A day had passed since the storm had moved on.
Under clear skies, the Going Merry sailed gently across the sea, carried by the wind.
Luffy sat beside the cabin door, looking up at the cloudless sky.
'In the original story, the storm kept going all the way from Loguetown. Still, it's nice that it cleared up so quickly.'
"This is exhausting, Luffy!"
"Why do I have to run too~?"
Usopp and Nami appeared on the deck beside the cabin, saying that.
They were running slowly, but clearly making sure both feet never touched the ground at the same time.
'Thanks to that, I can make them train like this too.'
"Like Hancock said, it's better to have basic stamina. Still, you've run plenty, so take a break for now."
""We're saved!""
Nami and Usopp threw themselves to the opposite side of the cabin door where Luffy was sitting, leaning their backs against the cabin wall.
"I've got enough stamina to shoot and fix the ship..."
"I'm a navigator in the first place..."
"Build it up a little more. That way, if something dangerous happens, it'll be easier to fight or run."
"Still, it's better than training like Zoro and Sanji over there, right?"
The three of them turned their eyes to the deck ahead.
There, Zoro and Sanji were fighting against the two flexible swords Hancock was swinging.
Unlike usual, Hancock's swords had no sharpened edges. They had become iron-rope-like whips instead.
"Honestly, I did fall for Hancock's looks at first... but after seeing how rough she is, all those thoughts vanished."
"Pure and innocent Kaya is the best. I miss her..."
"Zoro doesn't seem interested at all, so the only one she's bewitched is Sanji... no, wait, there was one more?"
Nami said that and looked at Luffy with a cold expression.
"Well..."
"And now she's even doing this to me, the navigator... this is definitely revenge."
"Revenge? Did something happen between you two?"
"It's not my fault, Luffy..."
On the deck, Zoro blocked the whip with the sword in his mouth and pointed the tips of the blades in both hands at Hancock.
But the moment Hancock twisted her wrist, the whip Zoro had blocked slipped beneath the two swords, then lashed upward and blocked Zoro's blades.
On the other side, Sanji swung his leg and kicked away Hancock's other whip.
Just like when she fought Zoro, the whip bent the instant Hancock casually rotated her arm and lashed out again, but Sanji blocked it with another kick.
Swinging, blocking, swinging, blocking—the exchange continued, and Sanji quickly parried every furious whip strike with his legs in turn.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Zoro thrust with both swords again, and Hancock's whip came for him once more.
Then Zoro shoved the whip aside with the sword in his left hand and thrust Wado Ichimonji in his right toward Hancock's head.
"You leave too many openings with your legs..."
"...!"
Hancock bent at the waist, dodging Zoro's sword while at the same time kicking his leg out from under him.
"Ghk!"
"You're fast, but your durability is weak!"
The moment Zoro fell, she lashed both whips toward Sanji as if pouring them out.
Sanji blocked the first one or two, but after that torrent of whips crashed down on him, he was sent sprawling.
"Graaah...!"
"You pervert cook!"
"Your turn!"
Saying that, Hancock swung both whips in the same direction at the rising Zoro.
The three swords collided with the whips, and at the same time Zoro's body was flung sideways into the ship's hull.
"All right, training's over! Good work, everyone!"
"No, Luffy! I can still keep going!"
"You might be able to, but the other two can't."
Hancock looked down at Zoro and Sanji, who were sprawled on the deck, along with Luffy.
'I knew Hancock was weaker now than in the original story, but she's still far stronger than the current Zoro and Sanji.'
'That's why Hancock only used her power on the flexible swords. That's the only reason Zoro and Sanji's bodies are still intact.'
"B-but I..."
"What's wrong? Is there a problem?"
"I don't know how to do anything except use my strength, Luffy!"
"If I don't do something like this, I'll really just be... a woman who doesn't help at all!"
As she said that, Hancock recalled what had happened that morning.
****
"Kyaaaah!"
"What is that thing!"
At the kitchen door of the ship, Nami screamed, and Zoro pointed toward the inside of the galley.
There, Hancock stood in front of the stove, and in the large pot over the flame was a writhing mass. Hearing Nami's scream, the rest of the crew rushed into the kitchen.
"The ingredients I used must have gone bad, Chef! The dish I made for Luffy has turned weird!"
"That shouldn't be possible, Your Majesty..."
"I-it's a cooking monster!"
"I'm not a monster, you snub-nosed idiot!"
"Wow... that's even worse than the crap-tasting seasoning I make."
"Luffy..."
After that situation was calmed down, the crew sat around the table.
