As expected, Toral did not disappoint Ashen. Twenty minutes later, the creature returned once more to the volcanic lake's peak.
Whoosh!
With its wide leathery wings folding in, Toral landed steadily in front of Ashen, lowering its head to meet his gaze.
"So, what's your decision, Toral?"
Ashen spoke slowly, awaiting the beast's answer with anticipation.
At his words, Toral let out a deep roar and stepped forward. Its enormous head stopped less than half a meter from Ashen.
Having just gorged itself on fish in the sea, Toral had replenished some of its lost strength and washed away the bloodstains from its body. It now looked far more majestic than before.
"Hey, you're not going to turn on us now, are you?"
Tesla asked nervously, worried that Toral, having rid itself of the blood parasites and regained its power, was now looking to settle scores with Ashen.
But in the very next second, Toral lowered its proud head, jaw pressed to the icy ground, and lay submissively before Ashen.
"Hahaha! Toral, from now on, you and I will make our names known across the seas!"
Understanding Toral's response, Ashen leapt onto its back with a loud, hearty laugh.
Once Ashen was seated, Toral ignored Tesla entirely. With a powerful push of its limbs and a beat of its wings, it soared high into the sky.
After so many years, it was finally free from pain, free to fly at will.
With Ashen on its back, Toral circled Delsarado several times before descending on Ataka under Ashen's command.
"Tch, what a temper."
After waiting for several minutes and seeing no sign that Toral intended to pick him up, Tesla sighed and gave a bitter smile. Then, using Moonwalk, he leapt back up to Ataka on his own.
...
The next morning, the Helgrave Pirates had already departed from Ataka.
Before leaving, Ashen left them with some supplies, fulfilling the promise he had made to Ojos.
He also arranged a plan for them, stay in Ataka and await the arrival of the Helgrave Pirates' mining crew.
They had been cut off from the world for far too long. Returning suddenly to the seas in their current state would make it impossible for them to survive the chaos of this era.
So, they agreed readily to Ashen's arrangement. Of course, if they ever wanted to leave in the future, they would need the Helgrave Pirates' approval.
Otherwise, if word got out that this place was rich in Seastone, the entire sea would know in no time.
At this moment, the crew had reached the sky above the Red Line. Below them stretched the waters of the West Blue.
Here, their paths would diverge. One path was for Ashen and Tesla, they would continue traveling along the Milky Road.
That's right, the Milky Road wasn't over yet. Originally, Ashen had thought the summit of the Western Sky marked the end.
But after speaking with the villagers of Ataka, they learned that the Milky Road from the Western Sky summit to Skypiea was only a portion of the entire route.
Half of the island clouds formed over Delsarado would pass through the Red Line and drift into the West Blue.
Where they ultimately led, no one in Ataka could say for sure, but it was clear, the Milky Road didn't end there. It stretched further.
So, Ashen decided to keep following it, with the goal of finding Enel's homeland, Birka.
Back in Skypiea, Ashen had asked Gan Fall about Birka. The old man only knew it lay in the far southeast of the sky.
He didn't know the exact location, he'd only heard of the island from meteorologists who had passed through Skypiea. That's how the name Birka came up at all.
And since they had found no sign of Birka from Skypiea to the Western Sky summit, Ashen was certain it must lie in the latter half of the Milky Road.
It might float above the West Blue, but more likely, it was in the skies above the New World.
After all, the Grand Line ran from northwest to southeast.
If Birka was far to the southeast of Skypiea, then logically it should be either in the New World or hovering above the West Blue near the New World.
And with Skypiea situated near the midpoint of the Grand Line, if the Milky Road was symmetrical, then Birka was likely located near the midpoint of the New World.
"All right. Be careful on your way back, don't linger, and return to Dressrosa as soon as you can."
Ashen gave his final instructions to the crew aboard the Pufferfish.
"Don't worry, Captain! Elvis and I will take care of everyone!" Dan promised immediately, and Elvis nodded in agreement beside him.
"Good! Tesla, let's go!"
With that, Ashen and Tesla jumped off the Pufferfish together. Waiting nearby, Toral immediately swooped in to catch them.
Roar!
With a thunderous roar, Toral surged forward, speeding along the Milky Road composed of uneven, fragmented island clouds.
Behind them, the Pufferfish adjusted course, heading northwest. If all went well, they'd reach the first half of the New World in just a few days.
...
Just as Ashen had predicted, even with Toral's speed, it took five days of flight just to approach the center of the West Blue.
Though the Milky Road twisted and veered under the influence of wind currents, its overall direction still pointed straight toward the center of the New World.
That only solidified Ashen's belief, Birka had to be above the New World.
In truth, the ring-shaped Red Line and the vertical Grand Line divided the world into four seas, East, West, North, and South.
From a broad perspective, the West Blue looked like a spindle shape divided by two arcs. One end of the spindle was Reverse Mountain, and the other was Mariejois.
One arc of the spindle was the New World, and the other was a portion of the Red Line.
Delsarado sat at the midpoint of that Red Line segment, and the Milky Road pointed straight toward the center of the New World.
In other words, Ashen was now traversing the longest possible path across the West Blue.
"Toral, head for that island below!"
An hour later, spotting a familiar island silhouette beneath them, Ashen issued a command.
They had been flying for five days straight. Their provisions were nearly gone, and Toral needed rest.
As Toral descended, the island came into clearer view, it was none other than Gang Island, Saleth's homeland.
"Didn't expect it to become this bustling in just a year and a half."
Letting Toral dive into the sea to hunt for food, Ashen brought Tesla ashore on Gang Island.
"So this is our base in the West Blue? Not bad at all.
I used to think Lafitte was just exaggerating when he talked about this place," Tesla remarked, gazing at the bustling streets and thriving businesses.
"Come on, let's get something to eat. The booze in West Blue isn't half bad."