OP: My Aircraft Carrier Evolves#64+65: Munch-Munch Synthesis: The Kar98k! Onward to the Grand Line, Laboon, and a Doctor!

"Clear your mind."

"Don't try to fight the recoil."

"Flow with it, like water."

"Don't force the shot—feel it."

"Be water."

On the deck, Jin stood behind Maya, guiding her aim. In her hands was a brand-new sniper rifle.

The Karabiner 98k.

During his travels through the North Blue, Jin hadn't just been training—he'd been developing the Munch-Munch Fruit, attempting to synthesize a firearm from scratch.

After ruling out several other options, he had settled on the Kar98k.

He’d considered the Barrett, the M24, and others, but their construction was too complex—unfamiliar territory for him. More importantly, they weren't suitable for mass production. You couldn't equip an entire army with them.

But the 98k—that was a different story. It was the classic bolt-action sniper from countless first-person shooters, a weapon he knew intimately.

It had been his favorite. He'd poured over its blueprints and schematics, and if it hadn't been illegal, he probably would have tried to build one himself.

It held a certain nostalgic appeal.

Besides, it wasn't just a sniper rifle; it could also serve as a standard-issue weapon for his troops.

In the world of One Piece—

—it was perfect.

It was a full generation or two ahead of the flintlocks and Gatling guns currently in use. At the very least, it would give him an edge against the Marines.

As for the other weapons, like the AK or the Barrett—it wasn't that he couldn't make them. It was that technology had to evolve in stages.

You don't play your trump card right at the start.

He had to master the profound military philosophy: field one generation, produce the next, develop the third, and research the fourth.

After countless experiments and refinements, Jin had finally perfected the material composition for the 98k. Using the Munch-Munch Fruit, he synthesized the very first one.

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[Overall Length: 1107 mm]

[Capacity: 5 rounds, internal staggered magazine]

[Action: Manual, bolt-action]

[Caliber: 7.92 mm]

[Rate of Fire: 10-15 rounds/min]

[Muzzle Velocity: 755 m/s]

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The 98k didn't use lead balls like a flintlock.

Jin first synthesized smokeless powder—which was surprisingly simple. He had the standard formula, and Ai could control the process.

With the formula, the work was fast.

Then, he combined it with copper and synthesized the 7.92x57mm rifle cartridge.

Success.

After test-firing the rifle—he had Ai use the Munch-Munch Fruit to produce a hundred more, along with ten thousand rounds of ammunition.

The first batch was for his crew's training.

And then—he discovered that Maya, with her Observation Haki, had a remarkable talent for sniping. So he began to train her personally.

In the hands of a normal person, a sniper rifle is just a gun. In the hands of a true sniper, it's a different weapon entirely—especially in the world of One Piece.

A master sniper could imbue their bullets with Haki and lock onto their targets with Observation.

They might not reach the godlike standards of a bullet that can hit a target from five hundred miles away, like in the old movies—but a shot from ten miles out? A single shot that could sink a ship?

That was entirely possible.

Maya aimed at a pirate flag a thousand meters away. A faint blush crept onto her cheeks. Behind her, she could feel the powerful, steady beat of the king's heart.

Her own heart began to race in time with his.

His hands covered hers.

Their breaths mingled.

She felt a little dizzy. She might have been young, but as a shamaness, she already knew what she needed to know.

An age where the first stirrings of love begin to bloom.

How could she possibly bear it?

Fortunately—Maya's Observation Haki, bolstered by the spirit of her ancestor, was incredibly powerful. Her ability to listen to all things gave her an immense range...

CRACK!

The trigger squeezed.

The bullet flew.

A perfect shot. It snapped the rope holding the pirate flag, and the Jolly Roger fluttered down into the sea.

"I DID IT!" Maya cheered, bouncing with excitement in Jin's arms.

Jin had been traveling the North Blue for a month now. He had only encountered six small pirate crews. This was the seventh.

The battle was over quickly.

The sea grew calm once more.

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In the distance, Reverse Mountain stood like a colossal giant, its peak shrouded in mist, the reverse current crashing against its red cliffs.

Jin let out a soft breath.

The North Blue journey was over.

This time, the demonic carrier didn't climb Reverse Mountain. Instead, it sailed directly into the canal, carried along by the chaotic current.

The waves churned violently, all the water surging in one direction.

