Hiccup was sitting up all the bow cannon looking at the sky; he had from that sport for quite some time. Both Astrid and Jinbe approached him, both worried about his well-being.

"Thinking about the others?" Astrid asked.

"It was my job as captain to protect them, and we ended up getting separated; we didn't even know if they were alive," he said.

"They're a tough bunch, I'm sure that, all right, though they might be having a few problems, I'm sure."

"Somehow, I think we've got them beat."

Astrid then sat down next to him. "You can't blame yourself."

"I'm the one who punched the Celestial Dragon and brought out the entire might of the Navy down upon us," Hiccup reminded her.

"If you hadn't, Camie would have been sold to slavery, and we have to bunch of other people in the process. To be honest, they should be grateful I didn't get my hands on him; I probably would have killed him."

Hiccup took a deep breath. "I wish they were here for the battle to come."

"I know you're worried about Ace, but standing vigil won't help," said Jinbe. "You should rest to prepare yourself for the battle."

"Jinbe's right; you took the most beating inside Impel Down," Astrid agreed.

"And the war that approaches us will be a trying one and one that changes the tide of the times. Having just escaped from the greatest prison in the world, we may take heart, but the fortress that lies before us is ever more imposing."

"Assuming we can even reach it," said Astrid. "Even if we do get to the Gates of Justice, we will be able to cross unless it opens and you heard what the Navy officer said over the transponder snail."

"We'll find a way, we always do," said Hiccup confidently.

Fishlegs, meanwhile, was still on Waerheria, looking at the log pose and thinking about the others.

"Hey, young man," said the old man as he rushed towards him, holding a string connected to a pink cloud resembling cotton candy.

"Yes, what is it?" Fishlegs asked as he rose to his feet.

Then, just as he spun around, the cotton candy clouds slammed right into his face.

"What is this thing?" Fishlegs yelled frantically as he tried to remove it.

The old man merely laughed. "That would be my famous cloud candy. Well, I suppose it's not famous yet; it's taken many hours of research to make it taste like cotton candy, you know. I think it's all been worth it, don't you?"

Fishlegs, however, could really agree with him as it was stuck on his face, and he seemed to be unable to remove it.

He finally was able to remove it and gasped for air. "That could have killed me!"

He then licked off a piece of it on his face, which tasted delicious. "Whoa, that does taste like cotton candy."

"Just as I said," said the old man, smiling.

"An island of wonders," said Fishlegs as he grabbed the string and began the cotton candy cloud.

He then paused as he looked at the old man. "Hey, are you still sure where you are headed to Sabaody Archipelago?"

"Of course," he said. "I said I would grant you a favour, and I meant it."

"Okay, but it was quite a long time ago when you told me that. Not to be rude, but when will we get there?"

The old man looked at him, confused. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, when will we arrive?" Fishlegs blinked.

"Impossible to say since Weatheria travels on the wind, so if the typhoon hits, we'll get there pretty fast."

"So, how far did we get yesterday?"

"My guess is about 600 feet or so."

Fishlegs eyes widened because that was an incredibly short distance.

"It wasn't for the fact that I was stuck floating in the sky; I would have left already," Fishlegs moaned as they went for a walk.

"That would be silly," said the old man. "Even if we were on land, you would still be too far away for it to do any good. If you stay here, you would at least get there someday at least."

"I know, but I'm not going there for vacation. I've got people waiting for me over there."

"Hmm, we could go down for a bit," the old man offered. "Frankly, I could stand to stock up on some funding for my research."

Fishlegs came to a sudden stop. "Go down where?"

"On the ground," he said as if it was perfectly normal.

Fishlegs stared at him. "You can do that?"

The old man then escorted Fishlegs to some sort of cloud elevator, which began to lower them deep into the island.

"My research is actually quite costly," he explained as the lift doors opened. "Thankfully, my weather expertise is valuable to the land dwellers, so I can turn a profit pretty handily."

