This is the 21st chapter. I don't own the series of One Piece.
Ride the Knock-up Stream!
Jaya, South Grove
After a few long hours of repairing the damages, reinforce the structure, and salvaging the ship, they were able to finally finish the Going Merry and it's ready for sailing towards the Knock-up Stream. Thought, they've been pulling an all-nighter to get the ship fixed after the fight against the Bellamy pirates and finding the South Bird in the middle of the forest, so they decided to take a few minutes rest. But soon as the sun is rising, the Straw Hat pirates and Leon are now getting ready, but they noticed that a certain rubber Captain is missing.
"Where the heck is that rubbery bug-eyed idiot?" Nami asks in annoyance. "This is just like him! Didn't we all agree to rest up for a few minutes until sun rise? We're gonna miss the current! Ugh, I'm sure that genius didn't even stop to consider how much time we have! Why does he always insist on making everything ten times harder?!"
"He probably got something on his mind that made him late." Leon states.
"No, he's in the forest." Ventus said after catching Luffy's scent. "You guys already caught the South Bird, but the question, why is he going back there?"
"Whatever is going up on Luffy's mind isn't our business to figure out." Usopp points out with his arms crossed.
"But know that idiot, he's probably got something that interest him." Sanji adds.
"You don't think someone from town beat him up, do you?" Chopp asks with worry.
"I highly doubt that, consider we beat the living crap out of Bellamy and his cronies." Ventus told him. "But knowing Luffy, it'll take more than that to kill him and he's always in for a lot of trouble consider of his luck being lousy."
"Don't remind me." Usopp, Sanji, and Zoro groans in annoyance, but knows that the young Dragoon made a valid point.
"Well, if Bellamy or whoever didn't beat him up, you better believe I will!?" Nami growled with white eye and a tick mark on her fist.
"Oh, is that right? Tough girl." Zoro said, muttered the last part while glancing at the navigator.
While they waited for Luffy to return in a few minutes, they heard a loud voice.
"HEEEEEEEEEEEY!" The voice of Luffy shouts when the Straw Hats, the Saruyama Alliance, and Leon turned and saw him running with the Hercules Beetle from his hand.
"Look there, he's back!" Masira said with a smirk. "I knew he'd make it!"
"Luffy, what took you?! We should've left minutes ago!" Ventus shouts in annoyance.
"I did it, you guys!" Luffy said with glee.
"Luffy, hurry up! We're already behind schedule!" Sanji shouts.
"Look, it's a Hercules! It took me forever to find it!" Luffy said with a laugh, showing the Hercules Beetle to his crew, causing Zoro and Ventus drop their jaws with white eyes and shark-like teeth.
"You're kidding me!?" Nami exclaims with her jaw dropped, showing white eyes and shark-like teeth.
"ARE YOU CRAZY?!" Usopp yelled, also dropped his jaw with white eyes and shark-like teeth.
Then, Luffy looked up at the ship, notice a change on the Going Merry. It has wings from both sides, a tail at the back, and a figurehead that's got a rooster comb and a wattle along with the half-cracked egg.
"Whoa, that's awesome!" Luffy exclaims excitedly when Usopp walks in front of him.
"Introducing the Going Merry Flying Edition." Usopp said proudly.
"If can fly!?" Luffy said with his jaw dropped and sparkles coming out from his eyes.
"Uh, no!" Usopp answered, points at the Saruyama Alliance. "They built it just for us!"
The Saruyama Alliance then did a monkey pose which Luffy did the same with a grin on his face. What he didn't notice though, there's a certain young Dragoon approaching him with murderous intent. Everyone else flinched as the look in his eyes, except Luffy.
"Luffy!" Ventus snarled with his dragonic tone, causing Luffy to stop.
Luffy slowly turned and paled as he made eye contact with Ventus, who's enraged with dragon eyes.
"Did you forget our number one priority or are you just screwing around in the middle of the forest and waste time? You...DAMN MORON!?" Ventus yelled, starts beating the living crap out of Luffy, which it didn't take long as he then drags the rubber captain to the ship. "We've wasted enough time! Let's get out of this island!"
"R-Right!" The Saruyama Alliance responded in fear.
"Geez, doesn't that moron ever learn?" Sanji asks in annoyance.
"Well, that's what he gets for making us wait too long." Nami states with a shrug.
