Reborn as Luffy The Pirate King's Return

With the fight against Smoker now behind them, the Straw Hat Pirates wasted no time in preparing to set sail. Luffy stood at the helm of the Going Merry, his straw hat tilted forward as he grinned. "Alright, everyone! Set sail! Our next stop is the Grand Line!"

Nami, ever the navigator, took charge, guiding the ship towards Reverse Mountain. The infamous entrance to the Grand Line loomed in the distance, a towering natural wonder with treacherous currents leading upward. The air buzzed with a mixture of excitement and apprehension.

Zoro, still recovering from his battle, leaned against the mast, his arms crossed. "Finally, we're heading into the real thing. This is where the adventure truly begins."

Sanji, lighting a cigarette, smirked. "Just don't go getting yourself killed before you can use that fancy Observation Haki of yours."

Nami sighed. "You two should focus on keeping the ship steady. The currents around Reverse Mountain are unpredictable. If we make a mistake, we'll be dashed against the rocks."

Luffy, hearing this, suddenly remembered something from one piece anime. He chuckled to himself. Laboon… We'll meet him soon.

As they neared the base of Reverse Mountain, the ocean currents suddenly became violent, pushing the Going Merry forward at an alarming speed. The ship lurched as waves crashed against its sides, sending salty spray over the deck.

"Whoa! This current is insane!" Usopp yelled, gripping the railing for dear life.

"Hold the rudder steady!" Nami shouted, bracing herself at the helm.

The Going Merry shot forward, accelerating up the mountain. The sheer force of the current was unlike anything they had experienced before. The ship tilted dangerously as it rode the rushing waters upwards.

Luffy stood at the prow, his arms crossed, completely unbothered. "This is awesome!"

"You're insane!" Usopp screamed. "We're all going to die!"

Sanji, gripping a rope, smirked. "This is nothing. We're the Straw Hat Pirates. We don't go down that easily."

As they reached the peak, the ship momentarily hovered in the air before plunging downwards on the other side. The crew let out collective shouts of excitement and terror as the Going Merry careened down the slope of the mountain, gaining speed rapidly.

Just as they stabilized, something massive loomed before them. A shadow eclipsed the light, casting a giant form over the ship. It was a whale—an enormous, mountain-sized whale, its body covered in scars.

"What the hell is that?!" Usopp shrieked.

"A whale?! That size?!" Sanji gasped, his cigarette nearly falling from his lips.

Zoro tensed, his hands instinctively reaching for his swords. "This isn't normal."

The whale's enormous eye locked onto them, its gaze deep and sorrowful. Before they could react, its mouth opened wide—an enormous cavern of darkness.

"Uh… Guys?" Nami stammered.

With a sudden lurch, the Going Merry was sucked into the whale's mouth. The crew barely had time to scream before they found themselves swallowed whole.

Darkness engulfed them. Everything went silent, except for the faint echo of water dripping.

Luffy, still standing at the front of the ship, dusted himself off. "Huh. That was unexpected."

The others groaned, slowly getting to their feet. Usopp clutched his head, groaning. "We got eaten! We actually got eaten! This is it, we're done for!"

Nami exhaled sharply. "Calm down. We need to find a way out."

Sanji lit another cigarette, looking around. "There's something weird about this place. It doesn't feel like we're inside a whale."

Zoro frowned. "Yeah… It's almost like there's an entire place in here."

As their eyes adjusted to the darkness, they realized that inside the whale's belly was a strange, enclosed space. It almost resembled a small sea, complete with wooden structures and even a cloudy sky above.

Luffy grinned. "Guess we should go say hi to our host."

The journey into the Grand Line had officially begun.