Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece. I only own my OC, Aurora and Kai.

Dude, I did not realize how long this chapter was. I literally just started typing and stopped when I thought I reached a good ending point. There are 14,845 words in this document! I've never typed that much for a chapter! I'm not sure how to feel about this...

Anyway... told you guys I'd have the next chapter out soon. I hope you enjoy!


Chapter 39

"…Can't…! Breathe…!" Luffy choked, their rapid ascent making it difficult for the straw hat captain to acclimate to the new altitude. The Going Merry burst through the clouds, coming to land amongst a sea of white. "Pwahh!"

Coughs wracked Nami's body, the navigator gasping for breath as she lay flat against the deck. "Haa… haa…!'

Usopp appeared to be out cold, a large bump forming on his head.

Sanji coughed as well. "…Gu…hah…hah…hah…"

Chopper was almost in a similar state as Usopp, only he somehow managed to retain consciousness. "Hah!"

"…! Damn…" Zoro cursed, leaning heavily against the side of the ship. "What happened? Is everyone alright…? Phu…"

"Haa…haa…" Robin was quietly wheezing, the normally placid woman as overtaken as the others were.

The only two not affected were Aurora and Kai. Due to their angel anatomy, they were built to handle the thinning air the higher up they were in the sky. And in Aurora's case, she'd grown up in this environment so she was already acclimated to the atmosphere. But nobody was aware of that. The true angel moved around to check on her crewmates while Kai knelt down to check on Robin.

"Hey!" Luffy perked up. "Hey, look you guys! Outside the ship!"

Stretched out before them was an endless sea of white, fluffy clouds.

"…What is this place?! It's sooo white!"

Chopper's jaw dropped. "Clouds…?!"

"On top of the clouds…!" Nami couldn't believe her eyes. "How are we sailing on clouds…?!"

"Of course we can sail on top of it!" Luffy stated, like it was obvious. "They're just clouds."

Sanji, Zoro and Chopper shook their heads. "No, that's impossible!"

"They're right." Kai agreed. "Sailing on top of clouds shouldn't be possible. If anything, we should have fallen right through them."

"Chopper!" Aurora suddenly called out, the true angel knelt over Usopp. "I need your help! He's not breathing!"

"What?!" Luffy cried. "Think of something! Do CPR!"

"Okay. I'll do CPR on Nami~!"

Zoro shook his head at the cook's antics. "Idiot…"


"…In other words, this… is the Sea of the Sky!" Nami exclaimed. "But look, the log pose is still pointing up!"

"Maybe this is only the middle part of the Millennium Cumulonimbus…" Robin mused.

"We need to go higher…?" Chopper asked. "How…?"

"I have no idea."

Kai jerked his thumb in Aurora's direction. "Why don't we ask her holiness? She sure seemed to know a lot about how to get up here, so maybe she knows how to get higher up."

Aurora glared at the fallen angel, not realizing that somewhere behind her Usopp had dove into the sea of clouds. "I knew as much as Cricket and the boys did, and that was only how to use the knock-up stream to get here. Aside from that, I won't be of much more help. This is something we'll have to figure out as we go along."

Kai got into the true angel's face, lowering his voice so that only Aurora could make out his next words. "How much longer do you plan to keep up the lies, sweetheart?"

"I'm not-"

"Yes, you are." The fallen angel cut her off. "I can detect when someone's lying just as easily as you can. And you've reeked of lies since Jaya." Kai leaned in closer. "What exactly are you hiding?"

Aurora's glare grew harsher, the true angel going to reply when she finally caught a snippet of the conversation going on behind her.

"Just a thought, but… is there really… a sea floor?" Robin questioned, gazing down at the clouds.

Aurora frowned. "What is she-"

"Long-nose jumped in when you weren't looking." Kai supplied.

The angel's eyes widened at the same time as the others.

"You mean…!"

"Did that idiot fall off the cloud?!"

"Usopp!" Luffy went to stretch his arm so as to grab the sniper, but Aurora sprinted past him, wings spread as she vaulted over the railing.

"Damn it, Usopp!" she cursed, the others crying out in alarm as she descended out of view.

"What the hell is she doing?!" Nami screeched.

"Would you idiots calm down?!" Kai growled. "She can fly, remember?! She'll have long-nose back in no time!"

"How can you know for sure?!"

A figure suddenly burst through the clouds, soaring high up into the sky.

Nami smiled in relief. "It's Aurora! She did it! She…" The navigator trailed off, eyes widening in horror at the creatures that just emerged. "Something followed them!"

"Yaaaaah! They want to eat Usopp and Aurora!"

"WAAAAAAAAH!" Nami and Chopper screamed.

"I could use a little help here!" Aurora called down to her crew, the large fish and octopus rapidly closing in.

Zoro used the rail to propel himself off the ship. "…Nothing to be scared about!" The swordsman drew one of his swords, easily chopping off one of the octopus's limbs.

"Huh?!"


"This is a weird looking animal." Sanji said some time later, having taken care of the large fish that had attacked. It remained hung up on the side of the Merry by its teeth. "I wonder if this is considered a fish…"

"That octopus was like a balloon…" Zoro stated, remembering the popping sound the octopus had made when he'd disposed of it.

"It's still an animal. It was moving…"

"So there are animals in the clouds…"

"Looks like it's better to think of this place as an ocean rather than a cloud."

"What's this flat snake?"

"It's a flatfish because it's flat."

"So this is a flatfish…?"

"Giyaaaaaaaaah!" Usopp suddenly cried out.

Sanji glared. "So noisy! What is it this time, Usopp?!"

"My pants…" he held up another strange looking animal. "This was in my pants…"

"Usopp!" Chopper cried out, the sniper collapsing to the fetal position.

"Sky Island so scary. Sky Island so scary."

"Such a tough day for him." Robin quipped, reaching over and picking up the fish Usopp had removed from his pants. "Then… this would be a Sky Fish? It's the strange creature described in Noland's diary. I think because there is no sea floor in this sky ocean, they must've evolved into various forms in order to survive."

"That must be why they became like balloons." Kai sidled up to the woman, taking a glance at the fish. "The buoyant force up here is weaker than sea water, so they had to make themselves lighter."

"Their scales look like feathers…" Nami observed, watching as Luffy wandered off with the fish. "But the carnivorous mouth is weird."

Aurora snorted, wringing out her hair from her unexpected dive. "Weird? Try seeing it up close. It's scarier than you think."

Nearby, Sanji lit up a new cigarette, having just come out of the kitchen. "I sautéed it."

"This is yummy!" Luffy raved, already taking large bites.

Nami scowled. "We weren't done with it yet!" Luffy offered the navigator the plate, said woman taking a bite. "Ah! It tastes really nice! I've never experienced this flavor!"

"That's it! Cook that big guy, too!" Luffy indicated the other fish.

Amidst all the chaos, Chopper sat perched along the side of the ship, binoculars in hand. The small reindeer peeked through them, trying to see if anything else was out there. "Oh! A ship…" He called to the others. "Hey everyone! There's a ship and… a person?"

Aurora stilled, hands slowly dropping from her wet hair. 'I… I recognize this presence…'

"Eh…? What…!" Chopper could only watch in horror as the lone person destroyed the other ship.

"Hey, what is it, Chopper?"

"Eh…?!" he dropped the binoculars. "Wah yah!"

"Chopper, a ship? A ship is over there?!"

"No… um, there was a ship… but the ship isn't there anymore!"

"What do you mean?!"

"There's a bull running on a rectangular cloud. It's charging from over there… this is bad!"

Zoro was getting annoyed. "I don't get it. Calm down!"

Sanji looked in the direction the other ship had been. "What's he tryin' to say?" He finally saw what Chopper had. "A human?! Someone's coming! It's running on the cloud!"

The figure in the mask launched himself into the air.

"Hey, stop!" Sanji held a hand up. "What's your problem?!"

"Eliminate…" they growled.

Aurora's eyes were wide in alarm, the angel suddenly finding herself unable to breathe. "No…"

"He wants to fight…" Sanji glared.

Zoro began to draw a sword. "He's got guts."

"Huh? What?" Luffy didn't understand.

The figure suddenly charged, swiftly taking out Sanji, Zoro and Luffy. None of the boys were able to react in time, their bodies slamming into the deck.

"Eh? Wait, what's wrong with you three?!" Nami cried in distress.

"Sky Island so scary. Sky Island so scary." Usopp was still in the fetal position.

Chopper screamed. "Gyah! Gyah!"

The figure twirled through the air, propping what appeared to be a large bazooka against his shoulder. They aimed to fire.

"STOP!" Aurora rammed into the figure, shoving the muzzle of the bazooka in a different direction before grabbing hold of their wrists. They stiffened in response. The true angel's gaze softened as she peered into the eyes behind the mask. "Please, Wyper…"

Kai looked upon the scene with suspicion. 'What the hell? Since when did she get so brave? Something's not right here…'

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" a voice rang out, causing the figure to shove Aurora away. A second figure appeared, thrusting a lance in the other's direction and effectively scaring them off.

Aurora hovered in the air nearby, unable to believe her eyes. It felt like her whole world was slowly falling apart around her. "This isn't good…"

"What!" Nami cried out when the man landed on the deck. "Who is it this time?!"

"I am… the Knight of the Sky!"

Aurora shook herself out of her stupor, gliding towards Nami's grove of tangerine trees. She couldn't risk Gan Fall seeing her. If he did…

"Did he leave…?" the sky knight took in his surroundings.

"What's going on…?! Who was that guy?!" Nami demanded answers. "Also, you three are so useless! Three on one and you still lost! Aurora did a better job than you!"

The true angel sucked in a breath, peeking out from amidst the tangerine trees at the sound of her name. Thankfully, Gan Fall hadn't seemed to hear Nami. He was too busy searching for Wyper.

"Thank you for saving us." Chopper bowed his head.

"Don't mention it. It couldn't be helped. This is a service." Gan Fall told the reindeer.

"Tsk. That was… embarrassing." Sanji grumbled.

"For some reason… my body can't move very well." Luffy whined.

"That's because the oxygen is scarce here." Robin pointed out.

