An audience on Sky Island wins Lucci's surrender, Alto Mare's accession sets a new course!

Ten thousand meters in the air, the sea of clouds surged, and winds from the White Sea carried wisps of cloud past the docks of Angel Beach on Sky Island.

A fast ship from Hua Country cut through the sea of clouds and came to a steady stop beside the dock. The cabin door opened, and Guo Jia stepped out first, followed by Rob Lucci, Kaku, Jabra, Kalifa, Kumadori, and Fukurou.

The moment they set foot on Sky Island, every member of Cipher Pol No. 9 froze.

They had seen the luxury of Mary Geoise and the strict security of Enies Lobby, but never anything like this: a pure white sea of clouds stretched to the horizon, and enormous vines rose out of it, reaching straight into the sky; the streets were clean and orderly, with Shandia and Skypiean residents walking side by side, not a trace of estrangement or wariness on their faces; the patrolling Hua Country soldiers stood tall, their eyes sharp but not overbearing, and passing residents greeted them with smiles, without the slightest fear.

Here, there were no Celestial Dragon privileges, no oppressive World Government rule, no strife or slaughter between classes-only peace and order.

Lucci's pupils contracted slightly, and Hattori, the pigeon on his shoulder, fluttered his wings twice in unease. In his twenty-eight years of life, ever since entering Cipher Pol No. 9's training camp at five, he had lived amid the World Government's iron laws and slaughter. He had always believed that absolute control through strength was the only way to maintain order. Yet Sky Island before him offered an entirely different answer.

"This is Hua Country's territory on Sky Island." Guo Jia turned around and smiled faintly at the varied expressions of the Cipher Pol No. 9 members. "Three years ago, General