Sanji had filled the table with all kinds of dishes, and Hancock put the food in front of her into her mouth.
"It's delicious... It's the best thing I've eaten so far!"
"Heh-heh~ I really put my all into it for Your Majesty."
"Sanji's cooking is the best. I knew you'd be satisfied too, Hancock."
'I can't compete with the cook's role...'
After the meal ended, Hancock stood on the stairs leading down to the lower deck and watched Luffy and Usopp standing in front of a certain door.
"This was a refrigerator, Usopp? What is it made of, and how did you make it?"
"It's a common thing in big cities. Once you learn how it works, it's simple to make."
"For the record, the kind I made doesn't need electricity. The heat from Sanji's cooking fire is enough."
"...Don't you need cold instead of heat?"
"What a refrigerator needs most is a substance that acts as a refrigerant."
"A refrigerant absorbs heat well. If you compress it and then release it, it draws heat from the inside and releases that heat outside."
"If you vaporize a liquid refrigerant so it absorbs the surrounding heat, you can lower the internal temperature and make it cool."
"You vaporize the refrigerant with the heat from the gas flame Sanji uses for cooking, then cool it with the cold seawater from the seawater pipe, and you can use a refrigerator without electricity."
"Then you'll need refrigerant all the time, right? How much do we need to buy to last a week?"
"You can keep using the refrigerant. It circulates inside the sealed pipes in the refrigerator, turning from liquid to gas and back to liquid again."
"..."
"What's wrong, Luffy?"
"No... I just think you're amazing."
'My advantage as a reincarnator is knowing the original manga and having natural strength. Having lived in the 21st century isn't an advantage.'
'What's the point of having lived in a modern world more advanced than this one if I don't know a single thing about how to reproduce 21st-century technology?'
'Back in the Navy, I just accepted refrigerators and computers without thinking and used them. But seeing Usopp make those things from scratch makes my emotions boil.'
'This is respect and gratitude. Thanks to you, I can...'
Luffy slowly clapped while looking at Usopp.
"Sopp, I can't even imagine how I would've lived on this ship without you."
"Ahaha~ It's nothing that special..."
'I liked meat in my previous life too, but after reincarnating as the insane glutton Luffy, I can't live without meat.'
'And thanks to you, I can eat plenty of refrigerated meat on this ship too!'
'Thank you so much, Usopp!'
With an emotional expression, Luffy shook his head and clapped even louder and faster.
"You're awesome, our Sopp!"
"Now that makes all the work worth it! Hahahahaha!"
Usopp looked at Luffy and puffed up his already long nose even more.
And Hancock watched from the stairs as Luffy showered Usopp with heartfelt praise.
'I didn't understand a single word of what they were saying, but Luffy understood it and is happy.'
'And he's never once shown that kind of happy expression with me around!'
'This can't go on... I have to do something to win Luffy's heart...!'
Thinking that, Hancock opened the door to one of the cabins and barged in.
"W-what! Why are you here all of a sudden!"
"Navigator! I was told that what you do is important!"
Ignoring the startled Nami, Hancock looked at a notebook on her desk.
"Pirate crew finances... this is it!"
"What are you planning to do with that!"
"I heard you do the difficult work of making maps! Then I can handle something like finances for you...!"
"That's not easy either! H-hey, wait...!"
As Hancock spoke, her arm struck the ink bottle on the desk and knocked it over.
Black ink stained the finances notebook and the papers that looked like maps.
"Uh... well, you see... this is..."
"Hancock, could you leave?"
Nami said that with a smiling face, but she could not hide the anger throbbing in the veins on her forehead.
"S-sorry, I didn't mean to do that..."
"Get out."
"Yes..."
After being thrown out of Nami's room like that, Hancock was crouched beside the cabin door on the deck.
"Hwaaah... I'm a queen, but I'm completely useless."
"I'm only good for using my strength... I'm just a parasite."
As she muttered that and lowered her head, she sensed someone's presence and looked up.
There, Zoro was on the deck, slowly swinging a barbell in both hands. Several round, thin iron weights were fitted in the middle of it.
Zoro, who had been staring at her, also sensed her presence and turned his head toward Hancock.
"If you don't have anything to say, I'm going back to training."
"What do you do besides training?"
"Training is my job. I have to get stronger so I can fight and protect the crew and the ship."
"That's it! That was the answer!"
"...What was?"
****
"So that's why you made the kids train too?"
"...That's right, Luffy."
"You're a total idiot."
"Nami?"
Luffy called out Nami's name after she said that, and everyone's attention turned to the standing Nami.
"Usopp! Do you have a problem with me, the navigator, not being able to fight at all?"