"Yep." Zoro agrees, crossed his arms. "Might as well get on the ship, we don't wanna keep the kid waiting."
While the rest of the Straw Hats are making their way to the ship, Leon decides to have a talk with Cricket before he joins them since he'll be leaving soon. It got Cricket's attention when he looked up at the mercenary.
"Cricket, I'm joining the Straw Hats and go on a journey to Sky Island." Leon told him. "After this, I'm heading to Ishgard to stop the Garlean Empire for invading."
Cricket then remembered why Leon is here on Jaya, remember about him try to stop the Garlean Empires world conquest while try to recruit which neither of those pirates were stupid enough to accept. Though, Leon proves time and time again he can fight against them, which proves he's one of the resistance and a fighter.
"I see, well...I'm not stopping you." Cricket said, puffs the smoke out of his mouth. "But do me a one big favor, don't die. 'Cause I enjoyed your company and you were a good friend to us. Even if those two are idiots, you put me at ease by beating them down a notch. But once your dead set on sailing and fight against the Empire, we all know you may or may not make it out alive, but we know you'll get a chance of beating their asses."
Leon then smiled with a nod, then walk to the Going Merry to join with the Straw Hats.
"Alright, enough of this foolishness! We don't have much time!" Masira shouts.
"Follow us! We'll lead the way!" Shoujou suggests.
And with that, the Straw Hats and the Saruyama Alliance are about to hoist anchors when Cricket turns to them and spoke.
"Saruyama!" Cricket shouts, earned their attention. "I'm counting on you men! I don't care what happens, you give our friends here everything you've got!"
It got the Saruyama Alliance replied with a cheer.
"Alright, set sail! Shove off!" Ventus ordered.
"Alright/You got it!" Usopp and Sanji replied as they hoist the anchor, setting sail when Cricket walks at the edge of an island.
"Well, kid, looks like this is where we part ways." Cricket said with a smirk, earned Luffy's attention which he's able to recover from Ventus' beating. "There's only one thing you gotta remember above everything else."
"What?" Luffy asks.
"Not one person in history has ever disprove the existence of Sky Island." Cricket told him, earned a nod from Luffy. "People may say I'm crazy and even laugh at me, but I don't care! I'm a romantic, like you!"
"Romantic." Luffy repeats with a smirk of his own.
"So long!" Cricket said. "Oh yeah, thanks for beating these punks. Then hey, don't be falling from the sky, ya hear!"
Then the Straw Hats say their farewells as they then set sail.
Somewhere at sea
While the Straw Hats and the Saruyama Alliance sailed south, the Blackbeard Pirates were setting sail to find the pirates to claim their bounties.
"It's morning already?" Blackbeard said with a smirk. "Burgess, see anything out there?"
Jesus Burgess is right now looking for the Straw Hats at the horizon, with his binoculars. He couldn't find the Straw Hats.
"Can't even see an outline of the shore yet!" Jesus Burgess told the captain. "You really think they're going to that Sky Island?"
"Yeah, so they say. It'll be pretty tough to follow up there." Blackbeard points out. "So, we gotta take care of them before that. 'Straw Hat' Luffy, who'd thought that twerp would be worth 100 million berries. Not to mention that 'Raging Dragon' Ventus, who'd a thought he's the prince of Dravania and worth 180 million berries."
Meanwhile, the Straw Hats and the Saruyama Alliance were continuing to sail south to get to the Knock-up Stream. Leon gives them a reason why he's on board, telling them that he's joining them for stopping the Garlean Empire. Of course, Luffy accepts simply while his crew welcomed him as a new member. Ventus, Caius, and Zoro respectfully welcomed him along with Nami and Robin, but Sanji didn't like the idea of adding the mercenary as a new member, which he can tell he's dead set on beating the Garlean Empire and share a common goal with them. Sanji welcomes him since Leon protects Nami from the enemy pirates and beaten the Bellamy pirates. As for the South Bird, they chained it up against the wooden railing while Ventus keeps an eye on that bird in case it tries anything stupid.
"Okay, listen up! It's currently 7 AM! We need to arrive at our final destination no later than 11!" Masira announced which the South Bird is feeling uncomfortable. "It's like Cricket already told us, the spot where the Knock-up Stream erupts is different every single time! We need to get there as early as possible, in order to pinpoint at its exact location!"
"Right!" Leon shouts with a reply.
