One Piece, Volume 12

Chapter 100
A mysterious figure roams the streets of Loguetown as the storm pours down. Alongside the figure, words are spoken about how change cannot be stopped. The man says "Pirate King?" and then adds afterwards "not a bad idea".

Buggy gets up after being struck by lightning, angry that Luffy escaped. When Cabaji questions why he is still alive, Buggy states he refuses to die here. Alvida points out the growing Marine problem. Boasting how Luffy's ship should be burned down by now, Buggy uses his car mode and heads off to the harbor, closely followed by Alvida who takes off her sandals, and slide down a ramp to follow. However, they are caught by Smoker. The Marines succeeded in catching the Buggy Pirates and Alvida. Smoker then chases after Luffy, while Alvida comments on how her Devil Fruit powers do not work on the net. Buggy states it is made of Seastone and the Marines have developed it to capture Devil Fruit users.

At the harbor, Richie and Mohji are in trouble, the rain prevents them from setting fire to the Going Merry. Mohji is startled as Usopp arrives, causing him to slip over and knock himself out while Richie is distracted by an egg launched out by the boy's slingshot, while the marksman and Nami arrive back to the Going Merry.

Elsewhere, Zoro, Sanji, and Luffy race towards the ship followed by the Marines. Ahead, Tashigi calls Zoro out and states he lied to her. She states she will take Zoro's Famous Blades and Wado Ichimonji away from him. As the pair break into a fight, Sanji yells at Zoro for attacking a woman but Luffy grabs Sanji and continue on towards the harbor, leaving Zoro behind. Tashigi is easily beaten, knocked against the wall with Zoro's sword at her throat, Zoro states he will never lose his sword. As Zoro begins to run after Luffy and Sanji, Tashigi is outraged that she wasn't killed and demands he tell her why he refuses to kill her, believing it to be because she is a woman. Zoro yells at her, telling her to stop imitating his dead friend and the two break into a childish argument.

Smoker catches up to Luffy and Sanji and blocks the way to the harbor. Smoker grabs Luffy causing Sanji to leap into action, but with no effect to Smoker because of his Devil Fruit, the Moku Moku no Mi. Smoker uses White Blow and hits Sanji to a building, Luffy tried to fight back with one blow but ultimately failed, due to Smoker's ability. Losing very easily, as Smoker goes to throw the finishing blow, a mysterious man called Dragon appears. The World Government is apparently looking for him. Stating the world is "waiting for our answer", a gust of wind breaks out.

Everyone is blown away from where they were, including Luffy with Zoro and Sanji. As the crew escape, Smoker demands to know why, Dragon states he sees no reason to stop a man's destiny. At the harbor, Nami and Usopp urge the others to hurry on board the Going Merry quickly. Smoker declares he will go after Luffy, Tashigi states she will chase after Zoro. On the sea, Buggy tells his crew to chase after Luffy, and that it is time he returned to the Grand Line.

Finally, away from Loguetown and safely at sea, the Straw Hats spot the lighthouse signaling the way to the Grand Line. They declare their vows and dreams and prepare themselves for the next step in their journey.

Chapter 101
Luffy thinks the light from the light house should not disappear, claiming it is an emergency as they could become lost. Nami reminds Luffy why she is the navigator, remembering the way to the Grand Line is her job. Later, Nami reveals to the rest of the Straw hats that the entrance to the Grand Line is Reverse Mountain on the Red Line. They are confused as they believe it to be impossible to climb a mountain with a ship. Zoro wonders if the map is accurate as she stole it from Buggy. Luffy, on the other hand, is excited to go to that "magic" mountain. Zoro suggests entering the Grand Line from the south, shocking Luffy. The captain explains that they must enter from the mountain because it is "cool", much to Nami's disgust.

Suddenly the weather calms down, surprising Nami. She explains that they need to head towards the storm in order to arrive at the entrance. Soon, she realizes that they are in the Calm Belt and that they are in trouble because there is no wind. Nami, nervous about the outcome, orders everybody to row, prompting Usopp to remind her that it is not a rowboat. Nami explains that the Grand Line is surrounded by two seas. They are in the Calm Belt which is a sea without any wind or currents.

