"Ryūjin-san!"
After finally realizing what was happening, Nami broke into a cold sweat as she watched their ship rush into the raging rapids.
Once a ship entered the current leading up Reverse Mountain, there was no stopping it. The torrent would force the vessel forward whether they liked it or not.
The canal itself was extremely narrow, making navigation incredibly difficult.
And unfortunately, Ryūjin's sailing skills were complete garbage.
Even the shadow clones he created at critical moments were just as hopeless when it came to steering a ship.
Nami was certain there was only one possible outcome if they continued like this.
They were going to crash straight into the Red Line and shatter into pieces.
"Ryūjin-san!" Nami shouted nervously. "How about we stop first and actually learn how to sail properly?"
"No need."
Ryūjin smiled casually, completely unconcerned. He did not even bother telling the boatman to slow down.
The ship charged directly into the rapids.
The violent current combined with the force driving the vessel forward caused the ship to surge ahead like an arrow released from a bow.
"Ryūjin-san, hurry and make some clones! We're already drifting off course!" Nami yelled while gripping the railing tightly.
Their speed was becoming ridiculous.
At this rate, they were absolutely going to crash.
"Nami, relax," Ryūjin said with a lazy grin. "Leave it to me."
Seeing how composed he was, Nami gradually forced herself to settle down.
Ryūjin had displayed countless unbelievable abilities before. To him, impossible things seemed completely normal.
Still, she could not understand what he planned to do.
He clearly had no intention of steering the ship, and missing the canal was practically guaranteed.
So how exactly were they supposed to cross Reverse Mountain?
Under Nami's anxious stare, the towering Red Line grew closer and closer.
The massive cliff soon filled her entire vision.
Their ship was seconds away from smashing into it.
"Ryūjin-san!"
Nami's pupils shrank.
Then she saw Ryūjin rise calmly into the air.
With a casual wave of his hand, the power of Universal Pull activated.
The entire pirate ship lifted off the water alongside him.
"What?!"
Nami froze.
The ship actually flew upward along the side of Reverse Mountain.
"It's flying! The ship is flying!"
Her eyes widened in disbelief.
Ryūjin could already fly himself, but lifting an entire pirate ship into the sky was something else entirely.
They did not even need the canal.
"Ahhh! This is amazing!"
Nami immediately forgot her fear and started cheering excitedly.
She had spent most of her life at sea, yet she had never experienced anything remotely like this before.
A flying ship.
The feeling was incredible.
Ryūjin continued carrying the vessel through the sky in an overwhelmingly domineering fashion until they completely crossed Reverse Mountain.
Soon, they began descending toward the Grand Line.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Heavy impacts suddenly echoed through the air.
The entire mountain seemed to tremble with every collision.
Nami quickly leaned over the railing and looked toward the source of the sound.
The moment she saw it, her expression froze.
A gigantic whale was repeatedly smashing its head against the Red Line.
The creature was so massive it looked like a moving island.
Even one of its eyes was far larger than their ship.
"W, what kind of monster is that...?"
Nami nearly lost her balance.
Was that really a whale?
It looked more like a mountain.
Even after years at sea, she had never seen such a terrifying creature before.
For a second, she wondered if it was one of the legendary Sea Kings.
Thankfully, Ryūjin could fly.
Nami sighed in relief.
That giant whale was blocking the exit of Reverse Mountain's canal. If they had exited normally, they probably would have crashed directly into it.
Luckily, Ryūjin completely ignored normal logic.
But then Nami suddenly realized something was wrong.
Ryūjin was flying straight toward the whale.
"Ryūjin-san, you're going the wrong way!"
"No," Ryūjin replied casually. "Inside that whale is our next destination."
Nami blinked.
"Inside... the whale?"
A second later, her face went pale.
Because Ryūjin was heading directly toward the whale's open mouth.
"Hey, Laboon," Ryūjin called out lazily while floating in front of the giant whale. "Open up and let us through."
That enormous whale was none other than Laboon.
Ryūjin's arrival at the Grand Line was not much later than the Straw Hat crew's original timeline.
That meant Princess Vivi was most likely still undercover as a Baroque Works agent.
And Ryūjin had already set his sights on one particular target.
Crocodile.
One of the Seven Warlords of the Sea.
