One Piece: Crown of Darkness

Rumble, rumble, rumble!!!

The ceaselessly surging ocean currents ascended far into the white clouds... This was no flowery exaggeration; the turbulent, rapid seawater genuinely shot upwards from low to high at an angle exceeding sixty degrees, reaching straight into the sky!

This unique and magnificent sight could only be found at Reverse Mountain, where the four seas converged and which was known as the starting point of the Grand Line.

It wasn't Doflamingo's first time passing through Reverse Mountain. Seven years ago, the Donquixote Family had crossed Reverse Mountain when migrating from the North Blue to the South Blue, but he had completely missed it then, being entirely engrossed in his training.

"What a masterpiece."

Doflamingo stood at the bow of the Flamingo, gazing out, and couldn't help but exclaim.

He admired not only the magic of nature but also the greatness of human endeavor, or perhaps a combination of both.

After all, Reverse Mountain was essentially a section of the Red Line that soared into the clouds. The ocean currents from the four seas, including the Grand Line, converged here, forming rising and falling currents due to changes in climate and temperature, providing natural kinetic energy for ships to navigate up and down.

And the five wide passages of Reverse Mountain were all canals carved by human hands. Just imagining it, one knew how incredibly difficult it must have been to undertake such an engineering feat amidst such formidable obstacles.

"Behehehe~ Nyeh, nyehh, Doffy? Look, look!" Trebol chattered excitedly, pointing at the ship wreckage piled along both sides of the canal.

Doflamingo glanced over. "It seems this grand spectacle of the 'Pirate King's' public execution is highly anticipated! Too many people want to witness it, fufufufu~ Unfortunately, they've overlooked that their own strength is too weak to even qualify as spectators."

If the number of pirates attempting to cross Reverse Mountain and venture into the Grand Line each year was ten, then five of them would perish near Reverse Mountain. So, ship wreckage wasn't uncommon.

However, the current accumulation of wreckage was strikingly new and plentiful. It wasn't hard to conclude that they were attracted by the World Government's recently announced major news: "September 1st, Loguetown, Public Execution of the 'Pirate King'," drawing a large number of rookie pirates or adventurous individuals.

"Behehehehe~" Trebol laughed gleefully; he was just that kind of person who enjoyed lowbrow, malicious humor.

The Flamingo continued its rapid ascent, nearing the summit.

"Ahhh-ahhh~~~"

"Stop messing around, Boss!"

"Kishishishishi~ I'm the man who will be Pirate King, and you're the crew of the future Pirate King! You can't be so timid!"

"But you don't have to be this reckless, do you? Waaahhh~~~ I'm terrified~~~"

"Help! Boss Moria's gone crazy!"

"..."

Screaming, laughing, crying, shouting for help—the fragmented chaos from a distance converged in one spot, yet the scene it painted wasn't one of someone being abused, but rather of joyous harmony.

"Pirate King? Behehehe~ Does he even know what he's saying? What an arrogant fellow," Trebol stretched his neck, searching for the source of the sound, and said mockingly.

Doflamingo's heart stirred, and his gaze shifted to his left, towards the West Blue canal.

Rumble, rumble, rumble!!!

Amidst the surging currents, a strangely shaped pirate ship, no less outlandish than the Flamingo, leaped almost madly into the air.

At the bow of that pirate ship stood a person: a pale-skinned man with sharp fangs and horns on his forehead, looking like a demon. His dark gothic attire and imposing, robust, slender physique, nearly seven meters tall, were particularly chilling. Overall, he had a terrifying appearance, but what was odd was his hearty, optimistic demeanor, completely at odds with his looks.

"Kishishishishi~ We actually ran into someone! What a coincidence!" The other party also noticed the Flamingo and happily waved. "Hey! Are you pirates too? I am too! My name is Moria, Gecko Moria! We're the Moria Pirates! Want to have a party together?!"

"Are you an idiot, Captain?! Do you even need to ask? They have a pirate flag; of course they're pirates! Besides, pirates usually aren't this friendly to each other..."

"Wait! What are we even complaining about!"

"We're about to crash into the Red Line, ahhhhh!!!"

"We shouldn't have let him steer just now!"

"..."

The Moria Pirates' crew members were in despair; their boss caused too much trouble.

Letting the Moria Pirates fly overhead, Doflamingo had no idea if their ship was wrecked or if everyone had died. Under Diamante's skillful maneuvering, the Flamingo drew a precise arc, turning into the East Blue canal and diving rapidly.

The ocean currents in the five canals formed rising and falling flows based on changes in climate and temperature, providing natural kinetic energy for ships to go up and down. Therefore, at different times, the rising and falling currents connected to different passages.

At this moment, the West Blue and South Blue currents were rising, while the East Blue, North Blue, and Grand Line currents were falling...

"Fufufufu~ Interesting," Doflamingo smiled, his fingers twitching, and he murmured, "Gecko Moria."

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