"Mad Monk" Urouge

"The whole thing only took ten minutes. After paying off the debt, I still had 6,100 points left."

"Should I try a few small draws?"

Van was feeling tempted and was about to open the system store when Kuma returned carrying several large bags.

"How is she?"

Seeing Ginny's miserable state, Kuma immediately grew nervous.

"Relax! I'll bandage her up right now!"

With a curl of Van's finger, a medical kit vanished from Kuma's hand and appeared beside the long table.

He opened the package and casually scattered hemostatic powder through the air as if seasoning food.

Under the control of the Op-Op Fruit, the powder flew toward Ginny from all directions and settled evenly over her wounds.

Finally, the bandages flew out on their own and wrapped Ginny into a mummy, leaving only her eyes exposed.

"All that's left is for her to rest. Once Ginny's new skin grows in, I'll come back and check whether it relapses."

Van dispelled the Operation Room, walked over to Kuma, and curiously looked at little Bonney.

With him involved, Bonney would definitely receive timely treatment if she fell ill in the future. He could make another profit then.

"Thank you!" Kuma hurried to the long table. "When will Ginny wake up?"

"At most, two or three days. If anything comes up then, you can contact me."

Van did not intend to remain in the Sorbet Kingdom for long. Now that Ginny was cured, it was time for him to handle his own affairs.

"You're leaving?"

Only then did Kuma realize it, and he said guiltily, "Sorry! I've been busy searching for Ginny these past few days and haven't had the chance to properly host you."

"Let's talk after Ginny fully recovers." Van smiled indifferently. "Right now, I want to go to a Sky Island called Birka. Can you send me there?"

"Birka?"

Kuma thought for a moment, then shook his head. "I've only been to three Sky Islands, and Birka wasn't one of them."

"Then just pick any one. I'll go up and look for it myself." Van was not disappointed.

After all, above the ten-thousand-meter sky, every settlement inhabited by Skypieans was a Sky Island. It was perfectly normal for Kuma not to have visited Birka.

Besides, Sky Islands were linked by cloud roads. As long as he got up there, he could find Birka.

"You're a Devil Fruit user. If something unexpected happens, you might be in danger." Kuma hesitated briefly. "How about I go with you?"

"Bonney is still young and needs someone to care for her. You should stay here with Ginny."

"If I run into trouble I can't handle, I'll contact you through a Den Den Mushi."

Van wanted to search Birka for the Logia Rumble-Rumble Fruit. Having Kuma as a bodyguard would certainly be safer, but the family of three had only just reunited. He truly could not bear to separate them.

There were still several years until Birka was destroyed. Enel probably had not eaten the Rumble-Rumble Fruit yet, and with Van's current strength, protecting himself would not be a problem.

"Alright, then." Kuma removed his gloves. "If you encounter danger, you must tell me immediately!"

"Alright!"

Van nodded and headed out of the church.

This was the greatest reward he had gained from saving Ginny. Those few points were not worth mentioning.

He did not insist that Kuma follow him. As long as Kuma could answer his call in the future and provide long-range transportation, that would be enough.

"Go travel. I hope everything goes well for you!"

Kuma clapped his hands, and Van was enveloped by a bubble before vanishing from the spot.

The next morning, protected by the bubble, Van arrived at the seaside of a Sky Island and landed steadily on the beach.

The sea and land here were both made of special clouds. They were not real seawater or soil, but they possessed similar properties.

The greatest difference was the air. Even standing still made his chest feel tight and left him short of breath.

"I need to rest here for a while."

Van slowly adjusted his breathing rhythm, doing his best to adapt to this harsh, oxygen-starved environment.

But as soon as he sat down, a little girl carrying a basket made of solidified clouds came hopping over from the direction of the town.

"Is she here to collect something?"

The thought surfaced in Van's mind, and he planned to ask when the girl came closer.

Unexpectedly, the moment she saw him, she turned around and fled as though she had seen a monster.

Before long, a large group of Skypieans rushed over. Decorative wings adorned their backs, and most of them wore white robes.

Leading them was a bearded, brawny man nearly four meters tall. His neck was much thicker than his head, with large red prayer beads hanging around it and a pair of golden earrings dangling from his ears.

He wore a grayish-brown robe and constantly grinned in a strange, toothy smile, as if it had been permanently fixed on his face.

"This is... Urouge?"

Van found the leader familiar. Just as he remembered the man's name, Urouge had already arrived before him.

"You're from the Blue Sea? How did you get here? Where are your companions?"

Urouge fired off three questions in a row. His attitude was not particularly polite, but he did not display any obvious hostility.

The people behind him watched Van intently, some wary and some curious. They were only one step away from surrounding him.

"What is this Sky Island called? Do you know Birka? How long does it take to get there?"

Van likewise fired off three questions in a row, immediately provoking several hot-tempered Skypieans.

"High Priest, this guy looks suspicious. We should teach him a lesson first, then interrogate him slowly."

"That's right! Restrain him first, then find his companions and ship."

"Blue Sea people who can reach a Sky Island are no ordinary people. It's better not to act rashly."

"What are you afraid of? The Grand High Priest said Urouge is even stronger than he is..."

From their words, it was not hard to tell that this Sky Island was likely led by monks. Its power structure might have been similar to the priest system Enel would establish.

Urouge was only in his thirties, yet he had already entered the core leadership. No wonder he would later grow restless and descend to become a pirate.

ROOM!

Van slowly rose to his feet and lifted a hand, expanding the Operation Room to encompass every Skypiean before him.

"You're a Devil Fruit user?"

Without the slightest hesitation, Urouge drew back his right arm and threw a punch at Van.

He assumed Van intended to harm the Sky Island, so he chose to strike first. Unfortunately, his strength was not enough to control the situation.

RANKYAKU!

Van first twisted aside to evade, then followed with a spinning kick, Armament Haki coating his leg.

Urouge merely thought Van was fast and did not take it seriously at first. Relying on his size advantage, he raised an arm to block.

But the instant their bodies made contact, his expression changed.

Bang!

A near-explosive impact rang out. Urouge was sent flying sideways on the spot, leaving the other Skypieans utterly stunned.

Should we help him?

The thought had only just crossed their minds when they saw Urouge, who had fallen, stand back up.

"You're no match for him. Stay back!"

Urouge's expression turned solemn as he assumed a defensive stance, his body seemingly growing a little larger.

"I almost forgot, you're a Devil Fruit user too. Are you building up power for a counterattack?"

Van was quite interested in Urouge's ability, so he rushed forward and attacked with pure hand-to-hand combat.

His attacks came at an extremely high frequency. To those Skypieans, he looked like an afterimage charging wildly about.

Urouge was battered back and forth, blood soon spilling from the corner of his mouth, yet he never fell.

"Interesting. Let's see how long you can hold out."

Because he had not yet fully adapted to the Sky Island environment, Van was breathing heavily as well, though it did not affect him much.

After another round of clashes, Urouge seemed to reach his limit, and his body abruptly swelled.

Karmic Punishment!