Kai nodded. "She's right. The higher you are, the less oxygen you have. The only reason I'm doing better than the rest of you is because my body was built for these conditions. Hard to fly if I can't breathe the air. Same goes for her holiness… speaking of which, where the hell is she?"

"Ahh… to be saying those words…" Gan Fall interrupted Kai's search. "Are you citizens of the Blue Sea?"

"What's that?" Nami asked. "By the way, who are you?"

"I would be the Knight of the Sky. All living things under the clouds are citizens of the Blue Sea. In other words, did you come up from where the sea is blue?"

"…Yeah, that's right." Luffy responded.

"It can't be helped then… this place is 7000m above the Blue Seas, called the White Sea. And 10,000m above your sea is the White-White Sea. The bodies of average citizens from the Blue Seas cannot handle it."

Luffy sat up, pounding his chest. "Okay! I'm slowly getting used to it already."

"Yup. It's become fairly easy to breathe now." Zoro agreed.

"No, no, no, no, that's impossible."

"But, that guy from before," Chopper piped up. "How come he can run on top of the sea?"

"Now wait a minute… you probably have a lot of questions, but first things first. I need to talk business with you. I am a freelance mercenary. This is a very dangerous part of the sea. Those who do not know how to fight in the sky will be attacked by those guerillas like before, or become food for the sky-fish. One whistle will cost you 5 million extol for me to come and save you!"

He got blank stares in return.

"What're you talking about, mister?"

"Oh!" Gan Fall seemed offended. "Quit acting like a fool… the price is very cheap already! I won't accept even 1 extol less than that! I have living expenses too!"

"That's why I'm asking you what an extol is, and what is the whistling thing?"

Gan Fall was in disbelief. "You people… didn't come here through the top of high west? Then you must have been to one or two islands, right?!"

"I told you I don't know what you're talking about, mister." Luffy reiterated.

"Wait! There are other ways to get to this sky sea?!" Nami couldn't believe what she was hearing. "…And by one or two islands… you mean there's more than one sky island?"

Realizing things were getting out of hand, Aurora took a deep breath and steeled her resolve, slowly stepping out of the tangerine grove. "We came via the knock-out stream."

Gan Fall turned to face the person that had spoken, response on the tip of his tongue, but it died at the sight of the true angel. His face remained impassive, but a myriad of emotions passed through his eyes. Shock, joy, anger…

Aurora struggled to keep her expression blank, subtly shaking her head at the older man. It was a signal… one that she hoped he understood.

Thankfully, he did. Gan Fall cleared his throat, still maintaining eye contact with Aurora. "I never thought there would still be people this brave…"

Nami began to sob. "…So it wasn't the normal route… I knew it…"

"We're here anyway right? Right?" Luffy didn't see what the big deal was.

Nami shook him. "We almost died! If we'd patiently collected more information, we could've used a safer method…"

"Did you lose one or two crew?" Gan Fall asked.

"Nope, we're all here."

"Other routes are not like this… if 100 people want to go to Sky Island through the other routes, it would be a gamble with no way to predict how many would survive. However, the knock-up stream means that either everyone dies, or everyone gets there together. Either 0 or 100, not many dare to take this gamble. Especially people these years. I deeply respect your navigator who has both courage and real strength."

"Yeah… but it's all because of me!" Usopp came to. "When these guys were crying and giving up, I said, "I will show you my navigational skills!"

Nami pulled on his cheek. "Hey!"

"Liar." Aurora and Kai both chimed, immediately glaring at each other afterwards.

Gan Fall held back a fond smile at the true angel's retort. He may have been angry with Aurora for coming back and putting herself in danger, but he had to admit that he'd missed her. The sky knight tossed a whistle onto the deck. "One whistle. Blow this whistles once and I will come down from heaven to save you! Using the currency of the sky, each whistle would cost 5 million extol, but your first whistle will be free as my gift to you." He stood. "Use the whistle to call me at any time!"

"Wait!" Nami cried. "We don't even know your name…"

"I would be Gan Fall, the Knight of the Sky! This is my partner, Pierre!"

"Pieh!"

"And before I forget, Pierre…" Gan Fall hopped onto his companion's back as he began to transform. "Even though he's a bird, he has the power of the Uma Uma Fruit. Which means he can become a winged horse! In other words…"

Nami grew excited. "No way! So beautiful…! It's a Pegasus?!"

"That's right! A Pegasus!"

"Pieh!"

They all sweatdropped at the pink, polka-dotted bird's new form. 'A little bit off…'

"I wish you luck, brave ones!" Gan Fall shouted, casting one final glance at Aurora. The angel understood what that look in his eyes meant. He would be talking to her later… alone.

The exchange didn't go unnoticed by Kai. His suspicion grew. 'He knows her… but how?'

"…In the end, he didn't really tell us anything useful!" Robin was dissatisfied.

"…Yeah…" Usopp agreed. "Really… nothing at all."

"So now we're back to square one."

"Then how do we get higher?"

Luffy picked up the whistle. "Okay, let's call mister and ask him."

"Wa-wa-wa-wait!" Nami grabbed Luffy by the neck. "Wait a minute, Luffy! This is only for an emergency!"

Usopp tugged the boy's face away from the whistle. "If that weird mask guy comes again, what will we do without the whistle?!"

"We could always sic her holiness on him again." Kai quipped with a savage grin. "She seemed to know how to handle him."

Aurora snarled.

"Anyways, let's just get the ship moving." Zoro tried to break it up.

"Hey, look over there!" Chopper cried out.

Robin sidled up next to the reindeer. "What's that… looks like a waterfall, but…"

"That cloud is weird, right?"

"Ok! It's decided. Let's go over there and check it out!"


"…There is a huge cloud in the way… What do we do?"

"It's floating on top of the sea," Sanji observed. "So it's probably not a part of it."

"Then what kind of cloud is it?" Usopp wondered.

"If it's a normal cloud, we can just sail straight through it." Nami deduced.

Luffy began to wind his arm up. "We'll know if we touch it, right?! Oooooh!" He thrust his arm out, the appendage bouncing off the large cloud. "Wah! It bounced off."

"Wow!" Chopper was amazed.

Luffy jumped onto the cloud and began bouncing up and down. "Look! I'm bouncing! No sinking! It's fluffy too! Like cotton! What's this, what's this?! It's so much fun!"

"AMAZING!"

"What phenomenon is this?" Nami couldn't comprehend.

"Strange." Robin mused.

Usopp jumped onto the cloud with Luffy. "Uooh! I'm going too!"

"Hah… it feels so nice…!" Luffy collapsed atop the cloud. "It's so warm. I want to sleep like this… it feels better than a thousand futons."

Nami placed her fist under her chin in thought. "…However, if the cloud is like that, the ship can't get past this place…" She called up to the boys. "Hey! While you're up there, try to find a route for the ship to pass!"

"Ooh! Okay!" Luffy called back.

"Hey! Luffy, there's something there." Usopp flagged his captain down.

"What is it, what is it?"

"Hey!"

Kai snorted. "Don't get your panties in a twist, firecracker. I got this." The fallen angel spread his wings, ignoring Nami's indignant squawk, and took to the air.


"A gate?"

"Yeah! Under that waterfall-looking cloud there's a huge gate."

"If we go through there, we'll see it." Kai helped to guide the ship, having had the best view. "You're gonna want to turn left up here."

"I thought it was right."

"It was left!"

"Let's just call that armored mister."

"Stop!"

Aurora paid no heed to the boys' bickering, her stomach twisting into knots. She knew what gate they meant… and she knew who presided over it. Things really weren't going her way today. The true angel could feel the fear beginning to creep up on her. 'Why did I come along? It's not safe for me here. I should've stayed on Jaya with Cricket. What was I thinking?'

"…Good!" Nami's voice broke Aurora out of her thoughts. "We seem to have passed through."

"…Ah!"

"Huh?!"

"It's really there…"

"Plus, look! That waterfall-looking cloud is really a waterfall…! It's flowing with clouds like the type we just saw."

"Heaven's Gate…" Aurora breathed, recognizing the structure all too well.

Usopp began to shake. "Gotta be a bad omen. It's like we're going to die…"

"Yeah," Zoro smirked. "But maybe we're actually dead already?"

"Really? If that's so, then that would explain this strange world…" Sanji went along with the joke.

"WE'RE ALREADY DEAD?!"

"Heaven? Looks fun!" Luffy cheered. "We're finally gonna get there!"

"Look," Usopp pointed. "Somebody's coming out!"

At those words, Aurora subtly shifted, bowing her head and attempting to hide behind her crewmates as they clamored to look.

"Are you here for sightseeing? Or… for fighting?" an elderly woman asked, rapidly taking pictures of the crew. "Actually, it doesn't matter why you're here. If you want to go up, each person must pay a 1 billion extol entrance fee. That's the law."

Luffy gaped. "An angel! So that's how angels look…! She looks like an umeboshi!"

Kai snarled, grabbing Luffy by the front of his vest. "You have two real angels on your ship! She's just some cheap knock-off!"

"Oh yeah…"

"1 billion extol? How much is that when converted to beli?"

"…If we… um… don't have any money…" Nami lied through her teeth.

Aurora let out a low hiss, wanting to warn the crew of what would happen if they didn't pay the toll, but she couldn't risk exposure. So far, it seemed Amazon hadn't noticed her… and she'd prefer to keep it that way.

"You can still go up."

"REALLY?!" Usopp couldn't believe it.

"Also, if you don't want to go up… it's okay too."

"?"

"I'm not a guard, nor am I a soldier. I just want to know your… intentions."

"Then we're going. We want to go to Sky Island!" Luffy declared. "Even though we don't have money, we're going, Granny!"

"Really?" Amazon's gaze shifted over the group. "Nine people, right?!"

"…? Right…! But how do we get up?" Luffy asked.

The white sea began to shake beneath them.

"Eh?!"

"Gyah gyah!"

"What?! Something appeared?!"

"That's White Sea's special "Speedy Shrimp"…" Amazon informed the pirates.

A giant shrimp rose beneath the ship, grabbing hold and whisking the crew up the waterfall.

"Waaah! It started to move!"

"It's climbing the waterfall?!"

"Heaven's Gate" Watcher, Amazon reporting.

"It goes all the way to the top!"

Oh mighty God and his priests, to those wanting to visit God's country, Skypiea…

"UOOOOOOOH!"

