Chapter 62
The Knight Of The Sky

Luffy's joyous yells, as well as the other sounds, came to a stop at the moment the Merry penetrated the Millennium Cumulonimbus. It was still sailing upwards at an amazing speed through the cloud. No sounds, no air, it felt like the little ship had plunged into the ocean and, as a force was exerted from above them, the pirates collapsed on the floor one by one.

And then came the blinding light of the sun, much brighter than ever before; the Merry had pierced through the ancient cloud. For a few seconds, the ship raised high up into the sky, losing speed with every passing second until it started falling down, fast. With their final breaths, the drained pirates tried to hold onto the first thing that their hands could reach. Eli, being the feather weighted girl she was, floated in the air while holding onto Ace's neck so tightly that strangling noises escaped from the young man's throat until the Merry hit the surface of the Millennium Cumulonimbus.

Lying on the deck, dripping wet and shaken by a coughing fit, Eli was in the same state as the rest of her crewmates.

"Hey !"

Except one, obviously.

"Guys !" Luffy yelled so loudly that his joyous cries managed to reach the chronicler's flooded ears. "Look outside the ship !"

Wearily, the pirates crept toward the nearest railing, their jaws going slack as they recorded the amazing view that met their wide-open eyes. White clouds as far as they could see; it looked like they had landed in a giant bowl of whipped cream.

Eli stood up, using her arms for support, and let her eyes travel around the dream-like scenery. They were on the clouds, floating on the fluffy haze as if it was a sea. As large as the smile on her face was, the chronicler's mind was so dazed that she couldn't find words to express her thoughts.

A puddle at her feet, Eli slowly swirled on her feet until a red drape appeared before her eyes. The girl blinked a few times and, trailing up the soaked piece of fabric, her eyes soon met a hand, an arm, Ace's. The flame user was now shirtless, his head turned to the side, he was handing the girl his shirt. Perplexed, Eli peeked at him from behind the drenched shirt and the young man made a motion enjoining her to take his clothing, now.

"Wear that," he finally muttered, still looking away.

Speechless, Eli took the shirt, and as her fingers came in contact with the wet fabric, she realized; still wearing the same white tank top, her breasts were, once again, showing through the flimsy piece of clothing.

Quickly she turned around and slipped into the red shirt.

"Thanks..." she said quietly, a bright blush comparable to that of the clothing appearing on her cheeks as she buttoned it up.

As her fingers weaved up her chest, Eli felt the burn in her hand and, looking at her palm, the chronicler winced in pain. The girl felt her heart pounding with force where the lesion stood; charred and red, it was slightly swelling. Unfortunately for the chronicler, it was her left hand therefore she had to take care of it if she wanted to be able to write down the discovery of the sky island as comfortably as possible.

Looking around for the ship's doctor, Eli soon found Chopper sitting on the railing while having a discussion with Nami and Robin.

"Lesson one !" Usopp yelled out while taking stupid poses on the Merry's railing. "Captain Usopp will swim !"

As he dove overboard, Eli caught the marksman's ankle, the teen dangled above the fluffy sea while uttering bewildered yells.

"Why did you stop him ?" Luffy asked as the girl brought Usopp back on board.

"This sea has no bottom," Eli said. "You should be careful."

"Good thinking Eli !" Usopp said quickly regaining his previous excitement. "I'll attach myself to a rope."

A face-splitting grin on his face, Luffy ran with all haste to look for a rope and Usopp smirked proudly.

"Whatever..." Eli rolled her eyes and walked over to Chopper.

As soon as she showed her hand to the little doctor, he ran to search for his bag, coming back a few seconds later. The reindeer wore his serious doctor expression on his face as he examined the girl's palm. Gently, he applied a greenish gelatinous solution while prescribing Eli advices about how to take care of the burn for the next few days.

"Ahh the rope is moving !" Luffy said.

"Pull him up !" Ace dove onto the rope and pulled the marksman, a loud shriek running through the air as he broke through the surface of the clouds.

What the...

Apparently, the long nosed teen made a quite appetizing bait since a giant sea monster, possessing multiple tentacles, emerged from the clouds a split second after him. Upon seeing the tentacled monster, Nami and Chopper joined Usopp for an ear-tearing scream session, which achieved little more than making Zoro wince in annoyance.

