"Wow, the scenery here looks completely different..."
Staring at the slender mountain peaks and the welcoming pine trees rooted in the rocks, Roman almost felt like he had stepped into a tourist spot from his past life.
—If not for the rolling waves beneath his feet, he might have taken the time to enjoy the view.
"Wano Country doesn't have 'coastlines' like other places."
Jinbe, who was steering the ship, explained. Given his ties with the Whitebeard Pirates and his time with Big Mom's crew, he had a decent understanding of Kaido's stronghold, another of the Four Emperors.
"Simply put, Wano Country is built on high mountains, surrounded by towering cliffs. The only way in is to ride the waterfalls that flow upward, leading to Wano's inner sea, and from there..."
"Huh? That sounds just like Reverse Mountain at the entrance to the Grand Line!"
Before Jinbe could answer Luffy, Roman waved his hand, and a detailed model—shaped suspiciously like a hot pot—appeared on the deck.
"Basically, Wano's landscape looks like this. The high cliffs surrounding it serve as a natural barrier, keeping the country isolated and making communication with the outside world extremely difficult. Normal ships can only enter by riding the waterfalls that pour down from above—"
Of course, Kaido's crew built a vertical lift somewhere along the cliffs, but it was obvious that there was no way the Straw Hats could 'borrow' it.
As Roman spoke, he pointed to the waterfall ahead, where layers of cascading water flowed down in an elegant, distinctly Eastern style. But more importantly—
"Whoa! Look at those huge fish!"
Luffy excitedly leaned over the railing, watching the massive fish in the water rushing toward the waterfall, swimming upstream. Roman, on the other hand, looked at them with a nostalgic expression.
"Those are carp."
"They say, 'When a carp leaps over the dragon gate, the skies open wide; when a tiger roars from the mountaintop, the land trembles.'"
"But in reality, things aren't that simple. Even if they make it to the waters above, they won't suddenly turn into dragons..."
"Roman, you're saying weird stuff again. But—"
"Sanji, do carp taste good?"
Hearing Luffy's sudden question, Sanji lit a cigarette.
"They're delicious. Whether it's thinly sliced and washed in cold water, slowly simmered into a rich sauce, or deep-fried and glazed with a sweet sauce, they're all fantastic. But..."
Just as Luffy started drooling, Sanji changed his tone. "Carp are freshwater fish, right? So why are they living in the ocean?"
"You're overthinking it, cook." Ever since Pudding joined, Zoro had stopped calling Sanji names like 'love-crazed kappa,' but their habit of bickering hadn't changed.
"These carp are bigger than our ship. Does it really matter how they survive? Why not just—"
With a sharp *click*, Zoro flicked his thumb against the hilt of his sword.
"Let's catch one and find out..."
"Forget it. These are koi fish. They live long lives, symbolize good fortune, and are usually kept as ornamental fish rather than eaten..."
"Wow! Roman, you know so much! It's like there's nothing you don't know!"
Seeing the sparkles in Carrot's eyes, Roman shook his head.
"I don't know everything... Anyway, let's focus on the task at hand."
As the Sunny drew closer to Wano, even with Jinbe steering and Nami navigating, the ship still rocked unpredictably due to the ever-changing currents. To go against the waterfall, they needed to rely on the strength of the koi.
"So, we have two options:
One, we ride the carp up the waterfall. This will take teamwork and won't be easy.
Two, Nami and I use the 'Float-Float' ability to make the ship fly straight up—"
"First one!!"
Luffy raised his hand high, immediately voting for the more challenging option.
As for the others—
"Great, no objections! It's settled then."
?! Wait a second! We didn't even get a chance to vote!
"Nooo, Luffy~~"
"Wouldn't it be easier to just fly up?"
"Captain, I want to live..."
Usopp, Chopper, and Sunny clung to Luffy's leg, crying their eyes out. There was a simple second option, so why did he have to make things harder?! The others didn't say anything, but they all subtly moved toward the ship's railing, looking ready to jump off at any moment.
Reverse Mountain was at least a 45-degree slope, but this—this was straight-up 90 degrees!
"Don't panic,"
Roman clapped his hands, drawing everyone's attention.
"Let's go with Luffy's first plan for now. If anything goes wrong, I'll just use my ability to fly everyone up."
"Oh, then it's fine~~~"
"Yohoho, the water below is crystal clear! You can see every single koi."
"So that's how it is. The waterfall above must be fresh water. These golden fish really are beautiful, no wonder they're kept as ornamental fish."
Now that Roman had assured them everything was under control, everyone quickly switched from panicking to admiring the koi in the water. Even Sunny ran over to Merry, excited about its upcoming 'flight.'
"Alright, don't just stand around—go secure your stuff! We're about to climb a waterfall, and anything not tied down could get damaged!"
Even though most things on the ship were already secured, no one had planned for a full-on vertical climb. So, after chasing everyone off to reinforce their belongings, Roman turned toward the helm.
"Jinbe, I'm leaving the steering to you."
"No problem."
Roman fully trusted Jinbe's steady personality. But as for someone else...
"Luffy, your job is to grab onto the koi ahead and let them pull our ship up the current. Sunny wasn't built for flying, so it can't go up the waterfall on its own."
Of course, Roman could easily use his paper ability to create something for the ship.
