"Heh heh!!"
"Keep it up, you can't take this much pressure already? How are you going to become a strong pirate on the seas!"
"Zoro adapted to this level of pressure within a year of joining the dojo!"
On the middle deck of the Freedom.
Kong Tai stood at the bow of the ship, his spatial domain unfurled, the pressure bearing down on Hua and the other two, especially Hua and A'lo.
These two fellows had improved quite rapidly after eating Devil Fruits.
As for A'Tao, with the aid of the infinite stamina radish, he had also entered the domain training.
"Cackle cackle!"
Indigo leaned against the cockpit door, watching Hua and the other two with great interest.
"It's amazing! You can actually control pressure."
"Kong Tai, the messenger bird."
Guina lay on a lounge chair, sipping tea, and as she watched a messenger bird flying in the sky, she called out to Kong Tai.
"Oh!"
Kong Tai withdrew his gaze from Hua and the other two, looked at the messenger bird perched on the ship's railing, walked over, and spoke.
"A copy of the latest newspaper, please!"
He then handed over a hundred Berries.
The messenger bird took the money with its beak, placed it in a red leather bag hanging from its body, then took a newspaper from another pouch attached to it and handed it to Kong Tai.
As Kong Tai took the newspaper, it bowed to him, spread its wings, and flew off to its next customer.
Kong Tai turned around, leaned back against the railing, unfolded the newspaper in his hand, and began to read.
"Hmm! Something about Golden Lion."
He knew from the headline that this issue was likely dedicated to him.
As expected.
Below the headline was all his information, and information about Golden Lion.
Towards the end, he was even called a new legend.
Kong Tai stroked his chin, his head bowed in thought.
"A legend?"
"Since you say so, I'll accept it."
He had set out to sea precisely to become the strongest, to become a legend.
Though this was merely one of his many reasons for setting sail, it was still a reason, wasn't it?
As he turned to the next page, a bounty poster suddenly fell out.
He caught it with quick reflexes and looked at it closely.
It was his own.
This bounty poster was much clearer than before.
"500 million? Not bad. It seems I've truly made a name for myself on the seas this time!"
"Kong Tai, let me see."
"Here, take it! It's all old news, nothing much to see. By the way, how much longer until we reach Reverse Mountain?"
Guina took the newspaper, replying casually, "About two more days!"
"Oh!"
Don't be fooled by Rogue Town being the closest to Reverse Mountain; "closest" here just meant the nearest island.
In fact, from Rogue Town, even the fastest voyage to Reverse Mountain would take several days.
Moreover, the closer they got to Reverse Mountain, the more extreme the weather changes became, making navigation even slower.
"Wow! 500 million."
Guina exclaimed as she looked at Kong Tai's bounty.
"What's so surprising about that! You defeated Smoker in Rogue Town, so your bounty would increase too."
"Mhm! That's true."
Guina put down the newspaper, stood up, walked over to Kong Tai, linked her arm through his, and rested her head on his shoulder, gazing out at the distant sea with excitement in her eyes.
They were about to reach the legendary Grand Line.
On this ship, perhaps only Indigo wouldn't be too excited.
After all, he had seen it all.
...
Two days later.
Reverse Mountain.
The sea area around here, due to its unique geographical location, had extremely extreme currents and climate.
This made it impossible for ordinary navigators to predict the wind direction. Furthermore, the currents in this area, amidst the reefs and waves, would occasionally form whirlpools.
A slight misstep would result in a shipwreck and death.
And there was only one route to the artificial canal leading to Reverse Mountain.
Therefore, any ship that managed to reach this point and wished to go to the Grand Line were all brave seafarers who had prepared for death.
As the Freedom approached.
From afar, they could see the dark, sky-scraping clouds. Due to Reverse Mountain, the clouds had gathered into a mass, churning up and down, occasionally emitting white and red lightning like giant dragons.
Kong Tai stood at the bow, looking at the magnificent clouds in the distance, a flicker of excitement in his eyes.
He then turned and shouted behind him, "A'hua, help A'Tao steer. A'lo, watch the currents. We'll charge through here in one go and head straight for the artificial waterway."
"Understood."
"Oh! And Indigo, you too. The currents here are too swift, I'm afraid they won't be able to handle the helm properly."
"Understood, Captain."
With a few "plop plop" sounds, Indigo entered the helm room.
As they drew closer, the ship's speed increased, and a huge wave crashed over them.
The bow broke through the giant wave, piercing into this sea area like a sharp sword.
Facing the incoming seawater and rain, Kong Tai unfurled his domain, enveloping himself and Guina within it.
The seawater rushed forward, sliding to both sides along a transparent space.
From a distance, it looked as if a transparent windshield had been installed on the bow of the Freedom.
