Chapter 38 The captain jumped overboard and no one knew for half an hour.Most importantly, to outsiders, this wasn't a matter of inferior skill, but rather a case of throwing the match out of fear of Garp's power—that was the most frustrating part.
Luffy, seeing Smoker's constipated expression, shook his head seriously: "That's truly a pity."
"Pity my foot!" Smoker rolled his eyes at them, casually tossing them a roll of parchment. "I'm here to deliver a sea chart. Without the headquarters' navigation system, you have to pass Reverse Mountain to get from Loguetown to the Grand Line. Take this, and I hope you don't die on the way."
"What?! Is there danger to our lives on the Grand Line?" Usopp's legs began to tremble at Smoker's words.
Smoker, too lazy to explain, waved to them, turned, and walked away, his departing figure remarkably dashing.
Tashigi, seeing this, hurriedly bowed to Luffy and quickly chased after Smoker.
Luffy yelled at Smoker's retreating back, "Hey! Smoke Man, don't forget our bet!"
Smoker, who had been walking with an air of nonchalance, stumbled and nearly fell flat on his face. He then remembered his bet with Luffy—either way, he'd lose and become Luffy's underling.
Smoker turned back angrily and roared, "Get lost! Don't let me see you again!"
Luffy laughed heartily, his laughter echoing over the harbor.
The group didn't linger, turned, boarded the Going Merry, hoisted the sails, and headed straight for the Grand Line.
As the Going Merry entered the deep sea, the weather on the surface became increasingly unpredictable.
Due to the massive mountains of the Red Line, the area around Reverse Mountain was perpetually shrouded in extremely thick rain clouds.
Gales, torrential rain, lightning, and thunder—this was the first hurdle to overcome on the journey to the Grand Line.
"Look over there!"
Nami suddenly pointed into the depths of the dark clouds and screamed excitedly.
"Wow! That's amazing! Is that the island's lighthouse?"
Usopp stared at the bright light piercing the darkness between the inky black sea and sky, his face filled with awe.
"That's the guiding light! The entrance to the Grand Line is at the end of that light!" Nami explained, examining the sea chart Smoker had given her by the dim light.
"The Grand Line..."
Luffy sat cross-legged on the VIP seat—on the head of a sheep—his heart overflowing with emotion.
It had been a month since he arrived in this crazy world.
Since meeting Nami, that little thief, he had experienced and changed a lot, but ultimately, he had arrived at the place where the legend began.
Zoro and Sanji stood side by side on the deck, their eyes burning as they gazed towards the lighthouse, the starting point of their dreams.
Nami, even more excited, hugged Luffy tightly, and they danced joyfully in the storm.
"Excellent! To celebrate our ship's imminent entry into that great ocean, how about a launching ceremony?"
Sanji raised his hands and loudly proposed.
"Hey! That's a fantastic idea!"
Usopp danced with excitement, the thrills and adventures of their journey were more than he could ever boast about.
Then, Sanji lifted his leg and slammed his gleaming leather shoes heavily onto a wooden barrel: "I'm here to find the legendary All Blue!"
Zoro, not to be outdone, grinned wildly and slammed his sword hilt against a sake barrel: "I'm going to become the world's greatest swordsman!"
Nami followed suit, slamming her hand on the barrel: "I'm going to draw a map of the entire world!"
"I...I...I'm going to become a brave warrior of the sea!"
Usopp, though still trembling slightly, firmly stated his dream and his promise to Kaya.
Immediately, everyone's gaze turned to their captain, Luffy. It seemed like they'd never heard him seriously mention his dream since joining the crew.
Luffy grinned, revealing his signature big white teeth: "I'm just here for a spontaneous trip, to become the freest person in the world!"
"Uh...of course, it would be best if we also had a hundred or so pretty girls, a thousand or so strong underlings, trillions of yen to burn, and countless other things..."
Everyone: "..."
"In short, it's about having a super adventure that will make our lives worthwhile!"
Luffy watched the expressions of his crew gradually crumble, laughing heartily without a care in the world.
With a crisp cracking sound, the five of them stomped heavily on a barrel of sake, their voices echoing in the storm: "Let's go! Destination—the Grand Line!"
"Aww!!"
...
The next morning.
"Achoo!"
"Achoo!"
Nami and Usopp, wrapped in thick blankets, huddled in a corner of the cabin, snot streaming down their faces like a waterfall.
"Seriously, you two are so weak! You're practically frail."
Zoro, while doing squats with a huge barbell, relentlessly mocked her.
"Shut up! You green-haired moss! It's all because of you that lovely Nami caught a cold! Who in their right mind would go out on the deck in this storm?!"
Sanji, holding two steaming bowls of porridge, approached Nami, his face instantly switching to infatuated mode: "Hi, Nami-san, this is some special nourishing porridge I made especially for you. Do you want me to feed you?"
Nami sniffed, her voice hoarse: "No need! I have my hands!"
"Hey, Sanji, if you have time, could you feed me too? I think I'm about to collapse."
Usopp, clearly even sicker than Nami, shamelessly leaned his head closer to Sanji.
Sanji shoved the tray down Usopp's face and shoved him back down. "Get lost! Drink it yourself! You should be grateful I even cooked you a bowl, it's all thanks to Nami!"
"Why are you three monsters completely unharmed?"
Usopp asked, holding his bowl, looking resentful.
Zoro, who was frantically lifting weights, looked up in surprise, his face blank. "A cold? I've never had that since I was born."
Sanji nodded, taking a deep drag of his cigarette. "That's true."
He was, after all, a genetically modified human labeled a "failure," how could he be defeated by a mere cold virus?
"By the way, where did Luffy go?"
Usopp asked, looking out at the still unabated storm.
"That glutton said he was hungry, so he jumped into the sea to find something to eat."
Sanji lit another cigarette and said casually.
"Hey, you jerk, there are sick people here. Can't you have some decency and not smoke?"
Usopp pinched his nose, looking disgusted.
The only response was the dripping tray in Sanji's hand.
"Wait a minute!"
Nami suddenly seemed to remember something terrifying, and sat bolt upright. "I remember back at Marine Headquarters, someone explained that Devil Fruit users' weakness is seawater, right? Everyone who eats a fruit should become a landlubber, right?!"
Upon hearing this, everyone froze in their tracks.
Zoro and Sanji exchanged hesitant glances, then said, "No way? I remember back at Arlong Park, that guy was swimming around in the sea more energetically than a fish!"
"Isn't that a special ability he gained from fusing with that Samehada? Where's Samehada?"
Everyone turned sharply, horrified to find the large, bandaged sword Samehada lying quietly in the corner of the cabin.
Sanji dropped his cigarette, his hand trembling as he asked, "How long has he been down there?"
Zoro's face paled. "About... half an hour?"
Everyone: "..."