Sanji turned toward the woods with a lecherous grin. He didn't know she could hide things there... he scolded himself, shaking his head. He shouldn't be thinking about such things right now; he had a job to do. He turned and began to follow the orange-haired girl as she headed into the forest.
As his eyes gazed at the geographical feature in the distance, the chef tried to suppress the small, lascivious smile that played on his lips, but he couldn't. That mountain held the key to his destiny...
Zoro snapped out of his thoughts as he passed by a row of trees.
He'd been walking for quite a while and still hadn't reached the mountain. It must be farther than he thought. The swordsman looked around and found himself at the edge of a small cliff. How strange. The ocean was supposed to be behind him and the mountain right in front of him... He sighed, looked down, and found himself facing a smooth rock face that stretched all the way to the water. Zoro turned his head to the left and smiled wryly at the view of the mountain's back. He knew he was going in the right direction.
However, it was strange: the back of the mountain was a sheer cliff of rock, similar to the one that rose above it. In fact, turning his head to examine the other side, he couldn't help but think that the entire back of the island looked flat. As if some superior being had sliced off the opposite side and plunged it into the ocean. It was a bizarre sight, to say the least.
Just as the verdet moved away from the cliff and headed toward the mountain, he began to feel a slight vibration beneath his feet and looked down again. He searched for the source of the tremors and almost lost it. Part of him wasn't even sure he could see anything.
If his eyes didn't deceive him, there was a ship in the distance, and it seemed to be sailing directly toward the island. He watched the vessel approach, barely visible, and gasped as it disappeared. Had it really crashed into the rock?... That was suicide! An idea crossed his mind, and he looked toward the mountain, trying to estimate the distance from the summit.
It seemed right… Zoro wasn't entirely sure, but he believed the distances matched up. If he was right, the mountaintop would be directly in line with where the ship had disappeared… He sighed to himself. There was only one way to find out. Well… the only one he could think of right now. He made sure Wado and Kitetsu were securely tied down before backing away a good distance and taking a deep breath to calm himself. With his mind focused, the green warrior wasted no time, running forward and launching himself off the cliff with a shout.
It's time for another swim.
"What a view!" Luffy shouted, reaching the mountain's summit. It was colder up there; frost coated the rock around him. The peak looked more like a volcano than the boy had initially thought. Maybe it was a volcano after all! In the middle of the summit was a large, empty crater. Well, almost empty. Right in the center was a small cluster of rocks... How strange...
The boy with the straw hat pushed himself away from his curiosity and turned back to the ring of the peak where he stood. He wanted to see the ocean from up there! Luffy slowly circled the crater until he sat down on the opposite side from where he had climbed. He looked up the mountainside and was surprised, not by the water, but by the empty space before him. He took a step back, his eyes wide. It wasn't exactly what he had expected. He shook his head and gazed out at the sea as he sat down to rest for a while before exploring the crater.
He was so glad he'd decided to go to sea a little earlier. He'd met so many wonderful people. All the adventures he'd had were already flooding back to him, and he smiled up at the sky, closing his eyes and leaning back on the rock. He couldn't wait to be a pirate! If only sailing the East Blue were that much fun... His skin tingled with excitement just thinking about it!
The boy stood up abruptly and bid farewell to the beautiful view, turning toward the rocks in the center of the area behind him. There was something strange about them, and he wanted to see what it was. Luffy slid down the crater's slope, dirt and rocks trailing behind him, and stopped when he touched the bottom. He surveyed the wide area and still saw nothing but the strange rocks, slowly approaching to examine them.
As Luffy approached, the rock beneath his feet began to tremble slightly. He looked down and saw the earth vibrating. What was happening? He glanced around the crater to see if anything had changed, but everything remained the same. The boy stood still, wondering where the vibrations were coming from, until the rumble finally stopped. He didn't move for a moment, watching to see if anything else was happening, and when he saw that nothing was, he shrugged and continued on his way to the center of the crater. It was strange, but the rock was even stranger, and he wanted to see what it was.
.....
Hi everyone, what do you think of the story so far? The book has over 300 chapters. If you'd like to download the complete book, it's available on my Ko-fi page. Here's the link: 👉 🤩 ko-fi.com/winterstar01 🤩