dmims 48. The Grand Line!
48. The Grand Line!
Just then, a long and deep whale cry resounded.
The sound penetrated the air, causing the ship's keel and the seawater to resonate, creating a deep tremor.
As the cry rang out, the sea surface was arched upwards by a gentle yet powerful force.
A pitch-black "land" dotted with gray spots slowly emerged, wider than the White Pearl, followed by a massive body with sleek lines.
It is over a kilometer long, resembles a blue whale but is more robust, and is covered with a jet-black skin.
"It's Big Black!"
Many pirates exclaimed in surprise, as almost everyone recognized the giant whale that Norton had subdued.
The large black head has distinctive gray spots like marks, and its blowholes open, spewing out large plumes of grayish-white mist.
The fog spread rapidly, enveloping most of the ships.
At the same time, Dahei continued to emit undulating whale calls, sometimes low and sometimes clear, with a complex and ancient rhythm, as if it were telling a story.
Change has occurred.
The closest purplish-black tentacle froze in mid-air, its tip writhing uneasily.
The enormous, orange-yellow eyeball turned toward the whale's cry, its coldness revealing hesitation.
The approaching shadows beneath the sea surface slowed their movement noticeably, and several smaller ones began to quietly retreat.
The sea kings hesitated because of Big Black's "words".
The great black bird's cry carried a sense of authority, its massive body fully displayed, like a wall standing between danger and the fleet.
Ultimately, under the constant roar of the whales and the overwhelming pressure from the giant black sea monster, the sea kings chose to retreat.
The giant orange-yellow eye slowly sank, its tentacles retracted, and the shadows gradually faded and disappeared.
The doldrums returned to calm.
Big Black let out a short, gentle cry and began to slowly descend, bringing its broad, flat back level with the sea surface.
"Is Big Black communicating with us?" Fu Ning covered her mouth.
"But we don't understand what it means!" Nami pressed her head.
"It's supposed to be getting us onto its back," Kro pushed up his glasses. "It's preparing to take us away from here."
"Then let's go up!" Norton waved his hand.
After the order was given, the pirates, still in shock, began to steer their ships.
Under the cover of the gray fog, twenty-seven ships, one after another, smoothly docked on the broad back of the Great Black.
Big Black let out another low growl, and after confirming that the boat was in place, it began to swim.
Its massive body glides steadily through the calm sea, the water in front of it seemingly making way for it.
However, just as the fleet was about to sail out of the edge of the doldrums, and could already see the rolling clouds in the distance and hear the rumbling thunder from the direction of the Upside-Down Mountains, an unexpected event occurred.
Without warning, the deep sea to the right front was boiling, and a huge shadow, darker in color and almost pure black, was rising at an astonishing speed!
With a violent, piercing screech, a sea monster resembling a giant deep-sea scorpion with a rugged, armored body burst from the surface of the sea.
It is nearly 800 meters long, only slightly smaller than the Big Black. Its huge pincers gleam with an eerie light, and its venomous stinger at the end of its tail glows with a blue light.
Without any intention of communication, the giant scorpion-like sea king burst out of the water, raised its massive right pincer, which was as big as a hill, and swirled up seawater, slamming it straight down on the densest area of the fleet on the big black back!
Big Black let out an angry roar, but the weight of the fleet on its back restricted its movement, and it could only try to turn sideways to prepare to take the hit.
Just then, a silver figure disappeared from the figurehead of the White Pearl.
The next moment, Norton appeared directly in front of the trajectory of the giant claw's descent.
Without any unnecessary movements, he threw a straight punch at the crashing carapace.
The fist made contact with the black armor.
Boom!
A deafeningly loud bang exploded!
Time seemed to freeze for a moment.
Immediately afterwards, countless spiderweb-like cracks instantly covered the surface of the carapace, centered on the point where the fist landed!
The giant scorpion sea king's entire pincers, along with a large section of its carapace, exploded with a deafening roar!
Shell fragments, flesh and blood mixed with seawater, turning into a torrential rain of blood and flesh that splashed onto the sea surface.
The sea monster let out a piercing scream, its remaining limbs struggling wildly, but it had completely lost its fighting ability and slowly sank into the deep sea, leaving only turbulent blood on the surface.
Norton withdrew his fist and landed back on the bow of the White Pearl.
With a low growl, the black giant regained its direction and accelerated away, carrying the fleet on its back.
Soon, a deafening, eternal roar filled all the senses.
