Chapter 103: The Battle of the Inverted Mountains and Seas

The nobility of the Kingdom of Goya was swept away by Garen in one fell swoop, and the nation became thoroughly transformed into Garen's personal backyard and stronghold.

With the full cooperation of the Michael family, Debang Logistics swiftly expanded its shipping business throughout the East Sea.

As for the operations to eradicate pirates and maintain order, they were entirely under the command of Chief Instructor Dasky.

A colossal force was rapidly taking shape in the East Sea, continuously reshaping the region’s established order:

From Samwell Island to Cocoa West Village, from Debang’s territories to the Kingdom of Goya, everywhere the righteous knight Garen set foot, the imposing golden sword banner hung high and proud.

Pirates who saw this banner often felt a dread even greater than encountering the navy.

Debang Logistics, self-styled as the “Zealous Citizens of the East Sea,” extended its influence along shipping routes with astonishing speed, spreading across the entire East Sea. The pirates’ once comfortable and carefree lives were finally coming to an end.

Yet Garen, the architect behind all this, understood clearly:

Without overwhelming strength, all his accomplishments would be but castles in the air.

Thus, he did not linger in the East Sea to enjoy the privileges of a local overlord. Instead, he chose to embark swiftly on a new journey:

The Grand Line.

Garen entrusted company governance to DEX, military affairs to Dasky, and finance to Borgin. He himself boarded the flagship “Dauntless Battleship Sabre” and set sail toward the Grand Line’s gateway—the Reverse Mountain.

Alongside over three hundred elite sailors, the expedition included the genius navigator Miss Nami, who eagerly anticipated the Grand Line, and Princess Vivi, Garen’s “commissioner” for this voyage.

Wallace wished to continue by Garen’s side as a war correspondent, but as a newly crowned king, it was hardly appropriate to leave his beautiful newlywed wife and a nation still recovering from turmoil.

Nonetheless, although unable to accompany the voyage personally, Wallace was unwilling to relinquish his role as Garen’s official chronicler.

Crafting the perfect legend of the Righteous Knight Garen had long been Wallace’s unwavering dream.

He arranged for several younger journalists to follow Garen’s ship for publicity, maintaining constant remote contact through a costly visual communication device.

Whenever Garen made headlines on the Grand Line, Wallace would write and broadcast the stories from afar, then spread these thrilling tales throughout the East Sea.

......................................

The gateway from the East Sea to the Grand Line: Reverse Mountain.

This world harbors all manner of extraordinary natural phenomena, and Reverse Mountain is one such marvel:

It is said that the four ocean currents converging here are so powerful that they can defy gravity, flowing upward. This creates a unique “elevator-like” sea route within the mountain’s geography.

This “elevator” carries ships from sea level to the mountain’s summit, where a transit hub connects them to the Grand Line.

The Dauntless Battleship Sabre was immense, yet before this strange ascending current, it seemed almost insignificant:

Only a violent trembling rising from the ship’s keel was felt, as this mountain-like vessel surged upward toward the summit of Reverse Mountain.

The waves in the channel were tumultuous; Garen’s colossal ship rocked and swayed violently amid the restless currents.

Navigator Nami showed no fear of the towering waves; rather, she was visibly excited.

Clutching the railing tightly, she insisted on standing at the foredeck’s edge, beside Garen, admiring the Grand Line’s surreal gateway.

Reverse Mountain was vast, and the Dauntless Battleship Sabre took considerable time to ascend to its peak under the aid of the rising current.

Upon reaching the summit, the great ship shot upward like a roller coaster, then plunged heavily down the descending current leading into the Grand Line.

A towering wave crashed, and the Dauntless Battleship Sabre trembled as it sailed cautiously along the downward channel.

In the pirate world, timber was actually a form of advanced technology—both incredibly sturdy and remarkably lightweight—allowing Garen’s mountain-sized flagship to perform such daring maneuvers safely.

