Shortly after, Gawain sat on the sofa and began reading the notes taken by the reporters.
The more he read, the more strange he felt.
Did he really say that himself?
With a soft sigh, Gawain pondered for a moment, then tossed the notebook back into the reporter's arms.
"Well written."
He first offered a compliment, then gave a stern reminder.
"However, I hope I won't see anything different in the next issue of the newspaper!"
"Of course, Saint Gawain!"
The reporters readily agreed.
"These are the insights you've given us, and these are our own honest thoughts. We are journalists; we only record the truth, so there will be no changes in the future newspapers!"
After he finished speaking, the reporters bowed respectfully to Gawain.
Seeing this, Gawain nodded and then stood up from the sofa.
"Alright, now that the written content is complete, you can take some photos to remember this."
I think you'll need photos of the Dark Bird Ship taking off!
"Yes, sir, we do need those."
The reporters nodded hurriedly as they followed.
So Gawain smiled and boarded the Little Dark Bird with everyone, returning to the south coast of Jaya.
After leaving the reporters on the shore, they returned to the Dark Bird Ship and prepared for takeoff.
At that moment, Franky spread the wings of the Dark Bird Ship, and with a smile, he drew his Gravity Blade.
The enormous Dark Bird Ship immediately broke free of the seawater and flew high into the sky.
When the members of the Saruyama Alliance saw this scene, Cricket's old eyes filled with tears. He had finally seen people who could actually set foot on the Sky Island!
In the past, although some ships had accidentally encountered Knock Up Stream and been swept into the sky, none of them returned. Only their wrecked ships would end up within the salvage range of the Saruyama Alliance after countless years.
Although the dangers in the sky are unknown, neither Saint Gawain's ship nor the powerful figures aboard it can compare to those of the past.
Therefore, Cricket firmly believed that they could return successfully!
Similarly, the scene of Dark Bird Ship taking off was captured on the Camera Den Den Mushi of reporters and entered thousands of households.
Meanwhile, aboard the Dark Bird Ship.
With his left arm draped over the Rokumei Kotetsu, Gawain looked expectantly at the approaching clouds.
Beside him, Uta looked terrified, the little girl clinging tightly to Gawain's right hand.
"It's terrifying, it's getting higher and higher, I'm so scared I want to sing!!!"
"Why would I find it scary? It's such an interesting thing!!!"
Shirahoshi lifted Uta off Gawain, then placed the terrified Uta on her head.
Lying among Shirahoshi's hair, Uta gently tugged at it.
"Don't do that so suddenly, you scared me to death!"
Don't you think being high up is scary?
That day, when I faced the tsunami, I was suddenly thrown to an altitude of over 9,000 meters. I was so scared that my legs went weak.
"Waaah, just thinking about it makes me shudder..."
"Well..."
Upon hearing this, Yi Xiao, who was controlling the ship's ascent, shook his head helplessly.
"I'm sorry, Miss Uta, the situation was urgent, so I didn't have time to remind you and just threw you up there..."
"No, no, no~."
Faced with a sincere apology and a smile, Uta quickly shook his head.
"That's not what I meant. I meant, although it's quite scary, it's also quite exciting~."
With a comforting smile, Uta changed the position of the head on Shirahoshi's head.
"Like right now, we're about to crash into the clouds, and that feeling is actually quite interesting... Huh?!?"
Suddenly, Gawain's entire ship lurched, and when they crashed into the clouds, it felt as if they had plunged into the water.
At the same time, Yi Xiao pursed her lips slightly.
"Watch out, there's something wrong with the clouds around here, I have to change direction!"
As he spoke, Yixiao maneuvered the Dark Bird Ship to descend slightly, then continued to travel horizontally forward.
As he moved forward, he smiled and took a deep breath.
"That wasn't a real cloud layer, but a special kind of Sea of Clouds, a vast ocean in the sky!"
Moreover, that vast ocean could actually block the observation of Observation Haki; I didn't even notice this before the Dark Bird Ship approached the Sea of Clouds!
At this point, Yi Xiao tilted her head dejectedly.
"Mr. Rayleigh, didn't you come to Sky Island before? Why didn't you remind me?"
If I really take the Dark Bird Ship and rush in, I'll lose control of the ship as soon as I touch the seawater. That's very dangerous!
"Why?"
Upon hearing this, Grandpa Rayleigh waved his hand innocently.
"It's been almost twenty years since I last visited Sky Island, and I've almost forgotten Sky Island exact terrain."
As for Observation Haki, our pirate crew didn't seem to care about it at all back then.
At that time, none of us on the ship cared much. What in the world was there for us to fear?
Plus, there weren't many ability users on our ship, so it seemed like we rushed through in no time!
