"Captain, are we still going to the Grand Line?" Mole asked quietly, because anyone could see that Shirakawa's mood wasn't exactly great right now.
By all accounts, their captain becoming the Pirate King should've been a happy thing. Yet Shirakawa's face bore a solemn expression, betraying not a hint of joy.
Shirakawa swept his gaze over the crew's expressions and said, "Go? Of course we're going. We're not gonna skip the Grand Line just because Roger became Pirate King. If anything, now's the perfect time to go."
After Roger became Pirate King, the number of pirates setting sail would only skyrocket—some drawn by fame, others itching for a challenge. This was definitely the prelude to the coming Great Pirate Era.
"Awesome!" Mole cheered out loud.
The rest of the crew finally relaxed. If they didn't head for the Grand Line now, their next chance would probably only come after they'd already toured the other two seas.
"Mole, Reverse Mountain's right ahead. Are you confident you can get us to the Grand Line safely?"
Shirakawa asked him.
"No problem." Even though he'd never seen an uphill current that flowed from bottom to top before, he believed he could handle it.
Still, his heart held a thread of nervousness. This was his first real chance to prove himself—he couldn't afford to screw it up.
The closer they drew to Reverse Mountain, the worse the conditions became. Flecks of spray splattered onto them; an ordinary person hit by water droplets of that force would probably feel real pain.
But by now, this ship had practically no ordinary people left on it. After all the grueling training Riddle had put him through, Mole could completely ignore normal levels of pain.
The moment they began the climb up Reverse Mountain, the hull tilted a full sixty degrees. Mole, who hadn't braced himself properly, staggered and dropped straight onto his backside. If Riddle hadn't been right there to catch him, he likely would've rolled right off the ship.
The whole process went smoothly. Throughout the entire ascent, Shirakawa and the others offered not a single word of advice; every crew member listened only to Mole's commands. And sure enough, Mole did not let them down—they reached the summit of Reverse Mountain without incident.
"Phew." Mole exhaled, wiping the moisture from his forehead. Hard to tell if it was seawater or sweat born from nerves.
But at least they'd made it up safe and sound.
"Captain, look—what's that?" Just then, Riddle suddenly shouted in alarm.
In the channel they were supposed to descend, a small mountain stood squarely in the way.
"If we crash into that, won't our ship be done for?!"
Some of the less combat-capable crew members began to panic. Even Mole looked a little rattled; this massive obstruction was definitely not something he'd accounted for.
"We didn't see anything like this on our way here either."
Eustine blew out a thick plume of smoke. In all that massive surf just now, his cigarette hadn't even gone out—that was seriously impressive in its own right.
"Hey, don't just stand there making cool remarks! Think of something, quick!"
Riddle grabbed Eustine by the collar and shook him back and forth, looking like he was about to cry.
"What's there to panic about? Don't you see the captain's still totally calm? With the captain here, what are you so afraid of?"
Hearing Eustine's words, Riddle calmed down. Right—the captain could fly. Worst case, he'd just carry them all and fly away.
Shirakawa's gaze stayed fixed on that small mountain. If he wasn't mistaken, this had to be that whale that kept ramming its head into Reverse Mountain—Laboon.
Just as he expected, the "mountain" ahead suddenly let out a whale's cry, the sound desolate and sorrowful.
"Holy crap, that's not a mountain—it's a freakin' whale."
Those crew members who'd never seen a giant sea creature like a Sea King were all completely stunned. Even Riddle, who'd sailed out of the Grand Line before, was the same—this was the first time he'd ever laid eyes on a whale this huge.
"If it's just a fish, then that makes things easy."
Kurokam cracked his knuckles, practically itching for a fight. Looked like he was ready to take a swing at the whale.
"Hold it, Kurokam."
Shirakawa stopped him. If Crocus ever found out he'd beaten up his whale, there was no telling how he'd come after him.
After all, Crocus had only gone out to sea with Roger for the sake of this very whale. Treating Roger's illness might've just been an afterthought.
Though, to be fair, Crocus was no match for him now.
"What's wrong, Captain?" Kurokam asked, puzzled.
"This whale is the pet of one of Roger's crew members. His name's Crocus—just one syllable off from yours. If you rough up his whale, he might just send someone to rough you up."
"Then he must be a pretty tough guy, huh?"
Kurokam said. A man whose name was only one syllable different from his own—his strength couldn't be that far off either.
"No, exactly the opposite. He's just the ship's doctor. In terms of combat ability on the ship, he's on the low end."
"Is that so?" Kurokam looked disappointed. So he wasn't some powerhouse after all.
"Then what do we do about this whale? We're not seriously planning to just ram it, are we?"
"How could we?"
Shirakawa said, and then abruptly released his Conqueror's Haki, aimed directly at Laboon.
The instant Laboon sensed Shirakawa's Conqueror's Haki, its cry cut off for a beat. When it cried out again, the sound held no more sorrow—only sheer panic.
It was as though it had seen something truly terrifying in that moment.
"So that's the captain's Conqueror's Haki."
Kurokam said enviously. Ordinary Conqueror's Haki couldn't begin to reach this level. Against giant Sea Kings, the deterrent effect was practically nonexistent.
"Make way, Laboon."
Shirakawa spoke aloud. And as if it understood him perfectly, Laboon let out a low, plaintive call, then sank into the depths of the sea.
"That whale's sure obedient."
Riddle remarked. One word from the captain, and the whale had docilely cleared the path.
"That only applies to certain people. You go up and say something to it, see if it listens to you."
Jorah said to Riddle.
"Heh, no thanks. I'm not that stupid."
Riddle shot back. Was Jorah treating him like an idiot? Even an idiot wouldn't be that foolish.
Still, they had gotten past this one without any real danger. If Shirakawa hadn't been there, they would've had no choice but to use brute force on that whale.
"But man, our luck this time really is rotten—first stop and we already run into something this troublesome."
/-\
Enjoying the story? Want to read ahead?
Support the novel and unlock early access to unreleased chapters!
~ +20 Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon! (+1 Chapter daily)
https://p-atreon.com/Its_Zack
(Just remove the hyphen (-) to access Patreon normally)