"Of course not, Nami. Without you, the ship wouldn't sail properly, so there'd be no point in me keeping it repaired all the time."
"Sanji! Do you have a problem with Usopp being a coward who doesn't come to the front lines and fight?"
"Of course not, Nami-san. Usopp is a coward, so backing away is his usual routine, but every time, he's always ready to shoot the enemy with his gun."
"And as a shipwright, he takes care of the ship and even made and maintains the refrigerator. From a cook's perspective, he's a valuable crewmate."
"Hehe, so that's how you felt about me, Sanji..."
"Don't make that disgusting face, Usopp! That kind of reaction suits a shy woman!"
"Zoro! Do you have a problem with Sanji being a cook and not staying awake on night watch on deck like you do?"
"If you're asking whether I have complaints about that perverted cook as a person, I've got plenty... but as a cook, no."
"Besides, that perverted cook cooks, eats, and washes the dishes too. It's only right that he doesn't do night watch."
"Yeah. If you're good at cooking, you're the cook. If you can fix the ship, you're the shipwright. If you can tell us where the ship needs to go, you're the navigator."
"Does that mean guys like Luffy and Zoro, who are only good at fighting, are just thugs?"
""We're not only good at fighting...""
"When danger comes up while everyone's doing their own jobs, you're the first ones who can rush out and protect us!"
"How is that not a huge contribution? Don't talk nonsense!"
"The reason we can ride a comfortable ship anywhere, eat delicious food, and feel safe is because we have crewmates like Luffy and Zoro!"
Hancock looked away when she heard that, but Nami followed her gaze and kept speaking.
"And that's something... you can do for us as a crewmate, Hancock."
"There isn't a single useless person among us, including you."
When Hancock lifted her head, Nami was looking down at her with a warm smile.
"The reason we're crewmates is because we rely on each other for what we lack and trust each other."
"So don't go twisting yourself up alone like that."
"We're crewmates now, aren't we?"
Everyone smiled faintly at Nami as she laughed, and Hancock raised her head toward her.
"Namiii~!"
"Kyaah!"
Hancock burst into tears and wrapped her arms around Nami's waist.
"You're such a kind girl! I'm sorry I was so wary of you without knowing that!"
"I-I get it, so let go of me already!"
"From today on, we're sisters! Call me big sister!"
"That's way too fast!"
"Like Nami said, crewmates are people who rely on each other, Hancock. So let's not train so hard that we go beyond our limits like today."
"Everyone has a limit they can endure."
"I get it, Luffy! I was thinking about it the wrong way!"
"But training together as much as we can has actually been my plan for a while."
"From now on, I'm going to take the lead and handle the training myself. Everyone, let's work hard."
"Yeah, I'll trust Luffy and no one else!"
""Eeeek~!""
Hearing that, Nami and Usopp screamed with horrified expressions.
"I agree too, Luffy. Actually, ever since Your Majesty hit me, I haven't been able to control the heat in my body...!"
"I'll handle you, Sanji. If you just block weapons without trying to attack like you did when training with Hancock, it won't count as training."
"Ah, my life is really over..."
Sanji said that while holding a lighter in one hand and rummaging through his pocket with the other.
"Damn it, and I didn't even bring my cigarettes."
"Zoro, you're fine, right?"
"Of course, Luffy. I have no intention of staying satisfied at this level."
"Yeah, I figured you'd say that."
As the ship's atmosphere grew warm and cheerful, Nami's expression stiffened while Hancock was still clinging to her waist.
"Look ahead, Luffy! We're almost there!"
"Where?"
"Reverse Mountain!"
"Ah... already?!"
Luffy and the others looked at the wall ahead of them.
It was Reverse Mountain, part of the Red Line, a red continent-like cliff so enormous it seemed to reach the sky.
Reverse Mountain, imposing simply by existing, had a deep channel carved into its center, and seawater was flowing uphill against gravity, climbing all the way to the summit.
"It's so tall you can't even see the top through the clouds! How is that supposed to be a road!"
"I told you this morning, Usopp!"
"The currents drawn up through the four routes connected to the other three seas collide and mix at the summit, and the path going down from there leads to the Grand Line!"
"You have to ride the current at the entrance of Reverse Mountain, which is literally a mountain, to cross into the Grand Line!"
"I thought that was just a metaphor. I didn't know it was a real mountain, Nami!"
"Reverse Mountain is a winter island!"
"If you can't enter through the entrance and crash into the walls on either side, the winter climate will drive the current downward and you're guaranteed to sink!"
