WE MADE IT TO THE SKY ISLAND!
Sky Island Saga - Skypiea Arc - Episodes 153 - 155
(Beginning of Arc)
Dakota's POV:
"With this wind and current, we can go as high as we want!" Nami announces.
"Hey! Nami! Are we almost at the Sky Island?!" Luffy asks her.
"If it exists, it's on the other side of those clouds!" She answers him, pointing above at the dark clouds.
"Above the clouds, huh?! What could be up there?!" He beams. "Let's plunge through the cumuloregalis clouds!"
ONE PIECE - SKYPIEA ARC
We sail through the clouds; it seems to be a barrier of actual clouds; as we shoot through, breathing through the watery barrier becomes difficult. "Can't breathe…!" I hear Luffy groan, and we shoot through the layer of clouds, the ship landing, but I keep coughing the water from earlier.
"Damn… What happened?! Is everyone here?!" Zoro asks, still trying to catch his breath like the rest of us.
"Hey, guys! Look outside the ship!" Our Captain exclaims, and looking over, it's nothing but white fluffy, looking clouds as far as the eye can see.
"What is this place?!" Sanji questions in awe.
"It's pure white!" He replies with glee, and we all get up to look at the beautiful sight before us.
"Clouds?!" Chopper exclaims, almost falling over to the railing, and I pull him back.
"We're in the clouds?!" Nami beams. "How are we staying on them?!"
"Of course you can stay on them! They're clouds!" Luffy tells her.
"No, you can't!" Sanji, Zoro and Chopper dismiss that theory.
"Luffy, we've talked about this," I smirk, swinging my arm around his shoulder.
"Oh, no! Usopp isn't breathing!" Chopper shrieks, and I see the long-nose sniper lying on the floor.
"What?! Do something! CPR!" Luffy yells in fright.
"Okay! I'll give Nami-san CPR!" Sanji exclaims, turning around.
"Moron…" Zoro grumbles under his breath, and I can't help snickering at him.
"Usopp! Say something!" Chopper cries. "Usopp!" I look over to see the Sniper sitting up.
"Clouds… What?!" Usopp exclaims, freaking out. "These are clouds! No, there's too many! What is this?!"
"Basically, this is an ocean in the sky?" Nami answers as Usopp rushes to the side.
"An ocean…in the sky?!" He marvels.
"But look!" The Navigator points at the Log Pose that is still pointing further up. "The Log Pose is still pointing upward!"
"It seems we're in the middle section of the cumuloregalis clouds," Robin suggests.
"We need to go even higher? How?" Chopper asks her.
"That, I don't know…." She replies, and I walk off, needing to find my Mother's Logbook for answers.
"Did you call me a moron?!" I hear Sanji growl at my boyfriend.
"I forget," Zoro replies, and I walk inside the cabin for the girls' room.
ONE PIECE - SKYPIEA ARC
I walk inside the room, head straight for the small bookcase, and find my Mother's Logbook, flipping through the pages and seeing something I had forgotten. She wrote about everything that happened in her life on the ship, even her time with my Father before they started dating. I can't help but smile as I read about her life and all her adventures and feel as if she's still here with me. So I keep reading, finding the section I am looking for, and head back to the others.
ONE PIECE - SKYPIEA ARC
I see Luffy and Chopper sulking by the railing and one of our crew members missing. "Usopp's so lucky! If only I could swim, too!" Luffy grumbles.
"I bet it's so fun…." Chopper agrees, seeming downhearted.
"Hey," Zoro breaks the silence. "He's…not coming back up."
"I was just wondering… Do you think this ocean has a bottom?" Robin questions, making the others panic.
"It doesn't," I answer. ""Today was a new low for Shanks' stupidity as we arrived at the lower levels of the Sky Island, and Buggy dared him to swim, but one of the crew had to save him from falling out of the bottom."" I read from her Logbook.
"You don't mean…!" The others exclaim as I finish.
"Did that bastard fall from the clouds?!" Zoro snaps, and Luffy swings his arm.
"Usopp!" Luffy shouts and stretches his arm, shooting it into the clouds.
"That moron! I tried to tell him!" Sanji grumbles.
"Stretch your arm as far as you can!" Robin instructs Luffy.
"But I can't see down there!" Luffy argues but keeps stretching.
"It's all right! Leave it to me!" She tells him and crosses her arms in front of her. "Ojos Fleur!" The pair struggle as they search for Usopp. "There he is!" She announces.
"Eh?! Where?!" He asks her.
"Veinte Fleurs!" She suddenly exclaims, and after a moment, Luffy seems to have the Sniper in his clutches. "Okay! Pull him up!"
"You got him! Okay!" Luffy pulls the Sniper back and seems to struggle a little.
"Is he heavy?" Chopper asks, peering over the side.
"He shouldn't be," Robin replies.
"Luffy! You can do it!" Chopper and Nami cheer for our Captain, and finally, he reels in the Sniper, who breaks through the clouds, heading for the ship.
"Yes! He's back up!" Nami cheers, but it's short-lived as something else comes to the surface; the tentacles of a giant octopus and the rest of it come to the surface.
"Things came with him!" Luffy yells as another skyfish, much more colourful.
"They wanna eat Usopp!" Sanji yells, scaring Chopper and Nami, who keep screaming.
"It's nothing to be that afraid of!" Zoro says as he rushes forward, jumping off the ship toward one of the tentacles, slicing it, and it pops like a balloon, surprising the rest of us. The colourful skyfish comes towards us, and Sanji jumps up, kicking it on top of the head, knocking it into the clouds. The boys seem to struggle to breathe normally, most likely from thinner air.
"But it sure is hard to breathe here…" Zoro pants out of breath.
"This is one strange creature… I'm not sure if it's a fish…." Sanji comments as he looks at it.
"That octopus was like a balloon!" Luffy comments.
"It's definitely an animal. It was moving," I remark.
"I can't believe things live in clouds…!" Nami exclaims.
"Perhaps we should think of this as an ocean rather than clouds," Robin suggests.
"What's this flat snake?" Chopper asks, looking at the colourful skyfish.
"A flounder! Because it's flat!" Luffy informs the gullible reindeer.
"So this is a flounder?!" He exclaims in awe.
