Let Me Take a Look

Paradise, waters near Jaya Island.

Mihawk held a chilled sweet drink in one hand and a porcelain teacup in the other, the faint sound of laughter drifting from above making him look up at the night sky.

"Truly an enviable ability."

The great swordsman Mihawk, having never consumed a Devil Fruit, lacked the ability for sustained flight.

The source of the laughter.

Was Seven, who had just jumped down from Skypiea. When he was about a hundred meters from the sea surface, he instantly transformed into a bolt of lightning and landed steadily on the deck.

His long silver hair was already standing on end.

At that moment, Seven finally understood why Kaido liked jumping down from Skypiea—because it was truly thrilling.

It not only sent adrenaline surging but also cleared the mind and washed away all worries.

From the moment Seven landed on the deck, Mihawk's gaze was drawn to Dream One Heart hanging at Seven's waist.

"That sword..."

Seven twisted his body like a beast guarding its food, shielding Dream One Heart: "Mihawk, this is my beloved treasure. Not for lending."

Mihawk: "Let me take a look."

Seven: "No."

Mihawk drew Black Blade Night from his back and pointed it at Seven: "Come on, Captain. Let me weigh the results of your training."

Mihawk also wanted to see what made Seven worthy of being recognized by such a mysterious blade.

"Hey, you two." The Doctor mustered his courage and stepped between them: "Before you spar, could you unlock my handcuffs first?"

"Also, our ship can't withstand the Flying Slashes you two would unleash."

Mihawk sheathed Black Blade Night and returned to the cabin: That kid's gotten stronger again, while I'm still stuck in place. Once I've seen Shandora, it's time to resume my training.

Seven yawned.

"Doctor, you're on night watch tonight. Tomorrow, this Captain will unlock your Sea Prism Stone handcuffs."

"Yes, Captain."

As if remembering something, Seven grabbed the Doctor: "Just now, did Mihawk call me Captain?"

"Yes, Captain."

Hearing that, the smugness on Seven's face almost overflowed. He waved his hand with a laugh: "Go on with your work. If you run into a big whirlpool, make sure to wake me."

"Got it, Captain."

Having successfully recruited his first crew member, Seven was in high spirits. He strolled back to his quarters with his hands in his pockets, humming a tune. "Next, I need to keep building rapport with Mihawk."

Before going up to Skypiea, Seven's strength wasn't even enough to qualify as Mihawk's opponent.

Now, armed with the Supreme Grade Sword Dream One Heart, which boosts Haki by 100%, and the training experience of the Thoughtless Sword, the swordsman Seven barely qualified.

After a quick wash, Seven hugged Dream One Heart and fell straight asleep, quickly drifting into a dream.

In the dream: Captain Seven, with his vice-captain Hawk Eyes Mihawk, helmsman Jinbe, fighters Bartholomew Kuma, Fujitora, Rocks, Roger, Whitebeard...

Punching the Hero of the Marines Garp, stomping on Fleet Admiral Sengoku, and cutting down the Three Admirals—Akainu, Aokiji, Kizaru—with a single slash each.

In the end, he defeated Imu, overthrew the World Government, built a world where everyone could eat their fill, ascended to the throne as king, and built a vast harem.

"Captain! Captain!"

Just as King Seven was expanding his harem in the dream, he was jolted awake by urgent knocking.

Seven sat up in bed and grumbled: "Couldn't you let this old man finish his dream?"

Hooking his beloved sword Dream One Heart at his waist, Seven opened the door with a sour expression: "Found a whirlpool?"

"Captain, a massive whirlpool."

Seven strode quickly to the helm: "Hurry and wake Mihawk. If the whirlpool doesn't erupt an Upward Sea Current, we're both counting on him."

Why had Shandora remained almost undiscovered for over 400 years?

Partly because the eruption of an Upward Sea Current was extremely rare, and partly because sailing into one carried a fifty-fifty chance of shipwreck and death.

"Nani?!" Cold sweat poured down the Doctor's forehead.

"What are you waiting for?" Seven had already turned the ship toward the massive whirlpool nearly a hundred meters ahead.

The Doctor rushed into the cabin and was about to knock when Mihawk opened the door, slicing off the Doctor's Sea Prism Stone handcuffs and shackles with a single slash.

When the two reached the deck, Seven was gripping the helm with both hands, grinning.

"Mihawk, hold tight!"

A man who smiles often usually doesn't have bad luck.

The pirate ship shot into the massive whirlpool, hovering for a brief instant above its center.

Amid the Doctor's hysterical screams, a cylindrical Upward Sea Current, a hundred meters thick, erupted from the whirlpool's depths and blasted straight into the sky.

The pirate ship landed on the surface of the current, riding the force upward in a straight line at a speed that would baffle even Newton.

"Captain Seven, set sail."

Though the ship had only two crew members, Captain Seven still gave orders methodically.

The Upward Sea Current surged higher and higher, but the expressions of the three aboard were worlds apart: Seven howled with excitement, the Doctor's face was pale as a sheet, and Mihawk's gaze was sharp as a blade.

"If you don't want to fall to your death, use your ability now and teleport the ship a short distance."

The Doctor didn't overthink it, assuming Seven believed he'd eaten the Space-Space Fruit.

"Give me a moment, Captain."

"Hurry up, no more nonsense. The Upward Sea Current might not make it all the way to Skypiea, and you don't want to die from the fall, do you?"

Imagining the gruesome scene of being smashed to pieces, the Doctor finally overcame his fear. A white halo swirled around his right hand, enveloping the entire ship.

With a whoosh, the pirate ship teleported dozens of meters.

"Keep going."

And so, the pirate ship rode the Upward Sea Current, boosted by the Doctor's fruit ability, and finally neared the White Sea, ten thousand meters up.

"One more push, we're almost there."

When they were still a few hundred meters from Skypiea, the Upward Sea Current lost its momentum, plunging straight back down.

Seeing this, Mihawk kicked off the ship, soaring like a dragon, and landed on Skypiea with a series of leaps and bounds.

The Doctor went wild, using his fruit ability to teleport onto the island by the skin of his teeth.

Seven turned into a bolt of lightning, landing casually beside Mihawk.

As for the pirate ship they'd stolen from Loguetown, without the Upward Sea Current's power, it plummeted straight down, destined to shatter into pieces.

The Doctor knelt on the ground, his butt sticking up, hands bracing his body, his face a mess of drool or tears—impossible to tell.

"That could've killed someone... Captain."

Seven gripped the sword hilt at his waist and waved his hand grandly. "Let's go. We're heading to Shandora."

Two days later.

Near the waters of Jaya Island.

A flash of yellow light streaked past, and as it passed a shipwreck floating on the sea, a figure in a yellow-and-white striped suit slowly materialized.

It was Marine Vice Admiral Kizaru Borsalino, who had set out from Marineford and circled around Lodestar Island and Jaya Island several times.

"The ship's destroyed too?"

Kizaru pulled a Den Den Mushi from his pocket, snapped a few photos of the wreckage, and fell into thought.

"Who did this?"

The World Government? Or pirates?

After searching far and wide without finding the two targets' bodies, Kizaru had no choice but to contact Sengoku.

Den Den Mushi: "Borsalino?"

"Sengoku-san, the target ship has been destroyed. I haven't found the targets' bodies nearby. It seems someone got to them first."

Den Den Mushi: "Good work. Come back."

"Understood."

The moment he hung up the Den Den Mushi, a rumbling roar echoed. Kizaru looked up at the sky, crackling with thunder and lightning.

"Sora wa Inai."

"So they're up there, huh?"