Chapter 5.2

And then I felt one of the most powerful sneezes I've ever seen in my life, and everything went to hell.

The next few minutes were a blur of movement, screaming, falling, and enough stinging rope to rip the skin from my arm right down to the muscle.

When it was over, I felt relieved by the rain and seawater gushing into my open wounds compared to the thought of facing that horde of monsters again.

"Oh, thank God, it's just a storm..." Usopp croaked.

"That... that wasn't that much fun..." Luffy... of all people, it was Luffy... who admitted it, albeit reluctantly.

"Anyone else want to go the hard way?" Nami asked gloomily.

"NOOOOO!" Soundbite yelled from under his jacket.

"It's too early for me to retire..." Sanji groaned.

I tried to answer, but winced when Nami let out a shaky moan as the ship suddenly lurched to the left. -I agree with you, but now another dangerous prospect awaits us. Either we right the ship, or these crazy currents will capsize us!

The male part of the team groaned in despair, and Nami suddenly stood up, gasping at the realization of what was happening. -Exactly!

"What the hell are you talking about, woman?" Zoro asked tiredly.

- Current! This must be how the canals work! - Nami jumped to her feet and began to pace energetically in thought, somehow managing to stay on her feet despite how wildly the deck was rocking. -It sounds crazy, but.....if the sea currents flow up the mountain strong enough, then the water will flow up the mountain before flowing down into the Grand Line, like a fountain! There's no doubt that we're already adrift, so we just need to adjust our course! She then bit her thumb in fear as it dawned on her. -But this also means that everything is much more dangerous. Reverse Mountain is a winter island, so when the current reaches the Red Line, it goes back out to sea. If we crash, we will probably be pulled under the water.

"Ah!" Luffy nodded, I highly doubted that he understood anything. "So this is a mysterious mountain!" he finished off.

"Eh, it's not so difficult to understand!" I intervened, holding onto Merry's railing. -The Red Line is a chain of mountainous islands linked together, running across the world, each with its own seasonal climate all year round. Florida is located on the Summer Island, so I'm used to the heat.

- Oooh! So there are several mysterious islands! Understood!

I shrugged helplessly, looking at Nami. -I have tried.

"Hmm..." Zoro shook his head with a grunt. -I've never heard of someone swimming across mountains before...

"Yes, I am," Sanji answered with a grin.

- About this mountain?

"No, Grand Line." Sanji's grin widened noticeably. -They say that even those who manage to overcome the mountain get there half alive.

"Are you kidding me!?" Usopp asked helplessly.

"Hey, what did you expect, a red carpet?" I laughed and patted Usopp on the back sympathetically. -Nothing worthwhile comes easy, and that means it's really worth it, right?

The long-nosed sniper gave me a dark look. -I strongly doubt your logic.

"BEE!" Soundbite poked his head out of my jacket to stick his tongue out at Usopp.

- OH YOU, LITTLE...

- HEY! I SEE A MYSTERIOUS MOUNTAIN ISLAND! - Luffy suddenly roared, pointing his finger into the storm.

We all turned to see what he was pointing at... and then fell silent.

He was... monolithic itself was the right word, but it did not convey the entire essence of Red Line. It was as if the entire horizon just took and... became stone. I craned my neck back, looking up, trying to see the top. Some part of my memory logically told me that this was a futile exercise, but I... I had to try, some other part of my mind stubbornly refused to accept the idea that something as stupidly massive as this... This geological monster is generally physically possible, both in this world and in any other.

But no, he was there, standing before my eyes and challenging everything I knew.

And, shuddering, I realized that I was getting closer every second.

"Guys?" I croaked numbly.

Luffy successfully proved that the apocalypse was fast approaching by being the first to understand what I was getting at. "WE ARE SUCKS INSIDE!" he exclaimed enthusiastically. -SANJI! USOPP! LEAD US INSIDE!

Shaking themselves out of their stupor, they quickly rushed to the kitchen and grabbed the steering wheel. "WE'RE HERE!" they said in unison.

As we got closer and closer, we were able to see a crack in the mountain. Nami fished out binoculars from her jacket pocket and peered at them for a few seconds, then tuned in and almost dropped them in shock. "Holy shit..." she squeaked.

"What's the matter?" Zoro asked her.

She silently handed him the binoculars. He looked through it too and immediately cowered in shock. -How... I can't believe it...

I laughed hoarsely when it finally came into view: what must have been thousands and thousands of gallons of water was moving up the mountain, passing under ten impossible rock arches. The sight was so crazy, so terrifying, so... so...

Beautiful.

It was exciting. An awe-inspiring sight that flipped every switch I had and sent my being into overdrive. It seemed to me that my whole body could boil at any moment.

