SailorStar9: After getting Chapter 57 out, this is Chapter 58 of this fic. For everyone who put this fic on your favorited and followed lists and/or story alerts, thank you, but remember everyone, a lot of authors, myself included, sustain on readers' reviews.

Pairings: Ace/Sasha, sibling Luffy/Sasha and Sabo/Sasha, patriotic-retainer Law/Sasha

Disclaimers: One Piece belongs to Oda Eiichirō-sensei. Me, on the other hand, own absolutely nothing, except my OC.

Chapter 58: Arc 6: Sail the White Sea! The Sky Knight and the Gate in the Clouds!

"Damn..." Zoro heaved, coughing out the sea water he had swallowed after the crew traveled up the Knock-Up Stream on the modified Going Merry. "What happened? Is everyone here?"

"Guys, look outside the ship!" Luffy called.

"What is this place?" Sanji gawked when he saw the sea of white cloud before his eyes.

"We're on the clouds?" Nami was shocked. "How are we staying on them? Basically, this is an ocean in the sky? But look!" she brought out the Eternal Pose Robin had snitched from Masira previously. "The Log Pose is still pointing upwards."

"It seems we're in the middle section of the cumuloregalis clouds." Robin reasoned.

"We need to go even higher?" Chopper inquired. "How?"

"That I don't know." Robin admitted.

"Where is the sky island?" Chopper sat on the side, binoculars in hand as he surveyed the sea. "A ship... guys, a ship!" he reported. "And a person? Eh?" he exclaimed when he saw the ship being blown apart.

"Is there a ship out there, Chopper?" Sanji asked.

"No," Chopper replied. "There was, but not anymore. And there's a bull, and it's running straight here, it's on..." he panicked.

"It's a person." Sanji was alerted by the incoming Wiper. "Someone's coming. He's running on the clouds. Hey you!" he called to the attacked. "What do you want?"

"To eliminate you." Wiper declared. With a kick, he slammed Sanji into the wall. Another kick sent Zoro to the ground. A third kick had slammed Luffy's head into the floor. Jumping into the air, Wiper aimed his bazooka at the ship.

"That is far enough!" Gan Fall declared, riding in on Pierre. Using his lance to knock Wiper off his Waver. "I am the Sky Knight." he introduced himself.

"Man, talk about being worthless..." Sanji cursed.

"I can't move well... for some reason..." Luffy panted.

"It must be because of the thin air." Robin reasoned.

"Are you Blue Sea people?" Gan Fall asked.

"And who are you?" Sasha asked.

"I am the Sky Knight." Gan Fall repeated. "'Blue Sea people' is the term for those who live beneath the clouds. In other words, did you come up here from the blue seas?"

"Yeah, that's right." Luffy nodded.

"Then, that explains it." Gan Fall noted. "This is the White Sea, 7000 meters in the air. The White-White Sea even higher above reaches 10000 meters high. Ordinary Blue Sea people can't possibly endure it here."

"Anyway, why was that guy speeding on top of the clouds?" Chopper asked.

"Now, now. Hold on." Gan Fall chided. "I'm sure you have many questions, but let's talk business first. I am a freelance soldier-for-hire. These seas are fraught with danger. If you don't know how to fight in the sky, guerrillas like that one will come after you and turn you into food for the skyfish. For a 5000000 Extol One Whistle, I will help you."

"What are you talking about, old man?" Luffy wondered.

"What in the world is 'Extol'?" Sanji asked. "And what is this 'whistle' or whatever?"

"You came here via the summit of High-West, did you now?" Gan Fall asked. "Then, you've passed an island or two."

"Again, what are you talking about, old man?" Luffy repeated.

"Wait." Nami voiced. "You mean there are other ways of coming to this sky ocean? And 'an island or two'? Does that mean there are lots of sky islands?"

"Don't tell me you came here via the..." Gan Fall realized.

"We rode up the Knock-Up Stream." Sasha confirmed.

"So there are still people gusty enough for that." Gan Fall noted. "Did you lose any of your crew?"

"No, we're all here." Luffy replied.

"That wouldn't have been the case with any other route." Gan Fall admitted. "100 head for the sky, a few arrive and someone survives. That is the gamble. But with the Knock-Up Stream, everyone dies or everyone arrives. That's it. Not many can make that all-for-nothing bet, especially these days. I now see that you are capable navigators with courage and skill. One blow of this One Whistle," he produced a silver whistle and tossed it to Sasha. "And I shall come to your aid."

"Wait, we still don't know your name!" Nami reminded.

"I am Gan Fall, the Sky Knight." Gan Fall replied. "And this is my partner, Pierre. I forgot to mention it, but my partner Pierre is a bird that ate the Horse-Horse Fruit and gained its powers. In short, he becomes a horse with wings."

"No way!" Nami gushed. "A Pegasus?"

"May luck be with you, warriors." Gan Fall rode off.

"For now, let's take the ship somewhere." Zoro suggested, Sasha placing the whistle around her neck.

"Look over there!" Chopper looked over the side of the ship. "Isn't that a weird cloud?"

"It also looks like a waterfall." Robin admitted.

"It's decided." Zoro declared. "Let's check it out."

"Wait!" Nami voiced, looking up from her Eternal Pose as the ship cruised on. "Stop!"

"There are huge clouds in the way." Robin pointed out.

"They're floating in the sky ocean, so they can't be ocean too." Sanji mused.

"Let's touch one and find out." Luffy grinned. "Gum-Gum Pistol!" he let his punch fly. "It bounced off!"

"But this means the ship can't go through places filled with these." Nami mused. "Find a route that the ship can take!" she shouted at Luffy who was bouncing on the cloud.

"Hey Luffy, there's something over there!" Usopp informed. "A gate?" he peered through his goggles.

"There's a big gate under that waterfall." Luffy jumped back on the ship. "We'll find out what it is after we get through here."

"Looks like we're through." Nami noted after the ship navigated through the clouds.

"It's a gate, all right..." Zoro remarked, the crew arriving before the 'Heaven's Gate'.

"And look," Nami added. "That waterfall-like cloud really was a waterfall. It's flowing over those different clouds from earlier."

"Someone's coming out!" Usopp pointed as the ship steered through the gate.

"I am Amazon, the Heaven's Gate's inspector." the aged Skypiean introduced herself after taking pictures of the Going Merry. "Sightseeing? Or perhaps war?"

"I guess it's kind of like sightseeing." Nami replied.

"We wanna go to the sky islands." Luffy took over. "They're past this gate, right?"

"It doesn't matter either way." Amazon answered. "If you're going to the upper area, pat the entrance fee of one billion Extol per person. That is the law."

"About the money, what if we kinda don't have it?" Nami asked.

"You can pass." Amazon replied. "Or you don't have to pass. I am neither a gatekeeper nor a guard. I merely ask your intentions."

"Then let's go!" Luffy declared. "To the sky islands!"

"We don't got the money, but we're going through, grandma." Usopp informed Amazon.

"I see." Amazon noted. "The eight of you, then?"

"But how do you get to the sky islands?" Luffy thought to ask.

"The White Sea's famous Express Lobster." Amazon remarked as a pair of claws grabbed the sides of the ship and took them along.

SailorStar9: Any OOC-nes is regretted. *Sighs* Don't you just hate plot bunnies sometimes? Reviews are much appreciated.