready to move at a moment's notice.
Thunder rumbled overhead.
Five seconds, any moment now the fight would begi—
…
Wait a moment.
They blinked at the mikan groove, then at each other, then back at the spot among Nami's trees. They could see the blond stranger sitting there with a bright smile on his face, one that their captain matched. The stranger ruffled Luffy's wet hair, apparently not minding that the latter was sitting on his lap. Then he reached for Luffy's straw hat dangling in the wind and pressed it back on the boy's head.
And Luffy only laughed at that before tackling the man into a hug again.
Four pirates blinked again, trying to make sense of the scene in front of them. Nami and Usopp even rubbed their eyes.
They were talking, Luffy and the guy, but due to their low voices and a storm still raging around, no one could hear their conversation.
"Umm…" Usopp started but failed to find something more to say. That about summed up everyone's current thoughts anyway.
Luffy suddenly jumped to his feet. "Alright!" he shouted with one hand on his hat and another fist-pumping the air. "Grand Line here we come!"
With a soft laugh, the blond also stood up.
"Hm?" Luffy looked at his crew who were gawking at him in utter disbelief. "What are you guys doing?" When he got no answer, he leaped down and then vaulted over the railing, landing lightly in front of them. He scanned their battle-ready stances, growing a bit wary. After another moment of silence, he tilted his head at their weird behavior. "Is this some sort of a game?"
"Lu-Luffy…" Sanji squeezed through his clenched teeth. "Aren't you forgetting something?"
The rubber teen scratched his head, thinking hard. "No? I don't think so?"
"Forgetting someone?!" Usopp squeaked. His gaze ever so often shifted towards the unknown man. He eeped and ducked behind Zoro again when the blond jumped down from the galley roof.
Luffy glanced at each of his nakama. He even looked at the blond guy who at that moment landed next to him, flashing him a sunny grin.
The crew unconsciously held their breaths.
"Nope," their air-headed captain concluded happily in the end. "Everyone's onboard!"
Nami couldn't hold it anymore and shrieked, "Who's that?!"
"Who's who?"
She felt like pulling her hair out. Luffy acted like it was only natural for this man to be present on their ship.
As he sheathed his sword, Zoro heaved a heavy sigh, letting tension seep out with it. Their unexpected guest was obviously not an enemy, going by Luffy's reaction.
The said guest chuckled. "Let me introduce myself," he said, swiping his top hat off his head and pressing it to his chest as he bowed in greeting. "I'm Sabo, Luffy's older brother."
"Sabo and I promised to meet up," Luffy piped in. "Didn't I tell you?"
"NO!" Nami, Sanji, and Usopp screamed together.
"Shishishishi, sorry, sorry." He didn't sound sorry at all. "It's a bit earlier than I've expected, but I'm glad."
Zoro eyed the blond. "How the hell did you arrive here?"
"Oh, my apologies for startling you all." Sabo broke into a sheepish grin. "I missed your departure due to how sudden it was and some errands I had to run. My boss gave me a lift."
"Your boss?" Usopp parroted. "Gave you a lift?!"
"That's right. But don't mind me," the man pointed at something in the far distance, "and better look over there."
All five pirates turned in the specified direction.
"What's that?" Luffy put a hand above his eyes to block out the rain and squinted. "A light?"
Nami's face lit up. "It's the Light of Guidance!" she exclaimed, running up the stairs to the very front of the ship with everyone clambering right after her. "The entrance to the Grand Line is just up ahead of that light!"
Sabo stayed behind. He leaned against the mainmast, observing his little brother interacting with his crew. Quite an interesting bunch of people, he had to admit. Even he had heard about the Pirate Hunter, so seeing him on Luffy's crew was quite a shocker at first. But the way they all reacted at the assumption he was an enemy…
Sabo smiled.
Luffy indeed found himself a good crew.
Sanji zipped past him and into the storage room, bringing a barrel out on the deck a few seconds later and setting it in the middle of the ship. "Alright!" he yelled to get the attention of others. "We're almost at the Grand Line! Let's have a little launching ceremony to mark the importance of our voyage!"
"During this storm?!" Usopp couldn't help but complain.