"Check it out." Luffy said, grabs the South Birds head and twist its head at the other way, causing it to moan uncomfortably.
"It looks like we're already running a little behind schedule!" Masira shouts, but noticed Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper weren't paying attention. "Hey, are knuckleheads paying attention."
Then, the South Bird instantly shifted back to pointing south.
"Did you see that?" Luffy chortled, laughing. "I-I-It has to face forward."
"Strange, I never seen a bird quite like it." Usopp states, crossed his arms while Luffy laughs.
"Knock it off!" Ventus barked, bonked Luffy in the head hard. "The South Bird is only hear to help us out, so no fooling around with him!"
"He does have a point there." Usopp muttered, staying away from his range.
"Sorry..." Luffy groaned, feeling the lump growing on his head when the South Bird cawed at the young Dragoon.
Ventus turns and nods in response while rubbing its beak.
"So, that's your First Mate of your crew?" Leon asks, crossed his arms while leaning against the wooden railings.
"Yep, he's in charge in case Luffy went missing, but knowing him, our idiot captain always get himself into a lot of trouble and got us involved with it." Sanji answered, puffing the smoke out of his mouth. "And Ventus is here to keep him on a short leash, which it's a big help for all of us."
"That, and beating the crap out of him because of his antics." Nami adds with a smile. "Though, we've been relying on him too much a while back, and we give him a break in case if it's too much for him."
"That sounds like something I know back in the day." Leon said with a chuckle. "It almost reminds me of my day with the fighters being handful and rowdy, but sometimes I'm surrounded by a couple of idiots who are being reckless and not thinking about the consequences."
"That bad, huh?" Nami inquires with a sweat drop.
"Yeah, but I'm pretty much use to it." Leon replied. "And being around with you guys, reminding me of my time with the resistance."
Sanji and Nami can understand that, seeing the mercenary remembering his old days back in Gridania with the resistance fighters.
"Hey, Leon." Zoro called him, earned his attention. "I've been meaning to ask, where did you learn how to use your gunblade?"
"My father, he taught me how to use the gunblade." Leon explains. "I learned how to use it and became a protege when I was 5 years old. Like me, he's a Gunbreaker and a mercenary."
"What about your mother? Was she one of them?" Robin asks.
"She's a healer." Leon said. "I only learned healing magic from her and making some healing herbs. It isn't much, but sometimes I have to make due."
"I guess that's true." Usopp muttered with an agreement. "But still, how did your gunblade get to shoot fire and all that stuff?"
Leon then pulls out his gunblade, showing the bullet rounds from each cartridges which it got them surprised.
"This gunblade is maybe a fusion weapon that's built for close combat, but it not only does that, it can also fire rounds to release either an explosion, blizzard, etc." Leon explains. "It's capable of a mix between close to mid-range depending on how to use it and the amount of training."
"Whoa, that's amazing! No wonder you're able to take down the Bellamy pirates!" Usopp exclaims in shock.
"You mind if I give it a few swings?" Zoro offers with interest.
Leon raised his eyebrow, but notice the look of a swordsman which he can tell that Zoro uses three swords and knows how to use them. He gives it to Zoro, who takes hold of the gunblade in his right hand. Zoro is impressed that the gunblade is well intact and sharp, takes a few swings, swinging the gunblade left and right, but slices the cigarette. Impressed with the weapon, he nods his head.
"It's got a nice swing to it." Zoro said with a smirk, gives the gunblade back to Leon, who grabs it.
"Thanks." Leon said.
"You bastard! You did that on purpose, did you?!" Sanji growls with a tick mark, turns to Zoro with white eyes and his veins popped out of his head.
"You should've ducked if you're planning on smoking before your head is cut off!" Zoro retorted.
"Oh yeah! I'd still duck and kick your ass, you damn mosshead!" Sanji snapped.
"Oh, that's funny, coming from a perverted cook who got scared of bugs instead of find some lousy bird!?"
"WHAT DID YOU SAY?!"
"YOU HEARD ME!"
"THAT'S IT! YOUR DEAD!"
And with that, both Zoro and Sanji started fighting for no reason which Leon was confused while Luffy laughed. Usopp, Nami, Caius, and Ventus were annoyed as the navigator decided to break up the fight by bashing them in their heads, it left them a several bumps in their heads. Robin chuckled of their antics.
"Um, does this happen between those two?" Leon asks.
"In more ways than one." Caius told him. "But you'll get used to it."