Fishlegs eyes widened when he exited out the elevator. "What is this?"

They were standing in what appeared to be a giant bubble at the bottom of the island. Additionally, several vehicles resembled a combination of dwellings in a hot air balloon.

"Young man, over here," said the old man, waving as he stood beside one of these vehicles.

"A ship?" Fishlegs blinked.

It was a small boat with an engine and a string tied to some sort of bubble with a flaming sign. The moment he set foot on the ship, it instantly floated up into the air.

"What the heck?" Fishlegs stared. "It flies?"

He was a little scared as they floated out of the bubble and descended towards the ground.

"Here we go," said the old man.

They soon penetrated the bubble at the bottom of the island.

"Ah, that's the island I was looking for," said the old man looking ahead of them. "Let's land there.

Fishlegs looked over the edge and saw they were descending upon a very arid island; he could make out several houses but very little farmland.

"It's so dry," he said.

When they landed, Fishlegs could instantly tell by how dry the ground was that this island had barely rained.

"Whoa, that's rough," he said.

The old man began talking to the village mayor.

"You can save our island? And we're to believe that?" said the mayor sceptically.

"Why not? Your problem is straightforward, I think," he said. "Just a little bit of rain should set things right in no time. Thankfully, I'm an expert with the weather. I'll gladly summon a shower or two."

"You jest," said the mayor, stunned.

Many of the other townspeople were rather astonished by this claim, and even Fishlegs found this hard to believe.

"So how about we make a little deal?" the old man smiled. "Does 100 million Gil sound fair?"

"That's a lot?!" Fishlegs gasped.

The townspeople agreed with him as it was plain to see they could never amount to that much.

"Alas, even for the rain, it's too much," said the mayor regrettably.

The old man then turned to Fishlegs. "Did I highball it a bit?"

"Seriously?" Fishlegs stared. "Do they look rich to you?"

The old man pondered for a moment and looked back at the mayor. "I see. Well, how does 100 sound?"

Fishlegs mouth fell wide open, as did the rest of the villages.

"So cheap?!" they yelled.

To no one's surprise, they readily agreed to the amount, and the old man made his way back to the ship.

"You have got some pretty awful business sense," Fishlegs noted.

The old man laughed. "It's fine."

"That aside, can you really do this?" Fishlegs asked. "Aren't you being a bit optimistic?"

"Just watching, believe young Sir," he said as he began turning some dials. "This will be easy."

He then pressed the button, and the ship's generator began to rattle, producing a dark cloud inside a bubble. More began to pop out.

"What's that?" Fishlegs asked as he examined the bubbles. "Soap bubbles? Looks like there's something inside."

The old man laughed. "One more thing," He tossed her the wind rope, "can you take this to generate some wind, please?"

Fishlegs got the idea. "Oh, I see. Do you want a full-power?"

"But of course."

Fishlegs then pulled on the rope and, doing all three knots, instantly created a powerful hurricane. The hurricane then carried off all of the bubbles into the air, and once there, they began to pop. The dark cloud inside the bubbles then began to form into a massive storm cloud.

"Rainclouds, but that can't be," the mayor gasped.

The small rainclouds merged into one big one, covering the entire village. And a few small short seconds later, it began to rain.

The moment it did, the villagers began to dance with joy.

"It's raining!"

The children began jumping from puddle to puddle, laughing as they did so.

Fishlegs just smiled as he watched.

"What did I tell you?" said the old man as he approached him and handed him a bubble umbrella.

"They sure are happy, aren't they?" said Fishlegs as he took the umbrella.

"The science of weather has many wonderful applications."

Fishlegs just continue to smile.

"Well, I suppose this is goodbye, young man," said the old man, looking up at him. "I've already spoken to the mayor about your journey, and he said he would be happy to help you along the way."

"I'm not going," said Fishlegs, surprising him.

"Why not?"