Luffy bounced closer. "Let's do it!"
Sanji turned to Sabo as the crew gathered around the barrel. "Will you join us?"
"No, no," the man declined, the unspoken message being that he wasn't staying permanently. "You five go ahead."
With a smirk, Sanji put his foot on top of the barrel. "To find the All Blue!"
Luffy planted his own heel, a bright grin never leaving his face. "To become the Pirate King!"
Zoro was next, lips pulled into a confident smile. "To become the World's Greatest Swordsman!"
Nami's expression radiated excitement as she placed her foot. "To draw a Map of the World!"
Usopp joined in the last, taking a deep breath first. "T-To become a Brave Warrior of the Sea!"
They stared at the collection of feet. Different sizes, but all placed together on top of the barrel. Different shapes, yet heading towards the same destination. Different pasts, but ready to share the mutual future.
"To the Grand Line!" Luffy cheered.
"Aye!" his nakama cried out eagerly.
"The entrance to the Grand Line," Nami slapped a map on the table for everyone to see, "is a mountain."
The storm let up somewhat and the crew gathered inside the galley, to dry and warm themselves before they had to go out once more. Luffy sat next to Sabo with Usopp and Zoro opposite of them while Sanji was leaning against the kitchen's cupboard.
"A mountain?" Usopp asked.
Luffy tilted his head at the map, blinking at it curiously. Sabo propped his chin with his hand, choosing to watch on the sidelines instead of ruining the surprise for his little brother and his nakama.
"That's right. I had a hard time believing it myself, but it's drawn here on the map." The navigator pointed at the specific spot and then repeated her previous statement, "The entrance to the Grand Line is a mountain."
"You mean we have to crash through the mountain?" Zoro wondered, absentmindedly scratching his chin. "Or, do we have to drag Merry up the mountain?"
Nami shook her head. "According to this map, there's a waterway to the top."
Luffy studied the map, then he suddenly said, "Oh! I got it."
His crew looked at him, eyes wide. "You did?" they all chorused.
"It's a Mystery Mountain," the rubber teen declared with a firm nod.
Pirates slumped after hearing his answer with a mumbled, "Idiot…"
Luffy turned to his brother who clearly had fun watching their antics. "It is, isn't it?"
Sabo hummed. "The mountain itself is not a mystery."
Nami instantly perked up. She put her hands on her hips and shouted, "Ha!" at her captain with a smug smile on her face.
Luffy sulked, justifiably upset.
"But who built those waterways across it is still a mystery," Sabo added.
This time Luffy shouted, "Ha!" into Nami's face. The navigator scowled at him and then at his brother. The latter offered her an apologetic smile.
"Have you ever been in the Grand Line, Sabo?" Sanji inquired, lighting a new cigarette.
"Well… I've been living there for the past ten years."
The silence that followed this revelation was broken by, "Whaaaaaaaat?" yelled in the quartet, accompanied by Luffy's merry laughter.
Zoro eyed the man once more. "You must be strong to survive the Grand Line for so long." With a vicious smirk dancing on his lips, he seemed to be itching for a fight.
"Sabo's super strong!" Luffy boasted in his brother's stead.
"Whoaaaa, you must know a lot about the Grand Line!" Usopp said, eyes sparkling in admiration. "Hey, hey, can you tell us—"
"I'm sorry," Sabo cut him off. "I don't want to spoil my brother's adventure."
"That's right, Usopp," Luffy agreed. "It's no longer an adventure if you know too much about it."
Dismayed, the sniper settled down with a whiny 'awww'.
Sabo glanced through the galley door's window, spotting an abrupt end of storm clouds and the start of baby blue sky in the distance. It was closer than the last time he checked. "Of course, I'll pitch in if necessary," he said. "Like now, for example, I think someone should man the rudder. We sailed too far into the south."
"Eh?" Luffy looked up at him. "Something's wrong with the south?"
"Not yet, but—"
The door was slammed open, almost leaving it embedded into the wall, when Nami burst outside. "Aaaaaaaargh!" she screamed a few seconds later. "Hard to starboard! Right now!"