Then, the Saruyama Alliance notice that the Straw Hats weren't even paying attention of what Masira is telling them. It got them irritated, but Shoujou waves it off because he reminds of himself being young and reckless. Though, it doesn't get them anywhere for being intense, which they'll might as well enjoy themselves, much to Ventus, Caius, Leon, and Zoro's annoyance.
The Blackbeard pirates continued to sail at sea, but still having no luck of finding the Straw Hat pirates. But, Jesus Burgess notice something at the sky.
"Wait, what's over there?" Jesus Burgess asks himself. "The sky! It's dark!"
Meanwhile...
"Boss, look!"
It got Masira's attention when one of his crew called him, who looks through the binoculars and notice a Cumuloregalis Cloud.
"What's wrong?!" Masira demands, slamming his fist against the wooden railings.
"I see the Cumuloregalis Cloud to the southwest!"
"It can't be!?" Masira exclaims in disbelief. "What time is it?"
"10 o' clock! They're full hour early!"
"Shoujou, do you think we can make it?" Masira questions.
"Dispatch the Utan Divers! Find me those currents!" Shoujou ordered as the Utan Divers jumps overboard and dove down to the sea to find the currents.
"Very incredible!" Nami said with awe when both Usopp and Sanji opens the door.
"What's going on now?" Usopp asks as Nami turns to her crew.
"The Cumuloregalis Clouds appeared a lot sooner than expected! So, now everyone's scrambling to find the current!" Nami told him.
Shoujou then sends the soundwaves to the sea below with his microphone. One of the Utan Divers merged out of the water to inform him.
"Sonar waves detected! There's a large current at 12 o'clock!"
Then the second Utan Diver merged out sea.
"Large creature detected at 9 o'clock! It could be a Sea King!"
Then the third Utan Diver merged out of the sea.
"There's wave activity detected at 10 o'clock going against the current! I believe it's a giant whirlpool, sir!"
"THAT'S IT!" Masira shouted. "Full speed ahead directly for 10 o'clock! That's where the Knock-up Stream is going to erupt, I'm sure of it! now go!"
'I've got a bad feeling about this.' Ventus and Leon mentally thought as the waves were starting to get rough.
"Hold on!" Zoro said in shock.
"Hold on to something!" Ventus shouts.
"The waves are getting higher!" Nami states the obvious.
"We're gonna sink!" Usopp shouts with a panic.
"We're not gonna sink, you idiot!" Leon retorted.
"STEADY MEN!" Masira shouts, holding on the boat while ordering the crew to keep the ships steady. "IT'S A PRE-ERUPTION TREMOR!"
"Eruption!?" Chopper exclaims in fright, holding on to Ventus.
"Hey, navigator!" Robin called her, earned her attention. "What does the Log Pose say?"
Nami then looks at the Log Pose that points at the sky.
"It's pointing straight at those clouds!" Nami answered as they looks up at the clouds.
"You mean the Sky Island is above that?" Usopp asks.
"That's what it sounds like." Caius answered. "There's no doubt that the wind direction is perfect! The clouds are lining up over at the center of the whirlpool!"
"What whirlpool?" Luffy asks dumbfounded, yet clueless. "I haven't seen anything."
"Nice work, brother!" Masira said with a smirk. "I think we hit the jackpot this time!"
"Yes, and it seems we're in for a nice night explosion!" Shoujou adds.
"Do you think we'll make it?" Luffy inquires.
"Of course!" Masira replied, firing the two hooks to latch on the Going Merry, much to their confusion.
"What's that?" Luffy inquires curiously.
"We'll lead you to the inner edge!" Masira explains which Ventus, Leon, and Caius had a very bad feeling.
"Alright, but what should we do?!" Nami asks, not liking where this is going.
"Position yourself on the flow and head towards the center! Then, you'll be fine!" Masira informed her when they're about to be at the edge of the whirlpool.
"He wants us to go to the center?!" Nami yelled in panic.
Jaya, South Grove
Meanwhile, Cricket was watching the Saruyama Alliance helping the Straw Hats get to the edge of the whirlpool. He never met a group of characters like them before, remembered the time when Luffy asks if the Sky really exists. Then, he remembered of Ventus, Caius, and Leon defending while beating the Bellamy pirates which they were able to beat them with ease.
Cricket then places the cigarette at the ashtray, pressing it. It got him annoyed that people yapping about dreams.
