"I can feel it... the sky's call..." The chief's voice grew ethereal, and his body began to glow, but the light seemed on the verge of fading away.
He knew his body could not adapt to this power. Age and old injuries prevented him from completing the transformation. Yet he had no regrets; his eyes held only peace and contentment.
"Children... I must go on ahead..." The chief looked at the Skypiea residents and the other inheritors. "But... my power will remain... to help you fulfill your mission..."
In the final moments of his life, the chief made the noblest choice of all. He passed all the storm power awakened within him, along with the wisdom of the sky he had gathered over the years, to the other inheritors.
"Remember... the free sky... will always belong... to the brave..."
The chief's body began dissolving into countless points of starlight, as beautiful as the stars in the night sky. They slowly rose and merged with the formation's radiance, lending powerful support to the others' inheritance.
Tears streamed down the faces of the Skypiea residents, but no one sobbed aloud. They knew the chief had departed with a smile, and his sacrifice had granted the others greater power.
The Inheritance Ritual continued, death and rebirth existing side by side. Every measure of Watcher power came at a tremendous cost. Some died because they could not endure it, while others completed their transformation through agony.
Luffy clenched his teeth, enduring pain unlike anything he had ever experienced. Flames engulfed Ace's body, but they were more sacred than ever before. Zoro felt his sword intent ascend, while Nami experienced a fundamental change in her weather powers.
"Hold on... for the comrades who sacrificed themselves... for this world..." Lin Ye's voice echoed through the formation,