"Nothing to get excited about," the green-haired man said angrily as he dove onto the titan.

No sooner had his blade pierced through the skin of one of the tentacles than a loud explosion burst forth in the air, making Eli's heart jump in shock; it sounded like a giant rubber balloon had blew up. A hand on her chest, the girl looked in disbelief at the bits of skin falling slowly in the air. It seemed that the cloud king's insides were filled with air.

"It is probably the natural evolution of the sea creatures in this environment," Robin said as she observed what remained of the airy beast. "To move freely through the clouds they have to be light as air."

Eli nodded and made mental image of the giant balloon-octopus in her head to draw it later.

"Here Eli," Chopper put his bottle containing the green substance back in his bag as well as the bandages he used to protect the burn. "Be careful, the gel has to remain in contact with the burn to be effective."

A smile on her face, Eli thanked the little doctor and, upon seeing a blush on his cheeks, the girl made a motion to take him in her arms for a hug, only to find herself stunned on the spot; was she allowed to hug Chopper now that... Her eyes traveling around the ship, she soon found Ace eating with his brother. A quick flicker of images appearing in her mind, Eli recorded the latest developments of her relation with Ace while her heart pounded a bit faster. They were together now, therefore, the girl wondered if she could still take her favorite reindeer in her arms like she used to.

Things were different now, they had to be, and obviously some facets of their behavior would change tremendously. Eli had to change, yet she had no idea in what extent.

"Eli," Chopper called, causing the girl's head to turn head in his direction. "Are you going to... hug me ?" he asked somehow shyly.

"I'm not sure..." she said slowly, her arms still hovering around the reindeer.

"Good !" Chopper's face flushed crimson. "Because I never liked that !"

Her heart melting on the spot, the girl closed her arms on her fluffy crewmate and rubbed her cheek on his soft fur while he mumbled empty insults. She wasn't doing anything wrong, and certainly nothing worth calling cheating. Eli deeply loved all of her crewmates; they were like a family to her, her only family. For each of them Eli held a special kind of affection. Yet the most special was, and will always, be reserved to Ace.

Eli felt Chooper freezing in her tight embrace. "Guys..." he called out a frightened expression on his face as he stared in the distance. "There was a ship.. but... it's not here anymore !" His voice rose into a shout as the girl let go of him.

"Where ?" Eli asked, now following his scared stare.

"The-there..." The reindeer pointed his hoof shakily in front on the Merry. "A bull running on the cloud ! It's charging from over there !"

The pirates gathered around Chopper and tried to understand his warnings, and soon Eli saw it, or rather him. A man was wearing a tribal mask and was equipped with a large shield as well as with a long cannon. At great speed, he was coming toward the Merry, sliding upon the clouds. Despite the obvious danger of the situation, the chronicler could help but watch the man's feet with awe and envy. It seemed that he was wearing large shells on his heels. Focusing hard on his movements, the paramecia saw what appeared like a current of air expelled from the shells; smoothly, it propelled the man's feet on the surface of the hazy sea.

Briskly, Eli took a step back as the cloud-slider jumped on the ship.

"What's your problem ?" Sanji yelled out while pushing Eli aside.

"Destroy you all..."

The threat aroused the pirates' rage without delay. Standing before the assailant Sanji, Ace, Luffy and Zoro took a fighting stance. A glare on their faces, they made sure the man understood that this ship was well protected, but the man did not show a sign of withdrawal. Without saying a word he dashed over to the four fighters and, with ease, he knocked them away, one by one.

"Eh ? Wait !" Nami's face was bleached and her voice bordered on a screech. "What's wrong !"

Her wide eyes traveling from one of her crewmates to an other, Eli was in the same state of loss as the navigator. It barely took a few seconds for the assailant to take down their most valiant fighters.

"Sky Island is so scary... Sky Island is so scary..." Usopp whimpering thud in the paramecia's ears and, with every beat, fear further took over her mind.

The cloud-slider jumped high up in the air and landed on the ship's railing. Stunned, Eli's jade eyes stared at him as he grabbed his cannon; he was aiming for the Merry.

Swallowing her fear, she took a step in front of him while holding onto Chopper's arm.

"We are the only ones left Chopper," she whispered through her gritted teeth.