"YAHOH!"

To these eight illegally entering travelers… bestow upon them Heaven's Judgement. And to our returning Queen… may you show mercy towards her past transgressions.


"What's going on…?! The cloud is in the shape of a belt, just like a river…!"

"I doubt this is something that naturally formed! There's no way it's natural!"

"There's something written on top! It's the exit!"

"God Land… Skypiea?!"

"It's not an exit! It's an entrance!"

-White White Sea-

God Land "Skypiea"

The Merry was shot through the hole and up into the air, the shrimp having let go. For that brief moment they were aloft in the air, Aurora drank in the sight of the residence known as Angel Island. Everything looked exactly as she remembered it, from the houses to the beach.

"There's an island…!"

"IT'S SKY ISLAND~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~!"

'I'm… home.'

The Going Merry landed roughly upon the White White Sea, beginning its course for Angel Island. As soon as the ship was close enough to the shore, Usopp, Chopper and Luffy all jumped out. Excitement radiated off the three boys, their arms thrown in the air.

"Uhooooo~ ~! The surface of this island is the fluffy cloud!"

"Yah~ ~ ~ ~! Sky Island~ ~ ~ ~ ~!"

"Hey, what about the anchor?!" Zoro called out to his captain. "There's probably no bottom here, right?!"

"Don't worry about it!" Luffy called back. "Hurry! Look, this beach is so fluffy!"

The swordsman sweatdropped. "Don't worry… you…" He put the anchor down. "…Anyway, this scenery is really amazing… it's like in a dream…"

"Yup…" Sanji agreed, taking off his suit jacket and shoes, and rolling up his pant legs. "Also, seeing their happy faces… hahah, you just can't help it." The cook dove in. "Yahoo~ ~ ~ ~!"

"Make way!" Kai vaulted over the side of the ship, heading towards where the others were. He was used to flying through clouds, not walking on them. He was just as curious as everyone else.

"You're the same as them!"

"Jo jo jo!"

"Ouch! Ouch!" Nami cried out in pain, the newly released Southbird pecking at her in anger. "Sorry, sorry!"

"Jo!" the bird flew off with one last angry cry.

"…Jeez. Forgot to let him go earlier…"

"There seems to be people living here; it can probably survive." Zoro told the navigator.

"And the anchor?"

"I put it down… that… fluffy cloud seems to be the foundation of the island."

"Hey," Robin came up from below deck, the girls having taken time to change their clothes. "Isn't Skypiea…"

"Yup…" Nami held up the map they'd obtained earlier. "It's the same as the name on the map that Luffy found! That 200 year-old galleon that fell on us really did come here. At that time, I didn't really think a world in the sky really existed, but…" Nami leapt down onto the beach. "Look! Haha! After experiencing it first hand, there's no more doubt about its existence!"

"…What about you?" Robin questioned the swordsman.

"…Ah, I'll go too."

"I never thought… that navigating and landing… could be adventurous, too."

Zoro eyed the woman in confusion, not quite sure what she meant.

"HAAAAA~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~! WHAT IS THIS PLACE?! IT REEKS WITH THE SCENT OF ADVENTURE!" Luffy shouted.

"U~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~N." Nami stretched her arms high. "There's no way the marines could follow us here. We can finally relax! It's been so long since we went to the beach."

"Yeah, since we've only been stopping at ports." Usopp agreed.

Chopper rolled around on his stomach. "This is a beach…?"

"Aah~ ~ ~ ~ This is the captain." Luffy hung upside down from a nearby palm tree. "Because there's so much fun stuff, I don't know what to do first. Over."

"This is Usopp. How about if we take a break here?!"

"Take a break… not bad! Rejected!"

Kai rolled his eyes at the young captain, the fallen angel having stretched out on the cloud beach. "Rejected means you don't agree... idiot."

Sanji was crouched before a bloom of nearby flowers. "These too… such mysterious blooming flowers. Are they balloons, too?"

"Oh?!" Luffy swung himself back up on the tree. "What's that strange fruit?" He shimmied up the tree, yanking down one of the large, green fruits and biting into it. Or… he tried to. Luffy rapped his knuckles against the outside of the fruit. "What's this…?" He tossed it down to the sniper. "Hey, Usopp, I'll give you some fruit."

"That hurt, you jerk!"

"Hey, Chopper, look!" Nami pointed towards a gazebo. "What's that?"

"Nami, a flower for you~!"

"Oh?"

Further away, Robin and Zoro had departed the ship, the two making their way towards the beach. The swordsman lifted his bare foot up, staring down at the white sea he was wading through. "Is this really cloud?"

Back on the ship, Aurora surfaced from below deck, having changed attire. The angel wore a dark navy tank top with black capri pants, opting not to wear shoes like the rest of her crewmates. But that was not all. Aurora knew the Skypieans would easily recognize her, so she had to try and conceal her appearance. Her berry-colored hair was pulled into a bun and hidden beneath a cap, not a strand in sight. She had also concealed her eyes with a pair of dark-tinted sunglasses she'd swiped from Nami's belongings. And last but not least, the angel had removed her necklace from around her throat. Anyone on Angel Island that saw the accessory would know it was her. She'd been wearing it since a young age and had never been seen without it. But Aurora needed to keep the necklace on her somewhere so that her wings could remain hidden. So, she wove it into her bun, the cap on her head concealing it from view.

The true angel gripped the railing tightly between her hands, sucking in a breath. She wanted to be as happy as her friends were, she really did… but it was no use. Aurora knew the danger that awaited them, the danger that awaited her. The minute she set foot on the island, the angel had no doubt that Eneru would sense her with his "mantra". But she couldn't very well stay on the ship. The other would grow suspicious.

'It doesn't matter what I do.' Aurora thought in despair. 'The truth is going to come out sooner or later. I… I just rather it be later. I want them to enjoy Skypiea while they can. That's the least I can give them.'

With a heavy heart, Aurora released her wings, slowly descending to the white sea below. She hesitated mere inches from the fluffy clouds, gently dipping a toy into the wake. Sucking in a deep breath, the true angel touched down, sealing her fate. Pulling her wings back in, Aurora slowly began to make her way to the beach, stomach churning.

"Wow…! This chair is made of cloud!" Nami exclaimed, plopping down onto the piece of furniture in the gazebo. "They must have crafting techniques to make things out of clouds."

"Wow!" Chopper joined her. "But this is a little different from those fluffy clouds! It's a little hard."

A melodious tune drifted through the air in their direction, catching everyone's attention. Luffy paused in his chomping of the strange green fruit he'd found earlier. "Huh? What's that sound?"

"Suu! Suu!" a small white fox came to stand in front of Zoro.

"Oh! What's this? A fox?"

"What's that?!"

Aurora hesitated, recognizing the creature. It belonged to an old friend of hers. And if the music was any indication…

"Hey, there's someone over there!" Sanji spotted a figure on a nearby hill.

"Is it… another guerilla?!"

"Whistle! Where's the whistle…?!"

"Wait, that's not it!" the cook exclaimed. "It's an angel!"

"Angel?!"

Kai slapped a hand over his face. "It's not an actual angel. How many times do I have to explain this?!" The fallen angel turned to Aurora. "Help me out here, your holiness!" He paused, raising a brow at her attire. "What's with the getup?"

Aurora frowned. "Nothing. Maybe I just felt like dressing differently."

"Dress differently, my ass. You look like you're trying to hide from someone."

The true angel's frown deepened. "It's nothing. Drop it."

Kai went to respond when the music suddenly stopped, his attention drawn back to the stranger from before. It was a young girl with blond hair braided into two pigtails and styled to form two antennae sticking out at the top of her head. She wore a thigh-length pink dress with flower shaped textures adorning it, and red and pink striped sandals that were white on the bottom.

"Heso!"

"Ah?!" Luffy was amazed.

"Are you guys from the Blue Sea?" she asked. "Suu, come here!"

"Suu!" the small, white fox ran toward its owner.

"…We flew up here from the bottom." Luffy responded. "Do you live here?"

"Yes, I live here." She moved closer to the group. "This is Skypiea's Angel Beach." She took notice of the fruit Luffy held. "Hehe, that's Konasshu. Do you want to drink it?"

"Huh?"

She pulled out a knife, cutting a small hole. "The top is like steel, so biting won't do anything. You have to go from the bottom." She plopped a straw in. "Alright, enjoy!"

Luffy took a sip. "YUUUUUUUUUMM! It tastes so good!"

"What?! It's that good?!" Usopp exclaimed.

The girl picked up the fox, stroking its head. "I'm Conis. If you have any problems, please let me help you."

"Suu! Suu!"

Chopper held up another Konasshu. "Then… please open this one, too!"

"Yes, I have a problem." Sanji began. "Your gaze burns a hole in my heart…"

Nami yanked him away by his ear. "Go away." The navigator stepped forward. "There are so many things we want to know. To start with, everything here is so strange to us…"

"Yes, please ask me anything!"

"Hey," Zoro got everyone's attention. "Something's coming from the sea!"

"It's a slug!"

Aurora fought not to twitch, recognizing the aura of the approaching figure. "That's not what it is, Luffy."

"She's right." Kai agreed. "It's another person."

"Ah, it's my dad." Conis told them.

"Conis, heso!"

"Yes! Heso, father!"

"Er," Luffy sweatdropped, staring at the girl in bewilderment. "What are you saying?!"

"What is he riding on?! It looks really cool!"

"Ah… you mean the "waver"?"

"I'm sorry. I am going to stop now." The man crashed into the shore, falling off the waver and ramming into a tree head-first.

"Ah!"

"Ah…"

He slowly got up. "Is anybody hurt?"

"Ask yourself that first!" Zoro roared.

"Luffy," Nami turned to the boy. "Didn't you recover that thing from under the sea?!"

"Yah, I did."

"So that's a waver! In Noland's diary, a ship that will sail without wind…!"

"Are they your friends, Conis?"

"Yes, I just met them, father. They're from the blue sea." His daughter answered.

"Really? They must be really confused about things here then. This is the White-White Sea. I'm sorry."

"Eh?! No, it's not like that…" Usopp tried to explain.

"I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Pagaya. I'm sorry."

