Under the protection of his own guards, Moore Thomas waited at Jaya Island's port for Brook to arrive. Brook was now the captain of the Hell Pirates, with a bounty of 200 million Beli—far stronger than he had been when they set out from Sabaody Archipelago.
When he saw the Yomi, flying the Hell Pirates' flag, Moore Thomas clenched his fists. If the legendary Sky Island really existed, moving the World Economic News Agency there would mean they no longer had to fear persecution by the World Government.
"Big Brother Brook!!!"
Moore Thomas took on his half-beast form, flew into the air, and waved to Brook.
"Moore, has everything been going well?"
Brook was riding the Qilin Lion, and had flown ahead from the ship to the port. He looked at the future news mogul.
"A few people have left, and our paper production has dropped a little, but our newspaper is still very popular!"
Moore Thomas said excitedly. As the head of a rising private news agency, he was rather proud that they could compete with the World Government's newspaper on equal footing—and even gain a slight edge!
"Are the oxygen masks and small oxygen bottles I asked you to prepare all ready?"
"They've all been specially made on other islands. They'll be shipped here in a few days."
"Good. Now let's bring Jaya Island under the Hell Pirates' rule too!"
"Wonderful, Big Brother Brook! I had the same idea!"
Moore Thomas looked forward to every step of Brook's plan. Even if there was no Sky Island, setting up base here would still be great.
The Yomi sailed into Jaya Island's port as well. As a pirate town, it had long been home to pirates who controlled the island.
It was unclear why the Marines had never come to wipe them out. Perhaps it was because the line between the civilians and pirates here had grown so blurred. They lived like pirates, but had no bounties on their heads, and often helped pirates escape.
After a while, the Marines had stopped bothering with them. Pirates passing through also often came here to resupply and enjoy the services the town offered.
"Redfield, go take this island. Raise our pirate flag—we're claiming it!"
The strongest pirate on the island probably had a bounty of only fifty or sixty million Beli. Redfield, a formidable outsider, should be able to crush these local toughs!
"Understood!" Redfield took his Cane Sword and charged toward the center of Mock Town.
Silvers and Shakky, who both had bounties on their heads, eagerly followed Redfield to beat down Mock Town's pirates and see if they could raise their own bounties!
Moore Thomas left someone to watch the ship. Tom, Crocus, and Antonio followed Brook to the World Economic News Agency's headquarters.
Tens of thousands of seagulls crowded together, squawking in a breeding building not far from the headquarters. It seemed Moore Thomas truly deserved to be called the Seagull King.
Moore Thomas transformed into a full seagull and let out a loud cry. The birds fell silent at once, all turning their eyes toward the king they saw before them.
"Have a few seagulls put on the sample oxygen masks, and let's fly up to take a look! Get one for my Qilin Lion too!"
At Moore Thomas's direction, several Seagull News Birds removed the newspaper bundles hanging around their necks and put on small oxygen tanks. Each had a transparent little mask over its beak, connected to the tank.
Once the seagulls had gotten used to them, Moore Thomas and the Qilin Lion put on oxygen masks too. Brook rode the Qilin Lion as it carried Moore Thomas and several seagulls high into the sky.
They were testing firsthand whether flying up to Sky Island was possible. As they climbed higher, the temperature began to drop and the oxygen level plummeted. Birds could endure the cold, but they couldn't withstand the lack of oxygen—except for certain unusual species.
After passing five or six thousand meters, they reached an altitude of seven thousand meters and saw the White Sea. Brook suddenly realized that the oxygen level had risen again. It was still a little lower than on the ground, but high enough for people to survive.
The temperature was also rising rapidly, returning to the level on the ground and continuing to climb. It was as if it were even hotter than the Blue Sea.
The Shandians who lived in the sky rarely wore clothes. They looked like primitive people, their skin darkened by the sun. That showed just how hot Sky Island was. It seemed that Sky Island and the White Sea both had the ability to retain heat and produce oxygen.
They continued ascending until they reached the White Sea. Brook and Moore Thomas both began to feel weak, so Brook quickly pulled him onto the Qilin Lion's back.
This Sea Cloud contained particles called "pyrobroin" by the people of Sky Island. Volcanic eruptions carried these particles into the sky, where they changed density as they condensed with water vapor, forming Sea Clouds and Island Clouds.
The Sea Cloud was much like the seawater of the Blue Sea, so it could also weaken Devil Fruit users and prevent them from using their abilities. That was one reason some of them couldn't reach this place. If they plunged straight into the Sea Cloud, they might lose their strength and fall back into the Blue Sea. The Sea Cloud was also highly buoyant, allowing ships to sail on it.
Island Clouds floated above the Sea Cloud. They were soft and springy, and people could walk on them, making them the equivalent of land on Sky Island. The angelic inhabitants of Sky Island lived on the Island Clouds.
When Jaya Island crashed into Sky Island, the angels, who had never seen soil before, regarded it as a treasure. They fought the Shandians for control of Shandora, and a four-hundred-year war broke out.
Now that they knew seagulls wearing oxygen masks could reach the White Sea, Brook, feeling somewhat weak, ordered the Qilin Lion to return to the ground. Moore Thomas also called for the seagulls to fly back.
"Big Brother Brook, Sky Island might really exist!!"
Back on the ground, Moore Thomas shouted excitedly to Brook. Beneath the White Sea, they had already seen the Sky Fish and Sky Beasts that lived there.
"So now you need to choose loyal employees to work on Sky Island. Later, we can raise Seagull News Birds there too!"
Brook said that when the time came, he would have Redfield use his special Observation Haki to screen Moore Thomas's employees and see if any were spies for the World Government.
"I understand all that. As long as we have a good base, the World Economic News Agency will grow rapidly and outsell the World Peace Dove News Agency!"
Moore Thomas was an ambitious man. He had also been hunted by the World Government's people, and would have loved to put the World Peace Dove News Agency out of business, even though that was impossible.
After all, the World Peace Dove News Agency had the World Government backing it, and the Affiliated Nations would always be its customers. Its sales base was already guaranteed.
In the center of Mock Town, the unruly pirates drew their knives on Redfield for his insolent words. But faced with Redfield's overwhelming strength, even the strongest pirate in Mock Town was killed after refusing to back down. The others quickly lost their nerve, and passing pirate crews chose to leave at once.
The local pirates could only submit to the Hell Pirates' rule. Fortunately, Brook and the others didn't charge them exorbitant protection fees, which came as a relief to many tavern and restaurant owners.
Several groups of pirate thugs also joined the Hell Pirates' outer ranks, becoming a pirate guard force responsible for maintaining order in Mock Town.
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