So There Were This Many Ways to Reach Sky Island?

They did not spend too much time discussing Monkey D. Garp.

Nor did they care that they were in a tavern; Jaba even found himself a barmaid to keep him company.

After drinking for a while, they openly began discussing their next itinerary, a clear sign of the Roger Pirates' confidence.

What if intelligence leaked? So what!

"The Poneglyph in Alabasta has been dealt with. What's next?" Spencer asked.

"There's no need to worry about routes. We have Log Pose records for every island on all seven routes aboard the ship. We can go wherever we want," Jaba reminded them.

As the navigator, he was exceptionally dependable.

This was not the Roger Pirates' first time entering the Grand Line. Though they had not actually landed on every island in these seas, they had long gathered Log Pose records for every part of the first half through black-market purchases, old records, and various other means.

They could sail straight to even Judicial Island if they wanted.

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

"I remember back when we were in West Blue, didn't Babel mention that Fish-Man Island had a Poneglyph? Should we head there directly?" Rayleigh asked after some thought.

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

Babel had said that Sea Forest on Fish-Man Island contained a Poneglyph that had been placed there for who knew how many years.

But as Vikengam thought back on it recently, it seemed that at this point in time, there was also a Road Poneglyph there?

And if nothing unexpected happened, it was the one that would mysteriously disappear later on!

It was known that there were currently four Road Poneglyphs. One was on Cake Island, another was in Wano Country and was later claimed 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. Not long ago, while piecing together his memories with various documents, he suddenly remembered it: during Roger's era, the fourth Road Poneglyph was on Fish-Man Island!

It sat beside Joy Boy's Apology Text!

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

"To Sky Island!" Roger said in a deep voice.

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

Though they had sailed for many years, it was somewhat embarrassing that the Roger Pirates had never been to Sky Island.

Still, there were not many pirates in these seas who had ever gone there. Shiki was a frequent visitor, but that was only because his ability was exceptionally convenient.

As a top-tier pirate crew, Roger and the others would not deny Sky Island's existence. More or less, they all knew a few clues about it.

For example, after thinking it over, Jaba said, "I do know a little. The World Government has a secret special route 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 chewed and swallowed the ice chips in his mouth in a few bites before saying, "The West Heaven's Gate route is atop the Red Line, west of Holy Land Mary Geoise. The Navy and Cipher Pol are stationed there."

"Damn!" Roger cursed, then looked at Vikengam expectantly. "Vikengam, 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. "The death rate at West Heaven's Gate is extremely high. According to the World Government's internal statistics, out of every hundred ships, at most twenty reach Sky Island successfully. Out of every hundred people, at most fifteen survive until then."

"What's there to be afraid of..." Roger had been about to boast, but then realized something was off. It was not the sea; they would be traveling toward the sky. Hearing that, 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 seas of Sky Island..."

"That's true, but it's Shiki's territory now. Do you think he'd kindly let us pass through?" Jaba said with a smile.

Merveille was easy to defend and hard to attack, soaring into the clouds. Climbing it was no different from scaling the Red Line—perhaps even harder. Ordinary Navy forces and pirates alike could never breach the place.

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

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

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

"Among the World Government's allied nations, there is a country called Weatheria. It is known as a small Sky Island. Its meteorological technology is extraordinarily advanced and can keep an island flying in the air for long periods. There are several recorded cases of reaching the Sky Island seas. If any of you have connections there, contact them and have them give us a lift. That should solve the problem," intelligence officer Spencer offered.

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

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

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

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

"You're so useful, so why don't you come up with an idea?" Vikengam rolled his eyes at Roger.

The conversation came to an awkward halt. Roger had suddenly declared that they were going to Sky Island, but after thinking of so many options, none of them seemed reliable.

"Why not forget it? What are we going to Sky Island for?" Spencer asked first, seeing the awkward atmosphere.

Roger, Rayleigh, and Jaba exchanged glances, unable to think of anything to say for the moment.

Only then did Vikengam slowly add, "I do know another 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 and even apologized voluntarily. "Please forgive me, Scholar. I shouldn't have called you useless!"

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

"Not too far from us is Jaya Island. Every so often—every few months, or perhaps 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 directly into the Sky Island seas," Vikengam said.

"Ride an ocean current straight into the sky!?" Jaba, the navigator, was stunned.

"That's right," Vikengam said. "Which is why I said it's highly dangerous for the ship."

Every one of them had their own extraordinary abilities. Even if they failed to make it up and fell from the current, none of them would die. But the Oro Jackson was another matter.

"Are you sure this method really works?" Before Roger and the others could speak, Jaba's expression turned serious as he asked solemnly.

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

"Exceptionally capable? How capable?" Jaba's mouth twitched as he could not help asking.

Vikengam pondered for a moment, then revealed a radiant smile. "Capable enough that I believe she would definitely become the world's greatest navigator!"

With a bang, the moment Vikengam finished speaking, Jaba slammed his wineglass onto the table. "I've decided! We're taking this route! Don't worry—if Vikengam says another navigator truly pulled it off, then there's no way I can fail!!!"

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