“Is this the legendary Reverse Mountain?
What a miracle!”
Nami stared in amazement at the river ahead of them, which flowed upward from the foot of the mountain toward its summit.
Lucas’s expression remained calm, but even he felt a slight stir in his heart.
No matter how the manga or anime had depicted it, only by actually standing here could one truly appreciate the sheer magnificence of the sight.
“Hold on tight.
We’re going up!” Lucas said solemnly.
Nami nodded and pressed herself tightly against Lucas’s side, gripping the ropes on the deck.
At last, the ship was carried upward by the ascending current until it reached the summit.
With the waves surging violently around them, Lucas gazed at the vast sea ahead, his heart pounding with excitement.
The Holy Sword paused briefly at the mountaintop before following another waterway and plunging back into the sea.
The Grand Line…
We’ve finally arrived.
Standing at the bow with his body straight as a towering green bamboo stalk, Lucas’s eyes were filled with excitement and anticipation.
However, the waters of the Grand Line ahead were anything but calm.
At the point where the river met the sea, enormous whirlpools appeared one after another across the water.
They resembled gigantic beasts devouring everything in their path, seemingly ready to swallow the Holy Sword whole.
Nami cried out in alarm.
“Lucas!
At this rate, it’ll be difficult to get through these waters!”
Lucas stared at the sea.
After frowning and thinking for a moment, he suddenly shouted at the top of his lungs.
“Crocus!
Come out here!
Your whale Laboon is going crazy again!”
“Crocus!
Get out here!”
“If you don’t come out, I’ll cut down your lighthouse with one sword!”
After shouting several times, Lucas was nearly ready to lose his temper.
Just as he was about to draw his sword and make a threat, a cough came from inside the lighthouse.
“Ahem.
You damn brat, what do you think you’re doing?”
An imposing old man slowly emerged from the lighthouse, glaring angrily at Lucas.
Lucas crossed his arms over his chest and curled his lips.
“Come on, give me a Log Pose.
I’m heading into the Grand Line, and I don’t have time to waste arguing with you…”
Crocus raised an eyebrow in surprise.
“Hm?
How do you know about a Log Pose?”
“I know a lot more than that.
Oh, and as for Laboon’s problem, I’ll leave it alone for now.
Four years from now, a boy wearing a straw hat will naturally come along and help you solve it.”
Lucas smiled as he replied.
“A boy with a straw hat?”
Crocus scratched his scalp, having never heard of such a person.
Moreover, the brat standing before him looked no older than twenty.
How could he possibly act as though he knew everything?
“Ahem.
Brat, you have no respect for your elders.
And exactly who are you?”
Listening to Crocus ramble on, Lucas rubbed his forehead helplessly and snorted.
“I’m just a rookie preparing to enter the Grand Line for the first time.
Don’t worry about all that.
Just hurry up and give me the Log Pose.
And while you’re at it, send a message to Senior Rayleigh.
I want to learn Haki from him.”
“What?!”
Crocus could no longer maintain his composure.
He pointed at Lucas in astonishment.
“How do you know Rayleigh?
You…
you…!”
Seeing his reaction, Lucas shook his head and sighed.
“What a hassle…
Fine.”
The instant the words left his mouth, Lucas’s figure vanished from sight.
Several seconds later, he reappeared in the same spot, but there was now something resembling a compass in his hand.
He tossed it to Nami and said softly, “Study it carefully.
This is the special navigational instrument used in the Grand Line—the Log Pose!”
Nami caught the Log Pose excitedly.
For her, the most important thing had always been money, with navigation coming in second.
Well…
perhaps Lucas had already become more important to her than money.
The ship surged rapidly forward with the waves.
In an instant, it had left the area behind and officially entered the Grand Line.
“Damn brat!
I never agreed to give that to you!
You actually dared to steal it!
Come back here!”
Crocus watched the Holy Sword gradually disappear into the distance, practically jumping out of his skin in rage.
He almost grabbed a harpoon and used it to drag Lucas’s ship back.
…
Half a month later, at the Sabaody Archipelago.
Rayleigh sat on a small stool, looking like an ordinary old man as he read a letter in his hands.
“Ghost Sword Lucas?
A rookie?
Interesting.”
A faint smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
Rayleigh casually tossed the letter aside and slapped his forehead.
“Ah, I’m out of money again.
Looks like I’ll have to go sell myself at the auction house again…”
Meanwhile, at Marine Headquarters, Fleet Admiral Sengoku was going through a pile of documents.
Suddenly, one of the reports caught his attention.