"No, no, it's alright." Usopp continued to reassure the man.

"Good timing, I just finished fishing. I caught the most delicious food in the White-White Sea. These are called "Sky Lobsters." Please come to my home. I'll treat you to some of the sky's happiness."

Aurora tried to speak up. "We wouldn't want to impose-"

"Really?!" Luffy jumped for joy. "Let's go! Let's go!"

Even Sanji was eager. "You're going to make sky island cuisine? Please let me help!"

"Before we go, may I ask a question first?" Nami knelt next to the waver. "How does this work? There's no sail… or paddles. How come it can sail on the sea?!"

"…Ah, you don't know what a "dial" is?" Conis asked.

"Dial?!"


"Accelerator?" Luffy placed his foot on a pedal. "This? Just step on this, right?" He pushed down and the waver took off. "WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! OOOH?! IT'S MOVING!"

"Wow! He did it!" Chopper cheered.

"Ugah?! Yah! Wah! Hababah?!" Luffy was out of control. "Why is it shaking so much…?! I can't stop! EEEK!"

"…It flipped." Usopp deadpanned.

"Pretty big flips, too!" Zoro chimed.

Conis gasped. "Oh no! Is he hurt?!"

"Oh no… I'm so sorry." Pagaya apologized. "It's my fault for letting him borrow my waver."

"I wonder what'll happen to those with devil fruit abilities in this sea of cloud…" Sanji wondered.

"Well, this place is different from normal seas, right? He may actually float." Zoro theorized.

Kai glanced at the others skeptically. "You all do remember what happened with long-nose earlier… right?"

"…He sank."

"No good, huh?"

Aurora snapped. "Don't just stand there! Save him!"


"That was close! He almost sank all the way to the bottom!" Sanji shouted, Luffy's hat in hand.

"It's all because of your stupid babbling!" Zoro argued, dragging Luffy along by his leg.

"My feet… one of them passed through the cloud…"

"No, it's my fault for lending my waver to a beginner." Pagaya apologized again. "I'm very sorry."

Usopp dragged Chopper out of the White-White Sea as well. "Why did you jump down too?!"

"Sky Island so scary. Sky Island so scary."

"Great!" Kai groaned. "He picked up your mantra, long-nose! Way to go!"

"In order to fully utilize the power, the hulls of the wavers are made very light. So even the smallest wave can cause it to turn." Pagaya explained. "Thus, one must understand the sea very well and be able to predict the waves. I'm sorry!"

Chopper's jaw dropped. "Is it really that hard?! I wanted to try it…"

"I've been practicing since I was a child, and I only succeeded recently." Conis told the reindeer.

"With training, it takes about 10 years to learn."

"That's a long time!" Usopp exclaimed. "You'd need a lot of patience!"

"Or just know how to navigate the seas." Kai spoke up, gazing out into the distance. Aurora stood next to him and watched, a fond smile on her lips.

"Hey!"

Usopp looked in the direction the shout came from, eyes wide in shock. "SHE DID IT!"

Nami waved to the group. "It's so amazing~!"

"What…!" Pagaya was just as shocked. "Unbelievable…!"

"Nami, you're the best~!" Sanji cooed.

Luffy's jaw dropped. "Why?! How can she navigate something so difficult to control?!"

"Controlling this really requires a certain level of skills! Careful observation is needed, so Luffy, it's out of your limit!"

"Hey Nami! We're going to the mister's house! Come back now!" Luffy crowed. "Stuuuupid! Hurry up and come back, baka!"

Sanji kicked him upside the head. "Why you…"

"You guys go ahead!" Nami replied. "Mister, can I play a little longer?!"

"Yes, but please be careful!"

With those parting words, the rest of the crew followed Conis and Pagaya. They began to ascend a grand staircase that led from the beach to the city.

Luffy glared back at Nami jealously. "How can she navigate it so easily when it shakes so badly?"

"Luffy, what're you doing?"

He had stopped, sticking his tongue out as he continued to watch Nami expertly handle the waver. "Sink!"

Sanji threw a punch at his head. "Are you a kid?!"

"Ouch! I bit my tongue, Sanji!"

"Bite harder!"

"Boys, no fighting!" Aurora scolded.

"Yes, my angel~!"

Aurora flinched at the endearing nickname. She glanced at Conis and Pagaya to see if they'd reacted, but they hadn't seemed to notice. The true angel breathed a sigh of relief.

"Hey, there seems to be some sort of construction site on the other side!"

"Oh? What, what? Are you talking about the cloud cutting factory?"

"Cloud cutting factory? They aren't cutting rocks?"

"The factory cuts the cloud into blocks for various purposes." Pagaya clarified.

"Clouds can be cut into blocks…? Everything is so illogical."

Kai snorted. "Of course it's illogical. Look at where we are!"

"To get here to the White-White Sea, didn't you pass through the "Milky Road"?!"

"Milky…?!"

"He means the route we took to get up here." Aurora provided to the swordsman, pushing her sunglasses up her nose when they began to slide down.

"The route the shrimp hauled us through… that looked like a flat noodle?"

"That is an artificial cloud canal." Pagaya told them. "There are two natural cloud types in this place. The kind you sail your ships on is called "Sea Cloud." The fluffy type that you can walk on is called "Island Cloud."

"But they aren't just normal clouds, right?!" Usopp asked. "You can swim and sail…"

"That's right. This is because the molecular makeup of each cloud is different. On the Blue Sea, I heard that there is a mineral called "Kairouseki"…"

"Kairouseki?! It's because of that?"

"Yes. That mineral contains a special substance… we call it "Pyrobloin"… It's a molecular substance that gets ejected into the air by volcanic eruptions. When it comes in contact with water in the air… sea clouds and island clouds are created."

"Oh… I get it!" Luffy nodded.

"Yeah! That's right. When I was little, I often played with it… that "molecular substance."

"You can't play with that!" Sanji roared.

"Liar." Kai and Aurora blurted, the two sharing a heated glance immediately afterward. So caught up in her glaring contest, the true angel didn't notice Conis freeze at the proclamation. The Skypiean glanced at Aurora with narrowed eyes, taking in her appearance from head to toe. She'd known only one person who called out liars on their bluffs without a second thought.

'Could it be…? Could she be…?'

"Nonetheless, the Milky Road I mentioned before… as well as the chairs made of cloud on the beach…"

"Are those two spiral sliders also like that…?"

"Those are also milky roads." Pagaya answered the interjected question. "Anyways, those were originally produced by cutting the island cloud at the cloud cutting factory… and then after some density manipulations, these artificial cloud products were created." Pagay paused when they reached the top of the stairs. "This is my home! Please come in."

"What a cool place! The view is great!"

"I can see Nami's waver!"


"Usopp is stupid!"

"Ah, why me?"

Conis chuckled. "Huhu… now please press that button on the shell's apex!"

"What's an apex?" Luffy prodded the shell.

"The top of the shell." Usopp told him. "But pressing it won't do anything…"

"Wah! It caved in! It's soft on this spot!"

"Usopp is stupid! Ah, why me? Huhu… now, please press that…"

"WOW!" Luffy couldn't believe it. "The shell called you stupid!"

"No! That's your voice!"

Aurora held back a snort of laughter.

"Eh! It can record sound?" Zoro asked. "That shell is a dial?"

"Yes. That's a tone dial. It records sound and then replays it later. It's a special shell found only in the White-White Sea. It's mainly used to record music."

"Usopp is stupid! Ah, why me?"

"Ahahaha!" Luffy laughed.

"I see. That's really something!" Zoro glanced at Conis once more. "There's no bottom in this sea. How do these things survive?"

"We get them from the shallows of the beach."

"If this is what a dial is…" Robin spoke up. "I don't understand how it can make the waver move…"

Kai, who was sitting next to her, shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe there's more than one kind."

"He's right." Conis chimed, holding up a larger shell. "This is the waver's power source. Even though it's smaller, this is called… a breath dial. If you have it face the wind for 30 minutes, it will be able to release 30 minutes worth of wind."

Luffy took the dial from Conis, going out onto the balcony and windmilling his arm for several seconds. He stopped and held the dial up to his face, a large gust of wind spouting forth from the dial's opening. "Woah!"

"The size of storage is dependent on the size of the dial, but by placing it at the stern, it can easily power a light ship."

"So that's a waver!"

"I see. So it moves using the wind from this thing?!"

"Although the waver is the only one I can handle, there are actually many different types of dials. There are skate and board types as well…"

"That's nice. I want to ride one, too. She's so lucky." Luffy moped, watching Nami once again. "We have one too."

"We do, but it's broken." Usopp told Conis. "Plus, it's been 200 years. There's no way it can still move!"

"Not necessarily. The dial itself is the remains of a shellfish. As long as the shell isn't broken, it will retain its power." Conis relayed.

"Really?! Hear that?!"

"But you still can't ride it."

"So lucky…"

"Other than those two, there seem to be may types of dials." Robin indicated the lamp on the table.

"This thing is one too?" Kai asked, watching as Chopper fawned over it.

"Yes, this is a lamp dial. It is used to store light."

"Wah, the shell is shining." Chopper cooed.

Aurora gently scooped the reindeer up and pulled him away, depositing him back on one of the couches. "Don't get too close. We wouldn't want to break it."

"Although not a direct form of resource, Sky Island's culture is one that has evolved to coexist with dial energy. Additional types of dials include the heat storing flame dial, the scent storing flavor dial, and the image-recording vision dial, among others."

"So interesting, so interesting…" Chopper continued to fawn.

"They are important tools for living in the sky."

Loud hacking coughs and yelling abruptly emanated from the kitchen, a conversation going on between Sanji and Pagaya. No one could make out the words, unfortunately.

"Sanji sounds happy." Luffy said.

"He probably fell in love with Sky Island's cuisine." Usopp agreed.


"Ok, finished! This is my "Sky Island Full Course Special with Fruit and Sky Seafood."

"Looks tasty!"

The boys began to devour the food, Aurora and Robin eating at a slower pace than their companions. Sanji walked out onto the balcony, gazing into the distance. "Hey! Where did Nami go?!"

"She should be on the sea…"

"Yum! This shrimp! How can I describe how good it is?!"

"No, she's not on the sea…" Sanji replied.