"As you wish, Nami-swan!" Sanji replied in an instant as he pirouetted to the whipstaff to turn the Going Merry.
"Can't we just sail directly south and enter the Grand Line through there?" Zoro suggested.
"No," Sabo replied at the same time as Luffy yelled, "No, we can't!"
"That's right," Nami chimed in as she leaned against the door frame to observe the ship's trajectory. "And there's a perfectly good reason for that."
"We can't cheat!" Luffy declared.
Sabo laughed. The navigator's eyebrow twitched, but she just shook her head and let her captain's silliness go. "It's because we'd have to cross the Calm Belt and that's impossible," she explained. "There's never any wind or currents, so we couldn't move unless we rowed our way out. But more importantly, the Calm Belts are the nesting grounds for the Sea Kings. The big ones, especially."
Usopp's eyes bulged out. "Waaah, that's super scary!" he panicked, stumbling over the seat to help Sanji with the rudder. "Warn us next time!"
"Still," Zoro said, "I've never heard about ships climbing mountains."
"It must be because of sea currents. If strong currents from all four seas were to head towards that mountain, then they would drive the water up the waterways," Nami pondered. "And at the very top, the currents would merge and come out to the Grand Line. Ah, that's enough, Sanji-kun."
"Aye, aye~!"
"Now we're back riding the right current," she continued. "It should bring us straight to the entrance. If we steer properly, we'll enter the waterway with no problems. Otherwise, Merry will crash against the Red Line and the currents will drag us down to the bottom of the sea."
Usopp paled and even Zoro looked a bit nervous.
"Oh, I've heard a little about it," Sanji joined in, a crooked grin on his lips. "Supposedly, half of the people die trying to enter the Grand Line. It's no easy task." And then he threw his arms to the side, puffing out a series of smoke hearts. "But we have Nami-swan with us! We'll be fine!"
Nami ignored him and collapsed on the seat next to Luffy. "Urgh, I can't believe that we almost drifted into the Calm Belt…" she muttered as she laid her arms and then head on the table for a short break. "Thanks for the warning, Sabo."
"You're welcome."
Luffy didn't quite understand what happened, but he knew that whatever problems they would encounter, his navigator would always be here to guide them. "Good job, Nami," he said as he gently patted the girl on her head.
Nami hid her face in the crook of her elbow, the tips of her ears turning bright red.
Simple praise from her captain shouldn't have made her this embarrassingly happy, but it did. Maybe because the pat reminded her of Bellemere. Or maybe because Luffy's praise was so inherently different from Arlong's, she hadn't quite got used to it yet. Either way, it filled Nami with nothing but warm and fuzzy feelings.
The rain outside wasn't letting up, still chugging along, relentless and tempestuous. Lightning struck, illuminating the room, with a crack of thunder following suit. The storm was right above them.
Abruptly, Merry swerved to the side. Everyone grabbed onto whatever they could to stay upright or in their seats. Even before the ship completely evened out, Nami was on her feet and sprinting out of the galley again.
"Guys!" she shouted from outside, sounding a bit breathless. "Come look!"
Boys scrambled from their spots and through the door, almost flipping over the railing out of sheer shock when they saw it in the far distance—the colossal wall of jagged sanguine colored rocks rising from the roaring, churning ocean all the way to the clouds and beyond, stretching along the horizon to both sides as far as eyes could see.
The Red Line.
Sabo followed the pirates at a more leisurely pace. He had seen the Red Line before a few times, but the sight of those gargantuan cliffs humbled him every time.
"The entrance is close!" Nami cheered. "Luffy, Usopp, the sails please!"
"Roger!"
"Sanji-kun, the rudder!"
"Aye, Nami-san!"
"Zoro… don't get lost!"
"Oi!"
As the crew dispersed to carry out her orders, the navigator laughed at the heated glare the swordsman sent her way. Then, she glanced at the ship's guest, struggling to decide if she should include him in dividing chores or not. For as kind and amiable as his attitude was, Luffy's brother possessed this strange, aristocratic air about him—which was odd, considering that Luffy was, well, Luffy—and asking him to participate in such mundane tasks didn't seem appropriate.
