The crew made their way back to Cricket and the Going Merry, only to be stunned upon leaving the forest. Masira and Cricket were on their backs, covered in blood and bruises while Shoujou was floating in the water. Luffy ran to Cricket while Sanji quickly jumped in to get Shoujou.
"What in the world happened?!" Nami cried in shock.
"Look! The Going Merry!" Usopp cried in panicked at the destroyed head of the Merry. "What the hell?! WHO DID THIS?! DANMIT! WHO WAS IT?!"
"S-sorry..." Cricket gasped out.
"Hey old guy! Are you awake?!" demanded Luffy.
"I'm s-sorry. There's nothing we could do! We're pathetic! But... there's still time to strengthen the ship before sunup...!" Cricket answered trying to stand despite his injuries.
Luna moved over to the man's home, the South Bird landing on the stump. Moving inside she saw Bellamy's mark, which was just Doflamingo's mark. Zoro and Nami followed her in, Zoro walking up next to her while Nami took note of Cricket's treasure was gone.
"Luffy! The gold has been stolen!"
"Nah, it's alright... forget about that junk..." Cricket dismissed. "You need to focus on..."
Luna cut him off, "Luffy..."
The captain turned to see Luna and Zoro standing next to a familiar mark. Nami finally noticed it, "Bellamy's mark..."
Luffy stood, his hat covering his eyes.
"Want help?" Zoro questioned the silent captain.
"No, I can do it alone," answered Luffy.
"No, Luffy! Don't be stupid! We set sail in only three hours!"
The boy ignored his navigator and look to Robin, "if I run along the coast, will I reach the town from this afternoon?"
"Yes, you will."
Luna stepped up next to Luffy, "I'll go with him, Nami." Luffy turned to look at her, "don't worry I won't interfere, I'll grab the gold. I'm mainly going to make sure you don't get distracted on the way back."
The boy nodded in response as Cricket called out to them, "hey, kids! Where're you going?!"
Both ignored him as Luffy took off along the shore and Luna dived into the water swimming slightly faster than Luffy's run.
Reaching the outskirts of Mock town Luffy and Luna rejoined. Luna removed the water from her as she stopped by Luffy, "it took us an hour to get here. You only have an hour to play before we need to start back."
Luffy nodded as the two split up once again. Luffy jumped to the roof to yell for Bellamy, while Luna slipped into town towards the bar. The man came out from the bar cocky as ever.
"I just heard the rumors about you... you got business with me?" Bellamy smiled widely. Luna couldn't stop her eye roll, she couldn't wait for Bellamy to get better.
"Yeah! Give back old diamonds-head's gold!"
"Gold? You mean old man Cricket's stuff?"
Luna ignored the fight as she slipped past Bellamy's crew. Entering the bar she saw the friendly bartender once again.
"Oh miss you're back. I take it for the Montblanc's Gold?"
Luna walked up to him with a sad smile, "yes seems like this generation can't show the smallest ounce of respect."
The bartender nodded sadly as he turned to a small display where the gold laid. Wrapping it up the man turned back to hand it to her, "please give my apologies. Cricket and his boys have always been such nice customers back before those others came."
The white haired woman smiled with a nod as she took the package, "I'm sure he'll appreciate it. Thank you once again."
Luna walked out the door with the gold in her hand. She saw Luffy has already punched Bellamy and his crew was trying to get him up.
"He won't be waking up anytime soon." Her voice cut through the air frighting the Bellamy crew. They parted at her appearance as Luna made her way to Luffy.
"We done? I got the gold." Luna emphasizes as she held up the package. Luffy smiled with a nod accepting the gold to carry.
"Hey, you two! Stop! I'M still here! C'mon! Bring it on! There's no way we can lose to dream-chasing morons!!"
