Chapter 142 - 3

Chopper walked toward the shore as Ussop stared at the soft white shore, he could not see any shellfish, "There are shellfish in the clouds?"

"Well…Dials were originally shells right?" Ben pointed it out. "They had to come from somewhere"

Chopper crouched and pressed both of his hooves carefully against the cloud-sand, feeling the shells moving around beneath. He looked up at the captain horrified.

"W-we didn't know!"

"How were we supposed to know there was a shellfish bed here?" Zoro asked slightly incredulous.

"Ignorance is not exemption"

Of course it wasn't, Ben thought sardonically.

The more time Ben spent on Skypiea, the more it seemed that any offense, no matter how minor, accidentally or unintentional it may be, was disguised as a trap. One wrong step or misdemeanor and the law will rain down and stomp on the prey that now was trapped in it.

"And the penalty?" Robin asked calmly.

The captain reached into one of his pocket sleeves in his cape-like overcoat and pulled out a paper. He handed it over to Nami who snatched it first, she scanned the fine and the color of her face drained the moment she saw it.

Ussop leaned over her shoulder to see it. "How bad is it?"

"Fifty billion, four hundred million Extol." She answered, her voice coming out flat.

Ussop gasped loudly enough as though his soul left his mortal body. "That's way worse than before!"

"Ten thousand Extol equals one Berri" Robin calculated. "Therefore, our fine is five million four hundred thousand Berri."

Most of the Straw Hats tensed up at the revelation, it was indeed a greater amount.

Ben frowned, the situation was getting worse by the minute.

Luffy turned towards Nami as she was the expert when it came to their finances. "Hey Nami, do we have that?" He asked innocently.

"Of course we don't!" She snapped at him.

For a brief moment, Ben considered using Vearth again to pay for the fine. However, the Captain made it very clear that it was considered sacred in Skypiea and thus unacceptable to be used.

"Failure to pay the fine authorizes immediate seizure of the offending vessel." The White Beret Captain announced to the Straw Hat Pirates, his words hit harder than the fine.

Ussop and Chopper's eye widen from the shock.

Nami's face shifted to a frightened expression, while Luffy's went still.

Zoro's hands moved to his swords, anticipating conflict to escalate.

Sanji's frowned as he subtly shifted his stance.

Robin remained calm, her expression neutral as she weighed their next move. But the other officers were watching them too closely now, hands drifting toward their weapons with just enough restraint to pretend they had not decided anything yet.

It was clear a fight was coming.

However, the only one who stepped forward to attempt de-escalating the situation once more was Ben. "May I have a word, Captain?"

The other White Beret officers shifted their stance as he approached their captain, their hands moving to their weapons. Ben raised both of his hands as a peace gesture. "No starting anything, I only wish to Parley."

"He wants to have a party?" Luffy repeated, finding that idea to sound like a lot of fun.

"Parley, not party. It's a pirate term that means Kevin wants to talk and find a peaceful solution, Captain" Robin informed him with a small smile. Sometimes she found the innocent ignorance of her new captain endearing.

Luffy looked at Robin in slight amazement. "You mean there are pirate words I've never heard of?!" He grinned a bit before he then got a bit closer to her. "Can you tell me another?!"

"Now isn't the time for that Captain." Robin gently turned down his request.

Luffy pouted a bit. "Oh ok."

"Do you really think you can just settle every violation by paying fines, Kevin?" The Beret captain rhetorically asked.

"Yeah, I'm not a fan of collections either." He answered.

Ben tried the best he could to tap into his best friend's rough-edged confidence, his stance, tilting his chin like this was just a bad deal he could talk his way through. "Look, we're new here. You know that. We don't know every protected area, shellfish bed, restricted current, sacred cloud, or whatever else you guys have marked off. If we messed up, fine. Tell us. We'll move the ship."

Nami looked sharply at him but remained quiet. The other Straw Hats did so as well.

"As it stands, no damage has been done, and it is easily fixable by just moving the ship to a new location. Just give us one warning, we move the ship, and all of this can be put to rest. Simple right?"

The captain's expression did not soften "The law is clear"

"But there isn't even a sign anywhere." Ben gestured across Angel Beach.

The captain lifted his chin. "The absence of signage is itself a protective measure. Signs attract the curious, and the curious disturb protected beds."

Ben stared at him. "You hear yourself, right?"

"Kevin," Robin said softly.

The captain's eyes hardened. "Ignorance of Skypiean law does not excuse law violations. Since you cannot pay, the vessel will be confiscated and transported to the sacrificial altar."

The crew froze.

Chopper whispered, "Sacrificial?"

Nami's eyes widened in apprehension. "Altar?"

Usopp's hands clenched at his sides. "You are not taking our ship," he said quietly.

The captain lifted one hand. "Proceed."

Two White Berets moved toward the anchor line.

Usopp stepped forward. At first, it was only one step, followed by another. His knees shook, and his mouth was tight, but he moved between the officers and the Going Merry like his body had decided before his fear could stop him.

"No."

The nearest Beret frowned. "Move aside."

Usopp's hand went to his slingshot. "You don't touch Merry."

"Usopp!" Nami cried.

The officer reached for him.

Usopp fired.

A pebble cracked against the captain's left shoulder with a sharp snap.

For one beautiful, terrible second, everyone went silent.

"AGH!" The captain stumbled back slightly, grabbing at his shoulder.

Usopp's hand froze in the firing position.

Ben closed his eyes. "Oh, man."

The captain slowly lowered his gaze, still clutching his shoulder.

Usopp swallowed. "T-That was a warning shot."

"That hit him though," Zoro said.

"It warned him where his shoulder was!"

The captain's voice dropped. "Obstruction of official duty. Assault on an officer. Arrest him!"

The White Berets surged forward.

"Usopp!" Chopper cried.

Luffy moved.

"Gum-Gum…" He reared back his right fist, stretching it to an impossible distance. "Pistol!"

His fist snapped forward and slammed into the captain's face, sending him careening across the beach. He landed in the pavilion hard enough to shake loose a spray of splintered wood.

For a second, Angel Beach went still.

"Captain?!" several officers exclaimed.

Other officers stared in shock at what Luffy had done.

"His arm…" one uttered, face going pale.

"It stretched," another whispered, voice cracking. "His arm stretched!"

Luffy grinned at Usopp. "Nice one, Usopp."

Usopp blinked at him, still trembling. "Nice one?"

"You protected Merry."

Zoro's mouth curved faintly. "Not bad, long-nose."

Sanji took the cigarette from his mouth. "A man protects his lady. Even if she's a ship."

Usopp's eyes filled with tears. "You guys…"

Ben exhaled and shook his head. "Well, you can't say I didn't try and do things peacefully."

Nami tapped his back with an almost dejected look "Yeah I know the feeling."

Then the White Beret captain groaned.

He pushed himself upright beneath the pavilion's shade, one hand braced against the floor, the other clamped over his nose. Blood dripped between his fingers and spotted the front of his uniform. His white beret had fallen crooked over one eye, and when he lifted his head, his face had gone red with humiliation.

"How dare you," he hissed.

Luffy tilted his head. "Huh?"

The captain shoved himself to his feet, shaking with anger. "First, you disrespect our culture by trying to use sacred Vearth to pay fines. Then you damage protected island-cloud. Now you obstruct a government official from performing his duties." His voice rose with each word. "A Class-5 criminal offense!"

Ben cocked one brow. "You guys are just making these classes up as you go, aren't you?"

The captain's eyes snapped to him. "Silence! In the name of Kami Eneru, I declare you exiled to the clouds!"

Usopp blinked. "Exiled to the clouds?"

Luffy brightened. "That sounds kinda nice."

"It isn't, Blue Sea fool!" one of the lieutenants snapped.

Another officer's mouth twisted into a grim smile. "The clouds don't all hold people up. Some take them down and never give them back."

Nami's stomach dropped.

Usopp went pale. "I suddenly hate the clouds."

The captain lifted one arm, pointing at the Straw Hats with a trembling finger. "Arrest them!"

"Yes, sir!" The White Berets moved as one.

Zoro's hand closed around a sword hilt. Sanji stepped forward with his hands still calmly tucked in his pockets, cigarette glowing at the corner of his mouth. Ben rolled one shoulder, Muckamorph's disguise stretching with the movement.

"Guess we're doing this now," Ben muttered.

The captain bared his teeth. "Let fly!"

The White Berets raised their weapons.

"Milky Arrows!"

Sharp projectiles launched across the beach with a chorus of snapping strings and hissing Dials. Their arrowheads were not steel, but pale red, conical shells that spun as they flew. Trails of milky clouds streamed behind them, thin at first, then thickening in the air like paths being painted across nothing.

Luffy's eyes widened.

The arrows came straight for the crew.

"Nami!" Luffy threw himself in front of her and shoved her back toward the Merry. "Go to the ship! You're in the way!"

"Aah!" Nami stumbled, caught herself, then spun toward the Going Merry. "Fine! Don't get killed, you idiots!"

Luffy grinned as the arrows streaked past him. "What are those?"

The projectiles missed, but the cloud trails did not fade. Instead, they hung in the air, growing denser until they solidified.

The White Berets leapt.

Their boots struck the trails, and metal runners fixed beneath them bit into the cloud-streams. They glided forward on Shooters, skating through the air as if the Milky Arrows had drawn roads just for them. Swords flashed free in their hands.

Luffy's grin stretched wider. "Wow!"

Ben stared for half a second longer than he should have. I get it. Those things give them something to skate on.

Juryrigg had built a similar feature into his Hoverboard Waver so he could ride in places where there wasn't any sea-cloud present.

