"...It all began four hundred years ago," Kullick said, his voice beginning to tremble with emotion.
Just as he was getting into it—
"Stop." Ritter raised his hand, cutting him off. If this guy started now, who knew when he'd shut up?
"I have zero interest in your tragic family legacy of being labeled liars for four centuries."
Kullick choked like a fishbone had lodged in his throat. Then he barked back, shark teeth bared: "You can't just interrupt people like that! That's incredibly rude! I am going to say it! This is the grand legend of Skypiea! My ancestor, Mont Blanc Noland, he—"
"Died," Ritter cut in, crisp and blunt.
"...Huh?"
"His bones turned to ash, people laughed at him for four hundred years. That's it, right?" Ritter dug at his ear with a pinky. "So? Where's the Knock-Up Stream?"
Kullick was practically hopping in place with rage. "What is wrong with you?! Let people finish their stories!"
Ritter: Ehehe.
The members of the Saruyama Alliance looked at each other, unsure. One of the underlings raised a hand timidly. "Boss… maybe we should sing 'The Big Liar Noland' for him?"
"Shut up!" Kullick's forehead veins bulged. "This time it's real! I've studied Knock-Up Stream data for twenty years—"
"Data?" Ritter tilted his head, amused by Kullick's rising blood pressure.
Ritter: Ehehe.
"And how exactly am I supposed to know your data's legit?"
"You little how dare you doubt me?! The Knock-Up Stream will appear southeast in three days—"
Kullick abruptly slapped a hand over his mouth. Oops. That might've been classified.
Ritter turned on his heel. "Thanks."
"Wait!" Kullick howled in despair. "At least let me tell you about the tear-jerking friendship between Noland and Calgara!"
He was answered by the roar of the Bruma Jackson's engines and the distant echo of Perona's singing:
"Big~ Liar~ Noland~"
Ritter's voice floated over the hum of the ship, "You can stay here and listen to the echo of the Golden Bell."
And with that, he waved over his shoulder and left without a glance.
Kullick collapsed to his knees on the beach, tears streaming down his face. "Kids these days… they really know how to hurt you!"
If Ritter had heard that, he'd have turned around and kicked him. Gross. Giant gorilla saying something so nasty.
Three Days Later, Southeastern Waters off Jaya
Just before dawn, the sea was eerily calm.
Ritter stood alone on the figurehead of the ship, eyes closed, sensing the growing turbulence beneath the waves.
Let's see just how "raging" this surge can get.
"…It's coming," he muttered, pupils narrowing.
The entire steel behemoth began to emit a low, resonant hum. The wind dials embedded in the ship's hull adjusted themselves automatically.
Suddenly, the sea caved in with no warning, forming a massive whirlpool over a kilometer wide. The Dawn Requiem dropped rapidly into the chasm, yet remained as steady as a mountain.
"Now that's what a ship like the Bruma Jackson deserves," Ritter said, grinning.
When the ship was still a hundred meters from the vortex's base
BOOM!!!
A deafening explosion erupted as a massive pillar of water shot skyward, over a kilometer in diameter. The Knock-Up Stream struck the underside of the Dawn Requiem, a force that would tear most vessels apart. But the steel monster only vibrated in exhilaration.
Wind dials flared to life all over the ship, working in harmony with the rising current to launch the vessel skyward.
As the Bruma Jackson broke through the clouds
A boundless sea of white stretched before Ritter's eyes. He couldn't help but marvel again at the wonder of the One Piece world. The fluffy clouds were solid enough to support an entire warship.
"Lord Ritter… is this Skypiea?" Perona drifted up beside him, ghost minions zipping excitedly through the air.
"Lord Ritter~ the clouds here are soft and squishy!" She tapped a toe on the edge of the cloud and immediately plunged through it, leaving only two arms flailing in the air.
"Waaaahhh help!"
With a deadpan face, Ritter reached down and yanked her back up.
"Don't wander off, Perona. This is a cloud sea. Watch your step."
Perona puffed up her cheeks and brushed off clumps of cloud. "Hmph!"
No trip to Skypiea would be complete without a look at their so-called entrance fee.
An old lady was collecting tickets. Had Enel already proclaimed himself 'God'?
Didn't matter. He was the one Ritter had come to see.
Ritter figured there was no reason he should be the one charging the Bruma Jackson's wind dials.
Right, Enel?
No way he was paying.
The massive ship drifted slowly into the outer harbor of Angel Island.
When Roger visited, Ritter had been off tracking down Brook so neither Brook, Laboon, nor Garrett had seen this place.
Now? He planned to take it all in.
Right now, Ritter felt just like a main character in a ghost-fire anime.
The residents of Skypiea were already hiding behind cloud houses, eyes wide with awe at the imposing steel ship. A few braver kids clung to the cloud embankment, staring in amazement.
"Wow! That ship's awesome!"
"The dragon at the front lights up!"
Ritter kept a blank expression, face cold and indifferent as he looked ahead.
(Inside, though? He was thrilled like a kid whose homework just got chosen to be read aloud in class.)
Once docked, Ritter and his crew jumped directly onto the soft cloud paths.
Perona floated to a small stall nearby, eyes sparkling at the cloud-crafted trinkets made from sky island dials.
"Lord Ritter~ This one's a sound dial it can record voices!" She picked up a shell and shouted into it, "Lady Perona is the cutest!"
The dial immediately played back: "Lady Perona is the cutest~"
Perona: "!!!"
(?つヮ?)
She threw down money on the spot and began recording non-stop:
"Moria is an idiot! I hope everyone stays happy and healthy!"
Moria: "?????"
As they strolled through the city, Ritter's eyes remained fixed on the island wreathed in golden clouds far in the distance the Upper Yard.
That was Enel's domain.
Perona floated back, arms full of Skypiea souvenirs. "Lord Ritter~ where to next?"
Ritter flashed a grin, the Black Tide greatsword resting on his shoulder. "Let's go meet their 'god.'"
Perona blinked. "Eh? We're fighting already?"
"Sightseeing's over." Ritter turned and strode back toward the Dawn Requiem. "Time for business. After today, this whole place will be ours."
Skypiea had always been a strategic stronghold since the era of the first transmigrators. Why was the Golden Lion so untouchable? Because he could fly.
Great location. Tons of wealth. If Ritter didn't seize it, he'd feel like he was robbing himself.
In the clearing where the Four Priests stood ready, they awaited divine orders. But the clouds above began to churn unnaturally tinged in red.
Not thunderclouds.
This was Ritter's Blood Mist.
Gotta set the stage before a fight, right?
"…What is that?" Priest Gedatsu began to sweat.
"Good afternoon~" Moria greeted politely with a deep bow. His shadow surged behind him. "Would you be so kind as to lend me your god for a zombie project?"
Priests Gedatsu, Shura, Satori, and Ohm all dropped their grins.
This was a very different Moria one tempered neither by loss nor failure. With his full Observation and Armament Haki at Ritter's side, he was nothing like the lost, defeated figure of the original timeline.
In the pirate world, the truth was harsh: stray from your path, and your power halves. But walk it true
And the gods had better be ready.
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