The sky was blue, and the wind was cold.

Yamato had a smile on her face as she clung to Izuku's back. She still wasn't quite used to actually flying like this, and she wasn't sure she ever would be. Though she certainly would never complain about it.

Oh how she wished she could fly on her own. The wind in her ears, the world and its troubles far below. Nothing, not even gravity tying her to the ground.

Freedom in its purest form.

"You okay up there?" he asked, turning back to glance at her.

"Yes!" Yamato replied, beaming. "You doing okay, Izuku?"

"Yeah! I'm just gonna take it slow for a bit! We're making good time!"

Yamato felt him slow down, the cold wind on her face easing, the roar in her ears softening.

"That Whitey Bay, she was something else," commented Izuku, after a while.

"Yes!" agreed Yamato. "She's everything I imagined from Oden's logbook!"

But Izuku did not look up at her. Yamato knew, somehow, that he wasn't smiling.

"What's wrong?" she asked, wishing she could see his face.

"Oh…it's…" Izuku trailed off. He sounded pained. "She's just…not quite what I expected."

Yamato's heart sank. She had known this would happen, but it still bothered her.

"Bay was telling the truth," she said. "She's not like the Beast Pirates, and neither is Whitebeard. Not all pirates are bad."

"I know that," replied Izuku still sounding unsure. "I just…well, I guess I don't understand her. She could have hurt those people, and exploited them, but she chooses not to. If she'd just taken a little money for expenses, I would've understood. Running a pirate ship's got to cost money. Maintenance. Food. Supplies. Everything."

"Certainly, that would make sense."

"So then…she's an honorable person, a virtuous person even. If you told me she wasn't a pirate she could have fit in well in my world as a possible hero," Izuku went on, struggling to make sense of everything. "So what made her choose to become a pirate?"

Yamato thought hard, trying to choose her words. Izuku's heart was against pirates, that much she could tell. From what she'd learned about his world, pirate was strictly a title for criminals, so his confusion was certainly understandable.

"I really don't know," she admitted. "Oden never mentioned it in his logbook. And my own personal experience with pirates speaks for itself."

"Oden wasn't the gossiping type?" wondered Izuku. "Not even with himself?"

"No indeed. He was chivalrous that way; and from what I've read of him, he didn't care about people's pasts much. Some of his retainers were criminals before they entered his service. Some were even foreigners."

Izuku didn't reply.

"Are pirates really that bad in your world?" she asked.

"It's complicated," Izuku replied. "In the old times, many centuries ago, there were pirates just like in this world. They sailed the seas in ships a lot like Bay's and Brownbeard's, and they even dressed like them. Mostly they were just privateers, raiding ships because some government was paying them. To some they were an inspiration, because they lived free and stood up to power. To others they were just criminals and some of them were very infamously evil. After a while, piracy was labeled a crime against humanity, and they were all hunted down."

Yamato sighed. Not so different from her own world then.

"They popped up again during the Dark Age of Quirks, the ones I told you about," Izuku went on. "Mostly they were Villains operating on the sea. Back then, with the world going crazy over quirks, and whole countries falling apart, there was no one to stop them. Then Heroes appeared, and the world started to calm down, and they got hunted down again. There's still some around today, but none of them are like Bay, or Oden."

"Not one?"

"Not that I know of."

They flew in silence for a while. Yamato felt sad. There were so many things she didn't understand. About Izuku, his world, and how he felt. He seemed so wise at times, so full of knowledge and maturity. But his feelings, his ideals…sometimes, she just didn't understand. Even of this world, her world, she knew so very little.

"I guess…I made a fool of myself," she said mournfully. "I said too much."

"Well…you could've been more careful," admonished Izuku gently. "You shouldn't be so trusting. Some things we need to keep quiet about."

For a moment Izuku's mind flashed back to his friend Aoyama and how he'd betrayed their class multiple times. True he'd been threatened and things worked out in the end, but it showed how dangerous trust could be.

Yamato's heart sank. She was too trusting? Was that wrong?

"I suppose…" she mused sadly. "I always kept to myself on Onigashima. I never told anyone anything. There was no one I could confide in. But meeting Whitey Bay, one of Oden's own companions…I couldn't help myself."

Izuku looked up at her again. Now his eyes were sad too; sad, and sympathetic.