Aurora frowned, getting up from the couch and coming to stand next to Sanji. "He's right. I don't see her anywhere."

Kai waved it off. "She probably went to explore. I wouldn't worry too much. Firecracker can handle herself."

"F… Father, will it be alright?!"

"Ooh, Conis, I have a bad feeling about this, too…"

Luffy paused in his eating. "What? What're you talking 'bout?"

"In Skypiea, there is one place… where no one should ever enter." Conis tentatively told them. "That place is very close to this island. And can be easily reached with a waver…"

Aurora froze.

"The place no one should ever enter… what's that?"

"…It's the Holy Land. It's where God lives… Upper Yard."

Aurora couldn't breathe.

"God is there?!" Luffy jolted. "In the place that no one should ever set foot in?"

"Yes, this is "God Land", and it is ruled by the almighty God Eneru."

"Hah!" Usopp's jaw dropped.

Aurora held a trembling hand to her chest, struggling to breathe evenly. She had to get a hold of herself. If the others were to see her acting like this…

Kai glanced over at the true angel, whose back was still turned to them. He sensed the fear in her aura. Something had spooked her. 'God's Land… the mere mention of that place scares her. There can only be one reason why… she's been there before. Could it be… she's from this place? It would explain the strange behavior. But what's the whole story?'

"Hey, Luffy!" Usopp grabbed hold of the boy. "What are you thinking about right now?! You just heard what she said, right?! "No one should ever set foot," means nobody may enter! Luffy?!"

"Oh really~? There's a place that nobody may enter?" Luffy had a large grin on his face. "I see… a place that nobody may enter…?"

'He's going for sure…' was the group's collective thought.

"Huh? But even though it's forbidden, God will forgive us, right? He's really nice, right?"

"I'm pretty sure that's not how it works…" Aurora whispered.

"Ah… but breaking the rule set by God is disrespecting God…" Conis tried to explain.

"…Really? Oh well, it doesn't matter."

'He'll go even though he knows he won't be forgiven…?' Chopper couldn't believe what Luffy was saying.

"Alright! Let's go find Nami! Oh! But first, let me finish eating…"

"What if something happens to Nami while you're wasting time here? Put it down!" Sanji scolded. "We'll be back soon enough!"

"…Actually, we don't know for sure if she really went there, so please don't act recklessly… if we anger God Eneru, this will become very problematic…"

"Conis is right!" Aurora agreed rather quickly. "Let's just wait a little longer to see if Nami turns up. I'm sure she's fine wherever she is."

"You seem pretty eager to stay here, sweetheart. Something wrong?"

Aurora glared at Kai. "No. I'm just of the same opinion as Conis. We don't know if… Upper Yard is where Nami really is. The last thing we need to do is anger anyone, so let's just wait a little longer to see if she shows up."

Kai studied the true angel, her aura still reeking of fear. She'd practically had to spit out the term "Upper Yard", like it left a bad taste in her mouth. The fallen angel went to say something else, but was interrupted by Pagaya, who was attempting to move the conversation in a different direction.

"Ah, by the way, you said you have a broken waver. If it's not too much trouble, please let me look at it. I will repair it if I can."

"Yes, my father is a dial boat engineer."

"Really?!" Luffy exclaimed. "Thank you!"


With Nami…

"What…? These trees are all gigantic… I wonder how old they are? I can't even see the top."

Nami suddenly flinched at a sudden noise, the navigator wary of the piece of land she'd stumbled upon. She began to turn the idling waver.

'I thought I heard something… is it a person…?! Time to go back! I don't like this place… it's probably better to just leave.'

Shing!

Nami slowly turned, eyes widening at the sight of the masked stranger from before.


Deeper Inside Upper Yard…

"Hah! Please help me! Hah… hah… hah…"

Whap!

Ohm, one of Eneru's priests, landed in one of the many large trees as he chased after the man they were judging. He brought his fingers to his mouth, whistling for his companion.

The man glanced back in alarm, but continued to run, trying his best to survive. "Hah… hah…" He suddenly came to a stop, realizing no one was behind him. He became confused.

"WOOF!"

Holy, a giant, pale yellow dog and Ohm's companion, abruptly came bursting through the trees. His teeth were bared.

"WAAAH!" the man cried out, thinking he was done for.

Suddenly, Shura came swooping out of the sky, riding atop his bird, Fuza. The priest leapt off his companion's back, knocking Holy away to stake his claim on the man being judged. The large dog was sent flying.

The man began to run again. "Hah… hawah…"

"You bastard…" Ohm growled.

"Hahahaha…!" Shura laughed. "Give it up!"

Satori suddenly appeared. "You should give up, too! This guy is mine!"

"Don't interfere!" Shura warned the man.

"Hohoh! Same to you!"

Just at the edge of the forest, Wyper lay in wait, the Shandian raising his bazooka and firing. It caught the three aforementioned priests off guard, a giant explosion rocking the area. Just below, Nami could only watch in horror at the scene. As Wyper landed back atop the White-White Sea, the man from earlier managed to drag himself to the edge of the island.

Nami froze. "…..! What? What?"

The man raised his head. "Hey…! Please help me! Let me ride…!" he called to Nami. "On your boat…! Let me get on…! I beg of you! I'll do anything to repay you…"

Nami began muttering to herself. "Let me ride… but there's only one seat! Would he fit? I don't know…!"

"WAH!" the man suddenly cried out, having caught sight of the masked Wyper.

"…Eh?" Nami was confused.

"A guerilla…" a bright light suddenly flooded the area. "Eh?!"

A giant shaft of lightning struck down from above, incinerating the man and the entire area around him. Nami lifted her arm to shield her eyes from the bright light, the navigator horrified at what she was witness to.

Further back, Wyper cursed, raising his shield. "Damn…! Is it Eneru?! How dare you do that to the Vearth…!" Wyper launched himself into the air, narrowly avoiding being hit by the lightning himself. "Kuh!"

Nami could only watch as the guerilla dashed off, leaving her alone at the edge of Upper Yard. "Hah… hah…"

"Get a water dial!"

"Extinguish the fire!"

While the priests worked on taking out the fire, Nami used this chance to maneuver off to the side where she was out of sight. The priests gazed at the spot where the lightning had struck, a tree having been split in half from the attack.

"…I think that guy was talking to somebody…?" Ohm guessed.

"It was with the guerilla that got away just now." Satori replied.

"Woof! Woof!"

"Hey, tell that dog to shut up!" Shura shouted.

"That guy was begging for his life, right?!"

"Huhu…"

"But what was Eneru thinking?" Satori wondered. "Why did he do it himself…?"

"Time was up, probably." Shura guessed.

"Time was up?"

"The next group of illegal trespassers has already entered this country." A newly arrived Gedatsu informed the other priests.

"Again?"

"We received a message from Amazon." Gedatsu said. "It seems eight citizens of Blue Sea came up on a ship."

Nami froze the navigator having been eavesdropping on the conversation. 'Eight citizens of Blue Sea… they mean us? "Illegal trespassers"!? Is it because we didn't pay the entry fee?' Her mind was racing. '…No way…! Does that mean we'll end up like that person earlier!? Come to think of it, what was that earlier…?! Who are they? What is this place?!'

"…Only eight? That doesn't sound exciting."

"Eight heads? At least it's divisible by four!"

"…Technically, it's nine." Gedatsu revealed, catching the other men's attention and Nami's as well. "But the last trespasser isn't actually a trespasser at all."

"Hmm? What do you mean?"

'Wait… that's right… there's nine of us!' Nami realized her error. 'But what does he mean one of us isn't actually a trespasser? Who's he talking about?'

"It would appear Eneru's queen has returned."

Shura couldn't believe what he was hearing. "That sniveling little girl? Why the hell would she come back?"

"No idea. But Eneru has made it clear… Aurora is to be brought back alive and in one piece."

Nami remained rooted to the spot, her vision blurring in and out. She didn't even realize that the four priests had left. The only thing she could focus on was the words Gedatsu had spoken.

"…isn't actually a trespasser at all."

"…Eneru's queen…"

"…Aurora…"

"A… Aurora… is from Skypiea?" the navigator stuttered, the words heavy on her tongue. "She's the… queen? What?" It was in that moment that Nami slowly began to connect the dots.

Aurora had been acting strange ever since the first mention of Skypiea. And it only got worse once they set foot on Jaya. Then they ran into Cricket-

'Wait!' Nami realized something. 'They're friends! Does that mean… that Cricket knew the truth about Aurora? That he already knew of Skypiea's existence? But then… why would he hide it? Why encourage us to come here if it meant Aurora's secret would be revealed?' The navigator frowned. 'But Aurora… she didn't try to stop us. If anything, she helped us to get here. Why would she…?'

It finally clicked.

Aurora had obviously been against coming to Skypiea from the beginning. She didn't want anyone finding out that she was from the sky island. But despite her obvious fear of being found out, the angel did everything in her power to get the others here. She risked her secret just to make her friends happy.

'But I don't understand. Why would Aurora hide this? Why would she be so afraid to come home?'

In that moment, Nami suddenly remembered what the angel had told them back in Alabasta.

"My true nature was revealed once before, in the past… and I was taken advantage of. People were made to worship me. They feared me. They feared my power. I hated it."

The navigator's eyes widened in horror. "The person that took advantage of her… he's here!" Her stomach began to churn. "And he knows that Aurora's back!" Nami revved the waver, speeding back towards Angel Island. "This is bad…! I gotta hurry and warn everyone!"


"This is really old!"

"Can you fix it?" Luffy asked the Skypiean.

"I don't know." Pagaya was unsure. "I cannot give you an answer until I open it up…"

"Hey Luffy, let's go. Get aboard!"

The Straw Hat captain was distracted by a large group of men descending down the nearby stairway. "Oh? Mister, what's that?"

Pagaya glanced up. "Eh?'

"That suspicious looking ship! Stop right there!"

Luffy blinked. "Who are… those guys?"

The men had made it to the beach. But instead of marching towards the trio, they military crawled across the sky beach.

"Squad, halt!" the man who seemed to be in charge ordered. He and his men stood, giving the typical Skypiean greeting. "HESO!"

"Heso!"

"Hello, heso!"

Luffy gaped. "Uh, what are you talking about?!"

