The Grand Line.
A vast, continuous sea that circles the globe, splitting the world's oceans into four, together with the Red Line.
With its bizarre climates and violent, erratic weather, it teems with Sea Beasts and Sea Kings. Some call it the "Pirate Graveyard," others praise it as a "Pirate Paradise."
In this sea where common sense is meaningless and the phrase "nothing is impossible" feels almost literal, the absurd becomes so commonplace it might as well be ordinary.
For example—like this:
"I'm telling you, I'm not lying! I really saw it! You've gotta believe me!"
"Give it a rest already! Even for the Grand Line, that's ridiculous! You probably hit the booze too hard and started seeing things."
"Yeah! What the hell is a 'flying ship,' anyway…?"
On the deck of a certain pirate ship, a panicked man was arguing loudly with his crewmates.
Annoyed by the noise, the captain strode over and growled, "What's all this racket?"
"Ah, Captain! Sorry for the noise… This guy keeps going on about seeing something weird."
"Weird? What kind of weird?"
"He says he saw a ship with wings flying through the sky…"
"I–It's true, Captain! I wasn't drunk on watch! Please, you have to believe me!"
"A ship with wings, huh…?"
Hearing that, the captain swept his gaze across the horizon—but of course, there was no trace of anything like that.
He clicked his tongue, siding with the others. Either his man was still half-drunk, or he'd simply misidentified something.
"I don't think you're lying, but… you must've mistaken it for something else. Maybe some giant bird carrying a little boat? Or a bird shaped like a ship?"
"Gya ha ha ha! Captain, birds like that existing is scarier than what he said he saw!"
"Well, that's probably what it was. If you're sober, get back to your post. Your shift doesn't change for hours."
"Y–Yes, sir…"
The man still looked unconvinced, but the so-called "winged ship" had already vanished. There was no way to prove what he'd seen. Forcing himself to accept it as a mistake, he trudged back to work.
Far ahead of that pirate ship, high above the clouds, an entirely different scene was unfolding.
"Sister?! Sister Sue?! You were totally sleeping just now, weren't you?!"
"Ugh… no, no, I wasn't asleep. I'm fine. I'm fine."
"That's exactly what everyone who's been sleeping says…"
"Come on, get it together! You're the one making this ship fly, Sister Sue! If you nod off, we crash! We'll all end up upside down as seaweed at the bottom of the ocean!"
"You girls are fish-men, you can just swim away! But me? I'm an Ability User, I'd die instantly! Same for you, Lady Sue! Seriously, you'll die if you don't wake up! Want a pick-me-up drink or something?"
"Ugh, that stuff tastes awful. I'll pass."
"Then perhaps we should land somewhere and rest properly. A good nap would be safer than pushing on like this."
"Let's do it! Lord Tesoro and the others won't mind us being a little late if we leave them a message via Den Den Mushi, right?"
"I agree. Safety first!"
"Ah… fine, let's do that. Ruby, check the charts for a nearby island we can use. Sapphire, grab the Den Den Mushi—and the White Den Den Mushi too, so they can't tap the line. Emerald, adjust the schedule. And Honey… well, nothing in particular for you right now."
"Huh? Nothing for me?"
High above the sea, a ship was soaring through the sky—just as that pirate had insisted.
Three pairs of paper wings, six in total, unfurled from the ship's midsection, stretching out to either side.
The vessel glided through the heavens, catching the wind to stay aloft and beating its wings for thrust, dancing across the endless blue with easy grace.
Inside the ship, five girls and young women chatted and laughed.
Three of them were still quite young, maybe in their mid-teens—apparently fish-men. Their tanned, sun-kissed skin and bright, easy smiles gave them a lively, healthy charm.
Another woman, human, looked older than the fish-girls. Loose, wavy blonde hair framed a face with a mature, sultry grace—very different from the others' straightforward youthfulness.
The last member of the group, the one the others called "Sister" or "Lady," had soft, platinum-blonde hair so pale it was almost white.
She could have passed for a girl at first glance, but in truth she was the eldest of them all.
And she was the one effectively in charge of the vessel—the "captain," so to speak. As their conversation earlier made clear, it was her power that kept the ship flying.
"Sister Sue, there's an island called Banaro Island nearby. It doesn't look like it has any big tourist spots or anything… but it should be fine for a quiet rest, right?"
"Mmm… then let's head there. If we come down from the sky, we'll cause an uproar, so we should land a little offshore and approach by sea instead… yawn."
