After finalizing their next course, the Twin Goddesses slipped into a cycle of acceleration, recharge, cooldown, and acceleration again—racing toward Reverse Mountain at an astonishing speed.
In just half a day, not a single ship was visible on the open sea. The Sky Pirates had completely left all other pirate ships and even the Marines far behind.
Night began to fall...
Yemu and Enel continued their intense training on deck, and this time, Tiger joined in too—though his main responsibility remained steering the Twin Goddesses along their route.
Meanwhile, Flare carried Baby-5 in her arms, picked a cabin for the two of them, unpacked, and then disappeared into the kitchen to start preparing dinner.
This was her first time cooking for everyone as the Sky Pirates' head chef, so she was determined not to mess it up.
Feeling the increasing resistance on the helm, Tiger offered his thoughts.
"The currents are shifting. We're probably already caught in the flow toward Reverse Mountain. If all goes smoothly, we'll see it by tomorrow morning. But just to be safe, I suggest we drop anchor somewhere tonight and land at dawn, when visibility's best."
"No problem. I'll leave it to you, Tiger."
Just then, Baby-5 burst out of the cabin in a brand-new outfit, hopping happily across the deck. She shouted cheerfully,
"Enel-sama...Yemu-sama...Tiger-sama... Flare Onee-san says dinner's ready...!"
"Captain, you two go ahead. I'll get the ship anchored and join you in a bit."
"Alright. Thanks for handling it."
As the two stepped into the brightly lit dining room, they were immediately greeted by the sight of a massive rectangular table covered in dishes—appetizers, soups, fish, meat, main courses, salads, desserts, and drinks. The aroma filled the room, blending with the warm air and creating a cozy, joyful atmosphere.
"Whoa... This is incredible..."
Right then and there, Yemu felt his decision to bring Flare aboard was nothing short of genius.
No more surviving on just fruit, grilled meat, and stew.
The spread was mouthwatering.
Flare, now dressed in a crisp white chef's outfit, emerged from the kitchen carrying a steaming bowl of soup, which she placed on the table.
"Can we eat now?" Yemu asked eagerly, itching to taste her cooking.
But Flare firmly shook her head.
"Nope. Go take a bath first. Can't you smell yourselves? Besides, Tiger-san isn't here yet—no way we're starting without him."
"Not bad... starting to act like a real housekeeper..."
"You jerk, who are you calling a housekeeper...?"
Yemu didn't give her a chance to blow up. He bolted to clean up.
About ten minutes later, everyone was finally seated.
Despite the feast laid out before them, no one moved a muscle—all eyes were locked on Yemu, clearly waiting for him to speak.
Seeing this, Yemu took the lead and raised his glass.
"This marks the Sky Pirates' first official family banquet."
"First, let's raise a glass to our head chef, Flare. Thank you, Chef Flare, for preparing this incredible feast for us. We'll be counting on you from now on!"
"Cheers... cheers..."
"Next, a toast to our navigator, Tiger-san. Without him, Enel and I would probably still be drifting aimlessly at sea. Please keep looking out for us!"
"Cheers... cheers..."
"Now, let's toast to our little crew member, Baby-5. Thanks for bringing us so much joy and laughter. And hey, is that juice in your cup, kiddo?"
"Of course it is! What, you only just realized that? I'm not like you..."
"Hahaha, cheers... cheers..."
"Next up, a toast to our pirate ship, the Twin Goddesses. She's the strongest support we have. For the Twin Goddesses—cheers!"
"Cheers... cheers..."
"And finally, let's raise our glasses to the Sky Pirates, this big family of ours, and to ourselves as part of it. Starting tomorrow, we officially enter the Grand Line and begin our adventure. Get ready—this world won't know what hit it... Cheers!"
"Cheers... cheers..."
"Alright, with that, dinner is served!"
...
The banquet immediately exploded with joy.
Yemu and Enel set the tone, tossing aside their roles as captain and first mate. Like a pair of kids, eyes gleaming with happy tears, they dove into the food. The others quickly followed suit, swept up in the mood.
"Wow... this is insanely good!"
"Waaah... what have I even been eating all these years...?"
"You bastard, are you saying you had a problem with my cooking?"
"Come on, anyone would get sick of eating the same stuff for ten years... Besides, Yemu, what you made barely counts as cooking compared to this..."
"Our head chef really is something else."
"Flare is the best!"
...
The lively banquet didn't wind down until close to midnight.
Everyone had a lot to drink, but in the end, only Flare and Baby-5—who had snuck some alcohol—ended up truly drunk. Yemu, Enel, and Tiger were still perfectly sober.
"We'll take turns on night watch. Tomorrow morning, we head for Reverse Mountain."
...
When Flare woke again, the sun was already high in the sky.
She opened her eyes to unfamiliar surroundings and froze in surprise—before remembering.
"Ah... right... I'm a pirate now..."
"Flare, you're awake?"
Baby-5's voice rang out. Turning her head, Flare saw the little girl in pajamas staring at her with wide, sparkling eyes.
"So cute... But what time is it?"
"Yemu-sama said we're almost at Reverse Mountain. He told me to wake you if you were still asleep..."
"Ah..."
Flare hurried out of bed, got dressed, and stepped out onto the deck.
The blinding sunlight hit her eyes all at once, making her squint in discomfort.
"I really need to make a ladies-only brew next time."
With that thought, she adjusted to the light and walked over to Yemu, gazing out at the surroundings.
"Aren't we almost there? Why don't I see anything?"
She remembered her father telling her that Reverse Mountain stood tall in the middle of the Red Line, splitting it in two. But now, she couldn't even see the Red Line—let alone any mountain.
"You're awake, huh... The Red Line is right over there."
Yemu pointed into the distance. Flare blinked, rubbed her eyes, and looked carefully.
But she still couldn't see the Red Line. All she saw was a massive wall of dark clouds stretching from sea to sky, slicing the world in half.
Then it clicked.
"Wait... is Reverse Mountain inside those clouds?"
"Yeah."
Tiger nodded.
"That's Reverse Mountain. Because of the Red Line's unique geography, airflow gets blocked there. Combined with the ocean currents, it's almost always shrouded in clouds like that."
"That's also why it's called the first real challenge of the Grand Line. The weather in there is chaotic and dim, and the powerful currents make ships nearly impossible to steer. Almost half of all pirate crews are wiped out right there, ending their journey before it even begins."
"Eh...? Then what about us...?"
"Don't worry. Tiger's a professional navigator."