Reverse Mountain

"What? Morey is missing, and part of the Heavenly Gold has been stolen! What happened?" In the palace, the king, upon hearing the devastating news, shouted angrily. In his rage, he threw a bottle of his prized wine from the table in front of him.

The bottle smashed against a nearby pillar, shattering instantly. Shards of the bottle and the wine were scattered all over the ground, but this still failed to vent the king's anger.

"Your Majesty, Lord Morey discovered an intruding thief and went to pursue him. Before that, to avoid revealing the Heavenly Gold, he ordered us to stay put and guard the place," the captain of the guard said hesitantly. "But we've waited for a long time and haven't seen Lord Morey return. We don't know where he is now. However, we've discovered many signs of a battle."

"Hoo!" The king took a deep breath to calm himself down. This matter was over; what came next was more important. "How much of the Heavenly Gold was lost?" the king asked softly, a hint of fear still lingering in his heart.

"About two billion Beli worth of treasure, and half of the tribute wine," the captain of the guard replied.

The king breathed a sigh of relief; this way, the lost Heavenly Gold could be made up. But at the same time, he was heartbroken and breathless. The treasures were alright, but the tribute wine was something that couldn't be measured in money. Apart from the royal family drinking the remaining portion of this year's tribute wine, most of it had already been reserved by others.

Sometimes, when the domestic grape harvest is good, a few extra bottles of tribute wine are produced and collected by the royal family. The royal family has to replenish all of these tribute wines themselves, and nearly half of their collection over the years is going to be lost, which makes him heartbroken and unable to breathe.

"Investigate! Seal off all ports and the coast. Maybe we can recover the lost Heavenly Gold," the king ordered. However, he didn't hold much hope. Morey was missing and hadn't returned for so long; what difference was there between him and dead?

The culprit had already left the Grape Kingdom, and there was no way they could find him.

The ship sailed on the sea, and many days had passed since it left the Grape Kingdom. A new companion had joined the ship, the thief Nelson. After a few days of getting to know each other, everyone had become familiar with each other.

Watching Nelson train, having experienced death, Nelson was extremely eager for strength, Teach also placed great hopes on him.

He was working hard to improve his physique, perhaps without realizing it himself, but Teach knew that Nelson had Awakening Observation Haki. In that life-or-death crisis, he dodged that fatal claw, and his strong will to survive Awakening his Observation Haki. It was only a fleeting moment, but it was still Awakening.

To truly master it, you'll need a lot of practice, but you'll learn it much faster than others.

In his daily training, Teach continues to hone his physical skills and improve his physique, hoping to further enhance his abilities.

Especially now that he is in a period of rapid growth in strength, and the shackles that restricted his growth due to his incomplete physical development have been broken, he cannot let his guard down.

A few days later, a few exclamations came from outside, attracting the Teach of Teach and his team who were still training.

Teach's ship finally arrived in the vicinity of the Grand Line near the Reverse Mountain, where the towering Miracle Mountain could be seen in the distance.

The raging waves continued to roll, and as they approached the inverted area, the sea became incredibly turbulent, with whirlpools appearing from time to time, making it an extremely dangerous zone.

But for Teach and his crew, who had been sailing on the Grand Line for nearly two months, it posed no danger.

It's important to know that during these days, they've experienced everything from Sea King attacks and storms to blizzards and tsunamis. The harsh environment of the ocean is a great test of one's abilities, and Gari, who was temporarily serving as the helmsman, has gained some experience and become a qualified helmsman.

"Is this the Red Line? It's truly magnificent!"

"It's so spectacular every time I see it."

Among Teach's group, Teach and Pito had seen the Red Line, but that was another passage, the passage from the first half of the Grand Line to the New World.

I've met Kos before; he came from the East China Sea.

The others— Baccarat, Gari, Wallace, and the newly joined Nelson —had never seen such a spectacular sight: the Red Line towering into the clouds, its tops completely obscured by the clouds.

One by one, they exclaimed in amazement as the ship gradually approached Reverse Mountain. Suddenly, the entire ship began to rock violently. "Captain, something's wrong! The captain is being rapidly pulled away and is becoming uncontrollable!" Gari glanced at the sea; the current was accelerating, and the closer they got to Reverse Mountain, the faster the current became.

"Hahaha! We're almost there. Don't worry, just keep going." Teach laughed heartily. They had finally arrived at the Red Line, and the East Sea was right in front of them.

Teach's Observation Haki had already detected the entrance to Reverse Mountain, and Commander Gari drove towards the entrance.