The ship shakes, confusing everybody that it might be an earthquake. Soon, the crew realizes that they are surrounded by sea kings. After a moment with the sea kings, the crew is back to the storm, Nami reminding Zoro why they need to use the entrance, Zoro now agreeing with her.

Nami then understands why they have to head for the mountain, explaining that the waves from the four seas gather there to create a stream. The stream would push the mountain's canal and when the water has reached the mountain's peak it will push back to the Grand Line. The only problem is controlling the rudder to avoid sinking. Luffy, on the other hand, does not understand and Sanji is amazed by Nami's navigation skills.

After awhile, they see a big shadow ahead. They realize it is the Red Line surrounded by fog. Sanji and Usopp take hold of the rudder. While turning the heavy rudder to avoid getting off route, it accidentally breaks. Luffy has no choice but to transform into a rubber balloon to avoid hitting the gate. After a brief moment of suspense, the crew is finally back in track, cheering for their accomplishment.

The crew amazed by the wonders of nature, they soon see the Grand Line.

Chapter 102
As the crew heads down the canal stream towards the Grand Line, a loud roar rings out into the air. Usopp announces he can see a giant mountain in the way, but Nami dismisses it as they should have open sea ahead of them. Suddenly they discover the giant mountain is actually a large whale. The crew concludes that the whale most likely does not know they are there as it appears just like a wall and would not be able to see them with its eyes. They try to come up with ideas before they hit it, but to everyone's dismay, Luffy's way of stopping the ship via cannon works but the idea is to fire a cannonball at the whale. Going Merry's bow figure is broken off as it bumps in the whale. They wonder if it felt the cannonball and call it "stupid" if it did not. But as the crew try and get away from the whale, Luffy hits it in the eye with a punch for breaking off "his special seat", which angers the whale.

The whale spots them with its eye and Luffy threatens it to a fight - resulting in the ship being swallowed. Luffy, however, ends up on top of the whale and is wondering how to get free his crew. He pummels the whale's head as the whale begins to lower into the water. Luffy spots a metal hatch on the surface of the whale just before it submerges.

Inside the whale, the crew wonders if they've entered a dream since there is an island here, and they appear to be outside. As they get near to the island a giant squid appears and is harpooned. Sanji and Zoro comment there must be a man living here and hopes he is friendly. Meanwhile, Luffy finds himself inside a tunnel in the body of the whale.

Chapter 103
The Going Merry has entered a weird place: a lake with an island in the middle of a whale's stomach. However, the weirdest part is the old man on the island with his flower-like hairs and annoying attitude. His name is Crocus and is the caretaker of the Twin Cape lighthouse. He reveals to the crew that they are, in fact, in the stomach of the whale who appears to have been "customized." They can leave the whale through a door which Crocus been constructed in the stomach wall. Suddenly, the stomach lake becomes rough. Crocus once again gives the explanation—the whale is hitting his head against the Red Line which has given him numerous scars over the years.

Meanwhile, Luffy also enters the whale strange inside as well as two mysterious characters, Mr. 9 and Miss Wednesday. Due to the whale's behavior, the three of them soon land in the whale's stomach too. They rejoin the others who are trying to escape. Crocus has disappeared into a special room where he can inject sedative to calm the whale through a gigantic syringe. The whale becomes calm once more and the Straw Hat question the 2 mysterious guests. As it appeared, they want to kill the whale. Crocus and Luffy prevent them from doing any harm to Laboon.

Finally, taking advantage of the whale's better mood, Crocus explains his story. He belonged to a pirate crew who stopped by the cape to reach the Grand Line. Due to the danger of the sea, they asked Crocus to take care of Laboon until they returned. The two of them have stayed here waiting since their departure... 50 years ago.

Chapter 104
The Straw Hats are amazed at the construction that Crocus has done inside Laboon. Crocus reveals that he used to be a doctor and has worked in a clinic and a ship. This prompts Luffy to ask him to join his crew as a doctor, but Crocus refuses, saying that he is too old.

After exiting Laboon, the crew wonders what to do with miss Wednesday and Mr. 9. Crocus tells them to dump them into the ocean, which they do. When Luffy asks who these guys are, they realize that such a pirate crew could be useful to their organization, and decide to leave after warning them to prepare themselves, and threatening Crocus that they will be back for the whale soon.

