One Piece: The Archangel's Guide

Chapter 73: Twin Capes and Crocus

Sea Calendar 1513, Reverse Mountain.

The warship was once again swept into the channel by the ocean current, ascending Reverse Mountain at an incredible speed.

At the edge of the railing on the ship's island, a petite young girl with red and white hair gripped the rail, a nostalgic look in her eyes as she watched the red continent rapidly recede.

"We're back at Reverse Mountain..." Uta whispered.

Unlike the last few times, this time, they were officially entering the Grand Line and would no longer be sailing aimlessly through the Four Seas.

Creak...

The cabin door behind her was slowly pushed open. A tall figure with smooth, long white hair and oni horns walked out, coming to a stop directly behind Uta.

The more mature Yelena patted Uta's head and gently reminded her, "The wind and waves are so strong, and you're so petite. Be careful not to get thrown off!"

Uta turned her head and pouted at Yelena. "Is it possible that I'm a normal size for a human, and you guys are just too big?" Uta felt that her height of nearly 1.6 meters was not short among ordinary girls. But compared to Yelena, who was now over three meters tall, and Louis, who was much taller than Yelena, Uta was indeed very petite.

Uta looked up at Yelena's gentle, smiling face and grumbled, "The first time we met, you were already fifteen and over two meters tall. How come you're 20 now and still growing? And Louis too! He's only 15 now but he's so much taller than you, and it looks like he's still growing!"

To this, Yelena bent down and, with a grin, stroked Uta's two-toned hair, which was damp from the sea spray. "Although my mother wasn't outstanding in terms of strength, her height wasn't short either. And it seems I also have half-Oni blood. As for Louis, he has the blood of the Lunarian race. It's normal for the two of us to be taller than ordinary people."

"How is that normal..." Uta muttered under her breath.

As they talked, the warship, carried by the current, entered the confluence of the Four Seas. The surroundings gradually widened, and the crimson rock walls on either side were covered with the marks of rushing water.

Soon, the four ocean currents converged, forming an even larger current that pushed the warship down toward the Grand Line. An incalculable amount of seawater surged down a single channel, its speed and power far exceeding that of their ascent. The scenery receded faster and faster, and the oncoming sea wind and thick water mist made Uta subconsciously narrow her eyes.

"The mist is so thick..."

Yelena smiled and silently pulled Uta behind her, using her body to shield her from the wind and the mist.

Just then, a long, drawn-out roar came from directly in front of the warship, catching everyone's attention.

"Is that... an Island Whale?" Uta poked her head out from behind Yelena, her butterfly-shaped hair tie twitching slightly. She recalled the mountain-sized whales she had seen on the sea not long before leaving the West Blue.

"Probably..." Yelena was a little surprised. She remembered that three years ago, they had also heard such a roar. Louis had said it was the roar of a whale.

The cabin door on the main deck opened. A short-haired man in a black suit with a resolute face slowly walked out and looked into the distance. Daz Bonez looked at the massive figure at the exit of the channel, a question mark appearing above his head. "How did an Island Whale get to the Grand Line?" he muttered to himself.

"The whale is roaring. Are we almost at the Twin Capes?"

Louis walked out of the cabin and came to the bow of the warship, his gaze on the wide channel exit in the distance.

On the railing of the ship's island, Uta looked at Louis's back, a bright smile on her face. "Louis!"

She instantly transformed into her Siren form, swam down from the high railing, circled around Louis once, and then sat down on his shoulder.

Yelena was taken aback for a moment, then smiled helplessly. "You're probably the only one who would use a Devil Fruit ability just to sit on Louis's shoulder."

Louis and Daz Bonez were unfazed by Uta's behavior. Uta sat on Louis's shoulder, her pink fishtail draped over his chest, swaying gently. The next moment, she looked at the giant Island Whale growing larger and larger before her eyes and subconsciously exclaimed, "It looks like it's blocking our path?!"

"The warship can slow down on its own, so we don't have to worry about crashing. But I'm a little concerned about whether it will suddenly attack us." Daz Bonez stood with his arms crossed, his gaze devoid of emotion. "Should we kill it?" he said concisely.

On Louis's shoulder, Uta heard him and put a hand to her forehead in exasperation.

Louis sensed the not-so-weak Haki signature that overlapped with the Island Whale, Laboon, in his Observation Haki, and replied casually, "It will leave in a moment."

Soon, pushed by the current, the warship arrived at the entrance to the sea and finally passed by the Island Whale.

Yelena looked up at the huge scars that crisscrossed the whale's head, frowned slightly, and sighed. "This Island Whale has scars on its head too... It seems that even in different seas, Island Whales are always ramming into things." The Island Whales they had seen in the West Blue mostly had hideous scars on their heads.

Then, as if she'd remembered something, Uta patted Louis's chest with her pink fishtail and then reminded him in a low voice, "Louis, we need to get a Log Pose from the lighthouse keeper."

Louis looked up at the giant Island Whale and replied softly, "I know, but the lighthouse keeper is still in the whale's stomach."

"In its stomach?!" Uta's eyes widened.

Yelena was stunned for a second, then looked at the giant whale. "Was he eaten?"

As for Daz Bonez, he silently looked at the distant lighthouse and said in a low voice, "It seems we'll have to go into the lighthouse and find a Log Pose ourselves."

Just then, a hearty old man's voice sounded from above the warship. "It's not a good habit to enter someone's workplace without permission!"

Everyone looked up at the sound. A blurry figure was rapidly sliding down the skin of the Island Whale. When he was dozens of meters from the warship, he pushed off the whale's body, leaped up, and fell straight toward the deck.

Daz Bonez saw this and narrowed his eyes, one of his hands extending and transforming into a sharp blade. He raised the blade, preparing to slash at the falling figure. However, the next second, Louis reached out and pressed down on his blade-arm. Daz Bonez was taken aback, then abandoned his attack, allowing the person to land on the ship.

SWOOSH...

With a gust of wind, the old figure landed steadily on the deck. A man in a floral shirt and shorts, with a hairstyle resembling a crocus flower, appeared before them, one hand on his hip.

"My name is Crocus. I am the lighthouse keeper of the Twin Capes."

Behind the old man, the giant Island Whale's eyes showed a hint of fatigue as it slowly sank beneath the waves.

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