Looking into the distance, there is a small crack on the Red Line, and that is the legendary Reverse Mountain.

The entire ship was passively heading towards the Reverse Mountain, drawn by a powerful gravitational pull. This was because the ocean currents from the four seas—east, west, south, and north—were so strong that they could overcome gravity and flow upwards.

From afar, you can see the seawater flowing against the current, constantly moving upwards, and at this moment, the current becomes extremely violent.

The entrance to the entire Reverse Mountain is just a narrow channel. Most pirate crews can't even take the first step. Their ships, attracted by the seawater, lose control and crash directly into the Red Line, resulting in the destruction of the ships and the loss of life.

Gari has already done a good job of mastering the water, but what comes next is beyond his control. The channel is very narrow, and if he is not careful and veers slightly to the side, he may crash directly into the rock walls on both sides. This is the second challenge in getting through the Reverse Mountain.

Therefore, a good helmsman is especially important.

At this moment, Teach stepped forward and said, "Gari, let me take the helm."

Teach stood at the helm, with Gari standing beside him. Observation Haki to closely observe the direction of the sea current, constantly controlling the ship to sail with the current so that it would no longer rock.

"Hey, Captain, the seawater is flowing down from high up, how are we going to get up there?" Wallace stared wide-eyed at the plunging seawater; there was no way they could possibly sail up there.

"Don't worry, there won't be any problems. The ocean is just that amazing," Teach laughed.

The ship was getting closer and closer to Reverse Mountain, the entire Reverse Mountain was right in front of them. "Everyone hold on tight, keep your balance, the ship will be climbing Reverse Mountain soon!" Teach shouted back, gripping the helm tightly.

Upon hearing Teach's words, they all steadied themselves.

Under Teach's helm, the boat sailed directly into the channel, where several red water gates led the way, rapidly climbing towards the Reverse Mountain against the current.

"I never thought we'd actually make it to the top. It's truly a miracle of nature," Baccarat exclaimed, looking back at the receding sea.

The Reverse Mountain posed no threat to Teach and his crew. The ship was in good condition, and with Teach at the helm, they sailed upstream towards the top of Reverse Mountain.

Finally, the entire ship reached the top of the Red Line, above the clouds, and then quickly descended, crashing into the water.

At this point, the current was not so turbulent, but something even more intense was yet to come. Ahead, in Teach's eyes, four channels appeared, which, if viewed from above, formed an "X" shape.

The ocean currents from all four seas flow together toward the Grand Line, and even so, with such powerful currents, they still managed to rise up, which is truly incredible.

"Captain, which waterway do we take next? This should lead to the four seas, right?" Nelson asked Teach.

"The fourth one, that's the waterway leading to the East China Sea," Teach said with a smile, already making a move, turning the rudder to the right and sailing towards the waterway to the East China Sea.

Both are against the current, one going down and the other going up. Facing the upward current, this is the water of the East China Sea. The entire ship is diving and sailing rapidly downwards. Teach steadies the rudder to prevent the ship from hitting the rocky wall beside it.

On the other side, "My men, once we get past this Reverse Mountain, we'll reach the Grand Line! From now on, legendary pirates like Iron Hand Hoover will surely have a place!"

Ahead of Reverse Mountain, a pirate ship was speeding towards Reverse Mountain. Compared to the Grand Line, the currents of the East Blue were quite calm, with little danger.

Bertholdt, the captain of the Iron Hand Pirates, stood at the bow of the ship, turned around, looked at his crew, and laughed loudly.

The Reverse Mountain is almost within reach, and the future seems to be in his hands.

"The captain is invincible. Even the Pirate King Roger will be surpassed by the captain one day." The pirates below flattered him. They were all more excited, expectant, and even a little afraid as they were about to land on Reverse Mountain. The Grand Line was known as the "graveyard of pirates."

"Hey, Captain, something seems to be coming down from Reverse Mountain," a sharp-eyed pirate exclaimed in surprise, pointing above the Reverse Mountain waterway.

"What?" Hoover was taken aback. He turned his head and looked up at the top of Reverse Mountain. A black dot appeared high above the waterway, growing larger and rapidly approaching.

"Captain, it's a ship, rushing towards us at high speed." A pirate took out his binoculars and looked in the direction of the waterway.

"What? Oh no, there's danger! Quick, move the boat away, or we'll get hit!" Hoover's face changed, his pupils contracted, and he said in terror.

Their ship was positioned right at the entrance to the waterway. The ship that rushed down from Reverse Mountain would crash directly into them. The sheer force of the impact from such a height is unimaginable.

