Reverse Mountain's Countercurrent

For now, they were only in the Four Seas. If they went to the Grand Line as he remembered it, they would probably have died long ago.

Seeing that Barlow was still hesitating, Nova smiled and asked, "Do you have a bounty on your head?"

At those words, Barlow immediately perked up and said arrogantly, "My bounty is a full 300,000 Beli."

"Then doesn't that make you a walking little money bag? With strength like yours, you probably won't even make it to Reverse Mountain before someone catches you and trades you in for cash."

Nova said this with a smile.

"Yeah, Captain. Did you forget those two bounty hunters we ran into a few days ago? We nearly died!"

The two crewmen looked at Barlow pleadingly. It was rare to find such a good place to settle down. They wanted adventure too, but this looked much safer.

How could Barlow not understand that? It was just that he needed to give himself an out and take responsibility for his brothers.

They were not vicious criminals to begin with. Life had simply been difficult, and they had ultimately chosen to become pirates.

Barlow thought for a long while. Then he stood respectfully before Nova, bowed deeply, and said, "Barlow, captain of the Barlow Pirates, is willing to serve as your navigator from this day onward, Your Majesty."

It was only natural that Barlow gave in. Faced with such a powerful group, these pirates had almost no choice.

All Nova wanted now was to find a navigator as quickly as possible and leave this damned place. As for the future, they could deal with it later. In any case, he was not worried about them causing trouble.

Still, there was something about this group that surprised Nova.

Though their pirate crew was weak overall, they were quite outstanding in other areas.

Whether it was food and meals or navigation skills, they far surpassed the people on his own ship.

When they set sail again, the ship that had once belonged to the Barlow Pirates was shattered into pieces with a casual slash from Nova's blade, then sank to the bottom of the sea.

When the former pirates saw this, any little thoughts they had immediately disappeared, and they all became much more obedient.

Aboard the National, Nova continued lounging in his deck chair like an idle salted fish. With Barlow and the others joining them, he no longer had to worry about which direction to sail.

The voyage went quite smoothly, at least for the time being.

They encountered nothing unusual on the way from the South Blue to Reverse Mountain. But the moment they saw Reverse Mountain, everyone aboard was stunned.

The seawater flowed upward, converging at the peak of a mountain. Reverse Mountain appeared to be at least a thousand meters tall. For every one of them, this was their first time seeing such a sight.

Nova, a man who had spent decades in his previous life receiving scientific education, found his worldview completely overturned by the scene before him.

Although he had long known about the direction of Reverse Mountain's countercurrent, seeing it in person was still astonishing.

"Your Majesty, this mountain truly is a wonder. But why does the water flow like this?"

Gogoya leaned over the railing, staring at everything in shock and curiosity.

"How would I know? Still, the place connecting the Four Seas really is spectacular."

Nova could not help sighing.

"Your Majesty, we're about to cross Reverse Mountain. Should we enter the Grand Line directly, or are we going somewhere else?"

Barlow hurried over and asked Nova.

"Are you confident about crossing Reverse Mountain?"

Nova looked at Barlow. This was the most important matter.

"Your Majesty, I'm fairly confident. There shouldn't be any problem. Aside from the water flowing upward and the current being more turbulent, it's no different from ordinary waters!"

Only after hearing Barlow say this did Nova finally relax. He was not worried about danger, but this ship was valuable, and his kingdom was simply too poor.

"Barlow, don't enter the Grand Line yet. Let's make a trip to the East Blue first. I heard Pirate King was executed in a town in the East Blue. Since we're already so close, there's no harm in taking a look," Nova said.

"Really? Then we definitely should go take a look!"

Barlow's face was full of anticipation. After becoming pirates, every pirate's greatest obsession was whether they could become the Pirate King.

That was the highest position in the Pirate World, an existence capable of leading an era.

Even if they were no longer pirates, that desire still remained in their hearts.

"Tell everyone exactly what to do next. Even if this ship is destroyed, don't let anyone get hurt or fall into the sea."

Nova suddenly spoke to Barlow with a grave expression.

"Rest assured, Your Majesty."

Barlow answered with the same seriousness. Nova's concern for them instantly won Barlow's loyalty.

But faced with a Reverse Mountain shaped like this, even Barlow found it troublesome.

Still, with his many years of navigation experience, he could only return to the bow and focus on controlling the wheel, his eyes fixed meticulously ahead for fear of making the slightest mistake.

Because one mistake here could send everyone plunging into the sea.

For the sake of everyone's trust alone, Barlow kept both hands firmly on the wheel. The huge wheel looked almost comically mismatched against his small frame.

The other former members of the Barlow Pirates each carried out their respective tasks, while the dozens of guards stood ready for battle.

Even Nova himself was filled with excitement.

No wonder so many people liked being pirates. This feeling of adventure was simply exhilarating.

As the National slowly entered the range of Reverse Mountain's currents, everyone could clearly feel the ship accelerating.

"Lower the sails! Everyone, grab onto anything you can hold! Don't fall into the sea!"

Barlow stood at the bow and shouted.

