The sea changed long before the mountain came into view.
The wind grew sharper. The waves lost their rhythm. Even the sky felt heavier, as if the world itself was holding its breath.
Nojiko stood firmly at the helm of the Going Merry. Her hands steady on the wheel, eyes narrowed toward the towering red stone rising from the horizon.
"Reverse Mountain…" she murmured.
Luffy leaned over the railing, grinning like a child. "That thing is huge!"
Nami crossed her arms. "Huge, dangerous and stupid. Whoever designed this entrance to the Grand Line hated ships."
Sanji lit a cigarette, exhaling slowly. "Or wanted to see who deserves to survive."
Cassandra stood near the bow, eyes calm and focused.
"This is the gate," she said. "If we break here, we don't belong beyond it."
Bartolomeo swallowed nervously. "Y-Yeah! Totally! Easy peasy for the Straw Hat senpai squad!"
The Merry was already being pulled toward the mountain by an unnatural current. The water surged upward, climbing against gravity, forcing the ship toward a narrow, violent channel carved into the red stone.
"Nojiko," Cassandra said calmly, "you're doing great. Trust your instincts … and Nami´s instructions."
Nojiko nodded once, jaw tight. "I won't let her break."
The first boulders appeared.
Massive stones, torn loose by the rushing current, slammed into the water like falling meteors.
"INCOMING!" Nami shouted.
Luffy's eyes lit up. "Cool!"
Before Nami could scold him, Cassandra was already moving.
She leapt onto the bow rail, Yurei flashing free.
"Luffy."
"Yeah!"
The first boulder came down.
"Gomu Gomu no PISTOL!"
Luffy's fist rocketed forward, shattering the rock into fragments midair.
Cassandra followed instantly.
"Kaze no Ikari."
A compressed blade of wind sliced through the remaining debris, turning stone into harmless dust.
More boulders came.
Luffy laughed, as he punched through them.
Cassandra danced between impacts, her slashes precise, elegant, merciless.
The Merry surged forward through a storm of shattered stone.
Nojiko clenched the wheel. "We're still on course!"
Then the channel narrowed.
The ship tilted violently.
The hull scraped against the rock wall.
Wood groaned.
Nami screamed. "WE'RE GONNA HIT!"
"Bartolomeo," Cassandra said sharply.
"H-Huh?!"
"Barrier. Now."
Bartolomeo panicked, sweat pouring down his face. "I—I'll try!"
He thrust his hands forward.
"Bari-Bari…"
A translucent wall flickered into existence, just as the ship slammed sideways.
The impact was brutal, but softened.
The barrier held.
Bartolomeo screamed, as the strain nearly dropped him to his knees.
But the Merry survived.
The ship scraped, spun and then slid free.
Bartolomeo collapsed to one knee, gasping.
Cassandra landed beside him.
"You held it," she said.
Bartolomeo looked up, shocked.
"I-I did?"
"You did," she confirmed. "Good job."
Bartolomeo almost cried.
Sanji patted his shoulder. "Not bad, barrier-boy."
The ship climbed higher.
Higher.
Higher.
Until suddenly
Silence.
They reached the summit.
For a brief moment, the Merry rested at the top of Reverse Mountain. The sea was strangely calm for a moment.
Everyone stared.
Behind them were the four seas.
Ahead of them was the legendary Grand Line. A graveyard for many many pirates.
Luffy slowly raised his fist.
"We're really doing it…"
Cassandra allowed herself a small smile.
Then the current shifted.
The ship was pulled downward.
Fast.
Nojiko's eyes sharpened. "Here we go!"
The descent was violent but smoother. Nojiko guided the wheel with growing confidence, using the current instead of fighting it.
A wall came into view.
A massive, smooth, grey structure rising straight from the sea.
"What is that?!" Nami shouted.
Nojiko's hands tightened. "I can't turn enough!"
"Bartolomeo!"
"On it!"
He summoned another barrier, sweat pouring, as he forced it wider, angling it to guide the ship.
The Merry slid along the invisible surface, barely missing the wall.
The barrier faded, after Bartolomeo fell panting on the deck.
But it was enough.
The ship burst free into open water.
Silence.
Then cheers.
Luffy jumped into the air. "WE DID IT!"
Nami collapsed onto the deck. "I hate mountains."
Sanji laughed. "You did amazing, Nojiko."
