Chapter 78: Brother, Is That You?

Chapter 78: Chapter 78: Brother, Is That You? Chapter 78: Brother, Is That You? The next morning, on the east coast of Jaya Island, at the Saruyama Alliance base... "Woohoo! The Merry looks so cool!" Luffy excitedly jumped aboard the Going Merry. Thanks to the Saruyama Alliance working through the night, the Merry had undergone quite a few modifications. The most conspicuous additions were naturally the giant wings attached to the sides of the ship, and... the chicken head on the bow? Reiner looked at the Going Merry. How to put it... hard to judge... "Why did you specifically add this thing? It looks pretty useless, doesn’t it?" Reiner couldn’t help but ask, pointing at the bow. That design... strongly reminded him of a certain departed friend (Bentham/Mr. 2). He was genuinely afraid that when the Merry’s ship spirit eventually appeared, instead of repairing the ship, it would be standing on deck performing Okama Kenpo’s Iron Mountain Lean. Oh great, now that damned BGM is playing in my head. "Alright, you guys should hurry up and depart." Cricket stood on the shore, cigarette dangling from his lips, addressing the crew on the Merry. "The Knock Up Stream appearing today is only a high probability; the exact time is impossible to predict. Don’t miss it by chance." "Got it, Mister! Bye-bye!" Luffy, perched on the chicken... figurehead, waved goodbye to Cricket. Reiner summoned his undead, who began bustling about. The Going Merry gradually sailed away from the port. Masira and Shoujou, leading their respective pirate crews, escorted them for protection, continuing for over ten kilometers. The sky, which had been clear just moments before, suddenly began to darken at an incredible speed. Not far away, dense black clouds stretched as far as the eye could see, looking like the arrival of the apocalypse. On the sea horizon ahead, nothing was visible except the dark clouds. A fierce wind howled head-on, whipping Reiner’s golden hair wildly. The calm sea surface turned into surging waves, crashing against the Going Merry, sending spray high and soaking Reiner’s blue shirt. "Everyone! See that whirlpool!?" Masira yelled across from his adjacent ship. "That’s the spot where the Knock Up Stream is about to erupt! We can only take you this far! Head in following the direction of the whirlpool, and remember not to get too close to the center!" "Okay! We understand! Thank you!" "Good luck with everything!" Masira and Shoujou detached the tow ropes and began to turn back. The Going Merry headed straight towards the direction Masira indicated. Everyone on board had different expressions: the trio (Luffy, Usopp, Chopper) excited and dancing around; the trio (Zoro, Sanji, Robin) calm and aloof; and the duo (Nami, Reiner) busy working. But without exception, all hearts pounded with excitement. "Reiner! Furl the sails!" "Got it!" Due to the distant whirlpool, the surrounding currents were all being pulled towards it. As time passed, the Merry drew closer and closer to the vortex. Gradually, the complete picture of the giant whirlpool unfolded before them. Its diameter was comparable to an entire island! They even saw a Sea King, thousands of meters long, caught within it, struggling continuously yet completely powerless to resist! "Are... are... are you kidding me!?" "We’re... we’re... gonna die!" The excitement trio was reduced by two. Chopper and Usopp’s faces turned ashen green with fear, clinging to the railing, bodies trembling uncontrollably. Entering the whirlpool, the Going Merry began to follow its current. "Don’t get too close to the center! Otherwise, the ship will be smashed to pieces by the erupting Knock Up Stream! Steer forty degrees to port!" "I know! Already doing it!" "No good! The current’s too fast! The undead can’t turn the rudder!" "I’ll do it!" Reiner rushed into the living quarters, grabbing the helm tightly. His fingers nearly dug into the wood, veins bulging on his forearms as he strained. The rudder began to creak as if unable to bear the load. "That’s it, Reiner! Hold it steady!" Nami yelled, her expression grave, clinging tightly to the railing just outside the door. The Going Merry shook violently. Inside the living quarters, even the secured furniture vibrated at high frequency, accompanied by the continuous sound of shattering bowls and plates. They rode the whirlpool’s current like this for quite some time. The shaking suddenly began to lessen gradually. However, Nami showed no sign of relaxing; instead, her brow furrowed even tighter as she yelled: "Everyone grab onto something quick! The Knock