Chapter 241: Produced by Ralph, Worthy of Trust!
The moment the Going Merry broke through the final layer of clouds, the entire world transformed.
During the ascent through the clouds, the reinforced armor on the Merry had cracked, and the two newly added wing sails had snapped.
But Merry had fulfilled her mission, leading everyone to this wondrous place.
All around was a vast expanse of white—ahead, behind, to the sides, and even beneath the ship—an endless sea of clouds.
Sunlight spilled down, casting a soft halo upon the cloud layers, as if they had stepped into a fairyland.
"Wow—!"
Lufia was the first to rush to the ship's side, gripping the railing with both hands, her eyes wide with wonder.
"Everyone, look! It's... so white out there!"
Yes, truly white.
Ralph stood beside her, gazing at the dreamlike scene before him, momentarily at a loss for words.
Watching Skypiea on a screen in his past life was one thing, but standing here in person, feeling the gentle breeze against his cheeks and watching the sea of clouds churn—the awe was on an entirely different level.
Forgive his lack of eloquence; he could only echo Lufia's words:
Truly white.
[Ding—]
The long-absent system notification chimed in his mind.
[Host detected to have shared an unforgettable battle with Lufia in Mock Town and completed a grand adventure via the Knock Up Stream, arriving at the White Sea.]
[Lufia's affection toward the host has increased by 10%. Current affection level: Best Friend 16%.]
A faint smile touched Ralph's lips.
Sixteen percent.
Though the path to "becoming the man who will be the Pirate King" was still long, every step brought him closer.
Watching Lufia leaning excitedly over the railing, pointing and exclaiming, a warmth welled up in his heart.
Taking a deep breath, he quietly activated Life Return.
The air at high altitude was thin, and ordinary people needed time to adjust.
But now, Ralph was, roughly speaking, no ordinary person.
"Something's wrong!"
Chopper's sudden cry rang out.
"Usopp's not breathing!"
Everyone turned to see Usopp lying stiff on the deck, eyes rolled back, a stream of bubbles escaping his mouth.
"Usopp!"
Nami screamed.
"He's oxygen-deprived!"
Sanji hurried over.
"He needs CPR!"
"I'll do it! I'll do it!"
Lufia immediately bounced over, rolling up her sleeves.
"I've learned this! I even revived Ralph!"
Ralph's expression changed, and he rushed forward to stop her.
"No, no! That's really not necessary!"
He casually grabbed the newly awakened Munch-Munch and tossed it to Chopper.
Munch-Munch blinked groggily mid-air, still confused, when Chopper urgently explained:
"Munch-Munch! We need a device to blow air—Usopp's not breathing!"
Munch-Munch blinked its small eyes and understood.
It opened its mouth and swallowed itself whole.
The next moment, a simple-looking air pump appeared in Chopper's hooves.
"Amazing!"
Chopper exclaimed, immediately aiming the pump at Usopp's mouth and pumping vigorously.
"Pfft—pfft—pfft—"
As air was pumped in, Usopp's belly visibly swelled.
"Enough, enough! Any more and he'll burst!"
Nami quickly intervened.
Chopper stopped, anxiously watching Usopp.
A few seconds later—
"Pwah!"
Usopp suddenly sat up, gasping for air.
"Wh-what happened to me?"
"You stopped breathing just now."
Chopper tearfully hugged him.
"You scared me to death!"
Usopp froze for a few seconds, then sprang to his feet and rushed to the ship's railing. Staring out at the vast expanse of the white, cloudy sea, his eyes grew wider and brighter.
"This is... the White-White Sea!"
He trembled with excitement.
"I've really made it to Skypiea!"
The next moment, he made a decision that left everyone dumbfounded.
Take off his clothes!
"Hahahaha!"
Usopp swiftly stripped off his shirt, revealing his lean chest.
"A brave man of the sea can't miss the chance to swim in the White-White Sea!"
"Wait!"
Nami shouted.
"It might be dangerous!"
But Usopp had already leaped into the air, diving into the White-White Sea with a perfect swan dive!
"Splash!"
Cloudy spray scattered everywhere.
Everyone stared nervously at the spot where he had disappeared.
A few seconds later, Usopp's head popped back up.
