In the World of One Piece: I Can Copy Any Talent

Noil looked down at the pendant. He had worn it since he was reborn into this body, but he had never given much thought to what it might say about his identity.

The pendant was well made, but Noil had never thought that meant much.

But from what Robin was saying, had this body's former owner been royalty?

Noil sat down beside Robin. "I really don't know. I did grow up in the East Blue, though, and I never met my parents."

Robin reached toward his neck and gently rubbed the pendant a few times. Then she said with absolute certainty:

"This is definitely a symbol of the Noytem Kingdom's royal family. I saw a replica in my hometown."

Seeing Robin sink into thought, Noil asked, "Where is the Noytem Kingdom? And why were you looking into it?"

Robin shook her head. "The Noytem Kingdom was destroyed."

Huh? Noil's expression froze.

He had thought he had found his old body's home...

But why would a perfectly good country have been destroyed?

Noil suddenly remembered his name, and the "D" whose meaning remained a mystery...

He hurriedly asked, "Was it the World Government?"

Robin looked at him and nodded. "The government gave the order, and the marines carried it out. It happened exactly twenty years ago."

"And..." Robin paused, her expression complicated. "And it was three years before the marines destroyed my hometown, Ohara."

Noytem. Ohara...

The pieces connected in Noil's mind. Thoughtfully, he asked:

"You think Noytem, like Ohara, was researching something the government wouldn't tolerate, and that's why..."

Robin nodded silently. "After I recognized who you were, I considered that possibility too. But I have no proof. It's only a guess."

Noil had not been born twenty years ago. Had his former body's relatives taken him to the East Blue?

Then where were they?

What could a kingdom founded by people with "D" in their names have been researching...?

The letter "D" alone might have been enough reason to destroy a kingdom.

Whether or not Noytem had been destroyed for the same reason as Ohara, Noil felt he had to investigate, if only for the sake of this body's former owner.

Noytem had been destroyed, but surely the island was still there?

Noil picked up his cold drink and took a sip to steady himself. "Then where are the ruins of the Noytem Kingdom?"

A smile curved Robin's lips. "In the second half of the Grand Line. The New World."

"Cough!"

Noil nearly choked on his drink.

How had someone gotten all the way from the New World to the East Blue?

Resting her chin on her hand, Robin asked with amusement in her eyes, "So you've thought of it too. How did you get to the East Blue from so far away?"

Even if relatives had escorted Noil, the World Government and the marines were no fools. How could they have let a "criminal" escape and remain hidden for so many years?

Unless... someone had protected him, or his parents had been powerful fighters themselves.

For some reason, he felt there was a hole in that reasoning, but he couldn't see it.

Noil couldn't make sense of it. But as he looked at Robin's beautiful profile, he realized something else.

No wonder Robin had seemed to trust him from the start. It was because of his background.

By that measure, Noil was also a remnant of a people the government had condemned. He and Robin were in the same boat.

Both had lost their homelands, become orphans, and been branded enemies by the government.

Still, Noil had been luckier than Robin. He had met Bellemere and found a loving home.

To Sky Island

Speculation about the past and future continued, but their voyage did not stop.

Xiting Island was a long way off. After sailing for a long time, Noil's ship finally reached it.

Noil moored near Xiting Island's harbor, and the two of them disembarked.

In this world, a tavern was the best place to go for information.

All sorts of people passed through such places, bringing secrets and valuable intelligence with them.

So Noil headed straight for a tavern on Xiting Island.

They could hear the din from outside. But the moment they pushed open the door and stepped in, the conversations stopped.

Everyone drinking inside fell silent and watched the two unfamiliar faces with wary, hostile expressions.

Noil and Robin had been through far worse. Unbothered, they ordered drinks and found a place to sit.

The patrons discreetly studied their clothes, trying to work out where they came from.

The woman was a delicate, sexy beauty. She was obviously the man's lover and probably couldn't fight.

As for the man, he was tall, certainly, but his face made him look like little more than a kid.

He even had a sword strapped to his waist, as if that made him look tough.

Could a kid like that even use a sword?

After watching them for a while, the seasoned regulars decided they had the pair figured out.

At the tables behind Noil, several burly men exchanged glances. Then a thickset man rose, drink in hand, and swaggered toward them.

As he passed beside Noil, his hand suddenly jerked, and the drink "accidentally" spilled onto the floor.

The man flew into a "rage." "You little brat! Looking for trouble? You knocked my drink right out of my hand!"

At his shouting, everyone at the two tables behind him sprang to their feet.

They crowded around, threatening the pair. "Hey, kid. You bumped into my buddy. How are you going to pay for that?"