Sabo saved her when he swiveled around and effortlessly leaped on the galley's roof with a shout, "I'll take care of the lateen sail!" and soon disappeared behind the mikan trees.
Nami's expression brightened up. "That'd be a great help! Thanks!"
"I can't believe it…" Zoro muttered, looking through the binoculars. "The ocean is really going up the mountain."
The water was roaring up the waterway carved into the Red Line. Ten massive rectangular arches with mysterious designs and ancient drawings engraved across their visible surface lined up along the entrance.
Merry's speed continued to increase as they got closer to the mountain, but the storm also grew in its intensity. The wind was practically howling now. The sea foamed and frothed in its terrifying rage, surging waves smashing and pummeling against Merry's sides.
"We're veering off course!" Luffy yelled in alarm, still hanging on the main mast's yard. "Turn starboard! Starboard!"
Usopp ran to help Sanji. One pulled the whipstaff, another pushed, and for a moment it looked like the ship started to turn. There was a sharp snap and they both crashed into the table with the whipstaff's upper part still in their hands.
Going Merry was already almost at the first gate, heading directly into its pillar.
"We won't make it…" Nami whispered in horror.
Luffy sprung from the yard, using it as leverage to propel himself towards the fast approaching archway. His crew watched in utter disbelief as he suddenly inflated, growing almost five times his original size, and wedged himself between Merry and the stone pillar. They stumbled when the ship bounced off of him and raced up towards the top in a straight line.
Luffy deflated as he descended towards the sea and his inevitable doom.
"Luffy!" Zoro was on the stern deck, leaning over the railing with an extended hand. "Grab on!" He saw the boy's arm stretching towards him and they were about to take hold of each other, fingertips touching, when the gust of wind pushed Luffy's hand off-course.
Zoro's eyes widened. He barely registered Sabo's presence at his side, too focused on trying to catch Luffy's hand. He succeeded, but his foot slipped on wet wood and he flipped over the railing. Sabo's hand brushed over his shirt, but it was too late—he was falling into the depths below.
There was a scream and several pairs of feet rushing over. Zoro had no time to even start thinking of what to do, because on the next moment Luffy slammed into him, the force of his rubbery limb snapping back to normal creating a needed momentum and flattening them both against Merry's hull.
Zoro instinctively grabbed the edge of the deck and also his captain to keep him in place. The latter giggled in his grasp. "Scaring us like that…" the swordsman grumbled, unamused by the boy's mirth in the face of grievous danger.
Multiple hands seized them and hauled them back on deck. Luffy immediately found himself in the tight embrace of his distressed brother. He patted the blond's back with a soft, "I'm okay." A few seconds later, after reassuring himself that it was true, Sabo released him. Luffy looked at his nakama, all four staring at him, intense and worried, and beamed at them. "We made it!"
His crew broke into bright grins. "WE MADE IT!" their united holler rumbled like a clap of thunder.
The pirates rushed to the bow, eager to watch as Going Merry sailed higher and higher. Though the dark clouds still covered the sky, the rain turned into a drizzle and soon stopped completely.
Nami whipped off her raincoat and let it flap freely in the wind as she laughed. Sanji and Usopp hooked arms around each other's shoulders and started dancing. Luffy pulled himself up on Merry's figurehead to have the best possible view of their journey to the summit. Zoro stood at the base of the figurehead, making sure of keeping one eye on his captain in case he fell off. He absentmindedly nodded at Sabo when the man came to stand beside him.
The ship charged into the layer of clouds, chill settling across everyone's skin. It didn't last long, because they emerged on the other side with nothing but a luminous blue dome above and brilliant sun chasing the cold away.
They could see it now—the top of the Reverse Mountain.
The water shot into the sky and then splashed into all directions, glistening and shimmering like diamonds. Going Merry flew up together with the current she was riding and for one short thrilling moment seemed to just float in the air. Gravity won in the end and she descended where canals from all four Blues met and currents collided, merging and creating a single monstrous one roaring down the slope. With a lurch, the tiny caravel was pulled into that waterway and glided downstream at double the speed than coming up.
