Jaya Island's east coast, evening.
The sea was eerily calm, without even a ripple. But Lin Yan's Observation Haki had already sensed the terrifying energy gathering deep beneath it-the immense pressure generated by movements of the earth's crust, about to erupt all at once through an undersea volcanic vent and form a "Knock Up Stream" that shot straight into the heavens.
"According to Mont Blanc Cricket's information, the Knock Up Stream erupts once every three days, lasting ten minutes each time." Robin leafed through the sailing logs collected from Mock Town. "The next eruption... is in twenty minutes."
She pointed to a spot on the sea. "There. That's the eruption point. But the problem is that the Knock Up Stream is only fifty meters in diameter, and we'll encounter a 'thunderstorm layer' and a 'vacuum zone' during the ascent. If we stray off course, the ship will be shattered by lightning or fall from lack of oxygen."
On deck, Chopper was handing everyone specially made "Flame Emperor Pills: Sky Island Edition."
"I improved these using a Sky Island medicinal herb called Cloud Dial Grass!" the little reindeer explained excitedly. "After taking one, you can breathe underwater for three minutes and withstand low-oxygen environments! But the side effect is... you might feel a little like singing?"
Ace swallowed one and immediately felt a coolness in his lungs. "Good stuff! Wait, why do I want to sing 'Binks' Sake'...?"
"That's one of the side effects!" Chopper scratched his head. "But it won't affect combat!"
Tashigi checked the Flame-Infused Inscription on Shigure while Isuka led the fighters in reinforcing the ship's sides. Everyone was ready for battle.
Lin Yan stood on the figurehead, eyes closed, his perception fully extended.
He was searching for a "coordinate"-not a geographical coordinate, but an "energy coordinate." The Knock Up Stream was, in essence, a release of geothermal energy, and his Genesis Furnace ability gave him absolute control over heat.
"Found it."
He opened his eyes, the blazing energy source beneath the sea reflected in his crimson-gold pupils.
"Fifteen degrees to starboard! Full speed ahead!"
The Flame Emperor adjusted course and sailed toward that frighteningly calm stretch of sea.
Just then, arrogant laughter rang out from behind them:
"Zehahahaha! Flame Emperor brat, didn't see this coming, did you? I'm going ahead!"
A savage-looking black ship, like a mobile fortress, charged out from the other side of Jaya Island, heading straight for the eruption point! It was the Blackbeard Pirates' flagship, the Saber of Xebec!
"They got their hands on a Log Pose?" Ace frowned.
"No." Lin Yan shook his head. "They're using a cruder method-blasting open fissures in the seabed with explosives to artificially create a small-scale upwelling. But a current produced that way is unstable. It could collapse at any moment."
Sure enough, the moment the Saber of Xebec entered the designated area, the sea began churning violently! It wasn't a natural current, but chaotic whirlpools and submerged reefs!
"Boss, something's wrong with the current!" Lafitte cried.
"Shut up! Keep charging!" Blackbeard stood at the bow, his left arm wrapped in bandages, madness filling his eyes. "I'm getting to Sky Island first! The Rumble-Rumble Fruit... has to be mine!"
His ship forced its way into the whirlpool, its hull groaning under the strain.
"Idiot," Lin Yan remarked before ordering, "Slow down and keep our distance. Let them 'clear the way' first."
The Flame Emperor slowed, following five hundred meters behind Blackbeard's ship.
Ten minutes later.
The energy beneath the seabed reached its critical point.
RUMBLE-!!!
A deafening roar rose from beneath the sea! The entire surface churned like boiling water! Then a massive column of water over a hundred meters across burst through the surface like a pillar from myth, shooting straight into the clouds!
The Knock Up Stream had erupted!
"Now!" Lin Yan roared. "Everyone, hold on! Isuka, maximum power! Go in!"
Crimson-gold flames blasted from beneath the Flame Emperor-the "Flame Propulsion system" Lin Yan had modified using the Genesis Furnace, instantly driving the ship's speed to its limit! Like an arrow loosed from a bow, the ship shot precisely into the center of the water column!
Almost simultaneously, Blackbeard's ship charged in as well.
One behind the other, the two ships were swept skyward by the terrifying torrent!
