Morning light spilled softly across the deck of the Themis.
The sun had just risen, but Nojiko was still fast asleep.
Nami blinked in surprise. "Strange… Nojiko's never slept this late before."
Ron smiled faintly, his tone teasing.
"Maybe the waves were too restless last night. The sea can be quite… noisy at times."
Nami tilted her head, puzzled — and then her eyes widened in realization.
Her cheeks flushed crimson. She gave his chest a light punch.
"I–It wasn't that loud!"
Ron only chuckled and drew her gently into his arms, his gaze drifting toward the distant horizon.
Beyond the rolling mist, a colossal red wall pierced the sky.
"The Red Line…" he murmured. "We've finally reached it — the entrance to the Grand Line."
The thought filled his chest with anticipation.
A new world awaited beyond that wall — treasures, mysteries, and legends waiting to be uncovered.
Perhaps even the man named Crocus — the doctor who once sailed under the Pirate King himself.
A man whose secrets could change how they understood the sea.
As the Themis approached the Red Line, the weather began to turn.
Dark clouds gathered.
The wind howled.
Waves rose higher and higher, hammering against the ship.
Soon, a roaring storm engulfed them.
The Red Line loomed ahead — a vast crimson continent that split the seas like an unyielding wall.
Its sight alone was enough to inspire awe.
"What an incredible view…"
Both sisters spoke at once, eyes wide with wonder.
Nojiko, who had lived her whole life in a small village, stared in silence, overwhelmed by its majesty.
Even Ron felt a twinge of reverence.
But Nami — ever the navigator — quickly shook off her amazement.
Her instincts told her something was wrong.
She snatched her map, braced herself against the rail, and began calculating.
"The currents are shifting," she said urgently.
"This isn't normal — if this keeps up, we'll miss the entrance to Reverse Mountain completely!"
The Red Line was close now — so close they could see the mist at its base.
The coordinates for the mountain's entrance were locked in.
Victory was within reach.
But then —
The ship lurched violently.
The Themis veered off course, caught by a sudden surge in the raging currents.
The crew clung to the rail as the vessel raced helplessly toward the cliffs.
For a moment, it seemed their journey would end against the wall of the Red Line.
"Don't panic," Ron said calmly, placing a reassuring hand on Nami's shoulder.
"With me here, there's no such thing as impossible."
He gestured for them to hold tight — then leapt overboard, vanishing into the churning sea.
"Ron!"
Nojiko's heart clenched. The name escaped her lips before she could stop it.
She caught Nami's curious glance and felt her pulse quicken.
Nami smiled playfully. "Relax. Believe in him, okay?"
She winked. "Though… you seem more worried than I am, sis."
Nojiko stammered. "T–That's not true!"
Her denial only made Nami grin wider.
Flustered, Nojiko turned away, pretending to focus on the waves.
"L–Look! The ship's moving again!"
And indeed — the Themis had righted itself.
The currents shifted once more, pushing the ship directly toward the mountain's slope.
Nojiko's eyes widened. "The sea… it's flowing upward?"
Nami blinked in disbelief. "It really is!"
The water was climbing — racing up the side of the Red Line as if gravity itself had reversed.
Her breath caught as understanding dawned.
"So that's it," she whispered. "That's how we climb Reverse Mountain!"
She looked down at her map, tracing the lines with trembling fingers.
"At the summit, the four seas meet here," she murmured.
"The currents from North Blue, South Blue, East Blue, and West Blue all converge at one point…"
Her eyes lifted, shining with awe.
"And from that center flow — a single current descends into the Grand Line itself."
She smiled, exhilarated.
"What an incredible design nature has made."
Moments later, the Themis entered the raging current.
The deck tilted sharply upward as the ship was pulled into the ascending stream.
Spray drenched their faces.
Wind howled past their ears.
But Ron soon emerged from the sea, soaring beside them like a creature born of the waves.
He landed lightly on deck, soaked but smiling.
"Ron, that was amazing!" Nami cried, eyes shining.
"You turned the ship around underwater! How did you even do that?"
Ron chuckled modestly.
"Just a little trick of mine. Comes in handy when the sea misbehaves."
Indeed, the special ability he'd mastered — "Rapid Submarine Movement" — allowed him to maneuver beneath the waves like a sea dragon.
It was the perfect counter to his one weakness: sea combat.
The Themis surged upward along the reversed current.
The wind tore at their clothes, the spray glittered like silver dust.
Despite the storm, Nami stretched out her arms, laughing freely into the roaring air.
Ron and Nojiko exchanged a glance.
He smiled softly.
She tried to smile back — but her expression faltered, shy and fleeting.
Ron's eyes lingered a moment longer, thoughtful.
At last, the ship crested the peak of Reverse Mountain.
Below them, four mighty currents collided — twisting into one massive stream that plunged downward toward the Grand Line.
Their ship followed, diving into the descent like a falling star.
The sisters screamed in exhilaration as the Themis rocketed down the watery slope.
But at the end of the current, an unexpected sight awaited them.
"Wait… what's that?" Nami gasped.
Ahead, blocking the channel, was something enormous — so large it seemed to fill the horizon.
"It looks like… a mountain?" Nojiko whispered.
Ron's eyes narrowed. "Not a mountain," he said calmly. "A whale."
"A whale?!" both sisters exclaimed in unison.
Ron nodded toward the great black shape ahead.
"That's Laboon — the island whale."
The massive creature rammed the Red Line again and again, shaking the very sea around it.
For ordinary ships, the exit of Reverse Mountain was wide open —
but for Laboon, it was a wall he could never cross.
The sisters watched in silence, hearts tightening with sympathy.
"Why is he doing that?" Nojiko asked softly.
Ron didn't answer immediately.
He turned instead toward the empty lighthouses standing on either side of the exit — silent and watchful.
His expression grew pensive.
"The answer," he said quietly, "lies with whoever's waiting inside that lighthouse…"
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