As Luffy begins to wonder where Laboon's crew is located, Sanji tells him that they are most likely dead. Crocus tells them that they did not die but merely abandoned their quest as well as Laboon, fearing the vast dangers of the Grand Line. Usopp ponders about how the promise made to Laboon was so casually forfeited. He then goes on about how he tried to explain the situation to Laboon, but Laboon wouldn't believe any of his words and that's when he began his habit of ramming his head against the red line.

Luffy, having listened to the story, decides to do something seemingly odd. He breaks the mast right off Going Merry. He then runs on top of Laboon's head and nails him with it. The whale, screaming in pain, immediately retaliates. Laboon crushes his head, with Luffy on it, on the rocks. After a brief fight, Luffy declares the match a tie, which will have to be sorted out in the future. Thus, Luffy made a new promise with Laboon to meet again, after they have sailed around the Grand Line, to settle their fight once and for all. Luffy's move made everyone rejoice and gave Laboon a new reason to keep on living.

Chapter 105
Luffy finishes painting his crew's Jolly Roger on Laboon's forehead as a symbol of his promise to come back and fight the whale again. Meanwhile, Nami charts out the navigation route, Sanji prepares some fish for cooking, and Usopp tries to make repairs on the Going Merry while Zoro sleeps. Suddenly, Nami screams, and as the crew takes a break to eat, she reveals that her compass is spinning around all over the place. Crocus is surprised at their lack of knowledge of the Grand Line, and reveals that the presence of minerals on the islands affects the ocean's magnetic fields. Not only that, but the winds are very unpredictable. He states that they will need a Log Pose, which is a special type of compass that records the magnetic field. Luffy ends up having one, to Nami's surprise, and he reveals that Mr. 9 and Miss Wednesday had left it on their ship.

Crocus states that with the Log Pose, they will have to record the magnetic field interaction while on each island before they can move on to the next. There are seven possible magnetic field paths they could travel down, with each one of them leading to Laugh Tale, the legendary island at the end of the Grand Line. Usopp wonders if One Piece is located on Laugh Tale, and Crocus states that it is likely, but not confirmed. Luffy ends up eating all of the food Sanji made, and he kicks Luffy for eating the food he made specifically for Nami. However, he unwittingly sends Luffy slamming into the Log Pose, destroying it. Nami kicks Luffy and Sanji into the ocean and wonders what they are going to do now, but Crocus says he will give them one out of thanks for helping Laboon.

Meanwhile, Mr. 9 and Miss Wednesday spy on the Straw Hats, confirming that they had left their Log Pose with the crew. Without it, they could not return to their town, and would face the wrath of their boss if they fail to report. They prepare to take it by force when the Unluckies, Mr. 13 the sea otter and Miss Friday the vulture, come flying in. Mr. 9 and Miss Wednesday desperately attempt to make excuses, but the Unluckies drop a package-shaped bomb onto them, blowing them into the ocean. They come back up to shore at the same time and place as Luffy and Sanji, and Mr. 9 requests for the Straw Hats to take them to Whisky Peak. The Straw Hats are suspicious of them and want to learn more, but they assert that their organization necessitates their secrecy, offering to pay them back if the Straw Hats help them. Nami mentions that they had broken the Log Pose they had stolen from them, stunning them, before reassuring them about the one Crocus gave them. Crocus cautions them about choosing to go to Whisky Peak and its route, but the Straw Hats are confident as they say farewell to him and Laboon. As he watches them go off, Crocus wonders to Roger if these are the pirates they were waiting for.

Chapter 106
After their departure from Twin Cape, the Straw Hat Pirates start their journey on the Grand Line. However Nami has a hard time understanding the Grand Line's unpredictable and wild climate when lightning follows a blizzard. Things get worse when Miss Wednesday asks her if she has checked her Log Pose and she realizes their ship is going the wrong way after just a few moments of inattention. The next hour is a non-stop fight against the inconsistent weather.

Finally, the Straw Hat Pirates manage to reach a period of calm. Everyone takes this opportunity to rest except Zoro who finally wakes up. When he is about to ask Miss Wednesday and Mr. 9 about their real motivation, Nami punches him for sleeping while the rest struggled against the weather. However, she is now fully confident in her navigation skills in the Grand Line for the future, as she feels more comfortable with the climate patterns.