A sword hissed toward his side.

Ben snapped back to the present and leaned away. The blade sliced through the edge of his fake shirt, close enough to cut into the purple Lenopan mass beneath his Kevin Levin disguise. He answered with a punch to the officer's face, sending the man careening backward off his Shooter and across the beach.

Another Beret came in low. Ben ducked the swing, drove an elbow into the officer's stomach, and kicked his legs out from under him.

A third officer slashed from the side before Ben fully turned. The blade caught him along the ribs. The officer froze when he saw there was no blood.

Instead, purple sludge oozed from the cut.

The Beret's eyes bulged. "W-what?!"

Ben turned his head slowly and gave him a roguish smirk. "Surprise."

His right arm lost shape.

It melted into a thick purple tendril, stretching longer and longer before the officer could react. Muckamorph whipped it across the beach, the sludge-limb cracking into three Berets at once. The blow struck across their torsos and sent them hurling backward, knocking two more officers off their cloud trails in the process.

By the Merry's hull, Usopp and Chopper were waiting for Nami to climb the ladder until they saw Ben's arm turn into a purple tendril.

Usopp stared. "His arm turned into goo!"

Chopper's eyes sparkled despite the danger. "That's amazing!"

Ben cocked a brow. "What, did you guys forget I was in disguise?"

Nami, halfway up the Merry's ladder, whipped around. "Focus on not getting arrested!"

Zoro met the next wave head-on. One sword came free with a clean ring, and he stepped into the path of an incoming Beret. Their blades clashed, but only once. Zoro's strength drove the officer's sword aside, and the flat of his blade slammed into the man's chest hard enough to drop him onto the beach.

"Too slow," he muttered.

Sanji moved like smoke beside him.

A Beret skated down a Milky trail, sword raised. Sanji pivoted without taking his hands from his pockets and snapped a kick into the officer's wrist. The sword flew from his hand. A second kick crashed into his jaw and folded him backward off his Shooters.

"You point a blade at a lady's ship," Sanji said coldly, "you should expect poor service."

Another officer swiped at Luffy.

Luffy bent backward out of the way, his body stretching at an impossible angle. He snapped upright and sprang to the side, laughing as the blade cut empty air.

"Those shoes of yours are cool!"

The Beret stared. "What?!"

"He's stretching himself again!" another shouted.

Luffy's arm shot out and wrapped around a nearby palm tree.

Ben's head turned. "Luffy, what are you—"

"Gum-Gum…" Luffy launched himself upward. His body spun wildly in midair, arms and legs twisting around each other until he became a tangled, rotating ball of rubber limbs.

The captain, still near the broken pavilion, bared his teeth in recognition. "I see now. A Devil Fruit!" A fist snapped out of the spinning mass. It hit the captain in the face. Again.

"FIREWORKS!"

The ball of rubber exploded into motion.

Punches and kicks burst out in every direction, too many to follow, each limb snapping from the tangled center and retracting before another shot out. The remaining White Berets were struck from all sides. One took a fist to the stomach. Another caught a foot under the chin. Two officers slammed into each other midair after Luffy's fists ricocheted them off opposite sides of the beach.

The Milky trails broke apart as their riders fell.

Bodies hit the cloud-sand in a messy chorus.

The captain spun backward, crashed through the already damaged pavilion railing, and landed in a heap beneath the shade. His white beret floated down and landed on his face.

For a moment, only the soft rush of the White-White Sea filled the silence.

Luffy dropped out of the air and landed on his back, eyes spinning. "Heh-heh," he said weakly. "Fireworks."

Ben looked across the unconscious Berets scattered over Angel Beach, then back at Luffy. A smile tugged at his mouth despite himself. "Huh. That was actually a pretty cool attack."

Luffy lifted one shaky hand. "Thanks, Levin."

"Still wrong name."

Zoro nudged one downed officer with his boot. The man groaned but did not get up. Zoro sheathed his sword with a soft click and looked toward the Merry.

"Hey, Nami! How much money do we have?"

Sanji frowned at him. "Why are you asking? You seriously think we could pay five million in fines?"

Ben scoffed. "Too late for that anyway."

Nami leaned over the foredeck railing, fists clenched. "We don't have anything left!"

Zoro's brow furrowed. "We're broke?"

"Yes!"

"We're in bad shape."

Luffy sat up, still wobbling. "Why are we so poor? As your captain, I have to say this. You guys spend way too much money!"

"Most of it goes to feed you, stupid!" Nami screamed.

Ben turned to Luffy, exasperated. "Maybe lead by example next time."

Luffy blinked at him. "But I'll be hungry next time too."

Ben stared. "That is somehow the most honest and least helpful answer you could've given."

Usopp crossed his arms and lifted his chin with all the dignity of a man whose legs were still shaking. "Well, at least we beat them thanks to my Formation B strategy."

Chopper gasped. "Really?!"

"Of course! My warning shot created the opening, Luffy executed the finishing maneuver, Zoro and Sanji handled flank suppression, and Kevin provided the mysterious goo support."

"Goo support?" Ben questioned.

Sanji exhaled smoke. "He protected the Merry. Let him have this."

Usopp's eyes shimmered. "Sanji…"

"For ten seconds."

"Sanji!"

A strained laugh cut across the beach.

It was from the Beret captain.

He lay half-propped beneath the ruined pavilion, blood still dripping from his nose, his uniform scuffed and torn. Two lieutenants crawled toward him, groaning as they tried to sit up.

"Fools," the captain rasped.

The crew turned.

"You should have surrendered quietly." His laugh came again, pained but vicious. "We are the friendliest law officers you will find in Godland."

Ben cocked a brow. "Could've fooled me."

The captain's eyes gleamed with ugly satisfaction. "They will not be so gentle with you."

Luffy's smile faded.

Zoro's gaze sharpened.

Sanji's expression hardened around his cigarette.

The captain pushed himself up on one elbow. "You are Class-2 criminals now. Make all the fuss you want. Laugh. Run. Fight." He coughed, then smiled through the blood. "The Kami's priests in Upper Yard will deal with you."

Ben's expression hardened.

Nami's hands tightened on the Merry's railing.

The captain lifted his chin with the last scrap of dignity he had. "Heso."

The two lieutenants hauled him up, each taking one of his arms over their shoulders. Around them, the remaining conscious White Berets dragged their fallen comrades together. Some limped. Some groaned. None tried to continue the fight.

Ben watched them retreat from Angel Beach, his face carefully blank.

He exhaled heavily through his nose. "Well," he said, almost to himself. "Under the radar is officially dead."

…

After the White Berets retreated, the broken Milky trails slowly softened in the air, losing shape piece by piece as the Dials' lingering force faded.

Ben stood near one of the thicker cloud trails. Thanks to Muckamorph's biology, the slash across his ribs had already sealed, the purple Lenopan mass smoothing over until it looked like the blade had never touched him.

Usopp crouched near one of the cloud paths with a stick in hand, poking at it from what he clearly believed was a safe distance.

Chopper leaned beside him, eyes wide. "It's still solid."

"Don't touch it too much," Usopp warned. "It might explode."

Ben glanced down at him. "Why would it explode?"

"It came from a weapon!"

"I'm pretty sure those weren't the weapon part."

Usopp looked offended. "How can an arrow not be the weapon part?"

Ben pointed toward the fading cloud trail. "Because the arrows weren't meant to hit us. They were laying down tracks."

Chopper blinked. "Tracks?"

"Yeah. Those little shell arrowheads made solid cloud paths, and then the White Berets skated along them to get close." Ben crouched, studying the way the cloud held itself together before slowly unraveling at the edges. "Not a bad setup, actually. Annoying, but not bad."

Usopp's eyes narrowed. "So they shot roads at us?"

"Pretty much."

Chopper gasped. "That's kinda cool!"

Usopp slapped a hand over Chopper's mouth. "Do not admire the people trying to arrest us!"

Nami's gaze drifted to the abandoned grooves in the cloud-sand, where the officers' footwear had carved thin lines across the shore. "Those must've been Shooters," she said.

Ben glanced at her. "Shooters?"

"Wavers on skates," Nami replied, still studying the tracks. "The shop Pagaya took me to had some."

Usopp shot upright. "You mean we could buy those?"

Nami's voice cracked. "Nobody is buying anything anymore!"

Usopp wilted. "Right. Broke."

"Criminals and broke," Ben muttered. "Really rounding out the vacation."

A shout came from the direction of the grand staircase.

"Everyone!"

Conis rushed onto Angel Beach first, her long braids bouncing over her shoulders and her face pale with worry. Pagaya followed close behind, breathing harder than usual.

"A-Are you hurt?" she asked quickly.

Luffy turned with a grin and lifted one hand. "Nope! We're fine."

Conis stared at him.

Pagaya adjusted his glasses with a trembling hand. "We-We heard there was a fight with the White Berets on Angel Beach."

"Small fight," Zoro said.

Nami snapped, "Small?"

Sanji exhaled smoke, glancing toward the ruined pavilion. "If you even wanna call it a fight."

Ben rubbed the back of his neck. "Okay, so the short version is, they tried to seize the ship over some protected shellfish bed violation, then things got complicated."

Usopp pointed at himself. "I defended Merry."

"You shot the Berets captain," Nami said.

"With a warning shot."

"You hit him!"

"It warned him where his shoulder was."

Pagaya's face went a shade paler. "You struck a White Beret captain?"

Luffy raised his hand. "I did too."

Conis looked as if she had just been told the clouds had caught fire.

Ben lifted both hands before anyone spiraled further. "And then he declared us exiled to the clouds, tried to arrest us, and after Luffy's rubber fireworks show, he said we're Class-2 criminals now."

