The Cloudchaser drifted through the strange waters just beyond Reverse Mountain, its hull gliding over an eerily calm sea. They had made it—the Grand Line.
The winds here were bizarre—one moment screaming with force, the next falling completely still, as if the world itself held its breath. The air was thick, charged with unseen pressure that settled in their lungs. Above them, the clouds moved like living things, curling and twisting into unnatural shapes, reforming into new ones seconds later.
Selka leaned against the railing, catching her breath. Her coat clung to her, soaked from the long hours of tension, sweat, and seawater it had taken to climb and descend Reverse Mountain.
Rigg sat on a wooden crate, arms resting on his knees, still stunned. "We climbed a mountain... in a boat," he muttered, shaking his head like he still didn't believe it.
At the bow, Toma stood tall, the wind tugging at his soaked black shirt. His eyes were fixed ahead, watching the endless horizon of unfamiliar water. A grin crept across his face—tired, but victorious.
"We've entered the Grand Line," he said, his voice filled with awe and joy.
Meanwhile—far across the sea, in the heart of Marine Headquarters at New Marineford—the world had already begun to react.
In a dim, mahogany-paneled intelligence chamber, rows of brass-lined pneumatic tubes hissed as reports were delivered, sealed in crimson wax. One such document—stamped URGENT—slid into the calloused hands of a tall, lean officer seated beneath the imposing emblem of Justice.
Vice Admiral Jerian, infamous for his icy gaze and ruthless efficiency, unrolled the report. His face remained unreadable as his eyes scanned the page.
First Incident: Shells Town Escape
Reporting Officer: Lieutenant Hume (Injured in combat)
Summary: Pirate crew infiltrated Shells Town. Primary suspect: male, approx. 18 years old, wields iron staff. Engaged Marine forces directly, used both Observation and Armament Haki.
Details: Helped prisoner scheduled for execution escape. Incited crowd against Navy orders by unknown means. Caused mass panic. Injured several soldiers.
Second Incident: Unauthorized Entry into Grand Line
Reporting Officer: Lieutenant Vale
Summary: Suspect engaged Marine patrol. Use of Observation and Armament Haki confirmed. Injured multiple officers in brief skirmish. Escaped through illegal Reverse Mountain passage.
Additional Note: Suspect defeated known bounty target "Blue Shark Brute" prior to Shells Town appearance.
Name Recovered: Arman D. Toma
Jerian set the paper down and looked toward the shadowed corners of the room where the Bounty Commission was already gathering.
The chamber quieted.
The Vice Admiral rose and walked to the massive board where active bounties were tracked. Most of the names were irrelevant—petty criminals, smugglers, or pirates already lost to the sea.
But this... this was something different.
He pulled down a fresh bounty slip, marked with the official World Government seal.
"Begin bounty issuance protocol," he said calmly. "Level Four Clearance."
An officer blinked. "Sir? For just one small crew?"
Jerian's cold eyes narrowed.
"There are three," he muttered. "One confirmed Haki user. One with escape and mechanical expertise. And one—a girl named Selka—fought with professional-level rope-dart techniques."
He tossed the report onto the center table.
"They escaped two Marine officers and caused panic in a fortified Navy town. They're not 'small.' They're a storm forming on the horizon."
He turned his back to them, eyes locked on the map of the Grand Line.
"This is a message. And the world will reply."
Days passed on the Cloudchaser.
The sails caught erratic winds that shifted without warning, and the sea beneath them rolled in strange patterns—like currents pulling from every direction at once. No birds flew overhead. No stars stayed in place. It was unlike any ocean they'd known before.
Selka lay flat on the deck beside Rigg, her arms stretched out, hair matted to her forehead with sweat. "Are we lost somewhere in this ocean?" she groaned, her voice muffled by exhaustion.
Rigg didn't answer—he just gave a tired sigh in agreement.
Toma stood behind the ship's wheel, smiling. "Just stand up and look ahead," he called back to them. "Trust me."
Selka squinted, sitting up slowly and rubbing her eyes.
On the horizon, something loomed.
A crescent-shaped island rose from the sea, jagged rock spires lining its curved rim like fangs. Mist clung to the peaks, and a cluster of strange stone arches extended from the coast into the sea, like skeletal ribs.
"It looks like... a crescent island," Selka said slowly, rising to her feet. "Those spikes… they look like mountain peaks carved into the edge."
"What is that?" Rigg asked, standing now beside her.
Toma grinned, gripping the wheel. "Whiskey Peak."
Rigg blinked. "What?"
"It's the name of the island in front of us," Toma replied, pointing toward the distant land. "The first island of the Grand Line."
As they approached, the island slowly revealed more: a winding port town built on the inner slope of the crescent, quiet and surprisingly peaceful… at least from afar.