The sun dipped below the horizon, casting long shadows over the ship anchored at Jaya's harbor. Evening had settled in, and the crew members who had gone ashore were finally returning, their faces marked with weariness and curiosity.
As Gin stepped aboard, bruised and dusty, Sanji raised an eyebrow. "What happened to you? Got into a street brawl?"
Gin shrugged like it was nothing. "Some punk with springy limbs thought he could show off. So I gave him a little lesson."
Zoro leaned on the railing, eyeing the blood on Gin's shirt. "Yeah? Looks like you took a few lessons yourself."
"That guy was fast," Gin admitted with a smirk. "It caught me off guard at first, but it helped me figure something out."
Sanji asked. "What'd you figure?"
"I used Soru," Gin said proudly, grinning. "After that, it was an easy win."
Zoro and Sanji both blinked. They knew Gin had already learned Shigan, but now Soru too?
"You're getting ahead of yourself," Zoro muttered, clearly annoyed.
"Tch. Show-off," Sanji added.
Chloris suddenly appeared behind Gin, tugging his arm. "You're injured. Come, sit down."
She dragged him to the deck's side and gently propped him up. Moris knelt beside her, and both placed their glowing green palms over his wounds.
"Jusei Kigen: Iyate no Inori!"
(*Dryad Origin: Cleric Touch!*)
A soft, green aura bloomed around their hands, pulsing with natural energy. The healing light seeped into Gin's injuries, gradually closing the cuts and easing the swelling.
Nearby, Kaya watched in awe. Her eyes narrowed with focus, as if analyzing every motion, every pulse of healing energy. Then, silently, she stepped forward and knelt beside Gin as well.
"Sen'otome Kigen: Tenshi no Sesshoku!"
(*Valkyrie Origin: Angel Touch!*)
A different aura emerged from her hands—cool and blue, serene in contrast to the Dryads' earthy green. Instead of surrounding Gin, the light from Kaya's hands flowed directly into his body, like gentle threads weaving themselves into his skin.
The three of them worked together, and in just a few minutes, Gin let out a relaxed sigh, looking much better than when he boarded.
Chloris stared at Kaya, surprised. "You… copied our healing technique?"
"I don't know how," Kaya admitted, wiping sweat from her brow. "I just thought I could do it. And then… it worked."
"Must be your new power," Moris said thoughtfully.
"Angel Touch, huh?" Sanji's eyes sparkled. "Kaya-chan really is an angel."
"Simp," Zoro muttered.
"What did you say, mosshead?!" Sanji snapped, already turning to square up.
"Cut it out!" Nami scolded, stepping between them before another pointless fight could break out.
She turned to the returning members. "So? Did any of you find out anything useful?"
Zoro stepped forward and tossed a thin book onto a nearby crate. "Some shopkeeper gave me this. It's about a guy named Mont Blanc Noland—called a liar for claiming a Sky Island exists."
"Everyone in town thinks it's just a myth," Creed added. "But I heard about a group called the Saruyama Alliance. They apparently hang around with someone named Mont Blanc too."
"Descendant of the so-called liar?" Hibari asked, intrigued.
"Maybe," Galdino chimed in as he approached with Marianne. "People were mocking the guy's family name. But if what we saw earlier in the sky is real… maybe he's telling the truth."
A quiet stillness fell over the ship.
Then, Zino spoke up, his tone calm but firm. "That's our lead."
Everyone turned to him as he continued. "Let's go meet the man tied to Mont Blanc Noland. If anyone knows more, it's him."
With that, the Silent Orca unfurled its sails and glided along the shoreline, heading eastward toward the place the Saruyama Alliance was said to be staying.
Before long, they came upon an unusual sight.
Ahead stood a house—well, half of one. The other half was covered by a massive plywood facade resembling a grand, makeshift castle. It was equal parts bizarre and creative, clearly the work of eccentric hands.
Outside, three figures stood talking.
One was a rugged, middle-aged man with a barrel chest and square jaw, wearing a diving mask pushed up onto his head—Mont Blanc Cricket. Flanking him were two strange men whose features bore a striking resemblance to monkeys. One was large and round—Masira—with long arms and a wild mop of hair. The other, Shoujou, had large ears, sunglasses, and a big mouth that almost never closed.
The Silent Orca slowed and anchored nearby.
As the crew looked on from the deck, the three men turned toward them.
"Who the hell are you guys?" Cricket asked, eyeing the ship with suspicion.
"You lookin' for trouble?" Shoujou added, already puffing his cheeks, ready to shout.
Masira squinted. "What kind of ship is that?"
Zino leapt down onto the shore, landing smoothly and raising a hand in greeting. "Good evening. You must be Mr. Cricket. And these two—Masira and Shoujou, right? I'm Zino, captain of the Orca Pirates."
The three men blinked at him.
"Orca Pirates?" Masira muttered. "Never heard of 'em."
"Zino… sounds kinda familiar," Shoujou said, scratching his chin.
Cricket didn't bother with pleasantries. He crossed his arms. "Why are you here?"
Zino smiled. "We need your help."
Cricket raised an eyebrow. "Help? With what?"
Zino's expression didn't waver. "To go to Sky Island."
The words hit the air like a stone in still water. Masira choked. Shoujou snorted.
Cricket stared. Then suddenly, he burst into laughter.
"Bwahahahaha! You seriously believe in that old fairy tale?"
Zino gave a slight nod, calm and confident. "Yes. We have proof that the Sky Island truly exists."