Conis froze while Pagaya went completely still.

Nami noticed. "What?"

Conis's hands tightened at her chest. "Class-2…"

Pagaya swallowed. "Oh, dear."

Usopp's voice cracked. "Why did you say that like that?"

Robin stepped closer, her gaze calm but attentive. "Cloud exile. What does that sentence mean here?"

Conis looked at the Merry, then back at the crew. Her voice came out soft, but there was no gentleness in the meaning. "You and your ship would be cast away on an island-cloud with no way of escape. You would stay there until you died from starvation."

A silence fell across the beach.

Chopper's ears drooped. "That's horrible."

"Yeah, it is," Sanji remarked, his frown deepening.

He knew starvation well enough from experience. What she described sounded painfully familiar: being trapped in a small space with no way out, forced to ration whatever food you had while hoping you survived long enough for help to arrive.

"Take it from me," the cook said quietly. "It's not a pleasant experience."

Usopp's face drained. "So when he said exiled to the clouds, he meant murder by cloud?!"

"Lawful punishment," Pagaya said faintly, though he sounded as if the phrase tasted bitter.

Ben's mouth tightened. For someone with aliens that could fly, phase, or survive a fall all the way back to earth, cloud exile was not much of a threat. For anyone else, it was a death sentence.

Robin's eyes lowered in thought. "Ahh… That explains the ship that fell from the sky."

Ben turned toward her. "What?"

"Before we came to Jaya," she explained, "an old galleon fell from the sky in front of us. Perhaps its crew was exiled to the clouds."

Usopp went rigid. The memory clearly hit him all at once. The massive wreck dropping out of the sky. The rotten timbers. The skeletons inside. The impossible horror of a ship that had fallen from above like the sky itself had spat out a grave.

Pagaya looked between them with growing distress. "This is a terrible predicament."

Conis stepped back, and Pagaya stepped with her. Both took more steps away from Ben and the Straw Hats.

Nami's eyebrow twitched. "How come you're way over there?!"

Conis flinched. "I'm sorry."

Pagaya bowed his head. "Now that you are branded as Class-2 criminals, we cannot help you openly. Association itself could be treated as a crime."

Luffy laughed, utterly unconcerned. "Oh well. We're used to being hunted."

Usopp whipped toward him. "Yes, but have you been listening, Luffy? Now this Eneru guy and his priests will be after us. We should leave. Like now!"

Sanji frowned, cigarette shifting at the corner of his mouth. "Actually, that brings up a good question. How do we leave?"

Zoro scratched the back of his head. "Hmm… yeah, we never gave much thought to how we'd get back, did we?"

Nami snapped her head to them. "Why are you all realizing this now?!"

Usopp turned desperately to Conis and Pagaya. "Is there any way back? Will we ever see the Blue Sea again?!"

Conis hesitated, still clearly frightened, but she answered. "It is very perilous, I'm afraid. But there is a way down to the Blue Sea. You have to go down one level and sail to the far east of the White Sea… to a place known as Cloud's End."

"Cloud's End?" several of them repeated.

Conis nodded. "Yes. But I would not advise you to go that way. You would have to cross a vast sea in the sky."

Usopp stared at her. "Huh? What do you mean?"

Chopper looked from Conis to the Merry, panic rising. "What? We can't go home?"

"We're not going home." Luffy's voice cut through the noise.

Everyone looked at him.

The captain stood in the middle of Angel Beach, straw hat shadowing his eyes. His gaze was fixed past the Merry and past the shore.

Usopp's mouth opened. "Luffy, what are you talking about?! Staying here is too dangerous!"

Sanji's expression tightened. "Not to mention if we stay, we'll just bring trouble to Pagaya and Conis dear."

Luffy turned to Ben. "You said you wanted to beat Eneru, huh?"

Ben's body went still.

Conis's eyes widened. "W-what…?"

Pagaya made a small, strangled sound. "N-no! Don't say something like that out loud!"

Luffy grinned like the answer was obvious. "Well then, let's go!"

The beach froze.

Ben stared at him in mild shock. "But… I didn't even ask for—"

"You helped us get here," Luffy said. "Paid our way in. And helped us with those fines. No way we're not gonna help you." He smiled, wide and careless and completely sure. "Besides, you're my friend."

The words hit harder than Ben expected.

Friend. Just like that. No ceremony. No conditions. No waiting until Ben explained every lie, every secret, every piece of himself he had kept hidden. Luffy had known him for two days. Two days of fights, food, confusion, and dodging the truth.

And still, he said it like it was settled.

Ben felt the guilt twist sharper under his ribs. He had not even given him his real name. For a moment, the only sound was the faint rush of the White-White Sea against the shore. Ben's mouth then curved into a small smile. "Just when I think I've got you figured out, you surprise me again."

Zoro smirked.

Sanji's expression softened into something approving.

Robin smiled with quiet amusement, as if she had been waiting for this moment.

Usopp and Chopper looked like men hearing the tolling bell of their own fate.

"We're going toward the death jungle," Usopp whispered.

Chopper hugged his hat. "With priests."

"And murder."

"And lightning."

Nami, surprisingly, was smiling. Proud in the way when Luffy was being an idiot in exactly the right direction. Ben noticed. She caught him noticing and looked away.

Luffy pointed at the Merry. "Okay! Get the ship ready! We're going to Upper Yard!"

Usopp's jaw dropped. "Why did that sound like an adventure order?!"

"Because it is," Zoro said.

Nami proceeded towards the Merry's ladder. "You heard him. If we're doing this, we're not doing it sloppy."

Usopp stared at her. "Nami, you're helping?"

She gave him a sharp look. "Our captain said we're helping Kevin. So we're helping Kevin."

Ben blinked.

Nami crossed her arms, cheeks faintly pink with irritation. "And don't look at me like that. I don't like owing people."

Robin's smile deepened. "Navigator is very responsible about debts."

"Exactly."

"Even emotional ones?"

Nami shot the ravenette a look. "Don't start."

Usopp suddenly turned toward Pagaya. "Hey, Pagaya! You said you were an engineer, right? Before we leave, could you spare some parts so we can repair our ship?"

Pagaya startled. "C-certainly!"

Luffy's hand shot up. "Hey, old man! Think we can we have the rest of the food from yesterday too?"

Pagaya blinked. "Of course."

"Awesome! Sanji, get the bento boxes!"

Sanji snapped upright. "Very shrewd!"

Ben looked from Luffy to Sanji to Pagaya, then back at Pagaya. "Wait. You're actually helping us?"

Pagaya gave him a nervous smile. "As long as you are quick."

His expression tightened with guilt. "Going back to your place could put you in danger. We're criminals now, remember?"

Conis lowered her gaze, but Pagaya shook his head.

"You have already been guests in our home," he said. "And you have not harmed us. If there is a way to assist without drawing too much attention, then we will do what we can."

Ben's fake face softened. "I'm sorry for the trouble. We'll get out of your hair soon."

Nami pointed toward the stairs. "Hey! If you're heading back, don't forget mine and Robin's stuff!"

Sanji turned to her with hearts in his eye. "Of course, Nami-swan!"

Luffy started forward. "I'll come to supervise you guys."

Ben looked at him. "You mean to eat any snacks?"

Luffy froze. "…No."

Ben stared. "That didn't sound convincing."

Nami clapped her hands once, taking command. "Fine. Luffy, Sanji, and Usopp go to Pagaya and Conis's place. Get the food, our things, and whatever parts Pagaya can spare. The rest of us stay here and get Merry ready."

Ben hesitated. His eyes moved toward Conis and Pagaya, and the guilt in his chest pressed harder.

He could not leave like this. Not after everything. Not after Conis had been grieving his "death" while he had been standing right in front of her. Not after Pagaya had opened his home twice without knowing who he was really helping.

He had to tell them. Or at least write it down.

Robin caught the shift in his expression. "What is it?"

"I…" Ben kept his voice low. "I have to tell them."

Robin understood immediately. Her gaze softened, though her voice stayed careful. "Be mindful of how you say it."

Ben nodded once. "Right."

He then took off after Luffy's group. "Wait up, guys!"

"Hey! Kevin!" Nami called.

He did not stop.

Nami turned to Robin. "Where's he going?"

"He has business to take care of."

"Business?" Zoro questioned.

Chopper's ears drooped as he watched Ben hurry after them. "Maybe he's worried about Conis and Pagaya? They looked really scared earlier."

Nami blinked twice, looking between Ben, Conis, and Pagaya before understanding settled.

"Oh," she said quietly. "I get it."

"Get what?" Zoro asked.

"Not important right now." Nami turned back toward the Merry. "Besides, we need to be ready to move fast."

Zoro looked at her from where he stood near the anchor line. "Honestly, didn't think you of all people would back Luffy up on this."

Nami glanced at him. "How did you think I'd react?"

"Figured you'd want to get out of Skypiea as fast as possible."

Chopper nodded nervously. "I kind of wanted that too."

Nami looked toward the White-White Sea, then toward the stairs where the others had started climbing. For a moment, her fingers brushed near the silver pendant at her throat.

She shrugged. "I can't let debts go unpaid."

Zoro studied her for a second, then smirked faintly. "Well… it's refreshing to see you in debt for once."

Nami's eyes narrowed. "You keep talking, and I'll raise your debt."

Zoro's smirk vanished. "Are you insane, you witch?!"

Robin moved to the side of the ship, her gaze drifting toward Upper Yard. "Navigator is not wrong. Kevin has helped us more than once. Though I imagine the people waiting there will be quite dangerous."

Chopper shivered. "I was trying not to think about that."

Nami grimaced. "Same."

