Three days later, Hammer led everyone aboard the Warhammer to Angel Harbor.
At last, their Skypiea journey was coming to an end.
Of course, all the previously negotiated Dials and Iron Clouds had already been fully loaded aboard as well.
Hammer had truly made an absolute fortune on this trip.
"Hey, Gan Fall, is this balloon octopus really reliable?"
"No problem, Vice Admiral Hammer."
"This is the strongest balloon octopus on Angel Island. It can absolutely support your warship and safely lower you back to the Blue Sea."
Hammer and the others twitched at the corners of their mouths as they stared at the octopus before them.
Hammer naturally recognized the thing.
After all, future Pirate King Luffy had also relied on one of these to descend from Sky Island.
But the Warhammer was far larger than Luffy's little ship.
Even if this octopus was somewhat bigger, could it really handle it...?
"Fine, let's go with it."
"Lance, leave behind a Den Den Mushi. From now on, you'll handle the transactions for Dials and Iron Clouds with Gan Fall."
Lance nodded and pulled a Den Den Mushi from his coat before handing it to Gan Fall.
This particular Den Den Mushi had been specially enhanced by Lance using his abilities.
It was specifically prepared for communication with Skypiea.
Ordinary Den Den Mushi signals simply couldn't reach ten thousand meters into the sky.
Earlier, Hammer had already explained the trade arrangement to Lance.
And had also clearly informed him that he would be the one responsible for future trips to Sky Island.
Lance felt utterly miserable about it.
He initially wanted to refuse immediately.
But Hammer's reasoning had been overwhelmingly forceful.
"Lance, think about it."
"Who on this ship besides you can fly?"
"Or more importantly, who can directly fly up to Skypiea? Nobody, right?"
"And using your abilities for flight helps your Devil Fruit development too, doesn't it?"
"So this mission literally has nobody else suitable for it!"
"I believe in you, Lance!"
What else could Lance possibly say to that?
Nothing.
He could only accept the assignment with a bitter expression.
"Alright, everyone prepare to depart!"
"Stay close behind God Gan Fall!"
"Hey Gan Fall, we're ready."
Gan Fall nodded and mounted his horse.
Riding atop Pierre, the giant pink bird that had eaten the Horse-Horse Fruit, he soared into the air.
The Warhammer closely followed behind.
"So this is the end of the clouds..."
Standing at the bow, Hammer gazed toward the endless sea of clouds.
"Yes."
"The End of the Clouds."
"Once you pass through that gate and enter the Cloud River, you'll return to the Blue Sea."
"Then release the balloon octopus, and it'll ensure your safe descent."
Gan Fall flew parallel to the Warhammer while riding beside them.
"Gan Fall, I'll have Lance bring your Cloud Armor during his next visit."
"But don't expect it to be as strong as mine."
"You understand that, right?"
Gan Fall nodded.
As long as it contained Iron Clouds, that was enough.
After all, Sky Island had plenty of other Dials already.
What he lacked was simply that unbelievably stylish armor.
"We're here!"
"Up ahead is the End of the Clouds!"
As the Warhammer advanced, a gate-shaped structure soon appeared before everyone.
Written across the gate were the words:
"Cloud End."
The true End of the Clouds.
Hammer took a deep breath.
"Everyone prepare yourselves!"
"Once we pass through this gate, we'll enter the Cloud River."
"And after that, we return to the Blue Sea!"
The crew hurriedly prepared for the transition.
"Vice Admiral Hammer, I wish you a safe journey!"
Gan Fall slowly landed upon a cloud and watched as the Warhammer gradually sailed into the gate.
"I'll take your blessing!"
"Hopefully we don't crash to death! Hahaha!"
"Alright everyone!"
"Let's experience freefall!"
Hammer burst into laughter.
He knew exactly what was coming.
He wasn't nervous in the slightest.
Unfortunately, everyone else felt very differently.
As Lance and the others watched the Warhammer pass through the gate, the ship's speed suddenly increased dramatically.
Only then did everyone realize, below the ship was a massive up-and-down Cloud River.
"Whoa! It's like a roller coaster!"
"Lance, prepare the octopus!"
"Once we leave the Cloud River, it'll be pure freefall!"
Lance and Shirley immediately became nervous.
Each held an octopus tightly while staring toward the end of the Cloud River.
The moment the Warhammer reached the end, the clouds vanished instantly.
And the entire ship plummeted downward.
The sensation of weightlessness immediately threw every soldier aboard into panic.
"Don't panic!"
"Lance! Throw the octopus!"
Hammer calmly issued commands.
Lance immediately hurled the octopus skyward.
In an instant, the octopus expanded several times larger and wrapped the Warhammer tightly with its tentacles.
The ship's terrifying descent instantly stabilized.
Only then did the balloon octopus reveal its true form.
"Whoa. It really is huge."
Hammer couldn't help but praise it while staring upward.
Gan Fall really hadn't lied to him.
This octopus truly was enormous.
Even a giant warship like the Warhammer could be fully supported.
The others were equally stunned speechless by the sight.
None of them had ever seen an octopus like this before.
It was unbelievably magical.
"Everyone, our Skypiea journey is officially over."
"Once we land, our destination is Marineford."
"Lance, handle everything after this."
"And don't bother me before we reach headquarters."
"Oh right."
"I should probably call that old geezer Sengoku first."
"There was no signal on Skypiea. After disappearing for this many days, he's probably gone crazy from worry."
Just imagining Sengoku's furious exploding face made Hammer shiver.
purupuru puru
"Hey, old geezer Sengoku."
"Don't start yelling immediately!"
"You old bastard, careful or I'll delay your exclusive weapon even longer!"
"I'm warning you! Borsalino is my good buddy now! Watch out or I'll prioritize him first!"
"Hahaha, see? That's better."
"Ah well, I just went somewhere you couldn't reach."
"Miss me? Hahaha!"
"Where did I go?"
"Not telling you!"
"I'm heading back to headquarters soon anyway. I'll explain once we meet."
"Don't worry, I already planned to start handling the Seven Warlords matter too."
"We'll talk after I get back."
Click.
After hanging up the Den Den Mushi, Hammer said nothing more.
He simply walked alone toward his personal forge room.
After all, he now had an enormous pile of Dials and Iron Clouds waiting to be forged.
Just thinking about it filled Hammer with motivation!
Meanwhile, aided by the balloon octopus, the Warhammer gently descended onto the ocean surface.
"We finally landed!"
"I never want to float around in the sky again!"
"The sea feels way safer!"
The one speaking was Tokikake.
Floating in the sky the whole time had left him feeling deeply insecure.
Beside him, Lance helplessly shook his head before beginning to direct the soldiers in determining their location.
Although they had landed somewhere along the Grand Line,
They still had no idea exactly where.
So they needed to quickly figure out their bearings.
Before long, the Warhammer once again sailed proudly across the seas.