"Hang in there, Sister! Oh, but if we're going by sea, we can handle the sailing ourselves. The wind's good today, and if it dies down, Honey can always turn the waterwheel."
"Seriously? Then… can I take a nap until we get there? I'm honestly so tired I might actually crash."
"So you were sleepy after all…"
"That's what happens when you stay up three days in a row writing, you know? You always go completely overboard with your novels."
"And that stupid bird keeps hyping you up over the phone, too! Curse that Morgans…"
"Honey, where's the hammock?"
"Right here, darling."
Still trading easy banter, they gradually lowered the flying ship toward the ocean and set it down gently on the waves.
From there, the three fish-girls took over at the helm, steering the vessel over the sea, while the woman who'd been carrying them through the sky on paper wings moments ago flopped into the hammock and started snoring softly.
Her name was Venerdi Toto Sue—the "Pirate Literary Master."
Despite having a 76 million Berry bounty on her head, this eccentric pirate, who fought with her right hand and wrote with her pen, was beloved across the world for her books.
She had just returned to the Grand Line after nearly eight years spent wandering the Four Blues, visiting countless islands scattered across the seas.
---
"Back in the Grand Line after so long…" Well, that's not quite true.
I did travel the Four Blues, but I still slipped back here now and then to take care of things.
Each time, I wrapped it up quickly and headed back out, but still… the last time I stayed properly in the Grand Line was, what, six months ago?
Ah, no, wait—there was that stretch when I basically took a year-long break from traveling and holed up here. I had my reasons… complicated ones. Again.
…Yeah, I should probably stop overthinking it.
My whole life has been about wandering freely, collecting experiences, and turning them into stories. No point getting hung up on the details now.
For the past eight years, I've been looping through the four seas—the South Blue, West Blue, North Blue, and East Blue—visiting island after island, country after country, ancient ruins and the remnants of kingdoms long since wiped away.
Some islands offered nothing noteworthy, nothing worth calling an "experience." Others gave me rare opportunities—things you can't easily find, even on the Grand Line.
In the South Blue, there were islands where karate was deeply rooted, and others choked under corrupt nobles. I got dragged into more than my fair share of messes there, but it ended up being a good warm-up for life on the road.
The West Blue, known as the Mafia Sea, certainly lived up to the name. Mafia families and gangs ran wild, making it a lawless sea behind a thin, polished facade. Even member nations of the World Government were a hotbed of back-room deals and shady trades.
The North Blue was a sea of extremes—huge gaps between rich and poor, between nations with solid law enforcement and those riddled with crime.
I even stood among the ruins of Flevance, the "White City" that disease and war erased. That country was one of the World Government's victims too, wasn't it?
And the East Blue… I'd say it was the most peaceful of the four. The pirates and Marines there were both relatively weak.
But it was also the busiest sea of them all, in its own way. I won't get into that.
I met people and parted from them. Fought enemies and made friends and allies.
The four girls on this ship… well, "companions" fits better than "crew," I guess.
If anything, they're more like caretakers, or attendants. Something along those lines.
Still, they've helped me a lot, and I really enjoy being around them. So sure, I don't mind calling them comrades.
Even so, at heart I'm a drifter who likes to travel alone. Once we get back to base, I plan to go solo for a while and do whatever I want.
I also need to sit down and have a proper talk with Papa.
Alright, first things first: we'll stop and rest on a nearby island—then after that, we head for our destination, Gran Tesoro.
I wonder how Tesoro, Stella, and Hancock are doing.
To be continued...
Author's Note (破戒僧):
Time has flown by in the blink of an eye… and with that, we've skipped ahead and are now starting the story eight years later.
As for what happened during those eight years—what events took place, what kind of episodes there were, who she met—I'm planning to write about all that later when the opportunity arises.
Or maybe I'll just add things in retroactively whenever I come up with ideas… it's easier for me to write that way.
We've already had all sorts of things pop up—mysteries, little bits that feel like foreshadowing, keyword-like hints, and so on…
Also, there are about four characters who suddenly appeared out of nowhere in the story, but I'm planning to write about who they are next time. Probably tomorrow or the day after… maybe.
They're technically not original characters, but since they're (probably) not very well known, they might end up being treated as almost like OCs… maybe?
Well, anyway, I'll keep on writing from here.
I hope you'll continue to support this clumsy little work of mine. This was Hakaisō.