Merveille... the floating archipelago where the legendary "Golden Lion" Shiki was once recaptured, and the birthplace of Marine Seaman Second Class Sigma.
It is an island known as the "Secret Realm that Reaches the Clouds."
True to its name, Krieg arrived at the base of a mountain so tall it pierced the heavens like a spear. Readjusting the massive haul of supplies onto his back, he ignited his Moonwalk (Geppo) and blasted off toward the summit.
Krieg's plan was characteristically direct. He had always intended to visit the Sky Island, but having deemed the High West route and the Knock Up Stream too unpredictable, he had been scouting for alternatives while on duty.
Sky Islands exist within Cumulonimbus Regalis (Imperial Cumulonimbus)—clouds so dense they are called "cloud fossils." These clouds consist of two layers: the White Sea (7,000 meters) and the White-White Sea (10,000 meters).
Reaching even the lower layer is a feat few can manage, as they are higher than the Red Line itself.
Krieg's solution? Find a point on earth already higher than the rest of the world and jump.
During the Shiki recapture mission, he had noted Merveille's absurdly tall peaks, though their summits were hidden by clouds at the time.
After consulting with the Marine Headquarters' navigation team, he confirmed that Merveille's atmospheric path frequently intersects with the drifting Cumulonimbus Regalis.
According to the forecast, the contact window would open within the next two to three days.
After a few hours of ascent and brief pauses, Krieg reached the summit. He dropped the heavy building materials and took a deep, stretching breath, imagining Tesoro and the others setting up camp below.
「The air is definitely thin up here...」
At this altitude, oxygen was scarce. He'd need to bring the others up soon to let them acclimate.
With that thought, he stepped off the peak, free-falling until he was inches from the ground before slamming his Geppo like a high-speed brake. Landing safely, he approached Tesoro, who was busy weaving strands of gold on the beach.
「I'm finished up top. How's your end looking?」
「You wanted gold rope, right? Something like this?」 Tesoro held up a shimmering, slender cable.
「Can it handle the weight?」
「I've learned recently that gold manipulated by my ability becomes significantly tougher than the standard metal. At this thickness, it won't budge. You couldn't snap this if you tried.」
Krieg took the golden rope, yanked it hard several times, and nodded with satisfaction.
「GIN! SIGMA! KAFU! COTTON! FORM UP!!」
His roar echoed through the forest. As the team gathered, Krieg turned his attention to Magatsuno, who was grunting and snapping in his tank.
Based on Cotton's earlier scouting of a large pond, Krieg hoisted the Fighting Fish—tank and all—and hauled him to the inland water.
Fortunately, Fighting Fish can survive in both salt and fresh water. Magatsuno would stay here as a "guard dog" for the duration of the trip.
Given the ferocious ecosystem of Merveille, there was little worry about him breaking the food chain—if anything, he'd have to fight just to stay at the top.
With the heavy supplies already at the summit, the group returned to the base.
「...Are you actually serious about this?」
Tesoro stared in disbelief as Krieg loaded him and Sigma into the boat, then proceeded to lash the boat to his own back and left arm using the golden rope.
「Don't worry, it's perfectly safe... probably,」 Krieg muttered.
「Did you just say 'probably'?!」 Tesoro thrashed against his golden restraints.
Ignoring the protest, Krieg tucked Gin under his right arm and looked up at his aerial scouts.
「Kafu, Cotton, go ahead of us. Signal me if you find any ledges or hollows where we can stop for a breather.」
「Understood-less! But are you really going to carry everyone up-less? It's a long way-less!」
「It'll take a few hours, but we'll make it even with the extra weight.」
And with that, carrying Tesoro and Sigma like a turtle's shell and clutching Gin like a football, Krieg kicked off the ground. The sound of exploding air followed him as he began the impossible ascent.
The Thunder God's Welcome:
While keeping the members acclimated to the thinning oxygen, Krieg watched the horizon. True to the navigational forecast from Mary Geoise, the Cumulonimbus Regalis—the Imperial Cumulonimbus—drifted into range.
