Chapter 373: Up the Reverse Mountain, Onward to the Grand Line

The journey ahead passed without a hitch, calm seas all the way.

Thanks to Ye Fan joining the crew, the whole trip took less time than expected. By the time they reached the Red Line, the sun was shining bright, not a cloud in sight.

“Heads up, everyone! We’re about to reach Reverse Mountain!”

“Hey, is that a mountain up ahead? We’re not going to crash right into it, are we?”

Usopp stood in the crow’s nest, staring at the looming Red Line as sweat trickled down his face.

He’d rather not die before the adventure even started. What a shame it would be to end up splattered on a mountain before ever seeing what the Grand Line was all about.

“I doubt it. The old man said there’s a way through the Red Line that leads straight to the Grand Line.”

“But the currents are crazy rough. One wrong step and the whole ship might go down.”

Sanji, scarf wrapped around his neck, leaned against the door leading below deck and shot Usopp a wicked grin, clearly having fun scaring him.

Everyone knew Usopp was a coward and loved pushing his limits just to toughen him up.

“I… uh… suddenly… I, uh… I think I came down with a disease that means—means I can’t climb mountains.”

Usopp stammered for ages before finally blurting out his half-baked excuse.

That massive Red Line looked way too much like the foot of some giant mountain, so naturally, the first thing that came to mind was climbing sickness.

“Ahahaha! That’s hilarious!”

“Grand Line, here I come!”

Luffy was absolutely fearless, bursting into laughter without a care in the world.

“Johnny, Yosaku, get the sails down! The wind’s picking up ahead!”

“Bang!”

No sooner had Nami spoken than the ship was hammered by a fierce gale.

From below deck came the sound of crates crashing. Johnny and Yosaku scrambled up the mast without hesitation and hauled the sails up in a hurry.

Nami carefully read the direction the storm was blowing, then jumped to the helm and shouted directions to Gin. The whole ship started rocking hard, so everyone scrambled to grab hold of something.

But Usopp took the cake—he’d tied a rope around his waist, but when he slipped from the crow’s nest, he ended up swinging through the air, screaming, “Aaaahhh!”

A few minutes later things calmed down again. The sea went back to being smooth, but Johnny, Gin and the others were drenched in sweat from the struggle.

“Look! Upstream!”

Dangling in the air did have one perk—Usopp was the first to spot the thin gap ahead where a river actually flowed upwards.

“Whoa, so that’s the legendary current up to the Grand Line?”

“Hehehe!”

Luffy grinned, tugged at his hat, and looked where Usopp was pointing.

Reverse Mountain had five river channels crossing over it in an X shape.

Four of them connected to the four seas—East, West, South, and North. The last one shot straight into the Grand Line.

This soaring upward current was one of the wonders of the pirate world. Four mighty rivers met here, merged and, thanks to natural suction, pulled the water up the mountain—an amazing spectacle.

Sanji saw what was coming and headed below deck at once.

“Big bro, can you believe we’re actually going to the Grand Line?”

Johnny and Yosaku had almost settled for lives as fishermen back in Cocoyasi Village. But Ye Fan gave them hope, and now they couldn’t resist chasing greater dreams.

“You should thank Ye Fan for that. If it weren’t for his mysterious trick, I’d never have let you two join us.”

Zoro nodded subtly toward Ye Fan as he spoke.

Ye Fan always slipped out that special clear water of his. It looked plain enough, but it was anything but ordinary.

He’d doctored it with something extra. After all this time drinking it, Zoro and the others were well aware, but everyone kept quiet about it, like sharing a silent secret.

“So you’ll get it soon enough—strength on its own won’t cut it forever.”

Ye Fan spoke in riddles, eyes set on the great rising current ahead.

Zoro frowned at Ye Fan’s words, as if he’d just been warned of some looming danger.

Could it be that everyone in the New World was just that much stronger?

“Didn’t think I’d be heading into the Grand Line again.”

That was Gin speaking—he’d sailed there once before with the Krieg Pirates.

But back then, they’d barely set foot in the Grand Line before Hawk Eyes wiped them out with a single slash. The fleet was wrecked, and now Gin figured he was probably the only one left.

This time, stepping into the Grand Line again, he was determined to find out what gave rise to such terrifying legends.

“It’s enormous!”

As the ship drew closer, an impossibly tall wall loomed before them, so high its top vanished into the clouds. The upper half was lost in mist, standing in their path like a giant.

Moments later, they reached the mouth of the upward current, staring as a river really did flow skyward. Luffy perched on the figurehead, laughing wide and loud.

“This is awesome, right? Hahahaha!”

Clutching his hat, Luffy swung his right arm forward and shouted, “Let’s go!”

With Johnny, Yosaku and Gin handling things, no one on the Merry had time to panic.

In a blink, they reached the end of the rising stream, and the next thing they knew, the Merry shot straight up to the sky.

The river moved even faster than they’d thought. The Merry pierced the clouds in a flash, hovered for a couple seconds, then began to drift down.

But Ye Fan, expecting trouble, quietly used his elemental powers to keep the ship safe—guiding the Merry straight onto the river that would lead them into the Grand Line.

“A living ship?”

As he steered, Ye Fan suddenly sensed the ship had gained a faint spark of life. Its spirit was still weak, not yet ready to reveal itself.

A soft grin played on Ye Fan’s lips. “Grow strong, in your own time. This time, you won’t—”

Now that he’d joined the Straw Hat crew, Ye Fan was determined to stop certain regrets from ever taking root.

“If we’re heading into the Grand Line, let’s make a promise here and now.”

Sanji hauled a massive barrel onto the deck, turning heads and drawing everyone together.

“My dream is to find the All Blue. They say you can catch fish from the entire ocean there.”

Nami: “From here, I’ll start drawing my map—the chart of the world itself.”

Zoro: “I’ll become the world’s greatest swordsman, for myself and for the promise I made with my old friend.”

Johnny and Yosaku: “We just want to see what it’s like at the top of the world!”

Usopp: “I want to be the greatest warrior of the sea. Someday I’ll find my father and ask why he left my mother behind.”

Ye Fan: “I’ll be a hero who follows his heart, someone who brings the world back to what it should be!”

Luffy: “Hahahaha! Grand Line, here I come!”

“I’ll be King of the Pirates—no matter what!”

…