Robin smiled gently. "Then perhaps we should prepare thoroughly."

Nami exhaled, then straightened. "Good idea. Chopper, check our medical supplies. Robin, see what you can organize from the deck. Zoro…"

Zoro looked over.

Nami pointed at the anchor line. "Don't get lost."

He frowned. "I'm standing right here."

"That's why I'm saying it now."

Meanwhile, farther away, tucked inside the foliage near the edge of the stairs, the White Beret captain lay flat on his stomach. His uniform was torn. His nose still bled. One eye was swelling shut, and every breath made his ribs ache.

Still, he watched.

His fingers dug into the soft cloud beneath him as he glared toward the Going Merry.

"Fools," he rasped to himself. "They don't realize Kami Eneru and his priests will crush them."

His mouth twisted into a pained smile.

"They live to punish criminals like you."

His voice lowered to a whisper.

"You will be guided to the sacred land… Upper Yard."

…

Pagaya opened the front door to his house quickly and gestured them in. "Please be swift. I will gather what parts I can spare."

"Thanks, old man!" Luffy said, stepping inside. "Also, food!"

Sanji grabbed him by the back of the vest. "You're not raiding their kitchen like a wild animal."

"But Pagaya said we could have leftovers."

"That does not mean you inhale them before I pack them."

Usopp pointed toward the door that led to Pagaya's workshop. "Right. Tools. Parts. Ship repair supplies. Leave that to me."

"You know what you need, dude?" Ben asked.

Usopp lifted his chin. "Naturally. I am the man who keeps the Going Merry sailing through impossible seas."

Sanji's visible eye slid toward him. "You mean the ship you keep repairing with planks, nails, and prayers?"

"High-quality prayers," Usopp corrected.

Pagaya guided him into the workshop with a pleasant, if somewhat confused, smile. "This way, then."

Inside, half-finished Waver frames rested along one wall, tools hung from neat hooks, and boxes of screws, braces, tubing, and Dial housings lined the benches. The warm smell of wood, oil, and dust filled the room, and Usopp stepped inside with the stunned reverence of a man entering sacred ground.

"Aw," he exhaled, smiling. "This is beautiful."

Pagaya brightened. "You think so?"

Usopp crossed to a workbench and picked up a small hand tool, weighing it carefully in his palm. "Balanced grip. Good weight. Clean edge." His eyes widened as he looked over the tool rack. "You maintain these yourself?"

"Of course."

Usopp's expression turned grave. "Respect."

Pagaya chuckled softly and moved toward a storage shelf, pulling down a small wooden box of spare fittings. "Are you the shipwright, Usopp?"

Usopp froze for half a second and then straightened like a man handed a title far too important to reject. "No," he said, with the heavy burden of false modesty, "I am the sharpshooter. We don't have a shipwright, so these guys depend on me for everything. Repairs, weapons, strategy, morale, storytelling. It's a real pain sometimes."

"I see," Pagaya said politely, setting the box on the bench.

Usopp nodded, already gathering what he needed as he spoke. He began placing a hammer, pilers, screws, nails, and braces into his bag. "The ship couldn't sail without me. I guess you could say I'm like a second captain. Everybody does call me captain."

Pagaya's smile remained kind as Usopp continued sorting through the supplies, now adding a small saw and a bundle of repair patches to the growing pile.

"Luffy has spirit, sure, but who keeps the brave heart of the Merry beating? Who patches her wounds after battle? Who stands tall when all others fall? That's right. Captain Usopp—"

Seeing that Usopp would be at this for a while, Pagaya quietly excused himself from the workshop. Usopp did not notice.

Meanwhile, in the main room, Sanji had turned the low table into a battlefield of careful food arrangement. Several bento boxes were open in front of him; each one being filled with leftovers from yesterday's dinner and that morning's breakfast. It should have been a rushed job. They were criminals now, the Going Merry was being prepared to sail to Upper Yard. Yet Sanji worked with the absolute focus of a master artist preparing a final piece. Luffy sat on the couch with a small snack in both hands, chewing while watching Sanji work diligently. Conis sat nearby, hands folded in her lap, worry still lingering in her expression. Pagaya stepped into the room from the workshop and paused, looking down at the boxes with genuine admiration.

"Your arrangement of the food is very artistic," Pagaya complimented. "What lovely colors."

Sanji's shoulders lifted with professional pride. "Presentation is crucial. A meal should please the eyes before it ever reaches the tongue."

He adjusted a slice of sky-fish with chopsticks, then frowned in concentration.

"No, red would look better over here. And some emerald sky beans here…" He leaned back slightly, judging the balance. "There. Much more appetizing."

Luffy tilted his head. "It all looks the same once it's in your belly."

Sanji's eyebrow twitched. "Quiet, you uncouth rubber vacuum. Food should appeal to all the senses."

Conis's eyes softened as she watched him work. "You truly are an incredible chef, Sanji. The beautiful meals you prepared at the café today, and now these boxes… it's beautiful."

Sanji turned to her so quickly the chopsticks nearly flew out of his hand. "Really?"

Conis nodded. "Yes."

His whole face brightened. Then, with dramatic tenderness, he lifted one of the finished boxes and held it toward her. "Then this one is for you, Conis dear."

Conis blinked. "What? For me?"

"Of course." Sanji smiled, lovestruck and utterly serious. "I call it my Love Dilemma: Falling for an Angel Bento Box."

Conis's cheeks flushed. "Oh my…"

Ben stepped into the room with the bag that contained Nami and Robin's stuff slung over his shoulder. "Do you rehearse that stuff, dude?"

Sanji shot him a look. "Romance does not rehearse. It descends upon the unworthy like divine inspiration."

Ben stared at him for a beat. "So yes."

Sanji's teeth sharpened. "I said no."

"Pretty sure you said it in cursive."

Luffy laughed around his snack.

Ben looked down at the bento boxes and the absurd amount of care Sanji was putting into arranging them, and the two most elegant ones were obviously meant for Nami and Robin.

"Is now really the time to be decorating leftovers?" Ben asked.

"These are Nami-swan and Robin-chwan's boxes," Sanji snapped, returning to his work. "So of course it is."

Luffy nodded sagely. "I still think food is food."

Sanji's foot lifted an inch off the floor.

Luffy immediately leaned away. "I didn't say it was bad food."

"That is the only reason you still have teeth."

Sanji then noticed the bags on Ben's shoulder. His visible eye narrowed.

"Wait," he said slowly. "What are you doing with Nami-swan's bag?"

Ben glanced at the strap. "She said to get it for her and Robin. Remember?"

"That was supposed to be my job!"

"Dude, she literally said, 'don't forget mine and Robin's stuff.' Pretty sure she doesn't care who brings it back." Ben rolled his eyes and shifted the bag slightly. "But if it means that much to you, you can have it before we get back. Maintain your knight-in-shining-apron status and all, cinnamon-roll brow."

Sanji's mouth twitched dangerously. "Is there a reason you're here, or are you just committed to being annoying? Why didn't you stay on the ship to help?"

The question cut through the room more cleanly than Sanji intended.

Ben's smirk faded. He looked from Sanji to Luffy, then toward Pagaya and Conis. The older man was still standing near the table. Conis sat upright, her blue eyes on him with quiet confusion and a little unease.

Ben lowered the bag from his shoulder and set them near the couch. "Actually," he said, voice much quieter now, "I do have a reason."

Luffy stopped chewing.

Sanji's expression sharpened. The flirtation and irritation both vanished, replaced by the alert stillness of a man who had realized a joke was no longer a joke.

Ben turned fully toward their hosts.

"Conis. Pagaya." He swallowed once. "I have something I need to confess to you both."

Pagaya blinked. "Confess?"

Conis's hands tightened in her lap. "W-what is it, Kevin?"

The wrong name hit him hard enough that his fingers twitched.

Luffy's face turned unusually serious. Sanji looked between Ben and Conis, then went silent. Even the soft sounds from the kitchen seemed to disappear.

Ben reached into his pants pocket and pulled out the folded paper Robin had given him.

"I can't really say it out loud. So I need you to do your best to control yourselves."

Conis stared at the paper.

Pagaya's brows drew together behind his glasses.

Ben unfolded it and before he could write the first word, a shout came from outside.

"Guys!"

Everyone turned.

Usopp was on the balcony. When he got there, Ben didn't know. He had one hand gripping the railing as he leaned out. "There's a ruckus on the ship!"

Luffy sprang up. "A party?"

Ben shoved the paper back into his pocket and rushed to the balcony with Sanji close beside him. Luffy crowded behind them while Conis and Pagaya hurried after them. Sanji pulled a small monocular from inside his jacket and snapped it open.

Below, the Going Merry was no longer sitting where they had left her.

The ship was sliding backward across the White-White Sea, away from Angel Beach. Her sails were not set. The anchor had been raised halfway and hung awkwardly, and from this distance, Ben could see figures moving frantically on deck.

Sanji's face hardened. "Nami and Robin are in trouble!"

Usopp threw both hands up. "Zoro and Chopper are there too, ya know!"

Luffy leaned dangerously far over the balcony rail. "Huh? The ship's sailing backwards! Why?"

Usopp pointed so hard his finger shook. "It's not sailing backwards. Look under the ship!"

The sea-clouds beneath the Merry bulged.

A massive shape rose from below, pale and enormous, its shrimp-like body dwarfing the ship as long feelers whipped through the air. Its huge claws clamped onto either side of the Going Merry, lifting her cleanly from the sea-clouds as if she weighed no more than a toy.

Ben's eyes narrowed. "The giant lobster thing. Same one that brought us to the island."

