The Going Merry sailed slowly across the calm, mirror-like surface of the sea.
Aomori reclined lazily on a lounge chair, flipping through the few books and newspapers available on the ship.
"Too slow. Nami, aren't we at the Grand Line yet?"
Luffy sat in his specialized captain's seat on the figurehead, looking completely drained of energy.
"It's not that fast! Today is only our second day out of Loguetown," Nami said, rolling her eyes. "It'll take at least a few more days."
"A few more days? That sucks."
"Want to go faster? That's easy. Hang on tight," Aomori said, snapping his fingers.
Driven by his psychokinesis, the Going Merry suddenly lurched forward as if it had engaged jet propulsion, screaming across the water.
"What's happening?! There's hardly any wind!" Nami shrieked, desperately hugging a nearby mast to keep from being thrown overboard.
Caught completely off guard, Usopp face-planted into the deck and slid all the way to the stern, nearly mangling his long nose in the process.
Sanji and Zoro came charging out of the cabin. "What's going on?! Did we hit a storm?"
They froze when they saw the perfectly sunny weather.
"So fast! This is awesome! Oji-san, did you do this? This is incredible!" Luffy laughed recklessly, holding his straw hat down against the wind.
"Aomori-san, is this your doing?"
"Is it a Devil Fruit power?"
"No, it's an Esper ability," Aomori explained casually.
"An Esper ability? Those exist?"
"You two, stop chatting and get those sails down!" Nami screamed while still clinging to the mast. At this speed, the sails were a liability that might be shredded to ribbons.
"Right away, Nami-san! I'm on it!" Sanji responded instantly, sprinting to lower the sails with a joyful skip.
As the speed stabilized, Nami and the others finally adjusted, though the sight of the scenery blurring past and the roar of the wind in their ears kept them on edge.
"At this speed, if something suddenly appears in front of us, we'll be smashed to smithereens!" Usopp shivered, hugging his arms.
"Shut up! Don't jinx us!" Nami was equally terrified, clutching the bag of treasure Aomori had given her to find some semblance of courage.
"Relax, guys. Oji-san will have a plan, right?" For some reason, Luffy seemed to have absolute confidence in Aomori. Was it the heightened intuition of Sun God Nika?
"Probably," Aomori replied, still flipping through his book. His unbothered demeanor did much to calm the rest of the crew.
After a while, seeing that no disasters had occurred, Usopp and the others relaxed and returned to their duties. Nami, however, remained hunched over her sea charts, her brow furrowed.
"Nami-san, is something wrong?" Sanji asked.
"Look, according to this chart, the entrance to the Grand Line is... at the top of a mountain." Nami pointed at the route. "This is Reverse Mountain. The currents from the four seas converge at the summit through canals and then flow into the Grand Line."
"You mean we have to sail up a mountain? That's impossible!"
"If the current is strong enough, it's very possible. It will carry the ship right to the peak."
"That's insane."
"Hey, guys!" Luffy shouted from the front, waving his arms. "I think I see a mountain!"
"Already?" Nami rushed to the railing and looked out. Sure enough, a towering shadow loomed ahead.
"It really is... the Red Line..."
"It's so high and wide, I can't even see the top."
"Hey! Nami, what do we do?! If we hit the mountain, we're dead!"
"Less talking, more looking! Find the entrance!"
In a flurry of activity, Zoro spotted a narrow rift in the center of the Red Line through his binoculars. "Found it! Right ahead! There's actually water flowing upward... incredible."
"Sanji, Usopp! To the helm! We have to line up perfectly with that canal, or we'll crash!" Nami commanded.
At that moment, Aomori stood up and withdrew the telekinetic thrust. The natural current was now more than fast enough; he only needed to help stabilize the ship's direction.
With everyone's effort, the Going Merry passed through several stone arches and entered the ascending current, racing toward the summit.
"YEAH!" The crew cheered and danced.
They surged upward, quickly piercing through thick layers of clouds to reach the peak. With the momentum of the water, they launched into the sky for a brief moment. Below them lay a vast, infinite sea of clouds.
"It's beautiful—AAAAHHH!"
The ship plummeted, splashing into the descending canal. After a few heart-stopping seconds of screaming, they looked ahead with renewed determination.
"We finally made it! The Grand Line!"
"Somewhere in this sea, the One Piece is sleeping, waiting for us to find it. I'm going to find it and become the King of the Pirates!"
Aomori thought to himself: Admirals, Emperors, Warlords... don't disappoint me.
As the ship dove, they plunged back into a thick fog.
"I can't see a thing! What if there's a mountain in the way?" Usopp whimpered.
"Can't you say something positive for once?" Nami glared at him. "Once we pass Twin Cape, it should be open sea."
"I've heard a giant whale guards the exit of Twin Cape," Aomori noted. "Many ships have been smashed to pieces by it. Let's hope we aren't that unlucky."
"No way..." Nami and Usopp tensed up immediately.
"Nami-san! There really is a mountain up ahead!" Sanji shouted from the crow's nest.
"It's the whale!"
Emerging from the fog, they were met by a black wall so massive it nearly blocked the entire waterway.
"It's huge! We're going to crash!"
"Stay here. I'll go convince it to move," Aomori said. Before anyone could respond, he vanished.
"So fast!" Zoro was stunned. "I couldn't even see him move."
"Turns out oji-san really is a top-tier powerhouse," Luffy said, nodding. "Let's wait for the good news."
Seconds later, a massive boom echoed through the air, and the black wall slowly shifted, revealing a wide path.
"He did it! He actually did it!"
The Going Merry sailed safely into the open water, and only then did the crew realize they were passing the giant eye of the whale.
