Chapter 861 - 861: Meeting an Old Acquaintance in a Foreign Land

["Pass verification successful. Permission granted to enter Reverse Current Channel Three."]

Along with the cold electronic voice, the gate slowly opened.

The Going Merry shot up along the incredibly powerful current, beginning a miraculous climb that defied gravity.

"Wooooooah!"

Usopp clung tightly to the main mast, feeling the weightlessness as the ship seemed to be charging into the sky at a seventy-degree angle, and let out an excited cheer.

He had traveled this route many times before.

Only this feeling of weightlessness still gave him a thrill.

Standing on the nearly vertical ship without holding onto anything, Sanji remained perfectly steady. Even the cigarette in his mouth didn't shake as he quietly watched the ship speed upward.

For Zoro and Nami, however, the scenery along the way was nothing short of a visual feast.

"This is unbelievable!"

Nami gripped the railing tightly as the fierce wind tossed her orange hair.

She stared in amazement at the enormous transparent reinforced glass walls on either side of the waterway, like a tunnel that confined the raging seawater within.

Beyond the glass were the sheer crimson cliffs of the Red Line, as though carved by an axe.

Beside this man-made miracle of a waterway ran parallel tracks, where train-like vehicles sped past.

"So this is the road to the center of the world..."

Facing the howling wind, Zoro grinned excitedly. His eyes stayed fixed on the clouds drawing ever closer, and he could almost feel the swords at his waist yearning for something.

The Going Merry rapidly climbed through the rushing current, breaking through the thick clouds.

After a brief moment of darkness and weightlessness, the ship suddenly leveled out. Sunlight once again poured across the deck, and the view before them opened up completely.

With a splash, the Going Merry landed steadily in a vast body of water as wide as an inland lake.

But when everyone saw what lay before them, the entire deck fell into dead silence.

Even Luffy, who had been weighed down by his thoughts all this time, couldn't help opening his mouth in shock.

This was the summit of the Red Line, ten thousand meters above the sea.

In their imagination, this place should have been a barren mountain range of rock, or perhaps a graveyard of deadly currents.

Instead, what stood before them was a colossal metropolis so immense that they couldn't see its end.

Countless broad artificial waterways crisscrossed the land like the city's veins, dividing it into one bustling district after another.

Lining the waterways weren't wooden houses or castles, but skyscrapers that reached into the clouds.

These massive structures of glass and unknown metals reflected a cold, futuristic glow beneath the sunlight.

The sky held not only seagulls but also sleek airships cruising along fixed routes.

Huge billboards stood atop the buildings, playing World Government promotional videos alongside commercial advertisements.

At the docks, countless giant mechanical arms loaded and unloaded cargo from all four seas in perfect order.

The overwhelming presence of modern civilization hit them head-on.

It looked like a mirage that didn't belong in this world.

Even the most prosperous royal capital in the East Blue looked like an unelectrified remote village compared to this giant.

"Can humans really build something like this?"

Zoro's hand unconsciously rested on the hilt of his sword. Fearless as he had always been, this was the first time he had truly felt the crushing gap in civilization and his own insignificance.

"My goodness..."

Nami covered her mouth, her eyes completely fixed on the city.

She had heard countless times how prosperous the Red Line was. Her family and her close friend Carina had often talked about it.

But she had never imagined Reverse City would be like this.

'If this is Reverse City...'

'Then what must the Holy Land Mary Geoise be like?'

Click!

The crisp sound of a lighter broke the silence on deck.

Standing at the bow, Sanji let the high-altitude breeze brush through his blond bangs.

He took a deep drag from his cigarette and slowly exhaled a perfect smoke ring, which gradually faded in the sunlight.

Looking at the steel jungle that had completely conquered nature, a faint smile appeared on his lips, somewhere between admiration and awe.

"Welcome... to Reverse City."

———

"Incredible..."

Even after the Going Merry docked steadily at a berth in the harbor district and dropped anchor, no one on deck had recovered from the overwhelming shock.

