The Grand Line. The Graveyard of Fools.
The lighthouse at Twin Capes shrank into a needlepoint on the horizon as the Black Eclipse cut through the jagged waves. They had officially crossed the threshold into the most dangerous sea on the planet.
On the deck, Carina stared at the brass compass in her hand. The needle was spinning so fast it looked like a gray blur.
"The magnetic field is a disaster," she muttered, tossing the useless tool aside and pulling a glass-domed Log Pose from her pouch. "Even the laws of physics are broken here."
"Gyahahaha! Spoken like a true East Blue amateur!"
Buggy sauntered over, arms crossed and his red nose held high with unearned arrogance. He looked at the Log Pose with the smug air of a man who had seen the end of the world and found it boring.
"The islands here are packed with rare minerals that turn the magnetic fields into a chaotic stew," Buggy lectured, his voice booming. "Without that glass ball, you won't last a single nautical mile. Back when This Great Man was an apprentice on Captain Roger's ship, we weathered storms that would turn your hair white! This? This is a light drizzle!"
Sabo adjusted his top hat, hiding a smirk. Buggy's desperate need for "Veteran Respect" was becoming the crew's favorite comedy routine.
Ace, leaning casually against the mainmast with his hands in his pockets, looked over with a grin.
"Since you're the seasoned expert, Buggy, which of the seven routes from the Capes should we take?"
Buggy cleared his throat, leaning over Carina's charts with a look of intense focus.
"Ahem. Listen well. There are seven paths, each a different flavor of hell. But as your Master of the Hold and a legend of these waters, I recommend this one!"
He tapped a line running through the center of the chart.
"The Gilded Current. It's the most prosperous route in the first half of the sea. It's lined with merchant hubs, entertainment capitals, and wealthy kingdom member states. If we're going to be pirates, we might as well eat the finest meat and drink the strongest rum! Of course..." Buggy's tone shifted to a wary whisper, "...it's also where the Marines and World Government keep their sharpest eyes."
"Hahahaha!"
Ace let out a booming laugh and slapped Buggy's shoulder, nearly knocking the clown over.
"Spoken like a man who knows how to live! We're taking the Gilded Current! If we're going to be kings, we start where the gold is. As for the Marines? If they stand in the way, we'll just walk over them."
Carina sighed, a helpless smile playing on her lips. "Locked in. Destination: The Gilded Current."
As if the Grand Line took offense at their confidence, the sky bruised purple-black in seconds. Thunder rolled across the water, and hailstones the size of cannonballs began to pelt the deck.
"GAH! My nose!" Buggy shrieked, clutching his face as a hailstone struck him. "Sabo, drop the sails! Carina, to the helm! It's a local cyclone—the Grand Line's welcoming committee!"
Carina bolted for the wheelhouse while Sabo lunged for the rigging. But Ace stayed in the center of the deck, looking up at the oppressive, swirling black vortex above them.
"I'm in too good a mood to let a little rain spoil the trip," Ace murmured.
He didn't grab a rope. He gripped the hilt of the heavy machete strapped to his side.
SHING—!
The blade cleared the scabbard. Ace's arm tensed, a layer of pitch-black Armament Haki coating the steel. Then, a roar of crimson-gold Celestial Flame erupted along the edge.
"Part the Heavens."
Ace didn't use a flashy technique. He simply swung the blade from the deck toward the sky in a massive, vertical arc.
BOOM—!!!
A colossal shockwave of fire and compressed air tore into the sky like a predatory firebird. The black storm clouds were violently ripped apart, a jagged canyon of blue sky appearing where the vortex had been. The falling hailstones were vaporized into mist before they could even touch the mast.
One strike. The storm was dismantled.
Golden sunlight poured through the gap in the clouds, bathing the Eclipse in warmth. Ace casually sheathed his blade, dusting off his hands.
Carina and Buggy stood frozen, staring at the split in the atmosphere that refused to close. To Ace, a natural disaster wasn't an obstacle—it was a punching bag.
"The sky's clear," Ace said with a smile. "Back to work."
The sea remained calm for only a moment before a massive shadow rose from the depths.
SPLASH!
A hundred-meter-long Azure Horn-King—a Sea King covered in sapphire scales—broke the surface. Its giant, slitted pupils locked onto the ship with cold hunger.
"Tch. Just a common coastal pest," Buggy barked, hands on his hips. He spoke loudly, but his feet were already shuffling behind Sabo. "Back on the Oro Jackson, Rayleigh would chop three of these for breakfast! It's almost nostalgic!"
Buggy cleared his throat, putting on his "Expert" face. "Ahem. First Mate Sabo. This low-class lizard isn't worth This Great Man getting his hands dirty. Consider it a training exercise. I'll leave it to you!"
Sabo chuckled, seeing right through the bluff. He looked at Ace, who was already eyeing the monster's tail.
"Sabo, take it down," Ace said. "That looks like premium protein for tonight's dinner."
"Understood, Captain."
Sabo adjusted his hat and launched himself into the air like a fired arrow. Mid-flight, his right arm ignited into a dazzling, orange-red blaze.
"Perfect," Sabo grinned, his eyes locked on the Sea King. "I've been looking for a target to test my new heat."
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