Chapter 165: Arriving at Sabaody
A few seagulls flew across the azure sky. The sea's surface shimmered, sparkling with golden light.
The sun was warm. A small ship sailed smoothly on the vast blue, stirring up ripples that spread out to both sides.
After leaving the floating islands, the Merry had been sailing according to the Log Pose for several days.
On the stern deck, Reiner and Zoro were training as usual. Beside them was a half-dead Usopp, gritting his teeth and persevering.
Ding! Ding!
A hammer rhythmically struck a nail, producing a crisp sound.
Franky's thick arms moved with meticulous precision, as if he were caring for a baby, afraid of even the slightest deviation.
Only after fitting a wooden plank perfectly did he let out a long sigh of relief, raised his hand to wipe the sweat from his forehead, and took out a cola from his stomach.
"And that's the stern done."
Franky grinned, unscrewed the bottle cap, threw it into the sea, tilted his head back, and took a swig. Only then did he turn back and say, "The Serpent Current this morning was too fierce. Nami's navigating skills are super amazing!"
As expected of the super ship-tyrant who can punch the captain and kick the ace. Of course, he couldn't say that part out loud.
Nami sat on a lounge chair, leisurely reading the newspaper. Hearing his compliment, she smiled smugly, waved her hand, and said politely, "Oh, not at all. It was all thanks to everyone's good cooperation."
"...1,999... 2,000! Done!"
Bang!!
A giant barbell landed heavily on the ground. Reiner stepped over it, pulled the towel from his neck, and began to wipe his sweat.
His bare upper body revealed sturdy muscles arranged like forged steel, and a few scars scattered across them gave him an even more violent and powerful look.
He took the blue shirt handed to him by a fair, jade-like hand and put it on, buttoning it up one by one.
Looking at the fabric stretched taut by his muscles, he moved around a bit. The feeling of constraint made him a little annoyed.
"I need to get bigger clothes. Let's find a tailor shop to get some custom-made after we land."
Reiner sat down casually on the deck with his legs crossed and held out his hand to the side. "Franky, give me a bottle of iced cola."
"No problem, catch," Franky called out, taking a bottle of cola from his stomach and tossing it over.
Unscrewing the cap and casually tossing it into the sea, the ill-mannered him tilted his head back and took a big gulp.
A cool, refreshing sensation spread from the inside out, instantly sweeping through his entire body to his limbs, fingertips, and even every pore.
"So refreshing!"
Slap!
Nami rolled up her newspaper and swatted him on the back of the head, her hand on her hip as she said sternly, "You can't drink ice-cold things immediately after strenuous exercise! And don't litter!"
(This is a bad example, please do not imitate.)
"I have sinned. Let me go to hell after I die," Reiner nodded with a straight face, then took another gulp of ice-cold cola.
"Hey, Nami! Come look! Have we arrived?"
Just then, Luffy's shout came from the front.
Hearing the voice, Nami cleared the table and walked towards the bow.
Bang!
"Great! Let's just stop here for today."
Usopp put down his barbell with a sigh of relief, his whole body collapsing onto the ground, panting heavily.
Then he felt a sharp gaze fall upon him, and a chill ran down his back.
"Haven't you only done half? Eager to go play, are you?"
Zoro kicked him in the butt and ordered sternly, "Get up for me. You're not allowed to go ashore until you've finished two thousand weighted squats."
"Wuwuwu~, I know," Usopp shed two lines of remorseful tears.
If I had known, I wouldn't have played with them! Both of them are monsters, monsters!!
"Keep it up, Usopp! A real man must persevere to the end! It just so happens I still need to repair the ship's hull. I'll go ashore with you after you finish your training," Franky said, patting his shoulder encouragingly.
Then he packed up his repair tools and walked into the cabin with Reiner.
On the central lawn deck of the Merry, several people looked up with various expressions. A giant wall blocked their way.
The Red Line stretched across the sea, extending endlessly to the left and right, and soaring high into the clouds above!
