As the crew chatted with Conis and admired the surreal beauty of Angel Beach, a strange buzzing sound echoed across the sky.
"Hmm? What's that noise?" Ussop looked up.
A figure zoomed toward them at surprising speed—riding what looked like a futuristic surfboard over the cloud sea.
It was a middle-aged man on a waver.
"Whoa! Outta the way!" the man shouted, clearly struggling to control his descent.
The crew backed away just in time as the man failed to slow down. With a loud poof, he crashed face-first into the fluffy ground, kicking up a cloud of soft mist.
Everyone stared.
"…Is he okay?" Kaya asked, blinking in surprise.
The man groaned, slowly sitting up. His hair was disheveled, and he had some twigs stuck in it. "Did I hit anyone? I hope no one got hurt."
"More like you're the one who should be checked," Gin said, raising an eyebrow.
"Yeah, you crash-landed like a cannonball," Sanji added.
"Oh no! Father!" Conis ran toward the man, kneeling beside him in concern.
"Conis, you're here!" the man smiled, brushing some cloud off his shoulder as he stood. "Good, good. I was looking for you."
He turned to the crew, his expression warm.
"Heso!"
"Heso again?" Binko muttered under his breath. "Still not used to that…"
The man looked at Conis, then at the group. "Are they your friends?"
"We just met, but yes—they're visitors from the Blue Sea," Conis replied.
"I see," he said thoughtfully, giving the crew a kind smile. "Then you must all be feeling rather lost up here."
Zoro denied. "We're not that lost."
The man chuckled. "Of course, of course. My apologies. I should introduce myself properly." He gave a small bow. "I'm Pagaya, a Sky Island craftsman. And as you've heard—this is my daughter, Conis."
"A pleasure," Robin said politely.
Zino nodded. "Thanks for the introduction."
"Actually, you've come at a perfect time," Pagaya continued with a proud grin. "I just finished a long ride out to sea hunting sky lobster—the finest catch up here. Would you care to join us at our home and enjoy a meal together?"
"A real sky lobster feast?" Ussop's eyes sparkled.
"That sounds amazing!" Stev added, already drooling slightly.
Zino smiled. "We'd be honored to join you."
"Skypiean cuisine, huh?" Sanji grinned, rubbing his hands together eagerly. "Let me help with the cooking. I've never worked with ingredients from the sky before—sounds like a chef's dream."
Pagaya's eyes lit up. "You're a cook? That's wonderful! We'd be honored to have your help in the kitchen."
Before leading the way, Pagaya crouched beside his crashed vehicle and began checking its components. "Just a moment. I need to make sure my waver didn't break during the landing."
Nami, watching with growing interest, leaned in. "So this is called a waver, huh? It looks like some kind of floating board. How does it work?"
Pagaya smiled. "It's powered by a dial—specifically, a Jet Dial in this case. It stores and releases air pressure to propel the board forward. Very common up here, though tricky to master."
Nami's eyes sparkled with curiosity. "That sounds fascinating! Can I try it?"
"Of course," Pagaya replied kindly, stepping aside. "But be warned—it's not easy for first-timers. Even locals wipe out all the time."
However, to everyone's surprise, Nami hopped on the waver and balanced herself almost instantly. With a light touch, she activated the dial and sped off across the white sea.
"She's doing great…" Pagaya blinked. "That balance… Is she sure she's from the Blue Sea?"
"That's our navigator," Ussop said proudly. "She could probably pilot even the most complicated machinery in the world."
Within seconds, Nami was gracefully gliding across the fluffy cloud surface, looping around and darting farther ahead with ease.
"Uh… where is she going?" Nojiko asked with a concerned frown, watching her sister vanish into the distance.
"Will she be alright?" Sanji added, his brow furrowed.
"I'll go keep an eye on her," Zino said calmly.
Before anyone could respond, he gently floated into the air, his body lifted by wind forces, and then zoomed off in the direction Nami had gone.
Pagaya's eyes widened in astonishment. "He… he's flying?"
Conis blinked, equally surprised. "What kind of power is that?"
"That's our captain for you," Sanji said, letting out a breath now that he knew someone capable was watching over Nami. "Flying's just part of his bag of tricks."
"Truly remarkable," Pagaya murmured, still staring at the sky.
With Nami safely in good hands, Pagaya clapped his palms together. "Well then! Shall we head to my home? Dinner won't cook itself."
"Lead the way, Pagaya-san," Sanji said.
The group followed Pagaya and Conis down a soft cloud path, marveling at the structures in the distance—cloud-built homes, floating bridges, and even animals grazing on sky plants.
"This island just keeps getting weirder," Zoro muttered, though not without interest.
"Not weirdly. Just… heavenly," Alvida said with a small smile, her eyes also glancing with interest.
The soft cloud path wound gently, and before long, the group arrived at Pagaya's modest house.
...
Elsewhere on the white sea, Zino had already caught up to Nami. Being proficient with the air element, he could float with effortless ease.
"Nami, where are you going?" Zino called out.
Nami, startled by his sudden voice, let out a sharp cry and nearly fell from her waver. "Ack! Hey, can you not appear like that? I almost had a heart attack!"
"Ah, sorry." Zino apologized.
Just then, his eyes caught sight of a completely different landscape. Before him lay a forest: a grove of tall trees and authentic, earthy plants that looked strikingly different from the buoyant flora of Skypiea.
The most distinct difference, however, was the very ground where the trees grew. It wasn't the usual fluffy clouds; it was real earth—a hard component of the ground, true soil.
