Are There Really So Many Ways to Reach Sky Island?

They did not discuss Garp for long.

Nor did they care that they were in a tavern. Gaban even found himself a barmaid for company.

After drinking for a while, they openly began discussing their next destination, showing just how confident the Roger Pirates were.

What if intelligence leaked? Who cared!

"We've dealt with the Poneglyph in Alabasta. What's next?" Spencer asked.

"We don't need to worry about routes. We've got Log Pose records for every island across all seven routes aboard the ship. We can go wherever we want," Gaban reminded them.

As the navigator, he was exceptionally reliable.

This was not the Roger Pirates' first time entering the Grand Line. While they had not personally landed on every island in these waters, they had long collected Log Pose records for every island in the first half through black-market purchases, old records, and various other means.

They could sail straight to Enies Lobby if they wanted.

There was no need to follow the usual progression, choosing one of the seven routes and advancing island by island.

"Back when we were in the West Blue, didn't Babel say there was a Poneglyph on Fish-Man Island? Why don't we go there directly?" Rayleigh said after thinking it over.

At the mention of that, Vikengam recalled a few more details.

Babel had said there was a Poneglyph in the Sea Forest of Fish-Man Island, one that had been placed there for who knew how many years.

But as Vikengam thought back on it recently, it seemed there had also been a Road Poneglyph there during this era?

And if nothing unexpected had happened, it was the one that had mysteriously disappeared later on!

There were currently four Road Poneglyphs. One was on Cake Island, another was in Wano Country and was later taken by Kaido, while the third was hidden on Zou, on Zunesha's back.

Those were the three Road Poneglyphs Vikengam remembered.

He had originally been wondering where to find the fourth one. But not long ago, after comparing his memories with numerous documents, he suddenly remembered that during Roger's era, the fourth Road Poneglyph had been on Fish-Man Island!

It had been placed together with Joy Boy's Apology Text!

While Vikengam was thinking about this and Rayleigh, Gaban, and the others were discussing where to go, Roger suddenly made up his mind.

"Sky Island!" Roger said gravely.

"Sky Island?" Rayleigh raised a brow. "How are we getting up there?"

Though they had sailed for many years, the awkward truth was that the Roger Pirates had never been to Sky Island.

Still, not many pirates in these seas had ever gone to Sky Island. Shiki was a frequent visitor, but that was only because his ability was extremely convenient.

As a top-tier pirate crew, Roger and the others would not deny the existence of Sky Island. They all knew more or less about a few related clues.

For example, after giving it some thought, Gaban said, "I do know something. The World Government has a special secret route leading to Sky Island called West Heaven's Gate. The problem is, I have no idea where West Heaven's Gate is."

At that question, everyone turned to look at Vikengam, who was gnawing on a frozen chicken leg.

Noticing their gazes, Vikengam quickly chewed and swallowed the ice chips in his mouth before saying, "The West Heaven's Gate route is on the Red Line, west of Holy Land Mary Geoise. The Navy and Cipher Pol are stationed there."

"Damn it!" Roger cursed, then looked at Vikengam expectantly. "Viking, do you have connections? Can you get us through West Heaven's Gate?"

"Even if I did, would you really dare take that route?" Vikengam rolled his eyes at them. "West Heaven's Gate has an extremely high death rate. According to the World Government's internal statistics, out of every hundred ships, at most twenty successfully reach Sky Island. Out of every hundred people, at most fifteen survive to that point."

"What's there to be afraid of..." Roger had just been about to bluster, but then realized something was off. That was not the sea; they would be heading into the sky. Now that he heard it, it really did sound dangerous.

"Then is there any other way?" Roger asked again.

Shakky spoke up. "There's a special island in the New World called Merveille. It stands like a pillar piercing the sea of clouds. Legend says that if you reach the summit of Merveille, you can arrive in the fabled Sky Island seas..."

"That's true, but it's Shiki's territory now. Would he kindly let us pass through?" Gaban said with a smile.

Merveille was easy to defend and difficult to attack, towering into the clouds. Climbing it was no different from scaling the Red Line, perhaps even harder. Ordinary Navy forces and pirates alike could never break in.

And because of the convenience of his ability, Shiki had occupied Merveille the moment he returned to the New World. It was now the headquarters of the Flying Pirates.

"If we trusted Shiki, why would we need to climb Merveille? We could just have him use his ability to send us up," Rayleigh teased.

They had gotten along fairly well more than two years ago, but everyone knew that the next time they met, a fight would be unavoidable.

"Among the World Government's affiliated nations, there is a country called Weatheria, known as the Little Sky Island. Its meteorological technology is incredibly advanced and can keep an island flying in the air for extended periods. Several recorded expeditions to the Sky Island seas involved them. If any of you have connections there, contact them and have them give us a lift," intelligence officer Spencer offered.

The moment he finished speaking, everyone once again turned their eyes toward Vikengam.

Come on, how could a bunch of country pirate folk like them know such impressive technical experts?

Vikengam shook his head helplessly. "What do you take me for? How could I know everyone?"

"Tch, useless guy," Roger clicked his tongue in annoyance.

"If you're so useful, then come up with an idea!" Vikengam shot Roger a glare.

The conversation immediately hit an awkward dead end. Roger had suddenly announced that he wanted to go to Sky Island, but after considering so many options, none of them seemed reliable.

"Or should we forget it? What are we even going to Sky Island for?" Seeing the awkward atmosphere, Spencer was the first to speak.

Roger, Rayleigh, and Gaban exchanged looks, not knowing what to say for the moment.

Only then did Vikengam slowly add, "I do know one more way, but it's even crazier than West Heaven's Gate. It's an all-or-nothing route... though I mean for the ship."

"How does it work?" Roger immediately became interested, then proactively apologized. "Please forgive me, Scholar. I shouldn't have called you useless!"

Of course, he knew Vikengam did not care about that. It was just teasing between companions.

"Not too far from us is Jaya Island. Every so often, perhaps every few months or longer, an incredibly powerful Knock Up Stream erupts from the seabed near the island. If you ride that Knock Up Stream, you can be blasted straight into the Sky Island seas," Vikengam said.

"Ride a sea current straight into the sky!?" Gaban, the navigator, was stunned.

"That's right," Vikengam said. "That's why I said it poses a huge threat to the ship."

Every one of them had their own tricks. Even if they failed to make it up and fell from the current, they would not die. But the Oro Jackson would not be so fortunate.

"Are you sure this method really works?" Before Roger and the others could speak, Gaban's expression turned serious as he asked in a solemn tone.

"I'm sure. As I recall, there was an exceptionally skilled navigator who once led her crew to successfully ride the Knock Up Stream into the Sky Island seas," Vikengam said, a trace of nostalgia appearing in his eyes.

"Exceptionally skilled? How skilled?" Gaban's mouth twitched as he could not help asking.

Vikengam pondered for a moment, then flashed a brilliant smile. "Skilled enough that I believe she will definitely become the world's greatest navigator!"

With a bang, the moment Vikengam finished speaking, Gaban slammed his wineglass onto the table. "I've decided! We're taking this route! Don't worry. Since Viking says another navigator truly did it, then there's no way I'll fail!!!"

Excellent. Gaban's competitive spirit as a navigator had been ignited!