God's Island, Upper Yard, South Coast.
The waves of the Sea of Clouds rolled along smoothly. Several enormous birds native to Sky Island circled low overhead, then suddenly flapped their wings in alarm and swiftly fled the area.
A pirate ship bearing an unfamiliar flag, its bow shaped like a bizarre ghostly face, broke through the clouds of the White-White Sea and came to a steady stop by the shore.
With a dull thud as something heavy hit the ground, an exceptionally tall, broad figure leaped down from the ship.
He was a burly man dressed in a tattered monk's robe, his head completely bald and a long string of enormous red prayer beads hanging around his neck. A pair of distinctive white wings jutted from his back, and he carried a heavy hexagonal iron staff, as thick as an enormous pencil, across his broad shoulders.
Even standing quietly, the knotted muscles built up across his body like rocks gave off a fierce aura that drew every eye. Most striking of all was the feverish smile that never left his resolute face—a smile that sent a chill down one's spine.
One of the future Supernovas, "Mad Monk" Urouge.
"So this is the piece of the Blue Sea that was swept up here all those years ago. I never expected to find such a lush forest."
Urouge carried the iron staff on his shoulder and grinned as he surveyed his surroundings. "I hear that the arrogant fool who destroyed Birka was defeated on this island. I wonder what sort of great figure could have done something so earth-shaking. The karmic retribution for this is enough to make my blood boil."
As a wandering monk of Sky Island, Urouge had roamed the White-White Sea for years. The other day, the sound of