Charging Towards the Sky

Splash, splash...!

Towering waves surged in one after another, flinging vast amounts of seawater into the air before it rained down like a celestial maiden scattering flowers... The sky drew ever closer to darkness!

After exchanging a glance with the storm petrel, Reg burst into laughter. "Hahaha..."

Even a creature like that could face a storm thousands, tens of thousands of times stronger than itself without fear... What did he have to be afraid of?!

Berg, standing at the helm, heard Reg's hearty laughter amid the crashing waves... His hands moved a little more briskly. If the man aboard wasn't afraid, why should he, the ferryman, be so timid?

The pirates, who had been tense beyond measure, also felt their hearts ease upon hearing that laughter... This was the man they would follow in the future.

As Reg laughed, Cricket's image of spreading his arms to embrace the sky suddenly flashed through his mind.

So he spread his arms as well and shouted at the sky, "It's because we have goals... that 'romance' can be achieved!!"

"Romance?!"

"Why that word?"

"Shouldn't it be becoming strong?"

"Who cares... Hahahaha!!"

After exchanging looks, the pirates simply burst into laughter, and their movements quickened once more.

"Romance..."

Berg muttered to himself before suddenly shoving the helm forward... Splash!

One large and one small sailboat entered the massive whirlpool at the same time, one after the other.

Roarrr...!

At that moment, a gigantic serpent-like Sea King suddenly appeared near Reg's ship.

"Get lost."

Reg, who had anticipated this, vanished from the ship with a single step. When he reappeared, his foot slammed heavily into the creature's screaming head.

Splash... That unlucky giant snake had originally had a chance to escape the whirlpool, but in its panic, it had chosen Reg's direction.

Gulp... The pirates turned and swallowed in unison. Though they had seen this scene more than once, they still could not get used to it.

Just how much power was contained within that body, not even sixteen meters tall... for him to kick away a Sea King dozens of times larger than himself with one blow?!

"Berg... head back!!"

Returning to the Empty Number, Reg placed his hand on the control lever... The moment of life or death had arrived.

Berg, who should have left at this point, did not move... He was confident he could guide them deeper this time.

"Captain Berg...!"

"Great Captain..."

"We can leave now, Captain!!"

Seeing that their boss had no intention of leaving the whirlpool at all, some pirates were dumbfounded, while tears streamed from others' eyes. They admired and acknowledged Reg, that was true, but they really could not bring themselves to die for him!!

"All of you, shut up!! When have I ever... let you down in navigation?!"

Berg's confident shout carried a trace of embarrassment... He had not originally intended to add "in navigation," but he suddenly remembered how badly he had lost to Reg.

"..."

Naturally, the pirates caught that last-minute addition to his rebuke... Though they felt utterly disheveled by the wind, they could only resign themselves to fate.

Reg, who had been about to cut the thick connecting rope, paused... He would be lying if he said he was not moved.

Berg was risking everyone's lives... to increase his chances of successfully riding the Knock Up Stream.

"Have we reached the limit..."

Noticing signs that the waves were beginning to calm, Berg shoved the helm forward again. "Break away!"

"Ahhh!!"

Roaring, the pirates charged madly to the other side and cut the rope connecting them to Reg's ship.

Reg, who had been watching the situation, did the same... Yet his entire body was unusually relaxed.

Splash, splash... The raging waves gradually settled, while the bubbling sounds in his ears grew denser and louder!

Reg immediately reacted, steering the ship to the place closest to the sound without approaching it completely.

Berg, who was leaving, controlled the large ship without looking back... Soon, soon!

In a few dozen seconds, the Knock Up Stream would erupt... If they failed to get far enough away by then, having the ship destroyed and everyone killed would be the least of their problems.

Splash, splash...!

Like the brief calm before a storm... The enormous whirlpool gradually closed, and the sea became gently rippled, so still that it was suffocating.

If one looked down from the sky at that moment, one would see countless curved lines... rotating as they converged upon a single point at the center.

Reg's sailboat was stopped just outside that "point."

"It's here."

At that moment, Reg's eyes widened... a tremendous roar had already begun to ring in his ears!

Bang!!

A massive sea current like an aurora erupted, its roar drowning out every other sound in the world... an invincible force of nature carried Reg and his ship into the sky.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh... The swelling wind howled past his ears, and the upward current sent his short hair and sails dancing wildly.

With its wings spread wide, the Empty Number clung tightly to the sea current as it climbed straight upward at a ninety-degree angle... There was no fear on Reg's face now, only concentration.

"The starboard wind is turning left, the sail angle..."

Just as Nami had said... as long as her enemies were the sea and the wind, there was nothing to fear.

Reg did not think he possessed Nami's talent, but he had still studied navigation for many years... Splash!

The bow, which had been tilted forward somewhat, slowly pressed down onto the rising sea current as Reg adjusted the sails... At that very moment, some debris surged out from within the current.

"Danger!"

"Young Master Gray!"

"Damn it!!"

Bang... Having left the danger zone, Berg slammed his hand heavily against the railing!

There was nothing wrong with Reg's response... whether it was controlling the sails, adjusting the ship's position, or steadying the vessel with his body.

Yet no one had expected such a sudden disaster to occur... They were wreckage from sunken ships lying on the seafloor. They looked quite old, and there was a great deal of them.

Reg did not spare any attention for Berg and the others' shouts... but this was not enough to trouble him.

"Tempest Kick."

Reg stomped on the deck and rapidly kicked several times... Crescent-shaped transparent slashes split apart the debris that tried to obstruct his "ascent."

Even as Reg cleared away the wreckage while multitasking, his hands never stopped moving, constantly adjusting the sails to withstand the impact of the rising sea current.

That was why he had not chosen a large ship... Only a sailboat could be controlled by him alone.

If it had been a large ship, he would have needed to force others aboard. Reg would never have felt at ease doing that... He would not entrust his fate to people he could not completely trust.

"Yeah!"

"It's going up, it's going up, it's going up..."

"Captain Berg, it really went up!!"

The pirates cheered in delight, shouting and embracing one another... Standing before the railing, Berg looked up at the ship as it continued to climb, growing smaller and smaller until it vanished completely from sight.

"Someone chosen by the sky... no, someone trying to conquer the sky?!"

Berg withdrew his gaze and turned toward the helm... Brave, clever, diligent, mature beyond his years, resolute, and faithful to his promises—someone like that was worth following.

"Boys, set sail!"

"Aye!"

Berg grinned as he gripped the helm... It was time for him to fulfill his promise as well: their next stop, Drum Kingdom!