Bellamy was sent flying once again by Rowan's fist! He turned into a tiny black speck in the eastern sky, eventually vanishing from sight.
"Heh, so his Armament Haki just awakened? Still too weak. He'd struggle to even reach the New World. If you want to avenge Doflamingo, go train for another few hundred years."
Rowan had sensed a slight, distinct barrier on Bellamy's fist during the clash—clearly the awakening of Armament Haki. But that level of power wasn't even enough to give Rowan an itch. Even with centuries of training, it was unlikely he could ever reach Rowan's current heights.
"Let's go, Cricket-brat. Don't waste time; this old man doesn't have all day to wait for you!" Rowan spoke as if nothing had happened, urging the catatonic Cricket forward.
"R-R-R-Rowan-san..."
Cricket couldn't help but stutter. When the legendary figure from the newspapers, the Marine Godfather himself, actually appeared before his eyes, he could hardly believe it. It was difficult to reconcile this white-haired, seemingly amiable old man with the monster in the headlines.
He wanted to go to Skypiea, but no one could truly confirm if the so-called island 10,000 meters in the air actually existed!
That night, Rowan sat by a campfire, fiddling with a Southbird he had caught. Crouched beside him, Cricket was busy calculating the timing of the currents...
"Ah! Rowan-san, what a coincidence! The Knock Up Stream will appear at dawn tomorrow!" Cricket said, his voice a mix of nerves and excitement.
"Then there isn't much time left. Pack your things and come wait by the shore with me," Rowan said.
"Yes, Rowan-san!"
Rowan looked up at the pitch-black night sky, lost in thought. Time was pressing; he needed to get to Skypiea quickly. Though he had warned Blackbeard, Rowan's intuition told him that Teach wouldn't give up so easily. After hiding for over twenty years, a man doesn't just abandon his dream of standing at the top.
He let Blackbeard live only because Teach was currently a "small fry"—killing him offered little gain. The same went for someone like Bellamy; since he couldn't even make it to the New World, butchering him was useless. Rowan didn't want to waste time on tasks that offered no reward.
Soon, the sky began to lighten. The seawater near the coast started to shift. The Knock Up Stream was coming.
Cricket brought nothing but an old, weathered Den Den Mushi. He rowed a small boat out to where Rowan stood.
"Rowan-san, hop in! Hahaha, the boat is small, but it's better than nothing." Cricket gave an embarrassed laugh.
Rowan looked at the tiny vessel—it could barely fit two people. He was speechless. Could this thing even stay centered on the current? Wouldn't it be smashed into splinters the moment the stream hits? He kept his doubts to himself and stepped onto the boat.
Cricket rowed into the center of the turbulent water.
WHOOSH!
A massive geyser sound erupted. The entire sea surface was tossed by a violent surge. Rowan looked on as a pillar of white seawater blasted upward from the depths.
It was his first time seeing the Knock Up Stream in person. It looked like a titan's water column, surging toward the heavens with a terrifying force, disappearing into the clouds.
Then, the wait was over. Cricket suddenly turned the boat and rowed eastward!
"The next one is there!" he shouted excitedly, pointing ahead.
Rowan looked and saw bubbles fizzing in the water nearby—gurgle, gurgle—followed by the formation of a small whirlpool. As the boat entered the vortex, the sea suddenly surged! The tiny boat and its passengers were violently lifted into the air!
"AAAAAAHHHH—!" Cricket's scream filled Rowan's ears.
Rowan felt the massive force propelling them through the cloud layer at an incredible speed.
CRACK!
An ominous sound echoed... It was the boat!
"Rowan-san! The boat is breaking apart! We're going to fall! We're dead!" Cricket screamed.
Rowan applied pressure with his feet, using a Rankyaku (Storm Leg) to shatter the remaining pieces of the boat into dust!
"Ah! Rowan-san, what are you doing?!" Cricket looked like he wanted to die. Without the boat to catch the upward force, they were doomed to fall from this height.
In that split second, Cricket felt a crushing force grab his ankle! He was suddenly dangling upside down in mid-air!
"Marine Six Powers: Geppo!"
Rowan stepped onto empty air, kicking the atmosphere to propel himself upward. Cricket felt himself being hauled higher and higher. Unlike the impact of the current, this movement was controlled—driven by Rowan's "Moonwalk."
The surrounding white currents were a magnificent sight.
"Rowan-san! I heard you're over a hundred years old! Holding me while using a move like this... are you sure we won't fall?!" Cricket shouted weakly. This was beyond his comprehension—being carried like a helpless chick by a centenarian jumping through the sky. What if the old man pulls a muscle? We're both dead.
Rowan ignored him. Reaching the clouds felt exhilarating; his stamina had recovered to a state better than his youth, and carrying a single man felt like nothing.
Soon, a vast, borderless sea of white clouds appeared above—the lower White Sea. Below them, everything except clouds had vanished. Rowan increased his pace, switching his Geppo kicks faster and faster until he became a blur. Cricket covered his eyes, the sudden atmospheric pressure making it hard to breathe...
PLOP!
The two of them broke through a massive layer of clouds and came to a halt, landing on a soft, spongy surface.
"Kid, you can open your eyes now," Rowan said, frowning at the sight of Cricket lying on the ground, still clutching his eyes in terror.
Cricket slowly opened them. "Is... is this heaven?"
"This is the White Sea, 7,000 meters up."
Rowan explained casually, looking at the endless white ocean and the layers of clouds. Then, he looked further up.
"There's still 3,000 meters to go. Once you've rested, we're heading up again."
"Yeah, rest... wait, WHAT?! HEADING UP AGAIN?!"