As the Freedom ventured deeper, the surrounding currents became increasingly turbulent. A slight inattention would cause them to be carried off course by the current, deviating from this sole route and heading directly for the Red Line Continent.
After passing through a thick fog, the scene suddenly opened up.
In the distance, between heaven and earth, stood the tallest and largest continent in this world.
"Red Line Continent."
The Red Line Continent, a ring-shaped continent that intersected with the Grand Line, was named for the red soil covering its surface. The Red Line Continent and the Grand Line formed two rings, resulting in two intersections. The first intersection was the Reverse Mountain before them, and the second was the Holy Land Mary Geoise, which served as the barrier separating the New World from Paradise.
Looking at the Red Line Continent, which stretched into the clouds, Kong Tai sighed.
No wonder the Celestial Dragons and the former Land of God resided here. Living here was like looking down upon the entire sea, that feeling of dominating heaven and earth; he could imagine these stupid pigs must have enjoyed it immensely.
As they drew even closer, a faint but bright light suddenly emanated from between the mountain cliffs.
Kong Tai looked at the light and turned to shout behind him, "A'Tao, do you see the light in the distance?"
"That's the entrance to the Grand Line. Steady the helm as much as possible, and we'll charge straight towards it."
Then, he looked up at A'lo and shouted, "A'lo, take down the sails. We're fast enough now; we'll ride the currents."
"Understood."
Kong Tai and Guina stood at the bow, watching the approaching light. In a blink of an eye, they finally saw the sole waterway.
On the mountainside of the Red Line Continent, a silver-white waterway, like a ribbon, floated up and down with the current.
"I wonder who carved this magnificent, awe-inspiring structure."
Guina's eyes gleamed with excitement as she looked at the waterway, exclaiming, "It's truly spectacular!"
"Mhm! Indeed it is."
As the waterway grew closer, Kong Tai's eyes were filled with excitement.
With the sails lowered, the Freedom, under the control of A'Tao and the other two, steadily caught the upward current leading to the artificial canal in the distance.
As the Freedom stabilized, A'Tao and the other two rushed to the bow, with Indigo following them leisurely.
Leaning on the railing at the bow, Hua and the other two gazed with excitement at the distant Red Line Continent.
"Wow… it's so grand!"
"Yeah! It lives up to its reputation as the entrance to the Grand Line."
"If the entrance is this thrilling and spectacular, I wonder how magnificent the actual Grand Line is."
As they spoke, a look of anticipation appeared on everyone's faces.
"Cackle cackle!"
"Captain, should we hold a ceremony?"
"A ceremony?"
Kong Tai stroked his chin, his mind drifting to Luffy.
He pulled over an empty wooden barrel from nearby, placed his right foot on it with a "thump," and shouted loudly.
"I, Kong Tai, will become the most free person on the sea, the strongest in the world, and I will go wherever I wish to go."
Thump...
"To become the world's greatest female sword master."
Guina gripped her Wado Ichimon tightly, a hint of tenderness flashing in her eyes as she looked at Kong Tai. She thought silently, "And to keep pace with Kong Tai."
"To become strong."
"To never be bullied by others again."
"To adventure in all sorts of places."
Hua, A'lo, and A'Tao spoke their aspirations in turn.
Then, all eyes turned to Indigo.
Indigo looked at Kong Tai and the others, a trace of reminiscence in his eyes.
He vaguely recalled the youthful vigor and hope he felt when he first set sail.
Thinking of this, a hint of melancholy crept into his expression.
"Indigo, it's your turn. We're partners, aren't we?"
Kong Tai knew Indigo must have a story, but he didn't ask. Everyone had their past, good or bad, it was their own affair. If the day came when Indigo wanted to speak of it, Kong Tai believed he would.
"Partners?"
Indigo looked at Kong Tai and suddenly smiled.
Yes, in these young pirates, he saw the true meaning of partnership, not the superior-subordinate relationship like with Golden Lion.
He felt equality and respect here.
"Cackle cackle!"
"For the wishes of the Captain and everyone else, I will strive to research various medicines."
Having spent these past few days together, he now understood why Kong Tai had sought him out as the ship's doctor.
First, of course, was his medical skill. Second, were the various viruses of the Grand Line.
Due to its unique geographical location, each island in the Grand Line was different, leading to some islands still retaining ancient, even prehistoric, civilizations.
Various ferocious beasts inhabited these islands, including viruses and even plagues.
And his specialty was in creating various medicinal agents and vaccines for these viruses.
Then, they exchanged knowing smiles and kicked the wooden barrels into pieces.
At the same time, the Freedom, like a drawn sword, entered the artificial canal without any incident, riding the upward current and sailing smoothly towards the Red Line Continent.