Luffy reclined on the chair shaped from condensed cloud, one arm folded behind his head, the other resting loosely against his chest as the world drifted far below.
The storm cloud carried him smoothly through the upper sky, its mass dense enough to be solid beneath his weight while remaining light enough to obey his will. At this altitude, the air was thin and cold, each breath sharper than the last. For several minutes, his lungs worked harder than usual, breath coming shallow as pressure tugged at his chest.
He slowed the cloud instinctively.
The wind softened. The surrounding air thickened just enough.
Luffy focused, subtly adjusting the electrical field around him, letting the charged air support his body while his lungs adapted. It wasn't the first time he'd traveled this high. Still, the human body always needed a reminder.
Soon, the discomfort faded.
"Yeah… still annoying," he muttered, lips curling into a faint grin.
Once steady again, he let the cloud rise.
Far below, the sea stretched endlessly, broken only by scattered islands and the thin white trails of ships following routes he no longer needed. From up here, the world felt distant—quiet, almost fragile.
As he passed through layers of drifting cloud, small landmasses appeared at odd heights. Sky Islands, caught in strange weather currents. Some were little more than rocky shelves with a handful of houses clinging to them. Others were green and lively, shaped by wind and lightning instead of tides.
When people noticed him, reactions varied.
A few waved cautiously, curiosity overpowering fear.
Others froze, eyes wide, then hurried indoors as shutters slammed shut.
Luffy acknowledged neither. He wasn't here to be seen.
The cloud drifted onward, guided by powerful air currents invisible to most. Up here, navigation wasn't about maps. It was about pressure, direction, instinct. Luffy felt the wind the same way he felt killing intent—subtle shifts, warnings carried before impact.
Hours passed.
Then the horizon hardened.
A massive wall of stone rose ahead, stretching endlessly in both directions.
The Red Line.
Luffy slowed and guided the cloud higher, slipping above the lower cloud layers until the sea vanished beneath mist. The air thinned again, colder now, but he barely noticed.
At the summit of the continent lay a city carved directly into the stone.
White walls. Perfect angles. Order enforced by architecture.
Mary Geoise.
"So this is the Holy Land," Luffy murmured.
From above, it looked pristine. Untouched. Beautiful in a sterile, controlled way. Every structure stood exactly where it was meant to, immune to storms, immune to consequence.
Luffy watched for only a moment.
No anger. No awe.
"I'm not here for you."
The cloud surged forward, catching a powerful wind stream that circled the world far above sea routes. Gates, currents, depths—those were problems for people bound to the ocean. Luffy crossed the Red Line without slowing, leaving the Holy Land behind as if it had never mattered.
As he descended, the sky changed.
The wind softened. The air warmed.
Paradise.
Not long after, familiar coastlines appeared below.
East Blue.
Luffy slowed the cloud, letting it descend until land details sharpened into focus. The islands looked small compared to what he'd seen over the years—quiet, modest, unchanged.
"…Home," he said quietly.
He adjusted course toward Dawn Island.
The island looked exactly as he remembered it. Simple houses. Narrow paths. A stubborn sense of peace that refused to die no matter how dangerous the world became.
Luffy guided the cloud toward the outskirts of the village and stepped onto solid ground.
At his silent command, the cloud rose again, thinning and drifting upward until it vanished into the sky.
The village froze.
People gathered cautiously, whispers spreading as they stared at the young man who had descended from nowhere. His clothes were unfamiliar. His presence didn't fit.
Then an older man stepped forward, gripping a cane tightly.
Mayor Woop Slap.
He squinted at Luffy, studying him from head to toe. "Who are you?" he demanded. "Are you a pirate?"
Luffy smiled easily.
"Yeah," he said. "I am."
The word sent a ripple through the crowd.
"But relax," Luffy added calmly. "I'm not here to cause trouble. I just came to see my sister."
That stopped them cold.
Sister?
Before anyone could question him, Luffy turned and started walking. The villagers hesitated, then followed at a distance, curiosity overpowering fear as he headed straight for the bar.
The familiar wooden door creaked open.
Luffy stepped inside and sat at the same seat he'd occupied years ago.
The smell hit him immediately—wood, alcohol, cooked food. Nothing had changed.
Makino wasn't behind the counter.
He waited.
Moments later, she emerged from the back room, wiping her hands on a cloth. She paused when she saw him.
"Good afternoon, sir," she said politely. "Can I help you?"
Luffy looked up and smiled.
"Yeah. I'll take a big plate of meat… and some sake."
He paused, then added softly,
"…Makino-neechan."
The cloth slipped from her hands.
Her eyes widened.
"…Luffy?"
She rushed forward and wrapped him in a fierce hug, knocking him backward off the stool.
"LUFFY!" she cried. "You really came back!"
Luffy laughed, arms coming around her automatically.
"I said I would."
She pulled back just long enough to look at him properly, hands shaking as she wiped her eyes.
"You've grown so much…"
She hurried into the back and returned with food and sake, setting them down before sitting beside him.
"Tell me everything," she said breathlessly. "Where you went. What you saw. What kind of trouble you got into."
Before Luffy could answer, the door burst open.
"LUFFY'S BACK!"
The bar filled instantly. Chairs scraped. Food appeared from nowhere. Drinks followed. Questions came faster than answers.
Luffy laughed and talked. He ate until Makino scolded him for breathing between bites.
For three days, Foosha Village felt alive again.
---
On the fourth morning, Luffy stood at the pier.
The villagers gathered to see him off, waving as he looked up at the sky. A dark cloud descended smoothly at his call, settling at the dock like a waiting ship.
Luffy climbed aboard and turned back.
"Goodbye," he said with a grin. "Next time I come back, I'll be Pirate King."
Makino laughed through tears. "I'll be checking the newspapers every day!"
Luffy raised a thumb.
The cloud drifted away.
He kept it low this time, just above the sea, moving slowly.
The water below stirred.
A Sea King surfaced, roaring as it lunged.
Luffy didn't move.
A single pulse of Conqueror's Haki washed over the sea.
The Sea King froze mid-charge and collapsed.
The cloud continued forward.
Luffy sat back down.
The warmth faded from his expression, replaced by calm focus.
"…Time to turn the world upside down," he murmured.
And the sea listened.