Onboard the Merry, Sanji leaned over the railing to get a better look. "Why were they crawling on the ground?"

"Dunno…" Usopp shrugged. "Maybe they're just perverts!"

"Eh? So that's a pervert?"

"That's why I told Luffy to get onboard quickly…" the sniper griped.

"Hey, Luffy! Ignore them! Let's go get Nami!"

"You! You are those citizens of Blue Sea! The nine illegal trespassers!"

"Eh?!" Conis and Pagaya stared in shock. "Illegal trespassers?!"

"Huh? What's that?" Luffy didn't understand.

"There's no point in denying it. We already received this from the watcher of Heaven's Gate, Amazon… this is a picture taken with a vision dial!"

"…This can't be! It's not possible!" Pagaya didn't want to believe it. "There must be a mistake, Captain McKinley! They're not bad guys…"

Kai raised a brow at the ongoing conversation. "Illegal trespassers?"

"Is it about the 1 billion extol entrance fee?" Robin wondered. "We certainly didn't pay it."

"…But, that old lady said… we could pass!"

Aurora frowned, stepping forward to get a better look and assess the situation. "She tricked us."

"Please stop making excuses." McKinley continued. "Just admit your guilt! There's no need to panic, though. According to Heaven's Judgement, illegal trespassing is only a Class-11 crime. After serving the punishment, you will immediately become regular tourists."

Sanji growled. "You should have said that earlier! I don't like it, but what's the punishment?"

"It's very simple. Just pay a fine that is 10 times the entry fee! Each person is now 10 billion extol… which means 90 billion extol for nine people. Pay now and you criminal status will be erased immediately!"

"Wha… what?! 90 billion extol…?!" Usopp's eyes bulged out of his head. "How much is that in beli?"

"More than we can pay." Aurora muttered darkly.

"Beli… that's the currency of the Blue Sea, isn't it? In beli… 10,000 extol is 1 beli."

Usopp attempted to count on his fingers. "…Which means how much?"

"90 billion extol would mean 9 million beli."

Kai let out a low whistle at Robin's response. "Damn!"

"Too much!" Sanji raved. "With that much money I could buy tons of rice! We risked our lives to get here. Why do we have to pay that much money?!"

"If you had paid the entrance fee in the beginning, it would have been only 900,000 beli." McKinley stated the obvious.

"That's still a lot!" Sanji turned to Usopp. "Hey… forget it. Just ignore them. Let's go find Nami. She may be lost somewhere and crying right now!"

"This is only a warning, but we are the White Berets, the direct servants of the High Priests. And if you continue to deny your guilt, your criminal status will become worse!" McKinley took notice of their waver. "Also, that waver looks broken! If you broke it, then it's a Class-10 crime. The one about citizens of the Blue Sea breaking Sky Island property…"

"No, no, no, I'm sorry. This was theirs to begin with…" Pagaya tried to explain.

"Yeah, it's mine!"

"Theirs?" McKinley had a hard time believing that. "That's strange. There shouldn't be any wavers on the Blue Sea. If this was stolen from Sky Island, it's a Class-9 crime."

"Shut up! I'm gonna kick your ass!" Luffy threatened.

"PLEASE WAIT!"

Sanji's eye turned into a heart. "Aaahh! Nami, you're safe!"

"LUFFY! DON'T OPPOSE THOSE MEN!"

"But these guys…"

"Don't oppose them…?" Usopp couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Hey, Nami! Can we afford to pay an entry fee of 9 million beli?!"

"…That's good! So we can still just pay the fee… 9 million beli…" Nami finally realized how large the number was. "THAT'S TOO DAMN EXPENSIVE!" In her rage, the navigator slammed the waver into McKinley, knocking him into the gazebo.

Zoro and Usopp gave her a thumbs up. "Hey!"

"Captain!"

"Ah!" Nami realized what she did. "Crap! Because of their ridiculous high fine, I lost it…!" She turned to Pagaya. "Oh, mister, thanks for letting me use the waver. It was very fun!"

"No, no. Don't mention it… However, you are in big trouble…!"

Nami seemed to remember that, hurriedly grabbing Luffy and dragging him along. "Let's run now, Luffy!"

"What! Why? Didn't you already attack them?!"

"If we mess with God, it'll be a real pain! Besides, that was just an accident!"

"HOLD IT!" McKinley slowly got back up. "…There is no escape! Not only were you impolite to us, her action hindered a public official, which is a Class-5 crime! With the power invested in me by God Eneru, I sentence you to cloud drifting!"

Conis gasped. "Cloud drifting… thi… this can't be!"

"What's that?" Luffy asked, the boy still standing where he'd been before, his arm stretching as Nami attempted to yank him along. "Cloud drifting sounds comfortable!"

"It's not good at all! It means putting you and your ship on a piece of island cloud so you will drift in the sky until you die. It's a death penalty!"

"I see…" Robin mused. "No wonder ships would fall from the empty sky…"

Usopp looked at the woman. "What?"

"Remember that galleon that fell from the sky?" Kai reminded the sniper. "It must've received the same sentence."

Usopp shivered, images of the skeletons on board drifting through his mind.

"GET THEM!"

Kreeeek!

The White Berets drew their bows, aiming to fire.

"Run!" Conis cried. "You guys can't beat them!"

McKinley glared at the girl. "Don't say that, miss. You sound like you're trying to help the criminals!"

"MILKY ARROW! FIRE!"

Luffy shoved Nami back. "Nami! You're in the way. Get back to the ship!"

"Kyaaa! Ok!"

"What are those things?" Luffy wondered, having to hurriedly dodge the oncoming arrows. "Ohh! Cloud?!" The boy was forced to dodge even further when the White Berets rushed forward, courtesy of the Shooters on their feet. "Oh, I see!"

Swip!

"Oh?!"

"You guys have some cool stuff!" Luffy shouted, having swung himself out of harm's way.

"What?!" the White Berets were caught off guard. "How did that guy…?"

Conis covered her mouth in shock. "Eh?! His arm stretched!"

"What?!"

"Gomu Gomu no…"

"Could it be… devil fruit…!"

"HANABI!"

"GUWAAAH!"

Luffy's feet and fists went flying in all directions, swiftly taking out the men surrounding him. Any survivors were quickly dealt with by Sanji and Zoro.

"By the way, Nami…" Zoro started. "How much money do we have on board now?"

"50,000 beli."

"50,000?! That's it?"

"Yeah, normally it would only last us for 1 or 2 days!"

"Why are we so poor?!" Luffy demanded to know. "I'm the captain, so I'll say something… you guys should think about how you spend our money!"

"It all goes toward feeding you!" Nami angrily replied.

"Good. My "Formation B" battle plan worked perfectly just now."

Chopper gaped at Usopp. "Really?!"

"Liar." Kai snorted, blinking in surprise when he didn't hear a secondary voice. The fallen angel looked for his opposite, but couldn't find her. Where had Aurora disappeared to?

"…They defeated the…"

"White Berets…!" Conis finished her father's sentence. "Citizens of Blue Sea usually have problems fighting here…"

"Ha… hahah. You fools…" McKinley weakly chuckled. "It would have been fine if you had done as I said… We, the White Berets, are the nicest law enforcers in God Land. They, on the other hand… won't be so forgiving…! With this, you have become Class-2 criminals. No matter how much you cry or scream… Hahahahahaha… The priests of Upper Yard… will personally judge you! HESO!"

A hand shot out, gripping McKinley by the front of his shirt and surprising the others. Aurora yanked the man closer, sliding her sunglasses down the bridge of her nose so she could look McKinley in the eye. "I suggest you take your men and go now." The angel hissed.

McKinley gazed back in fear, knowing of only one being in Skypiea with eyes that color. "Y-You're… her!"

Aurora frowned, but said nothing, choosing instead to shove the man away. The captain gathered his men and made a hasty retreat, each one looking back at her in fright. They knew who she was, and whom she was associated with. If Eneru believed they'd harmed his beloved queen… it'd mean death.

The angel watched them go, ignoring the multiple stares burning into her back.


"We were tricked!" Nami wasted no time. "Didn't that old lady say, "You can still go…", But once we did it became "Illegal Trespassing"?! This is a fraud! They can't do this!"

"That's true." Usopp huffed. "However, even if she'd said, "You may not pass," we probably would've used force to get through."

"SHUT UP!"

"Anyways, now things have become really complicated. If you're Class-2 criminals, we can't help you…"

"Why do you have to stand so far away to talk?!" Nami screeched at the two Skypieans.

Luffy grinned. "Oh well, it doesn't matter. We're already used to being chased by the authorities! Also, why did you come back?"

"Huh?"

"We were just about to go to "the place that no one should ever enter" for a big adventure…" Luffy explained. "Wait… I meant to go there to find you…"

"You… are a really bad liar!" Nami growled. She began jabbing Luffy in the forehead. "Big adventure?! I told you! There are some really scary guys on that island! You're just saying that because you didn't see them yourself! Even though I don't know if they're really Gods, their super and illogically immense power is real! An island like that… I will never go there a second time!"

Luffy rubbed the red spot on his forehead. "Fine! We'll go by ourselves. You stay here!"

"N-O! Pursuers are coming! We're leaving this country."

"LEAVE?! Don't talk crap!" Luffy was appalled at the idea. "Just think! Which is more important, adventure or your life?!"

Kai eyed the navigator. "I think the answer's pretty obvious."

"My life! Followed by money."

The fallen angel smirked. "Knew it."

"Ah~, then followed by me?" Sanji cooed.

Nami punched the cook. "Shut up!"

"Oh. By the way…" Usopp spoke up. "We kept trying to get to Sky Island, but we never thought about… how to get back! Is there a safe way back?! Can we really go back to the Blue Sea?!"

"…With your current situation… a safe route is non-existent, but…" Conis paused. "There is a way to the Blue Sea. You must go back down to White Sea, and then head to the far east to a place called Cloud End."

"Cloud End…?!"

"Yes. Although… I don't think you should try to run… sky ocean is very big…"

"What, what do you mean?!"

"Are you saying we can't escape from those guys?" Nami asked, before waving off their concerns. "If that's so, then it's the same wherever we go. And if we stay here, we'll just cause you more trouble. Now that we have no place to hide… let's just set sail! Conis! Mister! Thanks for everything."