At this altitude, no one could tell where the sky ended and the sea began. They both melted seamlessly into awe-inspiring scenery laid out in front of the eyes of lucky spectators.
"I can see it! The Grand Line! The greatest sea in the world…" Luffy trailed off as he stared straight ahead.
The greatest sea in the world and also the place where his freedom was once stolen. He pressed the hand on top of the straw hat, the familiar texture under his fingers bringing him the comforting sense of confidence and strength. And at the same time, the dagger weighed heavily where it was hanging behind his back.
His body might not be chained down anymore, but his mind and spirit were not fully free yet. Some parts of him were still confined by all those horrible memories and shackled by the darkest emotions he soaked in that place. He didn't want to admit it and even less to accept it, but it was the truth.
Luffy looked behind him, meeting Zoro's sharp silver eyes first. With his fingers wrapped tightly around his white katana's hilt, his swordsman let his lips draw back into a fierce grin. Ready, Captain.
The teen whipped his head around to look at Nami. A bright smile swept across his navigator's face, eyes closing in sheer delight. Ready, Captain!
Luffy glanced up where Sanji perched on the main mast's yard. His cook smirked at him around his cigarette. Ready, Captain.
Black eyes flicked to the crow's nest to find Usopp. His sniper flashed him a thumbs-up. Ready, Captain!
And finally, Luffy's gaze stopped on Sabo. His brother smiled at him, expression soft and warm and kind as always. I'll always have your back, Luffy.
He could easily imagine Ace standing next to Sabo with his arm draped around the latter's shoulders and a toothy grin on his lips. I'm rooting for you, Luffy!
The teen looked back at the vast ocean stretching endlessly in front of him.
Somewhere out there, One Piece was waiting. And with it, the chance to attain absolute freedom, to become the Pirate King! One day, he wouldn't need that dagger anymore. Not today, not tomorrow, not even the next week, but one day, he would throw it away and break the last chains, he was sure of it now.
Luffy took a deep breath, his chest filling with fresh air and promises of adventure, and bellowed, "Full speed ahead!" just as Going Merry dived into the clouds.
-around the same time on the other side of the world, Sabaody Archipelago-
"Thwish ish sho good!" Ace mumbled around the mouthful of roasted marshmallows.
He was sitting on the ground, legs crossed beneath him, with multiple sticks between his fingers, each having a marshmallow speared on. A small, cozy bonfire fluttered in the breeze in front of him.
Ace stuffed another portion of roasted marshmallows into his mouth. These were amazing! He glanced down at an empty package, etching the manufacturer's name into his memory. Before he left, he had to buy a few as a gift for Luffy.
An explosion nearby rocked the area. Ace looked up, lazily chewing on his sweets.
A veil of murky smoke shrouded the bright blue sky, its source an inferno swallowing a big building nearby. Burning deep red and amber and yellow, the wooden frame splintered and snapped all over the place. The massive signboard spelling 'HUMAN SHOP' creaked when fire greedily engulfed it, not sparing a single inch of it and producing crackling noise that sounded almost like laughter.
Ace bit down on the marshmallow and dragged it off the stick as he watched it happen. A corner of his mouth curled up.
Besides the pirate's peaceful little camp, the entire place was in total chaos. People scrambled into different directions, some shrieking in panic, some barking orders, others following them.
Ace stood up and dusted himself off. He was upset and at the same time relieved that there were no Celestial Dragons today in this place. His knuckles itched to punch those scums of the earth, but Marco was right. The World Government and the Navy protected those monsters and hurting them might have brought trouble for Luffy. If he had ended up running into them here, however, he doubted that he would have been able to count on his self-control.
Regardless, Ace ate all the marshmallows, except the last one still on the stick, so it was time to leave. He had all of Paradise to cross if he wanted to meet and welcome his little brother. As he carefully nudged soil on the bonfire to put it off, he tried to remember where exactly he bought those marshmallows.
A high-pitched scream startled him. His eyes narrowed. Wasn't that the direction captives fled towards after he rescued them from the auction house?
Ace practically flew there. It turned out, he was right. Marines blocked the path for a group of people he previously released from the cells and their collars before setting the whole place on fire.