"There are many things in the world, friend Horatio, that our sages never dreamed of!" I couldn't resist quoting with a grin from ear to ear. (quote from Hamlet)

Zoro gritted his teeth as he looked at the rapidly approaching gate. - Damn beautiful words. But if we die, it won't matter.

"We're a little lost!" Luffy remarked with a hint of panic. -We need more to the right!

Acting quickly, I yanked Soundbite out of my jacket, slammed him onto my shoulder, and roared above the howl of the wind. -STEERING RIGHT!

- Right!

- Eat!

For a moment we could hear them trying to keep Merry's helm under control...

CRUNCH!

Until the sound of breaking wood, like the cracking of dry branches, was heard above the deck.

We all turned and stared at the destruction of the helm for a moment before the tremors under our feet brought us to our senses.

"THE STEERING WHEEL!" Nami screamed in horror.

I froze for a moment, noticing that we were heading straight towards one of the arches.

"Luuuffiiiiii!?" I asked nervously.

"I'll take care of it!" Luffy roared, rushing past me. I barely caught sight of the yellow blur before I managed to force myself to act and grab Luffy's hat before it could fly away.

- HOMU-HOMU BUT! - Luffy jumped over the edge of the Merry, ending up between the arch and our ship, before swelling to an unreal size. - BALLOON!

In a heartbreaking moment, Luffy was pinned against the arch by the ship while Merry remained in place... until finally we slid past, flying up the canal as fast as if we were on a roller coaster.

There was only one problem.

"Luffy!" I shouted, watching our captain fall into the sea.

"GRAB!" Zoro roared desperately, extending his hand towards him.

Nothing... nothing...

Luffy's hand instantly grabbed Zoro's hand, clinging to it with all his might. Another sharp jerk - and our captain was already lying on the deck, laughing at the top of his lungs.

I sighed in relief and placed the hat on Luffy's head. "NEVER DO THAT AGAIN, STUPID!" I shouted through a smile.

"STUPID, STUPID!" Soundbite repeated impatiently, like a parrot.

In response, Luffy laughed even louder, and he wasn't the only one. Around me the whole team celebrated the victory. Usopp and Sanji danced, Nami cackled happily, Zoro grinned...

And I?

In the last ten minutes I've been inches away from death, be it from the storm, the Sea King, or the crazy, twisting currents. I was officially out of my comfort zone, miles out of my element...

"Pfft..." I snorted, my whole body shaking for a moment until I finally threw my head back and howled with laughter. -PFFHAHAHAHAHAHAAAA!

And I enjoyed every second of it.

Laughing like crazy, I jumped onto Merry's railing, wrapped my arm around the rigging and hung over the abyss.

The wind was tugging at my body, trying to tear me free, the sea was roaring and howling just a few feet below me, and I felt more alive than I had ever imagined.

It was stupid, it was crazy, and I laughed the whole time.

"HAHAHA!" I laughed loudly. -WE'RE IN BUSINESS! WE'RE IN BUSINESS!

- Banzai! Banzai! - Soundbite laughed in agreement, holding on with all his might.

A second later, Nami suddenly screamed and pointed forward. "Look!" she exclaimed with a wide smile on her face. -We're flying through the clouds!

So we walked: higher and higher up the mountain, penetrating the firmament, until we finally broke through and found ourselves within sight of the peak, the roof of the world.

It was... indescribable. The waters of the four seas, the world itself, collided at one point, foamed and dissolved in the fog before it all rumbled in a single channel.

A few moments later we were already in it: Merry jumped, and for a short moment she took off again, the force of the water turning her to face the only possible exit.

As we began to fall, I looked over my shoulder and stared at the clouds that obscured the mountainside. For a brief moment, I imagined that I could see him, that I could catch a glimpse of him. The throne of the Pirate King, the final destination, the promised island.

Raftel.

I swallowed hard as a wide smile lit up my face. -Finish line...

"I SEE HIM!" Luffy exulted. -GRAND LINE!

I turned my head sharply as Merry crashed into the downward channel, and saw what he saw. Most of it was hidden by clouds, but it was there, there was no denying it: a blue field that crowned the horizon, seething and roaring in welcome.

My smile became even wider. This is the beginning.

As we fell down the mountainside and picked up speed, I couldn't help but feel like I was forgetting something. But at this point I didn't care at all, and I didn't even try to contain my reaction as we flew down the world's largest water slide.

"HAHAHA!" I roared wildly, hanging from the edge of the abyss. -IT'S AMAZING! I LOVE YOU, GUYS! I LOVE YOU ALL SO DAMN MUCH!