Their vision blurred during the frenzied ascent, leaving only the deafening roar of water and wind in their ears. The sea grew farther away, the clouds drew closer, the air pressure changed sharply, and the temperature plummeted.
"Altitude, three thousand meters... five thousand... eight thousand..." Robin gritted her teeth against the acceleration. "We're about to enter the thunderstorm layer!"
She had barely finished speaking.
CRACK-!!!
A thick bolt of lightning split the clouds and struck straight down! Its target was the Flame Emperor!
"Tashigi!" Lin Yan didn't turn around.
"Understood!" The girl drew her blade, unleashing a crimson-gold sword slash with Flame-Infused Shigure!
The slash collided with the lightning, bursting into dazzling sparks in midair! But there was more than one bolt-hundreds upon thousands of lightning bolts struck from the clouds, forming a "lightning net" across the entire ascent passage!
"This is a natural phenomenon?" Ace exclaimed in shock. "There are way too many!"
"No." Lin Yan looked up into the depths of the clouds. "It's man-made. Someone... is controlling the lightning."
His Observation Haki pierced the clouds and sensed a figure seated on a massive golden throne. Four taiko drums protruded from the man's back, and he held a golden scepter, gazing down coldly.
Enel.
Sky Island's "god," the wielder of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit. His Mantra, or Observation Haki, covered all of Sky Island, allowing him to listen to everyone's inner voices and punish any "disrespectful ones" with lightning.
And now, he had clearly deemed the Knock Up Stream an "invasion route" and was attacking indiscriminately with lightning!
"Chopper!" Lin Yan called. "Flame Emperor Pills: Lightning Resistance Edition!"
"Coming!" Chopper tossed over several blue pills. "But these only resist voltages below a hundred thousand volts! Anything stronger, you'll have to withstand yourself, Captain!"
Lin Yan swallowed a pill and pressed both hands against the deck.
"Furnace Domain: Plasma Shield!"
Crimson-gold flames surged from the deck, forming an inverted bowl-shaped barrier around the entire ship. Lightning-like patterns flowed across its surface-the "plasma" Lin Yan had simulated using the Genesis Furnace, essentially the same as lightning: ionized gas.
The lightning struck the shield without exploding or piercing it. Instead, the shield "absorbed" it.
"He's... devouring lightning?" Above the clouds, surprise appeared on Enel's face for the first time. "A mere Blue Sea dweller? How could he...?"
He stood and raised his golden scepter high:
"200 Million Volts: Amaru!"
BOOM-!!!
A gigantic pillar of lightning ten meters across struck down like divine punishment! This blow had enough power to vaporize a warship instantly!
But Lin Yan merely raised his right hand.
In his palm, crimson-gold flames condensed into a miniature sun.
"Genesis Furnace: Energy Conversion."
The instant the lightning pillar struck the sun, its terrifying electrical energy was forcibly converted-from electrical energy into heat, then into light!
Blinding white light erupted, briefly robbing everyone of their sight. When their vision returned, the lightning pillar was gone, while the sun in Lin Yan's palm had tripled in size, its temperature soaring to two million degrees!
"Have it back."
He pushed the sun toward the clouds.
As it flew, the sun kept absorbing the surrounding lightning, growing larger and hotter until it became an "artificial sun" thirty meters across and slammed into the depths of the clouds!
BOOM-!!!
The blast tore a massive hole through the clouds. Sunlight poured through it, forming a strange "passage of light" within the thunderstorm layer.
The shock wave drove Enel back several steps, and cracks appeared in his golden throne.
"How is that possible...?" he gritted out. "My lightning... was actually absorbed? And converted into another form of energy? What kind of ability is this?!"
Below, the Flame Emperor had already cleared the thunderstorm layer and entered the "vacuum zone."
The air here was so thin it was almost nonexistent, and the temperature plunged to fifty degrees below zero. The crew began struggling to breathe, frost forming on their skin.
"Chopper's medicine is wearing off!" Robin's voice trembled.
Lin Yan glanced behind them-Blackbeard's ship had also cleared the thunderstorm layer, but its hull was damaged in numerous places and trailing black smoke. It had clearly paid a heavy price.
