Fish Leaps the Dragon Gate, Promise Fulfilled

"Wow, the art style here is completely different..."

Looking at the slender, oriental-style mountains and the welcoming pines rooted in the rocks in the sea in front of him, Roman had a momentary illusion that he had come to a scenic spot in his previous life.

If it weren't for the relentless rolling waves beneath his feet, Roman would have loved to continue admiring the scenery.

"Wano Country does not have a 'coast' type of terrain."

Jinbe, who was in charge of the ship, began to explain. After all, given his relationship with the Whitebeard Pirates and his experience of joining the BIG MOM Pirates, he couldn't be completely unaware of the lair of Kaido, who was also one of the Four Emperors.

"Simply put, Wano Country is a country situated atop a 'high mountain,' surrounded by towering cliffs. One must ascend a specific 'waterfall' upstream to enter Wano Country's 'inland sea,' and only then can one..."

"Huh? Isn't this just like the 'Reverse Mountain' we encountered when entering the Grand Line?"

Before Jinbe could answer Luffy's question, Roman waved his hand and a lifelike hot pot-shaped model appeared on the deck.

"In general, this is the landscape of Wano Country. It is surrounded by a ring of high cliffs, which protect Wano Country but also make communication with other countries very difficult. Normal ships can only enter through waterfalls flowing down from above—"

Of course, Kaido's pirate crew built a vertical take-off and landing machine at a certain spot on the cliff, but it's obvious that they would never 'lend' it to the Straw Hat crew.

As Roman spoke, he pointed to the waterfall that appeared on the mountainside ahead, its cascading waters exuding an oriental charm, and within it were:

Wow! What a huge school of fish!

An excited Luffy onto the ship's railing, watching the schools of fish rushing towards the waterfall and then swimming upstream. Roman, on the other hand, gazed at the large fish bravely swimming upwards with a nostalgic expression.

"These are carp,"

"Fish leap over the Dragon Gate, the sea and sky are vast; tigers roar in the clouds, mountains and rivers tremble."

"Unfortunately, there are no easy obstacles to overcome in this world. Even if you swim to the upper seas, you can't transform into a dragon..."

"Roman, you're saying things I don't understand again, but—"

"Sanji, is the carp delicious?"

Sanji a cigarette as Luffy Guotou.

"It's delicious, whether it's the 'washed carp' that's been sliced and rinsed repeatedly with hot and cold water; the 'carp sauce soup' that's been carefully simmered; or the fried and sweet stewed versions, they're all very tasty, but..."

After Luffy was talking so much he was practically drooling, Sanji suddenly changed the subject:

"Carp are freshwater fish, so why are they able to live in the ocean?"

"Too rigid, cook." Since Brulee joined, Zoro hasn't been calling Sanji "pervert" anymore, but his habit of arguing with Sanji seems to be unchanged.

"These carp are already bigger than our boat, is it really necessary to worry about their ecological problems? Perhaps—"

With a clang, Zoro flicked the Shusui from his waist with his thumb.

"Let's catch one..."

"Forget it, these are all koi fish. They have extremely long lifespans and symbolize good fortune; they're said to bring good luck. They're generally kept as ornamental fish, not for consumption..."

"Wow, Mr. Roman knows so much! It's as if there's nothing you don't know."

Roman shook his head at Carrot, the bunny girl with sparkling eyes.

"I don't know everything... Never mind, let's not talk about that now."

As the Sunny Merry approaches Wano Country, even with Jinbe as helmsman and Nami as navigator, it continues to be tossed about by the unpredictable currents. Furthermore, to go upstream, it must rely on the power of those lucky koi fish. Therefore:

"We have two options: the first is to fly across the waterfall with the koi, which requires everyone's cooperation and is quite difficult. The second option is for Nami and me to use our ' Float-Float Fruit ability to make the boat fly—"

"The first rule!!"

Luffy raised his hand high, indicating his approval of the 'difficult' first option, while the others—

"Very good, no one objects! Let's leave it at that."

?!

We didn't even have a chance to express our opinions!

"No, Luffy ~~"

"Wouldn't it be better to just fly up there obediently?"

"Captain, I want to live..."

Usopp, Chopper, and Sunny grabbed Luffy's legs and cried their eyes out. Why did they have to make it so difficult when there was an easy second option?! The others didn't say anything, but they all moved quietly to the ship's side, looking ready to abandon ship and escape at any moment.

Reverse Mountain is at least a 45-degree slope, but this one in front of us is a full 90 degrees!

"Don't panic,"

Roman clapped his hands, drawing everyone's attention.

"Let's go with Luffy's first choice for now. Anyway, if anything unexpected happens, I'll just activate my ability and fly everyone up."

"Oh, that's alright~~~"

"Wow, the seawater below has become crystal clear, and you can even see the carp clearly."

"I see. Is the waterfall above freshwater? These golden fish do look very beautiful. No wonder they are kept as ornamental fish."

After Roman assured them that "I'll take care of everything," the group immediately began to watch the koi fish in the sea with great interest. Even Sonny ran up to Merry and exclaimed that he would soon have the experience of "flying."

"Don't just stand around, go and tidy up your things in your rooms. Our boat will be going up the waterfall soon, and things that aren't securely placed can easily get damaged!"

Although the items on the ship weren't originally unsecured or shockproof, no one would intentionally make them so secure that they wouldn't move even on a 90-degree incline. So, after sending the group of sightseeing enthusiasts to reinforce their belongings in the rooms, Roman looked towards the ship's wheel:

"Jinbe, I'm entrusting the helm to you."

