We finally arrived at the base of the Red Line.The rocky wall rose before us like a divine barrier — massive, streaked with mineral veins and ancient fissures.But where any navigator would have seen an impassable wall…I saw a weakness.
A natural recess, half-hidden by shadows and waves, snaked along the cliffside.From afar, it looked like nothing more than a rocky irregularity.But inside… it was the perfect place to hide an entrance.
I turned toward the bow."Merry… do you see that hollow in the cliff?Can you dig us an entrance there?"
The little girl nodded without hesitation.Under the watchful gaze of the entire crew, she stepped up to the figurehead, her small bare feet touching the living wood of the Merry.She closed her eyes.A small black turtle, perched on a floating chunk of rock, appeared at her side.It remained motionless — massive despite its size — a symbol of patience and stability.
The water vibrated.And the rock of the Red Line… responded.
A low CRRRRK echoed, as if the cliff itself was groaning.Cracks began to spread slowly from the point Merry had indicated, stretching downward well below sea level.The stone didn't just crumble on the surface.It burrowed inward, forming a massive cavity — only about two meters deep visibly, but nearly thirty meters in diameter, stretching underwater like an inverted bell, wide enough to swallow the Merry entirely out of sight.
Water flowed in gently, guided by Merry's will, creating a quiet, almost sacred space.
But the price was high.Every meter gained demanded colossal effort.Thirty long minutes passed just to dig two meters.
Merry trembled, her breathing short, her face growing pale.At last, she opened her eyes, exhausted."Jordan… I need to rest…"
I immediately took her into my arms."You were perfect. More than perfect."I carried her over to Nami, Kaya, and Elise, who knelt down at once to fuss over her, give her water, and wrap her in a warm cloak.
While she rested, I stood up and looked at the rest of the crew.A slow smile spread across my face.
"Luffy… looks like we've found a new way to train Armament Haki."
Luffy blinked, confused."Huh?But we're already doing that, right? Reinforcing our bodies by swimming all the time…"
"Yes, but what I have in mind will push us past our limits."My smile widened slightly.
A strange silence settled.Kuina and Zoro immediately straightened, intrigued, their gazes sharpening like blades.Kaya and Kazuki, on the other hand, stared at me like I was about to reintroduce slavery.
Usopp, Koby, and Charles…They were the opposite.They looked at me with something close to religious fervor.They were the ones who had grown the most since the beginning.They knew what my methods could do.
Elise and Sanji, meanwhile, were quietly chatting about lunch, talking honey, sauces, and ways to improve a seafaring stew."If we add honey at the end—""—it caramelizes, yeah, good idea—"Totally unaware of the imminent danger.
Only Nami and Luffy truly understood.They looked at the gaping opening in the Red Line.Then at me.Then at my smile.
Nami furrowed her brow."…You're not thinking what I think you're thinking, are you?"
Luffy paled slightly."I think he is…And that's why he's smiling like that."
I raised my hands innocently."Come on… don't be like that.We even have a healer Heartless on board."
I pointed to a green Requiem floating peacefully near the mast, radiating a gentle light.Charles jumped.
"Ah! Right! The one I found in my room last night! I was wondering where that came from…"
I nodded seriously."An incredible stroke of luck, right? And more importantly… perfect for what I've planned."
A heavy silence followed —Immediately broken by Zoro, who crossed his arms, suspicious.
"Spit it out. What exactly are you planning?"
I pointed at the yawning recess Merry had carved into the Red Line, still dark, still rough."We're going to take turns digging into the mountain.Every time Merry needs a break, we'll rotate in groups of three or four.Objective: hit it. Again. And again. Until your bodies and attacks evolve.Endurance, power, control."
I smiled, just slightly."And if anyone gets hurt… our Heartless friend will take care of you."Nami narrowed her eyes."And me?""You won't be hitting the wall.You'll be creating a stable ice platform and renewing it regularly.The ice will crack, break, throw off their balance… and force them to maintain their footing."
A spark of impatience lit Kuina's eyes."Nami, can you freeze the sea right now?I want to test something against the mountain."Nami sighed but raised her staff.The cold spread instantly.The sea froze over for more than a hundred meters around the cavity, a thick layer of bluish ice forming even within the entrance itself.The surface became unstable, cracking in places under the pressure of the Red Line and the muffled waves beneath.
