Soaring into the Sky! [Please Keep Reading!]

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. Nearly every pirate passing nearby stopped there to restock and gather information.

The town was not large. Most of its residents were retired pirates. They were older, but their experience, worldly knowledge, and strength were considerable. They were also fairly united, so few people dared to 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 all the customers on the island were pirates who spent money freely, the shops earned a fortune every year, with extremely generous 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 exceptionally strong pirates could leave unscathed.

However, powerful pirates generally disdained skipping out on their debts.

As Xia Luo and Bullet walked along, they encountered many pirates. Those pirates looked at them as if they had seen monsters and quickly moved aside, 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 drew everyone's attention.

"What are you looking at?!"

"Get lost!"

Bullet roared furiously. He hated being stared at the most; everyone's gazes made him feel like a monkey in a cage.

Whoosh!

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

"What a menace! Once we finish resupplying, we need to leave. We can't stay on this island any longer. Let's head to the next stop!"

"We're leaving today. We were planning to stay and relax, but we ran into a real monster. We should get out of here as soon as possible. Sigh."

"Hahaha, good thing we arrived a few days ago. All our supplies are ready, and the ship has been repaired. We can set sail anytime."

"Let's go! Time to sail!"

Because of Xia Luo and Bullet's arrival, some pirates began considering leaving the island. The faster ones had already reached the docks and were carrying out their final inspections. Their ships were about to set sail.

Soon after,

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

"Forget it. It doesn't matter if there's no information. Once it gets dark, we'll just charge straight up there. Being able to fly means we can do 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."

"The sky? What are we charging up there for? There's nothing up there except clouds."

After saying that, Bullet shuddered as he recalled 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 simple and blunt. "An island in the sky. That's Sky Island."

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

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

"True."

Hearing that, Bullet immediately understood. Right, if Fish-Man Island existed deep beneath the sea, then wasn't it perfectly normal for Sky Island to exist in the sky?

They were just called different things. They were still islands either way.

"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 just wander around wherever you want?"

"I never said we weren't going back. We're just going back later, after we visit Sky Island and find what I need. Besides, Marines normally can't just wander around, but I'm on vacation right now. It's different."

And so, the two kept chatting back and forth until night fell.

Bullet was like a curious child. Since he had never attended school or learned to read, 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 waiting ages for nightfall, Xia Luo was finally free. He immediately led Bullet out of Mock Town and toward the other side of the island.

After taking care of all the spies following them, Xia Luo grabbed Bullet and shot into the sky.

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

Then he transformed into an Azure Dragon and continued flying toward an altitude of ten thousand meters with Bullet in tow.

As their altitude rose, 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 or Bullet. Their physiques far surpassed those of ordinary people, and they were highly adaptable.

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

It was a miraculous sea floating at an altitude of seven thousand meters.

Moreover, because the White Sea and White-White Sea were made of sea clouds, the White Sea contained Seastone components just like the ocean. Once Devil Fruit users came into contact with it, their entire bodies would go limp, and they would lose the ability to resist.

Therefore, even Devil Fruit users capable of flight found it difficult to reach Sky Island.

They reached seven thousand meters 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 before going limp like a salted fish, rolling his eyes and hanging helplessly from Xia Luo's grip.

"Why is there seawater in the sky?"

Though his body was powerless, Bullet remained completely conscious.

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

After a while,

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

"Boss... 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.

The seawater was fucking salty. Who knew whether the Skypieans peed in it?

Forget it. He would ask Boss Xia Luo what was going on later.

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

"How did we get up here? It's incredible! There's actually seawater in the sky. I didn't have any strength just now. I almost thought I was going to drown. Being unable to swim is awful."

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 the seawater."

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

"No rush. Learn the Six Powers first." Xia Luo brushed him off again. As if he could teach Bullet when he did not even know Armament Haki himself. He would just keep stalling!

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

Sure enough, Bullet was immediately distracted. He walked across the island clouds, feeling the soft ground beneath his feet. "It feels like I'm stepping on a giant marshmallow. It's so soft. This is amazing."

"It really is amazing." Xia Luo nodded. The things he had seen on television were nowhere near as shocking as experiencing them in person.

Though it was night, 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.