Chapter 33: Calm Belt and Sea Kings
"Nami, this is bad! The light went out!" Luffy suddenly yelled in terror, pointing ahead.
"It's a lighthouse, Luffy. If the light goes out, that's usually bad news!" Nami replied, checking the map frantically.
"Don't worry, I've already memorized the direction. That's a navigator's job, after all. Still, it's a bit troubling if we keep going blind like this..."
She and Luffy returned to the cabin and shared their concerns with the rest of the crew.
"The map is correct," Apollo said as he dried her wet hair with a towel. "The entrance to the Grand Line is a mountain. Simply put, due to colliding currents from the four seas, the water is forced up a canal on Reverse Mountain and then flows down into the Grand Line. We just need to enter that canal, and we'll naturally flow upstream."
"So that's it!" Nami nodded gravely. "But there's a problem. In such turbulent currents, if we can't accurately enter the canal, the ship will crash hard into the Red Line. The only result will be a shipwreck and death!"
Apollo smiled confidently. "Don't worry. With me here, even if the ship is destroyed, you'll be fine!"
Nami was speechless. "That's not the point, okay? We need the ship!"
Luffy rubbed his chin and suddenly realized, "So, it's a mystery mountain, right?"
Usopp, who was peering out the porthole, suddenly shouted, "Hey! What's going on? The storm... it just stopped!"
Everyone walked out of the cabin in surprise, only to find that outside, the sky had turned a clear, serene blue dotted with white clouds. The sea was as flat as a mirror.
Behind the ship, the thick wall of dark storm clouds was still visible in the distance.
It wasn't that the storm had stopped; it was that they had left the storm's range entirely.
Nami's expression changed drastically. "Oh no! We've entered the Calm Belt!"
Apollo also slapped his forehead.
It seemed there was indeed such a plot point. Before entering the Grand Line, they accidentally sailed into the Calm Belt. Although they were startled, they ultimately escaped without incident in the original story.
The Calm Belt was known as a nest of giant Sea Kings.
Sea Kings were not ordinary sea beasts. They could be thousands of meters long, or even larger, and their enormous bodies possessed invincible power.
Even more terrifying was that they possessed intelligence not inferior to humans.
It was fortunate that most Sea Kings resided in the Calm Belt; otherwise, the Age of Pirates—and human civilization itself—might have ended long ago.
Apollo's thoughts began to wander.
The Sea Kings have a king, and that is the Mermaid Princess of Fish-Man Island.
Considering the number and power of the Sea Kings, the Mermaid Princess who can command them indeed possesses world-destroying power—the Ancient Weapon, Poseidon.
However, she is only one of the three Ancient Weapons; there are two others that can rival her.
Pluton and Uranus.
What kind of power must they possess? If I have the chance, I really want to witness them.
Apollo's contemplation was broken by a scream, and then he felt a familiar body throwing itself into his arms.
Embracing Nami's slender and soft waist, he looked up.
It was dark.
No.
The sunlight was blocked by something.
This thing was so massive that he couldn't see its end at a glance; Apollo only saw its full form with his divine sense.
It was a creature shaped like a colossal sea serpent. Most of its body was submerged, but the visible portion alone was over a thousand meters high.
One of its eyes was larger than the entire Going Merry.
Around it, several other monsters of similar size rose from the depths.
They had completely surrounded the tiny ship.
Sea Kings! The Nest of Giants!
Seeing such enormous creatures up close for the first time, Apollo was momentarily stunned. The visual impact was truly overwhelming.
Nami clung to him, her voice tearful. "Apollo, we're finished!"
Usopp was so scared he rolled his eyes back, his face pressed to the deck, his butt in the air as he played dead.
Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji—the Monster Trio—also had their mouths wide open, their faces filled with shock.
Unlike in the original story where they drifted by unnoticed, they had been targeted by the Sea Kings! Their escape route was completely blocked.
"Don't be afraid." Apollo patted Nami's back, his expression relaxing.
If it came to a fight, he didn't think he would necessarily lose. At the very least, he could definitely escape, and taking Nami and the others with him wouldn't be a problem.
