The sun hung lazily in the sky, its warm light casting a golden glow over the sea. The surface shimmered with gentle waves, each crest sparkling like crystal.
Back in the East Blue, it was the height of summer. But upon entering the Grand Line, the seasons no longer followed any familiar logic. A single mountain could divide climates completely.
This was the peculiarity of the Grand Line—each island followed its own seasonal pattern, independent of the ocean's influence. There were Spring Islands, Winter Islands, islands locked into one season all year round—so many it was impossible to count.
In contrast, islands with all four seasons were actually the rare ones here. That, in the Grand Line, was considered strange.
"Am I… still alive?" Karina muttered, clinging to the mast as she slid down from it. When they descended the mountain earlier, she had shut her eyes and grabbed onto the mast in fear. This was her first time stepping into the Grand Line.
Goodbye, Nami.
Goodbye, friends.
Goodbye, East Blue.
The three of them stood at the bow. Jack was visibly excited—they had finally entered the Grand Line, the gathering place of the world's strongest. Where else but here could you see something as bizarre as Reverse Mountain? You wouldn't find that in East Blue or on Valan Island.
…
…
This was why they had to go to sea.
Kadun's feelings were more complicated. This was his second time entering the Grand Line. The first time, he had tried to avoid a storm—only to encounter the world's greatest swordsman, and got sliced in half in a single blow.
After barely surviving and returning to East Blue, he never thought he would come back here again.
As for Weiss, his thoughts were much simpler. First, forge a sword. Then, fulfill the goal he set when he first went to sea: challenge Mihawk to a duel. If he won, he'd retire peacefully on Twin Swallow Island.
As for overthrowing those so-called "gods"? That was up to Luffy—the chosen child of fate. According to the timeline, it would take five or six years… maybe seven or eight if things were delayed.
By then, Weiss would probably be lounging on Twin Swallow Island, sipping tea while reading about Luffy's victory.
"Kadun, do you know where Twin Cape is?" Weiss asked.
"Yes, Captain!" Kadun replied.
"Then head that way."
They needed to pick up a Log Pose there, then decide on a route and set sail.
Weiss remembered there was an interesting old man living there—once the ship doctor aboard Roger's crew. He was the one who kept Roger alive for the final three years of his life. Now, he was staying at Twin Cape, taking care for a whale named Laboon.
Supposedly, the old man even lived inside Laboon's stomach. The world truly was full of bizarre wonders.
Not long after, Weiss spotted a lighthouse—but not the eccentric old man or the whale Laboon. Inside the lighthouse, however, he did find an orderly row of Log Poses.
A single note was placed among them:
"Out on business. To the fated one, help yourself."
Fated one? Who else but someone who knew about the Grand Line and the necessity of a Log Pose?
Weiss took one and returned to the ship.
"Kadun, catch. This will keep us from getting lost in the Grand Line."
"Really? That's great, Captain!" Kadun said, examining the Log Pose curiously. "Last time, we lost our sense of direction when our compass failed—ended up on the wrong route and ran straight into a storm."
Karina had recovered by now and looked back to normal. Like a curious child, she came over to examine the item. "What is that? It looks kind of magical."
"It's called a Log Pose," Weiss explained. "Because of the Grand Line's unusual properties, each island has its own magnetic field. Regular compasses stop working here. The Log Pose records the magnetic signature of the island you're on and will point to the next one."
"Once it's recorded, the needle always points toward the next island. So, Kadun, you can toss your old compass now."
"Kadun, go store the magnetic field of the far-right route. Once it's recorded, we'll head off."
"Jack, keep watch. See if any pirate ships are coming down from Reverse Mountain."
The two went off to carry out their tasks, while Weiss lounged back in his chair, sipping coconut juice. He enjoyed the rare moment of peace—or rather, he always seemed to be at peace. Since setting sail, little had truly captured his interest.
"Is it really that amazing? Then the Grand Line must have loads of treasure, right?" Karina asked, stars in her eyes. In her mind, she was already hauling back piles of riches.
"Well, that depends on the route you take," Weiss replied. "There are seven routes in total. Pick one, and you'll eventually reach the Sabaody Archipelago—an island built on a giant tree."
"Seven routes?!" Karina's eyes practically turned into money symbols. If one route had treasure, imagine what seven had!
Karina was different from Nami. She was greedy—but she wasn't timid. In the original timeline, she'd gone alone into the New World, become a singer on the Golden Emperor's ship, and even stole the entire ship in the end. That took guts.
"Yeah, I remember one route has an island covered entirely in gold," Weiss said, half-expecting Karina to beg him to take that path. But surprisingly, she didn't even care.
After all, she wasn't an official crew member—just someone working off a debt. You'd think someone like that would throw everything into chasing treasure.
"You're talking about The Story of Liar Noland, right? That's just a fairy tale for kids. And you actually believe it, Captain?" Karina pulled up a chair beside him and lay down.
"Who said it's fake? Have you heard of Skypiea?" Weiss asked.
Karina rolled her eyes. "Now you're getting ridiculous. Even bringing up Sky Islands?"
Alright, maybe Weiss was overestimating the open-mindedness of people in the One Piece world. What might be common knowledge in the New World was dismissed as legend in the Blues.
Then again, that's exactly how the "gods" wanted it. The more you knew, the more dangerous you became to their rule. Just think about it—the Marines could build high-tech cyborgs like the Pacifistas, yet they still used old-fashioned sailing ships.
Tom had already built the Sea Train to link islands together, but they were still wasting time and manpower on constructing a massive bridge in East Blue. Isn't that just inefficient?
"Once you're in the Grand Line, your view of the world gets turned upside down," Weiss said. "Many legends you've only read in storybooks—you might actually see them for real."
"Like you said, Noland's tale is for kids. But I'm telling you: it's all true."
"There's an island on one route—half of it called 'Devil's Town.' The other half? That's the golden island you just mentioned."
"Imagine it—an entire island paved with gold, covering every inch of land. But a massive upwelling current shot it ten thousand meters into the sky, turning it into a floating island."
"So it's not just a legend. The only question is—will you be lucky enough to find it?"
Weiss finished, turned to the side—and found Karina had already fallen asleep. He shook his head.
"Whether you heard me or not… well, I said what I needed to. That's how water flows in the Grand Line."
"Captain, the Log Pose is set! Ready to set sail!" Kadun's voice called from the helm.
"Then let's go—toward the Grand Line!"
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Currently at chapter 450 on Ko-Fi
https:// ko-fi.com/sami27