Leaving Sky Island

The next day, everyone was fully rested and brimming with energy.

"I'm back!" Luffy shouted excitedly. "I want meat!"

"Shut up. I don't have time for you right now." Sanji was busy fawning over the angel ladies who had looked after them, with absolutely no intention of paying Luffy any attention.

"What an idiot." Zoro, meanwhile, was hunting for beer.

"Can't those guys keep it down?" Nami watched the noisy bunch in exasperation.

"Let them unwind a little," Robin said with a smile.

"I really envy you, Robin." Nami's eyes filled with envy. "Ming is so mature. He never gives you anything to worry about."

"Where's Ming?" Chopper walked in carrying a tray of medicine. "It's time to change his dressings. Where's he disappeared to this time?"

"I saw Mr. Ming. He seemed to be looking for our local Sky Island liquor." Conis's words made the corner of Nami's mouth twitch.

"You've got it rough too, huh?" Nami gave Robin a sympathetic look.

"It's not so bad." Robin's expression grew a little awkward too.

"This fruit tastes strange." Whenever Li Ziming spotted an unfamiliar fruit at a nearby stall, he bought it to taste, checking whether it would work in cocktails. "And I don't know if it's because there's so much sunlight here, but the fruit is incredibly sweet."

"You really have time on your hands." Enel walked over, hefting a large bag in one hand and munching on an apple held in the other.

"Out shopping?" Li Ziming looked at the former god with amusement. "You recovered that quickly?"

"What else would I be doing?" Enel rolled his eyes indifferently. "I might not be a god anymore, but I'm still strong."

"Don't want to go to Endless Vearth anymore?" Li Ziming teased. "With your strength, you'd definitely have a bounty of over a hundred million if you went down to the Blue Sea."

"Forget it. I'm not Enel the god anymore. I'm En, the Waver mechanic. Besides, that captain of yours shattered my dream. My dream these days is to become a great Waver mechanic." Enel took an apple out of his bag. "Want one?"

"Thanks." Li Ziming accepted the apple from Enel.

"You're planning to take all that gold?" Enel looked at Li Ziming. "Not to be a downer, but I don't think that ship of yours can carry much."

"I think so too," Li Ziming said casually. "We'll take whatever we can. I just hope we get enough to buy a ship. By the way, do you know anything about Ship Spirits?"

"Ship Spirits?" Enel paused. "Never heard of them. Why?"

"There's a bit of a problem. Oh, could you give me one of those electrical propulsion systems of yours?" Li Ziming asked with interest. "It might come in handy on our ship."

"No problem. I did loads of experiments when I was building the ark, so I've got plenty of finished prototypes. Most of them are small, but they should be enough for you," Enel said offhandedly.

"Thanks, then." Li Ziming smiled. "By the way, are there any particularly good drinks on Sky Island?" Since the man had been a god, Li Ziming figured he ought to know plenty about Sky Island's drinks.

"Drinks?" Enel looked at Li Ziming in puzzlement, unsure why he was asking. "I think Conis's pumpkin juice is pretty good."

"I know. Anything more unusual? Something really rare?" Li Ziming wanted something that couldn't be made down on the Blue Sea, but after looking around, he had found that most of the drinks were also available on the Grand Line. He was a little disappointed.

"Unusual?" Enel thought for a moment. "That does remind me of something. I remember someone making liquor with spices, and it tasted pretty strange. I thought the flavor was so odd that I actually asked about it."

"Can you take me there now?" Li Ziming's eyes lit up. Liquor made from spices sounded fascinating, and his curiosity was instantly piqued.

"Wait a bit. I still have shopping to do. I'll take you once I'm done." Enel shook the bag in his hand.

Li Ziming could hardly wait, and promptly dragged Enel off to finish his shopping.

At last, Enel helped Li Ziming get his hands on that liquor. Li Ziming eagerly returned to his room to sample it, and Robin walked in just then.

"Why are you doing this? He may be a Logia user..." Robin looked at Li Ziming in confusion, but her expression soon darkened. "You think something's going to happen later?"

