An hour had passed since they left Logue Town behind.
The island had long since vanished beyond the horizon, swallowed by mist and distance, leaving only open sea ahead. The wind was steady at their backs, pushing the Going Merry forward with purpose, as if the ocean itself were ushering them onward.
Everyone had settled into rhythm.
Usopp stood at the helm, posture stiff with responsibility, eyes fixed forward as if daring the sea to test him. Johnny and Yosaku occupied the observation post, scanning the waters with practiced vigilance, weapons resting easily in their hands.
On the aft deck, Zoro sat cross-legged, methodically cleaning his swords. Across from him, Luffy lounged against a crate, legs stretched out, coat open, a bottle of whiskey dangling loosely from his hand. His gaze was tilted upward—not at the crew, not at the sea—but at the sky.
Thunderclouds rolled above them.
Not the neat, obedient kind Luffy summoned—but wild, layered, heavy with pressure. A real storm. The kind born of clashing air currents and unstable seas.
Luffy didn't look bothered.
If anything, he looked entertained.
"With this tailwind," he muttered, taking a slow sip, "we'll outrun it."
Below deck, Sanji clattered about the kitchen, already organizing supplies with military precision. On the main deck, Nami and Nojiko leaned over a map spread across a crate, fingers tracing lines, brows furrowed.
Then—
"AHHHH!"
Nami screamed.
The sound cracked through the ship like a gunshot.
Luffy jolted—not in panic, but irritation—as whiskey splashed onto the deck.
He stared at Nami, eyes cold.
"You'd better have a very good reason," he said calmly, "for making me spill that."
Nami swallowed hard.
"H-Hey! Look at this!" she blurted, jabbing a finger at the map as Sanji, Zoro, Usopp, and the bounty hunters rushed over.
She turned the map so everyone could see.
"The entrance to the Grand Line," she said, voice strained, "is a mountain."
Silence.
"…A mountain?" Zoro repeated slowly.
"Do we crash into it?" he added.
Luffy stared at him.
Just stared.
"…Are you serious?" Luffy asked at last. "Does crashing into a mountain sound like entering the Grand Line—or dying?"
Zoro looked away. "…Fair."
"So how do we enter?" Sanji asked.
Luffy took another sip, unfazed.
"We sail up it."
Every face froze.
"…That's impossible," Usopp croaked. "Ships don't go up mountains!"
"Give me the map," Luffy said.
He sat on the deck, spreading it out and pointing to the center.
"This is Reverse Mountain. It's part of the Red Line," he explained. "Currents from all four seas flow upward—right here—and converge at the summit before dropping into the Grand Line."
He traced the blue lines.
Eyes widened.
"That breaks every rule of physics," Nojiko whispered.
"In the normal world," Luffy replied, rolling the map back up, "yes."
He met their eyes, one by one.
"This is the Grand Line. If you try to explain it with logic, you'll go insane."
The deck felt quieter.
"Storms change direction without warning," Luffy continued. "Snow, rain, hail—sometimes all in the same hour. I've seen islands where the weather changes every ten minutes."
Usopp turned pale. "You're joking."
"No," Luffy said easily. "That was the New World—but Paradise isn't safe, just… less cruel."
He glanced at Nami.
"You bought the Log Pose?"
She nodded immediately. "Yes—but why do we need it?"
"Because compasses don't work there," Luffy said. "And if you lose it—we die."
Nami hugged the Log Pose like a newborn.
Conversation shifted.
Supplies. Purchases. Preparations.
Sanji spoke first. "Fresh vegetables. Meat. New cookware. Knives. And I won a Bluefin Elephant Tuna in a contest."
Luffy grinned. "I'm proud already."
Usopp adjusted his new goggles. "Precision optics. Chemicals. New ammo ideas. Soon, the seas will fear Captain Usopp."
Zoro unsheathed a blade. "I didn't buy these. They were given to me."
"Why?" Nojiko asked.
Luffy's gaze sharpened. "Because that's a Kitetsu."
Zoro nodded.
"A cursed sword," Luffy continued. "Three exist. Blood must be shed—or the sword takes its owner's."
Usopp squeaked.
"That's the myth," Luffy added with a shrug.
Nami listed her purchases—charts, ink, clothes. Nojiko followed, revealing a segmented metal staff linked by chain.
Luffy studied it thoughtfully. Versatile. Deadly with training.
"Practice," he said simply.
Usopp was ordered to the helm.
Sanji to the kitchen.
The rest grabbed blindfolds and sticks.
Luffy poured another drink and looked up as the storm clouds thickened.
Ahead—
The mountain rose from the sea like a wall.
Reverse Mountain.
The threshold.
The point of no return.
The Grand Line awaited.
And the sea was about to test them.