Fear painted across his face, Eli saw the reindeer taking his fighting form on her side. He nodded and the two courageous pirates clenched their fists, the fear that previously glimmered in their eyes replaced by a raging blood-lust.

"You want more ?" the man asked, his voice showing no sign of emotion. "Didn't you get it ? We don't want you here."

Without saying a word, the two pirates dashed onto the man. He swung his leg around and Eli barely avoided the strike. It was then that she noticed with horror that her body wasn't as responsive as it should. Chopper got swept away by the powerful kick and Eli took a chance and aimed for the man's back. But her body was slow and weak... Her opponent blocked the attack easily; he grabbed her ankle and threw her to the other side of the ship.

With a loud gasp, Eli hit the deck and Nami ran over to her friend. The redhead crouched by her side and looked at her friend, dismay distorting her pretty face. Voicelessly, looking at Nami, the paramecia found it hard to breath normally. As if she had exhausted all of her energy, her heart was furiously racing in her chest that now seemed so painfully tight. With every rapid pant, her lungs yearned for more air as if it wasn't enough.

"This is the end," the assailant said, jumping high up in the air.

Weakly, the chronicler lifted her upper body to look at the man.

"This is the end for you !" a voice yelled from above.

A shadow appeared before the sun. Blinded, Eli shielded her eyes in an attempt to understand the shape her blurred vision couldn't record. Tears forming in her burning orbs, she saw large wings.. a bird ? And something was mounting it.

It dove toward the cloud-slider, his attack throwing him directly into the sea.

"What ? Who is it this time ?" Nami yelled, obviously the redhead was at the end of her tether.

The savior landed on the Merry and proudly stood up. A white beard hiding half of his face, he seemed tall and thin, yet it was rather uncertain since he was wearing a dark cape and a heavy armor. The silver metal shining brightly under the light of the sun; he looked like a hero.

"I am a knight of the sky !" His voice was low yet loud and his tone solemn; Eli wondered if she wasn't dreaming now.

A familiar pained groan reaching her ears, the girl scrambled over to Ace. Next to him Luffy was lying on the wooden deck and Sanji and Zoro sat up wearily. On the spot, Nami yelled bewilderingly at her crewmates. Her fear as well as relief shining in her voice, the navigator demanded explanations, but the fighters' hard pants were consistent and they were utterly voiceless.

"That's because the oxygen is scarce here," Robin said.

"Freckles... Are you alright ?" Eli asked quietly, worry reflecting in both her voice and eyes.

Gently, she put her hand on his and, to her surprise, the young man took it back. Looking away, he ran his fingers through his hair and sat up. Eli gazed at the flame user, her worry growing with his silence.

"Why did you stand against him ?" he finally muttered, still averting the girl's gaze.

What...?

"You saw how he..." Ace paused as he swallowed air with difficulty. "He wiped us out. Why did you even try ?"

His voice was cold and harsh and Eli was at loss for words. Why ? Why did she stand up against the attacker even though she had obviously no chance ?

"Because I can fight too," she said, surprised to find herself frowning.

Ace was silent again, and as she saw his jaw clenching in annoyance, Eli understood.

"You're so arrogant ! You can't bear to lose a fight, can you ?"

With a huff, Ace stood up and, very decided not to let herself become racked with his childish behavior, Eli turned her attention toward her savior.

"I told you." He was talking to Nami and Chopper. "I am the 'Knight of the Sky' and I suppose you are citizens of the blue seas."

"Yes," Luffy acquiesced.

"This place is seven thousand meters above the blue seas. It is called white sea," the knight said. "Above here lies the white-white sea. Its altitude towers the blue seas over ten thousand meters; average citizens of the blue sea won't be able to stand it."

Strangely, despite his reasonable explanation, Eli felt that her breathing had already become more regular, and, to her side, she noticed that so were those of Zoro and Luffy.

The pirates had many questions to ask to the knight, but the questioning was soon cut short by the man.

"First things first, I need to talk business with you." The knight sat on the upper deck's guardrail. "I would be a freelance mercenary. This is a dangerous part of the sea, those who do not know about aero-battle will be attacked." Looking at his serious face, the pirates silently listened to the knight's words. "Each whistle will cost you fifty million extol, then I will save you."