“What?
A rookie with strength approaching that of a Sword Master?”
After reading the introduction, Sengoku was somewhat surprised.
He continued reading, but his expression grew darker and darker.
“Damn it!
Why wasn’t someone like this recruited into the Marines?
What the hell are the people under me doing?
That idiot Captain Smoker can stay a captain in Loguetown!”
Someone of Sengoku’s stature naturally wouldn’t lose his composure over Lucas.
Even if Lucas’s strength were ten times greater, it wouldn’t be enough to make him this furious.
What enraged him was the incompetence of the Marines under his command and how poorly they had handled the matter.
If the entire Marine force is like this, won’t it rot from the inside out?!
That was what truly infuriated him.
And so, because of Lucas, Smoker remained a captain in Loguetown until he encountered the Straw Hat crew, finally receiving his transfer.
Once the order was issued, Sengoku quickly forgot about the matter.
After all, compared to everything else on his desk, Lucas’s affairs were insignificant.
By the time he truly began taking Lucas seriously, however, it was already too late—and Sengoku would regret it deeply.
…
Elsewhere, the Holy Sword had already drawn close to Alabasta, and its speed gradually began to decrease.
Standing at the bow, Lucas slowly drew the Kitetsu from its sheath.
Without seeming to exert any force, he simply swung it through the air.
Slash!
A deep trench more than ten meters long suddenly appeared across the surface of the sea!
Although the water immediately closed up again, the slash caused the surrounding seawater to surge violently, creating a massive wave.
“Damn it!
Why are you doing that again?!
Do you have any idea how exhausting it is to sail a ship by myself?!”
Nami stood on the deck as the waves rocked the ship and shouted at Lucas.
Lucas smiled and returned his sword to its sheath.
He had now truly become a Sword Master!
As expected, battle really was the best way to improve one’s strength.
In only about three months since setting out to sea, he had already gone from being a second-rate swordsman to a Sword Master!
With a hearty laugh, Lucas quickly walked over to Nami and planted a kiss on her cheek.
“All right, my little cat.
It’s done.
I won’t do it again.
Forgive me, okay?”
Nami rolled her eyes at him and snorted.
“Fine.
I’ll forgive you since you’ve shown some sincerity.”
After saying that, she gave his cheek a light peck like a dragonfly touching the water, then lowered her head shyly as her face flushed.
Seeing this, Lucas’s heart began to itch.
He immediately put on a serious expression.
“Since you’ve forgiven me, let’s deal with your problem next.
I seem to remember that you just called me a bastard again.”
Nami had been feeling rather shy, but upon hearing this, she puffed out her cheeks.
“I’ll call you whatever I want!
Hmph!
You big bully!”
Lucas’s expression darkened.
He scooped Nami up into his arms and said solemnly, “In that case, I’ll have to enforce some family discipline!”
“Bastard!
Put me down!”
Nami struggled half-heartedly for a few moments before her body relaxed, and she simply lay in Lucas’s arms.
She also knew that their peaceful days of sailing were finally coming to an end.
They were about to encounter many more troublesome events, and she wouldn’t be able to spend quiet, intimate moments with Lucas whenever she wanted.
…
In a secluded underground chamber somewhere in Alabasta, Warlord of the Sea Crocodile listened to his subordinate’s report and frowned slightly.
“Ghost Sword Lucas?
Strength supposedly approaching that of a Sword Master?
Did you people grow up eating garbage?!
He’s just a brat who has barely entered the Grand Line, and you’re making him sound like some great threat!
Have Mr.
1 deal with him.”
Although Crocodile had no idea what Lucas was actually planning, his own plan had only just begun, yet Lucas had already bypassed several islands and headed straight toward Alabasta.
For the sake of caution, it would be better to eliminate him.
At this point, Crocodile didn’t take Lucas seriously at all.
He scoffed at the idea that someone under twenty could become a Sword Master.
The black-clad man reporting to him spoke solemnly.
“Sir, the information has a ninety-five percent probability of being accurate.
To be safe, shouldn’t we…”
“Damn it, didn’t you hear what I said?
Everyone else already has too much to deal with.
Do I have time to bother with some brat?
Besides…
don’t you trust Mr.
1’s strength?”
Crocodile snorted coldly, staring displeasingly at his subordinate.
He had little patience for anyone who didn’t obey his orders without question.
At that moment, a silvery, bell-like laugh came from the darkness behind them.
“All right.
I’ll accompany Mr.
1 on this trip.
Since we’ve just started working together, I should make some contribution too.”