Luna's face fell as her eyes darkened, with a nod from Luffy, Luna appeared right infront of the man. The man fell on his butt in fright, Luna stretch her hand out grabbing the man's face. Her long nails causing bleeding from her grip, as she lifted him up. With a swift movement he was launched into a building, his body breaking through. She slowly turned her eyes shining at the remaining crew. The crew back away as she made her way back to Luffy.
The horrifying look on her face gone replaced with a smile, "ready!"
Luffy came running to Cricket's house, waving a beetle in the air. Luna walking calmly behind him now carrying the gold once again.
"Guys! We did it!" Luffy cheered.
"Luffy! Luna! Hurry! We're behind schedule!" Nami scolded, hands on her hips.
"Check this out! A Hercules! It took me forever to find one!"
"YOU WERE LOOKING..." Nami shouted through her teeth.
"...FOR A BEETLE?!" Usopp finished.
Nami turned on Luna, "YOU WENT WITH HIM SO THIS DIDN'T HAPPEN!"
Luna looked at the navigator with a blank look, "no I went to make sure we got back in time, plus we had time to kill."
Nami was fuming while Luna turned to the Merry, confusion crossed her face. "Why does the Merry look like a chicken?"
"It's the Going Merry Flying Model!" Usopp announced with flair.
"Awesome! It looks like it could fly!" Luffy yelled with stars in his eyes.
"Doesn't it?! They did it for us!"
Masira's crew cheered and blushed a bit, doing gestures like a monkey, to which Luffy joined.
"Look at'em go" Sanji sighed.
"Seeing them makes me feel uneasy..." Nami muttered.
"I agree. Even a pigeon would've been better than a chicken..." Zoro nodded causing Luna to laugh and Nami to turn on him.
"THAT'S NOT THE MAIN ISSUE HERE! YOU'RE AN IDIOT!"
"Alright! Let's set sail! Ready men?" Usopp fist punched and Masira's crew cheered once more.
Luna moved over to Crickets with Luffy, setting the package infront of him. Silence filled the air as Cricket puffed on his cigarette.
"Get on board already! There's no time! Or are you plann' on wasting your chance to go into the sky, you fools?" Luffy smiled at the man with a nod.
"Right! Thanks for the ship!"
Cricket pointed at the Saruyama Alliance, "It's them you should thank."
"Yeah! Thank you, guys! You can have my Hercules!" Luffy stated while setting the beetle on the stump.
"Anyway, let's hurry!" Urged Masira "get on board, before we're too late!"
"We'll lead the way, follow us!" Enriched Shoujou.
Cricket sat silently, while the Strawhat's boarded the Merry. Luna stopped next to him, "your ancestor was right just in the wrong direction."
Before Cricket could respond she boarded the ship. Cricket advanced to the shore.
"Saruyama Alliance! Don't screw up, now! No matter what happens, give everything you go for them!"
"Yeah!"
"It's time to set sail, guys!" Smiled Nami.
Lifting the anchor, the Going Merry followed after the Saruyama Alliance.
"Kid! This is where we part ways! There's one thing that's a definite fact. No one in history's ever disproved the city of gold or the sky island. People might laugh and call it foolish logic, but it's enough for me. That's what romanticism is all about! Thanks ya for the gold... So don't go falling down from some sky island, alright?!"
"See ya, old guy!" Luffy called back with a wave.
"Thanks for everything, Crickets-San!" Nami yelled.
"I'm sure the city of gold is real, old-timer!" Usopp added.
"Alright! It's currently 7am! We should arrive at the destination area at around 11am!" Yelled Shoujou. "Like the old-timer said, the spot the Knock-Up Stream shoots up from changes each time, so we need to arrive beforehand and find it! We're a little behind schedule, so..."
Luffy was ignoring the man playing with the South Bird, moving the bird's head.
"See! It faced forward!" Laughed Luffy.
"There sure are some weird birds out there!" Mused Usopp.
"It's true! It can only face south! This guy's like a compass! So neat!" Luffy snickered with his normal laugh. Angering the bird who began yelling at the boy.