Somewhere at sea
While at sea, Masira and his crew continued dragging the Going Merry towards the edge of the whirlpool which it got Usopp, Nami, and Chopper panicked while Ventus, Leon, and Caius knew this would happen.
"I don't remember signing up for all this!?" Nami shouts.
"Don't worry! I'll make sure nothing happens to you!" Sanji exclaims.
"I've never seen one quite this big before." Robin said, lightly sweating.
Chopper imagined how they're going to the Sky Island from the center of the whirlpool and smiled with excitement, hoping they get to the sky.
"THIS IS BAD! I CHANGED MY MIND! I WANNA GO BACK!" Usopp begged with teary eyes and pale face.
"Sorry, Usopp, too late for that." Zoro told him. "You know who is already excited."
"LET'S GO TO THE SKY!" Luffy cheered excitedly.
"How are you not panicking?!" Leon and Caius yelled in annoyance with white eyes and shark-like teeth.
Then, a huge Sea King appeared, much to their surprise and shock. Neither passed as they watch the Sea King getting swept away in the whirlpool.
"It's time for us to go!" Masira called when the crew waving them. "The rest is up to you now! Good luck!"
"Bye, guys!" Luffy shouts with a grin, waving at the Saruyama Alliance. "And thanks a lot for everything!"
However, both Usopp and Chopper had different ideas as they beg to leave the whirlpool and hoping for the Saruyama Alliance to take them, which it's too late to turn back.
"NO ONE SAID ANYTHING ABOUT DIVING HEAD-FIRST IN A GIANT WHIRLPOOL!" Nami yelled with white eyes and shark-like teeth when the sky is getting darker.
"Why is it getting dark?" Usopp asks with a whimper.
"OH NO! WE'RE BEING SUCKED IN!?" Chopper yelled with panic as the Going Merry was getting closer to the center of the whirlpool.
"Now, let's be reasonable, Luffy! Let's go back while we still have time!" Usopp begs with teary eyes. "Don't you understand this Sky Island stuff is just a bunch of make-believe?! It's not worth getting us killed!"
"It's all make-believe?" Luffy repeats. "Is that what you think?"
"Usopp's right!" Nami pleads, also in teary eyes while supporting Usopp's suggestion. "I think this isn't really a bad idea!"
"It may be a stupid dream, but I have to try...It could be our greatest adventure!" Luffy said with an excited grin, sparkled while turning to them.
"No...it's too late..." Usopp and Nami whimpers while Leon and Caius were dumbfounded by how little Luffy seem to care about his crew, much to Ventus' annoyance.
It got Zoro and Ventus notice that the Going Merry is sailing closer to the whirlpool.
"Instead of wasting your time bickering, you all might wanna take a look." Zoro informed them with a scowl.
"What do you mean?" Usopp asks, confused as Zoro and Ventus points at the direction where the Going Merry is going as he and Nami turns, notice the center of the whirlpool. "It's sucking us in."
"Everyone, brace yourselves!" Ventus shouts when his crew shouts.
"Hurry, Nami! Let my arms protect you~!" Sanji advised, but just when they sailed to the center and fall into the whirlpool, their fall was cut short.
"What happened?" Sanji asks, confused. "It disappeared."
"What's going on?" Luffy asks.
"Wait...I don't get it." Usopp said. "Where'd it go?"
Then, the erupt was heard thanks to Ventus' keen hearing. He and Nami looks down as their eyes widen, realizing of what's coming next.
"I feel it! It's starting." Nami told them, leaving everyone, except Ventus, confused. "The whirlpool sunk under the surface."
And slowly, the Straw Hats are beginning to get what she meant.
"HOLD IT RIGHT THERE!" The voice of Blackbeard shouts from the distance.
The Straw Hats turned to see black-sailed raft coming their way. On the front of it were Jesus Burgess and Doc Q paddling the ship forward, and Blackbeard and Van Augur were standing front of the center. Jesus Burgess was familiar to Leon. Blackbeard who called out was familiar to Luffy, Leon, Zoro, Nami, and especially Ventus.
"Well, well, well! If it isn't 'Straw Hat' Luffy!" Blackbeard said with a smirk, crossed his arms.
"It's him! It's Blackbeard and his crew!" Nami said, realized.
"Blackbeard!" Ventus growled angrily, clenching his fist and had a feeling this isn't the last time he saw him.