Standing at the foot of the mountain and looking up at this magnificent peak, one couldn't help but feel their own smallness and powerlessness.
"It's so high. I can't see the end of it," Brook said, looking up blankly at the familiar crimson continent.
"Reaching here means we've finished half of the Grand Line. The Sabaody Archipelago should be nearby. Let me check," Nami said, taking out the sea chart she had found on Shiki's island.
Closing one eye, she carefully aimed at the angle of the Log Pose on her wrist. "Emmm, we should go a little further east."
"East, huh? Turning now," Reiner said, turning his head to look. Soon, the Merry slowly changed its direction.
The undead falcon was also sent out to scout.
The group was filled with excitement. Among them, only Chopper was seeing the Red Line for the first time and was incredibly excited about it.
"Luffy, Luffy! Did you guys climb over such a big mountain to get into the Grand Line before?" Chopper asked, jumping onto his head.
"Hee hee hee, it was super exciting, Chopper! There was a river that big, and it flowed upwards!"
"—So cool!"
Luffy spread his hands to show the size, and Chopper's jaw dropped as he looked at him with adoration.
Before long, they could see the silhouette of the Sabaody Archipelago. As the ship slowly sailed closer, its entire appearance came into clear view.
Luffy couldn't wait and rushed to the ship's rail, jumping onto it and squatting down to look. Reiner and the others followed and gathered around.
As far as the eye could see, the entire island was a stretch of lush green. Countless giant tree trunks stood straight and tall, with vertical stripes and numbered markings.
Below were numerous thick, gnarled tree roots, almost every one as thick as the Merry.
A large number of town buildings were built around the tree trunks, directly on the roots.
Transparent bubbles continuously rose from the grassy ground, slowly floating up into the sky, refracting a kaleidoscope of colors as sunlight passed through them.
"...So beautiful," Nami stared blankly at the incredible sight before her.
"The ground is really blowing bubbles!"
"How magical!"
"This is an island made of the roots of the Yarukiman Mangrove. Its respiration causes the secreted resin to expand and form bubbles."
Reiner explained simply, then smiled faintly and said mysteriously, "There's a whole bubble culture here. You'll all find out later."
Luffy and Chopper's eyes were shining. They clearly couldn't wait to dock.
He then took out a map he had prepared long ago, which simply showed the layout of the entire island's areas. He pointed to a nearby tree with the number '30' painted on it.
"Each tree has a number. Thirty to forty-nine are the shopping streets and amusement park. We can dock near there."
Near the tree Reiner pointed to, a few scattered pirate ships were anchored. In the outer sea, many small boats were also floating, looking like sea vendors.
Luffy shouted excitedly, "I want to go to the amusement park!"
"Me too, me too!" Chopper immediately jumped up in agreement.
Reiner had his own plans. "I'll go find a currency exchange to change the treasure first, and also look for information on a coating mechanic."
The group quickly decided on their individual goals, but they would still walk together after just landing, since they were all waiting for Reiner to distribute the money.
The Merry slowly sailed towards the shore. As they passed a group of sea vendors formed by small boats, the aroma of various delicacies wafted over to the ship.
"Smells so good."
Luffy's body followed his nose, and his nose followed the aroma. As if his soul had been hooked, he walked to the ship's rail. Looking down, he saw a small food stall boat.
"Takoyaki Hachi?"
Looking at the sign, Luffy grinned, jumped down by himself, and landed on the deck of the small boat.
A green-haired girl in a long dress was just coming out of the cabin to stand behind the counter.
Luffy raised his hand and waved with a smile, "Hello! I'd like one order of takoyaki!"
(End of chapter)
♧♧♧
-> SUPPORT ME WITH POWER STONE
-> FOR EVERY 200 PS = BOUNS CHAPTER
♧♧♧
-> 20 Advanced chapters Now Available on Patreon!!
-> https://www.patreon.com/c/Segais
(Just remove the hyphen to access patreon normally)
If you like this novel please consider leaving a review that's help the story a lot Thank you