"Luffy, don't fill-!" I snap at my Brother, but Usopp suddenly screams, sitting up before I can go on.
"Dammit! What is it this time, Usopp?!" Sanji asks, all of us looking at the Sniper, who gets a fish out of his pants.
"My pants! There was something in 'em!" Usopp exclaims, holding up a smaller skyfish and throwing it away before fainting again.
"Usopp!" Chopper cries, rushing to his side.
"Sky island scary, sky island scary…." He mumbles under his breath as he lies on the deck.
"What an unlucky day," Robin remarks as she looks at him.
"Most days are unlucky for him," I reply, and she spots the fish, picking it up as it flips around.
"These are skyfish! The odd fish described in Noland's Logbook. They must have evolved to survive in this bottomless sky ocean…." She says, looking at the fish in wonder.
"So they turned all balloon-like and flat and stuff?" Zoro questions.
"To be even lighter… The buoyancy here is weaker than in the ocean's below." She explains, and Luffy steals the fish from her.
"They have scales like feathers, and weird carnivore-like mouths!" Nami adds.
"I tried sauteing it," Sanji announces as Luffy eats it.
"This is good!" Luffy exclaims as he eats.
"We're still investigating it!" Nami snaps at them. "What're you guys thinking?!" Luffy offers her a piece and takes a mouthful. "Oh! It really is good! What is this?! I've never had anything like it!"
"Is it to your liking, Nami-san?!" Sanji beams.
"Let's eat that big one, too!" Luffy suggests.
"That one looks like it'd be a lot of work…." He replies.
"Where is the Sky Island?" Chopper says to himself as he looks around through the binoculars, and I walk over to him as he sits on the broken wing of our ship. "Oh! A ship…" I look over to see a boat a few miles away. "A ship! Hey, guys! A ship…and a person?" I see a figure standing on the clouds and firing at the ship, causing it to explode and crumble into nothing.
"Hey. What's wrong, Chopper?" Sanji asks, and the reindeer exclaims, falling into me. "Is there a ship out there, Chopper?"
"It seems there's something heading towards us!" I announce, surprising the others, as the person who destroyed the ship shoots towards us.
"He's running on the clouds!" Sanji exclaims as the man comes towards us, jumping into the air. "Hey, stop! What do you want?!"
"To eliminate you!" The man in the warrior mask reveals.
"Looks like he wants to fight!" He announces.
"Fine by me!" Zoro and I agree, and I get out my rainbow-coloured knuckle dusters as the newcomer kicks Sanji away into the wall behind him.
"What's going on?!" Luffy questions, having no clue what's happening as the man lands on the deck and leaps towards Zoro, kicking him under the chin with his skate-type boots. The warrior spins into the air and comes down, kicking Luffy into the deck, and I rush towards him as he lands, taking a swing at the man, but he dodges out of the way, kicking me to the deck.
"H-Hey! What's with you four?!" Nami exclaims; I hear the click of a weapon as I try to catch my breath, and Chopper screams in fright.
"He's gonna shoot us!" Chopper shrieks.
"Sky island scary, sky island scary…." Usopp continues to whimper on the floor.
"That is far enough!" A new voice demands, and the two clash, the newcomer knocking the warrior out of the sky and landing on the side.
"What?! Who's this now?!" She exclaims.
"I am the Sky Knight," He introduces himself. "He's gone…."
"What the heck's going on?! Who was that?! And what's with you guys?! You're pathetic, losing three against one!" Nami scolds the four of us as we try to catch our breath.
"Thank you for saving us!" Chopper says, bowing.
"I have no choice. This one is on the house," The Sky Knight replies.
"Man… Talk about being worthless…." Sanji groans.
"I can't move well…for some reason…." Luffy says breathlessly.
"It must be because of the thin air," Robin suggests.
"Yeah, now that you mention it…." Zoro agrees.
"Are you Blue Sea people?" The Sky Knight questions as he walks up the stairs.
"Blue Sea people? What's that? Oh, yeah! Who are you?!" Nami asks him.
"I am the Sky Knight," He repeats. ""Blue Sea People" is the term for those who live beneath the clouds."
"The Sky Knight…" Chopper marvels.
"In other words, did you come up here from the blue seas?" The old man asks.
"Yeah! That's right!" Luffy answers.
"Then that explains it. This is the White Sea, 7,000 metres in the air. The White-White-Sea even further above reaches 10,000 metres high. Ordinary Blue Sea people can't possibly endure it here." The Sky Knight explains, but I take one deep breath and exhale, feeling much better.
"Alright! I've gotten used to it!" Luffy declares, banging on his chest, sitting up.
"Yeah. I feel much better now," Zoro agrees.
"Same," I nod.
"No, no, no! That is not possible!" The Sky Knight declares.
"Anyway, why was that guy speeding on top of the clouds?!" Chopper questions.
"Now, now. Hold on. I'm sure you have many questions, but let's talk business first." He tells us.
"Business?" Nami questions.
"I am a freelance soldier-for-hire. These seas are fraught with danger. If you don't know how to fight in the sky, guerrillas like that one will come after you and turn you into food for the skyfish. For a 5,000,000 Extol One Whistle, I will help you." The old man says, and we all look at him, confused.
"What're you talking about, old guy?" Luffy asks him.
"What?! That is quite cheap! I won't lower it a single Extol more!" The Sky Knight exclaims. "I need to earn a living, too, you know!"
"What in the world is "Extol"? And what's this "whistle" or whatever?" Sanji questions.
"You came here via the summit of High-West, did you not? Then you must've passed an island or two," The Knight asks us.
"Again, what're you talking about, old guy?" Luffy asks him again.
"Wait! You mean there are other ways of coming to this sky ocean?! And "an island or two"? Does that mean there are lots of Sky Islands?!" Nami inquires.
"Don't tell me you came here via the…." The Sky Knight stops in shock.
"We rode the Knock-Up Stream," Robin answers.
"My word! That monstrous current?! So there still are people gutsy enough for that…." He remarks.
"It wasn't a normal route, after all…!" Nami weeps and it soon turns to anger, starting to shake our Captain. "We could've died, you know! We could've done it more safely if we had gathered more information!"
"What does it matter now? We're already here," Luffy argues.