Zoro and Kuina stepped forward first.Zoro didn't draw Wado Ichimonji.Instead, he unsheathed the two unbreakable blades he had obtained at the Colosseum.He took position on the right side of the opening, drew a deep breath…and struck.
The shock traveled instantly up his arms.The stone was dense, ancient, almost alive.His muscles tightened, his shoulders burned, but he kept going.Each strike was slow, heavy, imperfect — but precise.
On the left side, Kuina ignited her blade and attacked.The impact was violent… and nearly useless.The rebound force almost tore the weapon from her hands.She winced, stepped back… then struck again.And again.And again.
When her arms began to tremble, she growled and activated her partial transformation.Her muscles swelled, her stance shifted.In her gorilla form, she struck once more — harder, absorbing the shock better.
In the center, Koby stepped forward, inspired.He picked a specific spot, raised his blade…and began striking the exact same point.
One hit.Two.Ten.A hundred.Always at the same spot.
Sweat streamed down his face.His arms shook, his hands bled slightly.After an hour, Koby was the first to drop to his knees.His arms were nearly limp.
The green Requiem floated over to him at once, bathing him in gentle light.Within seconds, the pain faded, and his muscles regenerated.
Charles silently took his place.He set his weapon aside.And struck the wall with his bare fists.Each impact drew a grimace of pain.Blood quickly ran from his knuckles, but he kept going — knowing that this kind of training built far more than muscle.
He held on for thirty minutes.By the time he stopped, his hands were raw, shaking.
He was healed in turn and joined Koby and Meumeuh to continue training in other ways — resistance swimming, forced currents, and lung endurance.
Meanwhile, Zoro and Kuina kept going.Two hours passed.When they finally stopped, panting, each had carved out nearly five meters of compact rock on their respective sides.
I motioned to Elise and Kazuki."Your turn. Clean and ventilate."Elise's honey trapped the fine dust, while Kazuki used his currents to clear the saturated air, making the cavity breathable again.
I glanced toward the center.Where Koby and Charles had worked relentlessly…Barely a meter had been removed.I nodded, thoughtful."Break. Eat."Tired groans rose up, but no one complained.
Once they'd moved away, I stepped forward myself.My body transformed, shifting into my hybrid crocodile form.My muscles thickened, my scales darkened.
Very quickly, it all became routine.And the more time passed, the more a single idea kept returning to me:I couldn't understand why no one had ever exploited the Red Line this way.
We stayed there for five full days, operating with a perfectly tuned system.Nami froze the surface of the sea four times a day, maintaining a stable platform despite the constant pressure of the water and the tremors of the stone.Elise and Kazuki managed the cavity's airflow:
– Kazuki diverted air currents to prevent dust buildup,– Elise used her honey to capture the finest particles before they could saturate the atmosphere.
As for breaking through the rock, the pace was brutal but effective.Zoro, Kuina, Usopp, Sanji, Luffy, and I took turns striking, sometimes together, sometimes solo, depending on fatigue.Blows echoed day and night, turning the cavity into a gigantic stone drum.
Behind us, Koby, Kaya, and Charles handled moving the blocks toward the sea — sliding, carrying, sometimes dragging masses far too heavy for them.They never complained.
Merry focused solely on the section below sea level, stabilizing the ground, widening the tunnel's base without forcing it.By working this way, she saved a lot of energy and could rest more often.
After five days, the tunnel was nearly a hundred meters deep — wide, stable, deep enough to completely hide the Merry, though not quite enough yet to reach the other side.
Not everyone progressed at the same rate.But one thing was certain:We were all stronger than we had been on day one.
Luffy, Zoro, and Kuina showed it the most.Their blows had changed.There was something different now — a density, an invisible resistance.Clear signs of Armament Haki sometimes shimmered across their attacks, still unstable, but real.Their striking power had skyrocketed.
Usopp had evolved differently.His light arrows were now three times more powerful than before.With his current accuracy, he could probably pierce Bear King's defense without difficulty.But that hardly mattered anymore —the Heartless created from the Kachi Kachi no Mi, hidden within my shadow, now gave him a formidable defense, able to absorb or deflect heavy attacks.
