The Journey
After adding the remaining money I had to what I earned from selling items I took from that ship, I now had a little over two and a half million berries.
Now I needed to prepare thoroughly as my journey would take me straight to Reverse Mountain. The trip wouldn't take long, but the problem was that after entering the Grand Line, I had no Log Pose pointing to a nearby island.
I'd have to wait at sea until an island with a strong magnetic field attracted my needle, and I didn't know how long that would take. So I needed to prepare well:
I bought two spare Log Poses for 55,000 berries.
80 kg of dried meat for 680,000 berries.
230 liters of drinkable water for 230,000 berries.
Some tea bags and dried seaweed for 44,000 berries.
More books to distract me during the journey. Though I spend most of my time training, I still need relaxation time, so I bought a collection of mostly storybooks for 280,000 berries.
Some clothes. Although I had found some fancy clothes when I first stole the ship, I didn't want to wear those now, so I bought some ordinary clothes for 98,000 berries.
An additional 47,000 for daily necessities.
Finally, I bought a small lifeboat. Even though it's unlikely my ship would wreck since I usually fly, I chose to buy one for 340,000 berries. In total, I spent over one and a half million.
---
After completing my preparations, I left the last island in the East Blue and headed for Reverse Mountain to enter the Grand Line.
Navigating to Reverse Mountain doesn't require a special compass - the magnetic field there is so strong it adjusts the needle automatically. After a short while, I checked the compass on my wrist and saw it had locked onto a direction, so I set course. Four more months had passed, leaving me with less than a year and eight months.
It might be even less, since Enel had already appeared in Skypiea at this point in time, already possessing the Rumble-Rumble Fruit and having destroyed Birka. He might have eaten it by now - I'm not certain about anything.
The only thing keeping me going is the allure of that fruit. Even if I only have a small chance of obtaining it, I'll give it my all.
---
After ten days, I arrived and beheld this miracle - amidst this massive wall was a passage pulling water upward in an incomprehensible manner.
Seven stone arches marked the entrance, carved with strange crocodile tattoos. "Just the wave power here with this strange pull would kill half the people attempting to enter the Grand Line," I thought as I flew over the waves.
I ascended to the mountain's peak and found four paths - three leading back to the four seas, and the main route entering the Grand Line.
I took the main path downward. Upon descending, I saw a white lighthouse with an open window indicating life inside, and an empty chair with a newspaper. "Huh? How could I forget that Crocus, the Pirate King's doctor, lives in this lighthouse taking care of that giant whale," I thought as I anchored my ship and went to the lighthouse.
"He's the Pirate King's doctor. Even if I could just get some medicine from him, it would be useful." I went to the lighthouse and knocked.
A voice told me to wait, so I waited.
---
An old man with white hair and a strange peacock feather stuck to his head came out. His bushy, long eyebrows and deeply wrinkled face studied me as he asked, "How can I help you?"
"I saw the lighthouse and was curious what you do here. Do you work at the lighthouse? Or sell something?"
"I've turned this lighthouse into a pharmacy. Do you need something?"
"Oh, what do you have?"
---
After some time, I bought 430,000 berries worth of medicine - painkillers, herbal powder to stop bleeding, burn ointment, and some antitoxins. I looked at Crocus and saidز
"Maintaining your work at the entrance to the Grand Line must mean you're incredibly strong," hoping to steer the conversation toward training and get some advice.
"I barely have enough strength to protect myself," he answered strangely.
"Oh. Could you give me some advice?"
"I have nothing useful for you."
I pressed the old man a little, but he wouldn't budge. So I asked another question: "Do you have an Eternal Pose to Gaya Island?"
"Pirate Island? I don't recommend going there - it's full of thugs and pirates with no security."
"Thanks for the warning, but I need to go there."
"I don't have one, but if you want to go, you'll need to take a specific route. The first island on that route is Whisky Peak. After some travel and a few islands, you'll find it after Alabasta. Waiting here a while will calibrate your Log Pose to Whisky Peak," he explained, giving me directions to reach Gyasta Island.
Although I already knew this from the original story, hearing it from someone else confirmed my information was correct. As evening approached, my Log Pose adjusted, but I didn't want to sail at night, so I spent the night at the lighthouse and set out the next morning.
---
After two and a half days, I reached Whisky Peak. I know this island is full of bounty hunters, but I don't care - I don't have a bounty.
After waiting long enough for the Log Pose to adjust to the next island, I left.
After a week, I reached Little Garden, an island seemingly stuck in the past with its prehistoric animals and dinosaurs. This island also has two giants who have been fighting for a long time.
I anchored my ship and headed inland. I looked around the island and saw two massive, identical mountains, but I knew they were actually the enormous heads of Sea Kings killed by the giants.
The thought that creatures this size exist is unbelievable, and the idea that someone could control them is even more incredible.
I also noticed the ridiculously huge trees. The island's climate makes it evolve unusually slowly. I ventured deeper into the forest searching for the giants, hoping once again to get some training advice.