"L-Leave us alone!" a boy, no older than ten, demanded. Despite his whole body shaking, he kept glaring at the Marines as he stood in front of the collapsed woman, arms spread to shield her from getting hit again.
"You little shit," one of the Marines, an officer by the looks of it, sneered. "A slave dares to talk back to me!" He lifted his hand and the kid cringed, closing his eyes.
Ace felt his blood boil. Oh, hell no!
The boy blinked when the pain never came. He looked up, up, up, his eyes widening at the sight of a young man with a cowboy hat holding Marine's wrist.
"Yo, Officer of Justice," Ace drawled out, teeth bared into a predatory grin. A wisp of vapor escaped from under his fingers where they pressed tightly into Marine's skin. The latter hissed in pain. "What do you think you're doing?"
The man yanked his hand out of his grasp, lips pulled into a snarl. There was now a distinct shape of palm burned around his wrist. "Do you know who you're dealing with, boy?!" he growled.
"Nope," Ace popped the 'p' and then returned the question, "Do you know who you're dealing with?" Not waiting for their reaction, he turned around to face the boy and the rest of the former captives.
Marines now had a perfect view of his uncovered back. Most of them gasped, a couple even retreated a step the moment they saw the Whitebeard's tattoo displayed proudly on it. A few from the back line turned around and hightailed out of there.
"Hey, kid," Ace spoke quietly. His previously vicious expression smoothed out into the one he perfected for his baby brother: kind, reassuring, and soft in all the right places. It worked like a charm. The boy didn't shy away when the pirate ruffled his hair. "That's your mom?"
The kid nodded, still staring at Ace with wide eyes, something akin to awe sparkling in those innocent pools of green.
"Good job on protecting her, little man," Ace complimented. "Here, you can have this." He thrust the last stick with the marshmallow into the boy's hand and then gently pushed him towards his mother. "Now, run along."
The woman hugged her son, tears streaking down her cheeks. After a moment, she took his hand and rose to leave, but not before mouthing 'thank you' to Ace.
He watched them go. They weren't even slaves yet, not officially, not until they were branded, and these Marines already treated them like cattle, like something lower than humans. If Luffy ever ran into these sort of people…
Ace spun around. Marines flinched. They couldn't decide what was more terrifying—the smile on the man's lips or the one in his eyes.
"F-F-Fire Fist!"
"Oho," he said, sharp and deadly. He slowly pulled his arm back, his fist bursting into flames. "Congratulations on figuring it out."
-Reverse Mountain-
Going Merry whizzed down the waterway, wind blasting in the faces of her passengers. The cloud layer here was even denser and wider in range than the one they passed on their way up. They could barely see a few meters ahead, but it didn't matter—it was a straight beeline to the very bottom of the mountain.
Zoro frowned, leaning forward and squinting into the fog. "Did you hear that?"
Luffy also stilled, cocking his head to the side. He appeared puzzled by something.
"Eh? Must've been the wind!" Nami replied. "The terrain here is quite odd, it could have easily caused it!"
A low, eerie sound rolling across the waterway reached everyone's ears this time.
"That's not the sound of the wind," Sabo muttered.
"When what is it?!"
"It's another mountain!"
"Huuuh?!" the navigator yelled at Sanji. "That can't be!"
Another wail reverberated all around, as haunting as the previous ones.
Luffy stared into the haze, expression scrunched up in concentration. "What do you mean by—" He never finished his sentence, because the next moment he was drawing as much air into himself as possible and then, "WE ARE HERE! COMING DOWN THE MOUNTAIN!"
It was almost as loud as the next cry of the unseen creature that shook the mist. His crew looked at their captain with various degrees of confusion.
Sabo blinked at his brother. Luffy never did something without a reason. "Luffy, why are you saying that?"
"A voice asked where we are," the rubber teen replied easily. He scratched his head. "I think."
"A voice?"
The fog thinned and soon Merry broke through. The weather cleared out to show them a gigantic looming form towering just at the base of the waterway.
"It's not a mountain!"
"It's a black wall!"
"No! It's a—it's a—"
"It's a whale!"