"I know how that feels," he said, and she knew he meant it. "To be alone, to never be able to share anything with anyone. But Yamato, that's half the problem. You've been stuck on that island for so long, with no friends and no one to talk to. You don't know how to deal with situations like this."

"Then what can I do?" she asked. "I am what I am. I don't know how to be anything else. All my life I only knew how to be like Oden, learning from his logbook and when I saw him die. It was my only way or else, I'd be like them… My father's subordinates." She looked to the side, feeling sullen.

"You don't have to be anyone else," The girl perked up, seeing the green haired boy look back at her. "Just be Yamato. That's all you'll ever have to be for me." Izuku cracked a smile. "You'll figure things out as we go along, it'll just take time. But for now, just let me do the talking, okay?"

Hearing those words brought a warm feeling in Yamato's chest and a smile back to her face. "Well…okay. I'll do my best."

There were dark clouds in the distance; just visible on the edge of the horizon, and drawing closer. The wind was picking up.

"You see that?" Yamato asked.

"Yes!" Izuku called back. "My Danger Sense just tingled! Hold on, we're going up!"

Yamato clung on as Izuku ascended, rising higher and higher as Black Whip expanded to cover the backpacks along with their arms and legs. The storm was coming on fast, the winds blowing harder. The wind buffeted them as they rose, rising high above the clouds. She shivered, and wished she had put on her jacket.

Soon, mercifully, they were over the storm; the clouds rumbling away behind them. Below them was the open sea, glistening blue in the sunlight, and Izuku receded the tendrils back to normal around them.

And that wasn't all! Yamato's heart skipped a beat, as she saw the shapes in the waters below.

"Izuku! Fly down!" she shrieked, pointing down at the ocean. "Down there! Can you see them!?"

"Yes!"

And as they flew down, she saw it again. A great serpentine shape, bigger than any ship she had ever seen, erupting from the waters. It flew up and over, its blue scales glistening in the sunlight, and then descended back into the depths with a mighty crash.

And then another emerged, this one yellow and green. And then another, this one pink, with a duck's yellow bill. And another, and another.

"W-What are they!?" cried Izuku, wonderstruck and slightly terrified.

"Sea Kings!" proclaimed Yamato, for they could be nothing else. The mighty beasts of legend, the true lords of the deep; whose wrath no ship could survive.

"They're huge!" exclaimed Izuku. "They could swamp the entire UA building!"

They leveled off, alongside the leaping, swimming giants. The green one dove again, and Yamato laughed like a child as the spray soaked them. Izuku was laughing too, sharing in her joy.

Another Sea King arose; this one much bigger than the others, its skin mottled black and white like a cow. Yamato cried out in delight, and waved at the creature, willing it to see her. And her heart leapt, as one pink eye swiveled towards them.

"Uh, should you be doing that?" asked Izuku, suddenly nervous.

"Don't worry!" insisted Yamato. "They won't attack us! Not up in the air like this!"

The black-and-white Sea King fell back into the water, sending up a great wave that would capsize a Beast Pirate battleship. But instead of diving under, it stayed on the surface, that pink eye still fixed on the two of them. Yamato stared at it, her heart leaping the waves.

Then she saw the blue one just beyond it, its eye upon them. And beyond it a yellow one, staring at them in turn. Yamato glanced abound, and saw that the green and pink ones were doing the same; swimming on the surface, eyes staring.

They were all doing it. The entire shoal was on the surface, dozens of them, as far as she could see. They were all swimming, and they were all watching.

"Ummm… We should probably go!" called Izuku. "No sense in provoking them! They have their eyes on us."

"Awww…" Yamato's heart sank. She would have stayed there forever if she could. But she knew Izuku was right. Oden had waxed lyrical about the Sea Kings, and what happened to those who offended them. "You're right!"

With a quick burst, they climbed higher above the sea, well out of the creatures range, with Yamato paying the magnificent sea titans one final glance.

(X)

The Sea Kings watched, as the tiny pair ascended into the sky; waving cheerfully as humans often did.

"What could they be?" the blue asked, in a voice humans could not hear. To others, it was like a whale's song as they cascaded under the water, coos and moans going out toward each other.

"They are land people," replied the black-and-white one. "One human, and one oni."

"They seem to be friends," mused the pink one. "Unusual, for their kind."

"But how can they fly?" asked the green-and-yellow one. "I've never seen such a thing. At least not one who didn't also sprout wings of some kind."

