"Wooo—!!!"
The three of them shouted in unison, their exhausted bodies filling with energy once more.
With the special training plan decided, everyone's spirits were running high.
Luffy sat cross-legged on the sheep figurehead, letting the sea breeze blow past him. He turned his head and asked, "Nami! Where are we going next? Are we about to enter the Grand Line?"
Nami was lying on the deck, studying the nautical charts.
"That's right."
She looked up and pointed at a strange red mark on the map.
"According to the charts, we're already very close to the entrance of the Grand Line."
"The entrance?" Luffy leaned in curiously.
"Here."
Nami pointed to a towering mountain symbol on the map.
"The Grand Line is sandwiched between two Calm Belts. Ordinary ships can't cross them at all. The only entrance is this place—Reverse Mountain."
"Reverse Mountain?"
Ronan glanced at the map. Even though he already knew the story, seeing that name in front of him still stirred an indescribable excitement in his chest.
The place where the four seas converge.
The gateway to the Grand Line.
The intersection of the Red Line and the Grand Line.
Zoro leaned against the railing with his arms crossed, glancing at the mountain Nami pointed to and clicking his tongue.
"What a pain. Why do we have to climb a mountain? Can't we just sail straight through the sea?"
"No, that won't work."
Sanji walked over carrying several glasses of juice, handed one to Nami, then shot Zoro a disdainful look.
"I've heard the old man talk about it back at the restaurant. On both sides of the Grand Line are Calm Belts—no wind, no currents."
"And they're home to super-giant Sea Kings bigger than warships. It's a graveyard for ships."
"The only way in is to ride that unbelievable canal up Reverse Mountain."
"Ride water up a mountain?" Usopp looked completely baffled. "Water can flow uphill? Why?!"
"Because it's dangerous!" Sanji said ominously.
"That doesn't explain anything!" Usopp screamed.
"That's all I know! I've never been there!" Sanji waved him off impatiently.
"That's because—"
Nami was just about to explain the ocean currents and geography.
"Then let's go in head-on!!!"
Luffy suddenly raised both hands and shouted excitedly, cutting off Nami's explanation entirely.
"Were you listening to me at all?!" Nami's forehead veins bulged as she punched Luffy on the head. "That's a deadly current!"
"But it sounds way more fun!" Luffy didn't care about danger at all—only adventure.
"Talking to you is driving me insane…" Nami sighed, rubbing her forehead.
Ronan watched the scene and couldn't help but chuckle.
This was very much Luffy.
Whether hell or a cliff lay ahead, as long as it was interesting, he'd charge straight in.
"Alright. Since that's decided, we need to make full preparations."
Ronan stepped in to stop the argument and brought the discussion back to reality.
"Ship maintenance, food and water supplies—and I need to have a proper spear made."
"Yeah, yeah!" Luffy immediately chimed in. "Meat! We need to buy tons and tons of meat!!"
"If we're restocking…"
Nami looked back at the chart and firmly tapped an island not far from Reverse Mountain.
"There's a very famous town on this island."
Her voice grew solemn.
"It's the island closest to the entrance of the Grand Line—Loguetown."
"Loguetown?" Luffy blinked.
"Also known as—the Town of Beginnings and Endings."
Zoro suddenly spoke up, his eyes turning distant as if recalling something.
"I remember hearing about it before. That place is famous."
"That's right."
Nami nodded and looked straight at Luffy, speaking slowly and clearly.
"That's where the Pirate King—Gol D. Roger—was born."
"And where he was executed… ending his legendary life."
The sea breeze seemed to freeze in that moment.
At the words "Pirate King," the grin vanished from Luffy's face.
He slowly straightened up and looked toward the distant north.
"The town where the Pirate King died…"
Luffy murmured, filled with an indescribable sense of reverence and longing.
Twenty-two years ago, on the execution platform of that town, Roger's final words ignited the Great Age of Pirates.
It was holy ground to all pirates.
"Do you want to go?" Nami asked softly.
Luffy was silent for a moment. Then he pressed down the brim of his straw hat, shadowing his eyes—but not the smile on his lips.
"Yeah. Let's go."
"I want to see it."
He lifted his head, his eyes shining brighter than the sun.
"The man who obtained ONE PIECE… the man who obtained everything in this world!"
"The town where he was born… and where he died!"
Ronan clenched his fist as he watched Luffy's resolute back.
Loguetown…
Not only did it hold the legend of the Pirate King, but also Sandai Kitetsu and the fine blade Yubashiri.
And maybe—just maybe—he could forge a spear worthy of conquering the Grand Line.
"Raise the sails! Change course!"
Luffy shouted, his voice brimming with pride.
"Destination—Loguetown!!"
"Wooo—!!!"
With the wind at its back, the Going Merry turned its bow toward that legendary town—
Toward the very starting point of the Great Age of Pirates.
...
East Blue, a vast and unknown sea.
Morning sunlight scattered like crushed gold across the shimmering waves. The sea breeze was gentle, brushing against the Going Merry's white sails.
Several white seagulls circled the mast, letting out crisp cries now and then.
Yet the scene on deck was the complete opposite of this peaceful seascape.
It was a steaming battlefield overflowing with raw masculine intensity.
"Bang! Bang! Boom!"
Dull impacts of flesh, explosive cracks of torn air—sounds erupted across the deck like a rapid-fire barrage.
"Armament—Hardening!!"
With a feral roar from Luffy, his once-elastic rubber fist was instantly coated in a charred-black sheen, metallic in texture, as it smashed forward through the air.
"Pa!"
Ronan caught the punch with one hand.
His palm was also coated in a faint layer of black Haki. The collision of the two forces sent out a visible white shockwave, rustling the leaves of the orange trees nearby.
"Good! That was three-tenths stronger than before!"
A flash of approval crossed Ronan's eyes as he flicked his wrist, using finesse to toss Luffy flying.
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