More specifically, Ryūjin wanted the Sand Sand Fruit.
Besides that, ordinary maps were useless within the Grand Line. A Log Pose was essential for navigation.
And inside Laboon, there happened to be one.
Whether it belonged to Crocus or Vivi, Ryūjin intended to get it.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Laboon continued smashing himself against the Red Line, completely ignoring Ryūjin.
Ryūjin shrugged.
"Fuck off then."
He flew directly in front of Laboon, blocking the whale's path.
Laboon became furious the moment someone interrupted him.
The giant whale immediately opened his mouth and swallowed Ryūjin along with the ship in one gulp.
"AHHHHH!"
Nami's scream echoed through the air before Laboon's mouth snapped shut.
Then suddenly, the world around her changed.
The terrifying feeling of being crushed never came.
Instead, Nami found herself staring at an entirely different environment.
Blue sky.
White clouds.
An inland sea.
There was even an island nearby.
"Ryūjin-san... where are we?" Nami asked blankly. "Weren't we swallowed?"
"We were," Ryūjin answered casually. "This is inside Laboon."
Nami froze.
Then several seconds later:
"NANI?! INSIDE HIS STOMACH?!"
Ryūjin ignored her reaction and expanded his Observation Haki across the surrounding area.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"As expected, Vivi's here."
"Nami, stay on the island for a bit. I'll be back soon."
Before Nami could respond, Ryūjin used repulsive force to send her safely toward the island.
Swish!
His figure disappeared into the maze-like passages within Laboon's body.
Deep inside one of the tunnels, a man and woman were hiding carefully with weapons in hand.
The woman had long blue hair, a beautiful face, and a naturally noble aura.
Princess Vivi.
Though for now, she was operating under her Baroque Works codename, Miss Wednesday.
Beside her stood Mr. 9, identifiable by the large "9" markings on his cheeks.
The two had been ordered to hunt Laboon for food supplies, but Crocus had repeatedly interfered with their attempts.
"That old man is seriously annoying," Mr. 9 complained while gripping his weapon tightly. "He keeps ruining our plans."
"Don't lose focus," Vivi replied quietly. "We'll eventually find another opportunity."
Suddenly, space distorted in front of them.
A spiraling vortex appeared out of nowhere.
Then Ryūjin stepped out calmly.
Both Vivi and Mr. 9 immediately stiffened.
Even idiots could tell this was not normal.
"W, who are you?" Mr. 9 asked nervously.
"Sleep."
Ryūjin's Sharingan activated instantly.
Mr. 9's eyes lost focus.
A second later, he collapsed unconscious onto the ground.
Vivi's heart tightened.
Ryūjin had barely moved, yet Mr. 9 was already down.
Click!
Vivi immediately raised her gun toward him despite the fear in her eyes.
"Don't come any closer! I'm an agent of Baroque Works!"
"Princess Vivi," Ryūjin said casually, "I know who you really are."
Vivi's entire body froze.
"How...?"
Her secret identity had never been exposed before.
"Not only do I know," Ryūjin continued calmly, "Crocodile already knows too."
Boom.
Vivi felt like lightning had struck her mind.
Cold sweat instantly covered her forehead.
If Crocodile truly knew her identity, then everything was over.
Alabasta would be destroyed.
"You think someone like Crocodile wouldn't notice a princess trying to investigate him from inside his own organization?" Ryūjin said casually. "You underestimated him."
"You... you know the president's identity too?" Vivi asked shakily.
Only a handful of people within Baroque Works knew Crocodile's identity.
Even most high-ranking agents were unaware.
Yet this mysterious man spoke about him so casually.
Who exactly was he?
After forcing herself to calm down, Vivi slowly lowered her gun.
"What do you want?"
Ryūjin smiled faintly.
"Simple. My target is Crocodile."
Vivi's breathing stopped for a moment.
"And Crocodile happens to be in your country," Ryūjin continued. "Take me to Alabasta, and I'll deal with him for you."
The amount of information in his words left Vivi stunned again.
This man was openly targeting one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea.
Not only that, he already knew Crocodile was secretly manipulating Alabasta from the shadows.
Even the citizens of Alabasta would never believe such a thing.
To them, Crocodile was a hero.
Yet Ryūjin spoke about exposing and removing him as if it were nothing.
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