Soon Whisky Peak, Miss Wednesday and Mr. 9's island, comes into view. While the two take this opportunity to leave the ship and jump overboard the Straw Hat Pirates wonder how their first Grand Line island experience will play out. They ponder if it has monsters, enemies, and so forth. But against all expectations, they receive a cheerful welcome from the inhabitants who invite them to a party.

Chapter 107
As night falls on Whisky Peak, the welcoming party for the Straw Hats continues. Usopp regales the people with his stories, Zoro and Nami outlast them in drinking, Sanji woos several women, and Luffy eats enough food for 20 people. Meanwhile, Mr. 9 and Miss Wednesday report to their boss via letter that they succeeded in luring the Straw Hats to this island. Zoro collapses from drinking before Nami does, and all of the Straw Hats eventually pass out from exhaustion. Mr. 9 and Miss Wednesday confront Mr. 8 as he heads outside, and Mr. 8 reports that the Straw Hats have fallen into their doom.

The nun that Nami was drinking against then comes out, having actually drunk barley tea. As she removes her robes, Miss Monday wonders if this welcoming party was actually necessary, saying they should have just crushed the Straw Hats at the harbor. However, Mr. 8 shows them Luffy's bounty poster, to their shock. He orders them to tie up all the Straw Hats and take all the treasure from their ship, telling them to keep them alive to earn the entire reward. However, Zoro then calls out to them from a nearby rooftop, and the agents inside report to the ones outside that he had managed to escape. Zoro states that a true swordsman never allows alcohol to take control of himself, and looks forward to taking on the 100 Baroque Works agents confronting him.

The agents are shocked that he knows their organizations' name, and Zoro reveals that he was unsuccessfully recruited to join it back when he was a bounty hunter. Mr. 8 states that they must kill him for knowing their secrets, and place his tombstone among the many others at Cactus Rock. In their brief moment of distraction, they lose sight of Zoro, and he appears right among them. They rush to attack, but he overwhelms several of them before speeding away again. He appears behind Mr. 8 and plants his sword into the agent's hair. Mr. 8 desperately tells the agents to not shoot, and he brings out a saxophone that functions as a shotgun. Zoro quickly speeds away from the blast as many agents are taken out, and Mr. 8, Miss Monday, Mr. 9, and Miss Wednesday state that they will need to take on Zoro themselves.

Chapter 108
Zoro announces that he knows their secret company that they are "Baroque Works" while Luffy and the rest of the crew are sleeping. Baroque Works attempt to kill him to protect their secret identity. Zoro thinks it will be a good chance to test his new swords and have some fun. The fight between Zoro and the 100 bounty hunters begins.

A bounty hunter sees him and shoots him from the top of a building but Zoro ducks into a house. Then he sees that he is surrounded by more bounty hunters. They shoot at him but he uses a table as his shield. Then Zoro escapes, using the Yubashiri and gets out of the building. He goes upstairs and a bounty hunter with a bazooka shoots at him but Zoro ducks down. Miss Monday sees him at the stairs and she throws a barrel full of liquor at him. Zoro cuts it in four pieces that hit four more members in front of Zoro. Someone with a stone hammer tries to hit him from behind but Zoro dodges it in time and cuts the stone saying that "This one cuts through stone, the Sandai Kitetsu" blade is remarkably sharp'. A young boy tries to attack him with a knife, but Zoro flips it away. A nun comes and hugs the kid saying "God, please protect us" then she pulls away her cross where smoke comes out in the middle. Zoro avoids the smoke, and hits the nun and boy. He climbs up a ladder, with a lot of members following him up the ladder but Zoro pushes the ladder off the building, and the bounty hunters fall with the ladder. He jumps to another building and tricks the bounty hunters on the building, to fall through a hole he made on the roof.

Miss Monday surprises Zoro by trying to hit him from behind with one of the ladders. Zoro ducks in time, but then she catches him by his neck and punches him in the face with her super-human strength. Zoro then grabs her with his right hand and he challenges Miss Monday to a game of strength, which she loses. Mr. 8 thinks that the Marines got the bounty poster wrong, and that Zoro must be the real captain due to his strength.