Prelude to Sky Island

Grand Line - Small Naval Warship

The azure sea shimmered, and a small Warship flying a naval flag cut through the waves, its bow kicking up white spray. Sunlight shone on the deck, shimmering with a golden halo.

In the center of the deck, a group of young people sat in a circle, discussing something with great interest—or rather, chattering away like a noisy din.

"Which Pirate crew do you think Brother Roy is planning to take us to fight?"

Luffy's eyes sparkled, and he excitedly waved his fists in the air, "Is it a great Pirate with a bounty of over a billion? Or is it going to be Kaido?!"

Ace slapped him on the back of the head. "Idiot! How could you possibly lead us to cause trouble for Kaido!"

"Ouch!" Luffy rubbed his head, complaining indignantly, "That doesn't mean I can't take on the challenge!"

Zoro leaned against the railing, slowly twirling his sword hilt, and lazily said, "Who cares who he is, as long as I can have a good hacking session."

Kuina rolled her eyes at him, crossed her arms, and stood to the side, speechless. "All you ever do is chop, chop, chop. Can't you use your brain?"

Zoro curled his lip slightly. "Tch, mind your own business~"

Luo sat quietly to the side, flipping through a thick medical book, listening to their back-and-forth argument, a faint smile always on his lips.

Just then, the cabin door clicked open, and Roy stepped out of the cabin, holding a nautical chart in his hand and a mysterious smile on his face.

"Hey, Roy, brother!"

Luffy was the first to jump up, his eyes shining, and rushed forward, shouting, "Tell us where we're going this time? And who are we going to fight?!"

Ace leaned in, his eyes shining. "Are we going to the New World? I heard there are lots of powerful Pirates there!"

Even Zoro and Kuina turned to look at him, and Law put down his book and looked at him.

Roy didn't answer directly, but smiled mysteriously, slowly raised his hand, and pointed to the azure sky—

"This time, I plan to take you... to heaven."

"Ha?!"

"What?!"

"What did you say?!"

The group gasped almost simultaneously, with Luffy and Ace's jaws nearly dropping to the deck.

"How do we get up in the sky?!" Luffy scratched his head, looking completely bewildered. "We're not birds!"

"You're not going to throw us up there, are you?"

Ace's brow furrowed, and he took a step back. "No way, I don't want to become a seagull's snack."

"You two idiots, can't you use your brains when you talk at a time like this?" Kuina rubbed her temples.

Zoro stared at the sky, lost in thought, "The sky?"

Just then, Luo, who had been silent all along, suddenly raised his head, a thoughtful glint in his eyes.

"The sky... Roy, are you talking about Sky Island?"

All eyes turned to him.

"Sky Island?" Kuina asked in surprise. "You mean, the legendary kind that floats above the clouds?"

"Hmm." Luo nodded slightly. "I read about it in an old newspaper in the Library —legend has it that in the high skies above the Grand Line, floating currents carried islands into the sky, forming the Sky Island civilization."

"Wow!!"

"Sky Island?!" Luffy and Ace's eyes lit up instantly, and they exclaimed in unison, "Really?! There really is an island in the sky?!"

Zoro, unusually, showed interest. "An island in the clouds... interesting."

Roy smiled and nodded, "That's right, our destination is the Sky Island —the legendary 'SKYPIEA'!"

"Whoa!!" Luffy and Ace jumped up excitedly, spinning wildly on the deck, "To Sky Island! To Sky Island!!"

Zoro gripped his sword hilt tightly, his eyes blazing with fighting spirit. "Above the clouds... there must be strong enough to fight."

Kuina sighed helplessly, "Can you guys... calm down?"

Roy couldn't help but laugh at their antics, "Alright, all of you, quiet down!"

"It's said that there are not only floating islands there, but also a sea made of clouds and a unique weapon civilization."

"I can't wait to see the meat made from clouds!!" Luffy his fists high.

Ace looked at Roy: "But, Brother Roy... how do we get up there?"

"Don't worry," Roy said, raising the nautical chart in his hand, a meaningful smile playing on his lips, "I've already prepared a 'path to the heavens'."

After sailing for some time, the Warship slowly anchored in a calm, mirror-like sea, surrounded by rippling blue waves, with only the gentle sound of the sea breeze rustling the sails.

Roy stood at the bow of the ship, clutching a nautical chart tightly in his hand, intently comparing the chart with the celestial phenomena.

"Hmm... it should be around here." He murmured, squinting as he looked up at the layers of clouds high in the sky, as if trying to confirm some invisible coordinates.

The perceptive Luo and Kuina noticed Roy's actions, exchanged a glance, and almost simultaneously reached out to grab the railing and mast, their movements swift and coordinated.

