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Before the crew had begun its ascent of Reverse Mountain, Ryu had perched himself up in the crow’s nest of the [i]Cradle Princess[/i] in order to get the best view of the landscape below as it passed by. It was also somewhere out of the way, which meant there was little chance of anyone telling him to do anything.
Ryu held no illusions about how dangerous it was to enter the Grand Line via Reverse Mountain. Living in Loguetown, he’d seen countless crews on every kind of ship attempt the crossing, only to come back with a crippled ship (or in many cases no ship at all). However, none of this caused the slightest bit of hesitation for him. The only way for him to achieve true strength was on the Grand Line, and this was the only way to get there for anyone other than the Navy. If he died now, then he simply wasn’t strong enough to weather the Grand Line.
As the [i]Cradle Princess[/i] crested over the peak of Reverse Mountain, the entire landscape below unfolded. From where he sat perched in the crow’s nest, Ryu could see for miles in every direction, and the view could only be described as breathtaking.
The ship seemed to hang in the air for a moment before it’s course shifted downwards as it reached the apex of its flight through the air. Ryu could already tell that the ship wouldn’t survive landing in the water below. The ship was already as good as destroyed from the beating it took just scaling Reverse Mountain, and even the wind rushing past was almost enough to tear it to pieces. It plummeted through the air continuing to gain speed right up until it slammed into the sea below.
Because he had been perched up in the crow’s nest, Ryu was flung from the ship with a bit more horizontal momentum than the rest of the crew. As he flew through the air, he knew that if he didn’t land properly, he could easily permanently lose the use of his legs, or even his life. Despite the fact that he was possibly plummeting to his death, Ryu couldn’t help but smile. This thrill, this danger, this was what he lived with. Moments like these proved that he was alive.
He removed one of his swords from where he had slung them over his shoulder, leaving it in the saya, and positioned it with the end just below his feet. The end of the saya hit the water just before he did, breaking the surface and allowing him to escape any serious injury. He would definitely have some bruises at the end of the day, but he hadn’t sustained anything serious. After taking a moment to sling his sword back over his shoulder, Ryu swam upwards back to the surface of the ocean. He then began to swim towards Twin Capes, moving at a relaxed pace. When he eventually reached the shore, he took a few seconds to stretch before turning to face the ocean again and sitting on the shore to wait for the rest of the crew.