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Chapter 76: The Grand Line
Chapter 76: The Grand Line
A thunderous boom!
A bolt of lightning lit up the sky as a black ship glided through the fierce vortex of the Crimson Earth Continent under the pouring rain and rumbling thunder, heading straight for the gateway.
Just as Renee had said, the ship she built was made to navigate safely through waves and storms.
Entering the turbulent currents, the Grim Reaper swayed unsteadily, yet its course remained steady. It pierced through the gateway and swiftly surged upstream against the wind and rain.
The higher they went, the more violent the airflow became, causing Sage's white hair to flutter and his cloak to dance wildly.
The Grim Reaper continued its ascent until it burst through the upstream, riding the immense momentum to leap over the peak and enter a brief moment of weightlessness.
"Yahoo!"
Renee spread her tiny hands, letting the raindrops wash over her as she revealed an excited smile. "Flying high!"
Although she was an ability user, this level of moisture didn't affect her at all, as long as her body didn't sink into the water.
"Is the Grand Line below us?"
Lily gazed downward, spotting five currents below. Four of them were upstream, while only one flowed downward, leading to the Grand Line.
"Oh my, the legendary Grand Line," Marika smiled. "It is said that sailing around the Grand Line completes one's voyage across the world."
"The world is vast, and the Grand Line is just one route," Sage replied. "How could sailing it mean completing a voyage across the world? But indeed, this route is not small, and I wonder how many islands it encompasses."
This ocean was immense, with some islands so vast they defied imagination.
But such thoughts were not their concern at the moment.
Sage pointed in the direction where the Grim Reaper was heading and said, "Renee, change course, or we'll end up in the Western Sea."
Charging straight out of the Eastern Sea's currents would not lead to the Grand Line. Most ships would end up spinning in this constantly upstream region, eventually crashing into the continent and being destroyed. A small portion of ships would be pulled into the Four Seas' channels, only to be struck by the upstream currents toward the Crimson Earth Continent and wrecked once more.
Only a tiny fraction of those would be lucky enough to fall from the peak into the Four Seas.
As for the Grand Line, it was the most minuscule possibility.
The first gate of the Pirate Cemetery's infamous reputation lay here.
If it were a normal ship, even a sturdier one, it would only rush toward the Western Sea in the current direction. But with Renee, things were different.
"Okay!"
Renee spread her small hands, and as she pressed them against the deck, a spark of electricity appeared. "Power brake!"
Miraculously, the massive black ship, which had been flying in the air, changed course and headed toward the sole downward channel.
"That's enough!" Renee grinned, baring her tiny tiger teeth.
As the black ship descended, Lily fixed her gaze on an ascending current. "Sage, something's not right."
Boom!
Another clap of thunder reverberated, illuminating the night sky that was darkened by the raging storm. It also cast a shadow over their deck, causing the three women to narrow their pupils and stare intently upward.
In an instant, the pirates who were tightening ropes and adjusting sails in the midst of the tempest had their eyes nearly popping out of their heads as they cried out in astonishment, "A ship! A ship above us!"
A short distance above them, a battered ship slightly smaller in scale than the Grim Reaper suddenly appeared, seemingly about to land on top of them.
Lily instinctively drew out White Lightning, Marika's hands trembled, and Renee, with her beautiful big eyes, quickly took out her tool hammer and transformed it into a long hammer.
But it was too late. If such a massive ship crashed down, it would instantly send their vessel flying, and once it collided with the nearby continental intersection of currents, it would be utterly destroyed.
Boom! However, just at that moment, the descending ship suddenly erupted with a loud bang. Its body was blown open, and with a surge of momentum, it veered off course, smashing violently into the land's rocky wall and breaking into several segments that sank into the currents.
Sage retracted his hand, and at that moment, the Grim Reaper also descended into the currents, gliding downward with the flow.
"Captain!"
"It really is our mighty Captain!"
"The Captain is invincible!"