The Upside-Down Mountain stands before you—five torrents of water crash into the crimson mountain from all directions, converge in the center of the mountain, and roar as they rush towards the sky along the steep ravines!
Big Black paused briefly at the foot of the mountain, letting out a long and resolute whale song.
Immediately, it aimed at the deep blue rising current on the far left, exerted its strength, and carried the entire fleet headlong into the water flowing against the current!
The raging torrents instantly engulfed all the boats.
The ship rose almost vertically, roaring as it surged upwards.
All around were flying red rock walls, and on the other side was the void and the vortex below.
The ship groaned as if it were about to break apart, but with the support of the large black ship, the fleet clung tightly to it and climbed upwards along this relatively smooth "channel".
Each crew member clung tightly to whatever they could secure, gritting their teeth and persevering through the turbulence, roar, and seawater.
After an unknown amount of time, the bow of the White Pearl at the very front suddenly felt light, breaking through the barrier and freeing itself from the column of water.
Immediately afterwards, the second, the third... the entire fleet surged out of the top of Upside-Down Mountain.
We've arrived at... the Grand Line!
At the end of the crimson rock wall, two spires stand on either side.
"What kind of tower is that?" Zoro asked curiously.
"Twin Capes," Nami replied earnestly. "As a landmark location at the entrance to the Grand Line, its geographical structure is formed by the confluence of five rivers in Reverse Mountain, creating a vertical cliff."
In order to enter the Grand Line, she did a lot of preparation beforehand. She bought many related books in Loguetown.
"The doctor we're looking for is right here," Norton suddenly said.
"Huh?" Everyone was surprised.
Norton didn't explain, but instead looked around as if searching for something.
As if sensing something, Big Black let out a soft growl.
Suddenly, waves appeared on the sea not far away, and a huge black whale burst out of the water!
The black whale was nearly 400 meters long and almost half the size of the giant black whale. It floated on the surface of the sea like a mountain, its head covered with new and old scars.
Upon seeing the mist whale, Dahei, which was twice its size, the whale was clearly taken aback for a moment, but then it dived back to the surface.
"That's the whale!" Norton's eyes lit up.
If he remembered correctly, Roger's ship's doctor lived inside that whale!
Just as he was about to jump into the water to subdue the whale named "Labu," Labu leaped out of the water once again, this time crashing into the crimson rock wall!
Even with its massive size of nearly 400 meters, such an action is foolish. The red earth continent, which is tens of thousands of meters high and spans the entire planet, is not something that a mere whale can shake.
The rest of the crew were also puzzled by the whale's behavior.
"Has this whale gone mad?"
"That's the Red Earth! Even a god couldn't destroy it, right?"
...
Laboon rammed its scarred head against the Red Line, again and again. With a deafening roar, the Red Line looked down at Laboon like a silent giant, as if mocking its futile efforts.
Big Black watched this scene and silently sank into the sea.
The entire Norton Pirates fleet landed back on the sea.
Just then, Norton suddenly noticed an old man wearing a floral shirt and shorts walking out of the Twin Points.
The old man wore frameless round glasses and had a strange, petal-like hairstyle.
"Hey! Laboon! Stop right now! If you keep going like this, your old wound will reopen!" the old man shouted at the whale Laboon.
However, Lab ignored the old man's words and continued to crash into the red earth continent time and time again.
Seeing this, the old man could only sigh helplessly, pack up his tools, and prepare to treat Labu's wound.
"Who is that old guy?" Nami noticed that Norton's gaze never left the old man.
"A flower!" Sanji was shocked by the old man's hairstyle, but quickly realized that it was just a hairstyle.
"I've forgotten his name, but he's the doctor we're looking for," Norton chuckled. "Crow! Bring us the list of the wounded!"
Upon hearing this, Crowe took out his glasses case from his pocket, then pulled out the list of wounded soldiers that he had prepared long ago, and handed it to Norton.
"All the wounded are listed," Kroo said to Norton, adjusting his glasses.
Norton nodded, took the list of the wounded, and stepped in front of the old man.
"Uncle Sam!" Norton called out a name casually at first.
"My name is Crocus! You rude young man!" The old man turned to look at Norton, but then realized something was wrong and narrowed his eyes as he scrutinized Norton's face.
"You...you're that newcomer with the billion-dollar prize?"
"Okay, Uncle Crocus."
Norton, who had learned the old man's name by calling him by the wrong name, smiled. "You know me? My name is Norton. I need your help with something. I'm willing to pay whatever you want."