At this point, old man Rayleigh shrugged.
"So even though I've been here, please don't treat me as an asset."
"Stay vigilant, and treat it as if this is our first time on Sky Island!"
"I see!"
He smiled and nodded heavily, then carefully controlled the Dark Bird Ship, slowly moving forward from below the clouds.
At the same time, Gion gently patted Gawain's arm, then suddenly picked up Hancock and rushed towards the Sea of Clouds above!
"Why?!!
What are you up to?!!
Why are you carrying that... gurgle gurgle gurgle... cough cough cough!!!
A moment later, Gion, who had led Hancock into the Sea of Clouds and returned to Gawain's side, smiled and said...
"My lord, it has been verified that this Sea of Clouds, like the ocean, has the power to drown even those with special abilities!"
"Cough cough, damn rabbit, even if you want to verify something, why did you have to use me as a test?!"
Completely exhausted, Hancock coughed and cursed as she collapsed to the ground.
What kind of friends are these? Using their sisters as guinea pigs? The sisters' relationship is completely ruined!!!
Seeing Hancock collapse, Gawain gently pulled her into his arms.
"Ahem, Gion did indeed do something wrong. I will take the time to reprimand her."
But you'd better change your clothes first.
As they spoke, Gawain carried Hancock into the room, and this treatment had already made Hancock give up any further plans to cause trouble Hancock Gion.
I got a princess carry, hehe~~~.
After tossing Hancock into the cabin, Gawain came out first with a big smile on his face and patted Gion's arm.
"Haha, Gion, what can I say to you? This is really going too far! How can you conduct an experiment like this?"
"Hmph, let's just take this opportunity to teach her a lesson. She'll always find a way to get back at us anyway, so don't worry about our relationship, sir."
Gion chuckled in response to Gawain.
As the two were chatting, Yixiao suddenly spoke up.
"I think I can sense the edge of the sea of Sea of Clouds. Can you all help me confirm if we've reached the very end of that sea of Sea of Clouds?"
Upon hearing Ichisho's words, Jinbe nodded.
"The clouds here are indeed much thinner, and it doesn't look like the ocean anymore."
Wait a minute, let me try!
As he spoke, Jinbe soared into the air, then shot up several thousand meters high.
When he landed back on the deck, Jinbe excitement.
"This is it! Haha, I've already seen the islands and forests!"
There really is an island in the sky! Unbelievable!!!
"Okay!"
Yi Xiao nodded excitedly, then controlled the Dark Bird Ship to continue ascending. A moment later, the Dark Bird Ship appeared on the horizon above the Sky Island.
Instantly, the entire Sky Island came into view.
Two-thirds of the Sky Island is covered by pure white clouds, and those clouds are dotted with all sorts of unique buildings.
The remaining third of the Sky Island is a skull-shaped island with forests and land.
Of course, that skull only had the upper half, that is, half of it, with a round skull and two eye sockets.
The moment Rayleigh saw the island, he perked up, pointing at the real land and shouting.
"That's it! Haha, that's the legendary Golden City, the part of Jaya that disappeared back then!"
When I first set foot on the Sky Island, it was on that land that I met their Sky Island god, Gandof!
At this point, Rayleigh turned to Gawain and offered his suggestion.
"Our ship is too big, so let's stop at the edge of this Sea of Clouds of clouds for now. As for ourselves, haha."
I will now take you to see that god, Gandof!
After we've met that god, let's continue exploring Sky Island. Whatever we do on Sky Island, it shouldn't be wrong to make some contact with the current rulers... Huh?
What is that?!
Before Grandpa Rayleigh could finish speaking, a bolt of lightning struck him from the sky.
The lightning bolt was extremely fast, and his Observation Haki, affected by the Sea of Clouds, prevented him from detecting its trail immediately.
And then, in the next instant, Rayleigh's hair turned completely black. Even though he used Armament Haki to protect himself in time, his hair was still fluffed up by the lightning strike...
At the same time, Kuma suddenly rushed to Gawain's side, warily observing everything around him.
Feeling the Kuma's concern, Gawain smiled thoughtfully.
"It's nothing, just a bolt of lightning. It's probably because we're too close to the sky here."
After exchanging a casual greeting, Gawain smiled and patted Rayleigh on the shoulder.
"Haha, old man, you look just like a polar bear!"
"Damn it!"
Hearing Gawain's teasing, old man Rayleigh angrily rushed into the swimming pool. When he reappeared, his hair was soft and flowing due to the water.
He sullenly wiped his glasses.
"Unbelievable! I, an old man, have actually been struck by lightning one day! Does even the heavens think I've committed too many sins?!"
Listening to Rayleigh's complaints, Gawain couldn't help but chuckle twice. Just then, Hancock, dressed in a new military uniform, came out of the cabin.