Sanji had refined his Devil Fruit.His flames were more stable, denser, deadlier.He had better control over combustion, reducing energy loss and making each strike more effective.
Elise and Kazuki had also made tremendous progress.Kazuki could now create an area completely devoid of air by diverting all airflow around a specific space — a terrifying ability if used correctly.Elise, on the other hand, underwent an unexpected evolution.Her body had absorbed so much mineral dust from the Red Line that her Devil Fruit mutated.In addition to her usual honey, she could now produce a crystalline liquid, close to solid crystal, which could harden almost instantly.She even learned to alternate between the two, or combine them:sticky honey and hard crystal — flexibility and rigidity flowing as one.
Kaya, Koby, and Charles showed the least technical progress.No new techniques.No awakened Haki.But their bodies…their bodies were unrecognizable.After moving stones, swimming under resistance, and working nonstop, their raw strength, endurance, and resilience had exploded.They could now endure efforts that would've broken them just weeks ago.
Even Meumeuh joined in.The sea cow regularly brought us fish, ensuring a steady supply of fresh food.
As for me…I took advantage of the nights.When the crew slept, I quietly opened portals to gather ingredients, resources, or simply observe the world around us.
Eventually, we stopped.The tunnel was stable enough, the air breathable, our bodies exhausted but satisfied.I raised my hand."We're taking a break. A real one."
Without waiting for any complaints, I opened a dark portal. The shadows stretched like a curtain of liquid, pulling the crew one by one into a safe place. The voices faded, replaced by the heavy silence of the Red Line.I remained alone before the cliff wall.It was time to test my limits.
I began methodically.Lasers shot from my eyes, carving burning lines into the rock.Then massive fireballs exploded against the wall with deafening roars, launching molten shards of stone.I followed with icy stalactites, forming and crashing down to fracture the structure.Lightning came next, cracking through the air like divine whips.Finally, I summoned my Keyblade.Calling upon the Guardian Armor's talent, I transformed it into a kind of living drill, spinning with deadly precision.The rock gave way… but slowly. Too slowly.
The conclusion was cold and clear:Despite all that raw power, I was barely progressing faster than with pure Haki.And worse… I was far more exhausted.I stopped.
After a moment of thought, I made a pragmatic decision.I released Krieg's Heartless.The shadow unfolded, and with it, hundreds of Heartless pirates emerged, screaming silently.They threw themselves at the wall — pounding, scratching, hammering without pause.A black, disciplined tide.The work would now proceed — constant, relentless.
While they labored, I opened a new portal.Destination: Heartless Island.
When I arrived, the atmosphere was strangely calm… focused.Everyone was gathered around a newspaper placed on a makeshift table, their expressions ranging from amused to incredulous.
"What's going on?" I asked.Luffy handed me the newspaper with a wide grin."I'm glad we didn't go to Loguetown."
I took the paper.Front page.A photo covered nearly the whole width: Baggy, sprinting for his life, face twisted in panic.Behind him, another image showed Garp with his fist raised, ready to deliver a legendary smackdown.In yet another photo, Smoker lay unconscious against a wall, the smoke around him fully dispersed.
I read the headline, then the article:
"Resurgence of Gol D. Roger's Crew!A former member of the legendary Pirate King's crew causes chaos in Loguetown.Pirate Buggy the Clown has defeated Colonel Smoker and declared publicly that he would become the next Pirate King in honor of his former captain.The incident ended when he fled, pursued by Marine Hero, Vice-Admiral Garp."**
I slowly looked up.Around me, some were laughing, others shaking their heads.Luffy wore a satisfied grin — the kind of look someone has after narrowly dodging a complete disaster.I folded the paper."…Good thing we changed course."
(Author's note: Yes, I know the Red Line is supposed to be unbreakable — especially when you think of Laboon, who smashed into the same spot for 50 years. But I don't fully agree with that. It's just rock, not sea stone.So I created this chapter by blending heavy training, like Garp punching warships or mountains, and Merry's earth-manipulation powers.I'll try to publish another chapter tomorrow since not much really happened in this one.)