「We're entering the clouds! As expected, the mountain doesn't reach the summit of the White-White Sea, so we're breaking into the cloud-sea midway! Everyone, ready?」
Beside him, Gin, Sigma, and Cotton (all lugging survival gear and oxygen tanks) gave a spirited roar. Tesoro and Kafu had been forced into specialized waterproof suits for the transition. Then, the world vanished into a blinding wall of white as the peak of Merveille was swallowed by the sky.
「...This is unbelievable.」
Tesoro muttered, eyes wide. The sea was a vast, rolling expanse of ivory, reflecting the high-altitude sun so intensely it threatened to scorch their retinas. Krieg hauled everyone up to the surface of the White Sea and launched the boat.
「Everyone intact?」
「Boss, won't you get tired if you keep using Moonwalk? There's still room in the boat,」 Gin offered.
Krieg gratefully stepped onto the vessel, only for a sickening creak to echo as the boat immediately began to sink under his sheer mass.
「STOP! STOP!」 Tesoro shrieked. 「Krieg! Get off! You're going to sink us! Stay in the air!」
Krieg hastily kicked back into the sky. 「Cough. Right. Anyway, everyone put these on.」
He handed out high-grade sunglasses to the group. He lashed a rope from the boat to his waist and began towing them through the clouds toward what looked like a massive, vertical waterfall of vapor in the distance.
They navigated around "Cloud Islands"—drifting masses of firm cloud—until the towering falls loomed over them.
「So, you want us to climb that?」 Tesoro asked, skeptical.
Krieg frowned. There should have been an immigration gate around here, but I guess our 'backdoor' entry via Merveille bypassed the official checkpoint.
「Climbing it manually would be a pain. Wait here.」
Krieg dove into the White Sea. A few minutes of splashing later, he resurfaced, dragging a massive, thrashing creature toward the boat.
「That's a huge shrimp-less... bigger than a Fighting Fish-less!」 Cotton exclaimed.
「Boss! What the hell is that?!」 Gin shouted.
「What, are you hungry? It looks like it would taste good, but...」 Tesoro started.
「Shut it! This is our engine!」 Krieg barked. 「Everyone, grab onto the boat and tie yourselves down. Hey, Shrimp! Take us to the top, and I won't turn you into a cocktail. Move!」
The Super-Express Speed Shrimp—sensing the terrifying aura of the man holding its feelers—submitted instantly.
「Alright, GO! To the Sky Island!!」
「Sky Island... I wonder what it's like!」 「I've heard the rumors, but I never thought I'd actually be here.」 「The world outside is incredible-less! A sea in the sky!」
The shrimp charged into the waterfall. Krieg felt the G-force as they shot vertically upward, thinking idly that "Shrimp Climbing a Waterfall" sounded like a high-end appetizer. Finally, they crested the top and breached the White-White Sea—10,000 meters above the Blue Sea.
Arrival at Angel Beach
The shrimp dropped them off near a shore made of fluffy, white "Beach Clouds" and scurried back down the falls as soon as Krieg released it.
「Whoa, there really is an island here. There was a sign back there that said 'Skypiea.' Is that the name?」 Tesoro asked, looking around.
「Everything is so white! And look, there are buildings! People must live here!」
The group stepped onto the shore. Cotton poked at a strange, springy plant growing from the cloud-soil.
「Strange plants-less. They grow right out of the fluff-less.」
「Hey, this fruit looks tasty... but it's hard as a rock. Krieg, can you open this?」 Tesoro held up a Conis-nut (Sky-Melon).
「You're acting like a tourist... Here.」 Krieg used a hand-blade strike to perfectly cleave the top off the fruit, handing it back so Tesoro could drink the juice.
Then, Krieg's expression shifted. He pulled a specialized full-body black suit from his pack—his combat gear.
「Alright! Everyone, take the gear and get back! It might get dangerous!」
He took a massive, lung-expanding breath. Depending on the response to what he was about to do, the difficulty level of this "vacation" was about to skyrocket. He needed to know if the "God" of this land was watching.
Krieg filled his lungs and roared at the top of his voice:
「ENEL, YOU TOTAL MORON!! COME AND GET ME!!」
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