"Sky Island scary, sky island scary…." Usopp keeps mumbling.
"Did you lose any of your crew?" The Sky Knight asks us.
"No, we're all here," Luffy answers.
"That wouldn't have been the case with any other route. 100 people head into the sky, a few arrive, and someone survives. That is the gamble," The Knight warns us. "But with the Knock-Up Stream, everyone dies, or everyone arrives. That's it. Not many can make that all-or-nothing bet, especially these days. I now see that you are capable navigators with courage and skill."
"Or just damn lucky," I mutter with a grin.
"Yes, I must admit it was only because I was here!" Usopp rises, claiming credit. "While these guys were on their knees crying and giving up on life, I told them, "I will navigate us"-."
"Hold on!" Nami sneers and grabs his cheek to stop him.
"One blow of this One Whistle…." The Sky Knight says, throwing a silver whistle to the floor and getting up. "...and I shall come to your aid! Normally, I would charge you five million Extol, but I will give you the One Whistle as a present!"
"Wait! We still don't know your name!" Nami exclaims.
"I am Gall Fall, the Sky Knight! And this is my partner, Pierre!" He introduces himself, and I look at him in shock, knowing the name from my Mother's Logbook. "I forgot to mention it, but my partner Pierre…." The strange-looking bird begins to transform, the bones cracking. "...is a bird that ate a Horse-Horse Fruit and gained its powers."
"A bird?!" Sanji questions.
"In short, he becomes a horse with wings! Namely…" Gan Fall says.
"No way! Wow! A Pegasus?!" Nami marvels.
"Yes! A Pegasus!" He replies, riding his bird horse that looks completely strange and disappointing.
"How…unexciting," We all grumble.
"May luck be with you, warriors!" He says goodbye and flies away.
"That was a weird thing it turned into…." Sanji comments.
"Was there even a reason for it to transform?" Nami questions.
"Good question…" We agree.
"In the end, he didn't tell us anything," Robin says.
"You're right! Nothing at all!" Usopp agrees.
"Now we're back to square one," Sanji adds.
"How do we get up there?!" Zoro questions.
"I know! Let's call that old guy and ask!" Luffy decides, picking up the whistle.
"H-H-Hold on, Luffy!" Nami exclaims, stopping him but holding his neck, and Usopp pulls his cheeks. "This is only supposed to be used in emergencies!"
"What if that weird masked guy shows up again?!" Usopp exclaims.
"For now, let's take our ship somewhere," I suggest.
"Hey, look over there!" Chopper suggests.
"What could that be?" Robin asks, looking over.
"Isn't that a weird cloud?" He asks.
"It also looks like a waterfall…." She adds.
"Alright! It's decided! Let's check it out!" Zoro declares, and we begin moving towards the cloud waterfall.
"Wait! Stop! Stop!" Nami orders.
"There are huge clouds in the way…." Robin announces.
"What do we do?" Chopper asks.
"They're floating in the sky ocean, so they can't be ocean, too…." Sanji surmises.
"Then what kind of clouds are they?" Usopp questions.
"If they were ordinary clouds, they'd keep moving forward…." Nami says.
"Let's touch one and find out!" Luffy decides and swings his arm around. "Gum-Gum Pistol!" He punches the cloud, and his arm bounces off it. "It bounced off!" He grins even more, jumps off the ship, and uses the cloud like a bouncy castle. "Look! I'm on it! I'm not sinking! It's all fluffy, like cotton! What is this?! What is this?! It's too fun!"
"Wow!" Chopper cheers as he watches.
"Now how does this work?!" Nami wonders.
"It's mysterious…." Robin replies, and Usopp rushes to the side to join Usopp.
"Me too! I'm coming, too!" Usopp exclaims.
"Me too!" Chopper cheers and rushes to join the others as Luffy lies on the cloud.
"This feels great! It's warm and makes me wanna sleep right here! It's even better than a freshly-aired futon!" Luffy smiles and then starts bouncing around again.
"But this means the ship can't go through places filled with these…." Nami ponders to herself. "Hey! Find a route that the ship can take!"
"Right! Okay!" Luffy agrees.
"Hey, Luffy! There's something over here!" Usopp announces, and Luffy rushes over to him.
"What is it?! What is it?!" He asks as he runs over.
"Hey! Where are you going?! Quit playing around!" Nami shouts at them.
"What is that?" Luffy asks, coming to a stop, and they return to the ship, explaining what they found.
"A gate?" Nami asks as Usopp finishes.
"Yeah! There's a big gate under that waterfall thingy!" Luffy tells her as he slides back onto the ship, and Chopper tumbles down onto Usopp's head.
"There are man made objects in a place like this?" Sanji questions.
"There could be anything in this ocean and it wouldn't be surprising…." Robin tells him as we sail down a path around the waterfall toward the gate.
"We'll find out what it is after we get through here!" Luffy exclaims.
"Left next!" Chopper says.
"No, right!" Usopp corrects him.
"It's to our left!" Chopper snaps.
"No, our right!" The Sniper argues back.
"Let's call the old armour guy!" Luffy suggests, about to grab the whistle again, and the two stop him.
"Stop that!" They shout.
"Alright! Looks like we're through!" Nami declares, and the clouds part ways to reveal a golden star-shaped archway where the waterfall ends with the words "Heaven's Gate" on the top.
"It's a gate, all right…." I mutter as I look at the gate in awe.
"And look, that waterfall-like cloud really was a waterfall!" She beams. "It's flowing over those different clouds from earlier!"
"What's this now? "Heaven's Gate"...?!" Usopp questions. "That's unlucky! It sounds like we're on our way to die!"
"Y'know, maybe we already are dead," Zoro muses jokingly.
"Ah! That would explain this weird world…." Sanji joins in, scaring the Sniper.
"Eep! We're dead?!" Chopper exclaims in fright.
"No, if we were, they wouldn't be here," I assure the cute reindeer.
"Heaven, huh?" Luffy laughs. "This is gonna be great! I finally get to go there!"
"Get real!" Nami snaps at them, hitting us over the head.
"What was that for?!" Usopp asks, getting hit too.
"Your jokes aren't funny!" She snaps at us.
"Why did I get hit, too…?" Chopper cries, clinging to my leg.
