Chapter 124: The Sky Knight and the Ancient Sea
"Roar!!!"
The sea of clouds below suddenly exploded, and a massive bloody mouth filled with sharp teeth, large enough to swallow the entire ship, bit toward the going merry in the air with a fishy wind!
It was a giant Skypiea monster fish lurking in the clouds!
"Waaaah!! Is that a fish?! Why is there a fish that big?!"
Usopp and Chopper were so scared their eyes nearly popped out, and they screamed while hugging each other tightly.
Nami also hugged the mast in terror, her face pale.
"Tsk!" Zoro pressed his hand on his sword hilt, about to draw his blade.
"Don't steal my prey, Zoro!"
A red figure took the lead, launching off the ship's hull.
Luffy was in mid-air, facing the terrifying beast with a reckless laugh on his face:
"Hee hee hee! Whether you're a fish or a bird, don't get in my way!!!"
Luffy pulled his right arm back sharply, his black hair dancing wildly in the wind.
At that moment, a layer of black energy wrapped directly around his fist—it was Armament Haki!
"Gomu Gomu no Pistol!!!!"
"Bang!!!!"
A dull, massive thud.
Luffy's seemingly tiny fist slammed hard into the monster fish's forehead.
A massive impact force exploded instantly, and the giant monster fish didn't even have time to scream before it was knocked out, its eyes rolling back.
It was smashed back into the depths of the sea of clouds like a meteorite, kicking up massive cloud waves.
"So powerful..." Chopper watched in a daze.
Using the reaction force, the going merry traced an arc through the air, and then—
"Splash."
There was no loud splash of falling into water; the hull seemed to land on a giant mass of cotton, swaying as it came to a stop.
Everyone climbed up, still shaken, and began to survey their surroundings.
"Are we... on the clouds?" Usopp lay on the railing in shock, looking at the vast white expanse below.
There was no seawater here, only an endless sea of clouds as white as cream.
The going merry was like a ghost ship sailing above the clouds.
"Is this the Skypiea?" Robin's eyes sparkled with an archaeologist's thirst for knowledge. "What an incredible sight."
"Wahahaha! Clouds! It's clouds!!"
Luffy excitedly took off his shirt, wanting to jump down and swim. Usopp was also eager to try.
"Wait! Don't just jump! This sea of clouds is bottomless!" Tatsuya grabbed Luffy by the back of his collar.
However, the excitement didn't last long.
"Ha... ha... what's going on..."
Usopp suddenly clutched his chest, gasping for air, his face turning pale.
Then, Nami and Sanji also began to feel difficulty breathing, their limbs becoming weak as if they were carrying a heavy weight.
"My body... feels so heavy..." Sanji knelt on the ground, sweat dripping from his forehead.
Even Zoro and Luffy, with their powerful physiques, frowned, feeling their breathing become somewhat labored.
Although Tatsuya's physical constitution far exceeded that of an ordinary person, he also felt the burden on his lungs increase.
He walked over to Nami, supporting her swaying body, and analyzed calmly:
"Everyone, be careful. The air here is too thin."
"We are over seven thousand meters high, and the oxygen content is much lower than on the ground.
"If a battle occurs, physical exertion will be more than double what it is below. Everyone, try to adjust your breathing and reduce strenuous movement."
Before he could finish his sentence—
"Whoosh!!"
A sharp sound of something cutting through the air suddenly rang out.
The clouds swirled, and a man wearing a strange mask, riding a jet dial skateboard, rushed out of the clouds like a ghost.
Wyper, a warrior of Shandia.
Holding a massive Burn Bazooka, he didn't say a word and fired a fierce shot at the going merry.
"Outsiders... expelled!!"
Boom!!
Flames erupted.
"That bastard! Does he want to fight?!"
Luffy wanted to counterattack, but because he hadn't yet adapted to the high-altitude environment, his movements became unusually sluggish.
"Gum-Gum... Ugh!"