"There's no time." He made his decision. "Ace, Tashigi, prepare 'that.'"
The two immediately stood behind him, forming a triangle with him.
"Bond Fusion: Trinity Mode-"
"Sun God Nika: Pseudo Form, activate!"
HUM-!!!
The auras of Lin Yan, Ace, and Tashigi began to resonate! Though Luffy was absent, making a complete "Trinity" impossible, all three had bond levels above Lv. 4, enough to simulate some of "Nika's traits"!
Crimson-gold, bluish-white, and pale-red flames intertwined in midair, finally forming a pair of enormous wings of fire behind Lin Yan!
The outlines of a "sun" and a "smiling face" could faintly be seen in the wings' shape-the very symbols of the Sun God Nika!
"Domain expansion-"
"Dawn Sky: Artificial Atmosphere!"
The flaming wings beat fiercely, scattering crimson-gold flames as countless motes of light. Those motes burned in the air, consuming themselves to produce heat and oxygen, forcibly creating a "temporary atmosphere" within the vacuum zone!
Though it extended only a hundred meters around the Flame Emperor, it was enough. The crew immediately breathed easier, and their body temperatures rose.
"Keep climbing!" Lin Yan roared. "Three thousand meters to go!"
Propelled by the flaming wings, the Flame Emperor accelerated once more, charging toward the kingdom above the sea of clouds like a meteor flying in reverse!
Behind them, Blackbeard watched, his eyes red with jealousy.
"Sun God... Nika... that legendary power actually exists!" he gritted out. "I'll get it! Whether it's the Rumble-Rumble Fruit or Nika's power... they both have to be mine!"
His ship also accelerated desperately, but its hull was badly damaged, leaving it noticeably slower.
Five minutes later.
The Flame Emperor broke through the final layer of clouds.
The view suddenly opened up.
It was a dreamlike world made of "island cloud" and "sea cloud": white clouds spread like land, forming islands and roads; softer sea clouds served as oceans upon which ships could sail; the sky was a pure azure, and houses and towns built from clouds were visible in the distance.
They had reached Sky Island.
"Land on that island cloud!" Lin Yan pointed to a flat stretch of cloud ahead.
The ship descended slowly. The bubble membrane beneath its hull touched the island cloud with a soft hiss, then settled firmly in place.
The crew stepped onto the cloud ground, feeling its soft yet solid texture beneath their feet, their faces filled with wonder.
"So this is Sky Island..." Chopper ran excitedly back and forth. "Clouds can actually hold people up! It's amazing!"
"Stay alert." Robin scanned their surroundings warily. "Someone's here."
No sooner had she spoken than dozens of Skypieans with small white wings on their backs and strange clothing rushed out from behind the cloud houses. Armed with Burning Guns and Cloud Dial Weapons, they surrounded the Flame Emperor.
"Invaders from the Blue Sea!" the warrior chief at their head barked. "You have entered God's Kingdom without permission and violated God's commandments! Lay down your weapons immediately and submit to God's judgment!"
Ace raised an eyebrow. "God? Don't tell me you mean..."
"Correct." A cold voice came from the sky.
Seated aboard the golden ark, Ark Maxim, Enel slowly descended above the cloud ground. Electricity flickered around the four taiko drums on his back as he pointed his golden scepter at Lin Yan:
"I am Enel, the god of Sky Island. Blue Sea dweller, you absorbed my lightning just now. Very good... you are worthy of becoming part of my 'collection.'"
He licked his lips:
"I'll turn you into a specimen and display you in my temple, as an example of what happens to 'those who challenge God's majesty.'"
Lin Yan raised his head and met Enel's gaze.
Their gazes collided in midair, as though sparks were bursting between them.
"God?" Lin Yan laughed, his laughter full of mockery. "A coward who hides above the clouds and uses lightning to bully the weak thinks he deserves to be called a god?"
He stepped forward, crimson-gold flames spreading from beneath his feet and bathing the surrounding island cloud in gold.
"Today, I'll show you-"
"What a real 'god' should look like."
The Sky Island arc had officially begun.
The showdown between the Thunder God and the Sun God was on the verge of erupting.
Before you continue