"Look! Over there! Someone's coming out!" Usopp exclaims, pointing at a small elderly woman with tiny wings pointing out the side of her back, holding something that keeps flashing towards us.
"Look! She has wings on her back!" The little Doctor exclaims.
"It's an angel! Is that what angels are like?!" Luffy exclaims. "She's like a pickled plum!"
"U-Umm…" Nami begins.
"I am Amazon, the Heaven's Gate inspector," The elderly woman introduces herself. "Sightseeing?" Or perhaps war?"
"I-I guess it's kind of like sightseeing…." Nami replies.
"We wanna go to the sky island! They're past this gate, right?" Luffy asks.
"What do you mean by "war"?" Zoro asks Amazon.
"It doesn't matter either way. If you're going to the upper area, pay the entrance fee of one billion Extol per person. That is the law," Amazon informs us.
"O-One billion?!" Usopp exclaims, stepping back in shock.
"There's that "Extol" stuff again…." Sanji comments.
"How much is one billion Extol in Berries?" The Sniper tries to work out, looking at his hand.
"Whatever it is, one billion sounds really expensive!" Chopper exclaims.
"One billion per person… Eight billion for eight people…" Robin tells us.
"It's just to enter the country! Do countries usually charge that much just to enter?! This old lady's trying to scam-." Usopp grumbles, and Nami slaps her hand over his mouth.
"U-Umm, about the money… What if we kinda don't have it…?" Nami asks her.
"You can pass," Amazon answers.
"Are you serious?!" Usopp exclaims in shock.
"Or you don't have to pass," She adds. "I am neither a gatekeeper nor a guard. I simply ask your intentions."
"Then let's go! To the Sky Island!" Luffy cheers.
"We don't have money, but we're going through, old lady!" Usopp tells her.
"I see. The eight of you, then?" She asks us.
"Yeah. But how do we get to the sky island-." Luffy asks, and large claws come out from the clouds below us, grabbing the ends of the broken wings of our ship and making the others scream in fright.
"What the…?! Something's here!" The boys shout.
"The White Sea's famous Express Lobster…." Amazon announces, and it speeds up the waterfall.
"It's moving!" Usopp cries, clinging to the ship.
"It's a huge lobster!" Chopper exclaims.
"Is it planning to go up the waterfall?!" Zoro shouts.
"Hold on tight!" Nami exclaims.
"What speed!" Sanji comments as we pick up more speed, and you can see a road to the top.
"It's still a ways to the top!" I shout over the rushing wind and stand by Zoro at the front with a smile as we grow higher.
"What the heck…?!" Zoro ponders. "It's a cloud road that looks like a bell…."
"Oh, Nami-san, how pretty you are!" The Cook gushes at Nami as she falls into his arms when we hit a bump.
"It doesn't look like it was created spontaneously," Nami comments.
"There's no way this is spontaneous!" Usopp cries as Zoro leans his foot on his head as the Sniper bumps into us. But we keep going and get closer as light shines from the end of the cloud-made road.
"That's the exit! There's something written!" Chopper exclaims and points to a golden sign that reads "Godland Skypiea". "Godland…"
"God's Land, Skypiea?!" Robin gasps.
"It's not an exit… It's an entrance!" Luffy cheers.
ONE PIECE - SKYPIEA ARC
We break through the surface into another cloud sea and an island. "An island! It's a Sky Island!" Luffy exclaims.
"Hey…that sign…said Skypiea," Robin gasps in awe.
"Yeah! That's the same name as the one written on the map that Luffy found and written in Dakota's Mother's Logbook." Nami replies. "That galleon that fell on us really did come here… They saw this scenery two hundred long years ago!"
"I can't believe my parents saw this…." I marvel as we grow closer to the shore.
"What is this place?! You can really smell adventure in the air!" Luffy exclaims with glee and jumps off the ship.
"Ahhhh! You idiot! Wait!" Usopp shouts after him, jumping off the side.
"Your feet can touch the bottom," He tells the Sniper too late as he lands in the cloudy water., face first. "Hey, you okay, Usopp?" He gets up from the water made of clouds in shock.
"Is this island made of fluffy clouds?" The sniper questions, looking at our Captain.
"It's fluffy, isn't it?" Luffy grins.
"It's fluffy!" Usopp smiles back in agreement.
"Let's go ashore!" He shouts as he rushes ahead with Usopp close behind. "The Sky Island!"
"Oh, I'm coming, too!" Chopper shouts and jumps off to follow.
"I'm gonna get changed!" Nami announces and rushes back to our room.
"Hey, Luffy! What about the anchor?!" Zoro asks. "There isn't a seabed around here, right?!"
"Who cares?" Luffy shouts back.
"Yeah, who cares?" Usopp jokes, bumping into each other.
"Yeah!" He replies, bumping back into him.
"Forget about it!" The pair cheer at each other, and Chopper runs over to them.
"Me too! Me too!" Chopper cheers and tries to join in.
"Come down already! This beach is fluffy!" Luffy cheers. "Dakota! Come on!" I shake my head at him, leaning on the side, watching them carefree. "Rolly, rolly, rolly…"
"Let me do it, too!" The little Doctor shouts.
"Still, this scenery is amazing," Zoro comments as he comes up behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist. "It's like something out of a dream."
"Yeah, it sure is," Sanji agrees; he's gotten better knowing the Swordsman and I are dating. "And look at how they're getting all carried away… They're hopeless…." He lightly judges them, takes off his shoes and places them down before jumping off the side. "Yahoo!"
"So are you," He snaps.
"Ow! Ow! Ow! Sorry! I said, sorry!" Nami cries as she comes out with the south bird pecking her head. "We brought the south bird with us, didn't we? We forgot to let him go."
"It looks like there're people living here, so he'll probably be able to survive without our help. If he tries hard, he can go down to the ground. He's a bird, after all." I assure her as we watch the south bird disappear.
"Oh, hey, what about the anchor?" She asks.
"It hit bottom. Looks like those fluffy clouds are the base of this island," Zoro tells her.
"That means that the island is floating on the sea," Robin replies as she walks over, also changed into something more fitting. "I wonder if an island can actually stay in the same place without being washed away."