Nojiko exhaled slowly, hands still shaking slightly.
"We're in the Grand Line…"
Cassandra looked ahead at the endless horizon.
"This is where legends are tested."
She turned to Bartolomeo.
"You earned your place today."
Bartolomeo straightened instantly, eyes sparkling. "I-I'll get stronger! I swear on my barrier honor, Cassandra-senpai!"
Luffy laughed.
The Going Merry drifted forward slowly, the water stretching endlessly ahead. The massive grey wall loomed before them, smooth and curved, rising from the sea like the side of a sleeping mountain.
Nami squinted. "That… is not rock."
Sanji leaned over the railing. "Yeah. Rocks don't usually breathe."
A deep, thunderous sound rolled through the air.
WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO…
The entire wall moved.
The sea trembled.
The crew stared in disbelief as the "wall" shifted forward and slammed its massive head into the Red Line with a bone-shaking impact.
BOOM.
Water exploded into the sky.
The shape was now unmistakable.
A gigantic island whale, its skin scarred, its head marked by countless old wounds, floated before them. Its eye was closed. Blood trickled faintly along old scars.
Luffy's eyes sparkled. "WHAAAAAT?! That thing is AWESOME!"
Nami grabbed him by the vest. "Don't even think about it!"
Cassandra stared silently.
Something about the whale tugged at her memory, but the details refused to surface.
"I know this… I've seen this before…" she muttered, frustrated. "Hah I can't remember why."
The whale gave one last low groan… then collapsed forward into the sea, unconscious, floating like a fallen island.
The ocean went silent.
A door opened.
Right in the side of the whale's body.
Everyone froze.
"…Did that whale just open a door?" Sanji whispered.
A small boat slid out from inside the whale. It moved calmly toward a nearby tiny island with a lighthouse.
The crew watched in stunned silence.
Nami slowly pointed. "We are officially in the Grand Line."
Luffy was already climbing onto the whale's head.
"HEY BIG GUY!" he shouted, cupping his hands. "YOU OKAY?!"
The whale did not respond.
The Merry sailed toward the small island.
The island had a rocky shore with an tall lighthouse. A old man in beach clothes waited calmly reading a newspaper.
He wore floral shorts, sandals, and a loose shirt. His hair was white and wild, his face lined with age and quiet humor. He looked like a retired tourist.
But his eyes…
They were sharp.
Sanji shouted. "Hey, old man, what the hell is that whale and who are—"
Crocus immediately raised a finger. "You're rude."
Sanji blinked. "What?"
"You should introduce yourself, before you ask someone's name or before asking questions," Crocus scolded.
Sanji opened his mouth to apologize and introduce himself.
"I'm Crocus," the old man continued calmly. "I live here. That whale is Laboon. He's an idiot. He keeps ramming the Red Line, because he's waiting for pirates, who promised to return fifty years ago. They're probably dead. He refuses to accept it. I keep him alive. My bloodtype is..."
Sanji stared and then shouted furious.
"…You didn't even give me a chance to ask."
Crocus nodded. "Exactly."
Nami stepped forward. "Why does he keep hitting the wall, if it hurts him?!"
Crocus turned to her calmly. "Why do humans keep repeating the same mistakes, even when they know it hurts?"
Nami twitched. "That wasn't my question!"
Crocus sipped from a cup. "And yet it was my answer."
Nami nearly exploded.
Bartolomeo chimed in, "A bit more respect old man, we are pirates."
"Dont´t threaten me boy, or someone will get hurt," Crocus said coldly.
"Oh and who might that be?" Bartolomeo asked with a clear challenge in his voice.
"Probably me," Crocus answered flatly.
"Can I hit him now?" Bartolomeo was furious.
Luffy sat on Laboon's head, patting it gently. "Hey big guy… don't worry. We'll figure something out."
Cassandra stood silently.
Then it hit her.
She didn´t remember Laboon or this place, but something far, far later.
A memory of the old man much younger, standing beside the pirate king.
He was the doctor of Gol D. Roger. A witness and survivor of this legendary crew.
Her eyes widened.
"…Crocus."
She stepped off the ship and onto the shore.
Then, without hesitation she bowed deeply.
So deeply she almost made a 90 degree bow.
The crew froze.
Cassandra spoke quietly, in a voice only Crocus could hear.
"Hello, Mr. Crocus. I know who you are and I know, who you sailed with."
