The next day around noon, we were all on the Going Merry, ready to leave for the sky. Yes—the sky. I still couldn't believe that was a real plan, but everyone else seemed fine with it.
Cricket and the monkey brothers stood on the shoreline waving at us.
"GOOD LUCK!" Masira yelled.
"DON'T DIE!" Shoujo yelled.
"Try not to fall!" Cricket added.
"Very inspiring," I muttered.
Luffy waved both arms so hard he almost fell off the ship. "WE'RE GONNA MAKE IT TO SKY ISLAND!!!"
"Not if you fall and drown first," Zoro said, yawning.
Nami cleared her throat. "Okay! If we follow Cricket's instructions and keep sailing south, we'll reach the Knock-Up Stream!"
"Sail South!" Luffy said.
Emma stood beside me, stretching her arms. "So… giant water explosion into the sky. Easy trip, right?"
"Totally normal," I said. "Happens every day."
Robin smiled politely. "It should be a fascinating experience."
Translation: She wants to watch us panic.
Chopper waved from the railing. "BYE CRICKET! BYE MONKEY BROTHERS!"
Usopp wiped fake tears. "They were like… loud, weird, screaming family to us!"
Zoro frowned. "No they weren't."
"Set sail!" Nami yelled.
"Aye!" everyone shouted.
The Merry drifted away from the shore, and the monkey brothers started pounding their chests again for some reason.
I waved back. "Please don't break your ribs!"
For a few hours, everything was normal.
Blue skies. Warm breeze. Emma humming. Luffy eating something that wasn't even cooked yet.
Then Nami said the cursed words.
"Wow. Smooth sailing so far."
I froze. "Nami… why would you say that?"
Usopp nodded. "Yeah! Nothing can go wrong!"
Sanji smiled. "The sea loves us today—"
BOOM.
The ocean suddenly punched the ship.
Like, actually punched us.
A huge wave slammed into Merry's side and almost threw Zoro into the water.
"HEY!" he shouted. "I WAS TRYING TO SLEEPING.
Luffy grabbed the railing and laughed. "WOW! THE SEA IS HAVING FUN!"
"It's trying to kill us, you rubber idiot!" Nami yelled, steering wildly.
Emma grabbed my arm. "Noah this is NOT smooth sailing!"
"I TOLD YOU NOT TO SAY SMOOTH SAILING!"
Usopp fell on his back and screamed, "I'M TOO YOUNG TO DIEEEEE!!"
Sanji skidded across the deck, still holding a plate. "At least let me finish lunch first—UGH!"
The Merry tilted.
A whirlpool began forming ahead.
Nami's eyes went wide. "A whirlpool!? ALREADY?!"
Luffy grinned. "COOL!"
"No!" I shouted. "NOT COOL! NOT COOL AT ALL!"
The whirlpool grew larger and larger.
Chopper screamed, "WE'RE GONNA DIEEEE!"
Zoro held onto the mast with one hand. "Who jinxed it?"
Everyone pointed at Nami and Usopp.
The Merry was sucked toward the center of the whirlpool. The water roared so loud my brain vibrated.
Luffy was still excited. "This is so awesome!!"
Emma grabbed my sleeve like a scared kitten. "Noah!!! DO SOMETHING!"
"What do you want me to do—fight the ocean?!"
She glared. "YES!"
Before anyone could blame me for not punching the sea, it happened.
The whirlpool suddenly shook—
Then—
FWOOMMMMM!!!
A massive column of water blasted upward with insane force, straight into the sky like a giant water tornado.
"The Knock-Up Stream… IT'S HERE!" Nami shouted.
"Oh, good," I said. "Maybe we'll only die a little."
"EVERYONE HOLD ON!!" Nami yelled.
The ship hit the rising water and shot upward.
The Going Merry shot straight upward like a rocket that had no idea what brakes were. Everyone screamed. Even the ship probably screamed.
Luffy yelled, "WOOOOHOOO! WE'RE FLYING!"
Usopp yelled, "WE'RE DYING!"
Sanji held onto the railing with one hand and his cigarette with the other. "Why does my life keep ending up like this?!"
Zoro was asleep.
Yes. Asleep.
Man slept through a whole tornado punch from God.
Nami looked at the sky, the sea, the clouds, the madness—her eyes shaking like marbles in a blender. "LISTEN TO ME OR WE'RE DONE! HOLD ON—AND DON'T DO ANYTHING STUPID!"
Luffy immediately let go of the mast and started waving his hands around.
"Like this?!"
"NO! NOT LIKE THAT!"
Chopper hugged the mast like it owed him money. "Nami! Nami! Do we have a plan?!"
"Yes!"
"WHAT IS IT?!"
"DON'T DIE!"
"That's not a plan!"
Robin watched the whole scene with her calm smile, because of course she did. "What an interesting experience."