"Ah! Mister, can I take all the food from earlier?" Luffy once again thought with his stomach.

"Oh, of course."

"All right!" Luffy cheered. "Sanji, get the lunch boxes!"

The cook smirked in amusement. "You don't miss a thing, do you?!"

"I have a request, too!" Usopp chimed in. "Mister, you're an engineer, right? Can I have some tools and materials for fixing the ship?"

"Oh, no problem… just come to my place again!"

"Wait, where are you going?" Nami questioned the boys.

"I'm gonna get some food. You guys go ahead and prepare for our adventure!"

The navigator growled. "Argh! That idiot…! He still wants to go?! It's really scary there!"

Zoro grimaced when the girl turned to him. "How would I know?!"

Aurora laid a hand on her friend's shoulder. "I'll go with them. Make sure they stay out of trouble."

Before the angel could get far, Nami hurriedly grabbed the girl's arm. "Please… convince Luffy that this is a bad idea. I know what I saw… and it's not worth the risk, to any of us."

Aurora eyed the navigator strangely before slowly nodding her head. "I'll do my best."

With that, the angel dashed off to catch up with the group. Nami watched her go with a grim expression on her face.

'Please Aurora… for your sake… change Luffy's mind.'


"You're the ship's carpenter?"

Usopp shook his head with a laugh. "No, that's not it. I'm the sniper. Our ship doesn't have a carpenter, yet. But with my almighty resourcefulness to fix things, everyone depends on me. It's a lot of pressure! If I'm gone, this ship would sink. Even though I'm the sniper, I do most of the captain's duties… so everyone calls me captain…" Usopp continued to prattle on, not realizing his audience had wandered off.

"Ah, the way you place the food. It's quite professional!"

"Yes, the placement's also an art!" Sanji continued his work. "Oh… that's not right. Red should be here… these jade green beans should be here… now it looks even more delicious~! This one is for Nami, Robin and Aurora…"

Conis was amazed at the final product. "It doesn't look like food anymore! I've never seen such a beautiful box-lunch."

"Really?! Sanji soaked up the praise. "This is for you, Conis~!"

"Eh?! For me?"

"Of course. The title of this one is "Love is a dilemma, the lunch of a descending angel."

"Well…"

"After you put it in your stomach, it all becomes the same thing." Luffy interjected.

"Don't say stupid things that don't benefit anyone!" Sanji snarled. "Remember this, "The art of eating" starts with visual enjoyment!"

Aurora, who'd been out on the balcony, suddenly perked up. "Guys! Something's going on at the ship!"

"What is it?"

"I don't know… but… they seem to be in distress. Something's not right!"

Usopp joined the angel, gazing out through his binoculars. "Aurora's right! They look like they're yelling or something!"

Sanji ran over, ripping the binoculars away to get a look himself. "Ah! Nami! Wha… Why did you put on that t-shirt? Aaaaah…!"

Aurora glared at the cook. "Are you kidding me?!"

Usopp slapped him upside the head. "Where were you looking to be saying such a thing?!"

"Ah! The ship is moving!"

"Eh, why?!"

Luffy hopped up on the balcony's railing. "Where are those guys going?! Oooh?! They're moving backwards. Cool!"

"No! They didn't set sail!" Usopp pointed. "Look under the ship!"

Pagaya recognized the creature that surfaced. "That's…! White-White Sea Special, Super Express Speed Shrimp!"


Onboard the ship…

"Where's it taking us?!" Zoro roared. "Hey! Everyone abandon ship! It's not too late!"

"And the ship?!" Chopper fretted. "If they take our ship…"

"Don't worry! I'll stay here!"

Nami whirled around, staring at the swordsman like he was insane. "What?! What can you do by yourself?!"

"…Wait," Robin called out. "It looks like they prepared to stop our escape, too." She pointed in the direction they'd just been. "Those gigantic sky fish… they're chasing us with their huge mouths open!"

"Even if we jump, we won't survive…" Kai realized. "And trying to fly out won't do much good either. "

"What do you mean?! Can't you just dodge them?!" Nami shrieked.

"Not if I'm carrying the rest of you out! I can't fly as fast when I'm bogged down with that much weight! We'd be fish food in seconds!"

"What if we just take down the big shrimp?!" Chopper suggested.

"It's useless, whatever we do." Robin solemnly said. "Maybe… it's started!"

"You mean "Heaven's Judgement"…?" Zoro realized what the woman was getting at. "So instead of sending pursuers, they make us come to them… such cunning bastards."

Nami was horrified. "Then we're going to that island again?!" She screamed at the top of her lungs. "LUFFY! USOPP! SANJI! AURORA!"


Back at Conis and Pagaya's Home…

"…Why is she wearing a t-shirt?"

Usopp slapped the cook once more. "Get over it!" The sniper turned to his captain. "Hey, Luffy! This is bad! What do we do now?!"

"Where are they going?"

"Where?! It has to be…" Usopp paused, considering the question. "Where?"

The three boys turned to Pagaya. "Where are they going?"

"…The Super Express Speed Shrimp is God's servant. Anything it transports is always a sacrifice for God. In other words, they are going-"

"They're going to the island Nami mentioned." Aurora stated.

Pagaya glanced at the girl. "Yes. They're going to the northeast portion of Upper Yard. To the sacrificial altar."

"Sacrifices?!" Sanji was enraged. "Nami and Robin and the others will become sacrifices?! Sacrifices for that God?! That asshole! Don't mess with me!"

"Please wait! It's not what you think!"

Sanji stopped his tirade. "What?"

"For sacrifices… I only heard about it. In Heaven's Judgement, there are two types of punishments for criminals. One is "sacrifice" and the other is "trial." That's what I heard."

"They're in Eneru's hands now." Aurora said, not even caring that she might be blowing her cover by speaking in such a way. "They're called sacrifices, but in actuality they're… hostages."

"Hostages?!"

Pagaya glanced at the girl, slowly nodding his head in agreement. "She's right. Which means-"

"We're the ones being judged." The angel cut in.

"Huh?! What does that mean?"

Aurora removed her cap and glasses, ignoring the shocked looks from Conis and Pagaya. She turned to Usopp. "You still have that map?"

"The one of Skypiea? Yeah…" the sniper dug it out of his bag, handing it over.

"The map is old, but it's correct for the most part." Aurora pointed to a spot. "This is where we are. The sacrificial altar is in the upper left, which is the northeast." She drew a line with her finger. "There's only one way to get there, and it's via the Milky Road. We have to use a dial boat and pass through the forest where… where the priests reside."

Usopp raised a brow at the angel's sudden knowledge, but dismissed it for the moment. Figuring out how to save their friends took precedence. "What if we go around the island instead of through it?!"

Pagaya stepped in, managing to get over his shock of seeing Aurora. "No… you can't get to the altar on foot if you land near it. The biggest difference between this old map and the current God's island is the addition of the milky roads."

"Those cloud rivers?" Sanji peered at the map as well.

"Yes. I heard that there is a main cloud river as well as hundreds of others. So other than entering via the central milky road, there is no other way."

Sanji hummed. "I see… so if we land directly, we would get blocked by the rivers."

"Yes. Also, in those rivers there are man-eating fish."

"Such a hearty reception those guys have for us." Sanji lit a new cigarette. "Anyway, if we want our crew and ship back, we can only go in from the front…"

"That's our "trial"…" Usopp concluded. "It's Heaven's Judgement…!"

"But we just need to deal with the priests that Nami told us about… and kick their asses, right?" Luffy began to laugh. "Nahahahahahaha…"

Usopp whimpered. "It can't be that easy…"

"It's not!" Aurora slammed her hands down on the table, startling the boys. "The priests are stronger than you know! And more importantly, Eneru himself… is also in Upper Yard!"

"…Hey, Aurora…" Usopp cautiously spoke up. "How do you know so much about this place when we just got here?"

The angel clenched her fists, moving back onto the balcony and gazing out to the White-White Sea. "The reason I know all this… is because… I'm from Skypiea."

"WHAAAAAAAATTT?!"

She heaved a sigh, untwining her necklace from her bun and placing it back around her neck. "Skypiea is… was my home. Up until 2 years ago, to be precise." Aurora turned back around, sending a tentative smile in Conis and Pagaya's direction. "Heso."

The angel suddenly found herself wrapped in a firm embrace, her shoulder becoming damp from the tears that were dripping on it. Aurora murmured nonsensical words into Conis' ear as she returned the hug. The blonde clutched her even tighter, body wracked with sobs. "I-It's… just so g-good… to see you… a-again!"

"You too." Aurora whispered, unraveling one arm from around the Skypiean to give Pagaya a quick side hug. "And you as well."

He smiled, tears in his eyes. "It's been too long."

"Wait a minute!" Usopp cut in, arms flailing. "You're from Skypiea?! W-"

"That's so cool!" Luffy crowed.

Usopp punched him. "NOT NOW!" The sniper turned back to Aurora. "You mean to tell me that you've been lying to us this entire time?!"

Aurora winced. "…Yes."

"So you knew exactly what we were getting into by coming here?!" Usopp perked up, realizing something. "You knew we'd get in trouble for not paying the entrance fee! And you didn't think to warn us?! Why wouldn't you say anything?!"

"Hey!" Sanji growled, butting heads with Usopp. "Leave her alone! I'm sure Aurora had a good reason for hiding this from us!"

"What reason could she possibly have?!"

"That's none of your business!"

"Oh, you're speaking for her now?!"

"ALABASTA!" Aurora's voice rang loud and clear, the two boys ceasing their bickering immediately. They glanced at the angel in confusion. She sucked in a breath. "In Alabasta, I told you that someone had taken advantage of me when they found out what I really was. It was a part of my past I wanted to keep hidden..."

"Huh?" Luffy looked between the trio perplexed. "What's she talking about?"

Sanji slapped a hand over his mouth. "Shh! We'll explain later."

"…Is that why you've been acting so strange?"

"Yes. I was afraid…" she admitted. "Afraid to come here… afraid that you'd all learn the truth when we did… I became so consumed by fear that I began to only worry about myself, and in result I've put the rest of you in danger." Aurora toyed with her necklace. "The person I didn't want to talk about... is God himself."