Although the pirates couldn't see what was happening, they knew that their captain had taken action!
"Is that the power of Haki?"
Marika laughed. "How convenient, Captain."
"If you're envious, take some time away from your culinary research and focus on proper training instead."
Sage glanced at the three of them and said, "The Grand Line is not that simple."
Among the three, Lily was the most diligent, Renee was still young, but Marika had the highest aptitude.
This woman had mastered Life Return, so both her physique and willpower were exceptionally strong. It was a shame that she didn't like to improve her strength; otherwise, she would have been the most capable of sensing Haki.
The power Sage had used earlier was indeed Haki, and he had even projected it outward. Although the other ship had been quite far away, it made no difference to him, as the Haki-infused shockwave had easily deflected it.
However, it was a bit of a shame that he couldn't combine his external and internal destructive abilities from a distance yet.
Sage looked at his hand and thought, "I can't quite combine external projection with internal destruction from a distance yet."
He could perform internal destruction, but only in close-quarters combat. He still needed to improve a bit more before he could project Haki outward while also imbuing it with internal destructive power.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have just blown a hole in that ship—he could have completely shattered it with a single blow.
In fact, for a normal person, the best course of action would have been to jump onto the ship and deliver a single punch. With mastery over internal destruction, as long as one's Haki and strength were sufficient, a single punch would be enough to shatter such a ship.
But why move when you could stay still?
Besides, his Haki reserves didn't need to rest. This level of exertion wouldn't even take a single breath to recover from.
Whoosh!
The wind howled across the deck as the black ship swiftly sailed forward, plunging into the seawater at the very bottom and surging through the waves before exploding into a massive spray of water that mixed with the wind and rain, vanishing from sight.
Ahead, the sky lit up with the radiant glow of sunrise, dispelling the dark clouds and shining upon the Grim Reaper.
Dawn had arrived.
And for the first time in a long while, the Grim Reaper sailed under a clear sky.
"The Grand Line!"
Renee cheered, turning back to look at the massive continent with its reddish soil. "So that's what the Red Earth Continent really looks like!"
This colossal wall that spanned the heavens and earth was a vivid pink color, distinct from the soil of other islands and continents.
"How could it be called the 'Red' Earth Continent otherwise? Don't worry about such details. Let's figure out how to get our hands on a Grand Line sea map first. Lily, choose a direction, and let's go." Sage instructed.
"We can't move on, Sage."
Lily's eyes were fixed on her compass at the moment. "I think the compass is broken."
The compass in her hand was an essential tool for any navigator, similar to a magnetic needle that could determine direction. However, ever since they entered the Grand Line, the needle had been spinning uncontrollably, making it impossible to determine their bearing.
At that moment, Sage's body stiffened as he recalled something.
He remembered now.
He didn't know if there were sea maps for the Grand Line, but one thing was certain—
Compasses were utterly useless here!
"It's not broken, it's just useless now," Sage shook his head and explained. "Lily, from now on, forget about using the compass. It's completely useless in this damn sea lane. The magnetic field here is completely chaotic, and if you want to navigate, you'll need a recording compass instead. Didn't we get one from Rogue Town?"
"What's that?" Lily asked, puzzled.
The others also looked confused, seeking clarification.
The Grand Line was a legendary sea lane to those in the East Blue—a pirate's graveyard, and some even called it a paradise.
However, they had no idea how one was supposed to navigate it.
At least, none of Sage's crew seemed to know.
It didn't seem like anyone in the East Blue had ever come across a recording compass before.
"Don't worry, I have a plan." Sage held out his palm to reassure them, then looked toward the left and right sides of the sea lane, where there were two lighthouses, one of which also had a building next to it.
"There are people where there are buildings. Since this is at the entrance of the Grand Line, they should definitely know. Let's go ask them for one!"
Some people might not remember, but Sage had a vague impression of these two lighthouses.
This place was probably Cape Twin, if he recalled correctly.
(End of Chapter)
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