"Well, if it isn't the brat who bested me back in Drum Kingdom!" Blackbeard said, seeing the young Dragoon as his prey. "I've heard you've been called the 'Raging Dragon' now, eh?!"
Then, a laughter was heard.
'Blackbeard, you bastard!' Ventus mentally thought.
"Captain, I know that other guy with them!" Jesus Burgess informed him, pointing at the mercenary. "He has the blade and beaten me! He's the guy I told you about!"
"Great, he's still alive." Leon groans in annoyance. "Should've finished him off when I had the chance."
"That's Blackbeard?" Sanji asks.
"It doesn't matter now, does it?!" Blackbeard roared. "I've come all this way to collect on your Captain's 100 million berry bounty! So don't be shy! And you too brat! Your bounty and your life will be the additional bonus!"
While the Blackbeard pirates continued to sail toward the Straw Hats, the Saruyama Alliance watches them which it got them wondering if they're friends or not.
"Were those youngsters expecting some company?" Shoujou asks.
"I don't know, brother." Masira answered.
"Why is it getting dark out here?" Blackbeard questions himself, confused when he looked up at the sky.
"100 million? What are you talking about?" Luffy asks, confused as much as his crew, but Ventus was able to figure it out.
"He's talking about our bounties, Luffy." Ventus told him.
"He's right on the mark, kid!" Blackbeard retorted, and then raised three wanted posters from his hands. "It says right here: Monkey D. Luffy, wanted for 100 million! For 'Raging Dragon' Ventus Starwind, wanted for 180 berries! And for 'Pirate Hunter' Zoro, 60 million berries!"
Usopp, who's looking through the binoculars when he noticed the new bounties.
"It's true! He's got a different poster for each of you!" Usopp said with a grin, impressed. "Hey, Zoro, congratulations on your new bounty!"
"WHAT?! YOUR BOUNTY IS HIGHER THAN MINE?!" Luffy yelled, turns to the young Dragoon with budging eyes and shark-like teeth. "I'M THE CAPTAIN! I'M SUPPOSE TO GET HIGH BOUNTIES!"
"You snooze you lose, Luffy." Ventus said with a smirk while Sanji was prodding Usopp on seeing if he had a bounty.
Zoro was eagerly praising himself for the new bounty while Luffy is jealous of Ventus' bounty, but Nami and the young Dragoon isn't amused.
"Way to go, Ventus!" Chopper praises his brother-figure. "Your bounty is twice as high as Luffy's!"
"Yeah. I guess our bounties has gone up after the Alabasta incident and learning that I'm the long-lost Prince of Dravania." Ventus states.
"You never told us you had a bounty!" Leon exclaims, turns to Ventus. "This crew has three wanted pirates?!"
"Four, actually. Robin has the bounty of 79 million berries. She had that bounty 20 years ago." Ventus points out.
Leon's mouth dropped as he looked to Robin, who nods with confirm.
"What kind of pirate crew did I end up in?!" Leon shouts.
"Calm down, this crew may be good, but the World Government says otherwise." Caius points out.
"Gungnir" Ventus then summons the spear as he throws it right at the Blackbeard pirates. "Hope you and your cronies have a nice swim...in Hell!"
It got Blackbeard and his crew widen their eyes, realizing what the young Dragoon is aiming at. Before they could get a chance to react, the Gungnir breaks the raft apart and sending the Blackbeard pirates into the sea. Blackbeard merged out of the water as he quickly grabs hold of the log.
"You damn bastard! I'll get you for this!?" Blackbeard yelled angrily when Shoujou spoke.
"Make sure you keep your eyes open, Going Merry crew!" Shoujou shouts when the water below them was slowly rising up. "It's here, I hope they're ready for it. Brace yourselves!"
While the sea continues to rise up, the Blackbeard pirates are being pushed away which it got Blackbeard and his crew confused while being pulled.
"Everyone, hold on or get inside!" Sanji advised as they ran to wherever seem safe.
"OH NO! THIS SHIP! IT'S BEING LIFTED UP!" Usopp yelled in panic.
Soon as the Straw Hat pirates held on tight to whatever seemed safe, considering they'd most likely be shot to the sky soon. Soon enough, as Usopp said, the sea below them exploded, shooting the Going Merry up in the air and the Blackbeard pirates fall out of the sea while heading down. The waves are getting rough as the Saruyama Alliance are holding on to something.