Luffy's first punch actually missed, and because of the lack of oxygen, his vision went dark for a moment, nearly getting hit head-on by Wyper's Burn Bazooka.
"Bang!!"
At the critical moment, Tatsuya flickered in front of Luffy. He didn't draw his sword but used the hard scabbard to block and deflect Wyper's subsequent sharp kick.
"Hmm?"
The moment they made contact, Tatsuya frowned.
A strange vibrating force was transmitted through the scabbard, making his hand go numb.
"An impact dial...?"
Tatsuya took a step back using the force, his eyes narrowing as he stared at the skateboard under Wyper's feet and his special shoes:
"This guy's equipment... is strange."
Just as both sides were at each other's throats and a battle was about to erupt—
"Stop!!"
An old but majestic voice came from above.
"Neigh!!"
A pink Pegasus descended from the sky.
On the horse's back sat an old knight wearing armor and holding a lance.
The "Sky Knight"—Gan Fall.
Gan Fall's lance shook, forcing Wyper back.
"It's you again... Gan Fall."
Wyper snorted coldly. Looking at the Straw Hat crew standing ready and then at Gan Fall, he didn't seem to want to fight against many while at a disadvantage.
"Hmph."
He stepped on his jet dial skateboard, traced an arc in the air, and disappeared into the vast sea of clouds.
The crisis was temporarily averted.
Gan Fall put away his spear and began to promote his "Crane Knight" business to everyone.
"I am the Sky Knight. As long as you blow the whistle, I will come to the rescue no matter where you are. Five million Extol per time."
"Five million?! That's too expensive!!" Although Nami didn't know the exchange rate, she instinctively refused upon hearing the word "million."
"It doesn't have to be money; a specialty from the Blue Sea would also work..." Gan Fall hinted.
"A specialty?"
Tatsuya thought for a moment, turned and walked into the cabin, and after a while, came out with a bottle of very strong rum in his hand.
"Hey! Isn't that my private stash!!" Zoro's sharp eyes instantly recognized the fine liquor he had bought in Loguetown.
"Don't be so stingy, Mr. Swordsman, it's for everyone's safety."
Tatsuya ignored Zoro's protest and threw the bottle directly to Gan Fall:
"Old man, this bottle of wine is a Blue Sea spirit. Exchanging it for one instance of your information and rescue—this isn't a bad deal, is it?"
Gan Fall caught the bottle and sniffed the aroma from the mouth of the bottle. A satisfied smile appeared on his serious old face:
"Oh... truly good stuff. It seems you know your goods, young man."
Gan Fall readily threw a whistle to Tatsuya and then flew away on Pierre.
...
Shortly after, the going merry arrived in front of a giant cloud waterfall, where a grand gate stood—the "Heaven's Gate."
An old woman who looked like a dried plum—the Gatekeeper Amazon—stood expressionlessly before them.
"To go to the upper White-White Sea, an entry fee of 1 billion Extol per person must be paid."
"1 billion?!!" Nami shrieked. "How many Berries is that! Is this a robbery!!"
"We don't have any money!!"
"If you don't pay, you can still pass through," Granny Amazon said flatly, her eyes glinting with something strange. "But you do so at your own risk."
"Then we won't pay! Let's charge through!!"
As soon as Nami heard they could pass without paying, she immediately gave the order.
"Alright! Hold on tight!"
At that moment, a giant Super Express Speed Shrimp suddenly rushed out from under the water. Its two large claws gripped both sides of the going merry, and it sped up the cloud waterfall at an incredible speed!
"Waah waah!! So fast!!"
Amidst everyone's cries of surprise, the ship sped toward the upper layers of the Skypiea.
However.
Tatsuya did not look ahead.
He stood at the stern, looking back at the shrinking Heaven's Gate.
He saw Granny Amazon pressing a button on a device in her hand while facing their retreating backs.
"Click."
An inconspicuous flash lit up.
Tatsuya looked at the sacred yet crisis-filled clouds above, a slight smile playing on his lips:
"It seems we haven't even entered... and we're already on that 'God's' blacklist."
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