Those who had already climbed the masts to lower the sails leaped down immediately. Four people operated each sail, and after jumping down, the sails were naturally drawn all the way up.

From this point onward, they no longer needed the sails for propulsion. Reverse Mountain's upward-flowing current was enough to carry them rapidly forward.

As they drew closer, everyone hurriedly grabbed onto anything on the ship that could secure them, terrified of falling into the sea.

On such a massive seagoing vessel, the wheel that controlled the ship's direction became exceptionally nimble in Barlow's hands.

Even at such speed, he managed to steer directly into the narrow upward current of Reverse Mountain.

After entering Reverse Mountain's waters, Barlow let out a long breath. Even with all his experience, this moment felt as though he had been fighting himself.

"The ship is climbing the mountain..."

Gogoya gripped the railing tightly, but she still shouted excitedly.

Nova was equally excited. Something that completely overturned scientific principles truly had a unique and breathtaking charm.

But just as everyone was enjoying the magnificent view before them, Barlow hurried over to Nova with an anxious expression. Before Nova could ask anything, Barlow said, "Your Majesty, our King is simply too large. Once we reach the summit, the currents from the Four Seas converge there. I'm worried the ship may not withstand the enormous water pressure. The keel could break at that moment."

Nova hesitated before saying, "We're already this far, and only now you tell me there's no way back? Keep going. I'll handle it when the time comes!" Nova said sternly.

But they were already about to reach the mountaintop. The waters converging from the Four Seas had formed a towering column of water there. For a ship built entirely of wood, it really might not survive this ordeal.

From a distance, Reverse Mountain looked quite beautiful, but once they truly approached it, it was filled with danger. With the slightest carelessness, even powerful people would likely die if they fell into the water.

Nova stood at the very front, touching the Dragon Head Carving extending from the main keel. Then he gently placed his hand on it.

The hand touching the main keel instantly turned black.

Armament Haki immediately spread from his arm along the main keel, reinforcing specific points to maintain the keel's structural stability.

As the ship continued onward, Nova shouted at Barlow, who was steering, "Just keep moving forward. Don't worry about anything else."

Barlow did not answer, but the determination in his eyes said everything.

He gripped the wheel tightly, his gaze fixed on the point above where the Four Seas converged. They were now staking everything on one desperate gamble.

As they suddenly surged onto the mountaintop, the massive National creaked under the crushing pressure of the current. If Armament Haki had not protected the keel, the ship would likely have already begun falling apart.

But in the end, they passed through without incident and slowly entered the East Blue.

Feeling this, Nova subconsciously decided that once he had money, he absolutely had to buy a cruise ship from the System Space. This wooden ship was not only too slow, but also unreliable.

They had just been racing upward, yet now they were plunging downward at high speed. No one aboard knew what to say.

Nova looked equally helpless. Gogoya also realized that their ship seemed a little too large, and its keel was not made from especially good materials. But for the relatively poor Tru Kingdom, this ship had already been built with the strength of the entire nation.

As the ship dove rapidly downward with the current, enormous waves burst outward in a violent impact.

Fortunately, everyone passed through Reverse Mountain safely in the end. Nova could not help withdrawing his hand and slowly letting out a breath.

As the Armament Haki faded, the ship's keel returned to normal.

"Your Majesty, that scared me to death just now!"

Gogoya said excitedly, tears in her eyes.

She was not the only one. Aside from the guards, most of the people behind them wore nearly identical expressions.

"Boys, a big one's coming! Get them..."

Just as the National entered the East Blue, more than a dozen ships appeared around them. More importantly, every one of them flew the exact same flag.

It seemed their luck was not very good. They had only just crossed Reverse Mountain when they ran into a large group of pirates.

"Your Majesty, they're pirates..."

Gogoya looked at the dozen or so ships ahead.

The other side was clearly coming to rob them. Even from so far away, they could hear the shouting.

"Everyone, prepare for battle..."

The guards behind them began shouting, and the ship's cannons were aimed at the pirate ships.

"Don't fire the cannons. What if you damage the ships?" Nova said casually.

Everyone was speechless, especially Barlow and the others, who had only joined two days ago.

They could not understand what their king was thinking. Facing so many pirate ships and so many pirates, how could he still be worrying about that?

"Your Majesty, I understand. We will go bring the pirate ships back."

One of the guards said respectfully.

They had already learned what kind of person their king was. He never wanted to miss an opportunity to make money. No matter what, the dozen pirate ships before them had to be worth several hundred million Beli. Unlike the Barlow Pirates' ship from before, which had been too far from shore to bother with, this batch was different.

They were already in the East Blue, and they were not particularly far from Loguetown, where Pirate King had been executed.

The guards immediately understood and all smiled. Never mind that their goods had been stolen before—every time they went out, they could rob pirates of their money. But how could that be enough? Taking the ships too was what made it satisfying.

Before encountering truly powerful figures, everyone was filled with confidence in what they were doing.

"When you go over, go easy. Don't damage the ships. Also, leave their navigators alive. Our kingdom is short on people with those skills!"

Nova wore a wicked smile. Since they had already arrived here, they naturally had to deal with any pirates they encountered.