"Help! We're gonna capsized!"
"Hold steady!" Masira advised.
"Don't let go, men!" Shoujou adds as he and Masira looks at the Knock-up Stream.
"GO SKY ISLAND!"
While at the Knock-up Stream, the Straw Hats are sailing up to the sky.
"WHAT'S HAPPENING?!" Usopp yelled, holds on the wooden railings.
"We're sailing up a huge pillar of water!" Sanji told him.
"This is awesome!" Luffy claimed with a cheer.
"How are we doing this?!" Usopp demands when Nami realized.
"Wind!" Nami answered.
"All right! I can't believe it's finally happening!" Luffy shouts, holding on the figurehead. "Let's go to Skypeia!"
"Hold on." Sanji said, notice something off of the situation. "It's not going to be that easy. Look!"
"Oh what now?!" Usopp demands.
"What's wrong? Did we forget about something?" Luffy asks, turns to Sanji.
"The ship is starting to float!" Caius said, realizing that Sanji's right. "If we don't stop it, we're gonna fall into the ocean!"
"What do you expect us to do about it?!" Usopp protests. "We're having a hard enough time holding on as it is! Or haven't you noticed?!"
"Oh no! What is that?!" Chopper shouts when he notice something is fallen when they looked up and saw...
"The Sea King!" Zoro and Leon said as the Sea King falls down.
"Is that the one from before?" Chopper asks.
"Yeah, but it's only a matter of time before the same thing happens to all of us!" Ventus said.
"I know, but what can we do? We don't have a whole lot of options when it comes to Mother Nature." Zoro points out with a shrug. "We're at her mercy."
"I guess we hold on and hope for the best!" Sanji suggests as the debris falls down into the ocean when Chopper screams in panic with his jaw dropped and budging eyes.
"THE SHIP IS FALLING FROM THE SKY?!" Chopper yelled. "WE'RE GONNA END UP JUST LIKE THAT!?"
"We're gonna take a nosedive to the bottom of the ocean all because Luffy follows some stupid dream!?" Usopp adds.
"Spread the sails, right now!" Nami ordered which it got their attention. "Sure, it's a pillar of water, but it's still part of the sea! It's a rising current! The wind from below is the rising air-current, produced by geothermal heat, causing a steam explosion! It may be a package differently, but it's still wind and water! Trust me, I'm a navigator, aren't I?"
Hearing how sure she was with her hypothesis and her reason brought everyone's confidence.
"You heard the lady, get to work!" Ventus ordered.
"Yeah, Nami's leading the way!" Sanji agrees as they unfurl the sail.
"Alright guys, catch the starboard wind and aligned the ship with a current!" Nami continued.
And with that, the Straw Hat pirates turns the ship which it didn't change of how the Going Merry was falling off the current and going to fall below.
"Hey, we're rising above the water! Is that okay?" Chopper asks when he noticed the ship is rising above.
"Nami, do something! We're gonna fall!" Luffy shouts in panic.
"Come on, do it!" Nami said with a serious look on her face.
But just as the Gong Merry is rising out of the current, instead of falling, it was literally flying through the air up to the sky.
"WE'RE FLYING!" Luffy shouts in joy. "YEAH! WE'RE HEADING TO THE SKY!"
"I can't believe we're actually flying!" Leon exclaims in shock.
"We made it." Usopp said in disbelief while Robin smiled and Chopper shouts in joy.
"I did it!" Nami said.
"Yes." Zoro adds with a smirk while Caius smirks as well.
"Nami, good job~!" Sanji praises her with a goofy smile and goo-goo eyes. "I think I love you~!"
While the Straw Hats continued to fly up to the sky, Cricket was watching.
'Go for it, kid! Always remember to keep dreaming!' Cricket mentally thought while the Saruyama Alliance cheered.
"If the wind keeps this up, we can sail as high as we want!" Nami informed her crew.
"Hey, Nami, are we almost to Skypiea?!" Luffy asks, turns to her.
"If it exists, it's passed those clouds!" Nami answered as Luffy looked on ahead with an excited look on his face.
"Passed those clouds! I can't wait to find out what's up in the sky!" Luffy said. "LET'S BUST THROUGH AND FIND OUT!"
The Straw Hats then continued to fly up in the sky to head for Skypiea.
That's it for the 21st chapter.
