Chapter 69: Alabasta → Jaya – Sky Island Clues & the Violent Town
"I don't care! I wanna go to Sky Island!" Luffy kept shouting stubbornly.
Bang bang bang! Without another word, Nami delivered an iron-fisted suppression. Luffy's head instantly sprouted several huge lumps; he collapsed on the deck steaming like a cartoon character.
"If I keep arguing with you it'll never end!" She stood with hands on hips, glaring. "Anyway, the ship can't move right now. The Log Pose keeps pointing straight up. Our top priority is figuring out how to get there!"
She paused, then turned to Robin: "Since that huge sailing ship just fell from the sky, there has to be a way for the Merry too!"
At that moment Sol raised his hand and spoke slowly: "Actually… there is another way to reach Sky Island."
"What?!" Nami whipped around, eyes instantly turning dangerous. "You knew the method? Then why didn't you say anything earlier?! (╬￣皿￣)╯"
Sol gave a dry laugh and hurriedly explained: "The way to Sky Island from here is to ride what's called the 'monster current'—a skyward ocean current that shoots straight up. But while I know about the method, I don't know exactly when it erupts." He spread his hands helplessly. "Normally, the regular route starts from the summit of the western sky."
"Summit of the western sky? The edge of the West Blue?" Robin's eyes widened slightly, rare surprise in her tone. "I always thought that was just a legend…"
"Turning back to the West Blue right now isn't realistic!" Nami held her chin in thought for a moment, then her eyes lit up. She slammed her palm with her fist. "Right! You guys—" She pointed at Luffy, Zoro, Sol, and Sanji with a sly smile. "Go dive down and retrieve that sunken ship's logbook! Since that ship reached the sky, there must be clues in its records!"
Zoro crossed his arms with a sour look: "Easy for you to say. In the end the ones doing the dirty work are still us, huh?"
…
"Damn it—that violent woman. How does Sol put up with her?" Zoro grumbled to himself, rubbing the huge lump on his head.
"Hey, Zoro—you really never take your swords off, huh?" Luffy—already wearing Usopp's hastily-made simple diving gear—tilted his head curiously at the three swords on Zoro's waist.
"Nami-san! Vivi-san! Robin-san!" Sanji swooned with hearts in his eyes. "Wait for our triumphant return—we'll definitely find a way to Sky Island!"
Sol bent down to check his own diving equipment and couldn't help complaining: "Usopp, is this thing really reliable? It's not gonna leak halfway, is it?"
Usopp gave a confident thumbs-up: "Relax! My inventions are 100% foolproof!"
Splash! Splash! With four consecutive diving sounds, the group plunged into the sea one after another, leaving only ripples spreading across the surface…
"Moshi moshi, this is Chopper. Come in—how's the situation down there?"
"This is Luffy—there are tons of sea serpents here!"
"This is Zoro—is this a giant sea serpent nest or what?"
"This is Sanji—oh, it's looking at me."
"This is Sol—I've successfully captured a sea serpent. It's floating up now. Please receive it."
"OK!" Nami replied crisply, completely unfazed.
"Hey hey! Where's the OK?! This is obviously super dangerous!" Usopp instantly exploded, pointing frantically at the sea. "Those are sea serpents! The man-eating kind!"
Nami rolled her eyes: "What's the point of complaining to me? We're all landlubbers who can't swim—they'll figure it out themselves!" She turned briskly and waved to Vivi and Robin. "Come on, let's go to the kitchen and get knives! We'll process Sol's sea serpent meat first!"
"Chopper! Hold the brake tight—don't let those four idiots sink to the bottom!" she added without looking back.
The deck instantly became busy. Nami deftly butchered the serpent meat, Robin sprouted countless hands to help carry pieces, and Vivi sorted and organized. Karoo flapped his wings like an eager little delivery bird, shuttling cut meat chunks to the kitchen.
Just as Nami and the others finished processing the last piece of sea serpent meat, the surface bubbled violently. Sol and the others surfaced one by one and climbed back aboard the Merry, dripping wet.
All four carried "spoils of war"—Sanji elegantly held a box glittering with gold and silver jewelry; Zoro cradled several bottles of perfectly sealed aged wine; Sol carefully carried the ancient treasure chest he'd spotted earlier.
Only Luffy held a pile of rusty scrap metal, looking like he'd been scavenging junk—and still dripping water.
"What the heck! I'm the only one who didn't find anything good!" Luffy pouted, disgustedly flipping through the junk before casually tossing it all back into the sea with plop plop plop.
"Nami-san Vivi-san Robin-san~" Sanji suddenly dropped to one knee like a knight offering tribute and opened the jewelry box. "Please accept these treasures from your loyal knight." His golden bangs still dripped water, but his elegance remained undiminished.
"Ha! Not bad luck." Zoro was already prying open one bottle and took a long swig, smacking his lips in satisfaction. "Didn't get ruined by seawater at all."
"Jackpot!" Sol excitedly opened the treasure chest. Inside lay a perfectly preserved Eternal Pose, its brass surface clearly engraved with the word "Jaya."
Nami took the Eternal Pose and examined it carefully against the sea chart: "This is an Eternal Pose pointing to Jaya Island! Nice work, Sol!"
Robin smiled and suggested: "Then let's head to Jaya. There should be clues there about the skyward current Sol mentioned."
"Alright! Full speed ahead! Destination—Jaya Island, then Sky Island adventure!" Luffy instantly revived, standing at the bow with both arms raised in triumph, all his earlier gloom forgotten.
"Mm, although we've restocked plenty of sea serpent meat…" Sanji poked his head out of the kitchen, wiping water from his hands. "Our vegetable and fruit reserves are running low. Perfect chance to resupply on the island."
"Good! Then let's eat first! Eat, then head to Jaya!!" Luffy immediately changed priorities, drool still hanging from the corner of his mouth.
Nami helplessly facepalmed but quickly took charge, directing everyone to adjust course. The Merry cut through the waves once more.
Soon the enticing aroma of cooking drifted from the kitchen—Sanji was expertly grilling sea serpent meat with special spices. The unique fragrance made everyone on deck swallow hard.
After a hearty meal, the outline of Jaya Island gradually came into view.
From afar it looked like a resort paradise. Up close… it was a huge letdown.
As they docked, curses and sounds of fighting rang out nonstop.
After landing, they realized this place was pure lawless chaos—street brawls everywhere, bottles shattering, cheers and jeers filling the air.
"What a… lively place," Nami muttered, mouth twitching.
After a quick discussion, they decided Nami, Sol, Luffy, and Zoro would form the shopping team; the others would stay and guard the Merry.
The moment they stepped into town, Luffy was already excitedly looking everywhere: "Wow! All kinds of people here!"
"Definitely a place that gets the blood pumping." Zoro grinned, hand unconsciously resting on his sword hilts.
Nami nervously clung to Sol's arm: "This place is way too chaotic… feels like someone could jump us any second…"
"You guys head to the tavern first and gather intel on the sky current." Sol gently hugged Nami back and kissed her forehead. "I'll go buy ingredients—be back soon."
"Be careful~" Nami blushed and waved. "I'll keep an eye on these two problem children."
Luffy dug in his ear impatiently: "Got it, got it—I promise I won't start any fights in this town!"
"Good. Keep your word." Nami turned to Zoro. "You too!"
Zoro grunted: "Mm."
--------------------------
Support us on Patreon and gain access to 100 chapters in advance!
patreon.com/inkshield
Special Offer: Badass Tier – 20% OFF
Use code: STAR20