"T-This is insane! This is totally insane!" Reiju's panicked shouts echoed from below me, "H-How the hell are you actually doing this?!"
I grunted, hauling myself up another foot, the muscles in my arms burning as the ropes dug into my shoulders. My fingers, slick with sweat and blood, found a new purchase in the unforgiving stone. I glanced down as Reiju was a small, pink speck clinging to the raft as it dangled precariously beneath me, her knuckles white as she gripped a rope, hanging on for dear life. The ocean below was a churning, distant sight, as we were so high up now that it just looked like a shadow.
"Shout less," I grunted, my voice strained as I heaved again, pulling the boat up another few inches, "Focus on hanging on more!"
"Hanging on is the easy part!" She shot back dryly, "I can hang on like this all day, but the hard part is trying to comprehend how the hell you're not just climbing the Red Line, but hauling me and the entire ship with you!"
A slight chuckle escaped my lips as every muscle in my body ached, a deep throb that had started hours ago and had now settled into a constant, fiery strain. My END was high, but this was a punishment of a kind I had never experienced, as the sustained, relentless test of pure strength was really starting to push me. Not that I was being pushed that hard, as it wasn't like I was worried about slipping off or anything yet, but my muscles were definitely sore as hell.
"It's not easy," I admitted, my breathing a bit heavy as I reached up, not finding another crevice, and having to dig my fingers into the rocky wall again, tearing my skin as I created one, "But luckily, I'm really damn strong."
We had been climbing for hours at this point as the sun, which had been a blazing orb when we started, was now a distant, fading view, sinking towards the horizon as the world around us was bathed in the soft, purplish glow of twilight. The Red Line was even taller than I had imagined, being a truly unscalable structure that seemed to defy the very laws of nature. Even after twelve hours of this agonizing, relentless ascent, the top was still nowhere in sight, as it was lost in the distant clouds above.
At this point, I was starting to get really damn impressed with Fisher Tiger. He was a Fishman, sure, which meant he had strength many times higher than the average human, but that bastard had still climbed all the way to the top of the Redline?! I had a system that made me strong as fuck, and even then, I was struggling a bit!
Granted, I also had an entire boat hanging off my shoulders, which increased the weight I was lifting from just my body weight to thousands of pounds. So, when I considered that... Fisher Tiger actually had it easy, damn it! I'd like to see that bastard haul up an entire boat with him!
"Arvel... are you sure you can make it?" Rejiu called up again as her voice was quieter now, the earlier panic replaced by a genuine worry that cut through the grunting of my own efforts. I gritted my teeth, my fingers finding yet another new hold and crushing it into dust.
"I either do," I grunted, pulling myself up another foot, the boat swaying wildly beneath me, "Or we both plummet into the ocean from thousands of feet in the air. So I damn hope I can. If not, then that would fuckin' suck."
A beat of silence hung between us, broken only by the whistle of the wind and the scrabble of my boots against the rock as I continued upwards for a few more minutes. Then, Reiju spoke up again.
"The boots of my raid suit... they have small propellers in them," Reiju called out, her voice hesitant, "They can't sustain flight for long, just short bursts of movement, and I don't know if they can handle this much weight. But... if you can get us most of the way, I could... I could finish it off."
I grinned slightly, a bit touched that she seemed genuinely worried about if I could make it - granted, she was probably also more worried about how she'd plummet thousands of feet if I couldn't - and was even offering to take over. But, this wasn't some random gamble I was taking. I knew I could finish the climb, and while it was hard, it wasn't impossible. I might regret thinking like this in a few hours, but I had yet to hit the 'true exhaustion' phase. I hadn't reached the point where I couldn't continue to go on, and had to push with every ounce of my being to continue. Instead, even after a dozen hours of climbing, I was just... a bit tired?
And, even then, I felt like that had a lot to do with the fact that I hadn't slept in more than a day instead of actual effort. My muscles ached, and my hands were bleeding as even my END couldn't fully endure the constant effort, but it really wasn't that bad. The more I climbed, the more I realized something.
I was strong. Really fuckin' strong.