"Well, all we can do is take things as they appear. Actually, this is all hard to believe. But, in any case, it's a fact that this sky island's here," Nami tells her and jumps off the ship into the water. "See?!" She laughs. "I felt it with my body, so there's no reason to doubt! Come down! Since your feet can touch the bottom, you won't drown, right?!"
"What about you?" Robin asks, looking at us.
"Yeah, we'll go, too," I tell her.
"The smell of adventure…huh?" She questions, looking out to the shore. "I've never thought of sailing or going ashore as an adventure." Then, finally, she jumped off the ship, leaving us.
"She's quite cute, isn't she?" I smile at my boyfriend, who smirks at me.
"I suppose," He replies, and I move out of his arms.
"Let me get changed and we'll head ashore," I tell him and head inside to change into something more appropriate for the beach.
ONE PIECE - SKYPIEA ARC
"But why do I get wet in a sea of clouds?" Zoro asks as we walk out of the cloudy sea.
"It's still made of water," I tell him, tying the strings tighter on my white bikini top that matches my shorts with blue palm leaves.
"Hm? Oh, good timing," He says, picking something up to dry his feet, and it makes a strange noise; he picks it up to see a small fox-type creature.
"Hello, there," I smile as he drops it, and it lands on the beach.
"Sorry!" He apologies. "Huh? What the hell is this? A fox?"
"It looks like it," I muse when the sound of a harp string cuts through the air.
"Hmm? What's that sound?" Luffy asks as he sits in one of the trees, trying to eat a strange-looking fruit.
"Hey, there's someone! Over there!" Zoro says, pointing to the figure standing on one of the rocks.
"That guerrilla again?!" Usopp questions as he hides behind some leaves.
"The whistle! Where's the whistle?! Let's ask him to save us again!" Chopper cries as he hides.
"No, hold on. That's not a guerrilla. That's…an angel…." Sanji announces in awe.
"An angel?" Usopp repeats, and looking at the woman, I can agree as she beautifully plays the harp and looks over at us with innocence.
"Heso!" She greets us, I'm guessing.
"Heso?" We all question, never hearing the greeting before.
"Did she just say heso, like belly button?" Usopp questions.
"Yeah…" Nami nods.
"What did she mean by "heso"?" Chopper asks.
"Well, heso is heso," Zoro replies.
"I think it's their hello," I answer.
"Suu, come here," The angel calls to the fox, who responds and walks towards us as the creature meets her. "Did you come from the Blue Sea?"
"Yeah, we flew up here from below," Luffy answers. "Do you live here?"
"Yes, I'm a resident here," She answers. "Welcome to Skypiea's Angel Beach! Would you like to drink what's inside?" She asks our Captain.
"Hm? Yeah…" He hands over the strange-looking fruit.
"A conush's skin is hard like iron, so you can't bite it," She explains and turns it upside down, getting out a knife. "You cut it at the bottom," She demonstrates, placing a straw inside and handing it back over. "Here you go!"
"Yum!" Luffy exclaims with glee after taking a large sip from inside.
"What?! It's that good?! Let me try it, too!" Usopp demands, and Luffy hands it over, the Sniper taking a sip. "Yum!"
"My name is Conis. This is Suu, a cloud fox," She introduces herself and the creature in her arms. "If there is any way that I can be of help, please let me know."
"Well, you see…your gaze is setting my heart on fire…." Sanji tries flirting with her, but Nami pulls on his ear, making him yelp in pain.
"Move it!" Nami orders, pulling him away. "There are lots of things that we'd like to know. To us, this place is filled with mysteries."
"Okay. Please ask me anything," Conis replies.
"Hey, something's coming," Zoro announces.
"Oh, that's my Father," She informs us.
"Conis-san, heso!" Her Father greets her as he comes closer.
"Yes, heso, Father!" The girl shouts back to him.
"Hey, what're you guys saying?" Luffy questions.
"Hm? What's that thing that he's riding on?" Nami asks.
"Oh, are you talking about the waver?" Conis asks her.
"Wow! That thing is so cool!" Luffy beams.
"Waver…" Our Navigator marvels.
"I'm sorry. I'm coming to a stop!" The man announces and seems to lose control and skids onto the beach, hitting one of the trees and flying off the waver. "Is everyone all right?" He asks, getting up.
"You're the one who crashed!" Zoro snaps at him.
"Hey, Luffy. Didn't you bring back something like that from the seabed before?" Nami asks.
"Yeah, I did, didn't I?" Luffy replies as he takes sips from his drink.
"That's the boat I read about in Noland's diary… That boat that can be propelled without wind!" She marvels, looking at it.
"Are they your friends, Conis-san?" He asks his Daughter.
"Yes. We've just become acquainted," Conis replies. "They said they came from the Blue Sea."
"I see. Then, there must be many things that you're puzzled about. I'm sorry, this place is the White-White Sea," Her Father says.
"Oh, no need to apologise…." Usopp assures him.
"Excuse me for not introducing myself sooner, but my name is Pagaya. I'm sorry," He introduces himself.
"Oh, no, no…nice to meet you," He repeats.
"Father, were you able to catch some fish?" Conis asks him.
"Yes, I had a large catch," Pagaya replies and Nami walks to inspect the small boat. "Oh, yes, why don't you all come to our house? I'll prepare dishes for you using the sky harvest."
"Are you sure?! Then, let's go, let's go!" Luffy cheers.
"Sky Island cuisine?!" Sanji questions, intrigued. "Let me help you!"
"Before we go, can I ask you a question?" Nami asks, looking at the waver. "This boat doesn't have a sail, and you weren't paddling, either. How did you propel it on the sea?"
"Oh, you mean you're not familiar with dials?" Conis asks.
"Hm? Dials?" Luffy asks and jumps aboard, hitting one of the pedals and zooming into the water. "Wh-What is this shaking?! I can't stop it!" He shouts and flies into the air.
"Oh, no! Is he all right?!" She gasps.
"Heavens! I'm sorry! I let him use the waver," Pagaya apologies again.
"Speaking of which, I wonder how this swa treats those with powers," Sanji muses.
"Oh, yeah… This isn't an ordinary sea," Zoro hums in agreement. "So he just may float."
"He sank, you morons," I scold them as we watch our Captain drown.
