Montblanc Cricket froze for a moment.
"Skypiea…"
He muttered blankly.
But in the very next instant, his eyes sharpened with unwavering conviction.
"It's real. Skypiea truly exists!"
"I've seen ships fall from the sky with my own eyes!"
"And this—look at this!"
He hurried into his house, unlocked the door, and began rummaging frantically through drawers and cabinets.
Moments later, he came back out holding a small box.
Opening it carefully, he revealed a golden totem.
"This is proof of the Shandora civilization. I salvaged it from a sunken ship beneath the sea."
Karl accepted the golden relic with a faint smile, examined it briefly, then said lightly,
"But this alone doesn't prove Skypiea exists. Does it?"
Cricket bristled.
"It came from a ship that fell from the sky! How can that not prove it?!"
Karl turned to look at Hancock. After a brief silent exchange of glances, he nodded toward Cricket.
"Good. That's all I needed to hear."
He returned the totem, patted Cricket's shoulder, and said casually,
"As a Marine, I should arrest pirates like you."
"But I did some research before coming. Your crimes are minor."
"So I'll let you go today."
"But only this once."
He patted Raven's head.
Time to work.
Raven cawed in mild dissatisfaction but obediently transformed into mount form.
Cricket stood frozen.
What just happened?
"Oh, right," Karl added before departing, "my homeland is the North Blue. The Kingdom of Lvneel."
Before Cricket could respond, Raven flapped his wings and soared straight into the sky.
Cricket watched them rise higher and higher until they vanished from sight.
Then he smiled.
"Noland… did you see that?"
"That's the first North Blue man I've ever met who doesn't think you were a liar."
He chuckled softly.
High Above the Sky
Raven carried Karl and Hancock upward.
2,000 meters.
3,000 meters.
5,000 meters.
The higher they rose, the slower Raven flew—as if approaching its limit.
Hancock gently stroked Raven's back.
"He looks exhausted…"
Karl clicked his tongue and condensed a sphere of golden light in his palm.
"Weapon Blessing."
Raven counted as a weapon.
Buffing it was perfectly logical.
The golden Holy Light merged into Raven's body—
And instantly, it revived like it had swallowed an entire pharmacy.
Stronger.
Faster.
Its ascent accelerated once more.
They neared the clouds.
Karl took a deep breath.
"Hancock. Stay close."
She wrapped her arms around his waist. The soft warmth pressed against him, sending a brief tremor through his heart.
Not the time.
"Divine Protection!"
Golden radiance burst outward from Karl's body, enveloping them both. When the light faded, a translucent golden shield surrounded them.
"Raven! Just a little more—we're nearing the White Sea!"
"CAW!!!"
Raven flapped desperately—
And pierced into the cloud layer.
The White Sea
The White Sea was like the ocean—except made of cloud.
And like the sea, it weakened Devil Fruit users.
But Karl and Hancock were protected within Divine Protection.
Raven, however—
Was not.
Too large to fully enclose without exhausting Karl's stamina.
The moment Raven touched the White Sea—
"Caw—CAW?!"
Its strength drained instantly. Its body went limp, reverting into weapon form.
Karl quickly stored it in his system space.
"Is Raven okay?" Hancock asked.
"It'll be fine. Just needs drying."
The Divine Protection barrier functioned like the bubbles of Sabaody—airtight and buoyant.
Now they simply needed to float upward.
Of course—
This was still a "sea."
And seas had creatures.
Suddenly—
Tentacles emerged from the clouds, attaching themselves to the golden barrier.
"There are octopi up here? How fascinating," Hancock remarked.
But she didn't hesitate.
Her Conqueror's Haki erupted.
A queen's will.
Overwhelming dominance.
The sky octopus, born and raised in the White Sea, had never experienced such pressure.
Its eyes rolled back instantly.
Its suction cups released.
It floated upward, unconscious.
"Hmph. Pathetic."
At 7,000 meters was the White Sea.
At 10,000 meters was the White-White Sea.
Skypiea lay atop the White-White Sea.
They still needed to ascend another 3,000 meters.
It was not easy.
Karl had to repeatedly reinforce Divine Protection to maintain buoyancy.
Hancock continuously released bursts of Haki to deter curious sky fish.
But as the saying went—
Man and woman working together—half the effort.
After about thirty minutes, they finally broke through the White Sea's surface.
Around them floated numerous unconscious sky fish.
Karl and Hancock stood atop one while waiting for Raven to dry.
"Caw…"
Raven gave a weak cry.
Karl immediately provided food—and another Weapon Blessing.
Instant recovery.
Raven buried its head in food enthusiastically.
After eating its fill, Raven returned to full strength and resumed flight.
"Over there!" Karl pointed. "Fly that way!"
This was precisely why he had departed from Jaya.
Closest trajectory.
Easier navigation.
Approaching from elsewhere risked losing direction.
Still—
By this point in time, Enel had already taken control of Skypiea and declared himself "God."
Avoiding him was nearly impossible.
Not that it mattered.
Enel was powerful.
Extremely powerful.
Logia-type Goro Goro no Mi.
Lightning speed.
If he had trained properly…
If he had learned even a fraction of Kizaru's discipline…
He could have dominated the seas.
Even the Four Emperors would struggle to catch him.
But—
Enel was arrogant.
Self-absorbed.
And ignorant of the world below.
Karl and Hancock?
Both masters of all three forms of Haki.
With a bit of acting—
Taking Enel down would be effortless.
Upper Yard – God's Domain
Thud.
A half-bitten red apple fell to the ground.
A tall man with long earlobes smirked.
"So… outsiders dare to invade the land of God."
"Insects with no understanding of their place."
He leaned back lazily.
"Very well."
"I've been bored lately."
"I suppose I'll entertain myself."
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