But honestly, that would be like wearing pants under your underwear—pointless. It'd be easier to just use his floating ability to fly straight up.
"Hehehe, leave it to me!"
"Alright, we're counting on you."
Once everyone had secured their rooms, they stood on the deck, ready to witness this 'fish jumping over the dragon gate' moment. With Roman ensuring their safety, there was no way they were going to miss this experience.
"Gomu Gomu no... Twin Koi Pull!"
Luffy stretched out his arms and grabbed two giant koi, letting them drag the Sunny upstream.
Everyone on deck had a bounty over 100 million... well, except Pudding. But since she was in Sanji's gentlemanly embrace, she was safe too.
"Wow, we're actually climbing a waterfall."
"Following Luffy always means new and crazy adventures..."
"Hehehe, right? That's what makes it fun!"
"If only there were fewer battles..."
Hearing Carrot's sigh, Roman, who was 'standing' at a 90-degree angle on the deck with his arms crossed, rolled his eyes.
Wishful thinking.
They were about to take on Kaido's Beasts Pirates next. A whole crew of Zoan users, all built like tanks... There was no way they'd get any rest without fighting all night.
Up they go!
"We're almost there—!"
"Wait, wait, wait! There's a whirlpool ahead—!"
*Snap!*
"Float-Float... Suspended Sunny!"
As Roman clapped his hands, the Sunny—which had just leaped over the waterfall and was about to be swallowed by the massive whirlpool ahead—suddenly shook. In an instant, it defied gravity, floating midair above the sea, completely ignoring Newton's laws. Luffy grumbled in dissatisfaction.
"This doesn't feel like sailing at all."
"No, no, Captain Luffy,"
"This definitely counts as sailing—what we mean is…"
Sunny and Merry, the ship spirits, grabbed Luffy from both sides to stop him from doing anything reckless again. Meanwhile, under Nami's command, Jinbe adjusted the sails. A summoned breeze carried the ship toward the distant shore.
Surrounded by towering rock cliffs was an inland sea, with two islands within it. The larger one was Wano Country, while the smaller one was Kaido's lair, Onigashima.
That's why Roman compared Wano Country to a hot pot—it actually made sense.
"Wano is divided into six regions: Kuri, Kibi, Udon, Ringo, Hakumai, and the Flower Capital."
"And we're currently in the lower-left part of Kuri…"
Roman's white doves soared into the sky, giving him a full view of this land brimming with an Eastern aesthetic. This also confirmed the Straw Hat Crew's location. But now that he looked at it… The way the buildings were arranged, and those were peach blossoms, not cherry blossoms… This whole place felt like it had a Tang Dynasty vibe.
And since there were no external threats, the usual hilltop castles weren't necessary, making the place look even more like…
"A mini Chang'an~~"
"Roman, what are you mumbling about? I'm heading off first—"
?! By the time Roman snapped out of it, Luffy was already a tiny dot in the distance.
Using Gomu Gomu no Rocket, he had already rushed ahead to start his adventure. Roman, long accustomed to this, didn't even bother stopping him.
After all, he had things to do too.
"Nami, follow my lead." A white dove flapped ahead of the ship, guiding the way. "There's a good spot to anchor over there. Let's dock the Sunny Merry first."
Roman closed his eyes, entering a standby mode.
————
Meanwhile, on another island along the Grand Line…
It was a small town. Though not wealthy, the people lived in peace and were content. At the very least, they didn't have to worry about sudden pirate attacks because just outside the town, a certain pirate crew had set up camp. Their flag flew high—
A skull-and-crossbones marked with a massive crescent mustache.
The emblem of the Whitebeard Pirates!
"What has Blackbeard been up to lately?"
Inside the town's tallest building, a man dressed in a white suit and wearing a white mask posed the question.
Stepping forward to answer was Thatch, captain of the Fourth Division. He was short and stocky, his hair standing upright in a way reminiscent of Moria's, and he wore a blue-sleeved white shirt. The number 8 was tattooed on the left side of his neck, symbolizing his position in the Whitebeard crew.
"He's gathering forces—on a massive scale!"
"His allied pirate crews haven't moved, but I've noticed his elite forces secretly assembling. He's definitely planning something big!"
"Is he trying to attack us again?"
"Let them come! Like hell we'd be scared of him—"
"Enough! You all know how strong that traitor Teach is. Rushing in without thinking won't help…"
"But what could he be planning?"
While the other commanders argued, Marco rubbed his temples.
If it was just about fighting, every one of them would be ready to charge in headfirst. But strategy and planning…?
Now that he thought about it, they had relied on Pops' leadership far too much in the past.
"Essa, what do you think?"
Marco turned his gaze toward the man seated at the head of the table.
Wearing a mask, Essa was now the acting captain of the Whitebeard Pirates. He tapped his fingers on the table, deep in thought.
Ever since taking on this responsibility, he had truly understood the weight of leadership.
Every decision he made affected the lives of hundreds, even thousands of his brothers.
He couldn't afford to be careless.
?!
Flap, flap, flap~~
The sound of wings filled the room as a white dove flew in.
"Ace,"
The bird spoke.
And it used the real name of the man sitting in the captain's chair.
"It's time to keep your promise."
(End of chapter)
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