Grand Line

The circular ocean region where the Grand Line intersects perpendicularly with the Crimson Continent is the most miraculous and dangerous shipping route in the world. The ultimate treasure lies somewhere within the Grand Line.

On both sides of the Grand Line lie the dangerous Calm Belts.

In this sea area where one cannot even accurately determine their own position, only the magnetic records indicated by a Log Pose are reliable.

Therefore, on the Grand Line, one must have a Log Pose to reach their desired destination.

The consequence of not having a Log Pose is exactly what Luo Sa is experiencing right now: he is completely like a headless fly, buzzing around aimlessly.

Above an unknown stretch of sea, a Winged Gull flies against the wind.

Seeming tired, the Winged Gull drops the wooden board it was clutching in its talons into the sea, then slowly lands upon it.

"Hoo, hoo, hoo. Three days have already passed; how have I not seen a single island or merchant ship?"

Luo Sa reverts from his Winged Gull transformation and collapses onto the wooden board.

His golden hair flutters as his face is filled with exhaustion. After three consecutive days of flying, he feels completely drained!

Moreover, his dry rations were finished at his last meal. Now, with a shriveled stomach, there is nothing he can do.

Rubbing his somewhat hollow belly, Luo Sa stares intensely at his surroundings, terrified of missing any merchant ship.

Suddenly, Luo Sa's gaze is drawn to a bird flying overhead. His eyes brighten; if he could catch it, it would surely sustain him for a day!

Luo Sa does not hesitate for a moment. He doesn't even bother to retrieve the wooden board, soaring into the sky and speeding toward the distant bird.

But upon getting closer, Luo Sa suddenly freezes, simply because he is all too familiar with this type of bird—isn't this a News Bird?

"A News Bird, a News Bird! If I follow it, won't I be able to find a merchant ship or an island?"

Luo Sa becomes excited, as if he has found a beacon of light in the endless darkness.

Following the News Bird, Luo Sa flaps his wings with all his might. Just when he thinks he can no longer hold on, a ship finally appears before his eyes.

However, this ship is not a merchant ship, but a Pirate Ship. On the sail, a Giant Axe Pirate Flag flutters in the wind.

"A Pirate Ship?"

A sharp glint flashes in Luo Sa's eyes. After a moment of hesitation, he controls his body to approach the Pirate Ship cautiously, like an ordinary little bird.

At this moment, the pirates on the Pirate Ship are holding a banquet, eating meat in large mouthfuls and drinking wine from large bowls.

"Hahaha! After pulling off this job, brothers, we probably won't need to work for half a year!"

"That's right, that's right! This time was truly a massive harvest!"

"Hahaha!"

Dozens of pirates began to boast and joke around, their laughter ringing out incessantly.

"Huh, it's a News Bird. I wonder if the Captain's bounty will go up a bit after raiding that village this time!"

"Hahaha, it's definitely going up! We sank a Marine warship this time. Even if it was just the smallest type, it's enough to increase it several times over!"

"Several times? Our Captain's bounty is 8 Million Berries right now. Doesn't that mean it'll jump to tens of millions!"

The pirates discussed it excitedly, completely unaware of the bewildered Luo Sa eavesdropping on them.

What? A pirate with an 8 Million Berry bounty? Please tell me, how did you guys even make it to the Grand Line, let alone survive until now?

The pirate crew's banquet continued.

However, no one noticed that a stranger had appeared in the crowd, eating heartily as if nothing were wrong. He was like a starving ghost, sweeping away large portions of food.

"Hahaha, not a bad appetite, kid!"

A pirate laughed loudly, patting Luo Sa's small frame.

"Yeah, yeah. Who would have thought that such a small body could hold so much stuff? How exactly is that stomach grown?"

Another pirate chuckled and teased.

"Wait a minute, we're a crew of grown men. Since when did we recruit a little brat?"

One pirate suddenly looked puzzled.

"That's not right. He's not one of our crew members at all!"

The pirate in charge of recruitment shouted, drawing the sword from his waist in one motion.

"Damn it, a little brat actually dared to sneak onto our pirate ship to freeload! I'm going to throw you into the sea to feed the sharks right now!"

The pirate closest to Luo Sa reached out, grabbing for Luo Sa's head.

Facing such small fry, Luo Sa acted as if he were swatting a fly. One of his hands transformed into a wing, and with a casual flick, he sent the small fry flying.

Luo Sa's move instantly stunned the pirates. They held their weapons in their hands, but they hesitated, not daring to step forward.

"A Devil Fruit user!"

After a long while, one pirate finally said, trembling.

Although they were just an obscure little pirate crew, they had still heard of the reputation of Devil Fruits!

"Hmph, so what if he's a Devil Fruit user! I'm a great pirate whose bounty is about to exceed ten million!"

A rough voice rang out. A large man walked out from the cabin, carrying an axe in one hand and holding a young woman in the other.

"Huh, a Great Pirate with a bounty nearing ten million?"

Luo Sa looked at the pirate captain who had emerged and couldn't help but chuckle.

No wonder a pirate crew with a bounty of less than ten million dared to come to the Grand Line; it turned out they really were brain-damaged!

"Phew, that was a satisfying meal! A fight with you will serve as the perfect post-meal exercise!"

Patting his stomach, Luo Sa stood up, his gaze toward the pirate captain turning serious.

After all, this was his first face-to-face battle with an enemy. He wanted to use this as a litmus test to see exactly what level his strength had reached.

"First, a test of physical prowess!"

Luo Sa muttered to himself, his body launching forward like a cannonball.

The pirate captain didn't dare to be careless. He shoved aside the young woman clinging to him, gripped his axe with both hands, and brought it down in a heavy chop.

Feeling the fierce wind whipped up by the axe, Luo Sa's expression shifted slightly; he chose not to take the blow head-on.

With a flicker of movement, he arrived at the pirate captain's side and threw a straight punch with all his might.

The pirate captain freed one hand and threw a punch of his own, meeting Luo Sa's fist in a direct collision.

BOOM!

An invisible shockwave erupted. Luo Sa stood his ground without budging an inch, while the pirate captain stumbled back several steps!

"How is this possible? That's the Captain's pride and joy—his strength! He was actually pushed back head-on by that brat!"

The pirates' jaws dropped to the floor. They rubbed their eyes repeatedly, refusing to believe the reality before them!