Noil and Robin remained seated, calmly watching them like a troupe of clowns.

"A pack of yapping strays," Noil said with disdain.

Robin acted as though they weren't there. Without a change of expression, she asked, "Are you going to twist their heads off?"

Noil's face twitched. "How can you say something so horrifying with a straight face?"

"You little brat! You two..."

The ignored man roared in anger, only to have a large hand clamp over his face.

Noil gripped the man's face and murmured, "Sandification—"

The man's expression contorted. His lips struggled to move, but he couldn't get a word out.

His skin dried and crumbled away. In the blink of an eye, a living man had become a desiccated corpse.

The men who had surrounded them collapsed in terror. Grown men sprawled on the floor, pointing trembling fingers at Noil as though they had seen a ghost.

The patrons who had stayed back to watch counted themselves lucky they hadn't joined in.

Noil looked at the cowards backing away, their legs shaking. "I have a question. Can you answer it?"

Everyone on the floor nodded frantically. "Ask away, sir! We'll tell you everything we know!"

"Do you know the way to Sky Island?" Noil asked.

"Sky Island?" They looked at one another, seemingly unsure how to answer.

Noil frowned. "What are you waiting for? Do you know or not?"

The patrons jumped and pushed a quick-witted-looking man forward. He grimaced. "Sir, you may not know this, but Sky Island is just a legend."

"Near Xiting Island, there's a powerful sea whirlpool. Every so often, a current shoots up into the sky. They say it can carry people to the legendary High West, where there's a sea in the sky and you can find Sky Island."

Noil raised an eyebrow. "You seem to know plenty about it. Why call Sky Island a legend?"

"Plenty of pirates come here looking for Sky Island every year," the man explained. "But no one who rides that current ever comes back alive."

"No one knows whether they reached Sky Island, or whether Sky Island even exists."

Noil nodded and pointed at him. "You. Lead us to High West."

The man's face went white. Shaking, he cried, "No! Even if you kill me, I won't go! Who knows how many people have died there!"

Noil grabbed the man by the collar before he could flee. "You only have to take us there. You don't have to come along!"

"Relax. I'll keep you safe."

The man nodded miserably. He had no choice but to agree.

Noil didn't linger. He turned and left.

The tavern's patrons watched their guide go, mourning him with their eyes...

Noil and Robin stood on the deck while their guide rowed a small boat ahead of them.

After a while, Climate Super-Sense warned Noil of what lay ahead. The guide called out in a trembling voice, "Sir, ma'am, I've brought you here! This is the place!"

Robin frowned in confusion. "It doesn't look any different from anywhere else."

The guide answered hurriedly, "The whirlpool appears at set times. The current should shoot up any moment now!"

Noil nodded and waved to him. "All right. Head back!"

As though granted a royal pardon, the man thanked them profusely and rowed away.

But before he could get far, Noil's ship began to rock violently.

A vortex slowly formed in the sea. The once-calm surface gave way to a widening whirlpool.

Before long, the whirlpool resembled a deep black hole, expanding at an astonishing rate.

"Robin! Hold on!"

Noil stood at the bow while Robin gripped the mast, bracing herself.

An eerie calm settled over them as a terrifying force gathered beneath the ship.

Suddenly, a powerful thrust surged up from below, knocking both Noil and Robin off balance.

A colossal column of water launched the ship into the sky.

Beside it, the current also caught a small boat that hadn't escaped in time.

Its guide was swept into the air and shouted in outrage, "Why did it get me too?!"

His boat was torn apart, and he splashed down in the distant sea.

He didn't appear to be in any danger.

But if he wanted to get home, he might have to swim all day...

The Shandia

A huge current erupted from the whirlpool and soared skyward. Noil gripped the helm, struggling to keep the ship on course.

The ship climbed higher and higher. To their surprise, though, the Knock Up Stream began to weaken.

Robin peered into the distance and spotted an abrupt expanse of white clouds. "Noil! Look over there!"

Noil looked and saw a vast mass of clouds close ahead. It even seemed to flow like water.

Clouds made of Sea Cloud... Was this the White Sea?

Noil steered toward the White Sea, but the ship had taken such a beating that it was barely holding together.

Gritting his teeth, Noil leaped off the ship to Robin's startled cry and flew through the air.

He dropped rapidly beneath the hull, then drove his arms upward with all his strength. Flames from the Flame-Flame Fruit burst from his elbows, adding tremendous thrust.

With the help of his powerful body and ability, he sent the ship steadily toward the White Sea.

Seeing it was on course, Noil used his flames to fly through the air for a moment longer. Then Robin used her ability to pull him back aboard.