Crocus's eyes widened slightly for the first time.
She continued softly.
"You were the doctor of Gol D. Roger."
Silence.
The wind passed gently between them.
Crocus looked at her for a long moment.
Then he smiled faintly.
"…You're a dangerous woman."
Cassandra lifted her head.
"Please," she said calmly. "Do you have a guidebook to awaken Observation and Armament Haki?"
Crocus chuckled.
Not loudly or mockingly, but with genuine amusement.
"So," he said quietly, "the era really is moving forward."
Laboon stirred.
The massive whale shifted in the water, his eye slowly opening as the pain in his head faded. The scars across his forehead glistened in the sunlight, old wounds layered over newer ones. The ocean around him rippled, as he lifted himself slightly, confused, sensing unfamiliar presences.
Luffy stood on the whale's head.
Everyone stared at him.
"Luffy," Nami said slowly, "what are you doing?"
Luffy cracked his neck. "He looks awake now."
Before anyone could stop him, they only heard his signature shout.
"Gomu Gomu no… PISTOL!"
His fist slammed into Laboon's forehead.
The impact echoed across the sea.
"LUFFY!" Sanji and Nami shouted together.
Laboon roared in pain and anger, lifting his massive head and smashing it back toward Luffy.
BOOM!
Luffy was launched into the air, spinning wildly before landing back on the whale's head with a splash of seawater.
The two stared at each other.
Both breathing heavily.
The whale let out a deep, furious cry.
Luffy wiped his mouth… then suddenly grinned.
"I like you."
Laboon froze.
His massive eye blinked once.
Then again.
The anger faded into confusion.
Crocus sighed from the shore. "Idiot… you don't start friendships like that."
Luffy laughed. "But it worked!"
The whale lowered his head slightly, letting out a quieter, uncertain sound.
Crocus stepped forward and began to speak.
He told them everything.
About the Rumbar Pirates.
About the promise.
About music echoing across the sea.
About laughter, joy and loss.
About how Laboon waited.
And waited.
And waited.
Nami cried.
Sanji clenched his fists.
Bartolomeo sniffed loudly, wiping his tears with the sleeve of his coat.
Nojiko looked away, wiping her eyes.
Even the sea felt quieter.
Only Luffy and Cassandra remained silent.
Not because they felt nothing, but because they understood.
Luffy stepped forward.
"Laboon," he said loudly, "we'll go out to sea and come back stronger! Then we'll fight again!"
The whale let out a soft, trembling sound.
Luffy laughed. "That's a promise!"
He grabbed a bucket of paint and climbed up the whale's head.
"What are you doing now?!" Nami shouted.
"Making a mark!"
He painted the Straw Hat flag.
It was terrible.
The skull was crooked. The hat was lopsided. The lines were messy.
Laboon stared at it.
Then cried out in happiness, spraying water into the air.
Luffy laughed.
"LUFFFFFFYYYY-SENNNNPAAAAIIII! You genius," Bartolomeo wept.
Cassandra watched quietly.
She didn´t smile, but her expression was still warm.
Crocus turned away.
"…You idiots," he muttered softly.
Later, Crocus returned from his house.
"Navigator," he said, "do you have a Log Pose?"
Nami froze.
"…A what?"
Crocus stared.
"…You don't."
Nami shook her head slowly.
Crocus sighed. "Then you won't survive the Grand Line."
Nami panicked. "WHAT?!"
He explained the currents, the magnetic islands and the impossible navigation.
Nami slumped.
Cassandra lowered her head.
"I forgot…" she admitted quietly. "I really forgot…"
Crocus looked at her.
"…I was waiting for a boy with a straw hat," he said calmly.
He walked to Cassandra and placed an old notebook in her hands.
It was an simple,worn and handwritten book.
Crocus said in a serious tone. "It's just what I learned watching Roger and others. A guide to understanding Haki. It is not a shortcut, just… a map."
Cassandra stared at it.
Her hands trembled slightly.
"…Thank you."
Crocus smiled gently. "Good luck, sword girl."
Cassandra bowed deeply again.
This time, with gratitude.
BOOM!
A cannonball flew toward Laboon.
Luffy jumped instantly, punching it away midair.
"HEY! Don't hurt my friend!"
The crew looked toward the horizon.
A small ship approached.
The Grand Line had already begun.
Cassandra closed her eyes briefly.
And smiled.