In this place called Reverse City, traditional pirate culture and the old era's common knowledge of sailing had been crushed like an antique map drawn on worn parchment beneath the wheels of the industrial age.

This was a new era.

"This is the gateway to the New World. One day, you'll get to see what the whole world is really like."

Sanji flicked his cigarette butt into a nearby waste disposal chute like he's done this hundred times before. Looking at his dumbfounded friends, the eye not hidden beneath his blond hair held a complicated look.

He had grown up among the upper ranks of the World Government and had visited this city more than once.

Yet every time he saw it, he couldn't help but feel sincere admiration for what that man had accomplished.

If Mary Geoise was the untouchable holy land of authority, then Reverse City was the world's greatest commercial capital.

"This is only Reverse City's harbor district, known as the Harbor of Nations."

Pointing toward the endless city ahead, Sanji explained like a professional tour guide.

"See those metal towers reaching into the sky? They're fully automated weather control stations. They can precisely regulate the wind and rainfall within a hundred-mile radius to ensure the absolute safety of the harbor."

"And those rail cars moving through the air are magnetic levitation freight lines. Eighty percent of the loading and unloading here is done by mechanical arms."

"In this city, you can buy specialties from all four seas, and you can ship goods to every corner of the world."

Zoro swallowed hard as he stared at the silent maglev trains gliding overhead without producing even a trace of smoke or dust.

Compared to this steel monster, his three swords felt like primitive stone tools.

"Let's go look around!"

Nami's eyes had already turned into giant Berries.

At a trade port like this, she could make an astronomical profit just by buying and selling a few things.

Filled with both awe and curiosity, the group disembarked.

The harbor district was even more prosperous, and more orderly, than they had imagined.

Workers in matching uniforms even drove compact street-sweeping vehicles along the wide, smooth asphalt roads.

The roadside shops had a distinctly modern design, with huge floor-to-ceiling windows displaying all kinds of strange merchandise.

However, when they reached a relatively quiet fountain plaza, an unexpected visitor blocked their path.

He was a man in a neatly tailored black suit with gold-rimmed glasses.

His slicked-back hair was perfectly combed, and he habitually adjusted his glasses with both hands. Behind the lenses, a sharp glint flashed in his eyes.

"Kuro?"

The moment Usopp recognized him, he jumped like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.

Pointing at the man, he cursed loudly, "You heartless bastard! How dare you show your face in front of me?"

Usopp looked furious, waving his arms wildly as though he were enraged beyond reason.

In reality, though, he was as calm as ever.

Kuro killing his wife Kaya back in Syrup Village had always been a performance both sides understood.

Usopp had even informed him in advance that he would appear here today.

As for today's script, Sanji had also had a hand in it.

Ever since Loguetown, Sanji, who had previously shown little interest in this kind of make-believe game, had suddenly become much more enthusiastic.

"Master Usopp, please calm down first."

Ignoring Usopp's insults, Kuro adjusted his glasses and put on an expression of complete sincerity mixed with grief before giving a deep bow.

"I was forced into it. I came here today specifically to offer you my sincerest apology."

"An apology? You killed Kaya! What could you possibly apologize with?"

Usopp continued roaring, spraying spit everywhere.

"That truly wasn't what I wanted!"

Kuro raised his head, his face filled with the bitterness of someone trapped by circumstances.

"At the time, Mr. Yasopp found me. He threatened me with extremely cruel methods, saying that if I didn't follow his plan and kill Miss Kaya, he'd immediately expose my identity as the former captain of the Black Cat Pirates."

"You know how hard I'd worked to finally live a peaceful life in the village. If my identity had been exposed, I could never have stayed there. I had no choice, I did it to protect myself!"

The moment that explanation full of holes and ridiculous logic came out, Zoro and Nami rolled their eyes at the same time.

Their expressions practically screamed, 'Do you think we're idiots?'

Seriously, what was that supposed to mean?

Who apologized like that?

The excuse didn't hold up at all.

He killed someone just to keep his identity secret?

After committing murder, wouldn't he be wanted anyway?

How would that let him stay in the village?

The logic was even stranger than Luffy's thought process.

