Everyone except Zoro made a stylish dash for the ship along the harbor route.
Smoker blocked their path. Orochimaru's right hand transformed into a snake, coated with a faint layer of Armament Haki, and sent Smoker hurtling toward Dragon. 'For a transmigrator, Armament Haki is practically second nature, right?' Orochimaru smirked, striking a meme-worthy battle god pose.
Orochimaru had actually held back considerably. Other transmigrator powerhouses would have stolen Smoker's testicles, given him a savage beating, or even swiped his weapons. 'I'm practically a saint,' Orochimaru thought.
His thoughts suddenly veered off track. He violently shook them off. 'No, no, I can't let those Earthling thoughts influence me. I am Orochimaru!'
Meanwhile, Dragon watched Smoker hurtle toward him, a mix of emotions warring within. He'd planned to help Luffy, but not by being helped himself. And his son hadn't even seen him yet. 'What kind of mess is this?' How was he supposed to explain this to his old man? 'Uh... I went to Loguetown to see Luffy off, but he never showed. Instead, his sworn brother dumped all this crap on me. Why does my son have to pal around with so many little punks? Is it too late to return them?'
But there was no choice. To ensure Luffy's smooth departure, Dragon reluctantly intercepted Smoker. He'd planned to do it anyway, but why did it feel so... humiliating?
Orochimaru, having carried Luffy and Zoro back to the Merry ahead of the others, set them down. He was about to speak when Zoro suddenly grabbed him by the neck.
"You damn snake! You did that on purpose, didn't you?! Dragging me through the air like that... I almost choked to death! I'm gonna slice you into pieces!"
Orochimaru blinked, struggling to remember. 'Oh, right, I guess I did drag Zoro back here too.' Noticing the red marks around Zoro's neck, he quickly apologized.
"Gomen nasai, please forgive me."
Sanji and Usopp boarded next, carrying the massive elephant tuna they'd caught—their hard-won trophy. Sanji lit a cigarette and slowly blew out a perfect smoke ring.
"Quit being such a sore loser, Seaweed Head. If Orochimaru hadn't dragged you back, you'd still be lost in some backwater. Always slowing us down with your terrible sense of direction."
"Huh? Who are you calling a hindrance, you lecherous cook who can't take his eyes off women?"
The two glared at each other face-to-face, sparks practically flying between them.
Nami followed, knocking the bickering pair aside with a swift punch each. She pulled out the Sea Chart and began preparing for their voyage.
Now they were finally ready to set sail for the Grand Line.
Amidst the howling wind and torrential rain, the Merry bobbed like a tiny speck, Luffy clinging to the mast like a monkey.
"Hehehe! This ship's gonna capsize for sure!"
Nami's eyes sparkled with anticipation as she gazed at the distant light. "Look at that beacon!" she exclaimed. "The guiding light! The entrance to the Grand Line lies at the end of that beam!"
"So the Grand Line's right ahead?" Luffy adjusted his Straw Hat, staring at the lighthouse.
Despite the raging storm, everyone grinned brightly.
Sanji rolled over a wooden barrel. "To celebrate the Merry's imminent voyage into the grand ocean, let's hold a launching ceremony!"
"Yay!" the crew cheered enthusiastically.
Sanji stepped onto the barrel first. "To find All Blue!"
One by one, the others followed suit, taking turns.
Luffy: "To become the Pirate King!"
Zoro: "To be the Greatest Swordsman!"
Nami: "To draw a map of the world!"
Usopp: "I-I'm... To become a brave warrior of the sea!"
Orochimaru: "I want to see all of you achieve your dreams."
"Let's go! To the Grand Line!"
"Yeah!"
The next day, Luffy excitedly slapped Sanji on the back with a loud thwack.
"We're finally going to the Grand Line! Hahaha! Sanji, we're almost there! Almost there!"
"Ow! That hurts, you idiot!" Sanji's veins bulged as he delivered a scorpion-like kick to Luffy's face.
Luffy quickly switched targets. "Zoro! We're almost there! Almost there!"
"Stop slapping me, you pest!" Zoro drew his sword.
Nami stood aside, her brow furrowed in concern as she stared at the Sea Chart. "Hmm... does it really look like this on the Sea Chart?" She gathered the crew.
"Check this out," Nami said, pointing to the Sea Chart. "According to the map, the entrance to the Grand Line is on a mountain."
"A mountain? Are you serious? You're telling me we have to climb a mountain?" Sanji scoffed, disbelief coloring his voice.
Nami pressed her hand against the chart. "I find it hard to believe too, but the map shows a canal winding up the mountain. Maybe we have to sail up it."
"Ooh, that sounds fun!" Luffy mumbled, shaking his empty juice glass.
"What are you even saying?" Zoro snapped, irritation lacing his tone. "Canal or no canal, how can a ship climb a mountain?"
Orochimaru, who had been quietly enjoying a slice of cheesecake (a personal quirk; he'd mentioned his fondness for the flavor when eating Mitsuki's butterfly chips, saying they tasted "pretty good"), chimed in, "It is on a mountain. That mountain is called the Red Line." He drew a circle on a blank piece of paper and sketched a cross within it.
"Our world is a sphere," Orochimaru continued. "The Red Line and the Grand Line are two perpendicular rings around the planet, intersecting at two points. These intersections divide the world into the four seas—North, South, East, and West. The first intersection is Reverse Mountain, where we'll be entering soon. The second, on the opposite side of the globe, is the Holy Land Mary Geoise, home to the World Nobles. Once we reach that point, we'll be halfway there."
Luffy pointed at the Grand Line's ring on the map. "Why can't we just sail straight to the Grand Line? Why do we have to climb a mountain?"
Orochimaru gestured to the two lines flanking the Grand Line. "The Grand Line is only the area between these two lines. These lines represent the Calm Belts—windless zones swarming with Sea Kings. If you can defeat them, you could swim across. But ships would be attacked by countless Sea Kings, so we have to enter through Reverse Mountain. The currents up the mountain are incredibly strong and dangerous. It's easy to wreck your ship and die, so be careful."
Nami scribbled furiously in her notebook. "Orochimaru, how do you know all this?"
"Luffy and I had an older brother who was a skilled navigator. I heard him talking about it when we were kids."
Luffy finally caught on, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "So basically, Reverse Mountain is just this crazy mountain, right? Got it... ha... ha... ha... ha..."
"Alright then... Orochimaru's chosen the cake."
They finally reached the entrance to Reverse Mountain. Zoro peered through his telescope, his jaw dropping at the sight of the ocean current. "The sea's actually climbing a mountain!"
After a series of frantic maneuvers, with Luffy acting as a human shock absorber, the crew safely entered the ascending canal, though not without a scare.
"Now we just need to power through to the top!" Nami cheered, shaking her coat excitedly. Sanji and Usopp threw their arms around each other, laughing heartily. Luffy perched on Zoro's shoulders, craning his neck to get a better view. Orochimaru sat calmly on the railing, still leisurely munching on his stale cake.
"Everyone, look over here... Cheese!" Orochimaru's clone pulled out a camera from the System Shop and snapped a photo, freezing the moment forever. In the corner of the picture, Orochimaru subtly flashed a peace sign.
To be continued...