"So he doesn't float," He muses, and I slap his arm.
"Ahhh! This is terrible!" Chopper cries and dives in to save him.
"Chopper!" I shout and throw Zoro and Sanji into the cloudy water to get them, but Usopp dives after him, heading for Chopper.
"That was close! He was just about to get through the clouds!" Sanji snaps as he drags Luffy.
"We had a late start because you were making dumb comments!" Zoro argues.
"Geez, why did you have to jump in, too?" Usopp asks Chopper as he drags him onto the beach.
"The Sky Island is a scary place…a scary place…." Chopper whimpers.
"I'm sorry for letting a beginner use that boat," Pagaya apologises again. "The body of the waver is made so light that its rudder can be taken over even by small waves. Unless you know very well about the sea, you can't handle it that easily. I'm sorry."
"I've finally become able to ride it recently," Conis says, and I can't help but watch Nami expertly ride the boat.
"It's that hard?" Chopper asks in wonder.
"Well, if you train, in ten years or so, you'll be able to ride it," Pagaya explains.
"That's a lot of training!" The little Doctor exclaims.
"Hey, she's riding it!" Usopp shouts as he spots Nami finally on the water.
"This is so cool!" Nami shouts from the water.
"Nami-san! You're the coolest!" Sanji shouts.
"Whoa! This is incredible! I can't believe it!" Pagaya exclaims in disbelief.
"Why is she able to ride that thing?!" Luffy grumbles.
"It sure does require you to get the hang of it!" Nami shouts back to us. "This is too delicate for you to handle, Luffy!"
"Hey, Nami! We're going to the old guy's house now, so get off already!" He demands, growing angry. "You stupid head!"
"Don't take it out on her!" Sanji scolds him, hitting him lightly on the head with his foot.
"You stupid head!" Luffy shouts at her again.
"You guys go on ahead!" Nami shouts back. "Mister! Can I stay out here a little longer and have fun?"
"That's fine! Be careful!" Pagaya says, and we head off the beach toward their house.
ONE PIECE - SKYPIEA ARC
"Hey! Is that a construction site?" Usopp asks as he leans over the side of the stairs leading away from Angel Beach.
"Oh, that's a cloud-quarrying site," Pagaya informs him as we look over to see other people working on wooden platforms with a conveyor belt that brings up big cubes of clouds. "It's a site where they quarry out clouds to be manufactured."
"You can cut clouds?" Zoro asks him.
"You took the Milky Road to get to the White-White Sea, right?" He asks.
"Milky Road? Oh, you mean that winding sea path?" I ask.
"That's a man-made canal," Pagaya explains. "It's made out of the island clouds that are quarried out here. There's two kinds of natural clouds. The ones your ship travelled on are called "sea clouds," and the ones floating there that you can walk on are called "island clouds.""
"Either way, they're not ordinary clouds," Zoro remarks as we walk, and the boys bounce around beside us.
"Right. Their condensation nucleus is different from other clouds. I've heard that a mineral called Sea Prism Stone exists in the Blue Sea," He adds; Robin and I look at him.
"Sea Prism Stone? Is it something to do with those clouds?" Robin asks him.
"Yes. When the corneous particles called pyrobroine contained in that stone are carried into the sky due to volcanoes and gain moisture, sea clouds and island clouds are formed depending on the density of the moisture." Pagaya explains.
"Oh, I see…that particle…." Luffy nods along as if he understands.
"Oh, yeah, that one," Usopp nods, pretending to understand. "We used to play with them a lot in our childhood…corneous particles…."
"There's no way!" Sanji snaps at them.
"Well, in any case, there're three kinds of clouds here. Sea clouds and island clouds, which are natural, and man-made clouds made out of island clouds," Pagaya further explains, and we make it to his house. "Now, this way, please."
"What a great view!" Luffy exclaims, looking out at the beach below.
"Oh! We can see Nami riding the waver, too!" Chopper smiles as you can see a small figure moving on the White-White Sea.
"Hey, Luffy, what're you doing?" Sanji asks him.
"Why can she ride it so easily?" Luffy wonders. "Sink!"
"What are you, a kid?!" He snaps at my childish Brother and hits him on the head.
"Ouch! I just bit my tongue, Sanji!" He whines as the blond Cook drags him up to the house.
"Hey, old guy! Where's the kitchen?" The blond asks.
"Yes, this way," Pagaya leads him into the house.
ONE PIECE - SKYPIEA ARC
The rest of us sit around their living room as Sanji and Pagaya are in the kitchen when we hear a smash of glass. "Hey, don't keep stuff like this around! I completely swallowed it!" Sanji shouts.
"It sounds cheery over there," Luffy misreads the shouting.
"Pay attention to when stuff goes bad!" The Cook scolds our host.
"He's probably excited about the sky food, since it's new to him," Usopp suggests.
"Miss, I don't mean to be abrupt, but… Would you tell us a little about the dials you mentioned earlier?" Robin requests.
"Sure. Well…how should I explain it?" Conis questions and walks across the room.
"Oh…this is a puffy chair," Chopper smiles as he sits on the chairs, and I can't disagree as I sit with Zoro's arm around my shoulder.
"Hm? What? It's a seashell," Luffy states as Conis hands him the object.
"Yes. Please say something to it!" Conis tells him, and he holds it to his mouth.
"Okay! Hmmmm…Usopp is stupid!" He says into the shell.
"Hey, why…why…why me?" Usopp exclaims.
"Now, please press the apex of that shell," She giggles.
"What's an apex?" Luffy asks, looking confused.
"It's the tip of a shell," Usopp explains and presses on the top, which acts as a button.
"Usopp is stupid!" The shell echoes Luffy and Usopp's voices. "Hey, why…why…why me?"
"Ahh! The seashell made fun of Usopp!" Luffy exclaims in shock.
"No, that's your voice!" Usopp argues.
"Now, please press the apex of that shell," The shell repeats Conis' instructions.
"Whoa! That's amazing! It stored the sounds?" Zoro marvels.
"So that seashell is a Dial?" I ask her.
"Yes. This is called a Tone Dial," Conis confirms. "It's a White-White Sea seashell that records and replays sounds."