Whistle, extol... Eli replayed the mysterious words in her mind, soon concluding that the dialect used in Sky Island was a bit different from the one used on the 'blue seas'.

Silent for a few seconds, the pirates tilted their heads to the side, their gazes on the knight becoming more questioning with every flutter of their eyelids.

"What are you talking about, Mister ?" Luffy asked quite innocently.

Recording the extent of the pirates' ignorance, the knight startled before taking a hold of his surprise.

"Don't act like a fool..." he said, embarrassment clearly shown on his face. "If I keep lowering the price I won't be able to earn even one extol !"

"Sky Island is so scary..." Usopp muttered continuously as Eli patted the poor whimpering thing on the shoulder.

"Just what are these whistle and extol things ?'' Sanji asked, not really sure as he pronounced the mysterious words.

"No way..." The knight's eyes widened. "You guys didn't come here through the top of high waist ?"

Top of high waist...? This was getting more and more mysterious, and the pirates' faces displayed quite evidently their lack of understanding.

Soon the knight explained himself; apparently there was another way to access to the sky islands, a 'normal' way. Upon realizing that the dangerous course they had gone through was a useless leap of faith, Nami lost, once more, her nerves and shook her young and reckless captain violently.

"I can't believe you took that monstrous stream..." The knight said, interrupting the redhead's rage fit. "You are brave. The other routes are a gamble with no way to predict how many of a crew will live and reach the destination." Raising his face, the man looked in the distance. "The knock up steam, however, is more like 'either everyone die, or everyone get there together.'"

Slowly he shifted his gaze from one to each of the pirates. "I see those who dare to take that route as great sailors who have both courage and strength."

To these praising words, Usopp seemed jerked out of his prostration. On the spot, the long-nosed teen jumped up, his face displaying an expression of overbearing self-worth, as he boasted proudly about his 'navigation skills' which caused Nami to pinch his cheek in remonstrance.

"One whistle." The knight threw a silver whistle and Eli caught it in the air. Her lips parted in amazement, she slowly opened her palms to gaze at the silvery object which was tinkling quietly. Its brilliant shine reflecting in the jade of her eyes, a bright sensation of reverence washed over the girl. "Blow this whistle once, and I will come down from the skies to help you."

"Wait !" His back facing the crew, the knight was about to leave when Nami called him out, her heel tapped on the wooden deck as she ran in his direction, before slowing down as the savior turned around. "We don't even know your name !"

The knight turned around, his cape flapping into the wind. "I would be Gan Fall, the Knight of the Sky !" To his side his bird chirped. "And I forgot to introduce my partner, Pierre !"

The light of the sun shining brightly behind them, the bird's form changed.

"Even though he's a bird, he has the power of the Wild Horse Fruit." Pierre's claws turned into four slender and muscular legs. "Which means he can become a winged horse !"

Dazed at the beautiful sight of the mount's figure illuminated from behind, the pirates were speechless. In her mind, one name echoed endlessly while Eli eyes widened in awe; Pegasus...

That was until the sight became clearer.

"What the hell..." she muttered.

Polka dots all over his pink plumage, little stupid eyes, large jaws; it looked like a really bad copy of a Pegasus.

Gan Fall mounted his creature, and as they disappeared in the horizon, apathetic and disappointed, the pirates silently watched their saviors taking their leave. With a sigh, Eli rolled her eyes as she realized that, like always, whether it was on the blue seas or in the skies, it seemed that heroes couldn't keep the facade of perfection for too long...

to be continued

Betaed by Fox MC.

Here we are. Sky Island.

I'm happy, my blockage is gone, thanks to your heart-warming reviews obviously but also because these chapters are less focused on Eli's emotions, and so, evidently less heavy.

Ace is being slightly macho, isn't he ? And, obviously, Eli isn't the kind to allow such a discrediting behavior. What a jerk ! (Yet I kinda like this side of him too :P Annoying, proud, and arrogant beyond belief...)

Gan Fall was quite cool. I didn't really realize how much until I wrote this chapter. I think I like him more now.

Well, see you soon (Monday ?) for the next chapter and, once again, thank you for your support. I like you very, very much.

ps : oh and the shirt thing ! Haha ! How cute 3

pps : And Chopper ! I missed the little reindeer... I'm glad I can finally give the rest of the crew some little parts in the lovers' tale.