Take to the Skies!

Xia Luo knew nothing about the chaotic situation in the New World.

After Bullet dealt with Heinrich Böll, the two continued toward Mock Town.

Mock Town was a pirate town with no rules whatsoever. Almost every pirate passing through the area stopped there to resupply and gather information.

The town was not large. Most of its residents were retired pirates. They were older, but their experience, knowledge, and considerable strength, along with their unity, meant that few people dared provoke them.

The inns and taverns in town were almost all owned by those "old pirates." The remaining businesses were run by unscrupulous merchants, such as weapon shops and shipyards.

Since every customer on the island was a pirate who spent lavishly, the shops made a fortune every year, pulling in substantial profits.

As for pirates who ate without paying, they were either beaten to death on the spot and thrown into the sea to feed the sharks, or captured and sold off. Only a very small number of powerful pirates could leave in one piece.

But truly strong pirates generally disdained skipping out on a bill.

As Xia Luo and Bullet made their way through town, they encountered many pirates. Those pirates reacted as though they had seen a flood beast, quickly moving aside and not daring to approach.

By then, news of "Jackal" Heinrich Böll's death had already spread. Bullet, the culprit, had become famous across the island. Wherever he went, he was the center of attention.

"What are you looking at?!"

"Get lost!"

Bullet roared furiously. He hated being watched; everyone's stares made him feel like a monkey in a cage.

Whoosh!

The people around them scattered at once, retreating far away and not daring to look again.

"What a menace! Once we've resupplied, we need to leave. We can't stay on this island anymore. Let's head for the next stop!"

"We're leaving today. We were going to stay and relax, but we ran into a monster. We should hurry up and get out of here sooner rather than later. Sigh."

"Hahaha, good thing we arrived a few days ago. We've finished stocking up, and the ship's repaired. We can set sail anytime."

"Let's go! Time to put out to sea!"

Because Xia Luo and Bullet had arrived, some pirates began considering leaving the island. The quicker ones had already reached the docks and were making their final inspections, their ships about to raise sail.

Soon after,

Xia Luo took Bullet around the town, but failed to uncover the information he wanted.

"Forget it. It doesn't matter if there's no information. Once night falls, we'll just charge up there. Being able to fly means doing whatever we want!"

"Boss Xia Luo, charge up where?"

Bullet was extremely curious. He had noticed earlier that Boss Xia Luo had no interest whatsoever in the island or its pirates, yet Xia Luo had specifically brought him here. That meant Xia Luo definitely had another purpose.

Xia Luo pointed at the sky. "Up there."

"Up there? What are we charging up for? There's nothing but clouds above us."

As soon as he said that, Bullet shuddered, recalling a certain unpleasant memory.

"Have you ever heard of Sky Island?"

"No. What's Sky Island?"

Xia Luo could not be bothered to explain in detail, so he kept it short and blunt. "An island in the sky. Sky Island for short."

"Nani? There are islands in the sky?!"

"There can be islands beneath the sea, so why can't there be islands in the sky?" Xia Luo asked.

"That's true."

Hearing Xia Luo say that, Bullet immediately understood. Right, if there was Fish-Man Island deep beneath the sea, then having Sky Island in the heavens was perfectly normal.

They were just called differently. They were both islands anyway.

"But what are we going to Sky Island for? Didn't you say we were heading back to the West Blue?"

"Boss Xia Luo, don't you Marines have missions to carry out? Can you really just wander around wherever you like?"

"I never said we weren't going back. We'll just return a little later, after we go to Sky Island and find what I need. Besides, Marines normally can't run around freely, but I'm on leave right now. It's different."

And so, the two chatted back and forth until nightfall.

Bullet was like an endlessly curious child. Since he had never attended school, there were many things he did not understand and much common knowledge he lacked. Whatever came to mind, he asked.

Although Xia Luo always said he would not spoil Bullet, he patiently answered every single one of Bullet's questions.

After finally waiting until nightfall, Xia Luo was at last freed. He immediately led Bullet out of Mock Town and headed toward the other side of the island.

After dealing with every scout tailing them, Xia Luo grabbed Bullet and shot into the sky.

Using Geppo to tread on air and soar upward, Xia Luo concealed himself in the pitch-black night.

Then he transformed into an Azure Dragon and carried Bullet onward toward an altitude of ten thousand meters.

As their altitude increased, the air grew thinner and thinner. Ordinary people would find it difficult to breathe, perhaps even suffocate.

Or they would need time to adapt to such an oxygen-starved environment.

But it had almost no effect on Xia Luo and Bullet. Their physiques far surpassed those of ordinary people, and they adapted extremely well.

Sky Island lay ten thousand meters above the ground. To reach it, one had to pass through the White Sea and White-White Sea beneath it.

It was a wondrous sea floating seven thousand meters in the sky.

Moreover, because the White Sea and White-White Sea were made of sea clouds, they contained Seastone components just like the ocean. Once Devil Fruit users came into contact with them, their entire bodies would grow weak, leaving them unable to resist.

Therefore, even Devil Fruit users who could fly found it difficult to reach Sky Island.

Seven thousand meters came in the blink of an eye.

Before long, Xia Luo grabbed Bullet and plunged headfirst into the White Sea. The instant he was enveloped by seawater, Bullet's eyes widened. He gulped down several mouthfuls, then hung limply like a salted fish, rolling his eyes.

"Why is there seawater in the sky?"

Though his body was weak, Bullet's mind remained clear.

We're doomed. Boss Xia Luo is a Devil Fruit user too. He must be just like me now. We're not going to drown, are we...?

After a while,

Bullet finally realized something was wrong. No, this was very wrong. How could Boss Xia Luo still move? And why was he still flying upward?

"Xia... Glug glug..."

Bullet instinctively tried to speak, but the moment he opened his mouth, he swallowed several more mouthfuls of seawater. He hurriedly shut it again.

This seawater is fucking salty. I wonder if the Skypieans piss in it.

Forget it. I'll ask Boss Xia Luo what's going on later.

After a while longer, Bullet felt his strength return. He instantly came back to life at full health and impatiently asked, "Boss, are we on Sky Island already?!"

"How did we get up here? This is incredible! There's actually seawater in the sky! I had no strength at all just now. I thought I was going to drown. Being unable to swim really sucks."

Xia Luo did not want to reveal that seawater did not affect him, so he casually made something up. "You've heard of Armament Haki, right? If you coat your whole body in Armament Haki, you can block out seawater."

"Oh, so that's how it is. I want to learn Armament Haki too. Teach me, Boss." Bullet grinned.

"No rush. We'll talk after you master the Six Powers." Xia Luo brushed him off again. As if he could teach it when he did not even know Armament Haki himself. He would just keep stalling!

Then he quickly changed the subject. "Come on, let's take a look around. It's my first time on Sky Island too."

Sure enough, Bullet's attention was immediately diverted. Walking across the island clouds, he felt the soft ground beneath his feet. "It feels like stepping on giant marshmallows. So soft. This is amazing."

"It really is amazing." Xia Luo nodded. What he had seen on television was nowhere near as breathtaking as experiencing it in person.

Though it was nighttime, they were high in the sky with no clouds blocking their surroundings. The moonlight was exceptionally bright, and visibility was good as Xia Luo and Bullet continued onward.

After walking for quite some time, a gigantic gate appeared before them.