"Ah, I read the newspaper often. I can't help but pay attention to anyone who can beat that guy Garp."
Crocus nodded, looking at the massive fleet in front of Reverse Mountain. "I was a little curious earlier, was that your fleet? A pirate crew of this size is truly rare."
"That's right."
"You need my help?"
"That's right. Since you read the newspapers regularly, you should know that my fleet and navy fought a battle in Loguetown, resulting in many casualties. I came to you because I wanted your help in treating them," Norton said.
"You know I'm a doctor?" Crocus immediately became alert.
Not many people know that he is a doctor! Knowing that he is a doctor means that people probably know that he used to be on that ship.
If Crocus hadn't known Norton was a pirate, he would have turned and run away by now.
"I also know you were on the Pirate King's ship," Norton extended his hand to Crocus, "but that's not important. What's important is that I'm looking for a doctor. Interested in joining my crew?"
Crocus's expression gradually turned serious as he stared at Norton's smiling face for a long while.
After a moment, Crocus slowly shook his head: "No, forget it, I've already retired."
"Really? What a pity," Norton said dismissively. "Then do me a favor and save my men!"
Crocus hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Am I forced to agree?"
"You've already rejected me once," Norton said, flashing a white smile. "If you reject me again, I'll get angry."
"You cunning little devil..." Crocus sighed helplessly.
An ordinary person wouldn't be able to threaten him like that, but Norton is a formidable character who even defeated Garp...
Garp was Roger's lifelong nemesis, but Norton was merely Roger's ship's doctor, a non-combatant. To defeat Norton, who could defeat Garp...
"Alright," Crocus decided to be pragmatic for once, "I agree, but there's a fee, one thousand Berries per person. That's not too expensive, is it?"
"A thousand Berries!?"
Just as Norton was about to agree, the White Pearl docked, and Nami on board exclaimed in surprise.
If each person is worth 1,000 Berries, then with so many wounded, it will cost a lot of money!
"No! A maximum of 500 Berries per person!"
Crocus curled his lip in dissatisfaction. "That doesn't sound like a good deal."
Norton shrugged and held up one finger: "Then it'll be one hundred Berries for medical expenses each!"
"Why is the price down again?!" Crocus complained.
"There's nothing we can do, because our navigator is a money-grubber." Norton tossed the list of wounded to Crocus.
"Thank you for your hard work, Uncle Flower!" Zoro jumped off the ship, patted Crocus on the shoulder, and said, "Want some wine? I'm a little thirsty."
Krocas gritted his teeth.
Are they all so irresistible?
But Norton and his gang were notorious, and for safety reasons, Crocus decided to put up with it.
"Bring all the wounded up!"
In fact, without Crocus saying a word, Crocus had already ordered his men to gather all the wounded together.
Krocas looked around and almost fell over.
There are way too many!
...
Most of the day later.
All the wounded received treatment, and while a few were not fully cured, their injuries were greatly alleviated. Roger's doctor truly deserves his reputation for superb skills.
Exhausted, Krocas collapsed onto the deck, wiped his sweat, and felt utterly hopeless.
"Thanks, Uncle Flower," Nami said with a grin, slapping a wad of cash on Crocus. "Five thousand Berries in total! Thanks for your hard work!"
"I clearly saved over five hundred people!"
"Group buying discounts are a tradition! Of course, the odd amount is rounded down!" Nami earnestly defended herself.
Crocus was furious.
That wretched little brat!
That damned Norton! He's a monster!
Nami, however, didn't seem to care and took out a compass she had prepared beforehand: "By the way, Uncle Flower, I have a question for you..."
"Can I not answer?" Crocus interrupted Nami.
"Can't!"
"Alright then...you go ahead."
"Why is this compass spinning so randomly? It's not showing any direction at all!" Nami asked.
She noticed this after entering the Grand Line. A compass is an essential tool for navigating the seas; without it, you can't move an inch!
Krocas was taken aback.
"It seems you arrived here completely unaware of the Grand Line..."
"Didn't I say that common sense is useless on the Grand Line? The compass isn't broken."
"Because of a certain island containing many minerals, the magnetic field of the entire Grand Line has become very strange, and the ocean currents and wind directions are completely irregular."
"Therefore, to sail on the Grand Line, you must have a 'Log Pose'! It's a special compass that can record magnetic fields, and you must obtain it if you want to sail on the Grand Line."