Capítulo 38: Chapter 36
The current from Reverse Mountain was quite intense as it flowed downstream into the ocean of the Grand Line. Prominence was seen sailing on top of such a rough current, descending from the mountain at a very rapid pace. The whole crew were very excited.
However, it did not take long for the excitement to turn into a shock. Out of nowhere, a huge black wall appeared at the end of the Reverse Mountain, blocking their way through!
Ace and Dan's jaws dropped and their eyes popped out comically as the ship continued to accelerate towards the black wall.
"Ahhh, what is that thing!!!" Carina shrieked out of shock, as she held onto the rail tightly. Carmen dropped her fan as her terrified gaze was locked onto the giant obstruction.
"H-huh?" Rowan was dumbfounded as he stared at such a strange phenomenon. Quickly grasping his consciousness, Rowan quickly slouched down with hand on top of the deck.
"Quick!!! Go change the direction before we crash into that thing!!" Ace and Dan hurriedly ran into the anchor room and turned the wheel with all their might. Soon, Carina and Carmen joined too, and used all their strengths to rotate Prominence.
*BOOM* *BOOM* The water underneath Prominence exploded as Rowan used bounce aid his crew members and Ace's efforts.
Couple of seconds before the ship reaches the wall, Prominence managed to rotate approximately 90 degrees, and was sailing down the current with its side facing the wall. Rowan began to use the bounce force on the side facing the wall in attempt to slow down the speed Prominence.
*BOOM* *BOOM* *BOOM* Thankfully, Prominence managed to slow down, and avoided crashing into the wall.
*Boing* Subsequently, the side of Prominence came in contact with the wall, and to everyone's surprise, the ship bounced off of the wall!
"Meaty?" Carmen squinted her eyes, trying to identify the potential ingredient.
Suddenly, part of the black wall opened, revealing a humongous eye. Everyone was frightened at such sight. Immediately following, the creature revealed a huge mouth with sharp teeth, opening them wide while facing the sky.
"A giant whale?!" Rowan shouted in a disbelief as the creature revealed itself in a full glory.
In the next moment, the whale began to let out a cry, which was so loud that everyone on the deck couldn't help but cover their ears. The sound waves travelled all around, generating violent waves and causing Prominence to shake.
Eventually, the whale's screech subsided. Rowan's mind was dishevelled, but he couldn't afford to wait any longer; they had to get out of this place fast! Before the whale would dare to try something again, Rowan used the bounce force to safely propel them away from it. After sufficient distance has been gained, everyone released a sigh.
"So this is Grand Line. Right from the start, a giant whale. Gotta write down this one too." Dan said in a relieved tone, before taking out his journal.
Taking a seat on the nearest chair, Rowan let out a relieved sigh. The Grand Line has given a strong impression right from the beginning, to him and his crew. 'I got to get used to stuffs like this. This is just the beginning... there's probably much more bizarre and absurd phenomena than this.'
Getting his brain back into work, Rowan gathered everyone's attention.
"Carina, where do we go now?" Rowan asked in seriousness. The navigation in Grand Line was to be dealt without a regard for a common sense. It was especially complex and difficult in comparison to the four seas.
Taking a deep breath, Carina spoke up. "This is where everything begins. According to what I know, we get to choose to record one of the seven magnetic waves given off by the Red Line on this Log Pose. Each magnetic wave represents one route, so there are seven routes we can choose in total. In the end, all those routes will converge into one island, Sabaody Archipelago."
Listening to Carina's words, Ace tilted his head. "So in the end, it's completely random. We don't have any information of what islands each route leads to."
"Is that so?" Rowan grinned hearing that. There are seven possible routes with all of them unknown. If so, the choice is easy to make. "Then, we will head off to the seventh route counting from the top."
"Lucky 7, eh? Sounds good to me!" Dan gave a thumbs up to Rowan.
"Oh lucky 7, bring us the luck in our journey!" Carmen shouted up into the sky as she opened her fan and flapped it in the midair.
"Aye aye captain. Now that we've chose our route, listen everyone! This is where the real sailing begins, so stay tight and don't miss a single word I say!" Carina stated and earned nods from the crew members. Soon, the ship began to turn and headed off, away from the Red Line.
"Woohoo, the first sail in the Grand Line!!" Ace shouted joyously as he looked around the sea enthusiastically.
