“Your… old friend?”
The term “old friend” was very common, but when placed on Arceus, it felt extremely out of place. Although Arceus’ history among the Lunarians stretched back an incredibly long time, if one considered his actual birth date in reality…
Arceus was actually very young. It was just that no one ever thought about it from that perspective.
Arceus’ existence itself made the term “old friend” practically incompatible with him, let alone an old friend on the Red Line.
Not just the ordinary people on the ship, even Shayna could not figure out what Arceus’ purpose for this trip really was.
“Yes. Come to think of it, it’s also your old friend, though the two of you have never actually met. Let’s go, it should be around here.”
Genesis slowly came to a stop beside the towering Red Line. The crimson rock that pierced straight into the clouds was being washed endlessly by seawater. No one knew exactly what kind of rock it was made of, but even hundreds of years of erosion had failed to alter its structure.
Even today, just like the Calm Belts on both sides of the Grand Line, it still divided the Four Seas.
For countless years, it seemed no one in the world had ever thought of carving out a new entrance through the Red Line. Reverse Mountain and the Red Port of Mariejois had become the few existing passageways.
The World Government only focused on the Red Port near Mariejois, allowing pirates to enter the Grand Line through Reverse Mountain.
In the eyes of the World Government, every other part of the Red Line was an unbreakable natural fortress, and that was indeed the truth. After all, in the past several decades, only Tiger had managed to climb it barehanded in such an unconventional manner.
But as long as it wasn’t Mariejois, the World Government had no interest in bothering with the other areas. They couldn’t exactly deploy defenses every few steps around the entire planetary stretch of the Red Line.
From Genesis’ approach to its complete stop, not a single living person appeared nearby. Only shattered shipwrecks drifted past along the sea currents.
That was also one of the reasons pirates avoided this place. Even if they came close, they still couldn’t get through, and one careless mistake could lead to total destruction of both ship and crew. The perimeter of the Red Line was far from a straight line.
Aside from the protruding rock formations, the waters below were filled with hidden reefs, and the sea currents were extremely complicated, making the area incredibly dangerous.
In the unseen depths, no one knew how many underwater currents lurked there. Even with the experienced Navigators aboard Genesis, the journey here still involved a few bumps.
Arceus did not explain further. As his figure gradually floated upward, he flew toward the top of the Red Line.
“It really feels strange without Amalee following along. Those who can fly, come with me. Everyone else, stay here.”
A qualified Vice-Captain could save a tremendous amount of effort. Someone capable of understanding her intentions in an extremely short amount of time was hard to find. With the Vice-Captain on vacation, Shayna had no choice but to personally handle many trivial matters.
Quite a few people aboard the ship had the ability to land on the Red Line. Climbing it was merely a test of endurance and stamina. At worst, those capable of flight could simply carry a few others up.
But there was no real need to do that.
If Arceus wished, he could effortlessly bring the entire ship up there. Since Arceus had not done so, casually bringing along a few people to deal with miscellaneous matters was more than enough.
Some transformed their arms into wings, while others sprouted wings from their backs, and the group successively followed after Arceus and Shayna.
“Who do you think could be Lord Arceus’ old friend?”
After everyone with flight abilities had followed them upward, the people remaining on the ship also became curious about the question.
“No idea. Maybe some lucky fellow? We’ll find out soon enough.
But seriously, there isn’t even a single patrol ship around here? It’s way too quiet. Other than the sound of the waves, there’s nothing.”
“Isn’t that a good thing? Boss Queen isn’t the one in charge here anyway. Besides, with Lord Arceus leading us, even the tightest defenses would be useless.”
Various voices rang out across the ship, making things slightly lively. Although there were many rules aboard this vessel, no one had ever been punished simply for talking. In that regard, the management was fundamentally quite relaxed.
As they continued ascending, the group passed through the clouds and arrived at the summit of the Red Line.
Without the prosperity of Mariejois, the surrounding land was extremely barren. Only a few withered grass-like plants stubbornly survived within the cracks of the rocks.
A deep fissure stretched into the distance, extending all the way to the other side of the Red Line, leaving behind a canyon-like terrain.
“This should be the place.”
“Lord Sacred Beast, I can’t sense the presence of any living creatures. There doesn’t seem to be anyone alive here.”
Shayna looked around. On the completely unobstructed landscape, there was no trace of living beings at all. Observation Haki spread outward, yet still yielded nothing.
“There’s no need to rush. We still need to wait a little longer.
Shayna, do you know? You’re actually very special.”
“Special?”
“You are one of only two people in this world who have received my permission to use my own power.”
As soon as the words fell, a crimson light flashed through Arceus’ eyes, and the gems on Thousand Arms changed into the same crimson color.
The Flame Plate separated from his body and floated into the sky. Crimson light enveloped the land in the area, white clouds were dyed the color of flames, and beneath the interwoven radiance, the azure sky seemed to don a purple veil.
Amid this mysterious atmosphere, specks of light began to separate from the Flame Plate and gradually gathered together.
“I-Is my vision failing? Why does it feel like the world is spinning?”
Zelko was a devout believer of the Arceus Cult. Having followed Genesis for many years, he had walked among the clouds, ventured into the underworld, and entered the Reverse World, witnessing Arceus’ power firsthand.
He had thought his life was already colorful enough, yet the current situation still exceeded his understanding.
“You’re not seeing things. It’s not just spinning… it feels like everything is moving backward…”
The scenery around them was reversing at an incomprehensible speed. In that fleeting instant, it felt as though they had witnessed the world’s endless transformations through the ages.
The Red Line had not always been a barren land of red earth. Once, it had been full of birdsong and fragrant flowers, overflowing with lush greenery and natural vitality. Before they could even process it all, a sudden fire incinerated everything, and Zelko even stumbled and fell to the ground.
It was not because he was weak, but because the sensation had been far too real. In that instant, he had even drawn the weapon at his waist.
【I think I finally understand how Sister Olga’s enemies feel… but what exactly is Lord Arceus doing?】
Not only Zelko, but Shayna as well; this confusion seemed to arise in everyone’s hearts.
Arceus was clearly carrying out some major action, so they suppressed their doubts in their hearts. The strange phenomenon did not last long, and moments later, the illusion-like scenery around them vanished without a trace.
Meanwhile, the radiance escaping from the Flame Plate had already condensed into a humanoid figure.
The remaining Plates still maintained their original forms while radiating energy outward, but aside from the Flame Plate that had long since separated itself, the Plates representing the five life-related types—water, grass, ground, lightning, and dragon—also released their own brilliance.
These five Plates could even combine into the Jewel of Life, bringing vitality to all things and restoring barren land. Among Arceus’ Plates, they were the Plates imbued with the power of life.
With the aid of the Plates, the insubstantial figure gradually solidified into a physical form, and the earlier question was finally answered.
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