Chapter 29: Reverse Mountain – Dreams Declared and the Grand Line Awaits
"Like I told you before—you just didn't believe me." Sol's lips curved in a playful smile. He stood beside Luffy, pulling him up and dusting him off.
"That guy's body—what the hell is it? I couldn't hit him at all!" Luffy scratched his head in frustration.
At that moment, Zoro finally arrived, eyes sharp as he scanned the battlefield. Sol turned his head and waved casually at him:
"You guys head back to the Going Merry first. I'll catch up after chatting with this old friend."
Zoro didn't say much. Seeing Luffy and Sanji were safe, he turned and led the two away quickly.
Smoker stared at Sol. Smoke from his cigar slowly drifted in the air. His gaze gradually sharpened:
"Then let me see if you've gotten rusty after all these years—
White Smoke Bomb!"
Before the words finished, his right fist exploded into surging white smoke—like a cannon shell blasting straight at Sol's face!
Clang—!
The moment Sol raised his hand to block, a crisp metallic collision rang out across the street. He raised an eyebrow:
"Oh? Armament Haki?"
The black coating on Smoker's fist hadn't faded. He pulled a cold smile:
"I haven't been slacking these past years." Without pause, both fists now layered with denser Armament Haki rained down on Sol like a storm.
Bang bang bang!
Amid the flurry of fists, Smoker's knuckles gradually turned red. After several dozen exchanges, he suddenly stepped back half a pace, shaking his numb right hand:
"Your monster body… is even harder than back then."
Sol was about to reply when his pupils suddenly shrank—the surrounding air was rapidly thinning. He immediately formed a sword with his fingers:
"Sky Dragon Magic: Dawn Storm!"
A violent hurricane forced Smoker back several meters. Sol touched his throat and laughed:
"Oxygen deprivation? This move is…"
"Familiar?" Smoker wiped blood from his forehead. Thick white smoke began surging around him. "After all—it was your idea back in training camp."
When the smoke condensed into an identical copy of himself, Sol's expression rarely showed genuine surprise:
"Hey hey… you even made a 'Smoke Knight'?"
"Round two—" Smoker and his smoke clone simultaneously assumed attack stances. "Starting now."
Bang!
Sol crossed his arms, tanking the combined strike from both Smokers. The stone pavement beneath his feet cracked inch by inch. He grinned:
"Not bad, Smokey—but—" Dragon flames suddenly erupted from every pore of his body. "Is your Haki enough?!"
"Nani?!"
In the blazing white flames, his forehead gleamed with metallic light. His whole body became a burning meteor:
"Fire Dragon's Sword Horn!"
BOOM—!
Two figures crashed through three buildings at once. Flames ignited the surrounding structures. Amid the rubble, Smoker coughed up blood but wore a delighted grin:
"Hah… you bastard—still the same monster as back then."
Sol glanced toward the harbor, estimating Luffy and the others had likely reached the Going Merry by now. He prepared to leave:
"Time to say goodbye, Smoker. See ya."
"Fire Dragon's—" He drew in a massive breath, pulling back even the burning flames around him. "Roar!"
A towering wave of fire blocked the entire street. Smoker's white smoke twisted and deformed in the inferno.
By the time he drew his Seastone-tipped jutte from his back and cleaved through the final wall of flame, Sol had already vanished.
Rain pattered on Smoker's face. Tashigi arrived leading her squad:
"Captain Smoker—are you okay?" She asked, then immediately sent people to check the harbor.
"Sol—over here—!" Nami stood on tiptoe at the railing, waving. Her orange short hair danced in the sea wind.
Sol leaped aboard, landing solidly on the deck with a thump. Almost simultaneously, Usopp deftly untied the last mooring line:
"Full speed ahead!"
"Whoosh—"
With Zoro and Sanji's help, the sails filled instantly. The Going Merry surged forward as if pushed by an invisible hand, rocketing out of the harbor. The Marines' curses from shore were quickly drowned by the sound of waves.
Smoker watched Sol and Luffy disappear into the distance, then turned sharply:
"Tashigi—notify my direct unit. We're heading to the Grand Line. I'm going after the Straw Hat crew!"
"Hah… starving." Sol plopped down on the deck. He reached into the air—ripping a chunk from the raging storm like cotton candy. He opened wide—nom—and the hurricane howled between his teeth.
"Eh?!" Nami's eyes sparkled. "You can eat wind too?" She leaned in, poked the wriggling airflow in Sol's hand, then curiously bit down—
Puff!
Her cheeks ballooned. Golden-orange hair plastered across her face. "What the—!" She puffed angrily, wiping her face. "It's just normal wind!"
"Meat! I want meat!" Luffy bounced beside him, rubber arm stretching to steal Sol's "snack"—only grabbing air. "Damn it! Why can only Sol eat it?!"
Sol laughed and took another bite of the hurricane:
"It's a Dragon Slayer Mage privilege, Captain~"
"So cool!" Usopp held his chin, eyes shining. "I remember you ate flames in battle before too, right? The sea really is full of unbelievable power!"
Sol sat cross-legged on deck, three-colored magic glow dancing on his fingertips:
"To be precise, my Dragon Slayer Magic controls three elements: fire, lightning, and sky." He casually grabbed a sea breeze and popped it in his mouth. "Not only can I recover magic by consuming the corresponding element—I can also—"
Nami suddenly pounced, starry-eyed:
"Darling!" She clung sweetly to Sol's arm. "Can I learn this super cool magic?" The navigator's mind was already racing—if she could control weather, drawing sea charts would be so much easier.
"Well…" Sol gave a wry smile, scratching his cheek. "You'd need to find Igneel and Grandeeney first."
"Where are those two dragons?" Luffy suddenly hung upside-down from behind Sol, hand on his straw hat.
"Unfortunately…" Sol gazed toward the distant horizon. "They're not in this world."
The deck fell instantly silent.
"Ahhh—" Nami and Usopp let out exaggerated wails, deflating like punctured balloons onto the deck. But the disappointment lasted only three seconds. Nami sprang back up like a carp:
"Whatever! We've got you—our magic boyfriend!"
Usopp instantly regained spirit:
"That's right! I'm gonna become a brave warrior of the sea! I don't need magic!"
"Alright everyone—we're about to enter the Grand Line. Let's do the launching ceremony," Sanji rolled over a wine barrel. "This is something I learned from old man Zeff."
"I'll go first." Sanji propped his foot up. "I'm going to find the legendary sea—All Blue!"
Luffy: "I'm gonna become the Pirate King!"
Sol: "I'm gonna become the freest person!"
Zoro: "I'm gonna become the world's greatest swordsman!"
Nami: "I'm gonna map the entire world!"
Usopp: "I… I'm gonna become a brave warrior of the sea!"
Everyone propped their feet up, declaring their dreams:
"Let's set sail—into the Grand Line!"
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