Chapter 73: Grand Line
*Boom!*
Lightning flashed from the sky. The black ship, under the torrential rain and thunder, passed the fierce whirlpools near the Red Line and sailed straight into the gateway.
Just as Renettia had said, the ship she built was designed to sail safely through waves and storms.
Entering the rapid current, the Death Omen Star swayed, but its course remained remarkably stable. It passed through the gate, followed the upstream current, braving the wind and rain, and charged swiftly upwards.
The higher they went, the fiercer the surrounding air currents became, blowing Sag's white hair and whipping his cloak wildly.
Finally, the Death Omen Star shot out of the reverse current. Carried by the immense momentum, it leaped upwards, crossed the summit, and entered a brief moment of weightlessness.
"Woohoo!"
Renettia spread her small hands, letting the storm wash over her, revealing an excited smile. "Flying high!"
Although she was an ability user, this level of soaking didn't affect her at all, as long as most of her body wasn't submerged in water.
"Is that the Grand Line below?"
Lily looked downwards. Below them were five sea currents. Four flowed upwards, while only one flowed downwards. Entering that current would lead them into the Grand Line.
"Ara, the legendary sea route. It's said that circling the Grand Line once completes a voyage around the world," Marika smiled.
"The world is vast. The Grand Line is just one sea route; how could sailing it complete a voyage around the world? But this route is indeed not small. Who knows how many islands it holds," Sag said.
This sea was too huge. Some islands alone were unbelievably large.
But such matters weren't for consideration now.
Sag pointed in the direction the Death Omen Star was flying out. "Renetti, turn us a bit, otherwise we'll end up in the West Blue."
Rushing straight out from the East Blue current wouldn't lead to the Grand Line. Most ships would spin in these constantly reversing currents, then crash into the continent and be destroyed. A small fraction of ships would get caught in the Four Seas channels, then be pushed back towards the Red Line by the upstream currents, and then be destroyed again.
Only a tiny fraction of that small fraction would luckily fall from the summit and head towards one of the Four Seas.
As for the Grand Line, that path was the narrowest part.
The reputation of the Pirate Graveyard – the first challenge was right here.
If it were a normal ship, even a sturdy one, following the current direction would only lead it to the West Blue. But with Renettia, it was different.
"OK!"
Renettia spread her small hands, and as she pressed down on the deck, a faint electric spark appeared. "Dynamic Braking!"
The giant black ship, flying through the air, miraculously changed direction at this moment, heading towards the only downward-flowing channel.
"That's enough!" Renettia bared her small tiger teeth.
As the Black Ship descended, Lily, who was closely watching a rising sea current, said, "Sag, something's not right."
*Boom!*
Another thunderclap exploded, illuminating the night sky that appeared pitch black due to the storm, and cast a shadow onto their deck.
In an instant, the pupils of all three women contracted, staring deadly upwards and diagonally.
The pirates on deck, pulling ropes tight, raising and lowering sails in the storm, their eyes almost bulged out, shouting in alarm, "A ship, a ship!!"
Diagonally above them, a dilapidated ship, only slightly smaller in scale than the Death Omen Star, abruptly appeared overhead, looking like it was about to land on them.
Lily subconsciously drew Shirai. Marika's hands trembled. Renettia stared with her pretty big eyes, quickly took out her tool hammer, and twisted it into a long hammer.
But where was the time? If such a huge ship smashed down, it would immediately knock their ship flying. If they crashed into the continent near the intersection of the currents, they would be completely finished.
*Boom!*
But just then, the ship that was about to fly over suddenly issued a loud bang. A hole was blasted in its hull, and it was carried by an impulse, deviating from its incoming direction, fiercely crashing onto the land's cliff wall, breaking into several pieces and sinking into the sea current.
Sag retracted his hand. At this time, the Death Omen Star had also descended into the sea current, following the downhill flow, sailing downwards.
"Captain!"
"It really is the Captain!"
"The Captain is invincible!"
Although the pirates couldn't see anything clearly, they knew this was their captain taking action!
"The power of Haki?" Marika smiled. "Truly convenient, Captain."
"If you're envious, take some time away from researching cuisine and cultivate properly," Sag glanced at the three women. "The Grand Line isn't that simple."
Among the three, Lily was the most diligent. Renettia was still young. But the one with the highest aptitude was actually Marika.
This woman had mastered Life Return. Neither her physique nor her willpower could be weak. Unfortunately, she didn't seem interested in improving her strength. Otherwise, she should be the most capable of coming into contact with Haki.
Sag had just used Haki, and it was emission. Although that ship was still far away, it didn't matter to him. Using the impact of Haki could push it away.
But it was a bit of a pity...
He looked at his hand. "Emission and internal destruction, I still can't combine them at a distance yet."
He knew internal destruction, but only limited to close combat. Wanting to mix internal destruction with emission still wasn't quite there yet.
Otherwise, just now, it wouldn't have been just blasting a hole, but he could have shattered the entire ship.
In fact, for a normal person, jumping up and punching would be the best way. If one mastered internal destruction, as long as their strength and Haki amount were sufficient, one punch could smash this kind of ship.
But if he could achieve it without moving, why move? Anyway, his Haki amount didn't need rest. Recovering from that level of exertion took less than a breath.
*Whoosh!*
The wind surged across the deck. The pouring sea current carried the Black Ship swiftly forward. Upon reaching the very bottom, it rushed forward, plunging headfirst into the seawater, undulating within it for a moment, exploding with a huge amount of spray, mixing with the wind and rain, and then disappearing together.
In the sky ahead, a ray of morning sun rose, dispersing the dark, heavy clouds, shining upon the Death Omen Star.
Daylight had arrived.
And the Death Omen Star, rarely, experienced clear skies.
"Grand Line!"
Renettia cheered loudly, then looked back at the huge continent. "Turns out the Red Line really is red!"
This huge cliff wall stretching between heaven and earth was entirely pinkish-red, different from the land color of other islands.
"Otherwise, how could it be called the 'Red' Line? Don't worry about these details. Find a sea chart for the Grand Line first. Lily, choose a direction, let's go," Sag said.
"We can't go, Sag."
Lily was currently staring at the compass. "The compass seems to be broken."
The compass in her hand, essential for a navigator, similar to a regular compass, used magnetic force to determine direction. But just after entering the Grand Line, the needle on it was spinning non-stop, making it impossible to determine direction.
At this moment, Sag's expression froze, his body paused.
*He remembered…*
Whether the Grand Line had sea charts, he didn't know.
But in this damn place…
A compass was utterly useless! (Original uses slang "卵用", lit. "egg use")
"It's not broken, it's useless," Sag shook his head. "Lily, give up on the compass from now on. That thing is completely useless. The magnetic field of this damn sea route is completely chaotic. If you want to navigate, you need a Log Pose. Didn't we get one in Loguetown?"
"What's that?" Lily was stunned.
The others also showed puzzled expressions.
The Grand Line, for the East Blue, was a legendary sea route, the pirates' graveyard, also called Paradise by some.
But how to navigate it…
At least, the people on Sag's side didn't know.
It seemed the East Blue hadn't seen this thing called a Log Pose either…
"Don't worry, I have a plan."
Sag held out his palm towards them, looking left and right along this channel. There were two lighthouses there, one of which also had a building.
"If there's a building, there's someone. Since it's at the entrance of the Grand Line, they must understand. Find him and get one!"
Some things he couldn't remember clearly, but these two lighthouses, he still had an impression of them.
This place seemed to be Twin Cape…
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