Splitting the Storm

The lighthouse at Twin Capes gradually vanished beyond the horizon.

The pure black hull of the Eclipse cut through the waves, officially entering the Grand Line, a stretch of sea known as the "Graveyard of Pirates."

On the spacious deck, Carina held an ordinary nautical compass, frowning as she watched the needle spin wildly like a top.

"Is this the magnetic field of the Grand Line?"

"Ordinary compasses are completely useless, just as expected."

She set the compass aside and pulled a glass-orb Log Pose from her leather bag.

"Gyahahahaha!"

Accompanied by a burst of laughter, Buggy walked over with his arms crossed, strutting with an arrogant, swaggering gait.

He looked at the Log Pose in Carina's hand, his chin held high, his face filled with the superiority of a veteran.

"Scared, aren't you, you rookies from the East Blue!"

"The islands of the Grand Line contain massive amounts of special minerals, making the magnetic field of the entire sea as chaotic as a hodgepodge."

"Without a Log Pose, you wouldn't be able to sail even a single nautical mile here."

"This is common knowledge!"

Buggy patted the ship's railing with an air of seniority, deliberately raising his voice.

"Back in the day, when I was an apprentice on Captain Roger's ship, what kind of treacherous seas hadn't I seen?"

"This kind of magnetic chaos is just an introductory lesson in the Grand Line!"

Watching Buggy desperately trying to assert his presence, Sabo adjusted his top hat and couldn't help but shake his head with a smile.

Ace stood by the mainmast, and after hearing Buggy's bragging, he also let out a laugh.

"Since you're so experienced, why don't you offer some advice?"

"Of the seven initial routes starting from Twin Capes, which one should we choose?"

Hearing Ace call him out, Buggy immediately cleared his throat and leaned over Carina's nautical chart.

"Ahem, listen up."

"These seven routes each have their own characteristics."

Buggy pointed at the chart, his eyes lighting up.

"Some routes are nothing but desolate mountains and wilderness, some are dense with hidden reefs, and some are so poor that even pirates would want to turn back."

"But as the competent chief steward of the Eclipse and a veteran of the Grand Line, I strongly suggest we take this one!"

His finger tapped heavily on one of the routes.

"This route isn't the safest, but it's the liveliest."

"Commercial islands, member nations, black market ports, entertainment cities—it has everything."

"Food, drink, gold, intelligence, women... ahem, anyway, it's the most lucrative."

Buggy spread his hands after saying this.

"Of course, because it's so prosperous, this route also has the most Marine fleets and World Government eyes."

"Trouble is definitely inevitable."

Ace heard him out and made the decision immediately.

"That's the one."

Buggy was stunned.

"You're not going to reconsider? This route has the most Marines."

Ace looked toward the sea ahead.

"Isn't that perfect?"

Buggy opened his mouth, then slapped his thigh.

"You've got vision!"

"Truly the captain I recognize!"

"Since we're sailing, we should eat the best meat, drink the strongest liquor, and incidentally snatch some gold from those filthy rich guys!"

Carina looked at these two pirates who had hit it off so quickly and sighed softly.

However, she did not object.

For the Eclipse, the most prosperous route meant the densest supply lines, intelligence, black markets, and trading channels.

The trouble was indeed significant.

But the rewards were also the greatest.

She looked down at the Log Pose on her wrist, adjusted the dial at the bottom, and confirmed the magnetic direction.

"Locked in."

"Next stop, the Golden Route."

The moment the words left his lips, the Grand Line seemed to hear the decision of these newcomers and immediately gave them a harsh welcome.

The sky, which had been cloudless just a moment ago, darkened rapidly in less than ten seconds.

Thick, heavy black clouds blotted out the sun.

"Crack!"

A bolt of lightning tore through the cloud layer.

Immediately following, a gale whipped up hail the size of fists, pelting the sea surface in a dense barrage.

"Ouch!"

Buggy was struck on his red nose by a hailstone, jumping up while clutching his face in pain.

"What familiar, hellish weather! It turns hostile the moment it pleases!"

Though he cursed fiercely, his reactions were anything but slow.

