As the Going Merry began its descent down Reverse Mountain, excitement slowly gave way to confusion.
The wind howled past the sails, the current dragging the ship downward faster and faster, yet something about the view ahead felt… wrong.
"Luffy," Nami said slowly, her voice tight, "is there supposed to be another mountain at the bottom of this pass?"
Luffy frowned. "No. Why would there—"
She pointed.
Luffy turned.
And froze.
Blocking the canal's exit into the Grand Line was something enormous—so large it distorted perspective itself. At first glance it almost looked like a cliff face. At second glance, it looked like flesh.
"…That wasn't there ten years ago," Luffy muttered.
Before anyone could ask what he meant, a sound rolled through the air.
A deep, aching wail.
It wasn't thunder. It wasn't wind.
It was grief.
The sound vibrated through bone and wood alike, making the deck tremble beneath their feet.
"What… is that?" Nojiko asked, hands rising to her ears.
Luffy's eyes sharpened.
"Johnny! Yosaku!" he shouted. "Get to the helm—NOW! We're about to crash!"
They sprinted—then immediately came running back pale-faced.
"THE RUDDER'S BROKEN!" they screamed in unison.
Luffy clicked his tongue.
"Figures."
He raised both hands, summoning thick layers of thunderclouds and reinforcing the ones already hugging the hull. The closer they descended, the louder the wailing became—raw, desperate, ancient.
Then Luffy finally understood.
"Oh… crap," he said quietly.
Everyone turned to him.
"It's a whale."
"A WHAT!?" half the crew shouted.
The shape ahead resolved into a colossal black whale, its body so massive it dwarfed Sea Kings. Its head alone was scarred and battered, crisscrossed with deep grooves—marks left by repeated, violent collisions.
"…It's been ramming the Red Line," Luffy realized. "Over and over."
"LUFFY!" Nami shouted. "We're going too fast! Even your clouds won't save us if we hit it head-on!"
Luffy spun.
"Usopp! Front cannon! Fire on my signal!"
Usopp didn't argue. He bolted below deck.
The ship hurtled forward.
The whale's cries grew deafening.
"NOW, USOPP!"
The cannon fired.
The recoil jolted the Going Merry violently backward. Nami and Nojiko were thrown to the deck as the ship shuddered, speed bleeding off just enough—
BOOM.
The clouds absorbed the impact as the bow scraped dangerously close to the whale's immense body.
The ship lived.
Everyone did.
"Grab the oars!" Luffy barked. "ROW! LEFT SIDE!"
Sanji, Zoro, Johnny, and Yosaku moved as one, muscles straining as they paddled furiously, steering the ship along the whale's flank.
Up close, the creature was even more terrifying—and heartbreaking.
Its eyes were massive.
Old.
Lonely.
"It's… huge," Sanji muttered, awe bleeding into fear.
Then the whale turned its head.
And looked directly at them.
"I don't think it liked the cannon," Luffy said dryly.
The whale opened its mouth.
The sea rushed inward.
The Going Merry was dragged with it.
"We'RE GOING TO DIE!" Nami screamed.
Usopp let out a sound that wasn't entirely human.
Luffy stepped forward, lightning crawling over his arms, preparing to strike—
But the whale suddenly closed its mouth and dove.
"DAMN IT," Luffy snapped. "If I hit it now, we're all dead."
Darkness swallowed them.
Impact never came.
Seconds passed.
Then light.
Birdsong.
A breeze.
"…Is this real?" Sanji whispered.
They opened their eyes.
They were no longer in open sea.
They were inside something vast—an enormous hollow chamber. Above them stretched a painted blue sky, complete with drifting clouds. Birds flew lazily overhead.
To the right lay a small island.
With a house.
"…We got swallowed," Johnny said faintly.
Yosaku nodded. "Yeah. Definitely swallowed."
Everyone slowly turned to Luffy.
He shook his head once. "I don't know how this works… but this isn't a real ocean."
He leaned over the railing.
"The water's green," he said. "And the sky—"
He pointed upward.
"—that's paint."
Before anyone could respond, the water exploded.
A giant squid erupted from below, tentacles flailing.
The crew didn't freeze.
They moved.
Zoro's hand went to his swords.
Sanji shifted into a kicking stance.
Johnny and Yosaku raised their bisentos.
Nojiko snapped her three-section staff into motion.
Nami stepped beside her, bo staff ready.
Usopp drew his slingshot, eyes focused.
Luffy smiled.
Good, he thought. Observation Haki is starting to stick.
They were about to strike—
When three spears flew from the island.
Each struck the squid cleanly in the head.
The creature convulsed once… then fell still.
Silence.
Luffy narrowed his eyes toward the island.
The door of the house creaked open.
A tall, elderly man stepped out slowly, wearing a strange cap and carrying a spear. His posture was relaxed, almost lazy—but his eyes were sharp.
"…Interesting crew," the old man said calmly.
Luffy straightened, lightning faintly humming around him.
"And you," Luffy replied, "are standing inside a whale."
The man chuckled.
"Welcome to Laboon," he said.
"And to the Grand Line's first lesson."