"What did he say?" Usopp questioned to Chopper.
"He said he's going to face a different direction to mess us up." Replied Chopper. At this, the South Bird faced north before being force to face south causing the boys to laugh. Luna appeared with some food for the bird.
"Luffy don't pick on Mr. South Bird. He's doing us a favor." Luna set the food next to the South Bird, before grabbing Luffy's ear.
"A-ah! Luna! Let go!"
"No, apologize."
"I-I'm sorry!" Luna release the boy who rubs his sore ear.
"HEY! YOU GUYS! DON'T GET THE BIG BOSS MAD!"
"It's alright! Their casualness is getting me worked up!" Dismissed Shoujou.
"There's no point in being anxious," Luffy laughed.
"And who put us behind schedule?" Grunted Sanji. "But not you, Luna-swan~"
"He's right!" Yelled Masira from the other ship. "There's no point in being tense for hours on end!"
"I see! Alright, men! Full speed ahead... while relaxing!" Ordered Shoujou.
They've been sailing for awhile when one of Masira's crew yells out that the Cumuloregalis clouds were showing up an hour earlier. The black clouds forming on the horizon, Masira yelled to Shoujou.
"This is bad... Shoujou! Can we make it?!"
"Utan Divers! Into the sea immediately! Look for the currents!"
"Those are the cumuloregalis clouds?!" Nami muttered horrified.
"What!?" Usopp cried as he came from his workshop.
"They came sooner than expected!" Nami explained to everyone. "But we don't even know where the current is located!"
Shoujou used his soundwaves voice to locate the specific current, while they searched Luna moved to the front of Merry.
Closing her eyes Luna focused on the currents under her, using the Knock-Up Streams before she knew the currents. While on the outside it looked that the woman was just standing there, but in her mind's eye it was completely different. She stood in a vast darkness, whisp of color flowed around her. She followed several when one whipped by her at great speed.
Her eyes shoot open as she yelled to Nami, "20 degree starboard!"
The Going Merry turned to match her command just as Shoujou's men found the same current. Soon all three ships were following the current massive wave began.
"It's a pre-explosion earthquake! Get ready!" Masira shouted.
"EXPLOSION?!" Chopper squeaked.
"Navigator! What does the Log Pose say?" Robin called out to the orange head.
"It's pointing right at those clouds! The wind's direction is perfect, too!"
"The whirlpool is just up ahead!" Luna called back to them.
"WHIRLPOOL!" Nami, Chopper, and Usopp screamed.
"Looks like we hit the jackpot this time, brother!" Cheered Masira.
"Yeah! And it looks like it'll be a nice-sized explosion, too!"
"We can make it?!" Luffy questioned.
"Yep!" The monkey brothers answered.
At this, grapnels were shot from Masira's ship and latched onto the Going Merry's railing.
"We'll take you to the inner edge of the whirlpool."
"What do we do after that?!" Demanded Nami.
"Get on the flow! If you get to the center, things should work out!"
The monster whirlpool came into view, "w-we're being sucked in!" Usopp sobbed.
"NOBODY SAID ANYTHING ABOUT BEING SUCKED IN!" Panicked Nami.
"Too late now." Luna answered.
"I've never seen such a big whirlpool before..." sweated Robin.
"This is bad! Let's turn back! Let me go back!" Usopp continued to cry.
"Just accept it, Usopp. It's too late now. Someone else is already excited." Grunted Zoro nodding to Luffy.
"LET'S GO! SKY ISLAND!"
A massive Sea King broke the surface next to their ship only to fall back into the water and be sucked into the whirlpool. The cowardly trio lived up to their name by being petrified, as the Sea King was sucked under the surface.
"It's time for us to go!" Masira yelled, "the rest is up to you now! Good Luck!"
