Across the Ocean (Zoro x OC)

10 - Off to the Grand Line!

"The entrance to the Grand Line is a mountain!" Nami pushed the nautical chart into the middle of the table. The crew had gathered in the dining room and kitchen of the Going Merry to discuss what they should do next, since getting to their destination was not that easy after all.

"A mountain!?" Usopp shouted in horror, so Akiko covered her ear next to him.

"Exactly. I didn't believe it myself when I looked at the map, but look!" The navigator traced an invisible line with her index finger from the small island, which was marked with the word Loguetown, to a vague shape with circular black lines within. "The light of guidance points directly to Reverse Mountain, which is on the Red Line."

"So we have to go through the mountain?" Sanji asked with his arms crossed, leaning against the worktop next to the stove.

"No, there's a waterway right there."

The others put their heads forward and took a closer look at the drawn shape. In addition to the shaky circles that were supposed to represent the mountain's altitude, various diagonal lines led to the center of it. From the center, thicker blue lines went back to the surrounding seas: the waterway, Nami had spoken of.

"This is crazy! Even if the path do exist, there's no way to climb a mountain with a ship!" Usopp chewed nervously on his lower lip.

"But that's what the map says!" Nami defended herself and of course received approval from the crew's chef.

"But isn't that the map you've stolen from Buggy?" Zoro interjected suspiciously. "How much you can trust it, then?"

"Well...Buggy might be a cheater, but why would he forge a map he needs himself? He wants to become rich and famous by getting to the Grand Line? And he doesn't know that it was stolen from him," Akiko said with a sideways glance at the swordsman. "So I don't think it's a fake. Especially since it's not the only map that depicts Reverse Mountain like this." Her eyes switched to the navigator again as she continued talking: "I've seen different but accurate drawings in sea atlases, and they all pointed out the same accessibility of the Grand Line." And since the crew was now looking at her questioningly, Akiko explained herself a little further: "My parents owns a bookshop, and therefore I had free access to a variety of books. My father also went on a few trips before I was born, so he accumulated a fairly large collection of logbooks and sea atlases." Of course, the young woman noticed that Zoro was looking at her for a longer moment, but ignored it. It was nothing he had not already known. Sure. But what came to his mind was the fact that she was making it sound like the bookshop still existed and that her family was still alive too... Intentional?

"Then, we'll climb the mountain? That sounds super cool!" Luffy exclaimed enthusiastically. He was finally awake again after he had almost fallen asleep: such dry and stiff meetings were not his style at all! But now, when they concentrated again on the access to get on top of Reverse Mountain and back to the wild sea, he was completely focused. "So it's a magic mountain, huh?"

The swordsman lifted his hand to speak. To the surprise of their newcomer and redhead next to him, he uttered a not so unwise thought: "Why do we even have to use this path? Couldn't we just sail south and then right to the Grand Line? Wouldn't this be much safer?"

"No, we can't!" Luffy jumped with his outstretched index finger. Although, he wasn't concerned about the real reason for this impossible thought...

"That's true," Nami interestingly agreed with the captain. "And there's a very good reason for it."

"It's much cooler to get to the Grand Line by the mountain!"