To ensure everything went perfectly, Gaban even shoved the helmsman, Donquino, aside and took control of the wheel himself.
In everyone's eyes, the sky was gradually drawing closer, while the sea below expanded endlessly.
Jaya Island, now thoroughly "cleaned," shrank rapidly beneath them.
"Come to think of it, have you guys heard of the City of Gold?" Rayleigh suddenly shouted over the roaring wind, hanging onto the mast with one hand as if something had just occurred to him.
Gaban wore an excited grin as he continuously adjusted the helm. "One of the three great treasures of the sea, according to legend?"
Since the Roger Pirates had not yet reached the final island, there was still no such thing as the "One Piece" in the world.
But even so, there were still many legendary treasures across the seas, sought after by countless people.
"That's right!" Intelligence officer Spencer tied a rope around his waist and grabbed onto the mast as well, loudly explaining to the crew members who weren't familiar with it. "The three great treasures of the sea are said to be the City of Gold—Shandora, the Emerald City—Tenido, and the Sea of Gems—Jeps. Any one of these treasures holds unimaginable wealth. Find just one, and you'd become the richest person on the seas…"
"Ah, yeah, I've heard of that too!" Roger shouted. "A secret land made entirely of gold, a city built of emeralds, and a sea filled with gems, right?"
"That's the legend," Rayleigh continued. "As for the Emerald City and the Sea of Gems, no one has found even a trace of them for centuries. But the City of Gold—that one has actually been recorded in history!"
"What!?" Roger exclaimed. "You're saying someone actually found the City of Gold? How come I've never heard of that?"
"Over four hundred years ago, an explorer from the North Blue's Lvneel Kingdom—Mont Blanc Noland—claimed he had found the legendary City of Gold…" Rayleigh said, looking down at the rapidly shrinking Jaya Island below.
"Mont Blanc Noland?" Spencer quickly searched his mental database, then recalled. "Ah, right, there was such a person—but wasn't that proven to be a lie? He was even sentenced to death for it. In many stories circulating in the North Blue, he's portrayed as the 'Liar Noland,' right?"
At that moment, Valthior, who had been silent, suddenly laughed. He too looked down at Jaya Island and said, "According to the legend, the City of Gold Noland spoke of… was located on Jaya Island!"
"What!? Then didn't we just miss—wait, no. If there really were a City of Gold on Jaya, pirates would've discovered it long ago," Roger said, first startled, then quickly reasoning it out.
"I always treated that story as a joke too," Rayleigh said, flipping himself onto a horizontal beam of the mast and sitting there with a grin. "But just now, watching Jaya shrink, I suddenly remembered something… In the story, Jaya is described as a massive island covered in vast primeval forests, inhabited by many Shandians—the very people who created the City of Gold. But the Jaya we saw doesn't have those traces, and it's not nearly that large. So isn't it possible…"
Everyone aboard was sharp. Roger instantly understood what Rayleigh was getting at. Looking at the surging current carrying them skyward, a hint of astonishment appeared in his eyes.
"You're saying… the City of Gold might have been blasted into the sky by the Knock Up Stream!?"
"Whether that's true or not, we'll find out when we get up there," Gaban said while steering. "But now's not the time for that discussion. That Sea King that got blasted up earlier is about to fall—who's going to handle it!?"
Sure enough, a massive Sea King was plummeting from the sky.
It had clearly broken free from the Knock Up Stream—but that only meant it had sealed its own fate.
At this height, there was no way it would survive the fall.
And judging by its trajectory, it was very likely to crash straight into the Oro Jackson!
Just as Rayleigh and Roger were about to act, a sharp explosion rang out beneath Valthior's feet. He kicked off the air, crossing from the stern to the bow in just a few steps.
Then, with a powerful swing of his arm, the chain axe wrapped tightly around it shot out.
One of the great mysteries aboard Roger's ship was just how long Valthior's chain axe actually was.
It seemed that as long as he wanted, it could extend to any length!?
As these thoughts flashed through everyone's minds, the chain axe tore through the air and struck the Sea King squarely in the head with pinpoint accuracy.
In the next instant, a chilling frost burst forth from the axe, instantly freezing the massive Sea King into a colossal ice sculpture.
Then—
With a low shout, Valthior pulled hard with one arm, forcibly dragging the Sea King completely out of the current. Like casting a fishing rod, he flung it far into the distance.
In everyone's view, the frozen Sea King fell from the sky, crashing into the endless ocean below. The immense impact shattered it into countless icy fragments, scattering across a wide stretch of sea before slowly sinking.
"When you retire from being a pirate, you'd have a great future as a whaler, Valthior!" Roger laughed.
"Tch. Why would I bother? I could just go back and inherit my billions," Valthior said disdainfully.
"Why'd you have to bring that up? You just let him show off again," Rayleigh laughed at Roger.
"It's coming—hold your breath, tie yourselves down, don't get overconfident!" Gaban said in a deep voice as he looked at the approaching cloud layer.
According to what Valthior had explained earlier, this white cloud layer was called the "White Sea" in Sky Island—a strange natural phenomenon that looked like clouds but was actually a form of seawater, known as Sea Clouds.
Such phenomena typically existed at altitudes above 7,000 meters, forming part of the mid-layer structure of cumulonimbus clouds.
Another 3,000 meters above that—at over 10,000 meters—was the "White-White Sea," the true ocean of the Sky Islands.
"Guess you really do have to respect nature…" Roger muttered as he tied a rope around his waist.
As a Devil Fruit user, Valthior had no intention of challenging the White Sea directly. He tied ropes around himself as well—one wasn't enough, so he secured three.
At Gaban's command, the Oro Jackson charged forward like a high-speed battleship and slammed headfirst into the White Sea.
In an instant—
A massive volume of seawater engulfed the entire ship.
Through the hazy surroundings, strange Sky Sea creatures could be seen drifting and swimming within the clouds.
Roger and the others were fine, curiously looking around.
Valthior, however, felt his entire body go limp. Like a salted fish, he floated helplessly, dragged along by the ropes.
After about half a minute—
With a loud bang, the Oro Jackson burst through the thick cloud sea and landed atop the white clouds.
At that moment, the powerful Knock Up Stream from before had vanished.
"Why do I feel a bit dizzy?" Roger said, holding onto the mast.
"Idiot. The oxygen's too thin. We're at 7,000 meters," Rayleigh replied while supporting Shakky.
But before anyone could fully adjust to the environment—
The Oro Jackson suddenly began to tremble again.
Seeing this, Gaban shouted, "Hold on tight! Damn it—has the Knock Up Stream not ended yet!?"
Valthior, who had just been thoroughly "educated" by seawater, froze for a moment and yelled, "What the hell—again!?"
In his memory, the Knock Up Stream should have dissipated upon reaching the White Sea. The Straw Hat Pirates had reached the White Sea this way and then ascended to the White-White Sea through a special route, right?
But before he could finish that thought—
The Oro Jackson shot upward from a standstill!
The Knock Up Stream slammed violently into the bottom of the ship, and this time, it was like riding an elevator—propelling them straight toward the even higher White-White Sea!
...
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