"It's obvious, isn't it, because I want to learn the science of yours. I am pretty impressed."

"Really?" said the old man, quite taken aback.

"Since it's still a while from Sabaody, would you mind teaching me along the way?" Fishlegs asked hopefully.

The old man smiled broadly. "I'd be thrilled."

"Great. I can't wait."

"Anyone with a passion for the weather is welcome to learn from me."

Then, one of the bubbles floated towards them. Apparently, it hadn't popped like all the others.

"There's still one left, perfect," said the old man. "Now, this is what we call in business called a soap bubble thundercloud."

He then accidentally popped it, causing the thundercloud inside to expand.

"That's not good at all!" he said.

Fishlegs then suddenly realised it was about to explode, and seconds later, it did.

"I thought you were some sort of expert?" said Fishlegs, who was now badly scorched.

"Science exacts a price, young man," he said.

Eret was still on Baldimore, and he was currently staying at Pippin's home.

"I do appreciate staying with you and your grandfather, kid. Are you sure this is not too much of a bother?" Eret asked.

"It's no problem at all," said Pippin. "Do you still plan on going?"

Eret sighed regretfully. "I have to join up with my crew, but as long as this snowstorm rages across the island, I can't go anywhere. Though, I am curious about those mechanical beasts that we ran into when we first met."

"Oh, those were merely guards."

"I can show you," he said.

Pippin then began to escort Eret through the forest, which was not easy, considering that a massive blizzard was blowing through.

"You sure this is safe?" Eret asked.

"Not really; Grampa keeps telling him not to venture out this far, but I'm with you this time, so it should be safe."

However, no sooner had he said that than several mechanical creatures suddenly emerged from the force.

"Help!" Pippin yelled.

"Don't worry, kid, I've got this," said Eret.

A mechanical gorilla then swung his fist towards him, but Eret caught and began spinning around, crashing him into the other creatures. In just a few short moments, Eret managed to take down each and every single one of them when a massive pile with him stood on top.

"That was awesome!" Pippin beamed.

Eret smiled as he jumped down but winced as he fell to one knee.

"Are you all right?" Pippin asked.

"I'm good, just not up to full strength just yet," he admitted.

"Maybe that lab will have something that will help you fix you up."

They then continue to make their way across the forest.

"So, who actually owns this place you're taking me?" Eret asked curiously.

"It belonged to Dr Vegapunk."

"Vegapunk," Eret blinked. "I've heard that name before. Isn't he some scientist employed by the World Government?"

"Yep," Pippin nodded. "He's like the smartest guy in the world. He's the one who created all those mechanical animals a long time ago. He is also the reason why technology is so advanced here on Baldimore. Though he is a bit of an oddball, considering that he left so many dangerous creatures on the island, but that doesn't stop them from being any less of a genius."

So they finally exited the forest and saw an abandoned facility.

"My grandpa told me there is some dangerous stuff in there, but this is an emergency, and I have you to protect me, so it should be fine," said Pippin.

Eret then began to pull off the wooden boards blocking the door, which opened. Already, he could see just how high-tech everything was inside, and this was only the entranceway.

"Let's see," said Eret as he took a step inside.

No sooner had he done so than they heard alarms, and all the computer concerts began to light up.

"This is not good," said Eret.

Meanwhile, in the Carto, the twins were still stuck in a Coliseum, and their match was just beginning to start.

"So all we have to do is survive?" Ruffnut asked.

Carter merely smiled. "Oh yes, and if you win enough flights, you might earn your freedom here."

The gate opened before the twins could ask any more questions, and they were forced outside. Once there, they were welcomed by the cheering crowd, and most of them looked like unruly thugs.

"Welcome to another exciting match, folks here at Carto Coliseum!" the announcer yelled, and the entire crowd cheered. "Now we've got an exciting match for you today. All the way from the East Blue, we have the Terror Twins of the Dragon Rider Pirates!"

