Chapter 196 (Patreon)

The Grand Line was a sea that people across the world admired, feared, and longed to see for themselves.

To those living in the four Blues, it was a legendary sea known as the Pirate Graveyard. Countless crews entered in search of wealth and glory, only to disappear without a trace.

Yet the pirates who survived the New World had another name for the first half of the Grand Line.

Paradise.

To them, everything before the New World was merely preparation for the real journey.

There were only two known ways to enter the Grand Line from one of the four Blues.

The first was Reverse Mountain. By following its unusual currents, a ship could sail up the Red Line before descending into the Grand Line.

The second was to cross one of the Calm Belts.

There was no wind in the Calm Belts, making ordinary sailing impossible. Worse, the waters were home to countless Sea Kings. The Marines possessed special technology that allowed their ships to cross safely, but anyone else would need overwhelming strength to survive.

For ordinary sailors, Reverse Mountain was the only realistic choice.

Beneath the Red Line, a three-masted sailing ship moved steadily across the sea.

Against the colossal red wall stretching into the clouds, the ship looked smaller than an insect.

Mihawk’s vessel was a medium-sized sailboat with an entirely ordinary appearance. Its new wooden hull had no Jolly Roger, merchant insignia, or painted markings. From a distance, it looked like a private ship purchased by a wealthy family for traveling.

Ships like this were also popular among rookie pirates who wanted to avoid attracting attention.

Perhaps they had simply been fortunate, but no pirates had attempted to rob them since they left Loguetown.

“Mihawk-kun.”

Hinata stood at the helm and glanced over her shoulder.

“I can see the entrance to Reverse Mountain.”

Mihawk sat across from Saeko on the deck, the two of them in the middle of sword meditation.

He slowly opened his eyes.

Saeko remained perfectly still. Her eyes were closed, her breathing was steady, and the approaching mountain had not broken her concentration.

Mihawk gave a faint nod of approval before answering Hinata.

“Take us straight in.”

“All right.”

Hinata looked toward Hanabi, who was resting against the railing.

“Hanabi, reef the sails.”

“Got it!”

Hanabi sprang to her feet and leaped into the rigging. She caught one of the ropes and pulled, quickly furling all three sails.

The moment she returned to the deck, Hinata activated the Tenseigan.

An immense gravitational force enveloped the entire ship. Like a pair of invisible hands, it lifted the vessel nearly ten meters above the sea and carried it toward Reverse Mountain.

A few minutes later, they arrived before a powerful current rushing straight up the Red Line.

Compared to the overwhelming size of the continent, the channel resembled little more than a crack in the enormous wall. It was wide enough for ships to pass through, but there was very little room for error.

One wrong turn could send a ship crashing into the stone walls. Combined with the force of the upward current, a collision would tear most vessels apart.

Countless ships and sailors had met their end there.

It was one of the many reasons every crew needed a capable navigator.

For a ship that could fly, however, the danger meant very little.

Hinata guided the sailboat above the current and into the channel. The ship rose higher and higher, following the rushing water toward the summit of the Red Line.

Mist formed by the spray soon surrounded the vessel.

Mihawk and Saeko ended their meditation and joined Hanabi at the railing. From their position high above the sea, they could look down upon the distant waters of East Blue.

“It’s beautiful...”

Saeko rarely showed such open amazement, but the sight before her left her unable to hide it.

“A current climbing a mountain... and a wall so large that it divides the entire world.”

She turned toward Mihawk.

“Thank you, Sensei.”

She was not only thanking him for saving her from her dying world.

Because of him, she had stepped beyond the boundaries of everything she once believed possible. She had seen shinobi, supernatural powers, another world, and now a sea unlike anything she could have imagined.

Mihawk understood what she meant.

A faint smile appeared on his face, but he said nothing.

Hanabi wrapped her arms around him from behind. She climbed onto his back and then settled comfortably on his shoulders, using his head for support as she looked down at the mist-covered sea.

“I should’ve brought a camera,” she said regretfully. “We could’ve taken so many pictures.”

“We still have plenty of time,” Mihawk replied. “There are far stranger and more colorful islands waiting for us. We’ll buy a camera along the way.”

“Mm-hm!”

Hanabi’s disappointment disappeared immediately.

The ship soon reached the summit of Reverse Mountain.

Four upward currents—one from each of the four Blues—converged at the top before forming a single channel that descended into the Grand Line.

Hinata turned the ship and guided it above the downward current.

The vessel began descending rapidly while still held safely in the air by her gravity.

Hanabi climbed down from Mihawk’s shoulders and returned to the railing with Saeko.

Mihawk walked over to Hinata at the helm. He slipped his arms around her waist from behind and rested his chin lightly on her shoulder.

“Hinata, can you see if anything is blocking the channel below?”

Hinata placed one hand over his.

“There’s nothing directly in our path,” she answered. “But I can sense an enormous creature beneath the water.”

“A Sea King?”

“No. It’s a whale... but it’s far larger than any whale I’ve ever seen. It’s hiding beneath the surface near the end of the channel.”

Mihawk immediately knew what she had found.

Laboon.

“All right. Once we reach the bottom, stop nearby,” he said. “We’ll wait for the Log Pose to finish recording the island’s magnetic field before choosing our route.”

“Okay...”

Hinata’s reply came out much softer than before.

Mihawk’s hands had begun wandering from their innocent position around her waist. His fingers teasingly traced her side, making her shoulders tense.

Hanabi and Saeko were standing only a short distance away.

Both appeared to be watching the view ahead, but the thought that either of them might turn around at any moment made Hinata’s face grow warmer.

It was already November in the shinobi world.

Mihawk and Hinata had first become lovers in every sense on Mihawk’s birthday, three months earlier. Even so, they had only found time to be alone together on a handful of occasions.

That was also why Hinata had been so embarrassed when she realized Saeko had heard them through the thin wall of the tent.

They had known each other for ten years, yet Hinata still had almost no resistance to this kind of teasing.

Mihawk found that side of her adorable.

Over the past few nights, he had repeatedly found excuses to pull her close whenever Saeko and Hanabi were nearby. He enjoyed watching Hinata struggle to remain calm while pretending nothing was happening.

Now, with their companions only a few steps away, he quietly began teasing her again.

Hinata kept both hands on the helm and stared straight ahead. Her flushed cheeks, however, gave her away completely.

“Hehe...”

A quiet giggle came from the railing.

Mihawk and Hinata failed to notice the veins rising around Hanabi’s eyes.

With her Byakugan active, turning her back to them had done nothing to block her vision.

Hanabi covered her mouth with one hand and watched the two of them with an amused smile.

Saeko glanced at her curiously.

“Did something happen?”

“Nope.”

Hanabi continued smiling.

“Nothing at all.”