I had known as much before, but I thought that this would be a real test of my mental willpower. I thought that I'd have to struggle, grind, and tear my way up to the top of the Redline, and this would be my badass 'push past my limits' moment!
Instead, it was… hard. But it was a level of difficulty that I could barely comprehend, as it was weird to be climbing for so many hours, hauling up so much weight, and yet not feeling all that burdened. It was like I was mid-workout back in my original world, as if I'd done a few sets and was feeling the burn, but was more so filled with adrenaline than actual exhaustion.
"Appreciate the offer," I grunted back, ignoring the offer as I pulled myself up again, the burn in my shoulders intensifying, "But it'd be pretty lame if I got 95% of the way and then got bailed out, right?"
"This isn't the time to be worrying about what's lame or not!" Reiju stammered back, her voice a mix of exasperation and concern, "This is about survival! Just accept the help when it's offered, you stubborn idiot!"
I couldn't help but chuckle again, just shaking my head.
"I'll be fine," I said, my gaze locked on the infinite wall of red stone above me, "I wouldn't have started climbing if I didn't think I could do it. I won't drop us."
Then, with another deep grunt, I pulled us higher into the endless sky. The setting sun painted the world in hues of orange and purple, casting long, distorted shadows that made the crevasses in the rock face look like gaping maws ready to swallow us whole. The wind, which had been a gentle breeze at the base of the Red Line, was now a constant, howling presence, whipping my hair across my face and threatening to tear my grip from the stone. It tore at my shirt, the fabric flapping wildly, and the chill of it seeped into my bones, a stark contrast to the fire raging in my muscles.
I almost wished I could see myself from an outsider's view right now, as I was sure it was quite the aesthetic sight. Just a muscular man, a boat tied to his shoulders, the massive wall in front of him, and the beautiful sun shining in the background.
"Where... where the hell did you come from?" Reiju's voice came from below, softer this time as she dragged me from my thoughts, and filled with a raw sense of awe, "To be this strong, and yet... no one's ever heard of you? You just came out of nowhere!"
"Not nowhere," I called back with another amused grin, not bothering to look down, "Just a little tropical island you wouldn't have heard of. If you ever meet Admiral Aokiji, ask him about me!"
My answer was simple and dismissive, but below me, Reiju was barely even listening. She was staring up at my muscular back in awe, her gaze tracing the contours of my shoulders, the powerful line of my spine, and the way my muscles bunched and strained with every agonizing pull. A faint blush crept up her neck, warming her cheeks as she watched me, a raw, primal display of power she had never witnessed, even inside of Germa. This was different. This wasn't the cold, calculated, artificial strength of her brothers. This was a brutal, relentless force of pure will.
"This is insane," She breathed, the words carried away by the wind, "I can see why father was so interested. I... I can see how he was considering..."
She trailed off, the thought too audacious to even speak aloud. The thought of her, a princess of Germa, being given to this wild, powerful man as a wife was crazy. But, he was a man who was, in this moment, more of a force of nature than a person. She breathed out the rest, the words a soft whisper meant only for herself.
"He's... amazing."
I didn't hear her as my world had shrunk to the next handhold, and the next agonizing pull. My fingers were raw and bleeding as the torn skin left crimson smears on the unforgiving rock, and sweat coated my body as I wrinkled my nose in annoyance.
"Damn it," I muttered, pulling myself up again, "For something this damn hard, you think I'd at least get some STR out of it!"
But I pushed those thoughts aside and continued to climb. Dwelling on annoying thoughts would only hinder my progress, and right now, all I had to worry about was reaching the top.
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Time passed around us, but I barely registered as the blazing sun drifted into a blood-red sunset and then faded away, leaving the world cloaked in a deep darkness. The moon rose, a pale, silver disc in the sky, as it cast long, distorted shadows across the rock face while the wind picked up, slamming against my body roughly. We had been climbing for what felt like an eternity, but was really only close to 24 hours, and I was just now beginning to wonder if I was in over my head.
