Chapter 25
Two days ago, my ship passed by Loguetown’s island again. Now, on another clear morning, Nami’s sprawled out on a deck chair, poring over a sea chart. Not the one for South Blue—that’s still a bit ahead of us. She’s studying the chart I gave her for navigating Reverse Mountain, the next big hurdle we’re about to face.
Everyone knows the “newbie” Four Seas in the One Piece world are split by the Red Line and the Calm Belt, with the Grand Line cutting through the middle. To get from the East Blue to any other sea, you’ve got to tackle Reverse Mountain. Sure, you could try crossing the Calm Belt and the Grand Line directly, but that’s only an option if you’ve got a Navy warship with its own propulsion system to sail through windless waters—and even then, you’d better hope you don’t get chomped by the giant Sea Kings. Otherwise, forget it.
“Phew…” Nami lets out a long breath, setting the chart on the round table in front of her. She rubs her temples. “I still can’t wrap my head around it. A current that climbs a mountain? Really?” Unlike me, who’s got the advantage of knowing the *One Piece* story, Nami’s still green when it comes to the wider world, and Reverse Mountain’s got her mind blown.
I shrug. “The Guiding Light—the lighthouse pointing to the Grand Line—doesn’t lie. Plus, all those rumors we’ve heard back up the charts.”
“Yeah,” she says, glancing at the chart again. “Ships heading for the Grand Line lose control and crash into the Red Line, smashed to bits. That’s gotta be because of the current rushing straight to Reverse Mountain.” She taps the chart. “So, the ones that get wrecked are the ships that can’t hit the canal just right. They get swept into the Red Line by the current.”
“Exactly,” I say, nodding. I’m genuinely impressed. Nami’s never even been to Loguetown, yet she’s pieced together Reverse Mountain and its canal from just a chart. Hiring her as my navigator was a damn good call. Don’t think it’s a small feat—most navigators can’t do this, or there wouldn’t be so many ships lost on the way to the Grand Line every year.
Just then, one of the sailors rushes over. “Miss Nami! You were right—the current’s getting stronger, just like you said!”
“Really?” Nami’s eyes light up. She bolts to the ship’s edge, gripping the railing and peering down. “Hey, Morgan, come check this out! The current’s picking up!”
I stroll over. “So, we’re getting close to the canal, huh?”
“Smart one!” She flashes a grin, squinting at me playfully. “Guess you’re not just a sneaky, fight-happy bounty hunter after all, huh, Mr. Bounty Hunter?” After a few days together, she’s warmed up to me a bit. Sure, she still thinks I’m a scheming jerk, but she’s figured out I’m not *completely* rotten. She’s even started tossing out the occasional jab.
“I’ll take that as a compliment, Miss Navigator,” I say, rolling my eyes and glancing at the sky.
Nami turns to the sailors. “Alright, furl the sails! Keep a steady hand on the helm and be ready for anything!”
“Aye, aye!” The sailors nod and scramble to their posts.
“Hold on, something’s off,” I say, staring at the sky.
“What’s up?” Nami blinks, following my gaze.
I point at the clear sky, rubbing my chin like it’s a serious matter. “You know, out at sea, moments like this are supposed to come with storms, lightning, the works. But it’s all sunshine and blue skies. That’s not right.”
Nami’s face darkens with annoyance. “What, you think this is some storybook? Storms and lightning? If every big moment came with that, then—” She stops mid-sentence. A dark cloud rolls in out of nowhere, followed by a blinding flash. *Boom!* Thunder rumbles overhead, and a downpour hits us like a bucket tipped over.
In seconds, we’re both soaked to the bone.
“Tch, see? Told you,” I say, smirking like I called it.
Nami’s face is black as the storm clouds. She hauls off and smacks the back of my head. “You and your big mouth!”
——————
Amid our bickering, the ship sails on for another five minutes or so. As a weird sea mist clears, an endless red cliff looms ahead.
“That’s the Red Line, right?” Nami says, holding an umbrella and craning her neck to look up. The cliff stretches into the clouds, and even then, she can’t see the top. “That’s gotta be a thousand meters high.”
“Maybe higher,” I say, shrugging. “No one’s ever recorded the Red Line’s height. In all known history, only one guy’s climbed it, and I doubt he was busy measuring.”
“What?! Someone climbed it?” Nami’s eyes widen, shocked.
“Yeah, you never heard of Fisher Tiger?”
She shakes her head.
“That guy was a real hardhead. About twelve years ago, he climbed the Red Line barehanded,” I say, a hint of admiration in my voice. “And he wasn’t just showing off. He stormed Mariejois and freed a ton of slaves from the Celestial Dragons.”
“That’s… insane!” Nami’s jaw drops. “What happened to him?”
“He formed the Sun Pirates, a fishman crew. Then he got taken out by an Admiral.”
“Sun Pirates? Was this Tiger guy a fishman?” she asks, surprised.
“Yup,” I nod.
“There are good fishmen out there…” Her voice dips, almost like she’s talking to herself, her mood darkening.
“Good and bad exist in every group. That’s just how it is,” I say after a moment.
She doesn’t respond, lost in thought, maybe because of the fishman mention.
——————
As we get closer to the Red Line, Nami pulls out the chart again. “The route’s spot-on. We should see the canal any second now.”
“There it is,” I say, pointing with one hand while holding my telescope in the other. To Nami, it just looks like a narrow slit in the distance.
She snatches the telescope and peers through it. “It’s really there—a canal, and the water’s climbing up!” Her voice buzzes with excitement. She’s read about Reverse Mountain’s bizarre currents on the chart, but seeing it for real has her hyped.
“Keep it steady!” she calls to the sailors.
The closer we get, the faster the current flows. The narrow slit of the canal grows wider in our view. Thanks to Nami’s precise steering and our small ship, we glide smoothly into the canal, riding the upward current toward the peak of Reverse Mountain.
“Woo!” The sailors let out a cheer at the breathtaking sight.
Nami and I, seeing this for the first time too, can’t help but marvel at the ocean’s wonders.
As we near the peak, Nami shouts to the sailors, “Raise the sails! Keep the helm steady, or we’ll get sucked straight into the Grand Line!”
“Aye!” they reply, jumping to follow her orders.
We can see the summit now, where the currents of the Four Seas converge.
“Hold on tight!” I yell to the sailors and Nami.
“What?” Nami blinks, not quite catching it.
Before I can answer, the current launches our ship upward, rocketing into the sky. The force lifts Nami off the deck, her feet dangling.
“Ahhh!” she screams, caught off guard.
I grab the railing with one hand and snag her arm with the other, keeping her from flying off. Good thing that Shop potion’s still boosting my strength.
*Thud!* The ship “flies” for a few seconds before crashing back into the water, splashing waves everywhere.
Once the ship steadies, I let go of the railing and pull Nami up. “You okay, Miss Navigator?”
“Phew…” She lets out a shaky breath, avoiding my eyes, a bit embarrassed. “Uh… yeah, I’m fine. Thanks.” She quickly grabs the railing, checks the current below, and confirms our direction. “Alright, we’ve officially made it to South Blue.”