"I can feel it... the call of the sky..." The chief's voice grew distant, and his body began to glow, but the light carried the sense that it was about to fade away.
He knew his body could not adapt to this power. Age and old wounds made it impossible for him to complete the transformation. But the chief had no regrets; his eyes held only peace and contentment.
"Children... I'll be going on ahead..." The chief looked at the Sky Island residents and the other inheritors around him. "But... my power will remain... to help you complete your mission..."
At the final moment of his life, the chief made the greatest choice. He passed on the storm power awakened within him, along with the wisdom of the sky he had accumulated over the years, to the other inheritors.
"Remember... the free sky... will always belong to... the brave..."
The chief's body began to turn into countless starlike points of light, beautiful as stars in the night sky. Those motes slowly rose and merged with the formation's radiance, providing powerful support for everyone else's inheritance.
The Sky Island residents shed tears, but no one made a sound. They knew the chief had left with a smile, and his sacrifice had granted the others greater strength.
The Inheritance Ritual continued, with death and rebirth existing side by side. Every gain of Watcher power came with an enormous price. Some perished because they could not endure it, while others completed their transformation through agony.
Luffy gritted his teeth, enduring pain unlike anything he had ever experienced. Ace's body was enveloped in flames, but those flames were more sacred than ever before. Zoro felt his sword intent ascend, while Nami experienced a fundamental transformation in the power of weather.
"Hold on... for the