Somewhere in Grandline.
Aboard the Straw Clown Pirates' ship, Buggy the Clown sat with a scowl, flipping through the latest bounty posters. One particular poster caught his attention — and held it.
"So this guy... he won against Captain Smoker and even Crocodile, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea?" Buggy muttered, brows furrowed. "What kind of freak is he? How strong can he get?"
"220 million Berries. That's insane…" Mohji said as he leaned in to get a better look. "That's a serious bounty."
Cabaji crossed his arms. "Taking down a Warlord… maybe he's gunning for the position himself."
Luffy, who had been glancing at the posters too, tilted his head in confusion. "Monkey D.? Huh? Why does he have the same surname as me?"
Buggy blinked, then double-took. "Wait... Luffy, is he your brother or something?!"
"I dunno?" Luffy scratched his head, genuinely puzzled. "Never met him."
"Are you serious right now?! You don't know your own family?" Buggy nearly fell over.
Suddenly, a calm voice spoke up behind them.
"I know him. Luffy and Zino are cousins."
Buggy spun around in shock. "Huh?! Who said that?!"
Standing there, casually leaning on the ship's railing as if he'd been there the whole time, was a tall young man with a wide-brimmed hat and a warm grin.
"Ace!" Luffy shouted, eyes lighting up.
Ace smiled back. "Luffy. Finally, I found you."
Buggy's jaw dropped. "You know this guy?!"
"Yep! He's my brother!" Luffy beamed proudly.
Buggy blinked, trying to process. "Your brother?!"
Just then, Cabaji let out a shocked cry. "Captain, I recognize him! That's Portgas D. Ace—Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates' Second Division!"
"WHAAAAT?!" Buggy's eyes almost popped out of his head.
Ace raised a hand in greeting. "Yo."
Without missing a beat, Luffy turned to the crew. "Guys! Ace is here! Let's party!"
"On it, Captain!" Mohji grinned and started barking orders to the rest of the crew.
"Wait—hold on a minute! We still don't know what he's doing here!" Buggy protested.
But his voice was drowned out by the sudden burst of celebration. Music flared. Drinks were poured. Food was served.
Luffy and Ace were already eating, sharing loud laughs as they caught up. It had been three long years since they last saw each other, making a hearty celebration the only appropriate response.
"Oi! Are you guys even listening?!" Buggy cried, but no one responded.
Everyone was eating and drinking, the atmosphere lively. Mohji eagerly gulped down a bowl of soup, while Cabaji delicately sliced a steaming cut of meat. Across the table, Chopper shared a portion of his meal with Richie, and Tensuro passed around more food, ensuring everyone was well fed.
The sight of their celebration caused Buggy's eye to twitch; vines practically popped from his head as his fists clenched and teeth ground together. Finally, he threw up his arms in surrender. "Damn it! Fine—don't leave me out!"
With a huff, Buggy joined the party. And just like that, the Straw Clown was filled with laughter, music, and the smell of grilled meat, as a chaotic reunion unfolded under the setting sun.
...
Above the Clouds.
The sky was calm—silent, serene, endless. A vast white sea of clouds stretched in every direction, glowing with a soft silver hue under the sunlight.
Then—
Shoom!!
A massive ship burst through the thick cloud layer, trailing mist and pressure behind it like a bullet. It soared for a few seconds, weightless in the air—before gravity pulled it down.
Thuv!
The Silent Orca crashed gently onto the fluffy cloud sea, the impact softened by the dense cloud layer below. It bobbed slightly, then came to rest, floating atop the cloud like a boat on water.
But not without damage—the embedded wings on either side of the hull had shattered from the stress of the burst. Pieces of the artificial gliders scattered across the cloud sea like feathers.
On deck, silence hung—broken only by labored breaths and groans. The crew lay sprawled out in exhaustion, chests rising and falling rapidly, still recovering from the chaos of the Knock-Up Stream.
Zino and Creed, however, stood firm—calm amidst the aftermath.
"Haah… Are we… safe now?" Nami asked between pants, her back pressed against a barrel.
"That was insane…" Usopp groaned, trying to sit up but wobbling slightly. "I thought we were goners for sure."
"Guys…" Zino's voice broke the haze. "You should see this."
Everyone slowly stirred and turned toward him. He was standing at the edge of the ship, staring out at the horizon.
They followed his gaze—and what they saw stole the breath from their lungs all over again.
A boundless expanse of white stretched out to infinity. The clouds shimmered beneath them like a mirror, catching the sunlight and reflecting it in dazzling silver and gold hues. Strange cloud formations rose like mountains in the distance, and glints of light shimmered as if small islands were hidden in the mist.
"Wooooah…" Stev's eyes gleamed as he spun around to take it all in. "A sea… of clouds. I must be dreaming! We're really in the sky!"
"No dream could look like this," Binko said in awe, her voice soft. "This is real. The clouds will not lie."
"Beautiful…" Marianne whispered, her eyes wide with wonder. "It's like… standing in a painting."
Chloris and Moris clung to the railing, speechless as they stared out with eyes full of light and curiosity.
For a moment, no one spoke—only the soft wind above the clouds sang, and the silent glance of admiration from everyone. The Silent Orca had made it. They really reached the Sky Island.
"Miss Nami, could you check the Log Pose?" Robin asked, gently breaking the silence.
Nami glanced down at the compass. "It's still pointing upward," she said, brows furrowed. "But we're already sailing across this white sea of clouds."
"That means we haven't reached the true Sky Island yet," Robin concluded thoughtfully.
"So… what do we do now?" Hibari asked, a hint of worry in his voice. "Where do we find the path that goes higher?"