"I heard that from old man Zeff too. Half the idiots who can't get in through the entrance end up sinking."
"Scary! I'd only heard about it, but this is my first time seeing it!"
"I'll protect you, Nami-san~!"
Watching the crew from behind, Luffy turned his head toward Hancock beside him.
"Hancock, by the way... did you hear everything I said at the Loguetown execution platform?"
"If that's what you mean... I missed part of it while I was picking up my sword in the middle, but... was the part I didn't hear really that important?!"
"Don't tell me you were making a heartfelt confession to me...!"
"Ah... it's nothing. I just thought that since you heard it anyway, I wished my true feelings had reached you back then."
"Of course, Luffy~ Who else would understand your true feelings if not me?"
'Did she miss the part where I talked about my past life on the execution platform?'
'Of course, it wouldn't be a big deal if Hancock and the others found out now... but there'd be too much to explain, so there's no need to say it.'
"Then I'm going to go push the ship from the side so it can enter the channel properly. Help me if anything urgent comes up."
"That sounds a little dangerous... no, go safely, Luffy."
"From now on, I'll try trusting first instead of worrying, as a crewmate."
"Thanks, Hancock. Zoro, I'll leave steering the wheel to you."
"Don't let your guard down. If you hit something and fall into the water in a place like this, I won't be able to save you."
After saying that, Luffy leapt over and pressed his body against the side of the Merry.
Not long after, as the ship moved forward, the Merry's body was slightly off to the side of Reverse Mountain's entrance.
'Now!'
At that moment, Luffy kept both hands pressed against the ship's side and spread golden Haki wide from both feet suspended in the air.
As a result, the Going Merry shook violently, changed direction, and began climbing upward along the waterway after passing through the mountain's entrance.
"I made it back!"
"Thanks, Luffy!"
"Usopp, when did you change the sails?!"
"I swapped them out this morning! They're made from a tough material, so the wind won't tear them!"
After climbing back aboard, Luffy looked up at the new pirate flag.
The crossed bones and skull pattern on a black background was the shape of the Jolly Roger used on pirate ships.
And the skull wearing a straw hat clearly pointed to their captain, Luffy.
'To think we've put the straw-hat Jolly Roger, a symbol of the original manga, onto the ship... I'm feeling pretty excited.'
'And on top of that, there's the unfamiliar feeling of a former Marine using a Jolly Roger. It's a feeling that's surging up and down all at once.'
'So now is the best time to do it. Besides, in the original story, this happened when they left Loguetown, so we're already late.'
"Everyone, let's do the christening now."
"Here, right now?!"
"Why all of a sudden?!"
Usopp and Nami shouted from where they were leaning against the cabin wall on the slanted ship as it climbed the mountain.
A christening was one of the traditions performed when a newly built ship first set out to sea, or to pray for a safe voyage.
"I said we'd do it when we reached the Grand Line, and I already told you this morning how we'd do it."
"And I'm feeling kind of strange right now, so I want to feel better. That's why I'm doing it now."
"He always acts like he's the most normal one, then every now and again he pulls something like this."
"Marimo, that's not something you should be saying... we're the ones who need to get used to it."
"This is when you use captain authority. If not now, then when?"
"Honestly, I'll admit it: I make plans, but when the situation is right in front of me, I'm the type who acts on impulse."
"If it's something Luffy wants, I'm all for it!"
"Then I'm in too!"
Sanji moved a long box from the corner to the center of the cabin.
The box had a rectangular base and a rounded lid, and Sanji stepped onto the closed lid.
"My dream is to find the All Blue."
"I'm going to become the world's greatest swordsman."
"I'm going to draw a map of the world."
"I-I'm going to become a brave warrior of the sea!"
"I've recently set my dream straight!"
"I'm going to shower the child I have with the person I love with endless love!"
As Hancock said that and blushed, Luffy avoided her gaze and met Nami's eyes, which were glaring at him.
"What are you doing! You were the one who said to do it!"
"...I thought about it a lot."
"Fix this rotten world, save as many people as I can, keep the promises I made... and take revenge if I have the time."
"If I'm going to do all that, there's only one answer."
By the time the summit of the mountain came into view, Luffy continued.
"I'm going to become Pirate King. I mean it now."
Seeing that, the crew smiled as they looked at Luffy.
Then, with the summit touching the clouds right before their eyes, everyone lightly kicked the lid of the box at the same time.
-Thunk!
With that sound, the ship leapt up above the clouds.
Everyone lifted their heads and gazed at the brilliant sky, where only the sun shone down in dazzling light.
"Let's go, to the Grand Line!"
========================
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