If two ships collide, the result will inevitably be a total loss of life and destruction.

Hoover was horrified and couldn't help but curse his bad luck. He hadn't even entered the Grand Line yet, and he didn't want to die like this, in such a humiliating way.

At Hoover's command, the other pirates reacted quickly, scattering in panic. The helmsman steered the ship sharply, changing direction and moving away from the entrance to Reverse Mountain. Some of the more timid ones hid in fear.

"Captain, there's a pirate ship down there, and it looks like we're about to collide." With his superhuman eyesight Kos spotted the pirate ship at the end of the waterway and warned Teach.

"Don't worry, they've already moved to the side to avoid us," Teach said with a smile and a shake of his head.

A glint flashed in Kos's eyes. Teach had discovered it so quickly, and even knew about the situation on the ship. This must be the effect of his Observation Haki.

His hand gripping the gun handle tightened involuntarily, a sense of resentment creeping in. As a gunman, he should be able to spot the enemy immediately. On this ship, he was clearly inadequate. Although he possessed exceptional eyesight, his perception was still inferior to that of Captain Teach, and even to Pito.

He needs to master this power as soon as possible. Gunmen who Awakening Observation Haki will be greatly enhanced in strength. On this ship, several people already Observation Haki: Teach, Pito, Gari, and Nelson. After these days of training, Nelson has learned Observation Haki, although he is not yet proficient and it is sometimes effective and sometimes not.

He was already behind the pace, which he couldn't allow. Under this pressure, Kos worked harder and harder on his Observation Haki training, constantly increasing the intensity. Apart from taking some time to train other things, he devoted the rest of his time to Observation Haki training.

Unlike Nelson Observation Haki was Awakening in the face of life and death and had a high element of luck, Kos relies on his strong foundation. He was originally a gunman and had outstanding talent in Observation Haki. Now, he has touched the edge of Observation Haki Awakening and will be able to Awakening Observation Haki soon.

"Hold on tight, or you'll get thrown off!" Teach laughed, gripping the helm tightly. A strong gust of wind blew in his face as the ship descended at high speed, causing his slightly long hair to flutter wildly behind him.

Closer and closer, the vast sea is now right before our eyes.

Boom! Before the eyes of many pirates, a pirate ship appeared from the entrance of Reverse Mountain with a "whoosh". Almost half of the ship was about to sink into the sea. The powerful impact of the dive brought a shock to the Iron Hand Pirates.

"Oh no! Get out of the way!" Hoover shouted. They had already avoided the Reverse Mountain Waterway, but they were still caught in the crossfire.

But it was too late to shout now. Teach's ship crashed into the sea, creating huge waves tens of meters high, like a tsunami, that surged violently to both sides.

One of the giant waves came head-on towards the Iron Hand Pirates. Faced with such a terrifying wave, they were powerless to resist. One by one, the pirates struggled, but were swept off their ship by the wave and into the sea.

Hoover clung tightly to the mast, his eyes shut, trying to withstand the onslaught of the seawater. In those few seconds, his body endured immense pressure, and he felt as if he were about to collapse.

As the giant wave subsided, Hoover released his grip, collapsed to the ground, and gasped for breath.

"How could this be?" Iron Hand Hoover's eyes widened, his body trembling uncontrollably. He stared in disbelief at the tragic scene. His meticulously built ship, a ship meant to sail the Grand Line, had been destroyed by a powerful impact. More than half of his crew, who were supposed to accompany him on the high seas, had been lost. The bodies on the surface of the sea had been easily drowned.

Some struggled on the surface of the sea, their ambitions shattered in that instant.

"Damn it, you bastards! It's all because of you." Hoover clenched his fists tightly, his gaze shifting to the ship that had come down from Reverse Mountain. If it weren't for them, his ship wouldn't have been destroyed; if it weren't for them, his crew wouldn't have suffered such heavy losses; if it weren't for them, his ambitions wouldn't have been shattered before they even began.

So, it was all because of them. His anger nearly drove him mad. Hoover roared and jumped off the ship onto a broken plank in the sea, using it to propel himself toward the ship.

Bang!

Suddenly, he heard a gunshot. Before Hoover could react, he saw a black dot appear in front of him, getting closer and closer. It seemed to be a bullet, but he was unable to resist and the bullet pierced his head.

On the ship, it was Kos who made the move. "How boring, weakness is the original sin!" Kos glanced at the fallen Hoover, then ignored him and wiped the muzzle of his gun.