"A real land in the sky?" Nami exclaimed, following Zino's line of sight. She glanced down at her wrist: the Log Pose was pointing exactly toward this unique landmass. "This is it. The land we're supposed to head to next."
Nami pushed her waver toward the land, Zino floating easily in her wake.
As they approached the shore, Zino's Observation Haki suddenly picked up several presences: seven distinct figures on the land, and one moving across the surrounding White Sea. He also sensed that they were being watched.
"We need to move. Some people are here," Zino said.
Nami frowned when she heard this. As she hesitated, a man appeared, gliding on the water. He looked the same as the ones they had seen below.
"It's you?" Zino recognized the man's mask.
"You?" The man faltered upon seeing Zino. He also recognized Zino, the captain of the ship they had attacked below.
Although he didn't know Zino's strength, his intuition screamed danger. He felt even more threatened when he saw Zino floating effortlessly in the air. He backed up slightly, a hand gripping the mortar on his shoulder tightly.
"Don't mind us." Zino saw the wariness on the man and waved his hand. "You go do whatever you want."
The man visibly felt relieved at Zino's words.
Just then, a loud commotion echoed from the forest beyond. Nami and Zino turned quickly toward the noise. Out from the thick canopy, a man came bursting through the foliage — clearly a Blue Sea dweller — running for dear life, his breathing ragged, his steps frantic.
Hot on his heels was a man wearing thin-rimmed glasses and a long white scarf. He glided forward with deadly calm, eyes locked onto his target. "You won't escape," he said coolly, a smirk forming on his face. This was Ohm, one of the four Priests of Upper Yard.
Suddenly, a large white creature—a dog, but strangely humanoid—rushed beside the fleeing man. With a guttural growl, it stood upright and swung its massive paw in a punch.
Before it could land, another figure dropped from the sky, riding a large bird of prey. With a well-timed kick, the attacker knocked the dog aside.
"Damn it, Shura! What do you think you're doing?" Ohm barked, taking a step back as his dog companion tumbled through the cloud grass.
"Whoever bags the prey first is the winner," Shura replied with a cocky grin. "Interference is part of the game, isn't it?"
As they argued, a third man burst into the scene, bouncing effortlessly across the trees like a rubber ball. His rotund body moved with surprising speed, and a wide grin stretched across his face. This was Satori, Guardian of the Ball.
"You two go ahead and argue," Satori laughed. "I'll just take down the prey myself!"
Both Ohm and Shura narrowed their eyes, clearly annoyed by the intrusion.
Just then, the man with the mortar — the masked warrior who had previously been watching from the water — raised his weapon. With a loud BOOM, he fired a shot aimed at the three Priests.
The explosion erupted between them, scattering the trio in all directions as they leapt to safety.
Seeing the momentary distraction, the Blue Sea dweller wasted no time. He ran straight toward Zino and Nami, desperation written all over his face. "Please—help me! They'll kill me!"
Nami instinctively looked at Zino. He was about to speak when his eyes sharpened and his senses spiked. Without a word, he vanished from midair.
KRA-KOOM!
A blinding bolt of lightning struck down like divine punishment, exploding into the exact spot where the man had stood moments ago. The force shook the clouds, sending a tremor across the ground. But the man was no longer there.
Zino reappeared beside Nami, holding the man tightly by the arm. "That was close," he said calmly, his expression serious. "Let's go."
He wrapped an arm around Nami's waist. Without waiting for a response, he burst into the sky like a bolt of his own — air bending around them as he vanished from the area in an instant, leaving only a gust of wind and a swirl of cloud in their wake.
From below, the masked man who had fired the mortar watched them disappear. With the situation escalating, he quickly turned and departed as well, skating swiftly across the white sea.
The three priests stood silently, staring at the scorched patch of cloud where the bolt of lightning had struck. Two massive trees—once towering symbols of Upper Yard's strange and vibrant life—were now reduced to smoking black stumps, the surrounding area still crackling with residual static.
"That lightning..." Shura muttered, narrowing his eyes. "It should've disintegrated him. Yet he escaped?"
Ohm, adjusting his glasses, frowned. "God Enel struck without hesitation... and still, the target survived. Did that guy with mortar rescued him?"
Satori bounced slightly on the balls of his feet, his ever-present grin momentarily fading. "No. I saw him speak to another just before the strike—someone floating midair. That man's the one who saved him. Someone different from the one who fired that dial shot at us earlier."
The three fell into a tense silence, the weight of the failed ambush sitting heavy between them.
Suddenly, without a sound, another presence joined them.
From atop a tree behind them, a man materialized—tall and peculiar, with a blank, spacey gaze and his tongue lolling slightly. His eyes seemed unfocused, but his words were clear.
It was Gedatsu, the fourth Priest.
"...The Heaven's Gate inspector, Amazon," he began slowly, "has sent a report to God Enel. Nineteen individuals from the Blue Sea have trespassed into God's land."
Shura's eyes gleamed. "Nineteen? That's quite the number."
Ohm raised an eyebrow. "So there are more of them."
Satori chuckled, spinning a small orb on his fingertip. "Heh. Compared to chasing a lone fugitive, hunting a full group will be even more fun."
Gedatsu blinked slowly, still staring at nothing in particular. "God has summoned us back to the Shrine. He wishes to prepare divine judgment."
Shura stretched his arms with a wild grin. "I was starting to get bored. But now, it's a feast."
"A storm's coming," Ohm said calmly, his dog companion growling softly at his side. "And it seems the prey has some bite."
Satori did a little hop. "I hope they run. It's more fun when they run."
Without another word, the four Priests dispersed, each vanishing into the forest or sky, heading back toward the sacred heart of Skypiea—the God's Shrine.