Urouge's Thoughts

"Karmic Retribution!"

With a low roar, Urouge's already massive frame rapidly grew taller, his muscles swelling and knotting like fermenting dough.

He threw a straight punch forward, without any flourish—only the purest, most violent force pouring forth.

"Come on!"

Van had no intention of dodging. He likewise put everything into it, smashing his fist, wrapped in Armament Haki, straight at him.

"Boom!"

Their fists collided, and an invisible blast of air erupted from the point of impact, pressing the ground into a depression.

Van felt a terrifying brute force invade his body, as though every bone and tendon had received a deep massage, leaving him on the verge of coughing up blood.

Without overthinking it, he retreated to bleed off the force, intending to steady himself before launching another attack with his ability.

To his surprise, Urouge fell backward without a word, his body instantly returning to normal.

"High Priest!"

The other Skypieans panicked. Not caring whether Van might attack them, they all rushed toward Urouge.

"Looks like I'll have to wait until he wakes up to ask him. I need someone to guide me anyway, so I can't let this free guide slip away."

Van was patient. He returned to where he had been sitting and continued acclimating to Sky Island's thin air.

After some emergency treatment, Urouge awoke after sleeping for several minutes.

He slowly rose to his feet, pushed through the crowd, and walked up to Van with an expression that suggested he wanted to speak but hesitated.

"I used a special method to get here. I have no companions, and I bear no ill will toward you," Van said calmly. "If you still want to fight, I can keep you company."

"I can't beat you, and no one here is a match for you," Urouge said in a muffled voice. "Just say what you want."

"I want to go to Birka. Do you know where it is?" Van asked.

"I do!" Urouge nodded. "I've heard that sailing south along the cloud route for two days will get you there, but none of us have ever been."

"Why not?" Van asked in confusion. "Don't you interact with other Sky Islands?"

"Most of the wood we found in the past was used to build the temple. What remained is treasured by every household, so it's hard to gather enough lumber to build a large ship."

"Right now, the entire Sky Island has only one small boat. It belongs to the temple and isn't taken out for use casually."

Hearing Urouge's explanation, Van finally realized how special the Sky Island the Straw Hats had visited in the original story was.

Because half of Jaya was there, it had no shortage of lumber and also possessed vast tracts of land.

But it was precisely because of those precious resources that the Skypieans and the Shandia had fought for nearly four hundred years, with no reconciliation even now.

By comparison, Urouge's people could only scavenge scraps from the sea of clouds, their gains pitifully small.

They might not see a ship from the Blue Sea even once a year. Wood was not a permanent material, and being able to save enough for a temple represented an accumulation of who knew how many years.

"Have the temple contribute its boat, then take me to Birka, and I'll forgive your previous offense." Van smiled. "How about it? That's not an excessive condition, is it?"

"How can we do that? The Grand High Priest will never agree."

"What can he do if he refuses? That man in front of us doesn't look easy to reason with."

"If the Grand High Priest refuses, he might even tear down the temple..."

The Skypieans all voiced their opinions, and the voices in favor soon overwhelmed the opposition.

There was no helping it. When their strength fell short, they had to accept their fate. No matter how precious lumber was, it was less important than the safety of their Sky Island.

"Please wait here for a moment. I'll persuade the Grand High Priest as quickly as possible and bring the boat over."

"Fine! Remember to bring food and water."

Seeing Van agree, Urouge said nothing more and left with all the Skypieans.

About half an hour later, he returned carrying a small boat on his shoulder. No one knew how the Grand High Priest had been persuaded, but he never showed himself from beginning to end.

Urouge placed the boat into the sea of clouds and asked, "Everything is ready. Are we leaving now?"

The boat contained only oars, food, and a pile of shells in various shapes.

Van knew these were Sky Island's specialty tools, possessing all sorts of miraculous functions and even surpassing Blue Sea industrial products in convenience.

He jumped aboard, picked up a shell, and asked, "Which one holds water?"

"The one in your hand is a Water Dial! The white one is a Lamp Dial, which provides light; the yellowish-brown one is a Flame Dial, with fire stored inside."

After introducing the three types of shells, Urouge picked out the most numerous silver-white shells.

"This one I'm holding is a Jet Dial. It stores hurricanes and can be used to speed up the boat."

He walked to the stern, fitted two Jet Dials into their slots, and pressed the switches at their pointed ends.

Wind sprayed out evenly, immediately propelling the small boat forward at increasing speed.

"These really are convenient!"

Van tested the Water Dial in his hand and discovered that its switch was not a button, but a small rotating cylinder.

By turning it, he could not only release the water stored inside, but also adjust the volume of water flowing out.

"You don't seem surprised. Have you been to the White-White Sea before, or heard of Dials?" Urouge asked.

"I've indeed heard of them, but this is my first time here." Van smiled.

Urouge fell silent for a moment before asking, "Are you a pirate?"

"I suppose so." Van explained, "Anyone who illegally puts to sea is considered a pirate by the World Government. It's just that the Marines don't have the energy to deal with insignificant nobodies."

"Even if you haven't committed any crimes and are merely sailing the sea, you'll still be treated as a pirate?" Urouge was extremely surprised.

"The World Government holds the right to interpret it. It has nothing to do with what you've done." Van asked in return, "What? Do you want to go to the Blue Sea?"

"Sky Island is too boring. I want to go down and take a look." Urouge did not deny it.

He had long entertained that idea, but without a suitable ship, he had been unable to take the first step.

"It really is boring here. There may be little conflict, but for someone who craves adventure, it's practically a prison."

After pondering for a moment, Van suggested, "If you're willing, I can take you down there."

"Then would I have to follow you and become your subordinate?" Urouge hesitated. "I've heard that's the rule on the Blue Sea."

"You want to be your own captain?" Van smiled. "I won't force you, but life down there isn't easy. You can take your time considering it."

He would definitely establish his own force in the future, but a single ship could not carry too many people, so he could only adopt a grand fleet model.

That was how the three Pirate Emperors of the New World operated now, though the bonds between the main crews and subordinate crews differed.

When Shanks became the fourth Pirate Emperor in the future, he would also shelter some weaker pirate crews and have them guard his territory.

Urouge was a promising talent. Van intended to recruit him, but it seemed he would need to temper his edge first.

"What are you going to Birka for?" Urouge changed the subject.

"To find something. I'll need your help then," Van added. "If everything goes smoothly, there'll be benefits for you too."

"Alright!"

Urouge nodded and said nothing more.