Then, I felt it. A subtle shift in the texture of the rock beneath my fingers, as it was no longer the jagged, vertical face of the wall, but a rougher, more horizontal surface. I risked a glance upwards, my neck screaming in protest as I craned it back. I leaned backwards a bit, hanging off the wall as the raft pulled on my back, trying to pull me into the sea below, but my grip on the cliffside didn't break. Above me, the silhouette of the cliff top was stark against the star-studded sky, and I grinned widely. We had made it.
A surge of adrenaline flooded my veins, washing away the bone-deep exhaustion in a rush as my hands moved quicker, a second wind flooding through me. I pulled over and over again, practically flying up the side of the Redline compared to my previous speed, and with a final, guttural groan that tore from my throat, which was both victorious and relieved, I hauled myself up and over the ledge. I collapsed onto the solid ground as I dragged myself over the sharp edge, my chest heaving and my lungs burning as I lay on my stomach. The relief was so overwhelming I couldn't help but grin even wider, looking like a complete moron as my teeth glinted in the moonlight, and I felt a profound sense of victory that made every agonizing second of the climb worth it.
I lay there for a moment, sprawled on the rough, rocky ground, but I wasn't quite done yet, as there was still a force pulling on my body, trying to drag me back off the edge. I pushed myself up, my muscles screaming in protest as the short rest was over, and I turned around, leaning back over the edge. I grabbed the thick ropes, staining them red as they bit into my already bloodied hands. I planted my feet firmly on the ground below, and began to pull.
The boat, a dark shape against the infinite darkness below, swung upwards as I yanked hard over and over, fully dragging it up to the edge. I grabbed its side as it almost reached the top, my biceps bulging with the strain, and with a final, heroic heave, I dragged the entire vessel onto the flat, rocky expanse of the Red Line's summit.
Reiji tumbled out onto the rock as I did, her movements uncharacteristically clumsy and ungraceful as she landed on her plump ass with a soft thud. She stared up at me, her eyes wide with a mixture of shock, awe, and sheer disbelief. Her vibrant pink hair was a tangled mess, and her usually flawless face was smudged with dirt, but she looked mostly unscathed.
"I... I can't believe you actually did it," She breathed, stared at me blankly, "How... how the hell did you actually just do that?"
"How? I just climbed," A wide, triumphant grin spread across my face as I looked down at her, my teeth flashing in the moonlight, "Told you I could, didn't I?"
She nodded slowly, her gaze never leaving mine as she took in the sight of me - my muscular frame, the blood and sweat that covered my body, and the raw, masculine power that seemed to radiate from me. A faint blush crept up her neck, warming her cheeks, as a thought went through her head.
Is there... is there anything he can't do?
Reiju had seen many impressive things in her life, and just as many impressive men. When you were not only a Princess of Germa, but also breathtakingly gorgeous, you were bound to have countless suitors. But, while most of them could never even get past her Father's judgement, even fewer could ever truly impress her. It wasn't entirely their fault, as Reiju's standards were simply far higher than they could ever hope to match.
She was a Princess of Germa - a woman with the fighting power to contend with even Yonko crewmembers, and who was a part of one of the most powerful families in the entire world. Even as she tried to stay empathetic, and to not let the cruelness of her family rub off on her, she couldn't help but have high standards. Normal men looked like mere ants, and even powerful ones looked lacking. When there were only, at most, a few dozen men in the world who could confidently stand above the brothers she'd grown up with, it was hard not to look down on most men.
But, right now, as her face was filled with heat, she felt different. For the first time, she was impressed - no, impressed was selling it short. She was astounded. In awe. In disbelief. She couldn't believe that the handsome, muscular, beast of a man had just not only climbed the Redline, but had hauled her and an entire boat up with him. And, as he stood there, his shirt torn, blood coating his hands, and sweat glistening on his body, her heart continued to beat faster.
She was a Princess of Germa - a gorgeous, intelligent, powerful beauty that was out of every mans league. She was a woman who always left the men who thirsted after her feeling defeated, as they knew they could never deserve her. She was used to being impressive. She was used to being the one who left others speechless.
But, right now, the roles were reversed.
"You did," Reiju admitted, her voice still filled with a sense of wonder as she softly spoke, "But I didn't... I never truly believed it. This is... this is insane."