The demonic carrier was tossed about in the current.

But it was fine.

Tempered by Spacetime energy, even the most violent seas couldn't harm its hull.

"Hey! See that light?"

"That's the lighthouse on the cape! The guide light!"

"The path it illuminates is the entrance to the Grand Line!"

"So that's the Red Line?"

"Incredible!"

Hearing that they were about to ascend Reverse Mountain, Law, his crew, and Maya all gathered on the deck, chattering with excitement.

Robin watched calmly. She had already witnessed this once, when she had entered the Grand Line from the West Blue.

Reiju was even more composed.

Years ago, Germa 66, led by Judge, had crossed the Red Line in three weeks to invade the East Blue. After entering the East Blue, they had gone to war with the Cozia Kingdom. It was during that war that Sanji had been freed by Reiju.

After Judge had discovered his escape, he had disowned Sanji and let him go.

And in the years since, Germa 66 had crossed the Red Line more than once, traveling to the South Blue, the West Blue, and the Grand Line to carry out their missions.

So, she was even calmer than Robin.

Some things... you just get used to them.

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The layout of Reverse Mountain was the same for all four seas. Because Robin had explained everything in advance, there was no fear of the unknown. And even if something unexpected happened, they would be able to handle it.

Besides, Jin's demonic carrier was no ordinary ship.

It needed no one at the helm, no one to man the sails...

The demonic carrier navigated on its own.

They rode the current with ease, ascending rapidly.

"Aaaahhh...!" Bepo screamed.

"This is amazing! So exciting!" Maya cried.

"Let's go!" Shachi yelled.

After being forced to accept their new reality, the members of the Heart Pirates had quickly adapted. Jin treated them well. Aside from not being able to leave the ship, they had plenty of food and drink and were sheltered from the elements. It was a much more comfortable life than before.

And when they encountered other pirate crews, they were even allowed to fight, to train themselves. With a powerful backer, their confidence was soaring.

Besides, Law wasn't planning on escaping. So what did it matter who they followed?

Amidst the excited shouts, the ship reached the ten-thousand-meter peak.

The currents from the four seas converged, paused for a moment, and then flowed down into the wider channel of the Grand Line.

"Waaahhh...! We're going to fall!" Bepo shrieked.

Seeing the massive drop, even Law, who had been trying to maintain his cool, looked a little nervous.

"Hold on!"

"Be careful! Don't get thrown off!"

The ship shot down the channel, a ten-thousand-meter-long waterslide that was more thrilling than any roller coaster.

GRAND LINE, I'M BACK!!!

SPLASH!

The demonic carrier hit the water. It rocked violently for a moment, but it was completely undamaged.

They had entered the Grand Line!

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A sea breeze swept past, calming their racing hearts and trembling hands.

A thick mist swirled around them.

As they sailed out of the turbulent waters, they looked back. The towering Red Line was so tall they couldn't even see the top.

"Wow... we came all the way down from up there and didn't die! Lucky!" Maya said, shielding her eyes with her hand.

Penguin ran to the bow and leaned on the rail. "Hey, Law! Is this really the Grand Line?"

As far as the eye could see, the sea was a vast, waveless expanse. The sky and the water seemed to be perfectly still.

Law stood with his arms crossed, his cursed sword held tight. His gaze was dark and heavy.

Bepo lay on the deck in a starfish position, gasping for breath. "I'm alive! I'm actually alive!"

Suddenly, Shachi cried out, "Hey! Look! Is that an island up ahead?"

Everyone looked.

In the distance, something black was floating on the water, like a reef.

"I don't know... I feel like it's moving."

"I think so too... and it's coming this way..."

"Hey, it really is moving! What is that?"

Jin gazed into the distance.

"Wooooooooo..."

A mournful, muffled, massive whale's cry answered them. It wasn't the demonic carrier. It was a real whale.

A black wall, blocking the entrance to the Grand Line.

"It's that whale," Jin said, recognizing it at once.

Laboon, the Island Whale that Roger's ship's doctor, Crocus, had been taking care of.

He hadn't seen him on the way in.

But he was here now.

That thing was incredibly powerful. If it hit them, or swallowed them, they'd be in serious trouble.

He had no desire to be "pulled out" of its stomach.

Jin steered the demonic carrier, trying to avoid Laboon.

As they drew closer, the waves from the Island Whale were as tall as mountains.