Usopp's jaw dropped. "W…What…?"

"Eneru is the one who took advantage of me. That's why I acted the way I did. I fooled myself into thinking that if I made myself as invisible as possible, he'd never know I was here. But now he does… and he's using the others to lure us to him." The angel began to pace. "I don't want to risk anymore lives, so it might be better if I go alone. To Eneru, I'm the grandest prize of them all. If I give myself over, I might be able to convince him to let you all go. Then you can safely leave and never come back. No more lives have to be lost."

"No."

Aurora stopped, brow furrowed in confusion as she gazed upon her captain. "No?"

Sanji nodded in agreement. "Luffy's right. We're not leaving anybody behind." He gripped the true angel's shoulders. "That includes you."

"…Going to Upper Yard is dangerous to begin with… but going with me…"

"We can handle it." Sanji waved off her concerns. "Besides, I need to kick that bastard's ass for hurting you."

Aurora slowly smiled. "Alright…" She turned to her captain. "Hey, Luffy? You ready for that big adventure?"

"You bet!"


Skypiea, God's Land – Lovely Street, Angel Island…

"Uwa~~! It's so nice here!" Luffy stretched, taking in all the sights. "Look, the shop is floating in mid-air!"

"Lovely Street is the only main street on Angel Island." Conis relayed. "It was designed to fully utilize the characteristics of island cloud."

The group continued to stroll along, each pirate loaded down with a pack of supplies. The many Skypieans that were out and about eyed them warily. Some even became alarmed when they recognized the berry-haired female in their midst. The staring caused Aurora to bow her head, the angel unnerved by the attention. The people's opinion of her was not high. They would never say anything though. The citizens of Skypiea had learned long ago that if one word was said against her, they'd be punished… severely.

"…Are they… trying to avoid us?" Usopp glanced around uncertainly.

"…Yeah, they probably know we're criminals." Sanji huffed.

"Believe me, they do." Aurora piped up. "And being seen with me doesn't do you any favors either."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

Aurora glanced at the sniper. "Remember what I said? People were made to worship me? Didn't exactly leave the best impression…"

"Oh yeah…"

"Ahaha, it's nice having the center of town to ourselves!" Luffy was unfazed. "But these shops are selling a lot of weird things! So ~~ nice ~~! If I only had some money ~~~! I wonder if I can trade for it with some treasure?"

"Luffy! This is no time to be fooling around!" Sanji scolded. "Nami and the others were taken as sacrifices! Are you going to save them or not!"

"Save them? Don't worry! Zoro was taken with them!"

"We can't rely on a guy like that!"

Aurora agreed. "As strong as Zoro is, just him alone won't be enough. We need to get to the others as soon as we can."

"Anyway, I hope the ship is okay." Usopp worried. "It's been through a lot of rough times recently."

"Ah? There's something in the middle of the street!" Luffy became distracted once more. "His face is weird. What's this? Is it a fur seal?"

Sanji placed his hand on the glass surrounding the statue. "It looks like a weird mud doll, but it's probably a religious figure."

"Stupid! This is art! I can tell!"

Aurora shook her head. "Actually Usopp, Sanji got it right."

"That's Vearth." Conis explained. "It's the idol representing the eternal yearnings of the citizens who live in the sky."

"Eh?! You guys yearn for that long? Is there something wrong with you?!"

"Huhuu…" Conis chuckled at Luffy's questions. "Hmm, it's probably too hard for citizens of Blue Sea to understand." She moved further down the road. "Ah… the port is that way…"

"Eeh?! We're leaving the city already?!"

Usopp dragged the boy along. "What do you mean?! This was never our destination!"


Angel Island Port…

"Ooh~~~! Boats! Boats!" Luffy ran around admiring the various watercrafts. "Wow! Look at this gondola! It's so cool! Let's take this one! Look at the back of the boat! It can move on its own like one of those wavers!"

"Ah… your ship is this way." Conis directed.

"This is gonna be a fun gondola trip!"

Sanji scoffed. "Dumbass! We're rescuing Nami and Robin, so be more serious!"

Conis stopped in front of a small boat shaped like a crow. "It's called Karasu-Maru."

"Ah! No way!"

"A crow…" Sanji sweatdropped. "It's not even a seabird…"

"I used it until I became able to control a waver." Conis told them. "It's a little slow, but it has two breath dials onboard. Please use it as you wish!"

Luffy turned back around. "No… that one is better!"

"…You… you dislike it…? I'm sorry… but…"

Aurora glared. "Luffy, those other ones have to be rented and we don't have the money for it!" She turned to Conis. "I'm sorry. This'll work just fine."

Sanji kicked Luffy in the head. "You ungrateful jerk! Apologize to her! Sincerely apologize to Conis! You piece of trash!"

"Oh! I'm… sorry!"

Aurora broke the two up, attempting to get their attention back to the matter at hand.

"The exit is the No. 2 gate." Conis pointed the way. "You can get to Upper Yard by connecting with the main Milky Road. That's the only way…"

"…Hey, Conis…"

"Ye…Yes…"

"How come you've been shaking… ever since we left your house?" Luffy asked.

The blonde-haired girl became anxious. "I… Does… it look that way?"

"Yeah, like you're afraid of something…"

"Luffy…" Aurora warned.

"Conis~~~~!" Sanji cooed. "You must be worried about us~~! I'm so touched~~! Yah~~!"

Usopp punched the cook, turning his attention to the Skypiean afterward. "But… will you be alright? The others on the street were clearly avoiding us. Yet, you led us here… and lent us your boat… wouldn't that make you a criminal like us?"

Aurora became alarmed. "Guys. You need to drop the subject!"

"What? Why?"

Luffy leaned in. "You know, your face looks kinda pale… you should've told us if you were that scared. We would've come here by ourselves."

"….! No! I… It's not like that…"

"…?"

She bit her lip. "It's strange, right? Carefully explaining the route to the trials… and then taking you here… it's like I'm leading you to come here…"

"Conis, don't-"

"Hey!" Aurora got cut off by another Skypiean. "Stop! Don't say such foolish things!"

Sanji glared back at the crowd. 'Are they all in on it…?'

Conis legs gave out from under her, the girl landing heavily on the ground. "Could you please just… run away?" Tears streamed down her cheeks. "I'm sorry!"

"Stop!"

"What are you saying?!"

"The one who called for the Super Express Speed Shrimp… was me…!"

"The shrimp that kidnapped Nami and the others?!" Sanji realized what she was trying to say.

Aurora fell to her knees beside the girl, grabbing her by the shoulders. "Conis, that's enough!"

She continued on, the guilt too much for her to bear. "After discovering a criminal, if we don't take them to the judgement ground, we will be killed!"

Aurora slammed her hand over her friend's mouth. "Don't say anymore!"

"Stop it! Do you know what you're saying?! That's blasphemy against God!"

"Stop that girl!"

Conis ripped Aurora's hand away. "This is our civic responsibility! I'm sorry!"

Usopp gaped. "That's crazy…!"

"It's really strange… right?! Everything is…!"

Aurora pried her hand out of Conis' grip, placing it back over the girl's mouth. "You need to stop talking right now! This isn't worth it!"

"You're really stupid…" Luffy growled. "You did it because you had no other choice, right…?!"

She nodded.

"So why… WHY DID YOU TELL US?!" the boys were furious.

Luffy shoved Aurora out of the way, grabbing Conis by the shoulders. "Now you're gonna be targeted!"

"No, it's…"

"Too late!"

"Get away from her! The "Judgement" is coming!"

The hair on the back of Aurora's neck stood up, causing the angel to stiffen. She felt the shift in the atmosphere. She'd recognize it anywhere. Her eyes widened in horror as she threw her head up, a beam of light getting ready to descend upon them. "EVERYBODY MOVE!"

Luffy grabbed Conis, trying to jump out of the way. "GYAH! No! It's too big…"

Aurora threw her hands skyward, just as the shaft of lightning came down upon them. The ground shook and rumbled, smoke permeating the surrounding area. Usopp and Sanji slowly rose to their feet, noting the absence of three certain individuals.

"What's this?! What happened?! Luffy?!"

"Conis! Aurora!" Sanji frantically searched for the girls. "Hey! Where did you go?!"

"Luffy?! Aurora?! Conis!"

"It's useless… the almighty God Eneru is always watching…"

Usopp ground his teeth.

"These two are safe!"

The sniper's head jerked up. "Aah! It's that strange mister!"

"Strange? No… I would be the Knight of the Sky! This is a service."

"Thank goodness… Conis…" Sanji breathed a sigh of relief.

"But wait…!" Usopp frantically looked around. "Where's Aurora?!"

Sanji seemed to realize the same thing, the cook becoming worried once more. "Aurora?!"

A sudden gust of wind burst through the area, clearing the smoke away. In the midst of it all stood Aurora, her outstretched wings indicating that she'd been responsible for the abrupt burst. She shakily lowered her arms, fragments of a yellow shield crumbling around her. 'If I hadn't gotten that up in time…'

The berry-haired girl fell to her hands and knees, gasping for air. It'd taken all of her strength to hold that shield up. Sanji rushed over to the angel, draping her arm over his shoulders to support her. Aurora smiled in gratitude, the cook helping her maneuver over to where Gan Fall had tossed Luffy.

"I will temporarily take care of this girl. I will not let her be attacked. Now you know the true feelings behind this country… as well as the power of its "God." Will you continue to move forward?"

"It's Gan Fall…" the other Skypieans couldn't believe their eyes.

"This country's business has nothing to do with us!" Luffy told the old man. "But we have friends on God's Island!"

"I see…" the sky knight muttered before shifting his gaze to Aurora. "But before you go… hand Aurora over to me. I'll keep her safe as well."

The angel stepped forward, waving off Sanji's concern. "No. I'm done cowering. I don't care if it puts me in danger. I'm going to save my friends!"

Gan Fall looked at the girl long and hard, the old man seeing a new determination sparkling in her eyes. "…Then good luck to you."

Aurora nodded.

"Get on! You guys set sail after I push you off!"

"You're coming, too!"

"Gyah!"

Luffy slammed his foot down on the deck, standing at the bow of the tiny ship as they set sail. "Alright, let's go! To Upper Yard!"