Her gaze shifted, moving past me to take in the landscape around us. I turned with her, glancing over as well, unaware of the thoughts forming in her heart, and instead focusing on the area around us. The summit of the Red Line was a vast, desolate wilderness, being a rocky, sandy, and pebbly expanse that seemed to stretch on endlessly in every direction. Under the pale light of the moon, it seemed like an alien landscape that felt a million miles away from real civilization.
"I can't believe I'm really on top of the Red Line," Reiju murmured, her voice filled with a strange awe, "And that a single man... a single man hauled me all the way here."
She looked back at me, her expression a complex mix of emotions - a strange combination of admiration, fear, and something else, something deeper and more primal. Her eyes lingered on my bleeding hands and the powerful lines of my chest.
"You're seriously a monster," She finally muttered softly, the words not an insult, but a statement of fact.
"A monster?" I chuckled, shrugging as I wiped a smear of blood from my brow with the back of my hand, "I'll take that as a compliment."
"...I suppose so," She just nodded, then seemed to finally succumb to the exhaustion that had been threatening to consume her. She let out a long, weary sigh, her shoulders slumping as she sat down fully, her plump ass resting on the rough, sandy ground.
"I'm exhausted," She murmured, her eyelids drooping, "Who would've thought that holding on for so long was that tough? I'm ready for some sleep now."
I couldn't blame her for her words, as she'd just done something that, while seemingly lame in comparison to my feat, was pretty damn impressive. I knew that people in this world, and specifically someone like Reiju, were supernaturally strong, but that was still a crazy feat. Most average people in my original world would struggle to hang on a rope, holding up their body weight, for even a few minutes. She'd gone beyond not just minutes, but even hours, as she spent a whole day hanging onto a rope, deprived of water and food, with wind slamming into her constantly. It was pretty damn impressive, so I wasn't surprised that she was tired.
"I don't blame you. Hanging from a swinging boat for a whole day is pretty rough stuff," I nodded in understanding, gesturing towards the boat that lay a few feet away, "Sleep in there. You can have the first sleeping shift."
"What?" She blinked, looking at me with a strange, confused expression, "Shift?"
"Yeah," I confirmed, turning to start untying the ropes from my aching body, "I'll carry the boat and start making some progress while you get some shut-eye."
Her head snapped up at my words, her eyes wide with disbelief.
"What?! You're insane!" She stammered, her voice rising in pitch as she looked at me incredulously, "You just climbed the Redline for an entire day! And you were paddling for a whole day before that! What the hell do you mean you're going to carry the boat?! There's no way you're not exhausted!"
"Of course I'm exhausted," I nodded, chuckling again as I worked the last knot loose from my shoulder, allowing the ropes to fall away, revealing raw, red skin beneath, as even my high END couldn't take a day of the heavy rope dragging across my flesh over and over again, "But both of us sleeping at the same time up here might not be the smartest. I assume it's barren, and that nothing else should be up here, but how can we be sure? It's not like anyone's ever reporting what's up here, so I'd rather not take the risk. It'd be safer if we slept in shifts. So you can have the first one, and then I'll take the next one once you awaken."
It was probably safe to both sleep at the same time up here, as I assumed there was nothing on the Redline, and I'd probably wake up before anyone sneaking up on us could slit my throat, but it was still damn risky. The Redline was largely an unknown to most of the world, and even to me, regardless of my prior knowledge about this world. It wasn't like Luffy had ever been running around up here to be shown off on-screen, as the only time the top was shown was on the opposite side of the world, where Mary Geoise was. It was more likely than not that no one was up here, but with all the vague 'Lunarians used to live here' that had been dropped in the show, I would rather be on the safer side.
On top of that, I genuinely wasn't sure just how long I'd sleep once I finally started resting. It wasn't like I'd ever spent 2 days straight doing physical labor, so I wasn't sure just how long I'd be out. I'd prefer that, if I was taking a long-ass nap, Reiju be awake to drag the ship towards the East Blue.
"You're unbelievable," Reiju sighed, looking at me with a strange, exhausted expression. The usual composed, almost regal mask she wore was completely gone, replaced by a tired vulnerability that made her look much softer. She pushed herself to her feet as she walked over to me, and I raised an eyebrow in surprise as she reached out, both of her arms wrapping around my bicep.
