Pirates: Martial Arts Masters on the Straw Hat Ship

The entrance to the Grand Line, the Upside-Down Mountain.

When the Merry soared into the sky along that counter-physical canal and reached the highest point on the Red Earth, the world seemed to stand still for a moment.

Then, gravity took over everything.

"Hold on tight!!!"

Ronan gripped the gunwale tightly with one hand, his feet rooted to the deck like gnarled tree roots, and roared.

The moment the bow of the ship passed the highest point, a feeling of weightlessness suddenly struck.

The Merry was like a roller coaster that had lost its brakes, making a desperate dive down the almost vertical, wide waterway into the unknown and vast ocean below!

"Waaaaaahh ...

Luffy's excited screams, Usopp's terrified cries, and the howling of the sea breeze tearing through the air intertwined.

That's incredibly fast!

The red rock walls on both sides of the river turned into blurry afterimages, and all that could be heard was the deafening sound of the wind and the water.

The Merry's hull trembled violently, as if it would fall apart at any moment.

Ronan could even feel the mournful groaning coming from the wooden planks at the bottom of the ship.

"Charge—!!"

"BOOM!!!"

With a deafening roar, the Going Merry crashed heavily onto the sea with tremendous force.

The immense kinetic energy stirred up white waves tens of meters high, like the angry roar of a sea god, enveloping the entire ship in a mist.

The waves surged and the Merry rocked violently between the crests and troughs for a long time before finally managing to stabilize itself thanks to buoyancy.

The mist dissipated, and sunlight shone back onto the deck.

"I...I survived..." Usopp collapsed to the ground, his soul seemingly still suspended in mid-air.

Ronan wiped the seawater off his face and looked up.

On either side of the sea behind, two uniquely shaped, symmetrical white lighthouses stand.

They stood like two silent guardians, watching over the gate leading to the Grand Line.

"That is..." Ronan took a deep breath, a surge of indescribable excitement welling up inside him, "The lighthouse at Twin Capes."

"We've arrived!"

Nami shouted excitedly, "This is—the starting point of the Grand Line, Twin Cape!"

"We've finally arrived!!"

Luffy leaped onto the ram's head at the bow of the ship, opened his arms, and embraced this brand new sea: "Hehehe! The Grand Line! Here I come!"

The sea was unusually calm at this moment, the azure water was unfathomably deep, and occasionally a few huge seabirds would fly by, emitting desolate cries.

This is the starting point of countless pirate dreams, and also the graveyard where countless ambitions have been buried.

However, this calm did not last long.

"Buzz—"

Ronan and the others simultaneously sensed something amiss with their Observation Haki.

A massive, suffocating life force was rapidly rising from the sea beneath the Going Merry.

"What happened?"

Zoro frowned, his hand instantly gripping the hilt of his Wado Ichimonji sword, his gaze fixed on the azure sea. "Something big... is coming!"

"A big guy? How big?" Usopp had just stood up when he heard this, but his legs went weak again. "The Grand Line is really scary! Are we going to fight as soon as we arrive?"

Ronan stood at the ship's railing, his gaze deep and thoughtful.

As a time traveler, he naturally knew what was about to happen.

Island whale, Laboon.

In the original storyline, the Going Merry failed to brake in time and crashed directly into Laboon's belly.

But this time, thanks to the butterfly effect, they successfully avoided the "devouring" outcome.

However, even if you are not swallowed, the oppressive feeling of being in close contact with a giant beast is still terrifying.

"Gurgle—"

The sea began to boil, with countless huge bubbles surging upwards.

A huge shadow quickly spread beneath the surface of the sea, completely enveloping the Merry.

"Splash—!!!"

With a deafening roar of water, the sea seemed to split open.

A black "mountain" roared out from under the sea with the roar of tens of thousands of tons of seawater!

That was a whale.

A giant whale, larger than anyone could imagine, the size of an island!

The Merry was like an insect in front of it.

Its head, barely protruding above the water, blocked out half the sky.

"Whoa! It's a monster!!"

Nami and Usopp hugged each other, letting out a desperate scream, tears streaming down their faces.

A creature of this size is simply beyond human capability to contend with; if it were to turn over even slightly, the resulting massive waves could shatter the Going Merry into pieces.

"So big..."

Luffy tilted his head back, his neck aching, his mouth agape in an "O" shape, his eyes filled with amazement:

"Is this what they call fish from the Grand Line? They look delicious... no, they're amazing!"

"This size... even a Sea King couldn't compare." Zoro's hand gripping his sword was slightly sweaty. Although he was full of fighting spirit, he also felt immense pressure.

Raab did not attack.

It simply floated quietly on the sea, and its huge eyes seemed to hold no murderous intent, but rather a deep loneliness and sorrow.

It looked toward the Red Earth and let out a low, long cry.

The sound waves vibrated the air, causing the mast of the Going Merry to tremble.

Just as everyone was too intimidated by Laboon's size to move, an extremely absurd scene unfolded.

"Click."

A crisp mechanical unlocking sound rang out.

To Luffy and his crew's astonishment, a metal door suddenly opened out of thin air on Laboon's bald, massive head, which was covered with crisscrossing scars!

"A door?!" Usopp rubbed his eyes. "A door growing on a whale's head? Am I hallucinating?"

Immediately afterwards, the iron gate opened.

An old man who looked rather strange emerged from the whale's body.

He was quite robust, with a broad jaw, wore glasses, and had his hair spread out like flower petals.

She wore a flamboyant pink shirt with yellow and green floral patterns, paired with casual light blue shorts and sandals.

What is most striking is the prominent scar on his left arm and the green gemstone bracelet on his wrist that sparkles in the sunlight.

Crocus.

He was the ship's doctor on Gol D. Roger's ship and the guardian of Twin Cape.

He was carrying two people—a man and a woman—who were tightly bound with ropes, as if they were chicks.

The man wore a crown and looked like a juggler, while the woman had long blue hair and, despite her face being covered in dust, her beauty was undeniable.

It was Mr. 9 and Princess Vivi from Baroque Studio.

Ignoring the two men's pig-like struggles, Crocus leaped and displayed astonishing skill beyond his years, landing steadily from the whale's head to the lighthouse on the left.

He set down the prisoners, adjusted his glasses, and swept his gaze across the crew of the Going Merry, his eyes carrying a hint of scrutiny and world-weariness:

"So, another newcomer has arrived on the Grand Line...?"