"Nor I," added another.

"I have," said the black-and-white one. "There were two who flew like that. One who served the man who tried to be King of the World not too long ago, and another who came from parts unknown. He flew through the heavens on great many wings, and delivered arbitration to those who committed great evil. This was…many hundreds of years ago."

"Who was he?" asked a smaller, younger Sea King of its parent.

"That's a story for another time little one," replied its parent. "For now, let's be off."

Its fellows gave their agreement, and as one dove back into the depths.

(X)

"That was amazing!" Izuku watched, breathless, as the Sea Kings vanished under the water. "I've never seen anything like it!"

"This is the first time I've seen them too!" replied Yamato, almost bouncing with joy.

"They're so huge!" Izuku went on, hardly able to contain himself. Those things looked like they could snap a ship in half with one bite, or capsize it just by falling on them. He wondered how much firepower they could endure; probably a lot.

"Bet you old helmet head would piss himself if he saw one of those things staring at him." Daigoro cackled, some of the other vestiges expressing equal mirth.

"Now that's something I'd have paid to see." Nana was practically bending over laughing at the idea.

Even Izuku couldn't help but laugh at the infamous villain's potential reaction to such creatures.

"I doubt it." The Third User mused.

"Same." The Second added.

Then he felt something. Yamato was rummaging in his backpack.

"Yamato, what're you up to back there?" he asked, flying steady so that nothing would fall out.

"Just getting a donut! Oh? Mmmm!"

Izuku glanced up at her. Yamato was indeed munching on one of the donuts Whitey Bay had given them. She was smiling like a happy child; like Eri when she had her first toffee apple. He can feel her legs practically kick in joy.

"Yummyyyyyyy!" declared Yamato. "I've never tasted anything like this!"

"Well save one for me, okay!?" retorted Izuku, smiling in spite of himself.

"Here!" Yamato pulled out another donut, and held it to his mouth. Izuku bit into it. She was right, it was very tasty. It'd been a long time since he's had anything sweet. The fall of Hero Society. The Hunt for the Tartarus Escapees. The final battle. Onigashima…

Enough of that. Just savor the donut as he kept on eating.

"I wanna try all kinds of different foods!" Yamato went on, as he ate his donut. "I wanna taste all the different foods I can find!"

Izuku suppressed a chuckle as he swallowed the last of his donut.

"That sounds good to me!" he called. "Maybe I could cook for you too!"

"You could?"

"Yes!'' Izuku grinned. "We just need some supplies and some gear, and I can try some of my mother's recipes!"

"We can help too!" Nana cut in cheerfully. "I wasn't a bad cook back in the day. Neither was En!"

"Wow, seriously?" asked Daigogo, amazed. "You don't seem the type!"

"What's that supposed to mean…" Nana glowered.

"There's a lot of things you don't know about me," replied En. "Even after all these years."

"Thanks guys!" Izuku grinned. This actually sounded like fun!

"Uh Izuku, who are you talking to?" asked Yamato, taken by surprise.

"Oh, the Users," Izuku said. "They want to pitch in with the cooking."

"They do?" Yamato sounded surprised. "They can…actually hear me?"

"Yes! They can hear and see everything I can!"

"Oh…oh wow." Yamato was clearly impressed, along with bewondered at the reminder of Izuku's…companions. "Uh…I'm not sure about this, but…thank you, Users, for helping Izuku all this time."

"Tell her it's our pleasure," said Nana, and he can feel the warming smile from the woman as Izuku looked back at Yamato in kind.

"They say it's their pleasure," parroted Izuku. The white haired woman perked up in fascination.

"'Can you tell me your names?" Yamato asked cautiously.

"Well, there's Shigaraki Yoichi, Shinomori Hikage, Banjo Daigoro, En, Shimura Nana, and Yagi Toshinori."

"Toshinori… that's All Might right?" Izuku nodded, and the white haired girl beamed. "Gotcha! But…that's only six," said Yamato, tilting her head. "Shouldn't there be eight? Since you're the Ninth carrier of One for All?"

"Come on you two!" complained Nana, half-laughing. "Quit being shy and introduce yourselves."

"Yeah, you never even told us your names!" added Daigoro. "Man up and spill!"

Silence.

"No need to pressure them," Yoichi interjected. "They'll tell their names when the time is right."