Up Stream is coming!" Just as her words faded, the Going Merry began to tilt, its bow lifting high into the air. The next moment... BOOOOOOM!!! A colossal pillar of water, like a long dragon, shot towards the heavens, piercing straight through the clouds! The Going Merry rode flush against the water pillar, perpendicular to the sea surface, like a giant roc spreading its wings and soaring upwards! The sudden impact seemed to instantly increase gravity aboard the Merry, slamming everyone hard against the cabin walls. The wings on the Merry’s sides tilted slightly, using the wind pressure to cling tightly to the Knock Up Stream, while buoyancy from below counteracted, stabilizing the ship. After ten-odd seconds passed like this, everyone struggled back to their feet, standing vertically on the Going Merry’s cabin floor. "At this speed, we won’t reach the top before the Knock Up Stream ends!" "Lower the sails! The stream carries an upward wind! It can give us a boost!" Under Nami’s command, the undead worked methodically. Reiner also summoned the hawk summon just in case. Soon, the Going Merry plunged headfirst into the clouds... The White Sea. Located seven thousand meters high in the sky. An endless expanse of white met the eye. Unlike the severe cold of the winter island, this place evoked a refreshing and ethereal feeling. "Waaahahaha!" On the boundless sea of clouds, a sailing ship burst out from the surface, kicking up white cloud-waves. Excited shouts startled the Skyfish living in the White Sea. After observing for a moment, they swam away from the area. Just a bunch of stupid monkeys. They appear every so often... "Quick, look here! This cloud is so soft!" Before anyone else could react, Luffy had already run over to a particularly elastic-looking cloud bank and started bouncing on it. "Hey Luffy! Don’t just touch things randomly! ... Whoa, it really is soft!" "It’s like cotton candy!" The excitement trio was back in action! Nami collapsed onto the deck, face pale with lingering fear. Recalling the scene just moments ago, it had been extremely perilous; they had nearly been flung off by the current. She hadn’t even had time to appreciate the surrounding scenery before seeing the trio using the cloud bank as a trampoline. She couldn’t help but facepalm and sigh, "Such thick nerves! Do they even realize we were almost smashed to pieces just now!?" "Isn’t it fine now? You did great, Nami." Reiner smiled, extending a hand to help Nami up. "Truly worthy of being the world’s top navigator." "Hmph! As long as you know," Nami replied, unable to resist the praise. A smile touched her lips as she patted his shoulder. "You did well too." "You flatter me. All I did was snap the rudder," Reiner admitted. Nami: "." It couldn’t be helped. The whirlpool’s current was too fast back then; without extreme force, steering the rudder was impossible. The wooden rudder ultimately couldn’t withstand the strain. "So how do we steer now?" "Ahem... I’ll have the undead row with paddles." The crew began observing their surroundings. Looking around, aside from white, there was only more white. Clouds that were usually only seen by looking up were now within arm’s reach. Reaching out a hand to gently brush through one, white mist swirled around the arm. Not far away, long, snake-like Skyfish leaped out from the sea of clouds. "This is magical! Clouds like the sea that can support a ship! And creatures like Sea Kings!" Nami sighed emotionally, taking in the wonderland-like scene before her, deeply awestruck, until a light voice sounded beside her. "Say... you don’t think we’ll get eaten later, do you?" "Don’t say such scary things, Robin!" "There seems to be something over there," Reiner looked into the distance, pointing in a certain direction. "Looks like a gate. Let’s head over there." Just then, a piercing sound tore through the air. Reiner reacted instantly, looking towards the source. A cannonball was hurtling towards the Going Merry. Reiner leaped into the air, drawing his White Bone Chain Sword and spinning it into a shield, managing to block the cannonball just before it hit the Merry. BOOM! Using the force of the explosion, Reiner backflipped onto the ship. The sudden blast alerted everyone. "What happened!?" "Enemy attack! Enemy attack!" (End of this Chapter) ♧♧♧ -> SUPPORT ME WITH POWER STONE -> FOR EVERY 200 PS = BOUNS Chapter ♧♧♧ -> 15 Advanced Chapters Now Available on Patreon!! -> https://www.patreon.com/c/Segais (Just remove the hyphen to access patreon normally) If you like this novel please consider leaving a review that’s help the story a lot Thank you