Cricket stopped laughing. His face grew serious, the amusement gone from his expression. "Proof, you say?"
Masira and Shoujou exchanged glances, their expressions tightening with curiosity. At this time, the rest of the Orca crew arrived, stepping onto the shore to stand behind their captain.
"We saw it with our own eyes," Sanji said as he stepped forward, cigarette between his lips. "A warship came crashing down from the sky earlier today."
Alvida also chimed in. "And our log pose? It's not pointing toward any land. It keeps pointing straight up—toward the sky."
Stev added. "We also witnessed massive shadows passing over us. Based on their shape and movement, I'd estimate they were from winged people. Shadows that large… had to come from above."
Just then, Zino raised his arm toward an empty patch of land nearby. A brief shimmer filled the air.
BOOM!
An enormous warship materialized from thin air and slammed onto the earth with a thunderous crash. The ground shook under the weight, and dust exploded into the air.
Everyone flinched in surprise.
"What the hell—?!" Shoujou stumbled back, eyes wide. "He just—! Did that come out of nowhere!?"
Masira's jaw dropped, his eyes gleaming. "That's huge... this thing's totally salvageable."
Cricket narrowed his eyes, inspecting the ship. Its hull was scorched and damaged in strange ways. Fragments of unfamiliar materials were embedded in the wreckage.
"This is the warship that fell from the sky just hours ago," Zino said calmly. "If you inspect it, I'm sure you'll find more than enough evidence to prove the Sky Island is real."
Cricket didn't say anything for a moment. Then, he walked close to the ship. His fingers brushed across the surface of the ship as his eyes scanned the damage.
"…Incredible," he muttered. "It's real…"
Zino looked at him seriously. "And now that we have this proof, we want to go there. To the Sky Island."
Cricket turned, locking eyes with him. "You want to reach the sky?"
"Yes," Zino replied. "And we heard you're the only one on this island who have been working hard to find the proof of existence of the sky island. If you have any clues, we want to hear it."
Cricket let out a long breath, eyes still narrowed in thought. Then, a small smile tugged at his lips.
"You guys are crazy. Just like that ancestor of mine, Noland." Cricket shook his head.
He lit up a cigarette, puffed on it as he looked at the horizon. There was a silence for a moment. Then he glanced at Zino and the others.
"There might be a way," he said slowly. "But it's dangerous—no ordinary method will get you there."
Zino didn't hesitate. "We're ready to take that risk."
Cricket nodded. "Then listen closely… because there's only one path to the sky."
"So there is really a path to the sky." Nami's eyes gleamed with excitement. As a navigator, she was eager to map all kinds of sea routes, and this path to the sky was an especially thrilling prospect.
"There's only one way we know of to reach the Sky Island," Cricket said. "The Knock Up Stream."
"The what now?" Usopp blinked.
Cricket turned to the group. "The Knock Up Stream is a powerful, vertical current that erupts from the seafloor and blasts straight into the sky—strong enough to send ships flying thousands of meters upward."
"That sounds insane," Alvida muttered.
"It is," Shoujou confirmed, nodding. "If your ship isn't reinforced or your timing is off, you'll get torn apart halfway up."
"But it's your only shot," Masira added. "There's no safer route to reach the Sky Island. Whether you reach the Sky Island or not, it depends entirely on it."
Zino's expression remained calm. He knows that there was a safer way to go up somewhere. That's what the sky people in the manga said.
However, he didn't want to mention it, nor did he wish to argue. Furthermore, he was determined to study the Knock Up Stream. His instincts told him that air was fundamentally involved in the process, making it a phenomenon well worth studying.
"Then we'll take it." he said.
Stev gulped. "Wait, hold on! Is that even survivable?"
Cricket raised a hand. "It is, but you'll need to prepare. I can help modify your ship. We'll need to reinforce the hull, balance the weight, and install a shock absorption system."
"We'll help too," Masira said, clenching his fists. "I'm a ship salvager, this kind of stuff is my specialty!"
"And I'll handle the sonar," Shoujou added. "I can help track the seabed tremors to predict exactly when and where the Knock Up Stream will hit."
Zino turned to his crew. "You all heard him. We've got work to do."
Everyone nodded.
Cricket looked at Zino again. "You're serious about this… That's good. But know this—going up there isn't the hard part."
Zino raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"
"It's surviving what's waiting for you at the top."
Zino gave a faint smirk. "We'll manage."
Masira clapped his hands. "Then let's not waste time! Shoujou, let's start bringing out the equipment!"
"Yeah!" Shoujou howled.
"Let us help you guys," Hibari offered. "Me and Binko are the shipwrights. We know our ship best."
"Yeah," Binko added. "We've been repairing and maintaining the Silent Orca for a long time. You could say we know the ship like the back of our hands. So, it's better that we help out too."
"Alright. Let's do it together then," Masira agreed.
With a unified goal, all of them headed for the Silent Orca.
As they ran off, Cricket gestured toward the warship. "We'll salvage what we can from this. Materials, anything that'll help your ship handle the launch."
"Alright." Zino nodded easily. "Thanks, Cricket. We owe you one."
Cricket smirked. "Don't thank me yet. If this goes wrong, you'll all be sky debris."
"That won't happen," Zino replied, his voice calm and concise, a striking contrast to Cricket's sardonic tone. "As long as I'm the captain, the chances are pretty low."
His words landed with an unexpected and surprising weight.