"Bye guys! And thanks a lot for everything!" Luffy waved, while Usopp cried out. "DON'T GO! I DON'T WANT TO DIE! TAKE ME WITH YOU! GIVE ME A BREAK I'M SCARED! PLEASE DON'T MAKE ME!"
"No one said anything about diving head first into a giant whirlpool!" Nami cried.
"It's getting dark!" Usopp whined.
"Oh no! We're being sucked in!" Exclaimed Chopper.
Usopp and Nami tried to reason with Luffy only to get nowhere.
Zoro jumped into the conversation, "instead of bickering you all might want to take a look." Zoro pointed to the front of the Merry. "It's sucking us in."
The Merry flew off the side of the whirlpool heading straight for the middle. Luna was silent the entire time as the others yelled. Suddenly the Merry hit the surface as Luna moved to the port side to see Blackbeard.
Nami informed everyone about the whirlpool being under them just as Blackbeard yelled out. Luna couldn't help but roll her eyes at the idiotic ship of soon to be full crew of devil fruit users would sail. Blackbeard's annoying laugh rang out.
"Well well well if it isn't Strawhat Luffy!"
Nami quickly recognized him, "it's him that Mock Town guy!"
"What guy?" Sanji asked looking out at the man.
"I've come all this way to collect on your 100,000,000 berry bounty! So don't be shy!"
Luna just looked on bored as the man got closer. Luffy called back to him.
"100,000,000? What're you talking about?"
"Don't play dumb with me, kid!" Blackbeard held up Luffy's bounty poster. "It says right here 'Monkey D. Luffy' for 100,000,000! And for 'Pirate Hunter Zoro' 60,000,000!"
Usopp confirmed that the two wanted posters were different from the original one for Luffy. "Hey Zoro congratulations on your new bounty!"
Sanji jumped up to Usopp, "come on Usopp do you see one for me?"
"Ugh... no."
"Look closer."
"Nothin'"
"It looks like your bounty's went way up after the Alabasta incident, but 100,000,000?"
The two boy were busy celebrating their new bench mark.
"IT'S NOT A GOOD THING!" Nami yelled at the two. Luna was still leaning on the railing with a smirk as she felt the current shift under her.
"Oi! Traitor!"
The focus shifted to Luna, she stood before grabbing the doctor.
"Shouldn't be on such a small boat."
The Merry began being lifted into the air, the others rang to ready themselves while Luna walked to the center mast. Quietly she tied a rope to Chopper's waist before instructing the others to do the same. She went without one as she stood against the wall with Chopper.
Suddenly the Merry was shot up into the air by the Knock-Up Stream. Everyone was amazed by the water column, until Sanji noticed something.
"Hold on it's not gonna be that easy. Look..."
"Oh what now!" Usopp cried,
"What's wrong did we forget about something?" Luffy questioned.
"The haul's starting to float. If we don't stop it we're gonna fall into the ocean."
"Oh No! What is that?!" Chopper cried spotting the Sea King from before. It fell down pass the ship to the sea below.
"See it's only a matter of time before the same thing happens to the Merry." Sanji continued.
"I know but what can we do? We don't have a lot of options when it comes to Mother Nature. We're at her mercy." Zoro stated.
"I guess we hold on and hope for the best."
"Ahhhhhh!" Chopper yelled as ship debris started falling around them. "Ships are falling from the sky! We're gonna end up just like them!"
Luna shushed him, "Nami now would be a good time for ideas."
"Spread the sails, right now. Sure it's a pillar of water but it's still part of the sea. It's a rising current, it maybe package differently but it's still wind and water. Trust me I'm a navigator aren't I?"
Luna set Chopper down, "you heard the lady! Sails down!"
"Alright guys catch the starboard wind and aline the ship with the current!"
The Merry began to lift off the water causing Luffy to yell, "Nami! Do something we're gonna fall!"
The Merry finished lifting off the pillar and began to soar up it.
"WE'RE FLYING! YEAH WE'RE HEADING FOR THE SKY!"