The air over the sea following the storm carried a hint of salt and freshness. The Going Merry rocked gently with the swells, advancing toward uncharted waters.
Inside the cabin, Viktor lay comfortably in a hammock, legs crossed, his consciousness immersed in the system interface within his mind.
Looking at the row of digits in the upper right corner, the corners of his mouth couldn't help but curl upward.
[Current Ninja Way Points: 5,200]
"Finally... I'm a wealthy man," Viktor sighed. From the series of events in Loguetown, he had truly made a killing. His gaze fixed hungrily on the exchange option he had been eyeing for a long time.
While the Two-Tomoe Sharingan was sufficient for now, the dynamic vision and insight were starting to feel slightly inadequate when facing the upcoming Grand Line and its increasingly monstrous inhabitants.
"Phew..." Viktor took a deep breath. Despite his heart "bleeding" for the cost, his finger pressed down firmly.
"Exchange! Three-Tomoe Sharingan!"
[Ding!]
[5,000 Ninja Way Points consumed. Congratulations to the host for successfully upgrading the Bloodline Limit.]
[Gained: Three-Tomoe Sharingan.]
Following the crisp notification, Viktor felt a warm current surge through his eyes. The feeling of overflowing power snapped him into a state of heightened clarity. His remaining 200 Ninja Way Points sat there lonely and pathetic.
Driven by a sliver of curiosity, Viktor scrolled further down to see the cost of the next stage.
[Mangekyō Sharingan: 20,000 Ninja Way Points.][Note: Mangekyō abilities will manifest based on the host's soul traits and desires.]
"Twenty... TWENTY THOUSAND?!"
Viktor nearly fell out of his hammock. He clutched his chest, the joy of the upgrade instantly extinguished by a bucket of cold water.
"This is a robbery! Twenty thousand... how many pirate captains do I have to kill or how many plot points do I have to change to scrape that together?"
Shaking off the sticker shock, he activated his newly acquired eyes.
Hum—
His black pupils instantly turned crimson. Three tomoe swirled slowly, connecting with one another.
The world became impossibly vivid; the floating dust in the air, the grain of the wooden planks, even the subtle shifts in the distant waves outside the window were all laid bare.
"Not bad... this sense of control."
Just then, Luffy's deafening scream erupted from the deck. "WAAAAAAH!! WHAT IS THAT?!"
Viktor closed the system panel, straightened his collar, and stepped out onto the deck. A moist, powerful sea breeze hit his face. The mist on the sea was rapidly dissipating.
Directly in front of the Merry, a magnificent, suffocatingly massive red wall loomed between the sea and the sky. It reached into the clouds, its summit invisible, stretching infinitely to the left and right, appearing to slice the world in two.
The Red Line.
"It's... so huge!!" Luffy leaned over the figurehead, neck craned back, shouting in excitement. "So this is the Red Line! It's like a wall!"
"That... that's not a mountain! That's a monster!" Usopp's legs turned to jelly, and he hugged the mast for dear life. "Are we really going to crash into it?!"
"No! This isn't right!" Nami stared nervously at her sea chart and then at the bizarre current ahead, her face pale. "The compass is useless... and look at that current!"
She pointed toward the canal entrance leading into a crack in the mountain. Her voice trembled at the sight of something defying the laws of physics.
"The water... the water is flowing up the mountain?! That's impossible! It violates every physical law!"
"Physical laws?" Viktor stood at the bow, hands in his pockets, gazing up at the continent. His Three-Tomoe spun slowly, peering through the mist. He didn't just see the red rock; he felt the wild, chaotic rules of this world.
"Applying common sense to this world will only get you into trouble, Miss Navigator." Viktor's lips curled into a smirk, red light flickering in his eyes. "So this is the entrance to the Grand Line... what a mad and magnificent world."
RUMBLE—!!
The Merry was suddenly seized by an invisible giant hand, sucked into the powerful current leading toward Reverse Mountain. Their speed skyrocketed! The ship lost all independent movement, hurtling through the rapids like a stray leaf.
"WHOA! TOO FAST!!" Usopp shrieked.
"Crap! If we hit the water gate at this speed, the ship will be pulverized!!" Zoro looked at the approaching stone canal entrance—a narrow passage where the slightest error meant certain death.
"Don't panic!!!" Nami's sharp cry steadied the crew. After her brief shock, her genius as a navigator took over. She tracked the current's flow and shouted, "Helm!! Hard to starboard!! Use the swirling current to thrust us in!!"
"Got it!!" Zoro and Sanji shared a look. Despite their usual bickering, they rushed to the wheel in perfect sync. "HNRRRGH!!" Veins popped on their arms as they wrenched the massive wheel.
Creak—!!
The Merry let out a pained groan. A split second before the bow could smash into the stone wall, the ship lurched to the right.
Screech—!!
The hull scraped against the stone gate, sending sparks and wood splinters flying. "WE'RE IN!!!"
As they breached the canal, the impossible happened. "GOOOO!!" Under Luffy's cheers, the Merry followed the gravity-defying current, surging vertically toward the clouds. Water cascaded around them like a reverse waterfall.
"Ah!" Nami lost her footing as the ship tilted, falling backward. Viktor, who had been watching the scenery, reached out and caught her. A blush bloomed on Nami's face, but she didn't resist, leaning into his hold. It's just an accident... an accident, she told herself.
Meanwhile, Usopp was clutching Klay's leg. "Klay, fly! We're gonna fall!" "Caw! You're gripping too tight, caw!" Klay's wings beat frantically.
Minutes later— Psh—!!
The Merry broke through the thick cloud layer, reaching the summit of Reverse Mountain. Sunlight poured down.
Four currents from different seas (East, West, South, and North Blue) converged at the peak, throwing up massive plumes of spray before thundering down toward the only exit—the Grand Line.
"The summit!" Nami's face was flushed with excitement.
"Next... is the downhill!!" Viktor gripped the railing.
"WA-HOOOO—!!!" The bow dipped sharply. The Merry plummeted down the descent! The intense feeling of weightlessness hit them like a roller coaster with no brakes.
"Hahaha! This is awesome!!" Luffy spread his arms, laughing into the gale. "HELP!! MOMMY!! I want to go home!! I have 'can't-ride-roller-coasters' disease!!" Usopp's face was a mess of tears and snot.
Just as they were about to burst into the Grand Line, a massive shadow appeared in the mist below. A black "mountain" was blocking the only exit.
"Is that... a reef?!" Zoro squinted. "How can a mountain be black?"
"No... wait..." Viktor's Three-Tomoe contracted. He saw the texture of the "mountain" and a giant eye the size of a house. "That's no mountain..."
"UUUUUUUUUUUU————!!!!!"
A deafening, sorrowful roar of loneliness pierced the mist and shook the sky. The black "mountain" moved. It was... a whale of impossible proportions!
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