And yet, Usopp seemed not to notice a single flaw.

He merely gritted his teeth and shouted, "That bastard Yasopp! He'd even sacrifice my wife for his own goals!"

After cursing Yasopp, Usopp suddenly turned back toward Kuro, his gaze icy.

"But no matter what, you're the one who killed her. Even if you were forced, I'll never forgive you!"

As he spoke, he drew the ordinary flintlock pistol he usually treated like a toy from his waist and pointed the dark barrel directly at Kuro's forehead.

Faced with the gun, Kuro showed no fear at all. Instead, he spread his arms as though he had finally been set free.

Closing his eyes, he cried out in grief, "If my death can make you feel even a little better, Master Usopp... if it can wash away my sins... then do it! Shoot me!"

"Fine! Then I'll grant your wish!"

Usopp shouted as his finger settled on the trigger.

Watching this, Zoro and Nami were completely speechless as they stared at each other.

These two were moving way too slowly.

This wasn't a life-and-death battle.

It was more like a terrible stage play at a third-rate theater.

At the speed they were moving, forget Luffy, even an ordinary Marine with a little training would have had plenty of time to do something before the gun fired.

Besides...

Nami couldn't help rubbing her forehead. Even if Usopp really pulled the trigger, could an ordinary lead bullet without even a trace of Armament Haki actually kill someone like Kuro?

Sure enough, just as they expected...

Bang!

The instant the shot rang out, a rubber-like arm stretched across the space.

The sluggish lead bullet didn't even come close to touching Kuro's eyelids before Luffy casually caught it between two fingers.

"Luffy! What are you doing? Let go! I'm going to kill him!"

Usopp roared theatrically.

"Usopp, calm down!"

Luffy pulled his arm back, casually tossed the bullet onto the ground, and firmly held Usopp by the shoulders.

Using his own unique logic, he patiently tried to persuade him.

"Didn't you hear him? Kuro really admits he was wrong! He was forced by your dad too! It's not easy for any of us out here as pirates. Since he knows he was wrong, just beat him up to vent your anger. There's no need to kill him!"

This was one of the biggest differences between Luffy and the version of him from the other timeline.

In this world, Shanks, Garp, and the others had faced a World Government so powerful it was suffocating. Their environment had been unimaginably harsh.

As a result, the way they raised Luffy emphasized kindness and tolerance.

Shanks always told him that the most important thing on the sea was friends and allies.

If they wanted to survive in this world, or even stand against that giant, they had to unite every force they possibly could.

Killing solved nothing.

It only created more enemies.

Because of that, this Luffy was even more compassionate than the one from the other timeline and treasured life even more.

Even when facing enemies, as long as they weren't utterly unforgivable villains, he was always willing to give them a chance to change.

This time, however, Nami didn't jump in to beat Luffy up and tell him to stay out of it.

After all, Nami and Arlong had a blood feud over the destruction of her village.

Usopp and Kuro, on the other hand, had been acting from beginning to end.

"Hmph!"

Usopp took the opportunity to lower his pistol, though he continued staring coldly at Kuro.

"Luffy, since you're pleading for him, fine. Kuro, give me one reason not to kill you. Your life is worth whatever comes out of your mouth next."

Luffy also turned to Kuro, his eyes wide as he waited for the answer.

Kuro adjusted his glasses, and a sharp gleam flashed across the lenses.

Taking a deep breath, he smiled and said, "I've heard a top-secret piece of information. I'll use it to repay your mercy in sparing my life. They say... it has something to do with becoming the Pirate King."

Kuro's heart was pounding.

Why was he putting so much effort into this performance?

Wasn't it all so he could get a little more screen time in this grand play?

His desperate performance back in Syrup Village had earned him today's appearance.

Since there had been a first time, there would naturally be a second.

With the World Government backing him, Kuro believed he might just be able to leave behind a spectacular life on these seas through nothing but his acting.

Even though he knew full well that, in the eyes of those lofty figures, his entire life was nothing more than a staged performance that could be called off at any moment.

But being a supporting character with a leading role was still better than dying as a nameless extra.

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