Pagaya adjusted his glasses quickly. "The Special Express Lobster. A famous inhabitant of the White-White Sea."

…

Down below, the Going Merry lurched across the White-White Sea on the back of the Special Lobster Express.

On deck, chaos had already taken hold.

Nami had been tying down a loose line when the ship jerked backward hard enough to nearly throw her off her feet. She caught the railing with one hand and snapped her head toward the stern.

"What's going on?!"

Chopper stumbled across the deck, hooves scrabbling for balance. "The ship moved by itself!"

Zoro stood near the anchor line, one hand already close to his swords. His eyes narrowed as the Merry lifted higher, the deck tilting beneath their feet. Robin steadied herself near the mast, one hand pressed lightly to her hat as the sea-clouds dropped away beneath them.

The ship rose.

Nami's stomach lurched with it. Then the enormous lobster's claws appeared on both sides of the Merry, clamped around the hull with terrifying ease.

Chopper's jaw dropped. "It's huge!"

Zoro stepped to the railing and looked down. "It's carrying us away."

Nami grabbed the opposite rail and stared at the massive creature beneath them. "You've got to be kidding me!"

The Special Lobster Express surged forward, carrying the Going Merry away from shore with frightening speed.

Zoro's eyes flicked back toward Angel Beach. "Jump overboard. There's still time."

Chopper spun toward him. "But what about the Merry?! Without the ship—"

"Don't worry." Zoro's grip tightened around his sword hilt. "I'll stay with it."

Nami whipped toward him. "What can you do by yourself?!"

He shot her a flat look. "Cut something."

"That is not a plan!"

Robin's gaze had shifted to the wake behind them. "They've made sure that we can't abandon ship."

Nami followed her eyes.

The sea-clouds churned in the lobster's wake. Monstrous sky-fish rose through the white surface one after another, their long bodies twisting as they followed. Their mouths were lined with needle-like teeth, wide enough to swallow a person whole.

Chopper's ears shot up. "Those are gigantic sky-fish!"

Nami's face tightened. "So if we jump overboard, they'll eat us for sure."

"Can't we just beat up the lobster?" Chopper asked.

"It probably wouldn't do us any good," Robin stated. "It's already begun."

The Merry lurched again as the lobster adjusted its grip.

Nami grabbed the mast to keep her balance. "Already begun? What does that mean?"

Robin's eyes lifted toward the dark green mass of Upper Yard ahead.

Zoro clicked his tongue. "Well, we were going to Upper Yard anyway." His expression hardened. "Guess it makes no difference if they bring us there."

Nami rounded on him. "It absolutely makes a difference! We were supposed to go there prepared!"

Zoro's mouth curved faintly. "Then prepare fast."

"You are impossible!"

The ship surged forward again, the wind snapping through Nami's hair. Her grip on the railing tightened until her knuckles whitened.

Those morons better come rescue us, she thought sharply.

…

On Conis and Pagaya's balcony, the group watched as the Going Merry grew smaller across the White-White Sea.

"Luffy, this is bad! What do we do?!" Usopp panicked.

Luffy leaned over the railing, eyes fixed on the ship. "Where is the lobster taking them?"

Ben's jaw tightened. "I have an idea." He turned back toward Pagaya, who stood just behind them with Conis beside him. "Upper Yard? Am I right?"

Pagaya's face tightened.

That was answer enough.

"Yes," he said, nodding once. "The Special Lobster Express is one of the Kamis servants. Everything it carries becomes an offering to Kami Eneru."

Usopp slowly turned toward him. "Offering?"

Pagaya adjusted his glasses. "It is headed to the northeastern part of Upper Yard… to the sacrificial altar."

The words seemed to chill the air.

Sanji's cigarette nearly snapped between his teeth. "Sacrificial?" His voice dropped, low and dangerous. "You mean Nami-swan and Robin-chwan are going to be sacrificed? To that Kami guy?" He stepped forward, one hand curling into a fist. "He had better not hurt them."

Conis flinched at the intensity in his voice.

Pagaya lifted both hands quickly. "Wait! You do not understand. It is all part of Heaven's Judgment. You either become sacrificial offerings… or you undergo a challenge. Or so I have heard." His mouth pressed into a thin line. "They are in Kamis hands now."

Ben's eyes narrowed. "So what? They're hostages?"

Pagaya hesitated, then nodded grimly. "Yes. Exactly."

"Hostages?!" Usopp and Sanji shouted together.

Luffy's face went still.

Pagaya continued, "The ones being punished right now are you four."

Luffy blinked. "What do you mean?"

Pagaya looked toward the distant shape of Upper Yard, then back to them. "If I had a map of the island to show you…"

Usopp froze. Then his eyes lit up with sudden, desperate pride. "Actually, I just happen to have a map of Skypiea in here."

Ben turned to him. "Where'd you get that?"

Usopp dug into his bag with frantic energy. "From that ship that almost fell on us."

He pulled out an old rolled map with a flourish and unrolled it across the table in the main room. The edges were worn and brittle, the ink faded in places, but the shape of Skypiea remained visible: Angel Island, the White-White Sea, and the great mass of Upper Yard marked in old lines and symbols.

Pagaya leaned over it, his expression thoughtful. "This is very old, but it is accurate enough." He pointed to a location near Angel Beach. "This is our present location." His finger moved northeast, tracing a route away from Angel Island, across a large cloud bridge, and toward the thick forest drawn across Upper Yard. "The sacrificial altar lies here, to the northeast."

Usopp swallowed. "That looks far."

"It is. And there is only one way to get there. You must find a Dial boat and follow the Milky Road through the forest, where the Kami's priests are."

Ben nodded once. "I was just at the wharf today. Plenty of those boats we could use."

Usopp whipped toward him. "You were at the wharf?"

"Long story."

"Why is every answer from you a long story?"

"Because my life is ridiculous."

Usopp pointed at the map before Ben could say more. "Wait. Instead of crossing the island, couldn't we sail around to the coast nearest the altar?"

Pagaya shook his head. "No. The altar cannot be reached on foot, even from the nearby coast. There is one important detail of Upper Yard missing from this old map."

Sanji leaned closer, eyes narrowing. "You mean this cloud river?"

"Yes," Pagaya replied. "There are several hundred Milky Roads in all. The only way to reach the altar is to follow the Great Milky Road."

Sanji's face hardened. "So no matter where we land, we'll run into the river."

"Yes." Pagaya's voice grew heavier. "And it is teeming with man-eating sky-fish."

Ben looked up from the map. "Of course it is."

Usopp's face drained of color. "Man-eating sky-fish. Great. Perfect. Exactly what this day needed."

Luffy grinned. "We'll just beat them up."

"You can't beat up a whole river!"

Luffy frowned. "Why not?"

"Because it's a river!"

Ben rubbed his forehead. "That argument is not going to work on him."

Usopp suddenly turned toward him, eyes wide with hope. "Hey, Kevin! Can't you just fly us over there?"

The room went quiet as Conis and Pagaya both looked sharply at Ben.

Conis's lips parted. "F-Fly?"

Pagaya blinked behind his glasses. "Y-you can fly?"

Ben forced a loose shrug. "I could," he said carefully. "But I doubt this Eneru guy will let us take the easy way in."

He kept the answer vague on purpose.

Pagaya's frown deepened. "You are not wrong. This is part of your challenge. Eneru will not allow anything he perceives as cheating."

Sanji straightened. "So if we want our friends back, we have to face these priests, eh?"

"Our challenge…" Usopp's voice trembled. "Heaven's Judgment."

Luffy's grin widened.

Then he laughed.

"Then we just have to clobber those guys!"

Ben looked at him.

A second later, his own smirk returned, sharp and restless. "Works for me."

Usopp looked between them in horror. "Why are you both so happy about it?"

Ben folded his arms. "Because 'impossible death trial' sounds a lot worse before someone punches the guy running it."

Luffy nodded hard. "Yeah!"

"That is not comforting!" Usopp shouted.

Pagaya stepped closer, alarm rising in his voice. "Please, you mustn't let your guards down. The four priests are unimaginably strong. And above them all, Kami Eneru awaits."

Ben's expression hardened, fists clenching at his sides.

For one moment, Kevin Levin's borrowed face looked cold enough to cut.

…

The group walked down Lovely Street with Conis a few steps ahead of them.

The bright, cheerful road from earlier had changed. The shops were still open, their painted signs swaying gently in the breeze, but the people had pulled back from the street. Skypieans who had smiled at them that morning now stepped into doorways as they approached. Conversations died mid-sentence. Curtains shifted. A vendor busied himself with rearranging fruit he had already arranged.

Usopp hunched his shoulders. "They're avoiding us now."

Sanji's mouth tightened around his cigarette. "They must know we're outlaws."

Ben walked with one hand in his pocket, the other holding the strap of Nami's bag slung over his shoulder. "Word travels fast."

Luffy looked around the emptied street, then broke into a delighted grin. "This is great! The town center is totally empty!"

"That is not great!" Usopp shouted.

Sanji's shoulders slumped with deep, personal sorrow. "Now all the angel girls are avoiding me…"

Ben gave him a sideways look. "Truly, the greatest casualty of government persecution."

Sanji glared at him. "You wouldn't understand a wounded romantic heart."

"I understand it's making the rest of us suffer."

Luffy laughed and kept walking like the strange silence of Lovely Street did not bother him at all. Usopp looked bothered enough for everyone, glancing left and right with every whisper that followed them.

Ben's gaze shifted to Conis, she had not turned back once.

Her hands were folded tightly in front of her, and though her steps remained neat and careful, her shoulders were stiff. Every so often, her fingers trembled against each other. She kept her face angled forward, like looking back at them would make something inside her crack.