"Hahahaha!"
He laughed, splashing around in the sea of clouds.
"It's so comfortable! The clouds are soft! Even more comfortable than seawater!"
He swam a couple of laps on the surface, but it didn't seem to satisfy him. Taking a deep breath, he plunged deep into the White-White Sea.
Zoro leaned against the railing, looking calm.
"I never thought there'd really be a sea made of clouds up here.
Well, it's not so strange that there are islands floating in the sky."
"But the Log Pose is still pointing upward."
Nami frowned, looking at the Log Pose on her wrist.
"That means we haven't reached our true destination yet."
Robin rested her chin on her hand, deep in thought.
"There are still clouds above us."
"Perhaps we're only in the middle layer of the Cumulonimbus Cloud, and there's still a way to go higher."
"Usopp's been down there a long time."
Sanji blew a smoke ring.
"He'll be alright, won't he?"
Lufia leaned over the railing, her chin resting on the bar as she swung her legs back and forth.
"Usopp's such a good swimmer, he'll be fine!"
"He probably just wants to see how deep the White-White Sea is."
Chopper nodded vigorously.
"Mhm! Usopp is amazing!"
Hearing this, Ralph felt he had to speak up!
"The buoyancy of the White-White Sea is much weaker than normal seawater," he pointed out the key issue, "and it has no bottom. If Usopp swims through the cloud layer..."
Everyone froze for a second.
Then they all exclaimed in unison:
"He'll fall from the sky!"
Lufia reacted the fastest. Her rubber arm instantly stretched out, plunging directly into the White-White Sea!
"I can't feel him!"
she cried anxiously.
"The clouds are too thick!"
Robin crossed her arms and activated her Hana Hana no Mi ability:
"Fleur!"
Several eyes appeared on Lufia's stretched arm, following it deep into the cloud layer as they tried to search for any trace of Usopp.
But the clouds were too thick, and visibility was extremely low.
Ralph closed his eyes, fully expanding his Observation Haki.
His perception spread out like ripples in all directions, piercing through the White-White Sea to capture every trace of life.
Found him!
Ralph directed Lufia to the location.
Lufia's arm immediately stretched toward that direction, and Robin's eyes focused on the area.
A few seconds later—
"Got him!"
Lufia's eyes lit up as her arm snapped back!
Splash!
Usopp was yanked out of the White-White Sea and landed clumsily on the deck.
But what shocked everyone was the giant octopus that followed him out.
Its tentacles alone were seven or eight meters long, and it seemed to have mistaken Usopp for prey.
As soon as it emerged from the White-White Sea, it swung its massive tentacles, aiming a blow at the nearest ship—the Going Merry!
"Watch out!"
Zoro raised his blade and swung, unleashing a slash!
Poof!
The octopus exploded like a balloon.
"W-what just happened?"
Usopp sat on the ground, dumbfounded.
Before he could even recover from the terror of the giant octopus, chaos ensued once more.
He fished out a smaller fish from his trousers.
The fish had sharp teeth, a flat body, and was similarly light and buoyant, like an inflatable toy.
"What kind of fish is this?"
Lufia leaned in, curiously poking it.
Robin took the fish and examined it closely:
"This should be the Sky Fish recorded in Noland's logbook."
"Sky Fish?"
Everyone asked in unison.
Robin nodded:
"Because the buoyancy of the White-White Sea is lower than that of seawater, they evolved special body structures."
Sanji's eyes lit up, "I wonder how it tastes?"
A few minutes later.
Two Sky Fish were cleaned and prepared by Sanji into a delicious dish.
Lufia took a bite, and her eyes instantly sparkled like stars:
"It's delicious! Even more tender than regular fish!!"
Everyone dug in, quickly finishing off both fish.
Nami ate while looking into the distance with a telescope, searching for a route to continue upward.
Ralph remembered something and turned to walk into the cabin.
He picked up a Den Den Mushi,
"Pururu pururu pururu pururu…"
"Hello?"
Ace's voice came through the phone, tinged with confusion.
Ralph breathed a sigh of relief—
The call quality was good.
From thousands of meters high in the sky down to the sea surface, the signal remained clear.
Ralph's work, always reliable.