They'd finally reached the top of Reverse Mountain. Everyone wore huge smiles as they gazed at the view. Jack's mouth hung open, it was so breathtaking that no words could describe the feeling.
Luffy stood at the bow, wind whipping through his hair, his laughter booming.
"Shishishishishi! We did it! We're at the top!"
Nami grip on the wheel loosened as she exhaled in relief.
"I can't believe we actually made it!"
Sanji whistled. "What a sight… I'd cook up a storm for a view like this."
Even Zoro cracked a small grin. "So this is it… the Grand Line, huh?"
"Woaahhhh! I'm here!" shouted Bartolomeo.
Dragon just looked at his surrounding, It had been too long since he'd traveled through Reverse Mountain. The last time was after Vegapunk created a ship that could cross the Calm Belt. He had long abandoned this route, and now, using this path again with his son made nostalgia wash over him.
But the serenity didn't last long. As they began descending and neared the entrance to the Grand Line...
"Oi! What's that in front of us?!" shouted Usopp, pointing ahead, his voice trembling.
Everyone turned their heads.
And there blocking the narrow exit that led into the Grand Line was a massive shadow. A gigantic eye, larger than the Merry itself, rose from the water surface.
It was a whale. A whale the size of a small island.
"EEEEHHHHHHHHHHH?!" screamed Luffy, Usopp, Nami, and even Bartolomeo in perfect unison.
Dragon, normally composed, blinked in disbelief, his expression comically stiff. "...You've got to be kidding me."
"THAT'S A WALL!" screamed Nami. "NO.... IT'S ALIVE! JACK, STOP THE SHIP!"
Jack, standing calmly near the control console, didn't move. His eyes gleamed faintly as he muttered, "Perfect opportunity for a stress test."
Zoro squinted at him. "What do you mean by 'stress test'?"
Sanji shouted, "Oi, don't tell me you're planning to.... "
BOOOOOOM!
The Going Merry slammed full speed into the whale's enormous head.
The sea erupted like an explosion, sending shockwaves across the current.
Everyone screamed.
"JAAAAAACK!" roared Nami, clutching the railing.
"Please stop this, Jack!" added Nojiko.
Luffy jaw dropped as he hung onto the mast. "Shishishishi… wait, we're still moving?!"
When the water finally settled — unbelievably — the ship hadn't even been scratched. Not a single plank cracked, not a screw came loose.
Instead… the whale itself had been injured, a clean dent on its massive forehead.
Usopp's eyes nearly popped out. "We… we hit a giant whale and the ship WON?!"
Bartolomeo fell to his knees, his hands shaking. "Th-that wasn't sailing… that was assault!"
Dragon, his hair dripping with seawater, glared at Jack with a twitching eye. "You're insane."
Jack, unfazed, pressed a few glowing runes on the console. "Impact absorbed. Kinetic energy converted to backup power."
Sanji looked ready to strangle him. "YOU COULD'VE WARNED US FIRST!"
"Relax," said Jack casually. "Now we know the ship can tank an island-class impact."
Nami's face turned crimson. "That's NOT something we needed to find out by testing it on a whale!"
Meanwhile, Luffy had already climbed to the bow again, eyes sparkling as he stared at the massive creature. "Whoa! He's huge! Hey, whale! You okay down there?"
The whale let out a deep groan, the sea trembling from its cry.
Zoro sighed, shaking his head. "We just picked a fight with a whale. Great."
Dragon rubbed his temple. "This crew going to give me gray hair…"
But despite the chaos, laughter began to rise again. The tension broke, replaced by their usual noisy, unstoppable spirit.
They had done it, they had climbed Reverse Mountain, crossed into the Grand Line, and somehow survived ramming into a sea monster.
And above all else… the Going Merry had proven herself indestructible.
Jack looked at the ship's gleaming deck and smiled faintly. "Welcome to the Grand Line, everyone."
Luffy grinned wider than ever, his straw hat catching the sunlight. "Shishishishishi! Adventure starts now!"
The Going Merry rocked back and forth as waves surged around them, the massive whale still looming like a dark mountain over the sea.
"W-We hit it, and it's still alive!" shouted Usopp, clutching the railing. "What kind of monster whale is that?!"