Ben's eyes narrowed slightly, something was wrong.

"Man, I wish we had money," Luffy said, looking longingly at a shop display full of strange shells and exotic plants. "They sell a lot of weird stuff here."

Sanji snapped toward him. "Luffy, now isn't the time! Nami-swan and Robin-chwan are about to become sacrificial offerings! Don't you care?"

Ben cocked a brow. "What about Zoro and Chopper?"

Sanji waved one hand. "Yeah, them too I guess."

"Wow. Guess Zoro and Chopper got demoted to side quests."

Usopp's expression softened into worry as the street sloped gradually toward the harbor district. "I just hope the ship doesn't get damaged any worse than it was. We've been pretty hard on her lately."

Ben glanced at him from the corner of his eye.

He had not retained everything from Juryrigg after changing back.

That was the frustrating part about some of his smarter forms. The instincts, the skills, the impossible clarity all faded once he was human again, leaving only scraps behind like half-remembered dreams. Azmuth had once told him it was because his human brain could not fully retain the higher functionality and understanding of more intelligent species. Human intelligence had limits, and Juryrigg possessed a complete, instinctive understanding of building, dismantling, and reassembling machinery that an entire factory crew could not hope to match.

But Ben remembered one thing from when Juryrigg had reattached the Merry's damaged bow.

That ship was on her last legs.

The keel was breaking apart. Metal could be melted down and reforged into its original shape, but wood was different. Once wood cracked and splintered, there was no truly putting it back the way it had been. You could patch it. Reinforce it. Maybe squeeze a little more life out of it. But eventually, broken wood had to be replaced or discarded.

The thought sat heavy and uncomfortable in his chest. Usopp was looking ahead now, jaw tight, probably thinking about tools and repairs and how much punishment one ship could take before it stopped forgiving them.

Ben said nothing though. Now was not the time.

The road widened as they reached the wharf. Cloud-docks stretched out over the White-White Sea, with ropes tied to posts and small Dial boats bobbing gently against the thick pale surface. A few larger rental boats rested along the far side, and one in particular immediately caught Luffy's attention.

It was a red bull-shaped gondola with a long neck, curled horns, and a green-roofed passenger cabin trimmed with dangling white fringe. Its painted eyes looked dramatically fierce.

Luffy's eyes lit up. "Wow! Look at that gondola!" He pointed at it with both hands. "Let's rent it!"

Ben looked at him. "With what money?"

Luffy froze. "Oh right." Then his grin returned. "Well, think they'd mind if we borrowed it?"

"Doubt they take IOUs."

Conis stopped near a smaller dock. "Actually, your boat is over here."

Luffy blinked. "Huh?"

She gestured for them to follow.

Before Ben moved after her, his gaze caught on a Waver stand nearby. Several compact craft and accessories were displayed under a canvas awning, and a few sets of strange boot-like devices sat on a lower shelf.

"Give me a second," he said.

Usopp turned. "Where are you going?"

"Shopping without money. Apparently that's the theme today."

He crossed to the stand.

The shopkeeper, a thin Skypiean man with square glasses and nervous wings twitching behind him, went rigid when Ben approached.

"H-Heso," the man said.

"Heso," Ben replied, glancing over the display. "You carry board Wavers?"

The shopkeeper swallowed. "Board Wavers?"

"You know, Dials on a board. No seat. More balance than comfort."

"No," the man said quickly. Too quickly. "We do not have that brand."

Ben's eyes sharpened. "Brand?"

"I mean type. That type. We do not carry that type." The shopkeeper fumbled beneath the counter and pulled out a pair of skates with small fittings under the soles. "The closest I have are shooters. For riding along Milky Roads or suitable cloud trails."

Ben looked at the skates, then at the shopkeeper. The man was sweating.

"Right," he said slowly. "How much?"

The shopkeeper pushed them into his hands. "Please take them."

Ben blinked. "Take them?"

"Yes. Take them and go."

"What about money?"

"No need."

"You sure? Because I've got a pretty bad credit history in this town."

The shopkeeper shoved the stand's front shutters closed so fast the wooden panels nearly caught Ben's fingers.

Ben stared at the shut stand.

From behind the shutters, the man's voice came muffled. "Good luck!"

Ben turned back toward the others, holding the skates up.

Usopp stared. "Did you just get free stuff?"

"Guess IOUs are acceptable payment."

Sanji's eyes narrowed. "That man looked terrified."

"Yeah," Ben said, glancing back once. "Noticed that."

Conis had led them to a small black Dial boat tied off near the edge of the wharf. It was narrow and simple, barely large enough for a few passengers. Its figurehead was shaped like an open-mouthed crow, and a small helm sat near a single wicker driver's seat. A short central pole held a parasol instead of a sail, while two Breath Dial housings rested toward the rear.

Conis placed one hand gently on the side. "This is the Little Crow."

Luffy stared. "Huh?! That's crazy!"

Sanji leaned closer, unimpressed. "A crow? Why not a seabird?"

Conis looked a little embarrassed. "I used to use it all the time before I learned how to ride a Waver. It's not as fast as a Waver, but it has two Breath Dials. Please use it."

Luffy looked back at the bull gondola. "But I like that one better!"

Conis's face tightened with panic. "You… don't like it? I'm sorry, but I don't have the money to rent that one for you."

Ben lifted a hand. "Maybe they'll take an IOU?"

Sanji's foot slammed into Luffy's face. "Luffy, you ingrate!" Sanji barked. "Apologize! Tell Conis dear you're sorry and mean it!"

Luffy's voice came muffled from beneath Sanji's shoe. "S-sorry!"

Conis shook her head quickly. "No, it's alright."

"It is not alright," Sanji said, grinding his heel once before removing his foot.

Luffy popped back up with a shoe print on his face. "I said sorry."

"Sound more grateful next time."

Conis pointed toward the cloud-channel beyond the harbor. "The way out is through Gate 2. You'll come out onto the Great Milky Road, which will lead you to Upper Yard. Then just keep to the road."

Ben looked at her with a straight expression.

Before he could say anything, Luffy beat him to it.

"Conis," Luffy said, "ever since we left your house… you've been shaking. How come?"

Ben turned toward him. So he saw it too? For all of Luffy's noise, maybe he picked up on more than Ben gave him credit for.

Conis went still. Her face paled and sweat formed near her temple. "Huh? I…I have?"

The Skypieans lingering around the wharf shifted uneasily. A few looked away. Others stared at Conis with anxious, pleading expressions, as if begging her not to speak.

Luffy frowned. "Yeah. It's like you're scared of something."

Sanji's face softened at once. "You're worried about us, huh, Conis?" He practically melted. "That's so sweet!"

Usopp looked around, less easily reassured. "But… are you and your dad gonna be okay? The people in town are obviously avoiding us now, but you're lending us your boat and helping us. Won't you get in trouble?"

Conis did not answer immediately. Her lips parted, but no sound came out. Her hands clenched tighter against the front of her dress, and her face turned even paler.

Luffy watched her quietly. "Conis, if you're that scared, you should have said something."

"No," Conis whispered. "I…I'm not." She lowered her head and swallowed.

Ben glanced away.

The Skypieans on the wharf were watching her like people standing near a lit fuse. One older woman shook her head faintly, eyes wide. A man beside a mooring post clenched his jaw and looked toward the sky as if expecting lightning.

Ben's stomach sank.

Yeah. Something was definitely up.

The way Lovely Street had emptied. The free skates. The shopkeeper telling him to go. Conis shaking. Everyone watching.

Then the pieces clicked.

Ben's expression softened, just a little. "Conis, it's alright."

She looked up at him, startled. "Huh?"

Sanji and Usopp followed Ben's gaze around the wharf. Slowly, they began to understand what he had noticed.

Sanji's eyes narrowed. Are they all in on it?

Ben gave the smallest nod, not taking his eyes off Conis.

"We'll be okay," he said. "Thanks for lending us your boat…and everything else."

Conis's lip quivered.

Then she collapsed to her knees.

"No!" she sobbed, both hands pressed to the ground beneath her. "Please! Just run away! I…I can't bear to lead any more friends to their deaths!"

The nearby Skypieans panicked.

"No, stop!" one bystander cried.

"What are you saying?!" another hissed.

Conis bowed her head lower, tears falling freely now.

"I'm sorry!" she sobbed. "I was the one who summoned the Special Lobster Express!"

…

Several days earlier…

Conis had cried until her throat hurt.

She lay on the couch with her face buried in the cushions, her sobs muffled but still shaking through her shoulders. Su curled against her hip, whining softly, while Pagaya sat beside her with one hand resting on her shoulder.

"My dear," Pagaya said gently, "you must breathe."

"I forgot," she whispered.

The father's face tightened.

"I forgot to warn him properly." Her fingers curled into the couch cushion. "I did not tell him enough. I left him alone…" Her voice broke.

Pagaya lowered his eyes. "Oh Conis…"

"He was so kind, Father." Tears spilled down her cheeks again. "He was strange and loud and reckless, but he was kind. He was sad and I wanted to help him. Instead, I led him here."

"You did not lead him to Upper Yard."

"I did not warn him either."

Pagaya had no easy answer for that. He only kept his hand steady over hers.

Then three firm taps came at the front door.

Conis looked up, her breath catching as her eyes shifted toward the sound.

When Pagaya opened the door, the room seemed to lose what little warmth it had left.

