"Sky Island! Here we come!"
"Yahaha! Sky Island! Adventure! Sky Island! Adventure!"
Luffy, Usopp, Chopper, Jango, and little 3 had formed a shoulder-to-shoulder conga line, but it wasn't long before they all looked green around the gills and utterly miserable.
Carl also felt a bit queasy.
Fortunately, both ships were now safely positioned on the sea above the clouds, though Moo Moo could only remain on the suspended black cannon platform.
The seawater here was peculiar. While it could float ships, it seemed to offer no resistance, and living creatures couldn't swim in it. If Moo Moo were to enter this sea, he would undoubtedly plummet straight through the clouds and fall to his death in the sea below.
At this point, Carl also considered the difficulties of having a sea-animal pet. Although Moo Moo often hunted in the sea to provide meat for the Straw Hats, there were many places he couldn't accompany them.
And sometimes in an emergency, the ship needed to accelerate, potentially separating from Moo Moo, which was highly problematic. Fortunately, Moo Moo was a sea beast and could survive for extended periods without seawater; otherwise, Carl truly wouldn't know how to manage him.
Carl couldn't help but feel a twinge of worry. Once they entered the New World later, the ocean conditions would be even more complex. Oh oh keep going—is it really wise to keep him?
Then, Carl pushed the question aside for the time being. The New World was still far off, and it wasn't the right time to dwell on this. He'd let it go for now; perhaps a solution would present itself smoothly by then.
The immediate priority was Sky Island.
"Don't worry, everyone. It's just that the air at high altitudes is thin, which can make you feel short of breath. Just rest, and you'll be fine," Carl explained, easing their concerns.
So, everyone sat down and rested quickly, not rushing forward. They had already reached above the clouds, and Sky Island wasn't far now, so there was no need to fret. The most important thing was to regain their strength.
Before long, everyone had recovered. The Luffy's resumed their energetic dancing, and the ship began to move forward. Luffy even boldly jumped onto the cotton candy-like cloud, bouncing up and down with unrestrained joy. Usopp, Chopper, and the others naturally followed suit, leaping onto the cloud one after another.
Nami held her forehead in exasperation. "These guys, why are they acting like children? Can't they be a little more stable?"
Law replied with a hint of sympathy, "Indeed, there's a distinct lack of tension in such a bizarre place. It's quite characteristic of the Straw Hats."
Everyone looked at Law, and then at Bepo, Shachi, and Penguin, who were also enjoying themselves immensely.
So, they're also becoming like the Straw Hats!
Law felt utterly helpless. The longer he spent with the Straw Hats, the more deeply Bepo influenced him. Even Law himself would occasionally lose his composed demeanor. This Straw Hat crew was simply infectious!
Fortunately, these guys soon tired of playing, otherwise Nami was ready to call on Marie to silence them if they became too noisy.
"Yahaha! As expected of Sky Island, it's so much fun!" Luffy grinned happily.
"Hey! Luffy! We haven't even reached Sky Island yet!" Usopp couldn't help but complain.
It was true; they hadn't reached Sky Island itself, only the sea above the clouds. Sky Island should still be at a higher altitude. So, the Merry Go and the submarine now needed to ascend further.
At that moment, some strange sounds suddenly echoed. Everyone followed the sound, only to see a masked man surfing towards them on a cannon and a shield.
The direction of his surf was directly towards the Merry.
"Who goes there!" Usopp yelled.
"Destroy your people!" the man answered simply and directly, immediately launching an attack.
Leaping onto the Merry, everyone could clearly see that the man was wearing specialized shoes, likely designed for surfing. Moreover, he was powerfully built, and the shield in his hand swung towards Usopp with surprising agility.
Usopp blocked the attack with a punch, knocking both the shield and the man back several steps. The man recoiled, seemingly surprised by Usopp's strength.
Sanji, who happened to be nearby, stepped forward with a flurry of kicks. However, to Sanji's astonishment, the man successfully dodged every strike, even counterattacking with his shield.
"Is that... Observation Haki? Does this guy know Observation Haki?" Everyone was very surprised except Carl, as it was rare to encounter someone with Haki in the first half of the Grand Line. But now, someone appeared randomly wielding it, which was perplexing.
However, this person had also underestimated Sanji's strength. Seeing Sanji press his attack, Sanji's leg speed increased, and it wasn't long before he kicked the man's shield away.
The man had no choice but to flip into the air, aiming the cannon towards the Merry.
"Where do you think you're aiming?" Usopp's voice came from behind, and then the man was kicked in the waist, sending him plummeting into the sea.
Sanji suddenly looked dissatisfied. "Usopp, why did you kick him into the sea? You should have captured him and asked for information."
Usopp shrugged. "Who knew he'd be so easily knocked off? He looked so fast and knowledgeable just now. I didn't expect him to be so fragile. I'm helpless too, okay?"
Sanji was momentarily speechless. Indeed, the guy who launched the surprise attack seemed like he'd be skilled, possessing Observation Haki, but his actual strength was unexpectedly weak. It really wasn't Usopp's fault!
Carl offered a rare explanation. "The environment on Sky Island is special, and many people can learn a skill called 'Mantra,' which is what we often call Observation Haki. Study hard; knowing how to read the future is very advantageous in battle."
Everyone was surprised to hear this. Carl, as always, seemed to know a great deal, and there was no reason to doubt him. They were just surprised by Carl's intention.
Perhaps he had mentioned Sky Island from the beginning precisely to bring them here to learn about this ability.
After all, as a demanding instructor, he often considered ways to improve everyone's strength. Even though they had all "graduated" from the Boin Archipelago, in Carl's view, without Haki, their training wasn't truly complete. So, this was indeed a valuable lesson!
Robin looked at Carl with a helpless expression. She had asked Carl where he wanted to go before, but he was still diligently working towards everyone else's growth. Can't you ever just think about yourself?
"Of course, there are many interesting things on Sky Island. I'll be responsible for buying them when we arrive. If you encounter any battles, you can handle them yourselves. Luffy, the same goes for you—play as you like, and only fight if absolutely necessary. Let everyone have a good experience."
"Hehe! Then we'll listen to Teacher Carl. If there's a fight this time, I'll try not to get involved," Luffy chimed in.
Carl and Luffy's words caused everyone else to roll their eyes in unison.
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