"It's terrifyingly big. Are all the creatures in the Grand Line like this?"
"Hahaha, isn't it interesting?"
"Interesting my foot!"
Aomori reappeared before them a moment later, bowing slightly. "Mission accomplished."
"As expected of Aomori-san. So reliable!"
"So Luffy, what now? Do we just leave?"
"We can't," Nami interrupted. "We don't even have a chart. We'll get lost if we just sail out into the blue."
"You should probably ask the lighthouse keeper at Twin Cape. Get the basics of the Grand Line down first," Aomori advised. "As for me, this is where we part ways."
"Aw, you're leaving already, oji-san?" Luffy looked genuinely disappointed.
"Yes. I've just run into an old acquaintance, so I won't trouble you any longer."
"Well, nothing we can do then. See you when I see you!"
Bidding farewell to Luffy's crew, Aomori teleported onto a small boat nearby. On it stood two people in strange outfits, a man and a woman. Without a second thought, Aomori kicked the man into the sea.
"Mr. 9!" the woman screamed in shock.
She had long, blue hair tied back, revealing a wide forehead that made her look slightly goofy in her current attire. Seeing her partner fail to resurface, she turned back to Aomori, trying to maintain her composure. "Who are you? Why did you attack us?"
"Heh." Looking at Princess Vivi in this state, Aomori couldn't help but chuckle. He pulled out the Portable Camcorder and snapped a few high-quality close-ups. It would be a waste not to document this embarrassing phase of her life.
"Are you... some kind of pervert?" Vivi snapped, wanting to hit him but recalling the inhuman speed he had just displayed. She swallowed her anger. "What do you want? Do you have any idea who I am?"
"I know exactly who you are. I came here specifically for you."
"If you know, then you should know better than to provoke Baroque Works! We are subordinates of Crocodile, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea!" In desperation, she threw out the sand-man's name.
"However..." Aomori stepped forward, cornering her at the stern. He leaned in and whispered, "Don't you have another identity? The Princess of the Alabasta Kingdom, Nefertari Vivi."
Vivi's pupils shrunk. Her heart skipped a beat. After a long silence, she said with a trembling voice, "What are you talking about? Look at me. How could I be a Princess? You have the wrong person."
"There's no need to deny it. I wouldn't be having this conversation if I didn't have proof."
Vivi took a deep breath. When she looked up again, her demeanor had shifted, and her voice returned to its natural, elegant tone. "Fine. I am Nefertari Vivi. What do you want? I noticed that when I mentioned Crocodile, you looked disgusted. You aren't with him."
"As expected of the sharp-witted Princess Vivi. You're right. I'm not with the sand-croc. Strictly speaking, I am your ally."
Meeting Vivi's confused gaze, Aomori gave a warm smile. "I am Aomori, a Hero. I heard that Alabasta is in dire straits due to Crocodile's conspiracy, and I couldn't stand by and watch. I've come to lend you a hand."
"You came specifically to help me?" Vivi looked at him skeptically. "Why? I don't believe someone would help me for no reason. The opponent is a terrifying man with the title of Warlord."
"I told you, I'm a Hero. Heroes are those ridiculous people who help those in need for no reason at all," Aomori said with a self-deprecating smile. "Many people haven't understood me in the past, but it doesn't matter. Once they see my actions, they understand. You will too. Soon, you'll see I truly want to help you."
Hearing the genuine emotion in his voice, Vivi felt a wave of sadness. She imagined a man who tirelessly helped others only to receive cold stares and ridicule. It was so much like her own situation; the people viewed Crocodile as a hero while dismissing the Princess's warnings as nonsense.
Feeling a deep sense of empathy, Vivi sniffled and nodded. "I believe you, Aomori-san."
"Really?" Aomori acted "surprised," but quickly reined it in. "You aren't just humoring me, are you?"
How much has Aomori-san suffered to be this cautious? Vivi felt her heart ache for him. She shook her head vigorously. "No, no! I swear on my name as a Princess, I am not lying. I truly hope you can help me, help my country. Please, Aomori-san."
She gave him a deep, sincere bow.
"Please, Princess, stand up. I believe you." Aomori quickly helped her up.
They shared a look of mutual joy, the happiness of finding a true comrade.
"Just call me Vivi," she said with a smile. "No need for 'Princess.' It's awkward."
"Alright. Then you can just call me Aomori."
Aomori then asked, "Vivi, let's head straight back to Alabasta. According to my intel, Crocodile is about to incite a rebellion."
"A rebellion?!" Vivi turned pale. "Is that man really going to destroy Alabasta?"
"He wants an Alabasta entirely under his control, and he's willing to start a war to get it."
"Damn it, we have to get back." Vivi looked toward the water where her partner had fallen. "But the Log Pose was on Mr. 9. We can't go back without it."
"You mean this Log Pose?" Aomori held up a glass sphere with a needle inside.
"Yes! That's it!" Vivi said, amazed. "When did you get that?"
"Right when I kicked him into the sea." Aomori beamed. "Did I mention I'm quite strong? Even Crocodile is no match for me."
"Really? That's wonderful!" Vivi's eyes sparkled.
Then, Aomori summoned his reliable partner, Pidgeot. "We'll fly back on him."
"Where did he come from?!"
"That's a secret."
Looking at the massive bird, Vivi's jaw dropped. "Incredible! I have a duck, but he's too small to fly with people."
Climbing onto Pidgeot's broad back, Vivi felt her spirits soar. She whispered to herself, "Wait for me, Alabasta. We will save you."
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NOTE: This fic has been completely translated. If you want to read the whole story head over to my p-atre-on: p-atre-on.c-om/Overgod [Just remove the hyphen to access normally]