Standing outside was a tall man with a sharp, contemptuous face and a thin mustache that split into two points. An aviator's cap decorated with small wings sat on his head, goggles fixed across the front, while a purple scarf hung at his neck above an orange, fur-lined jacket and loose matching pants. Downturned wings rested at his back, and one hand lingered near the Heat Javelin at his side. Behind him, on the street, Fuza waited like a living shadow, the giant bird's long neck bowed just enough to peer toward the doorway with one cruel, impatient eye.

This was Shura, the Priest of the Ordeal of String.

"Heso," Shura said, without warmth.

Pagaya gasped and immediately bowed. "H-Heso, Priest Shura."

Conis rose from the couch, feeling her blood run ice cold. If one of Kami Eneru's priests had bothered to come here, that could only mean one thing.

Judgement.

Shura's eyes moved past Pagaya and settled on her. "So this is the house."

Pagaya's hand tightened on the door. "Priest Shura?"

"The house that harbored an illegal Blue Sea intruder." Shura stepped inside without waiting for permission. "A boy who not only entered Skypiea without proper tribute but had the gall to trespass upon Upper Yard."

Conis's breath caught.

Pagaya bowed lower. "P-Please, we did not know he would go there. He was lost and confused when we found him, and we only wished to help."

"Help," Shura repeated, the word curling with disdain. "How noble. How foolish."

Conis lowered her head, trembling. "Are we… to be judged?"

For a moment, Shura only looked at her. His mouth then curved.

"If it were left to me, you would already be ash."

Pagaya stepped in front of Conis before he seemed to realize he had moved. "Please."

Shura's hand settled more firmly near his Heat Javelin. "Do not mistake my presence for a negotiation, old man. Our ruler Kami Eneru has already listened. He knows what passed through this house. He knows what the Blue Sea brat said, where he went, and how carelessly you allowed it."

Conis squeezed her eyes shut.

"But Kami is merciful," he continued, though his voice made mercy sound like another form of cruelty. "This once, judgment will be withheld."

Pagaya lifted his head slightly. "Withheld?"

"On conditions." Shura's gaze sharpened. "Any illegal tourists are to be reported immediately. No delay. No hesitation. No charming little acts of kindness."

Conis flinched.

"You know your duty as a citizen," he said, stepping closer. "All criminals are to be reported immediately…or else. Understood?"

Pagaya's voice came quietly. "Yes. Yes, of course, Priest Shura."

Shura smiled. "Good." Outside, Fuza rustled, claws scraping against cloud-stone. Shura turned toward the door, already bored with their fear. "Remember this mercy. It will not be offered twice." He left without another word.

The door closed behind him.

Only then did Conis realize she had stopped breathing.

Pagaya remained standing for several seconds, one hand still on the door. When he finally turned back, his face looked older.

Conis whispered, "Father…"

Pagaya crossed the room and took her into his arms.

…

Half-an-hour earlier…

Conis had not stayed at Conache Café.

She had meant to. She had meant to finish her shift and hope their Blue Sea visitors could make it through the rest of the day without causing any more trouble. For a little while, it had even seemed possible. Luffy and Zoro had returned to settle their respective tabs, and the uneasy knot in her chest had loosened by a fraction.

Just as she was about to return to work, however, the group suddenly rushed toward Angel Beach in a frenzy.

Conis followed from a distance. By the time she reached the top of the grand staircase leading down to the beach, the White Berets were already there, gathered near the Blue Sea people's ship.

That was when everything fell apart.

She saw the Beret captain point toward the Going Merry. She saw Usopp step forward, shaking but refusing to move. She saw Luffy's arm stretch impossibly far and send the captain crashing into the pavilion. She saw swords, kicks, Milky Arrows, and Kevin's arm turn into purple sludge before lashing through officers like a whip.

Conis clapped both hands over her mouth. Her stomach twisted so hard she could barely breathe.

"Oh no…" she whispered.

Assaulting government officials was a serious crime. One of the worst a person could commit against the servants of Kami. Her knees nearly buckled as she realized what she was expected to do next.

She turned and ran.

By the time she reached home, her breath came in sharp, broken gasps. Pagaya, who had been in the middle of taking a tea break, looked up from the table at once.

"Conis?"

She gripped the doorframe, trembling so badly she could barely stand.

"They…" Her voice cracked. "They fought the White Berets."

Pagaya's face went white.

"They defeated them," she continued, tears already gathering in her eyes.

He closed his eyes. "Oh dear…"

For a moment, neither of them moved.

"I can't," Conis whispered before her father could say anything.

Pagaya's voice was soft and broken. "My dear… if we do nothing, Kami Eneru will know."

Conis shook her head, tears spilling down her cheeks. "But they're so kind, Father. They trust us." Pagaya looked away as it hurt to see her like this. "And Ben," she whispered. "I already failed him."

The name sat between them like a wound.

Pagaya remained seated on the couch, his head lowered. "I know." His voice tightened. "But we do not have a choice. You remember what the priest told us, we will not be extended mercy a second time."

Conis's fists trembled at her sides.

She lowered her head and took one unsteady breath.

"Eneru," she whispered, her voice heavy with regret, "there are criminals from the Blue Sea on Angel Beach…"

Her throat closed. She squeezed her eyes shut.

"Execute Heaven's Judgment on them."

After making the prayer to Eneru, Conis fell to her knees and broke into silent sobs.

…

Sanji stared at Conis, his cigarette frozen between his lips. "You summoned that thing, Conis?" he asked, shocked.

Conis stayed on her knees, both hands pressed against the wharf as her shoulders shook. Around them, the Skypieans who had been pretending not to watch now stared openly, their faces pale with fear.

A harsh voice cut through the wharf.

"Foolish girl!"

The White Beret captain stepped out from behind a stack of moored cargo crates. His uniform was scuffed, his nose was still swollen from Luffy's punches, and his eyes burned with fury as he glared at Conis.

"Do you want to die?!"

Usopp jolted. "He was hiding here?!"

Ben's head snapped toward the captain, then back to Conis.

Conis lifted her tear-streaked face. "If a citizen of Skypiea knows that someone is a criminal and doesn't lead them to the punishment site…" Her voice cracked, but she forced the words out. "That citizen will be killed!"

The words struck the dock harder than any weapon.

Usopp's mouth fell open. "Killed?"

Sanji's expression darkened at once.

The bystanders erupted.

"Stop it!" one man shouted, his face tight with terror. "Do you realize what you're saying?!"

"It's blasphemy!" another cried. "You'll bring judgment down on all of us!"

Conis clapped both hands over her mouth, but the dam had already broken. Tears spilled freely down her cheeks as she looked from the bystanders to the sky above them, her breathing ragged and uneven. "It's the duty of every citizen," she said through a sob. "Please forgive me!"

Then her face twisted with guilt too large for her to keep inside anymore.

"Ben was right…" she whispered.

Ben went still.

Conis looked up, her voice rising, trembling with grief and terror. "This place is insane. Not the clouds, not the Dials… this. All of this!"

Ben stepped forward sharply. "Dammit, Conis! You weren't supposed to say that out loud!" His jaw clenched, panic flashing behind his eyes before he forced it down. "I told you we got the message!"

Luffy's face tightened. "He's right, you dummy! You had no choice, right?! So why…"

"Did you just tell us that?!" Ben, Luffy, Sanji, and Usopp shouted at once.

Conis blinked through her tears. "Huh?"

Luffy pointed at her, his voice rougher now. "Now you're in trouble!"

"It's all over!" a bystander cried.

"It's too late for her!" another shouted.

A third backed away with both hands raised, horror plain across his face. "Don't go near that girl! The judgment is coming!"

Thunder boomed across the sky.

The sound rolled over Angel Island like the growl of something enormous waking above them. The bright afternoon seemed to dim for half a breath, and the air prickled with a pressure Ben knew too well.

His stomach dropped. He had felt this before.

Ben's eyes widened and he looked up to see light gathering above them. "CONIS!"

He moved just as the lightning came down.

A pillar of white-blue force split the sky and struck the wharf where Conis had been kneeling. The flash swallowed everything. The world vanished into screaming light.

KA-BOOM!

Angel Island shook.

The wharf buckled beneath the force of the impact. Boats slammed against their moorings. Skypieans dove for cover, shielding their heads as the shockwave threw loose crates across the docks and knocked people off their feet.

Usopp hit the ground hard. "Unh…"

Luffy, Sanji, and Usopp lay sprawled across the ground, smoke rolling over them in thick white-gray waves.

Usopp pushed himself up on one elbow, shaking. "W-what happened?! What was that?!"

Luffy's head snapped up. "Levin!"

Sanji sprang to his feet, eyes wide with alarm. "Conis!"

The smoke began to thin.

Where Conis had been kneeling, there was no girl.

There was only a gaping hole punched straight through the island-cloud, its edges smoking and ragged. Pale vapor curled from the crater as the wharf hissed around the wound, the blast having bored cleanly through the place where judgment had landed.

Luffy stared. "Where'd they go?!"

Usopp scrambled upright, panic flooding his voice. "Kevin! Conis!"

The Skypieans who had recovered enough to look were silent now. Some stared at the hole with clenched jaws. Others bowed their heads like they had seen this too many times before.

One bystander whispered, "It's no use. Almighty Eneru sees everything."

"Forgive me if I'm skeptical," a raspy voice answered from the thinning smoke.

Everyone turned.

Enough smoke drifted aside to reveal a blue-and-black semi-armored, velociraptor-like alien standing several yards from the crater, holding Conis carefully in both arms.

The wharf went dead silent.

The White Beret captain's face drained of color. "What… what is that?"

A woman near the dock covered her mouth. "It moved before the lightning."

"But… no one outruns judgment," another bystander breathed.

Sanji exhaled sharply, relief cutting through the fury on his face. "Conis dear…"

Luffy's grin snapped back like sunrise. "Good save!"

