Zeff's navigational log had mentioned it, so Luffy knew.
"Are we supposed to ram the mountain?"
"It's drawn on the chart! There's a canal on the mountain. We have to climb up through the canal." In terms of rank, Luffy was probably a novice navigator now, speaking with confidence.
"Whether there's a canal or not, how can a ship climb a mountain?"
"That's what the chart says!"
In the end, Nami stepped in to explain.
Reverse Mountain on the Red Line. The four ocean currents from the four seas would converge at the summit through the canals and flow down into the Grand Line.
Reverse Mountain was a winter island, so the currents flowing into the Red Line would dive from the surface to the depths.
Sure enough, they soon witnessed the magnificent sight of seawater "climbing" the mountain.
"But if we don't enter the canal, the Going Merry will crash into the Red Line."
Nami's words made everyone on board uneasy.
"Don't worry! We have Merry!"
"Okay!" Merry sat on Luffy's shoulder, punching the air with one hand and waving her mallet with the other.
...
It looked like they were inside a dim sewer.
"Listen up. The other side of that door is the whale's stomach. The old man is definitely there. Take him out, and the whale is ours." Mr. 9, holding a rifle and looking somewhat princely, said to his partner, Miss Wednesday.
"I know." Vivi, her hair in a high ponytail, felt complicated.
From a princess who wanted for nothing to a secret agent who now had to be ruthless.
Having infiltrated Baroque Works as a spy, Vivi knew she was getting close to the truth.
This was inside the whale, Laboon.
Logically, there shouldn't be anyone else here. But just as Vivi and her partner were about to carry out their assassination plan, a young man emerged from the darkness ahead. He wore a red vest and blue shorts, with open-toed sandals, his face clearly showing displeasure.
A little girl sat on his shoulder, seemingly trying to comfort him.
Earlier:
They had ridden the current up Reverse Mountain in a great leap, only for a massive creature to open its mouth and swallow the Going Merry whole.
Only Merry, already sitting on Luffy's shoulder, escaped that fate.
If Merry hadn't been able to sense that the ship was still intact, Luffy would have wanted to flip this whale over.
By chance, they found a pipe somewhere inside the whale's body that actually led inside the whale?
Was the structure of a whale island this strange?
It even made Luffy's curiosity itch.
But with his Animal Communication at Lv.1, Luffy could sense this giant whale's emotions—it was wailing, full of sorrow.
"Luffy, I can feel it. It's behind that door," Merry said happily.
"Merry, what do you think about making this big guy our nakama?" Luffy suddenly clapped his hands, making a decision. Then his head was gently tilted upward by Merry's little hands.
Looking ahead, two people carrying cannons were aiming at him.
"Hey! Who are you? Why are you here?!" Mr. 9's eyes widened.
This wasn't in the intel!
Vivi stared at the straw-hat-wearing boy and the little girl holding a mallet. She couldn't help but say, "Stand still right there, or we'll fire."
Forget the whale, let's not drag anyone else into this.
They were on a mission. The so-called "Unlucky Duo," Mr. 13 and Miss Friday, might be lurking around.
"Your mission is the whale. This extra person is probably a pirate, a flaw in the intel. We'll help clean it up."
Just then, a talking sea otter and a bald eagle appeared from the shadows. The sea otter held a lit bomb.
[Nakama Day time remaining: Three hours]
The voice in his ear made Luffy frown.
If he chose Laboon as a nakama, what about the other vacancy?
Before him: a sea otter, a bald eagle, a man, a woman... Luffy had zero interest. His gaze lingered on Vivi's thighs for a split second, immediately making a connection to Nami. Could she rival Nami in this area?
No, now wasn't the time for that.
These people in front of him didn't look like good guys.
Luffy patted Merry and said, "Close your eyes for a bit."
Merry obediently said "okay" and covered her eyes.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Mr. 13 was instantly displeased.
Is he looking down on me?
The bomb flew quickly towards Luffy.
But the next second...
"Gomu Gomu no... King Cobra!"
Luffy's arm stretched out. One punch sent the bomb flying back. The first to get blasted was Mr. 13. Miss Friday tried to fly up, but Luffy's fist actually curved, and with enough force, it knocked her out cold with one hit.
Mr. 9 was no exception.
However, just as the fist was about to take care of Vivi, the stubborn whale Laboon started ramming the Red Line again. The interior shook like an earthquake. Luffy's hand momentarily lost control, flying wildly.
As luck would have it, there was a crisp smack.
Although the force had lessened considerably, the pain of a direct hit was something only the recipient could understand.
Vivi's eyes welled up with tears from the pain. Her hands instinctively flew behind her, covering the spot, furious and flustered.
If you're going to hit me, just knock me out like the others!
Hitting there is just being a pervert!
She was a princess of a kingdom after all. Even while infiltrating Baroque Works, Igaram had protected her well. This private area...
Vivi's face was red with anger and embarrassment. She pulled out her Peacock Slashers in a rage. Igaram had always told her to keep a trump card hidden, so Vivi had never gone all out!
She saw Luffy staring thoughtfully at his own hand, as if savoring the memory.
"You pervert! You asked for this! You forced me to go all out!"
Coming back to his senses, Luffy looked at Vivi. The retort on the tip of his tongue didn't come out.
The fact was, he had hit it. And it felt like jelly, round and plump.
Looking closely, the woman in front of him was about the same height as Nami, with a similar figure—a slender, graceful silhouette, slim where it should be, full and ample where it should be.
But that wasn't why he was spacing out.
[Nika Affinity 1%]
A wave of white energy seemed to pass through his body. Luffy was quite surprised.
Several days had passed since the Nika consciousness was awakened. He had genuinely seen the ship spirit, Merry. But Nika?
Not a trace.
If you don't want to appear, fine. To be honest, Luffy hadn't held much expectation for it. But for it to suddenly show up in an unexpected place like this was different.
There had been no movement before. It only appeared after he hit Vivi. What was this? Could it be because she had some succubus constitution or a special bloodline?
The only thing Luffy was sure of was that Nika seemed to have some connection to Vivi.
Hmm... then he should test it again.
It definitely wasn't because the sensation was good.
"Luffy, can I open my eyes now?" Merry asked, her little hands still covering her eyes.
"Wait a bit longer."
The following scenes were even less suitable for children.
***
Dive deeper into the story with 30+ advance chapters, available now on Patreon!patreon.com/CNBLUE
If you're enjoying the novel, please consider leaving a review. Your support is crucial and helps the story grow immensely. Thank you!