The new sea

When we first saw the Red Line we were awed by how gigantic it looked. That it's huge was obvious but knowing it and seeing it are two different things.

After being awed for a bit we discussed how to cross it. Sabo and Kuina thought that I had a plan or something but I didn't.

"No way! You can't be serious!"

"That's way to hard!"

"Killing is immoral!"

"Are you a demon?!"

"Hey! Demon is my nickname!"

Were the reactions of them when I jokingly said, that we would have to climb up. But seriously something had to be done.

Going up the reverse mountain was a no, since none of us, not even the navigator of the taken ship, had the navigational skills to safely sail this route.

Having the ship coated and trying an underwater route was an even bigger no. Where would we find a coating master here not even mentioning that the only known underwater route is through fishman island.

And notifying some authorities of the world government and receive a formal permission to be lifted up by a team they would send us was impossible for wanted pirates.

I really though about climbing the Red Line like Fisher Tiger did but Sabo and Kuina Are right. They aren't nowhere near ready for that.

'*Sigh* So geppo it is.'

Having the two of them gather supplies maps and necessary gadgets in a big pouch I prepared for what was about to come.

The distance honestly wasn't a problem but even with my mastery, it would become increasingly difficult to use geppo the thinner the air would get.

Still, once they finished what I told them to, we set off only for me to realize that it will be even more difficult then what I thought.

The last few hundred meters I had to brute force instead of relying on technique but on the other hand I found a method to train and improve my geppo further.

"So this is the top of the Red Line… not very impressive to be honest."

"Maybe because the only thing we have seen so far is the huge cliff we arrived at…"

"But still… what do you thing Jackson-nii?"

"I thing that we can sightsee at a later point in time. For now we should hurry and get to the other side. Also we will not enter or go near city's or facilities. They will be most probably managed by the world government directly and the chance of meeting world nobles and CP-0 Agents will be high."

"CP-0?" x2

'Damn it. Let something slip I wasn't supposed to know.'

"You will eventually learn about them, for now let's just get going."

"Aye Aye!" x2

It took us a few days to cross to the other side of the Red Line. During that time we indeed saw very impressive landscapes and sceneries with lush vegetation, upside down waterfalls and other things but surprisingly we also met wild beasts that I found quite strong. At least too strong for the current Sabo and Kuina. Cities and other locations with sign of civilization we avoided for now but I swore to myself that one day I would return and walk around proudly and strong, being the one the others need to avoid.

'This might be a bit risky but perhaps I can come back with the future members of our crew and teach them haki. Getting used to the relatively thin air over a long time might improver their stamina and help in training their bodies even.'

Reaching the other side, I took out the map and we tried to more or less decide on a direction to follow once we entered the North Blue. That was quite hard when not knowing your own location but it couldn't be helped.

There were no detailed maps of the Red Line, being sold in the Blues, so the best we could do was guess where we currently could be standing.

If we are unlucky and choose a wrong route we could miss islands that would be on our way and would be flying for weeks instead of days. Even for the current me that was to much not to mention that we need to sleep from time to time and we definitely can't do that in the sea.

Luckily, we didn't choose any wrong direction. Going to island from island we managed to reach our destination in late december.

————————————————————————

A few days before Jackson and the others reached the top of the Red Line

In East Blue

On an island floating thousands of meters above the sea.

The golden lion's, Shiki's base.

Walking into a hall, a tall blue haired man, with white makeup applied on his face similar to a clown's approached an elavated seat, resembling a throne.

In it someone was sitting, while reading what seem to be reports of some kind.

"Boss. Our contacts have reported that they have lost the mentioned target and can't find him. They are waiting for more orders at the moment."

"They have lost him? Since when?"

The man, Shiki, the golden lion, looked up from the report he was reading and looked at the clown like looking man with a raised eyebrow.

"The reports state that they sailed towards the Red Line, and disappeared before they could make contact with him. There might be a chance that he overcame the Red Line and entered the North Blue."

"The North Blue hmm. But why would he do that? In such a roundabout way at that? Did the others find out anything about him?"

"Still nothing. It seems like he doesn't even have a birth certificate."

"So an unofficial birth. Quite… intriguing."

"What Are your next orders, Captain?"

"Hmmm… I still want to offer him to join me. He might be just a child and from East Blue at that but he sunk a navy fleet at eleven. Furthermore he did it not once but twice. I feel like he might become a strong subordinate after I take him in."

"So should we follow him?"

"Yes. But don't make contact on your own. I will personally go to meet him. Then I can see for myself how much he is worth."

Shiki answered as a wide grin spread on his face uncontrollably while Dr. Indigo left the hall.

Soon an old legend and one that has yet to be written will meet each other…