"Let's just keep sailing," Zino suggested calmly. "We'll find the next path eventually."
With no better option, the Silent Orca continued forward, gliding slowly over the cloud ocean. The misty expanse was peaceful—almost too peaceful.
While the others kept watch, a thought popped into Zino's head. Can I take cloud as my next element?
The system answered promptly in his mind.
[You can, but you must first level up your Sand Element to level 20.]
Zino quickly checked. His Sand Element was still stuck at Level 17—he hadn't practiced it or absorbed any new sand since leaving Alabasta.
"Three more levels, huh?" Zino muttered to himself. "Should be easy. I just need to start practicing again."
Before he could think more on it—
"Hey, look!" Nojiko suddenly shouted, pointing to the distance. "Something's coming!"
Everyone snapped to attention and turned.
From the horizon, three masked figures on strange gliders zipped across the white sea, heading directly toward the ship with unnatural speed.
"People?" Usopp said in surprise, instinctively gripping his slingshot.
The three masked individuals slowed as they neared, hovering just a few meters away. Their masks were blank and eerie, and their white suits blended into the cloud sea.
"Who are you?" Sanji asked sharply, stepping forward.
The figures gave no reply. One of them raised his hand and pointed at the ship.
"beat them."
"Understood."
In the blink of an eye, the two masked intruders leapt from their gliders and landed on the deck of the Silent Orca. Their movements were sharp, fluid, and unnervingly precise. The sudden aggression caught the crew off guard.
Without a word, they launched their attack.
Zoro and Sanji stepped forward to intercept them.
"Tch, let's take care of this quick," Zoro muttered, drawing his swords.
But just as they moved, something felt wrong—heavy. Their bodies lagged unnaturally, like they were moving through water.
BAM! THUD!
Before either could react, the masked men struck with stunning speed. Zoro was slammed hard into the deck with a bone-jarring blow. Sanji was kicked mid-air, sent crashing into the ship's railing.
"Sanji! Zoro!" Binko cried out, rushing to help.
Next, Gin and Alvida stepped up.
"Soru!" they shouted in unison, disappearing in a blur of motion—only to stagger a moment later.
"Hah—! What's going on…?" Gin gasped, suddenly breathless mid-step.
Both of them had been affected by something in the air—thin oxygen? High altitude effects?
The masked enemies didn't hesitate.
One punched Gin square in the face, sending him skidding across the deck. The other aimed a roundhouse kick at Alvida—but his foot slid off her slippery skin.
"What the—!?"
Alvida grinned, despite panting. "Big mistake."
"Velvet Strike!"
With a swift swing of her mace, she slammed it into the man's ribs.
CRACK!
"Urgh!!"
The masked attacker was sent flying through the air like a ragdoll.
"Shiraka!" the remaining two shouted in alarm. The third masked figure, still on his glider, dove forward, catching Shiraka mid-air before he hit the cloud sea.
In that moment of distraction, Galdino made his move.
"Candle Lock!"
Thick, waxy bars erupted from the deck, instantly latching onto the legs of the remaining enemy on board, locking him in place. At the same time, Hibari pointed his rifle forward.
BANG!
He fired a shot. The bullet struck the trapped attacker squarely in the torso.
"Argh!" the masked man gasped, collapsing to the floor and clutching his bleeding side as blood soaked through his uniform.
"Jira!"
The last man shouted again, having just set his injured partner down. He yelled in shock when he saw his other friend go down.
Zino stood calmly on the deck, his gaze fixed on the masked man lying wounded. Then, he turned his attention to the two who were still hovering just off the side of the ship.
"Why did you attack us?" Zino asked, his voice firm but composed.
"Let go of my friend!" the uninjured one snapped, eyes burning with defiance.
"You should answer the captain."
The voice came from behind them—quiet, cold, and dangerously close.
Before either of them could react, two hands shot out from a dark rift in space, gripping their necks like iron clamps. Creed stepped out of the tear, his expression unreadable.
"Speak," he demanded, tightening his grip.
The uninjured man gritted his teeth, then suddenly twisted his body and slipped free from Creed's grasp with impressive agility. Spinning mid-air, he launched a powerful kick toward Creed's chest—only for his leg to pass through, harmlessly phasing through Creed's logia Rift-Rift body.
"Tch... Brave, but foolish," Creed muttered.
Without hesitation, Creed kicked forward. His leg disappeared into a horizontal space rift beneath him.
Thud!
In an instant, it emerged from a portal above the man's head, crashing down onto the back of his skull.
The man cried out as he staggered, only for a fist—also emerging from another tear—to slam into his gut.
Wham!
He crumpled.
Creed didn't hesitate. He seized both attackers—one barely conscious, the other groaning in pain—and with effortless strength, dragged them across the deck. In a single motion, he hurled them at Zino's feet.
"Now…" Creed's voice was calm, yet chilling. "Answer the captain."
For a moment, silence hung in the air.
Everyone on the Silent Orca stood frozen in shock. This was the first time they had witnessed Creed—once known as Kruz—unleashing the full extent of his Logia power.
"W-Whoa! Did you guys see that?" Stev stammered, wide-eyed. "He just ripped space like paper!"
"He can open up rifts that precisely?" Binko blinked in disbelief. "I thought his portals were only for long-distance movement... But that? That was combat-level control."
"Rift-Rift Logia… That's busted," Mikita muttered, visibly impressed.
If the crew was stunned, the masked attackers were even worse off. They stared up at Creed in sheer disbelief, as if trying to process how they were defeated so easily. The fear in their eyes was clear—they hadn't just picked the wrong fight, they had stepped into something beyond their understanding.