Even Sabo's eyes widened. And not just because of seeing such a magnificent creature for the first time after hearing tales about it. Currently, their little caravel headed straight into it at full speed. If they did nothing, they would end up as nothing but a bloody smear on its side.
Luffy still had his gaze fixed forward as the massive whale let out another wail that tore through their eardrums. "And now he's saying that he's here, he's waiting," he informed. A second later added, "Probably. It's a bit confusing."
"Waiting for what?!" Nami shrieked.
"Who cares!" Usopp sobbed. "We're about to crash!"
"Th-there's an opening on the left!" Zoro pointed at the tiny gap in between the whale and the cliff. "Turn port! Hard to port!"
"The rudder broke earlier!" Usopp cried out, already inside the galley and gawking at the broken whipstaff in horror.
Despite the reminder, Sanji forwent the rigging and jumped directly down in front of the galley door before ducking inside.
"We gotta do something, dammit!" the swordsman vaulted over the railing and rushed across the ship to help out too.
Sabo glanced at Luffy who seemed too preoccupied with the supposed voice he kept hearing to show any reaction. The boy jolted when the blond called his name and turned his head to indicate that he was listening. "Do you remember that morning after party when you knocked everyone out in Foosha?" Luffy's brow furrowed at the memory, but he nodded nonetheless. Sabo didn't like to make his brother remember it, but he pushed through with his idea, "You think you could recreate that feeling?"
A surprise and understanding fluttered across Luffy's features. He looked back at the quickly approaching whale and asked, "Would that help?"
"I believe so," Sabo answered, firm and trusting. "You can scare it off."
"Wha—What are you two talking about so leisurely?!" Nami screamed. "How can you scare something that big?!" Despite the best effort from her three nakama, Going Merry had barely changed her course. The girl's legs gave out. She collapsed, watching helplessly as the ship barreled into her doom and bringing them with her.
With the straw hat pinned on his head by the weight of his hand, Luffy closed his eyes. The world slowly fell away, until he could hardly hear the roaring wind. He pushed aside the airy, refreshing force that always accompanied him. Immediately, a different one, warm and vibrant, poured out, but this wasn't the one he needed either. He dug deeper into his very being until he found it—a slumbering behemoth of power. Chained down, restrained by invisible shackles, but still able to respond to its owner's call through its cage and roar.
Luffy channeled all of that overwhelming feeling and slammed it into the whale ahead.
The pressure from the whale's cry cut off abruptly. Silence followed. Going Merry was still speeding down the slope, still on route for a collision.
And then the whale tipped to one side and crashed into the surface, its massive body practically splitting the ocean in two. The water rushed to fill an empty space. Shortly after, an enormous tail rose from the sea.
Finally at the end of the waterway, Going Merry sailed up the giant wave, created by the tail slapping the surface, and then slid back down, coming to a stop where the whale disappeared.
No one dared to move yet, paralyzed by the brief moment of death breathing against their necks.
"He—he really—he really did scare it off…" Nami stuttered under her breath.
"Unbelievable…" Sanji breathed out where the three of them rested on the floor after being knocked off of their feet.
"Luffy…" Usopp sniffled around the giant lump of we're alive stuck in his throat.
Zoro could only gawk, trying to process what exactly transpired in the last few minutes.
Still sitting on the figurehead, Luffy stared into the swirling water below. "Ne, Sabo," he said. "I don't think he liked that."
Sabo let air rush out of his lungs and it came out as a nervous chuckle. "Does it really matter?" he asked, pulling his top hat off and racking fingers through his wavy hair. "It's gone now."
Luffy let out a soft 'hmm' as he continued to peer into the depths. Suddenly, he stiffened. A quiet, "Ah…" was the only warning the rest of them got before the sea all but exploded.
Two gigantic jaws shot up on either side of the ship, lined up with the rows of sharp teeth, each easily dwarfing ten Going Merries stacked together. And the pirates watched in pure terror as that nightmares-inducing maw surrounded them until there was nothing left of the outside world, only a narrow slit of the blue sky far, far above their heads.
"Oh, shi—"
The jaws closed and the Straw Hats were no more.
Next Chapter: The Ones Left Behind
A/N
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