The sea past Reverse Mountain was calm and eerily still. Clouds drifted slow across the sky, sunlight cutting through in golden streaks.
Luffy stood on the bow, grinning. "We did it! We're on the Grand Line!"
Zoro yawned. "Feels the same as before."
Nami scowled. "That's because the Grand Line is unpredictable. The weather can change in seconds."
Kai sat cross-legged beside her, camera snail floating nearby. "You say unpredictable, I say content gold."
[Stream: LIVE — "First Steps into the Grand Line!"]
[Viewers: 6.8M]
[Chat: "THE GRAND LINE ARC OFFICIALLY STARTS!!!" / "Kai's chill energy after all that chaos 😭" / "Nami explaining = mom mode activated."]
They hadn't been sailing long before the Log Pose began to twitch.
Nami frowned. "Next island's close — Whiskey Peak."
"Sounds like my kind of place," Sanji said with a grin.
Kai raised an eyebrow. "Knowing our luck, it's either a paradise or a death trap."
"Or both," Zoro muttered.
By sunset, the island appeared — tall stone peaks rising out of the mist, shaped like giant bottles.
Fireworks lit the sky as they approached the harbor. Music, laughter, and cheers echoed across the bay.
Nami blinked. "They're… celebrating us?"
Kai frowned. "We just got here. That's not suspicious at all."
[Chat: "Whiskey Peak time 👀" / "Kai has trust issues and he's right." / "Foreshadowing 😏"]
The crew was welcomed like heroes.
People danced, musicians played, tables overflowed with food and drinks.
Luffy was already stuffing his face.
Sanji was lost among the women.
Usopp bragged about fighting giants.
Zoro drank with the locals like they were old friends.
Kai just streamed it all, smiling at the ridiculousness.
[Stream Title: "Party on the Peaks!"]
[Viewers: 7.3M]
[Tips: +1.4M Berries]
He turned the snail camera toward the sky, where fireworks burst overhead.
"This world might be crazy," he said softly, "but damn if it isn't beautiful."
Hours later, when most of the crew had passed out, Kai sat awake, checking his system logs.
[Earnings: 21.5M Berries Total]
[Passive Income Active: 3.2M/month]
[Network Influence: Expanding…]
He yawned, about to close the menu — when the system pinged.
[Alert: Hostile Aura Detected Nearby.]
[Threat Level: Moderate.]
Kai's eyes snapped open. "Well, there goes the nap."
He turned off the stream's public feed, switching to private mode.
The quiet streets of Whiskey Peak were too still now — the laughter gone, replaced by footsteps in the shadows.
Zoro's voice came from the darkness. "You noticed too, huh?"
Kai exhaled in relief. "Yeah. The whole town's fake."
"Assassins," Zoro said simply. "I can smell them."
Kai raised an eyebrow. "You can smell assassins?"
Zoro shrugged. "You learn things when you drink with killers."
[Chat: Private Mode — Viewers Hidden]
[Kai mutters: "All right, showtime."]
The next second, figures dropped from rooftops — dozens of them, all wearing cloaks with the symbol of Baroque Works.
Kai's system flared.
[Mini-Quest: "Survive Whiskey Peak." Reward: +2 Skill Tokens, +5% Stat Boost.]
He cracked his knuckles. "Okay then… let's make this quick."
Zoro moved first, slicing through three attackers before they even touched the ground.
Kai dashed forward beside him, using Momentum Burst Lv3, fists glowing faintly with energy from stream resonance.
He ducked under a dagger, countered with a kick, then flipped backward as another man lunged at him.
[Combo: 14 hits]
[Viewer Bonus (Private Replay Queue): +350K Berries]
Kai smirked. "You guys picked the wrong tourists."
Zoro grinned, spinning his blades. "You're not bad, Streamer."
"Not bad?" Kai scoffed. "I'm a content creator."
Minutes later, the square was silent again — only groans and unconscious bodies left behind.
Kai wiped the sweat from his forehead. "Guess that's over."
Zoro sheathed his swords. "You're getting better."
Kai's system chimed.
[Quest Complete: Survive Whiskey Peak.]
[Rewards Claimed.]
[Skill Unlocked: Dual Boost — Temporarily doubles speed and perception when fighting alongside a strong ally.]
He looked at Zoro and grinned. "Remind me to stick close to you in the next fight."
Zoro smirked. "As long as you don't slow me down."
"Deal."
The next morning, the crew woke to chaos — bodies everywhere, Zoro and Kai casually eating breakfast in the middle of it.
Luffy blinked. "What happened?"
"Party got wild," Kai said, sipping his tea.
Nami groaned. "You two are impossible."
[Stream: BACK LIVE]
[Title: "Good Morning, Chaos!"]
[Viewers: 8.1M]
[Chat: "Zoro & Kai duo arc LET'S GOOO" / "They're so chill after a massacre 💀" / "Protect this duo at all costs."]
As the sun rose over Whiskey Peak, Kai leaned back, smiling faintly.
"Grand Line, day one," he said to the stream. "Already insane. And it's only going to get crazier."
He turned off the feed, watching the sea shimmer beyond the cliffs.
Somewhere out there, adventure — and trouble — waited.
[End of Chapter 18 — "Whiskey Peak Blues."]