"You've been saying that as long as I've been in here," grumbled Hikage.

"Not sure what the point is in being cryptic, not like anyone in this world cares who you were anyway." En chimed in, sharing the sentiment of the other users, only to again be met with silence.

"Uh, well, they'd rather not give their names, if that's okay," Izuku said, apologetically. "Nobody knows why. But they'll tell us when they're ready."

"Oh, well… Okay then!" Yamato beamed. "Works for me!"

"And if that's all, let's pick up the pace!"

Yamato held on tight, and Izuku accelerated. Onward they flew, faster and faster; as fast as Izuku could manage.

They were on their way.

(X)

Yamato gaped in awe, as the clouds parted.

It had been many hours since they had seen the Sea Kings. Yamato had never imagined that anyone could travel so fast.

Now the thick fog that had shrouded them for the past hour was parting, and she could see what it concealed.

It was an enormous island, many times bigger than Onigashima. It reminded her more of Wano; or what she had seen of it as they flew away. It rose from the sea as a vast plateau, waterfalls gushing down its rocky flanks, covering the waters in thick white mist. Great mountains rose into the sky, capped with pure-white snow, and wreathed with green forests.

Was this it? Was this the Doyle Kingdom?

They began their descent, passing over the mist, among the circling seagulls.

"This mist's pretty thick," commented Izuku. "It could be hard for ships. Wonder how they even get up to this plateau…"

Yamato did not reply. Her eyes were on the mountains looming around them, vast and ancient. For all their great size, there was a majesty and dignity to them she had never seen before; certainly not on Onigashima. That was a place of darkness, of brooding malice. This was a place of life, gloomy as it might appear due to the coming night.

Then she jumped, as an enormous golden-brown bird soared past them, wings outstretched.

"Oh! That's an eagle!" called Izuku. Yamato watched as the bird flew on, paying them no heed; a fearless lord of the sky, without challenger or predator.

Then the mountains parted as they navigated and went through the canyons, and the setting sun was ahead of them.

And a city.

Yamato stared in amazement. It was the first city she had ever seen; but she knew no other word for it. It spread for many leagues in all directions, filling up the plain between the mountains and the sea beyond. There were buildings of red brick and gray stone, in streets and wide boulevards; arranged in complex patterns. Great towers and domes rose up; while a great wide river snaked through the center; crossed by grand bridges. All the streets and bridges were lined with glowing lamps, illuminating the city despite the oncoming darkness.

Ahead, at the opposite end of the widest boulevard, was a small plateau that dominated the city from the west. The plateau's surface was filled up by a great palace; with a great dome in the center, and oblong wings arranged in grid patterns around it; with towers on the corners. The plateau wall facing the city had been carved into a magnificent frieze, with an enormous staircase reaching from the main entrance down to a grand plaza, into which the boulevard ran.

A great bong reverberated across the city, making Yamato's eardrums quiver. She looked, wondering where it could have come from. Another bong rang out, and her eyes fell on a tall tower, its sides richly decorated with carved stone. At the top, below the cap, was an open colonnade, inside which hung an enormous bell; slowly swinging back and forth. Below the bell, each side of the bell had the face of a great clock. As if someone had enlarged the clockface of her wristwatch and made a much larger variant of it and planted it on the tower itself!

"Izuku, is this the Doyle Kingdom?" she asked, as they descended.

"It must be," replied Izuku. "Regardless, it's getting dark. Let's see where we are, and where we can land." He said, as they flew amongst the fog and the rooftops. They had arrived at last. To the Kingdom of Doyle.

Big thanks to Juubi-K for writing this up. And IKnowNothing and WildJoker000 for their editing and polish here.

But yes, we have arrived to the Kingdom of Doyle, beginning the Doyle Arc of the Hunt for Whitebeard Saga. We're going to have a lot of fun inside this city, just you wait. We have some Yamato and Izuku interaction, and some nice foreshadowing nuggets to lead down the road too. Can you make out where Doyle is based off of? You'll know plenty more come next chapter too.

Normally we would have continued into Doyle, but we felt that we wanted to convey the travel distance. Bay said it takes a week in terms of sailing to get to Doyle. Here, took about six-eight hours. That's the power of flight in a world primarily based on sailing. And boy is it OP.

We hope you all enjoyed this one! And we'll see ya around for the next one, where we get to explore the city proper.