Usopp's voice cracked as the ship shook. "INTERESTING?! WE'RE SHOOTING INTO THE SKY LIKE A MEATBALL FROM A SLINGSHOT!"
The water under them roared louder and louder, pushing them upward. Clouds rushed past. The air grew thinner. Luffy's face stretched from the wind, looking like someone pulled it like rubber… which was fair, because he was rubber.
"LOOK!" Luffy pointed. "THE CLOUDS ARE GETTING CLOSER!"
"They're getting EVERYWHERE!" Usopp shouted.
Sanji squinted. "Nami-swaaan! Are we sure this is safe?!"
"NO!" she yelled back. "BUT WE'RE ALREADY DOING IT!"
Usopp's legs shook like noodles. "WE'RE GOING TOO HIGH!"
"No," Nami shook her head. "Not yet. We have to keep going!"
"KEEP GOING?! We're already higher than mountains!"
Luffy leaned over the railing and whooshed as wind slapped his face. "THIS IS GREAT!"
Nami grabbed him by the collar. "STOP LEANING! YOU'RE MAKING MY HEART STOP!"
Then—
BOOM!!!
They shot into the thick white clouds. Everything turned bright and foggy. It looked like they entered a giant mashed-potato monster.
Usopp screamed, "WE CAN'T SEE ANYTHING!"
"JUST LISTEN TO ME!" Nami shouted.
"LISTEN TO WHAT?!" Sanji yelled back. "YOU CAN'T EVEN SEE EITHER!"
"I CAN FEEL THE WIND!"
"Is that's how navigation works!"
"It is!"
Another violent blast pushed them even higher.
The Merry tilted.
Then tilted more.
Then tilted EVEN more.
Usopp shrieked, "WE'RE GONNA FLIP!"
"NO WE'RE NOT!" Nami yelled.
The ship flipped.
Everyone rolled to one side.
Luffy laughed while tumbling. "THIS IS LIKE A RIDE!"
Usopp rolled into Zoro, who woke up and blinked sleepily.
"…Why am I upside down?"
"WE ALL ARE!" Usopp yelled.
Zoro snorted. "Figures."
Nami grabbed the wheel with both hands and twisted hard. "HOLD ON! I'M TURNING US BACK!"
The ship spun wildly.
Everyone screamed again.
Luffy cheered again.
The ship finally righted itself, though it still shook like it was riding a giant blender.
"What now?!" Chopper squeaked.
"Now we ride it to the top!" Nami said.
"AND AFTER THE TOP?!"
"We hope there's an island!"
"HOPE?! ONLY HOPE?!"
"Yes!"
"No!"
Sanji crawled forward like a dying pirate. "Nami… are you sure this is the way to sky Island?"
Nami nodded. "Completely."
Usopp slapped his face. "You said you didn't even know if it existed!"
"THAT WAS YESTERDAY!"
"So you magically believe now?!"
Nami pointed at the massive upward water stream lifting them.
"Does THIS look normal to you?!"
"…Okay fair."
Robin calmly adjusted her hair.
Usopp's soul left his body.
Sanji did three flips. Luffy followed him laughing.
Zoro sleep-walked across the deck. "Ugh… too much noise… I'm going back to sleep."
"YOU CAN'T SLEEP NOW!" Usopp screamed.
Zoro immediately fell asleep standing up.
"WE'RE ALMOST THERE!" Nami yelled.
"THERE WHERE?!" Usopp sobbed.
"Sky Island!"
"Is it safe?!"
"…Probably!"
"PROBABLY?!"
At last, the water pressure eased. The shaking slowed. The Merry glided upward.
Everyone peeked over the railing.
A bright, glowing sea made entirely of clouds spread out before them like a big white ocean.
Usopp's jaw dropped open. "I… I think I'm dreaming."
Chopper burst into sparkles. "SO PRETTY!"
Sanji fell to his knees, crying. "I'm alive… my handsome face is still alive…"
Luffy raised both arms. "WE MADE IT TO THE SKY!!!"
Zoro opened one eye. "Are we there yet?"
Everyone yelled, "YES!"
"Oh. Cool."
He went back to sleep.
Nami spun the wheel. "Okay! Let's not fall off the edge! Stay sharp!"
Luffy already leaned off the edge.
"Luffy! I said STAY SHARP!"
"I am! I'm testing gravity!"
"DON'T TEST GRAVITY!"
The Going Merry slowly floated across the soft-cloud sea.
Usopp wiped tears from his eyes. "That was horrible."
Luffy laughed. "Let's do it again!"
"NOOOO!"
Nami gave the crew a proud smile. "Welcome… to sky Island."
Then—
A huge fish made of clouds popped out of the water, looked at them, and went back down.
Usopp fainted.
Sanji fainted.
Chopper fainted.
Robin clapped politely. "How lovely."
Luffy jumped. "COOL!!! FISH MADE OF CLOUDS!"