After crossing Reverse Mountain and nearly being devoured by Sea Kings in the Calm Belt, the crew finally reached the Grand Line...only to face an enormous obstacle.
"Is that a giant whale!?" They exclaimed in disbelief.
"Damn it! We need to stop the ship, or we'll crash into it!" Nami shouted.
"Leave it to me!" Luffy grinned, running toward the cannons.
"Luffy, don't-whatever you're thinking, don't do it!" Ryomen protested, but his words went unheard.
The front cannon fired in the whale, halting the boat's speed, but the impact still destroyed the figurehead.
"My special seat!!" Luffy cried out, staring at the ruined remains of the figurehead.
The massive whale opened its eyes, focusing on them.
Luffy marched up to its eye, yelling, "That was my special seat! Why did you do that!?" Then, to everyone's horror, he punched the whale.
"You idiot!!" The crew screamed in unison.
The whale retaliated by sucking the entire ship inside its mouth. Luffy, however, managed to cling to the whale's side.
"What do I do now? They all got eaten!"
…
Inside the whale, the crew, minus Luffy, found themselves standing on what looked like an island beneath a painted sky.
"Did we die? Is this the afterlife!?" Usopp screamed, his eyes wide with fear.
"No way! Right...?" Nami replied uncertainly.
"Do you really think the afterlife looks like this? A painted sky and a small house inside a whale?" Ryomen rolled his eyes. "Someone's obviously living here."
"Let's hope they're human." Sanji muttered.
"Even if they aren't, they couldn't be worse than you." Zoro quipped with a smirk. Before Sanji could respond, a man exited the house nearby.
The man stood silently, staring at them, which quickly irritated Sanji. "Say something already!" He snapped.
The man simply sat down on a lounge chair.
"You looking for a fight!? We've got cannons, you know!" Usopp yelled, though his voice trembled.
"Forget it. Someone's gonna die." The man finally said.
"Oh yeah? Who?" Sanji asked.
"Me."
"Listen here, you!-" Sanji began, but Zoro held him back.
"Who are you, and where are we?" Zoro demanded.
"Isn't it polite to introduce yourselves first?" The man replied.
Zoro frowned but nodded. "You're right. My name's-"
“My name's Crocus, I'm the keeper of the Twin Capes lighthouse. I'm seventy-one, a Gemini, and my blood type is AB.”
Zoro twitched in annoyance. "I'm gonna kill him!"
"Easy now." Ryomen muttered as he restrained Zoro. "Sorry about them. I'm Ryomen. Can you tell us how to get out?"
Crocus briefly glanced at Ryomen, his expression changing ever so slightly before pointing toward a gate. "There's the exit."
Nami's eyes widened in surprise. "We can actually leave!?"
Just as the crew celebrated, the ground beneath them shook violently.
"What's happening now?" Usopp panicked.
YOU ARE READING
Cursed Seas and Slashing Tides
FanfictionRyomen lived a life of imprisonment. After finally tasting freedom, he decides to join Luffy on his quest to become the Pirate King. Will he fulfill his own dream, or will he give up on his thirst for revenge in exchange for the people he now sees a...