The whale, its single large eye rolling toward the tiny ship, let out a low rumble that made the water ripple violently. Then, its enormous mouth began to open.
"Uh… guys…" said Sanji. "It's opening its mouth."
Bartolomeo turned pale. "T-that's not a yawn, right?"
Luffy leaned forward on the Merry's railing, fascinated. "Shishishishi! He's huge! Maybe he's hungry!"
"Luffy! Don't say that!" Nami shouted, grabbing his collar. "He is hungry! And we're the food!"
Dragon's eyes widened as the massive maw of Laboon yawned wider, dark, cavernous, and full of seawater churning like a whirlpool.
"Everyone brace yourselves!" roared Jack, grabbing the helm. He didn't intend to stop the whale from swallowing them because he wanted to meet Crocus.
The Merry was swallowed whole.
The world spun. Water crashed over them, light vanished, and then—thunk.
Silence.
"Are… are we dead?" whispered Usopp, trembling.
A soft light flickered around them. The Merry wasn't sinking, it was floating inside something.
They looked around. Instead of stomach acid, the crew found themselves drifting in a strange, cavernous space, brightly lit by an unknown substance, with even stairs built along the flesh-like walls.
"What… what is this place?" asked Nami, wide-eyed.
"It's… inside the whale," muttered Dragon, scanning the area with sharp eyes. "But someone built an entire facility here."
Zoro frowned. "Inside a whale? Are we seriously doing this?"
Jack pressed his hand on the wooden floor, feeling the texture. "Strange… the air here is purified. This whale isn't ordinary."
Then a calm, slightly aged voice echoed from above.
"Oh? Visitors? It's been quite a while since someone ended up inside Laboon."
The crew turned. An elderly man with lilac hair stood on a high platform, looking down at them.
"Welcome, strangers. You're inside Laboon, the whale that guards Reverse Mountain."
Luffy eyes sparkled. "Whoa! Old man! Did you build this whale-house yourself?"
The man chuckled. "In a way. My name is Crocus. I'm the caretaker of this whale."
Jack and Dragon exchanged glances, both recognizing that name immediately.
Dragon's eyes narrowed. "Crocus… You're that Crocus. The ship doctor of the Oro Jackson."
The old man's smile softened, a hint of nostalgia crossing his face. "Ah… so you know that name." He adjusted his glasses. "It's been decades since I sailed under Roger's flag. I didn't think anyone still remembered."
The entire crew froze.
Zoro blinked. "Wait. That Roger? You mean..."
"The Pirate King," said Dragon quietly. "Gold Roger doctor."
Luffy jaw dropped. "EH?! You knew the Pirate King?! That's awesome!"
Crocus laughed heartily, warm and deep. "You've got spirit, kid. What's your name?"
"Monkey D. Luffy! I'm gonna be the next Pirate King!"
Dragon watched silently, his eyes softening at his son.
Jack took a step forward, scanning the pipes and the architecture. "Your work is fascinating, Doctor Crocus. I'm not an expert in biology, but surviving inside a whale is impressive."
"Old man, why did you become laboon guard?" asked Nojiko.
Crocus paused before replying. "Laboon's been waiting for someone. He keeps ramming into the Red Line because of a promise… waiting for a crew that never returned."
The crew went silent. Nojiko folded her arms. "That's… sad. So he's been hurting himself out of loneliness?"
Luffy's eyes softened. "Where is that crew? We'll try to find them."
Suddenly, the entire chamber trembled. The whale groaned deeply.
"Whoa! What's happening now?!" shouted Usopp.
Crocus sighed. "Relax," he said, before grabbing a large syringe and injecting Laboon with it.
Luffy turned to Crocus, grinning brightly. "Old man! What did you do?"
"I'm trying to calm him down — so he won't ram his head into the Red Line again," said Crocus.
"Huh, our ship hit his head first," replied Luffy.
Crocus chuckled. "That's bad. But you might want to apologize when you get out — he remembers faces well."
Jack raised a brow. "That might be… difficult. We kind of rammed him first."
Crocus just laughed, then helped them open the massive valve door that led back outside.
Author Notes - There is 10 advanced chapter on my patreon.
-patreon.com/zerelix