Usopp sagged where he stood. "They're okay… They're okay!"

Conis blinked slowly. Her eyes were wide and unfocused, her body still trembling from the force of what had almost happened. One second, she had been on her knees, staring up at the sky. The next, she was across the wharf, the place where she had just been standing reduced to a smoking hole. She looked up at the creature holding her. His arms shifted carefully beneath her, one braced behind her shoulders and the other supporting her knees. Conis's sandals touched the wharf, and her legs wobbled almost immediately.

XLR8 kept one clawed hand near her arm, steadying her without holding too tightly. "Easy. I've got you."

Settling on her knees due to how shook up she felt from what just happened, Conis looked up at the Kineceleran in shock. "W-who…" she stammered fearfully. "Who are you?"

XLR8's expression softened as much as his face could manage. "Conis… it's me." He shifted one hand and pointed to the green hourglass symbol on his chest.

Conis stared at it. The symbol. The same one she had seen before. Her eyes slowly widened. "B-Ben…?"

Luffy blinked. "Ben?"

XLR8 tapped the Omnitrix dial on his chest. Green light flashed across the wharf. When it faded, Ben Tennyson stood in his human form, no disguise anymore, just his true self.

The bystanders recoiled.

"It changed!"

"He… he looks different. Is that the same person?"

"Another Devil Fruit user?" the White Beret captain snarled, grinding his teeth.

Usopp stared, eyes wide as the pieces rearranged themselves in real time. "He changed back…" Then his face twitched with sudden realization. "W-wait, what about his incognito plan?"

Sanji took a slow drag from his cigarette, eyes still on Ben and Conis. "Pretty sure that's kinda pointless now."

Ben ignored the noise, lowering himself onto one knee in front of the girl. "Yeah, it's me. I'm sorry. Really. I didn't mean to deceive you," he said quietly. "I was trying to keep you and your dad safe—"

Conis threw herself into him before he could finish his words.

Ben froze for half a second as her arms wrapped around his shoulders, her face burying against him.

"You're alive!" She cried, clutching him as if he might vanish again if she let go. "Ben, you're alive! I thought—I thought you—"

"Yeah… I know." Ben's voice came out rougher than he meant it to.

He closed his eyes, one hand settling gently against the back of her head while the other rubbed slow, careful circles against her back. His stealth plan was ruined. The disguise was gone. Whatever advantage he had hoped to keep over Eneru had just been blown apart in front of half the wharf.

But as Conis sobbed against him, Ben could not bring himself to regret it. At least the truth was out. At least he did not have to stand there wearing someone else's face while she grieved a death that had never happened.

"It wasn't your fault, Conis," he whispered.

Conis only sobbed harder, relief breaking through the fear and guilt until she could barely breathe. She held onto him with everything she had, the way someone held onto proof that the worst thing she believed was not true after all.

Usopp's expression slowly shifted. The fear remained a bit, but something else settled over it now. Understanding.

"I get it now," he said quietly. "The two Skypieans who took care of him…"

Sanji's face was serious, the anger still there but held tightly in check. Whatever flicker of jealousy he might have felt at seeing Conis cling to Ben disappeared the moment he saw how broken with relief she was.

"Were Conis and Pagaya," Sanji finished.

Luffy did not say anything. He simply stood there, staring. Not with confusion and not with his usual grin. His face had gone still in the way it did when he saw a friend suffering.

A memory surfaced.

"You want to go back to help your friends?" Luffy had asked.

"They showed me kindness and hospitality when I was lost and alone. I'll be damned before I allow them to continue suffering under that asshole's cruelty." Ben's voice had been fierce then. "I made a promise to myself in Mock Town that I would find a way to get back there and save them from Eneru's tyranny, no matter what."

The memory faded.

Luffy's eyes returned to the present, to Conis sobbing into Ben's shoulder.

His hand rose to the brim of his straw hat, tilting it forward until shadow fell across his eyes.

The Straw Hat captain did not say a word. He had already made his decision.

Eneru was going down.

"Is everyone alright?!"

A voice called from above.

The rush of wings cut through the stunned silence. A tall, elderly knight descended from the sky on the back of a large, pink-spotted Pegasus-like creature. His helmet and visor framed a weathered face, and a long spear rested in his hand.

Usopp pointed up. "Hey! It's that strange old man!"

The old knight bristled. "Strange? Hmm… Please call me the Sky Knight."

Sanji's eyes narrowed as Pierre landed ahead of Ben and Conis. "What are you doing here?"

Ben looked up.

The Sky Knight's gaze lowered to the girl in Ben's arms first, and the teen hero did not miss the flash of recognition that crossed the girl's tear-streaked face when she saw him. It was not the look of someone seeing a stranger. It was surprise, fear, and something almost like hope tangled together.

"Young girl," the Sky Knight said, his voice gentler now, "please come with me. I promise I will not allow Eneru to harm you."

Still seated on Pierre, he extended an armored hand toward her. Conis lifted her face from Ben's shoulder, trembling. Her hands were still clutching his shirt. Ben eased back first, keeping one hand steady at her shoulder. Then he stood and offered her his hand.

"Conis, go with him."

Her eyes widened. "B-but what about Father? He'll be targeted too."

The Sky Knight nodded once. "He may come with us too."

Conis looked between him and Ben, still breathing unevenly.

Ben gave her a small nod. "It's okay. You and your dad get somewhere safe."

Conis swallowed, then took a shaky step toward the Sky Knight.

The Sky Knight took her hand and gently helped her onto Pierre's back, steadying her until she was seated.

Only then did he turn his attention to Ben, Luffy, Sanji, and Usopp. His gaze lingered on Ben for a heartbeat longer than the others, as if the transformation he had just witnessed had only added one more impossible thing to a very long list.

"Now you know the true nature of this country," the Sky Knight said. "And of the Kami's power. Heed it."

Luffy lifted his head. "I couldn't care less about this country," he stated. "My friends are in Upper Yard. So that's where I'm going."

Ben's eyes hardened. "And I have a score to settle with your country's so-called Kami. So I'm not running away."

Conis gasped softly.

Her eyes widened as she stared at him. "Ben, you—"

He looked up at her. "It's fine, Conis. Remember what I told you I was?"

She blinked twice, still shaken. "A… superhero?" Her voice trembled with confusion. "But I still don't know what that is."

Ben's mouth curved faintly. "Then I'll show you. Just wait."

Conis stared at him, tears still clinging to her lashes.

The Sky Knight studied both Luffy and Ben. Then his face settled into solemn understanding.

"I see… May luck be with you, then."

He took the reins. "Let us be off, Pierre!"

Pierre lifted his head. "Pi-e!"

With a strong beat of his wings, Pierre rose from the wharf, carrying Conis into the sky. He circled toward the opposite side of Angel Island.

Several Skypieans gasped as they watched him go.

"Hey," one bystander whispered. "It's Gan Fall!"

Another stepped back, eyes wide. "But what's he doing here? Wasn't he banished?"

Ben's gaze followed Pierre until the Pegasus and his riders began shrinking against the sky.

Then he turned back to Luffy, Sanji, and Usopp.

The three Straw Hats were looking at him now.

Ben rubbed the back of his neck, awkwardness hitting him all at once. "So, uh… about the fake name thing."

Usopp waved both hands quickly. "Don't worry about it! Really! Completely understandable! Suspicious, terrifying, and confusing, but understandable!"

Ben blinked. "But I lied to you about my name."

"Yeah," Sanji said, taking a slow drag from his cigarette. "That part's annoying."

"Really annoying," Usopp added.

Sanji exhaled smoke through his nose. "But if that lightning bastard can hear everything people say, using your real name would've been stupid."

Usopp nodded hard, still pale from everything that had happened. "Exactly! A secret identity only works if people don't shout the secret part!"

Ben looked between them, caught off guard despite himself.

Luffy grinned widely. "No problem, Ben!"

The Omnitrix bearer stared.

Luffy had actually gotten his name right that time. More than that, Ben was caught off guard by how casually the three of them were taking the fact that he had lied to their faces for two days.

He blinked. "That's it?"

"Yeah." Luffy adjusted his hat, his grin simple and certain. "You're Ben now."

For a second, Ben did not know what to say. A real smile then slipped through. "Thanks," he said, quieter than usual.

Sanji turned toward the Little Crow, his expression sharpening again. "Sentimental stuff can wait. Nami-swan and Robin-chwan need me!"

Ben gave him a dry look. "Good to know your rescue priorities come alphabetized by crush."

Sanji stepped into the boat. "Well get the others too if they're alright."

"The fact you said it like that somehow makes it worse."

Usopp climbed in after Sanji, clutching the side. "I would like it known that I am entering this suspiciously tiny crow boat despite my powerful survival instincts screaming at me not to."

Luffy hopped in last, nearly tipping the whole thing. "Whoa! It rocks!"

"Don't make it rock!" Usopp screamed.

Ben grabbed the skate Wavers he had gotten earlier off the ground and placed them in the boat before stepping aboard. He untied the rope and gave the Little Crow a firm push away from the wharf.

The boat drifted out onto the White-White Sea.

Luffy stretched one arm forward, grabbed the small steering wheel near the crow figurehead, and planted one foot dramatically at the front of the boat.

"Alright!" he shouted, grin fierce beneath his straw hat. "To Upper Yard!"

The twin Breath Dials activated, and the Little Crow surged toward Gate Two at a steady pace.

Ben stood near the side; one hand braced against the boat as the Great Milky Road opened ahead of them.

Just wait, Eneru. His eyes narrowed. Round two is coming…and this time, I'm not alone.