"What are you-" I started, but she just tugged, her grip surprisingly strong despite her exhaustion, and I stumbled towards her as I was caught off guard.
"You're coming with me," She said, her voice firm, leaving no room for argument as she pulled me towards the boat. I didn't resist, an amused smile on my lips as I allowed her to drag me along.
"I told you," I chuckled as I let her pull me, "I don't need sleep. I'm fine to keep going."
"Shut up," She grumbled, not even looking at me as she tugged me over to the boat, "You've been awake for more than two days straight. You've been paddling for an entire day, and you've been climbing for another. I don't care how strong you think you are, that's not human."
"Didn't you just say I was a monster earlier?" I shot back, my smirk widening as I followed her lead.
"I think you're more of an idiot than a monster," She shot back, glancing at me as a deep blush spread across her cheeks, her eyes darting away from mine as she continued, "I'm realizing that Father didn't send me with you to see if you were worthy of Germa's support. He sent me with you to make sure you don't kill yourself with all the insane shit you do."
She looked up as she met my gaze again, her eyes burning with a determined fire that was completely at odds with the pretty blush on her cheeks.
"You're sleeping," She declared, her voice leaving no room for argument, "And that's the bottom line. If I have to hold you down to make sure of that, then I will."
Before I could even respond to her bold declaration, she yanked me down. I was too surprised to resist, letting out a short grunt as I tumbled backwards onto the small bed area of the boat, which was just a collection of blankets and two small pillows I had taken from Imbale. The blankets were tied down in a pile most of the time, as they were right now, to ensure they didn't fall during the climb, but Reiju quickly pulled them out from under the tight ropes.
Reiju was quick to shift them around, as she laid out a genuine bed-like area next to me, the fabric soft against the hard wood of the boat. Then, she tugged me over again, pushing me to lie down properly on the makeshift bed. I didn't fight her, a low chuckle rumbling in my chest as I settled in, my body sinking into the soft blankets.
Then, she lay down next to me, her body close but not touching. Finally, she shifted, her arm wrapping around my much larger one. She pulled my arm into her chest, and my bicep nestled perfectly between her breasts, the soft warmth of them pressing against my skin. I felt my own face flush slightly at the intimate contact, but Reiju just blushed even deeper, her gaze darting away from mine, refusing to meet my eyes.
"You know," I said, my voice a low murmur in the quiet night, staring upwards as I saw the sun starting to peek out from the horizon, "You're kind of cute when you're not calling me insane."
She turned her head around to glare at me, her cheeks puffed out in a way that was surprisingly cute, making her look more like a frustrated kitten than a deadly warrior princess.
"Don't get the wrong idea," She huffed, her tone sharp but lacking its usual bite, "I'm just doing this to ensure you actually sleep. It would be annoying if I brought you all the way up here only for you to die from exhaustion before you could take me back down. I'd be stuck up here alone."
"Right, right," I chuckled, my arm feeling surprisingly comfortable nestled between her breasts, "I think that would be more than just 'annoying.'"
I didn't press her further, my body finally succumbing to the exhaustion I had been fighting for what felt like an eternity. I turned my gaze to the side, my movements slow and deliberate. I grabbed one of the blankets, pulling it over my eyes to block out the bright, invasive sunlight as the sun started to slowly rise again. I offered the other end to Reiju, my hand brushing against hers in the process.
"Here," I mumbled, my voice already a bit muffled with tiredness.
Reiju hesitated for a second, a deep blush spreading across her cheeks as she took the blanket, pulling it over her own face, so we were huddled under it together. We huddled together under the thin fabric, a makeshift shield against the rising sun. The hard wood of the boat dug into my back, and every muscle in my body ached with soreness. It was, without a doubt, the most uncomfortable, muscle-aching, and sweaty bed I had ever been in.
And yet, I had never fallen asleep faster.
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AN: Thanks for reading! The next chapter will be posted in around a week!
I also update this and all of my works twice as often on Patreon.com/Koyon ! Up to chapter 25 is posted on there right now!