Arriving on Sky Island

Sea Circle Calendar, 1487

As the once-a-year supermassive Knock Up Stream climbed skyward, the residents of Sky Island were all in high spirits, brimming with excitement. Together with Sky Island's god—Gan Fall—they stood at the edge of God's Island Apayado, looking forward to the gifts from the Blue Sea that this current would bring them.

To these people, who had lived on Sky Island for so long, the Blue Sea had always seemed like something out of legend. Only when the annual supermassive current appeared could they have a brief intersection with the world of the Blue Sea, and at the same time feel the vast world that lay beneath their feet.

Meanwhile, on another side unknown to them, the Shandians glared with faces full of anger and resentment at God's Island Apayado, which had originally belonged to them. In their hearts, they were plotting how they could defeat Sky Island's god—Gan Fall—and take back their homeland.

As the rumbling sound of the water gradually drew closer to Sky Island, a massive stream of water shot up from below the sea of clouds and onto Sky Island.

Unlike the usual Knock Up Streams, the seawater gushing from the once-a-year supermassive rising current was exceptionally fierce. Not only was the current enormous, its height was also the greatest in all these years.

The thick current, as large as an entire island, turned into a waterspout, spinning rapidly as it charged straight into the sky. It surpassed even the highest vine on God's Island Apayado, as if it meant to fly all the way to the moon.

This brought a torrential downpour over the whole of Sky Island, mixed with countless gifts from the Blue Sea that scattered all around Sky Island.

A guard raised an umbrella for God Gan Fall, but Gan Fall waved his hand and ordered the guards around him, "Order God's Guard to collect these things as quickly as possible. If there are any surviving Blue Sea people, protect them well!"

"Understood, Lord Gan Fall."

The guards respectfully bowed, then dispersed to carry out Gan Fall's orders.

While these guards were collecting the gifts from the Blue Sea, within the huge current there was a very ordinary-looking small boat, the extremely small type. The boat fell with the water into the Shandians' settlement, so it was not discovered by the members of God's Guard. The local Shandians were venting their anger at the moment as well, and did not notice the little boat either, allowing it to drift endlessly through the sea of clouds.

Somewhere in Sky Island's sea of clouds, after drifting for quite some time, the little boat finally came to rest against the shore. Then it floated there without the slightest movement, while the surrounding forest cooperated by making no sound at all.

Before long, a creak rang out from the jungle. Along with it, a child of around six walked out of the forest.

The child looked extremely cautious. He carefully glanced around a few times, and only after confirming that there was no one nearby did he secretly walk toward the little boat with some delight. Then he stretched out his scar-covered hands and climbed onto the boat through a damaged part of the cabin.

The child's footsteps were very light as he walked across the deck, as if he were afraid of startling something inside the boat. His bright eyes looked around everywhere on the vessel. After confirming that there was nothing unexpected, he secretly entered the cabin, muttering to himself at the same time.

"I hope I can find something good."

But after walking into the cabin, the little boy was greatly disappointed.

As it turned out, under the effects of the terrifying rising current, the cabin had long since been battered beyond recognition. Several large holes had appeared, and no one knew where the things inside had flowed off to through the damaged parts of the cabin.

Just as the little boy, his face full of disappointment, was about to leave the cabin, he suddenly heard a strange sound by his ear. The little boy shrank back in fright, slowly turned around, and then, somewhat pleasantly surprised, discovered that in a broken opening in the corner of the cabin, a wine barrel was sitting there.

As it turned out, the wine barrel had blocked the cracked opening in the cabin and gotten stuck there. By good luck, it had not washed out.

"Great."

The little boy clenched his fist happily.

"Looks like heaven's looking out for me. I didn't come here for nothing this time. Maybe there's something good inside."

The little boy's face filled with anticipation as he walked to the wine barrel, preparing to move it to the cabin doorway first.

But from the looks of it, the little boy had also been hungry for some time. He had little strength in his body and could not move the wine barrel at all.

"Forget it. I'll open the barrel first and see if there's anything good inside."

As the little boy spoke, he took an iron rod out of the bundle on his back and pried fiercely at the lid of the barrel. As his face turned red from exertion, the lid was pried open with a crack.

The little boy looked into the wine barrel full of anticipation, and then...

"Ah..."

The little boy jumped in fright, because inside the wine barrel there was neither food nor drink, nor anything else the little boy was interested in. The only thing inside was a boy who looked about the same age as him.

He had a head of red hair and wore clothes that looked extremely luxurious, his whole body curled up inside the wine barrel.

The little boy carefully reached a finger over and checked, wanting to see whether the child inside was still alive.

Luckily, the boy in the wine barrel still had a faint breath.

"He's still alive... Looks like he was stuck in the wine barrel too long and passed out from lack of air."

The little boy guessed this, then reached out and shook the guy in front of him, hoping to wake him.

After only a few shakes, the boy in the wine barrel was woken by the little boy. Then he looked at the little boy with hazy eyes and asked...

"Where is this?"

Ye Mu felt very tired. Weakness filled his whole body, and he did not even have the strength to open his eyes. At the same time, he felt a wave of nausea, as if he were about to vomit.

Only after feeling someone shaking him did he unconsciously open his eyes.

After the blinding sunlight passed, he saw a little boy of five or six in front of him, looking at him with genuine curiosity.

This left him a little stunned!

"Where is this?"

Ye Mu clearly remembered that he had been sleeping at home. How had he ended up here? And who was this little boy? Why was he in his house?

But after he adjusted to the sunlight and turned his head to look at the environment he was in, he decisively dismissed that idea.

Towering trees that seemed to hold up the sky, rivers flowing with clouds, and the strange child before him.

This place was obviously a primitive forest with a fantasy style. How could it be his home?

That instantly sobered him up.

"Hey, little guy... where is this?"

Ye Mu tried to make his tone a little gentler, so he would not scare the little boy in front of him. After all, this boy might be the only person who understood his current situation.

But the moment the words left his mouth, he felt something was wrong.

Ye Mu could not have been more familiar with his own voice, yet the voice coming out of him now was incredibly strange. It was not his voice at all.

Then he looked down at his body again.

His arms had shrunk, his legs had shrunk, his body had shrunk—his entire person had become smaller.

He was also wearing extremely ornate clothing, like some European prince or noble, with a massive ruby embedded in the front of his chest.

"Hey... hey... what the hell? What's going on...?"

Ye Mu shook his head, unable to believe what he was seeing.

Just then, the little boy in front of him looked at him strangely, wariness in his eyes, and said, "This is Sky Island. You're from the Blue Sea, so of course you don't know this place."

"Sky Island... Blue Sea?"

Why did those words sound so familiar? Right—weren't those places from One Piece?

Ye Mu could not accept what was happening before his eyes, and a curse slipped out.

"Fuck, I actually transmigrated... and I ended up in the world of One Piece. On Sky Island."