So, Gawain waved to everyone.
"Lucci, stay on the Dark Bird Ship. The rest of you, come with me to the place Grandpa Rayleigh mentioned, to meet the god and leader of the Sky Island!"
"Okay!"
"Let's go, haha!"
"God, I really want to know what's different about how he cuts things!"
"What a beautiful white Sea of Clouds of clouds! So gorgeous!"
"I've got inspiration for a new song."
In an instant, everyone followed Gawain to the Little Dark Bird, while Yi Xiao controlled the Little Dark Bird to continue ascending into the sky.
While leaving the Dark Bird Ship behind in the Sea of Clouds, their Little Dark Bird flew directly towards the location Rayleigh had pointed out.
As they flew, Rayleigh explained the situation of the Sky Island to everyone.
"We talked a lot with that god back then. If I remember correctly, they were originally an incredibly peaceful country."
However, four hundred years ago, a piece of land suddenly appeared in their world, namely Jaya, which was washed up into the sky.
At that moment, the native inhabitants of the Sky Island felt that Jaya was a gift from heaven, while the native inhabitants of Jaya believed that the reason they came to the sky was because of the attacks on them by the Skypieans.
Thus, the two groups fought each other for decades.
In the end, the Skypieans defeated the Jaya by virtue of their large population. They gained the right to live on the land, while the Jaya were driven by the Skypieans to live in the clouds.
To commemorate the victory, and also to give thanks to God for the gift of the Sky Island.
This land became the Holy Land of the Sky Island, and at its center lies the God's Island, inhabited by the Sky Island deities!
At this point, the Little Dark Bird happened to hover in the center of Jaya, and Rayleigh took the opportunity to go to the ship's side and look down.
Then he pointed to the location of the Temple of God and said to Gawain.
"Captain, that's the Temple of God on the Sky Island! We can land now!"
"Okay, let's land."
Gawain agreed, smiled, and immediately controlled the Little Dark Bird, landing near the Sky Island Temple of God.
However, the moment they landed, countless soldiers immediately surrounded the Little Dark Bird.
Seeing the soldiers, Shirahoshi excitedly lay down on the side of the ship.
"Wow, look, adults! They have wings on their backs!!!"
"Wings are nothing special, Uta has them too!!!"
Above Shirahoshi's head, Uta proudly spread its one red and one white wings and gently flapped them twice.
Hearing Uta's words, Shirahoshi shook her head in protest.
"Your wings are Devil Fruit ability, their wings are real wings, but their wings are so small and beautiful!"
As soon as she finished speaking, Shirahoshi smiled and greeted the soldiers.
"Hello, friends in the air!"
Upon hearing Shirahoshi's greeting from beneath the distant ship, the guards Guardian Temple were utterly astonished!
"Giant giant giant giant... giant!!!"
"Quickly inform the God's Priest! It's a giant! It's a giant!"
"How terrifying! Are they gods from the Blue Sea Lake?!"
For a moment, the guards retreated several steps in a panic.
Seeing the guards' terrified expressions, Shirahoshi stuck out her tongue slightly.
"Don't be afraid, everyone! I'm Shirahoshi, I'm not a giant, I'm Merfolk!"
As she spoke, Shirahoshi activated her Levitation Device and showed her tail to the Skypieans.
Then...
Dozens of members of the Sky Island's God's Guard were knocked unconscious...
This result left Shirahoshi utterly dejected. Was she really that scary?
Just as Shirahoshi was feeling dejected, Rayleigh suddenly jumped down onto the ship.
"Haha, did Shirahoshi's appearance scare you?"
"Don't be afraid. Although my captain and I have come all the way from the Blue Sea, we mean no harm. Besides, I am a friend of your god!"
"Why?"
"Are you a friend of our God?"
"Is it true?!"
Upon hearing Rayleigh's words, the group of guards hesitated, and Rayleigh, seizing the opportunity, nodded.
"Of course, isn't your god Gandof? I know him very well!"
After speaking, Rayleigh confidently looked at the guards, who exchanged glances...
A moment later, one of the guards suddenly stood up and shouted at Rayleigh.
"You mean Gan Fall? If so, you'd better get out of here right now!"
Gan Fall is no longer a god. Sky Island now only has one god, and his name is Enel!
"Hurry up and leave! If you don't leave, you'll be killed by God Enel!!!"
As the voice rang out, the guards nearby Dawu.
Immediately afterwards, someone pinned the soldier who had been shouting to the ground.
At the same time, the commander of these guards shouted a command.
"Hmph, so they really are enemies of God Enel; they are the agents of the Old God Gan Fall!"
"Guards, prepare to attack!!!"