"Sabo! Lower the sails halfway!"

"Carina, steady the helm!"

"I've been seeing this kind of illogical, localized cyclone since I was on a ship decades ago; I'm long past being surprised by it!"

Carina immediately rushed into the wheelhouse and gripped the helm.

Sabo also darted across the deck, preparing to tighten the ropes to withstand the sudden storm.

However, Ace stood in the center of the deck, looking up at the lowering black clouds and the massive hailstones crashing down.

"It's rare to be in such a good mood for setting sail."

"I can't let this weather ruin the mood."

After saying this, he leaned down and gripped the hilt of the heavy machete resting by the deck.

"Clang!"

The heavy blade left its sheath in an instant.

Ace's right arm muscles tensed, and pitch-black Armament Haki coated the edge.

The next moment, crimson-gold Vermilion Bird Divine Fire ignited along the length of the blade.

"Scatter."

Ace gripped the blade with both hands and, facing the low-hanging black storm clouds above, swung upward in a single stroke.

"BOOM!!!"

A crimson-gold slash surged into the sky.

The flames trailed out in the silhouette of bird wings, slamming violently into the oppressive black clouds.

The thick, dark clouds were split right down the middle by this strike.

A rift thousands of meters long spanned the sky.

The hailstones hurtling toward the Eclipse were vaporized into thick white mist by the high heat of the slash before they could even get close to the mast.

One strike, and the storm was cleaved open.

Sunlight poured back down through the rift in the clouds, like a massive golden pillar of light, spilling onto the deck of the Eclipse.

"It's cleared up."

Ace casually sheathed his machete and clapped his hands.

Carina, in the wheelhouse, gripped the helm, unsure for a moment whether she should continue correcting their course or first confirm if she had seen things correctly.

Buggy tilted his head back, staring at the fiery rift in the sky that refused to close, his mouth hanging open for a long time.

"Hey, hey..."

"Is that even how you handle the weather on the Grand Line?"

Sabo, holding the ropes, lowered his head and let out a laugh.

"At least the captain thinks so."

The sea ahead began to shimmer once more under the sunlight.

But this tranquility did not last long.

Accompanied by a dull roar, the seawater receded to both sides.

A massive shadow, like a small mountain, slowly rose from the deep sea.

"Splash!"

A giant Sea King, over a hundred meters long, covered in cyan scales with a sharp, singular horn atop its head, broke through the water.

Its massive, slit-pupiled eyes locked coldly onto the Eclipse stopped before it.

"One-Horned Sea Serpent."

Carina frowned slightly as she caught a full view of the monster.

"We just entered the Grand Line and we're already running into something like this?"

"If this were in the East Blue, it would scare an entire port to death."

Buggy planted his hands on his hips, his voice immediately growing louder.

"But in the Grand Line, this size really isn't anything rare."

"Back in the day on the Oro Jackson, Vice Captain Rayleigh used to slice up guys like this as easily as cutting up appetizers!"

He spoke with ease, yet his feet moved with practiced caution, retreating to a spot where the seawater wouldn't splash him.

"Ahem, Vice Captain Sabo."

Buggy cleared his throat, putting on the airs of a seasoned veteran.

"A low-level crawler of this caliber isn't worth me getting my hands dirty."

"Consider this a warm-up for you."

"I'll leave it to you to handle!"

Sabo glanced at Buggy, naturally hearing the bluff in his voice.

However, he hadn't expected Buggy to engage in hand-to-hand combat with such a monster anyway.

Ace stood at the bow, looking at the terrifying fangs inches away, his mood surprisingly good.

"Sabo."

"Take care of it."

"It'll serve perfectly as our ingredients."

"Understood, Captain."

Sabo tipped his hat, exerting a sudden burst of force beneath his feet.

In the next instant, he launched himself into mid-air, charging straight toward the hundred-meter-long Sea King.

High above, Sabo's right arm transformed into dazzling orange-red flames.

The fire spiraled along his arm, coalescing into the shape of a dragon's claw.

"Perfect."

"I'll use you, you Giant Loach, to test out a new move."