"But the sea here is bottomless, right?" Zoro asks her. "Where do they live?"
"They live in the reefs of the shallows," She answers.
"But I can't believe that this thing can move that water," Robin argues, and Conis walks over to another shell.
"You're right. This is the kind that powers the wavers. This is a small one," The blond explains and walks over with the seashell. "But it's fundamentally the same as the Tone Dials." She presses down, and a slight breath of wind comes out.
"So, wind comes out of this one," Usopp exclaims.
"Let me try it," Luffy holds his hands out for the seashell, and she hands it over.
"This is called a Breath Dial. It lets you store and blow wind as you desire," Conis explains behind her; Luffy winds his arm around and presses down, and a more enormous gush of wind blows his hat off his head. "The capacity varies depending on the size of the shell, but by attaching this to the stern you can move a light boat."
"That's the waver," Robin concludes.
"I see… So, it moved by blowing wind," Usopp confirms.
"I wanna ride a waver," Luffy grumbles.
"You already have and sank," I tell him, and he turns around, pouting at me.
"Sis!" He yelps.
"Actually, there're various kinds like a skating type, and a board type, although riding the waver is as much as I can handle." Conis explains, and I think back to the guerrilla that attacked us once we arrived here, remembering him having something that made it easier to skate around on the clouds.
"I wanna ride it. I'm jealous of Nami. Too bad we have one but we can't use it," Luffy grumbles.
"You have a waver?" She asks, turning to look at Usopp.
"Yeah, we happened to come across a beat up one," Usopp explains. "Well, to start with, it's 200 years old. There's no way it works."
"We don't know that," She replies, making Luffy stop whining. "Dials have always been made from the shells of dead shellfish. So, unless the shell itself is damaged. They work semi-permanently."
"See!" Luffy grins.
"But you can't control it, right?" Usopp digs at him.
"I'm jealous…." He grumbles, hanging his head.
"Sounds like other kinds of Dials exist as well, huh? Is this one of them, too?" Robin asks, pointing to the shell on the table before us.
"Yes. It's a Lamp Dial," Conis explains as she walks over, tapping the top, and the shell lights up.
"Whoa! The seashell lit up!" Chopper cheers.
"In addition, there are Flame Dials that store flames, Flavour Dials that store fragrance, Vision Dials that store videos, and so on," she explains.
"How interesting! How interesting!" He cheers.
"People in the sky couldn't live without these," The blond angel adds.
"I see," I smile, seeing the slight blush on her cheeks.
"So, you could say that…sky culture goes hand-in-hand with dial energy," Conis smiles, seeing as Zoro has fallen asleep on my shoulder.
"Now, the food is ready!" Sanji announces as he brings out the food. "It's a hearty sky seafood course with Sky Island fruits!"
"Wow!" Luffy gasps.
"Amazing!" Chopper beams, and we begin to dig into the food.
"Yum!" My dear food-obsessed Brother exclaims.
"This lobster! How can I express its taste?!" Usopp exclaims.
"Hey, where did Nami-san go?" Sanji asks as he walks out onto the balcony for a smoke.
"She's out there on the sea, isn't she?" Luffy asks, stuffing his face.
"No, she isn't," He replies.
"Then, she probably went a little far. Don't worry about her," Usopp tells him, and I see Pagaya and Conis look worried.
"Father, I wonder if she's all right," Conis worries.
"Yes, Conis-san, I'm a bit concerned myself," Pagaya replies.
"Why? What's the matter?" I ask them.
"Here in Skypiea, there's a place that we're never to step foot in no matter what. That place is next to this island, so if you travel a bit by waver, you can get there…." She explains with such fear in her eyes.
"Never to step foot in?" Usopp asks her. "Why's that?"
"It's sacred ground," Conis answers.
"Sacred ground," Robin repeats.
"We call that place…Upper Yard, the land where God lives." She adds.
"There's a God?!" Luffy asks. "In a place where we're never to set foot in?!"
"Yes," Conis answers.
"God…you mean that God? God lives on the sky island?!" Chopper asks her.
"Yes. Since Skypiea is God's Land, it's ruled by the Almighty God Eneru," She explains more.
"The Almighty God?" Sanji repeats.
"God Eneru knows everything in this world," Conis informs us, and I can't help but think it may be something not God-like.
"Everything?!" Usopp asks, and she nods her head in confirmation.
"He's also watching us all the time," She adds.
"All the time?!" He asks, getting to his feet.
"Now, too?" Luffy asks her.
"Of course," Conis answers.
"What?! He's watching us now?!" Chopper exclaims, looking around the room.
"Humph, God, huh?" Zoro muses.
"You don't believe in God?" The little reindeer asks the Swordsman.
"I don't know. Whether or not God exists doesn't matter to me. I couldn't care less from the beginning. But I don't intend to deny those who want to believe," He replies, and I smile, wrapping my arms around him.
"How well thought out," I kiss him on the lips and smirk. "But even down below, people who call themselves God exist, that doesn't mean they are. They can die like the rest of us."
"You'd know, wouldn't you Sis," Luffy adds, and I nod with a grin.
"So, have you seen that God who lives in Upper Yard, Conis-san?" Sanji asks her, trying to divert the conversation.
"No! God forbid! We cannot step foot in Upper Yard. Never…" Conis denies it and looks down at her hands in her lap. "The sacred ground, Upper Yard, is forbidden."
"Well, she's said the magic words," I grumble, seeing the sparkle in my Brother's eyes.
"I see. A place that we're not allowed to go no matter what, huh?" Luffy questions and the others notice.
"Ah! Your eyes…!" Usopp gasps, grabbing him by his vest and shaking him as if that will stop him. "What're you thinking about right now! Listen good! "Never step foot in" means you're absolutely not supposed to go there, Luffy!"
"You realise you're hyping it up for the dummy, right?" I ask him.
"Oh, I see… So there's a place that we're not supposed to go. I see. A place that we're absolutely not supposed to go, huh?" Luffy keeps saying with a laugh.
"He's definitely planning to go there," The others all grumble, knowing our Captain.
"Hm? But if he's God, wouldn't he forgive you even if you go someplace you're not supposed to? He's nice, right?" He asks.
"Well… But breaking God's rules is blasphemous, so…" Conis warns him, but he doesn't really care.