Had this been one of Earth’s costly sailing ships, attempting such roller coaster antics would have torn it apart, leaving nothing but drifting wreckage.

Just as they entered the downward channel, Garen and Nami’s expressions simultaneously grew serious:

“Ship ahead?”

Directly ahead in the channel appeared a foreign vessel.

Slightly smaller than Garen’s flagship, this ship’s wooden hull was sheathed in sturdy iron armor, giving it an intimidating presence.

Atop its mast fluttered a black skull-and-crossbones flag, marking its crew’s identity:

A pirate crew from another sea, just entering the Grand Line, who happened to cross paths with Garen.

What made this pirate ship most peculiar was its dual nature:

Though equipped with sails, it also sported two towering smokestacks on deck, belching thick black smoke.

A strong steampunk aesthetic.

Garen gaped in astonishment but soon rationalized:

Given the wildly uneven technological development in the pirate world, he shouldn’t be surprised to encounter anything at sea.

And steam-powered sailing vessels weren’t particularly advanced technology.

Before Garen could adopt his usual stance toward pirates, the armored pirate ship was the first to send a signal flag.

Since they would all be navigating the seas, Garen had taken the time to learn the world’s common flag signals.

He quickly understood their message:

“Surrender unconditionally.”

A pirate crew demanding unconditional surrender made their intentions clear.

“What?!”

Garen was taken aback:

“They want me to surrender outright upon first meeting?”

He glanced back at the golden sword banner flying from his ship and couldn’t help but laugh inwardly:

“These guys must have mistaken me for a harmless merchant vessel.”

Debang’s reputation was unknown beyond the East Sea, and the banner’s deterrent effect was nearly nonexistent.

So when these pirates saw such a colossal ship that was neither navy nor pirate, they immediately assumed they had stumbled upon an unparalleled fat sheep.

“Reply with flags!”

Garen commanded his sailors loudly:

“Send their message back to them exactly as is!”

The two ships, still swaying in the descending current, faced off sharply.

Garen’s flag reply worked effectively, and the pirate ship promptly responded:

With cannon fire.

At the sound of the gunfire, the Debang sailors, already battle-ready, quickly returned fire.

However, once the cannonade began, Garen’s side soon found itself at a disadvantage:

Though their Bakit brand high-explosive shells were powerful, their insufficient propellant meant they couldn’t reach the enemy’s hull.

Meanwhile, the opposing ship’s artillery fired steadily, with shells landing squarely on the Dauntless Battleship Sabre’s deck.

This enemy could truly be described as “strong ship, powerful guns.”

Garen’s flagship was soon pelted with splintering wood as falling shells struck, and casualties among the crew were inevitable.

“Damn it!”

Garen cursed under his breath and leapt onto the deck, relying on his impeccable swordsmanship to intercept the incoming shells.

As his great blade sliced through the cannonballs, Garen marveled once more at the enemy’s technological edge:

No wonder their artillery had longer range and greater accuracy—

Their shells differed from the common round iron balls seen at sea; these were distinctly shaped:

Cylindrical bodies, boat-shaped tails, conical heads.

Others might not understand, but Garen, hailing from Earth, recognized them immediately:

These were shells for rifled breech-loading cannons.

In contrast, his ship’s guns, like most sea vessels, still used outdated muzzle-loading smoothbore cannons firing spherical solid and explosive shot.

The performance gap was stark:

In other words, Garen was wielding 16th-century redcoat cannons, while the enemy had already equipped Armstrong guns of the British Empire.

The outcome of such artillery duels was all too familiar, reminiscent of the Second Opium War.

“Lagging behind means getting beaten...”

Garen spoke this ironclad truth aloud, then helplessly ordered his sailors:

“Cease fire!”

“The enemy’s technology is superior; our shells are useless!”

Then...

Garen leapt from the ship and sprinted across the water’s surface:

“Bastards!”

Amid the pirates’ astonished gazes, Garen raised his great sword high:

“Taste the might of my advanced productivity!”