Near Gaya Island, Luffy and his crew rode the violently surging Knock Up Stream, shooting skyward like a herd of wild horses breaking free.
Amid screams, laughter, and exhilarated cheers, the Straw Hat Pirates finally broke through the clouds and arrived at the first layer of Sky Island—the White Sea.
At the same time—
Far above the Blue Planet, Blackbeard's crew piloted their newly constructed solar-sail pirate ship, plunging downward at terrifying speed.
For a brief moment, fate caused the two groups to pass each other in opposite directions.
"Oi, isn't that the Straw Hat kid?"
Badgers stood at the ship's railing, mask on his face but a warm, almost friendly smile showing through his eyes. He raised a hand and waved enthusiastically.
Seeing this, Luffy immediately responded just as cheerfully.
"Oh! Uncle Mask! Did you just come back from Sky Island?!"
His eyes sparkled with excitement.
"Is it fun up there?! Tell me! Tell me!"
"Ahahaha~ Go see for yourself!" Badgers laughed loudly.
"It's insanely fun—surprises everywhere! Weihahahaha!!"
As he spoke, his gaze flicked briefly toward Robin, and a faintly mischievous smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.
Unfortunately, neither side had time to linger.
In the blink of an eye, the two ships crossed paths and vanished in opposite directions—one rising toward the heavens, the other returning to the Blue Planet.
Not long after the Straw Hats officially entered the true White Sea of Sky Island, danger struck without warning.
Three figures wearing steel wings descended from the clouds, sealing off all escape routes.
Each of the Winged Warriors held a long sword blazing with golden flames, their killing intent sharp and unmistakable.
"Hea… heavenly angels?"
Luffy and the others stared, mouths hanging open in shock.
Curiosity shone in their eyes as they looked at the figures suspended in midair.
But the angels' voices were cold and merciless.
"Those who grieve shall be burned by holy flame."
"Those who have fallen shall not be forgiven."
"Sinner."
Their gazes locked onto the burning black sin hovering above Robin's head.
The killing intent erupted instantly.
"Hey! Wait!" Luffy shouted urgently.
"Why are you attacking Robin?! We're not your enemies!"
But his words fell on deaf ears.
To fanatical believers, the will of the gods was absolute.
And sinners deserved only judgment.
Flaming blades descended toward Robin without hesitation.
Zoro stepped forward at once.
Wado Ichimonji clenched between his teeth, blades drawn in both hands—
Three-Sword Style.
This was his serious stance.
He blocked the flaming strike head-on and roared toward Luffy:
"Stop talking, Luffy! Look at the markings on their wings—
they're Black Sun cultists!"
Luffy froze for a split second.
Images of the Black Sun fanatics in Alabasta flashed through his mind.
He understood immediately—
Reasoning with these people was pointless.
"Then knock them all away!!" Luffy shouted.
He tensed, ready to fight—
But suddenly, his body went limp.
Dizziness washed over him. His fists felt powerless.
Not just Luffy—
Zoro, Sanji, and the others all felt the same overwhelming weakness after their high-speed ascent. Before they could react, they were struck down in only a few exchanges.
Just as despair set in—
A sharp neigh echoed through the White Sea.
A pink Pegasus burst through the clouds, galloping through the air.
A knight clad in full armor rode upon its back, sweeping in and driving the Steel Angels away, rescuing the fallen Straw Hats.
"False god—!!"
"Your existence is a blasphemy against the Lord of the Black Sun!"
"Kill him!!"
The Steel Wings immediately abandoned Robin.
In the eyes of the faithful, heretics were far more unforgivable than sinners.
Yet fate itself seemed to intervene.
The knight fought skillfully and decisively, repelling the three Iron Angels without suffering a single injury.
He soon circled back to the Straw Hats.
"I am Gan Fall, the Sky Knight."
…
…
"I didn't expect Nico Robin to be carrying such a high-grade sin."
Badgers rolled about on the deck, laughing uncontrollably.
"The more I think about those justice-obsessed angels, the funnier it gets. This Sky Island trip is getting better and better!"
"It won't matter."
Doc Q calmly gathered his tarot cards, neatly stacking them away.
"For some reason, fate is absurdly biased toward the Straw Hats.
They won't encounter true disaster."
He paused, then added slowly:
"Only the captain can defeat that kind of fate."
Just moments earlier, he had divined the Straw Hats' future—
No danger.
Great fortune.
Even though the Steel Wings wielded terrifying flaming swords, the Straw Hats not only survived but would gain immense rewards.
It was as if fate itself was force-feeding them opportunities.
"Damn it, don't ruin the mood!"
Badgers sat up with a scowl.
Since there was nothing to watch anymore, he decided to go back to training instead.
"The captain has already arrived at the Blue Planet," Van Augur said calmly, hands steady as he guided the Queen Anne's Revenge toward the sea.
"What's our next move?"
In the Cyber Dimension, Xiao responded casually, his attention clearly elsewhere.
"Banaro Island."
"We'll wait there."
"Ace will come on his own."
At the same time, Xiao was deeply focused on examining the human body model Diana had created.
Although she had referenced idealized data when shaping her appearance, many details still required adjustment.
After all, she wasn't truly human.
Certain movements lacked natural flow, and she didn't fully understand where human comfort and pleasure truly came from.
Only through practical testing—and continuous refinement—could those flaws be identified and corrected.
"Target confirmed—Banaro Island."
Van Augur nodded and returned to his seat, calmly practicing his Haki.
With the ship now fully controlled by advanced artificial intelligence, it sailed steadily across the sea.
In truth, without the chaotic magnetic interference of the Grand Line, a straight sailing route was astonishingly fast.
Riding the wind and waves, the Queen Anne's Revenge reached Banaro Island—
In just two days.
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