"Did he just say the Dragon Riders?"

"What are they doing all the way over here?"

"Looks like we're quite popular," said Tuffnut.

"Yeah, I could get used to this," Ruffnut agreed.

"And placing them today are the Triple Threat!" said the announcer.

The crowd cheered even louder as the gate on the opposite side opened. Three brutish-looking men stepped out, each wielding a different type of weapon: a broad axe, a spear, and a greatsword.

"Take them down, Triple Threat!"

"Make mincemeat out of them!"

The man wielding the broad axe smirked at the twins. "You know, I was expecting a lot more from an infamous pirate crew, but there you are, nothing more than a couple of deckhands."

"Did he just say that, web deckhands?" Tuffnut asked.

"Yeah, that was a big mistake, buddy," said Ruffnut.

"I'm going to enjoy this," said the man with the spear as his eyes gazed at Ruffnut. "What say we have a little fun with the lady?"

"Sorry, mate, but business before pleasure," said the man with the greatsword.

"As you all know all the rules, you keep on fighting until one site relents or dies, and those are the only rules!" the announcer yelled. "Now, are you all ready to have a party?"

"Yeah!" the crowd cheered.

"Then let the match begin!"

They then heard the sound of a gong, no doubt signalling the start of the match, and Triple Threat immediately launched themselves directly at them.

The twins barely managed to avoid the broad axe, and the spearmen and the greatsword-wielding immediately came straight at them.

"Sorry to do this to you, pretty lady!" said the spearmen as he thrust his spear at Ruffnut.

"Nothing personal, buddy," said the greatsword will do as he swung his blade at Tuffnut.

However, to everyone's surprise, the twins immediately began to parry the attacks, causing the two men to slam into one another.

"So you do have some moves," said the broad axe wielder as he rested the blade on his shoulders. "But don't think I'm as gullible as those two idiots."

"Then come and have a go at us," said Ruffnut.

"We'll promise to go easy on you," said Tuffnut.

The man merely glared at them and raised his weapon. "You asked for this!"

However, at the same time, the spearmen and greatsword wielder had just picked themselves up. The twins instantly took advantage of the disorientation and knocked them into the broad axe wielder. All three of them collided with one another and collapsed to the ground on top of one another.

When they looked up, they saw the twins pointing their swords directly at them.

"We yield," the broad axe wielder groaned.

"What a match, folks! The Terror Twins made complete fools out of Triple Threat and won their first match!" the announcer cried.

The twins found themselves back in their cell and saw Carter standing in front of them, clapping.

"Very well done," he said.

"Does that mean we're free to go?" Ruffnut asked.

"This was only your first match. You still have several more to go through," said Carter, smiling.

"Do you intend to lock it up here forever?" Tuffnut asked.

"No, I do have a great deal of integrity, and I will honour my deal, but I do make as much money out of you as possible."

"It's in keeping us here putting you in danger of the World Government?" Ruffnut asked.

"Not as much as you might think; the Navy doesn't come to this island, considering we're not associated with the World Government.

"What do you mean?" Tuffnut asked.

"To be part of the World Government, you have to pay a certain amount of cash, which is supposed to be a tribute to the Celestial Dragons. Officially, this money is supposed to be used to fund the Navy and other Government projects, but most of it goes on to the coppers of the Celestial Dragons so they can keep themselves nice and fed."

"And I didn't think I could hate them even more," said Ruffnut.

"Additionally, the tax that is put upon us depends upon our population rather than our economy, and this island has quite a population but very little income. Our only source of income is this Coliseum, and if we have been associated with the world Government, we would be forced to hand you would all the other criminals who partake in these matches."

"So if you join the World Government, you would lose a massive income," said Tuffnut.

"That's right, and we can barely feed ourselves as is. Now, I suggest that you two rest up because you have another match tomorrow."

The twins then watched as Carter left and began to wonder what they got themselves into.