Chapter 32: Sky Island (Part 2)
"Breathing's a bit difficult," said Da Vinci, who had a relatively weaker constitution. "Altitude sickness?"
"Mhm, makes sense. We did just jump up to 7,000 meters above sea level. Let's take a break here," Eric replied. Just like how the three main fighters of the Straw Hat crew were taken down in three rounds by a native Shandian warrior, they could barely lift a finger. But Akame and Chiron, both with higher physical stats, seemed to be doing much better.
"Can't believe… huff… you guys actually… huff… pulled it off," Cricket said as he sat on the ground, supporting himself with one hand on his knee.
"Hahaha… huff… Uncle, maybe you should… huff… catch your breath before talking…" Eric mocked him with exaggerated pauses.
"You're not one to talk!" This time, Cricket's retort came smoothly, not a trace of breathlessness—apparently, sarcasm is an innate human ability.
"I… don't feel that bad?" Eric tried to play it off, even though he could feel the breathlessness caused by low oxygen.
"Hey hey, here, I prepared these breathing masks earlier. I figured the air would be thin up here," Da Vinci said, bringing out a few masks from the ship's cabin and handing them out.
"Let's reduce the oxygen intake gradually. That way, our bodies can slowly adapt to the environment." The perfect Da Vinci not only resolved the captain's poor planning but also had the foresight to help everyone adjust to Sky Island's conditions.
"I'm fine. Doesn't affect me much," Chiron declined the mask. With his high stamina and even having fought battles on airplanes, he wasn't fazed.
"The Sky Island Mask Corps is assembled!" Eric declared another nonsense slogan, showing he was feeling better. After all, not everyone could immediately adapt like Monkey D. Luffy. Honestly, the Straw Hats really were monsters.
"Sky Island is just a sea of white. Kid, do you even know where to go?" Cricket asked.
"It's my first time here, okay? Wait, let me check the compass."
"When we passed through the clouds earlier, I felt a little weak, but it was less intense than falling into the ocean," Da Vinci observed, arriving at a scientific conclusion. "That means the sea in the sky has components similar to seawater, but it's less dense." If Da Vinci lived in this world permanently, she'd probably unravel all its mysteries one by one.
Suddenly, a giant octopus appeared next to the ship, swinging its massive tentacle toward them.
"Fire!" Chiron shot an arrow at it, and the octopus popped like a balloon.
"Seems like creatures here evolved this way due to the lower density of the sky sea—to adapt to the weaker buoyancy compared to the ocean," Da Vinci quickly deduced. She was a zoologist, after all.
"So… which way do we go now?" Cricket was getting impatient. It was understandable—this was a 400-year-old burden for him.
"That way!" Eric pointed in the direction the compass indicated. If it was wrong, they'd just find another path.
"There's a big gate ahead. It says 'Gate of Heaven,' and behind it is a waterfall cloud," Chiron reported, still acting as the party's telescope.
"Yep, that's the place—we're almost there."
"Are you tourists? Or are you here for war?" A little old lady came out from a room, snapping pictures. "Doesn't matter. If you want to go to the Upper Yard, please pay the entrance fee. It's ten billion Extols per person. That's the law."
"Ten billion Extols? How much is that in Berries?" Eric wasn't shocked by the amount—after all, they'd lived through Zimbabwean currency.
"Exchange rate is 1 to 10,000. So that's 500,000 Berries." Not wanting trouble, Eric paid up quickly to avoid being scammed by this suspicious granny.
"..." Amazon went silent, probably not expecting someone to pay so readily.
"So, could you take us directly to Angel Island?" Eric asked. "We can pay a bit more." His main goal was the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, and getting that came first.
The "Gatekeeper" Amazon didn't respond. Instead, two giant pincers rose from the sea of clouds, clamping onto the ship's wings. Then, a massive red shrimp surfaced, lifting the ship onto its back and swiftly heading toward the waterfall cloud. The road formed by winding cloud currents sent strong wind blasting past them—this express shrimp was no joke.
"Feels like a roller coaster!"
"This must be the Upper Yard. Let's find a Sky Islander and ask where we are."
"It's all white, yet there's green vegetation even though there's no soil?" Da Vinci was intrigued by the plant life rooted in the clouds.
"This must be Island Cloud. I'm jumping," Eric said as he prepared to leap off the ship.
"Wait, Eric !" Akame, startled by his movement, jumped down with him.
"Huh?" The two of them landed steadily on the Island Cloud. It was soft, moist, and surprisingly comfortable to walk on.
"Akame, you were too worried about me. Do I seem that unreliable? Have a little more faith in me," Eric said, touched that she followed him down out of concern. "Ah, forgot to take off my shoes." Both their shoes and socks were now soaked.
The two stood leisurely on the cloud barefoot. "How does it feel?"
"Relaxing." Akame's simple, direct words reflected her emotions. After the terrifying upward surge, the endless cloud sea, and the high-speed express shrimp ride, it was hard not to feel tense. Now, at last, she could relax.
"Hey! You guys should come down too! Remember to take off your shoes!" Eric called out to the others.
"I thought you two were just gonna stay there flirting forever," Cricket joked. After a few days with the group, he'd learned how to dish out Eric -style banter.
"Aw, thanks for the compliment." Eric scratched his head bashfully.
"That wasn't a compliment!" Another sharp jab.
"There's a little girl over there. Let's ask her for directions."
"Heso, are you… Blue Sea people?" the curious little girl asked. She hadn't fully grown up yet, but Eric thought she looked familiar.
"Blue Sea people? We came from the ocean below. I suppose that's what you call us," Chiron answered kindly, taking the lead in asking for directions. Da Vinci was too focused on the plant life, and Akame wasn't much of a talker.
"Wow! Real Blue Sea people! I haven't seen any in a long time. Welcome to Angel Beach in the land of the gods! I'm Conis," the girl introduced herself cheerfully.
'That's the girl the Straw Hats met right after they flew up, isn't it?'
"Conis, heso!" A man rode up on what looked like an electric scooter—but no, it was a Waver.
"Father, heso!" the girl greeted joyfully.
"Sorry, excuse me, I'm stopping here. Ah…" The man crashed into a tree near the beach, struggled to get up, and still asked, "Is everyone okay?"
"No, you should be worrying about yourself, old man," Eric replied, taking over the role of straight man. It seemed Cricket only commented when it was about him.
"I haven't introduced myself. My name is Pagaya. Pardon me."
"Not at all. It's a pleasure."
"Would you all like to come to our humble home for a visit?" Conis's father invited warmly.
"May we? That would be very kind of you." Eric accepted, planning to gather some intel.
(END CHAPTER)
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