However, he didn't intend to fight right now.
Because he didn't feel any malice from these Sea Kings—only a faint curiosity. He hadn't forgotten that high-level Sea Kings possessed intelligence and could communicate.
Apollo shouted loudly, "Hello everyone!"
"..."
There was no vocal response, just the sound of dripping water from their massive bodies.
He thought for a moment, then projected his Divine Sense to touch their minds, conveying the thought of "Hello."
The surrounding Sea Kings clearly became agitated. They made low rumbling sounds and shifted their bodies.
With just a slight movement, they stirred up terrifying giant waves, almost capsizing the Merry.
The Sea Kings quickly noticed this distress and immediately stopped moving, freezing in place.
The serpentine Sea King lowered its massive head, and a thought entered Apollo's mind through his divine sense.
'Hello... human...' Its voice echoed in his mind, filled with surprise. 'It is incredible. This is the first time I have encountered a human who can speak to us directly.'
'I'm also very surprised,' Apollo replied mentally.
Divine sense had more potential than he had imagined. If he could communicate with Sea Kings, could he also communicate with other creatures? If so, that would truly be a heaven-sent surprise. Especially for a certain idea he had for the future, it would be of immense help.
Subsequently, Apollo had a serious conversation with several Sea Kings, even trying to fish for some secrets from them.
For example: What exactly does the Will of D represent? What happened during the Void Century? Why do most Sea Kings reside in the Calm Belt? Where did the three Ancient Weapons originate from?
These were the ultimate secrets of the One Piece world, and he was very interested.
Unfortunately, whether they genuinely didn't know or had reservations, the Sea Kings were vague about these questions.
Realizing that there would be no immediate gains, Apollo bid them farewell.
'We unintentionally trespassed into your territory. Now, it is time for us to depart.'
'Human...' A hint of hesitation appeared in the serpentine Sea King's massive eyes.
'Hmm? Is there something else?' Apollo asked.
If given the chance, he wouldn't mind doing a few favors. Many secrets were surely hidden among their kind. Besides transcending the world, knowledge was what interested him most.
The serpentine Sea King looked at him deeply. 'We will inform the other Kings about you. You are welcome to visit the Calm Belt anytime in the future.'
Splash.
The Sea Kings slowly sank back into the depths of the sea.
After they moved aside, creating a path, Luffy and the others—who had snapped out of their shock—desperately grabbed the oars and rowed, paddling out of the Calm Belt at record speed.
Later.
The group lay on the deck, panting heavily, their faces filled with lingering fear.
Luffy stuck out his tongue. "That was close! We almost got eaten!"
Sanji leaned against the mast, lit a cigarette with shaking hands, and wondered, "But why did those Sea Kings just watch for a while and not attack? They just... left."
"Apollo, were you communicating with them just now?" Nami asked softly.
Others might not have noticed, but she had been lying in his arms and naturally sensed the shift in his aura.
Apollo didn't hide it and said frankly, "That's right. Those Sea Kings didn't have any ill intentions. In fact, they looked at us the way we look at ants—too small to even bother eating. I have a special ability to communicate with them mentally. After talking to them, they agreed to let us go."
"Shishishi! Thanks to Apollo!" Luffy jumped onto his "special seat" atop the figurehead, instantly forgetting the danger.
The others also calmed down and focused on their current voyage.
No one fully realized the profound significance of this ability—to command or commune with Sea Kings was a power that could change the world.
But for the Straw Hat Pirates at this moment, successfully entering the Grand Line was more important.
After sailing for a short while longer, a towering red mountain wall appeared before everyone, piercing the clouds.
"We're here!"
"It's the Red Line!"
"It's huge!"
The nearby currents grew increasingly turbulent, and controlling the ship's direction became extremely difficult.
"Keep going forward! The canal is right ahead!"
"I see the canal! The ocean is really climbing the mountain!"
"Hold the rudder steady! If we crash now, it's all over!"
"..."
With everyone working together, the Going Merry finally entered the canal smoothly and began to ascend rapidly toward the summit of Reverse Mountain.
The Grand Line was within reach!
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