"I see. Well, I guess it doesn't matter either way," Luffy replies, taking a big bite of his food.
"So, what happens if someone goes into that forbidden Upper Yard?" Robin asks.
"Th-That's…" She replies but stops.
"That's…?" Zoro repeats.
"The person cannot come back alive. Everyone believes so," Pagaya finishes for his Daughter.
"Cannot come back alive?!" Usopp exclaims, and Sanji looks at them in horror; his unlit cigarette falls to the floor.
"I-I'm worried about Nami-san," He confesses. "I hope she isn't near Upper Yard."
"Nami-san! Stay where you are and don't go anywhere!" Sanji shouts from the balcony. "Nami-san!"
"In any case, let's go there, to find Nami!" Luffy suggests with too much glee.
"Is your reason for going really ro find Nami?!" Usopp shouts as he grabs our Captain by the vest and shakes him again as if that will knock some sense into him. "Isn't it really so you can go to the forbidden land?!"
"Nami-san!" Sanji keeps shouting as if she'll hear him. "Hey, Luffy! Let's go!"
"Hm… Hold on a second. We'll go after I finish these," Luffy tells him, stuffing his face.
"What're you gonna do if something happens to Nami-san while you're sitting around like it's nothing?! Just leave them there, since we're coming right back!" He scolds our glutton of a Captain.
"Hmmm… Hold on! This one, too," He takes a few gulps of his drink.
"Conis-chan, it'll be night if I wait for him! Take me to that Upper Yard place!" Sanji requests.
"What? B-But…" She stutters, and he looks at her as she looks down at the floor. "...we don;t know if she was really headed there. And…if we incur God Eneru's wrath, we'll really be in big trouble."
"God Eneru seems to be pretty scary," Chopper comments, looking scared.
"God Eneru…God, huh?" Zoro questions, looking at his drink before taking a sip.
ONE PIECE - SKYPIEA ARC
"Now, we're off!" Luffy announces as we board the Going Merry once we've finished eating. "To the place we're not allowed to go!"
"Ah! I'm sorry! There's a headwind right now. With this wind, going to Upper Yard will take quite long! I'm sorry!" Pagaya announces, his finger in the air.
"What?!" He shouts.
"Quite long?!" Usopp shrieks.
"If this ship moved using Dial energy, it wouldn't take that long. I'm sorry," Pagaya explains.
"How long do you mean by "quite long"?" Sanji asks him.
"I don't know. Only the wind knows," The old man replies.
"I see… Quite long, huh?" Usopp questions. "I'd very much like to go, since I'm worried about Nami. Even I, Usopp-sama, the hero…can't control the wind."
"Old guy! Isn't there any other way to get there quicker?" Luffy asks him. "We'd better hurry, or Nami will be back!"
"Hey, Luffy! So that was why, after all!" He snaps at our Captain.
""That"? Which "that"?" He asks the Sniper.
"You liar," Usopp sneers back at the rubber boy.
"There's finally a dangerous place we can go! I can't sit around and wait till the wind changes!" Luffy shouts as he jumps off the ship with the old broken waver over his head and runs along the beach.
"Hey, Luffy! Could that be…" Usopp shouts after him. "...the old broken waver?!"
"Here I come!" He shouts, placing the small boat into the water and climbing aboard before sinking.
"That idiot!" Zoro and I scold him.
"This was obviously going to happen!" Usopp snaps as we watch Luffy sink.
"Help…me…" Luffy says as his hand sinks under.
"What're we gonna do? He sank again," Chopper wonders.
"Just leave him!" The boys snap, but I throw Zoro into the sea.
ONE PIECE - SKYPIEA ARC
"Geez, you're such a pain!" Zoro scolds as he presses his foot down on Luffy's bloated stomach, draining the water.
"So, this is your old waver. This is really old," Pagaya remarks as he inspects the beaten-down waver.
"We found it in the sea in the world below," Usopp explains.
"Would you like me to take a look? If it can be fixed, I'll fix it for you," He replies.
"You can fix it, old guy?" Luffy asks him.
"I'm a dial ship engineer," Pagaya confesses.
"Really?! Then, please fix it! Please…" He asks him, and Zoro presses down again, and more water spews from his mouth. "...do it quickly!"
"Well? Usopp, look at this!" Chopper exclaims as he finishes his cloud man.
"Mine's finished, too!" Usopp declares, looking at his cloud figures of the rest of us; I'm not too happy. "Check out that art! Don't they look just like us?"
"That's amazing!" The little Doctor exclaims.
"Just how does that look like us?!" Sanji growls, kicking the Sniper in the head and destroying Usopp's figurines. "This is what I think…of your art! While Nami-san could be in danger, you're fooling around!"
"Stop it! How dare you?!" Usopp cries as he clings to Sanji's other leg.
"Take this! And this!" The Cook snaps as he stamps on the remains of the cloud figures.
"Don't take it out on my art!" He cries like a baby.
"Can it be fixed?" Luffy asks Pagaya.
"I've never seen these parts," Pagaya confesses as he inspects the small boat.
"Please fix it one way or another," He asks.
"I'm sorry, but I can't say much until I investigate it more," The old man replies.
"Anyhow, please."
"I'll try disassembling it."
"Old guy, what's that?" Luffy asks, and I look to the stairs to see a group of men marching towards us.
"You, suspicious ship over there, hold it!" One of the men shouts down to us.
"Who're they?" He questions; I lean over the ship's side, watching the men crawl across the beach towards us.
"Why the heck are they crawling?" Sanji questions.
"I don't know," Usopp replies. "They're probably…weirdos!"
"What?! So those are weirdos…." Chopper gasps, and Robin, Zoro and I jump off the ship to join the others.
"Everyone, halt!" The man at the front orders, and they get to their feet.
"Heso!" The men greet the others.
"Heso!" Conis replies.
"Why, heso!" Pagaya replies.
"H-Hey, what're you guys saying?" Luffy questions.
"Who're they?" Zoro asks.
"Usopp said they're weirdos," Chopper replies.
"So you're the eight illegal entrants who came from the Blue Sea?!" The leader shouts.
"What?" We echo.
"I'll humbly bring Heaven's Judgement upon you!"