"SO... BIG...!!!"

"What is that thing??"

"A monster of the Grand Line!!!"

Law and his crew were all in a state of shock.

Even Robin's eyes were wide. She hadn't encountered it when she had entered the Grand Line.

Laboon wasn't always here.

"He's huge..." Jin said, also taken aback. Seeing a colossal creature in a video or a picture was one thing. Standing before it was another thing entirely.

The massive Island Whale's head broke the surface, rising higher and higher. The water that cascaded from its back was like a waterfall from the sky. A thick, massive, black wall, standing in the middle of the sea.

And then—

"WUUUUUOOOOOOOO..."

A deep, ethereal roar from the monster of the deep, so loud that everyone had to cover their ears.

BOOM!

The giant whale began to ram its head against the Red Line, sending massive waves crashing outward.

Blood seeped from the scars on its head.

Even from a dozen nautical miles away, the impact was staggering.

"What is it doing?"

"Is it trying to break through the Red Line??"

"What a terrifying monster!"

Suddenly, Maya said, "It's sad. It's calling for its friends."

"Eh??"

Everyone looked at her.

Law was a little surprised. The king's little personal secretary... it seemed she had some special ability, an affinity for animals.

Maya walked to the rail and looked at Laboon. "I can hear sadness in its voice."

"Friends?" Robin mused. "Other whales like it?"

Maya closed her eyes and listened.

In Laboon's "Voice," she could see images from the past, from when he was just a "little" Island Whale.

...

"Laboon! We'll see you when we get back from our trip around the world!"

But... that had been fifty years ago.

The world had changed. Time had passed.

Laboon had not seen his friends return. He had only heard the news of their death.

He refused to believe it.

To find his friends, he had begun to ram his head against the indestructible Red Line, covering himself in scars.

...

With her shamaness's talent and her Observation Haki, Maya could feel Laboon's sorrow. She couldn't help but begin to sing.

She placed a hand on her chest and, in a prayer-like posture, began to sing a hymn from her homeland.

The words were foreign, but the melody was gentle.

Like a mother, the sea, comforting her child.

The heavenly voice, a song of the soul, seemed to become light, floating across the sea on the wind.

Law, Robin, Reiju... they all fell silent.

Laboon, who had been about to ram the Red Line again, stopped.

His massive eye swiveled slightly. He saw the tiny ship in the distance.

He "heard" it.

Someone was speaking to him. Soothing his sorrow.

—————————

Inside Laboon, in a "sea" of stomach acid, there was a small island.

Crocus, holding a rope, was about to administer a tranquilizer. He looked up in surprise.

"He's stopped?? What happened?"

He was the keeper of the Twin Cape Lighthouse and one of the best doctors in the world. He had been taking care of Laboon for years.

He knew that once Laboon started ramming the mountain, he wouldn't stop until he was completely exhausted.

Fearing that Laboon would die, he had used his incredible surgical skills to modify the whale's body. He had also invented a tranquilizer to calm him.

"Hm?"

Crocus could feel it... the "power" of Observation Haki, and a voice that soothed the soul.

"WUUUUUOOOOOOOO..."

Laboon once again roared at the sky. But he didn't ram the mountain.

"Hey! It's coming toward us!" Reiju said.

"It's really coming!" Penguin cried. "If it hits us, we're dead!"

Jin watched calmly.

"No!" Maya said. "It means no harm! It's coming to thank us!"

"Thank us?" Robin said, surprised.

Everyone calmed down and chose to believe her.

Laboon floated on the surface, slowly approaching.

The emotion in his eye had softened.

He blinked at Maya and let out a gentle sound, then nodded his head up and down, just like a person.

"Is he really saying thank you?" Reiju said, amazed. Although Jin could be a handful at times, there was one good thing about being here: she didn't have to hide her emotions.

"That's amazing, Miss Maya!" Bepo said, impressed. "Can you really talk to whales?"

Maya nodded.

Her ancestor had been able to seal an awakened Devil Fruit "demon." She had been a powerhouse, at least on the level of a Yonko commander, Jin estimated. And she had possessed an incredibly powerful Observation Haki.

Law's eyes narrowed. "Hey, Is that a person on its head?"

Jin looked over.

Crocus?

Crocus had also seen them. "Pirates, was it your voice that stopped Laboon?"