"No problem,"

Roman felt very reassured by Jinbe's meticulous and methodical personality, but the other person...

"Luffy, your job in a moment is to grab the carp in front of you with your arms and let them carry our ship upstream. After all, the Sunny Merry hasn't been specially modified for 'flight' and doesn't have the ability to go upstream."

Of course, Roman could also make one immediately Paper-Paper Fruit ability. However:

That would be like taking off your pants to fart; it would be much simpler to just activate your 'Float-Float Fruit ability' and fly up.

"Hehehe, leave it to me!"

"Okay, we're counting on you."

After everyone had packed their belongings, a group of people stood on the deck, waiting for the 'dragon leap' (a traditional Chinese superhuman feat). With Roman's guarantee, such an experience was not to be missed—

"Rubber Double Carp Cart!"

As Luffy's outstretched arms grabbed two koi fish, the Sunny Merry was pulled upstream. The deck was filled with people with bounties over 100 million... Although Brulee didn't have a bounty, she had Sanji's gentlemanly embrace. Therefore:

"Wow, we really are climbing a hill."

"Following Luffy feels like a perpetual, exciting adventure..."

"Hehehe, right? This is more like an adventure~~"

"If only there were fewer battles,"

In response to Carrot's sentimental remarks, Roman was standing on the deck with his arms crossed at a 90-degree angle to the waterfall, rolled his eyes.

Dream on! The next big battle is against Kaido's Beasts crew. They're a bunch of Zoan-type Devil Zoan, all of them... cough cough, tank warriors. We won't get any rest until we've fought all night.

Fly!

"They're up here—"

"Hey, hey, hey, there's a whirlpool ahead..."

Snap,

"Floating Sunny Merry!"

As Roman clapped his hands, the 'Sunny Merry,' which had just leaped over the waterfall and was about to fall into the whirlpool in front of it, suddenly jolted, instantly saying goodbye to Newton, and then hovering in mid-air on the sea surface, Luffy to grumble in dissatisfaction.

"This doesn't count as sailing at all,"

"No, no, no, Captain Luffy."

"This definitely counts as navigation—we mean..."

Sunny and Merry, acting as the ship's avatars, held Luffy back from either side to prevent him from causing any more trouble. Meanwhile, Jinbe, under Nami's command, turned the sails and, propelled by the summoned breeze, sailed towards the distant coast.

Surrounded by massive rocky cliffs lies an 'inland sea', and on this sea are two islands: the larger one is 'Wano Country', and the smaller one is Kaido's lair, 'Onigashima'.

Therefore, Roman's statement that 'Wano Country' is like a hot pot is based on fact.

"Wano Country consists of six regions: Kuri, Kibi, Udon, Ringo, Hakumai, and the Capital of Flowers."

"And where we are now is in the lower left of Kuri in Kuri Wano Country..."

The released white doves allowed Roman to take in the entire landscape, brimming with oriental charm, and also pinpointed the Straw Hat crew's location. —Speaking of which:

The architectural layout, and those are peach blossoms, not cherry blossoms, why does this "Wano Country?... Never mind, to be honest, isn't the architectural style of Japan just Tang Dynasty?

Furthermore, since there were no external enemies, the representative Pingshan Castle was unnecessary to exist. It seems that:

It's more like a 'mini-Chang'an' now!

"Roman, what are you muttering about? I'm leaving now—"

?!

When Roman came to his senses, all he could see were distant black dots.

Luffy couldn't wait to use his 'Gum-Gum Rocket' to launch an adventure, and Roman, who was used to it, didn't want to bother with him anymore.

After all, he also had things to do.

"Nami, follow my directions," a white dove flew in front of the ship to guide the way, "There's a good anchorage over there, let's dock the Sunny Merry there first."

Roman closed his eyes and entered 'AFK' mode.

On in the Grand Line:

This is a town. Although life isn't wealthy, the ordinary people are content. At least they don't have to worry about being suddenly robbed and killed by pirates, because the pirate crews stationed outside the town fly their flags:

It was a cross and skull flag, and the huge crescent-shaped beard indicated the power it represented:

The Whitebeard Pirates!

What has Blackbeard been up to lately?

In the lobby of the tallest building, facing the question from the man in the white suit and white mask, Namur, the shark -Fish-Man captain with a short, stocky build, spiky hair resembling Moria's garlic-shaped head, and the number 8 symbolizing the team printed on the left side of his neck, Namul forward to answer.

"Mass mobilization!"

"That bastard's pirate crew hasn't made any unusual moves, but I've noticed his elite troops are quietly gathering. He must be planning something big!"

"Are they planning to attack us again?"

"Let them come! Are you afraid of him?!"

"Don't argue. Everyone knows how capable that traitor Teach. Impulsiveness will only make things worse..."

What kind of action will it be?

Amidst the commotion of the other captains, Marco rubbed his temples. The Whitebeard Pirates would be all eager to fight if it came to wielding swords, but when it came to strategizing... upon reflection, they realized they had relied too much on their father's protection.

"Ace, what do you think?"

As Marco looked at the man in the main seat, the masked Whitebeard's acting captain, Ace, tapped his finger on the table. Only after taking the helm of the Whitebeard Pirates did he truly understand the weight of responsibility! His very words could affect the lives of hundreds, even thousands, of his brothers; he couldn't afford to be careless.

?!

Plop plop~~

With a flapping sound of wings, a white dove flew in.

"Ace,"

The white dove spoke in human language, and even used the real name of the man sitting in the main seat.

The time has come to fulfill your promise.