"Don't you?" Li Ziming looked at Robin helplessly. "We've got a lot of people with a past aboard our ship."

"You..." Robin shot Li Ziming an exasperated glance.

"Our biggest concern right now is the ship, though." Li Ziming briefly explained the situation with the Going Merry and Edward.

"A Ship Spirit?" Robin said in wonder. "To think something out of legend actually exists."

"That's hardly surprising. Didn't we prove that the legendary Shandora existed too?" Li Ziming smiled. "Aren't all the legends in this world just waiting for us to uncover them, one by one?" As he spoke, he brought out a glass of golden liquor. "Want to try it? A Golden Dream."

"Golden Dream? That name really suits this place. Or our goal, for that matter." Robin sat down. "It tastes good."

"Of course it does," Li Ziming said proudly.

"You certainly don't lack confidence. Anyway, let's get back to Ship Spirits. I really don't know much about them, but if you're interested, I can tell you what I know," Robin said helplessly.

"Are you asking me on a date?" Li Ziming looked at Robin with a grin.

"You little..." Robin grabbed the soft flesh at Li Ziming's waist and gave it a vicious pinch.

"Sorry, sorry!" Li Ziming hurriedly apologized in embarrassment.

Robin gave him a look that said he knew what was good for him, then began recounting a few legends about Ship Spirits.

"Ming!" Luffy shouted as he entered Li Ziming's room. "Huh? Robin's here too? Perfect! I've got an idea! Let's steal all the gold and run away!"

"That certainly sounds like an interesting idea." Robin burst out laughing.

"Steal? Run away?" Li Ziming looked at Luffy helplessly. "Why would I do that?"

"We're pirates! Of course we've got to steal stuff," Luffy said as though it were obvious.

"Fair enough. Is everyone else ready, then?" Li Ziming asked curiously.

"Of course!" Luffy said proudly. "We're all ready. Let's go haul the gold right now!"

Soon, Luffy brought Li Ziming and Robin to the Sky Lord, where Zoro and the others were already waiting.

"What took you so long?" Sanji glared at Li Ziming. "You kept Nami waiting all this time!"

"Sorry, sorry. But I found some pieces of Enel's ark. That should be enough, right?" Li Ziming offered an apologetic smile.

"How much?" Nami's eyes had already turned into Beli signs.

"A decent amount, I guess. I don't really know the current price of gold." Li Ziming shrugged.

"You're the best!" Nami threw her arms around Li Ziming in excitement.

What a figure. Nami's embrace left Li Ziming dazed for a moment, but the pain that followed at his waist brought him helplessly back to his senses. He spread his hands and gave Robin a pitiful look, declaring his innocence.

"..." Robin ignored Li Ziming and turned to leave. All that remained was Li Ziming's helpless sigh, while the Cat Burglar secretly added another charge to his tab.

After that, everyone got back to hauling gold.

The next day soon arrived, and the people of Sky Island began another day of their lives.

"Huh? Where is everyone?" Conis asked in confusion.

"They left." Enel yawned. "Those guys hauled the gold out of the Sky Lord's belly last night, then asked me for a Balloon Octopus. I imagine they're getting ready to leave by now."

"But we wanted to give them even more gold." Pagaya sounded rather disappointed. "They're all good people."

"Yes." Conis nodded. "En, will we ever see Mr. Luffy and the others again?"

"We will." Enel glanced at the Den Den Mushi tucked against his chest. "I just get the feeling that getting involved with those guys means endless trouble..."

Golden Dream

Ingredients: 1 oz Italian vanilla liqueur, 1 oz Cointreau, 1 oz orange juice, 0.5 oz light cream.

Equipment: cocktail shaker, jigger, and ice tongs.

Method: 1. Fill a glass halfway with crushed ice; 2. Fill the shaker halfway with ice cubes, pour in the ingredients, and shake until frost forms on the outside; 3. Strain the cocktail into the glass and garnish with a mint leaf.