"Nami, I can see the Red Line!" Luffy's excited voice rang out from atop the mainmast.
"Huh? Let me see!"
Nami immediately raised her telescope and looked into the distance. An unimaginably enormous red mountain range appeared before her eyes.
Thanks to his immense strength, Xia Chen could also make out the Red Line now.
His mouth instantly fell open wide enough to fit an egg.
Seriously, he had imagined the Red Line would be huge, but he had never imagined it would be this huge!
All he could say was that seeing it in the anime and seeing it in reality were completely different experiences. That sense of awe was absolutely not something watching the anime could convey.
As they drew closer, the others also got a clear look at the Red Line, and identical expressions of shock appeared on their faces.
But the next moment, they panicked.
"N-Nami, I think we're going to crash into it!"
(๑˃̥̩̥̥̥̥̆ಐ˂̩̩̥̥̩̥̆৭)!
Usopp screamed in terror.
"What?"
Nami instantly raised her telescope to investigate and discovered that the ship was indeed hurtling straight toward the Red Line.
And because of the current, they had absolutely no ability to control the ship now.
A bead of cold sweat instantly rolled down Nami's forehead.
Could the chart be wrong? No, that's impossible!
Nami's expression grew anxious. Faced with this situation, she had no idea what to do for the moment.
Just then, Xia Chen's voice came from beside her, easing her tightly wound nerves.
"Don't panic! Just follow the current!"
Nami turned to look at Xia Chen, never doubting the accuracy of his words, because she knew he had always been someone who made people feel safe.
Still, she had to ask what needed asking. This was a chance to gain more navigation experience.
"Why is following the current enough?"
"Look, there's a gap in the Red Line straight ahead of us. That's where the canal is, so this current isn't carrying us into a wall. It's carrying us toward the canal!"
"Huh?" Hearing Xia Chen's words, Nami turned to look at that spot and indeed discovered a gap.
She couldn't help admiring Xia Chen even more. With him around, things were always under control, unlike...
Nami's gaze moved to the other four aboard the ship. Every one of them wore a completely bewildered expression.
These four useless idiots!
"The... the seawater really is climbing the mountain!!!" Zoro shouted in utter shock as he looked ahead through a telescope.
His face felt a little sore now. He had just been confidently declaring that seawater couldn't possibly climb a mountain, yet in the blink of an eye, that very sight had appeared before him.
It really was a little...
But he couldn't be blamed for that. What normal person would think seawater could climb a mountain?
"Tch, you ignorant third-rate swordsman! You're like some country bumpkin. How embarrassing!"
Xia Chen spoke disdainfully from the side.
For some reason, seeing Zoro act like a country bumpkin made Xia Chen really want to mock him, even though his own eyes had nearly popped out when he saw the seawater flowing uphill.
But he hadn't shown it. His shock had stayed inside.
As long as he didn't show it, nobody would know he was a country bumpkin too!
To be fair, although Xia Chen had known about this phenomenon beforehand, actually seeing it still left him utterly awestruck.
His thinking was actually similar to Zoro's. He also thought seawater climbing a mountain was completely ridiculous, but often enough, things like this simply existed.
It seemed he still hadn't fully adjusted to the absurdities of the One Piece world. He would have to work harder at it, or wouldn't he be an even bigger bumpkin when they reached Sky Island?
"You Wuda, what right do you have to talk about me?" Zoro retorted defiantly.
m9( ｀д´ )!!!!
Xia Chen vanished on the spot, and the next second, his face was right up against Zoro's.
"Third-rate swordsman, look me in the eye!"
"My skin is at least several shades lighter than yours. Which of your damn eyes saw me being black?"
"Wuda" was actually something Xia Chen had taught Zoro. In his hometown in his previous life, Wuda meant "black bastard."
Once, Usopp had accidentally blown himself up while making explosives, leaving his whole face black, and Xia Chen had called him Wuda.
He hadn't expected Zoro to pick it up and turn it on him now.
Rebelling against the natural order, are we?
"You drink black coffee every day. If you're not a Wuda, what are you?" Zoro had been startled by Xia Chen suddenly appearing before him, but he still spoke defiantly.
???
Xia Chen was instantly dumbfounded. Even what I drink can be used to make a connection to me personally?
Could you be any more ridiculous?
In that case...
"Bang, bang, bang, bang!"
A while later, Xia Chen clapped his hands in satisfaction and walked toward the bow, while Zoro watched his retreating back from behind, gritting his teeth.
Once I get stronger, you'll be the first one I cut down!
As soon as he reached the bow, Xia Chen noticed Nami's grave expression and couldn't help asking curiously, "What's wrong?"
Nami pointed ahead and said, "This current can indeed carry us into the canal, but our course is a little off right now!"
"If we keep going like this, the Going Merry will definitely hit the pillar beside it, and then we'll be doomed!"
"Oh, I thought it was something serious. So that's all!"
(o'ω'o)?
Nami looked puzzled. Did something involving the lives of everyone aboard not count as serious?
Xia Chen gave Nami a reassuring look, then turned to Luffy and said, "Luffy, hurry up and turn into a balloon. Go cushion us by that gate!"
Luffy: ???
"Why do I have to go?"
"Because you're the only one who can do it! After all, you're the captain of our pirate crew, so you must be the most capable one. Only you can handle such a difficult mission!"
Xia Chen laid the manipulation on thick, leaving Luffy completely taken in. Then the simple-minded Luffy said happily, "Hahaha, then it really does have to be me!"
A dozen or so seconds later, as the ship approached the gate frame, Xia Chen shouted, "Luffy, go!"
"Here I come!"
With that, Luffy leaped straight toward the gate ahead, opened his mouth, and sucked a huge gulp of air into his stomach.
In an instant, Luffy's body swelled into a huge balloon.
At the same time, the Going Merry crashed toward the gate.
"Thud!"
The hull slammed hard against Luffy's belly, and his face instantly flushed red.
Xia Chen nodded in satisfaction at the sight.
You had to admit, Luffy really was pretty useful sometimes!
With Luffy cushioning the impact, the Going Merry returned directly to the correct course and raced straight toward the mountaintop, carried by the current.
After playing a tremendous role, Luffy stretched himself back aboard the ship.
Although he was a little tired, his eyes were full of excitement as he looked ahead.
"Grand Line, here I come!!!"