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Finally arriving at the destination, the crew quickly anchored the ship and tied the rope around the pole in the harbour, in order to secure Prominence's position.
"Ugh... are you guys alright?" Rowan asked weakly as he looked back, where all the crew members and Ace were lying down in exhaustion.
Their first sail was truly a mess. The current and flow of sea was weird; they were going straight, but in the next moment, they somehow ended up going in a completely opposite direction! The weather was disastrous too. At one moment, it was all sunny and relaxing. Then, before they even realize, the thunderstorm appeared out of nowhere, creating a chaos everywhere!
Thankfully, they managed to reach their first island in the Grand Line, thanks to Carina quickly adapting to such a weird weather. The island in front of them, which was quite big in size, was very unique in terms of characteristic. The overall shape was very smooth, with just one round surface as a ground over a large radius. There were many short palm trees planted left and right, filling various sections of island. From far away, the island looked like a head of a person suffering a hair loss.
In the middle, there were houses and other buildings situated, which showed that a town was situated within the island.
"Uwaah, how am I still alive?" Carina's eyes were comically spinning as she lied down on the deck. "Grand Line definitely deserves the name 'Pirate's Graveyard,' alright..."
Carmen seemed very tired, with a dark circles formed around her eyes, and her hair was dishevelled, losing the particular spikiness she spent hours for.
On the other hand, Dan abruptly bounced up from his spot, with his eyes shining in pure joy.
"What an adventure!! Yes, this is the true life a man should be living for!!" Excitedly shouting, Dan once again pulled out the journal and began to jot down the details.
Laughing at his crew's antics, Rowan turned and observed the island that laid in from of them. Although with sunny weather, the island seemed lax and carefree. However, Rowan knew that it won't be that simple, as he saw quite a number of other pirate ships parked at the other corners of the island.
Some were big and some were small, but that wasn't the point. Naturally, Rowan wasn't able to identify any of them, and therefore, he wasn't sure as to how strong they would be. The pirates are lawless beings. Especially with two beautiful women on his ship, Rowan believed that a fight was inevitable.
Turning at his recovering crew, Rowan voiced out. "You guys shouldn't let your guards down. I've spotted quite a number of pirate ships around this island. They probably got here days ago, since we spotted no other pirates apart from us in the Red Line."
'And now, Ace.' Rowan shifted his gaze to Ace, who seemed to be in a thought. 'I would've asked if he wants to join my crew, but it's 100% guaranteed that he will refuse. After all, he wishes to become a pirate king.'
"It's about the deal, isn't it." Ace sighed in a slight sadness.
"Yeah. We've kept our promise of getting you a lift to Grand Line. Unless you are to join my crew, I cannot let you stay aboard any longer." Rowan said resolutely. There was no negotiation.
Although Ace's has been a pleasant company to keep around, 'A stranger is a stranger nonetheless.' Rowan thought as he kept his decision firm.
Slouching down at Rowan's rejection, Ace nodded. "I figured that you'd say that. Everyone, thank you for the ride. I hope to see you again in the future." Grabbing his sac and hanging it over his shoulder, Ace gave a salute to everyone and jumped off the ship.
"Aw man, I liked him." Dan scratched his head as he saw Ace walking away. "He's pretty easy to get along with, after all."
"Well, a promise is a promise, you know. Stay any longer and that will basically be cheating off of us." Carina nodded with her eyes closed, seemingly agreeing with Rowan's decision.
"Besides, we don't know anything about him, apart from the fact that his full name is Portagus D. Ace, the only thing he told us." Rowan, with his arms crossed, gazed as Ace disappeared into the town. "You may have no idea, but it was a pain in the ass to keep my caution around him."
*Growl* Suddenly, a loud growling sound occurred at Rowan's stomach, causing Rowan to look down at his own belly. "I feel bad for Ace though, he's going to be missing the foods from the best cook, right Carmen."
Carmen, who finally recovered, stood up with a dramatic pose. "What a miserable fate, indeed. However, heed no mind, for he is a formidable young man himself. Now, wait and I shall deliver you the meals from the heaven!"
Watching Carmen's reaction, Rowan couldn't help but think, 'What would have happened if Carmen and that dude, Sir Martinosse, met?'
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