"Hey, why are you two suddenly so tense?" Zoro looked at the two of them blankly, not understanding what was going on.

Ace and Luffy also came over, looking puzzled.

"Brother Roy, why did you suddenly stop?" Luffy tilted his head and asked like a curious monkey.

Roy's lips curled into a sly smile. He didn't answer, but instead took a slow breath and then suddenly shouted—

"My little ones! Let's go!"

"Huh?" Ace, Luffy, Zoro hadn't even reacted yet when—

"Whoosh!!"

The entire Warship vanished from the surface of the sea in an instant!

"Waaaaah--!"

A violent feeling of weightlessness swept over them, and they felt as if their feet had suddenly given way beneath them, as if they had fallen into an abyss!

When I opened my eyes again, the Warship had already risen to a height of a thousand meters and was rapidly falling!

"Roy! What happened?!" Ace clung tightly to the mast, his face deathly pale, his hair almost a bird's nest from the wind.

"I'm going to fall!!" Luffy flailed his limbs wildly, his whole body floating in the wind like a noodle.

Zoro collapsed onto the deck, gripping the edge of the ship's gunwale tightly, and roared with twitching eyes, "At least give me a warning!!"

Roy stood in the middle of the deck, laughing loudly, completely unaffected. Before they could even adjust to the fear of falling, he suddenly waved his hand, still laughing—

"Whoosh!!"

The Warship Teleportation again, the wind and clouds surged, and it soared even higher into the sky!

"Ugh!!" Zoro's face turned pale, but he forced himself not to vomit.

"It's happening again!!" Ace and Luffy huddled together, like two chicks about to be flung away, tears streaming down their faces.

After several violent Teleportations, the entire Warship finally reached an altitude of ten thousand meters.

"Boom!!"

It crashed hard into a layer of soft, cotton-like clouds, stirring up a sky full of mist and air currents!

The group was completely disoriented by the series of Impacts, sprawled out on the deck, panting heavily.

As the clouds and mist gradually dissipated, the scene before them stunned everyone.

"This is..."

A vast, white sea of clouds stretched to the horizon, resembling a floating continent.

Under the azure sky, several enormous islands, like fragments left behind by the heavens, float quietly above the clouds. The islands are lush with greenery, exotic flowers and trees, and magnificent, dreamlike architecture.

In the distance, a waterfall cascades down from a higher cloud top, the water reflecting a rainbow of colors in the sunlight, like a gate to heaven.

Even more astonishing was the sight of several enormous "Sky Fish " soaring through the sky, leaving trails of clouds as they moved freely between the islands, a sight as mysterious and magnificent as a divine miracle.

"This... this is... Sky Island?!" Ace stammered, unable to speak.

Zoro struggled to his feet, gripping the ship's railing, his face still pale. "Roy, next time before you Teleportation... please give me a heads-up..."

"I'm about to throw up..." Luffy clutched his stomach, his eyes red-rimmed, looking utterly hopeless.

Ace collapsed onto the deck, his eyes darting around. "I... I feel like my soul is still down there..."

Even though Luo and Kuina were prepared, their faces were slightly pale at this moment.

Luo steadied his breathing and forced a smile, "This method of movement... is really quite brutal."

Kuina wiped the cold sweat from her forehead. "Mr. Roy... aren't you going a bit too far...?"

Roy stood at the bow of the ship, laughing heartily into the wind, "Haha! This is a trial, you little devils!!"

"Trial my ass!!" Ace, Luffy, and Zoro roared in unison, their voices echoing through the sky.

Just as everyone was regaining some of their strength, Roy's expression turned serious, and he pointed into the distance.

"Ahead lies 'Angel Island,' the settlement of the Sky Island inhabitants," he said solemnly.

Everyone looked in the direction he pointed, and saw a cloud island in the distance that looked like a celestial palace floating in the sky, with rays of light and flowing clouds surrounding it.

"It really is... an island in the sky," Ace murmured to himself, his eyes sparkling with childlike wonder.

"Great! I want to eat Sky Island meat!!" Luffy instantly regained his full strength and was so excited that he almost jumped off the ship.

"I've heard the fighting style is different on Sky Island... I'll just have to test if my flames can burn through!"

Zoro scoffed, "Hmph, who cares about fighting style? Just hack and slash!"

Luo shook his head helplessly. "You guys... couldn't you confirm whether we're friend or foe before you act?"

Kuina sighed, "These people, really..."

Roy grinned, waved his hand, and shouted with high spirits, "Let's go! The Sky Island adventure begins!!"

"Oh--!"

The Warships slowly sailed towards Angel Island, and their arrival was destined to shatter the tranquility and order of this land in the sky...