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"Right rudder… right rudder!" Luffy yelled at the top of his lungs from the ship's prow, wildly gesturing as the Going Merry hurtled toward the towering Red Line.
Zoro and Sanji, manning the rudder, struggled to fight against the raging currents. It felt like they were locked in a brutal tug-of-war with the sea itself, and neither of them could get the rudder to turn fully.
In a burst of frustration and brute strength, Zoro gritted his teeth and forced the rudder hard. The sound of splintering wood was deafening.
The rudder snapped clean off.
For a moment, everyone froze in horror.
"We're gonna crash!" Usopp shrieked, clinging desperately to the mast.
Ikki quickly assessed the situation and sprang into action. Without hesitation, he took flight, soaring alongside the Going Merry and positioning himself to push the ship away from the jagged Red Line.
At the same time, Luffy leapt into action. Using his stretchy arms, he wrapped one hand around the Merry's mast and extended the other to grab a sturdy pillar near the entrance of the Upside-Down Mountain.
"Rubber-Rubber… PULL!" Luffy shouted as he yanked the Merry back onto its course.
With Ikki pushing from the side and Luffy using his strength to guide the ship, the Going Merry narrowly avoided smashing into the Red Line.
Finally, the ship entered the swirling current of the Upside-Down Mountain, carried upward by the rushing water.
As soon as the Merry hit the current, its speed skyrocketed. The ship shot upward like a roller coaster, the wind roaring in their ears.
Luffy, as carefree as ever, plopped himself on the Merry's figurehead, laughing in exhilaration.
Meanwhile, Nami clung to the second deck's railing, holding Psyduck tightly against her chest. The poor creature squawked weakly, struggling to breathe under Nami's grip, but it dared not struggle—it knew a single slip could mean being swept away by the raging current.
For several minutes, the Merry ascended the mountain, cutting through thick clouds. When the ship finally broke through, the crew got their first glimpse of the summit of the Red Line.
The view was breathtaking—a dazzling convergence of four massive currents, each representing one of the world's seas: the East Blue, South Blue, West Blue, and North Blue. At the peak, the currents swirled together before plunging into the sole descending stream that led into the Grand Line.
But their awe was short-lived.
"Uh… guys," Nami said, her voice trembling. "There's another ship!"
To their horror, a pirate ship from another sea was barreling up the adjacent current at full speed, heading straight for them.
"There are four rising currents, but only one descending current," Nami explained, covering her head in panic. "If we collide at the top… it'll be a disaster!"
The tension was palpable as the crew braced for impact.
Ikki, calm under pressure, narrowed his eyes and reached into his satchel. He pulled out a bamboo copter device and handed it to Luffy.
"Luffy, let's take care of that pirate ship together," he said confidently.
The opposing pirate crew, spotting the Going Merry, seemed to have the same idea. Their captain ordered his men to load the cannons and prepare to destroy the Straw Hats.
But before the enemy crew could fire, Luffy and Ikki were already airborne.
Luffy stretched his leg high into the sky, grinning. "Rubber-Rubber Axe!"
With a powerful stomp, Luffy's attack crushed the pirate ship in one devastating blow, splitting it into pieces.
Ikki, still in the air, wasn't done yet. He glanced at the wreckage, knowing it could still pose a threat if it reached the summit.
Taking a deep breath, he unleashed a powerful Sky Dragon's Roar, a deafening blast of wind that scattered the debris far away from the currents.
The crisis was over.
By the time Luffy and Ikki returned to the Going Merry, the ship was already rushing into the descending current.
The downward ride was just as wild as the ascent, with the Merry plummeting through the roaring waters at breakneck speed.
Ikki, holding the small light in his hand, looked back at the crew, his grin unshaken by the chaos.
Ikki knew what was coming. Ahead lay the final obstacle to entering the Grand Line: a massive whale named Laboon, infamous for blocking the passage through the Reverse Mountain. He gripped the shrinking flashlight tightly, preparing for the challenge.
Suddenly, the crew saw it—a towering black wall looming in front of them. But it wasn't a wall at all. It was Laboon, standing tall with his head raised.
"This is going to be tough," Zoro muttered, crossing his arms as he stared at the enormous whale.
"Hey! We don't have time for you to stand there sighing!" Usopp screamed in panic. "Do something before we're smashed to bits!"
"Calm down," Sanji said, patting Usopp's shoulder. "Look at those two."
Sanji gestured toward Ikki and Luffy, who were both standing confidently at the bow of the ship.
Usopp's fear turned to curiosity as he noticed the shrinking flashlight in Ikki's hand. "Oh, I get it! You're gonna shrink the wall—uh, I mean, the whale! Right?"
But a flicker of doubt crossed Usopp's face. "Wait… can something as huge as the Red Line actually shrink?"
Ikki smirked. "I don't know about shrinking the Red Line, but this whale should work just fine!"
As the Going Merry approached, the full view of Laboon came into sight—a massive, scarred whale, its head covered with marks from countless collisions against the Red Line.
Laboon's immense size was intimidating, but Ikki remained calm. He activated the shrinking flashlight, aiming its beam at the great whale.
The light enveloped Laboon, and his colossal form began to shrink. Slowly but surely, the whale grew smaller and smaller until he was no larger than the Merry itself.
Laboon, now comically small, looked around in confusion.
The crew took in the sight of the tiny whale, but the mood turned somber as they noticed the scars on his head.
Nami whispered, "Those scars… they're from bashing into the Red Line."
Sanji lit a cigarette. "It's like he's been doing it for years. Why would he go through that pain?"
Luffy, with his usual intuition, answered, "He's waiting. For someone who promised to come back."
The crew fell silent. Laboon's story was written on his body—the scars, the pain, the loneliness.
With Laboon temporarily shrunken, the Going Merry successfully passed through the entrance to the Grand Line. As soon as they cleared the passage, Ikki used the flashlight again to restore Laboon to his full size.
But no sooner had the Merry emerged into the Grand Line than Laboon, now back to his normal size, turned to face them. Without hesitation, he opened his massive mouth and swallowed the Merry whole.
"What the—?!" Ikki exclaimed. 'We avoided the collision, and now he swallows us anyway?!'
Inside Laboon
The Merry wasn't destroyed. Instead, the crew found themselves in an entirely new, strange environment. Blue skies stretched above, turquoise waters surrounded them, and in the distance, there was even a small island.
"I thought we were eaten by a whale!" Usopp said, wiping nonexistent sweat from his forehead. "Turns out it was all a trick!"
Ikki pointed to the sky. "Usopp, look closer. The clouds and the seagulls up there… they're just paintings."
Everyone tilted their heads upward and gasped. Ikki was right—the entire sky was an elaborate painting.
As confusion settled in, a sudden ripple disturbed the water. From below, a massive king squid emerged, its tentacles thrashing as it moved to attack the Merry.
The crew sprang into action. Luffy cracked his knuckles, Zoro reached for his swords, and Sanji adjusted his tie, ready to kick the squid back into the water.
But before they could act, three loud BANGS echoed from the small island.
Three harpoons soared through the air, piercing the squid with deadly precision. The creature let out a pained screech before retreating into the depths.
The crew turned toward the island and saw an old man emerging from a small house.
The man had a strange, flower-shaped headdress tied to his head and a carefree smile on his face. He waved at the Straw Hats as he strolled toward the shore.