Jaya Island - Waters where the Knock up stream forms.
BOOM—!!
Deep beneath the sea surface, a massive whirlpool slowly took shape.
The sky was thick with dark clouds, thunder rolling ominously.
The Knock up stream—was about to erupt in full force!
....
Warship - Deck
Guts stood at the bow, his coat billowing wildly, his figure like the sharpest spearhead in the dark night.
Puck and all the soldiers were ready, the atmosphere on the deck tense as a string about to snap.
"Boss!"
Puck braved the gale, shouting, "The current's formed! How do we get up?!"
Guts' gaze remained calm as he stared at the distant, gradually forming pillar of water.
Slowly, he raised his right hand, his palm slightly rotating.
The air vibrated, layers of airflow rippling outward like waves.
His voice wasn't loud, yet it cut clearly through the storm to every corner of the deck.
"Set sail!"
In an instant!
Guts took a fierce step forward, his fingers clenching tight.
'Air Control'
BOOM—!!!
An invisible force field surged like a torrent, enveloping the entire warship.
A transparent high-pressure airflow shield rapidly solidified, forming an intangible fortress that encased the ship tightly.
"Liftoff!" Guts commanded.
'Air Pressure Rise - Burst Mode'
BOOM!!!!!
Under the stunned gazes of everyone—
The entire warship, leapt violently into the raging Knock up stream!!
Under Guts' control, the warship remained steady as a rock, pushing against the stormy winds and waves, ascending to the skies.
Puck clung desperately to the railing, his hair blown into a spiky mess as he yell.
"AAAAHH—BOSS!! ARE YOU SURE THIS ISN'T SUICIDE?!"
Beside him, a bearded veteran turned pale, his legs trembling uncontrollably.
"I... I haven't written my will yet!!!"
Another helmsman clutching the wheel wailed.
"I'M NOT A SEAGULL!! I CAN'T FLY AAAHH—!!"
A lanky old soldier was even more dramatic, clasping his hands together.
"Dear Gods! If I survive to Sky island, I'll swear i wont drink any alcohol for three days!!!"
Puck shouted beside him, "Yesterday you said you'd quit for three years!!!"
Just as everyone felt they were about to be torn apart by this insane stream, Guts alone, with a single hand, stabilized the entire scene.
His right hand controlled the lift, while his left precisely adjusting the ship's posture.
Torrential rain? Stabilized!
Whirlwinds? Severed!
Storm's fury? Redirected!
The warship carved the most elegant and precise trajectory through the destructive storm.
"Steady." Guts said coolly.
Puck, still gripping the railing while his teeth chattering keep yelling at him.
"STEADY MY ASS! HOW IS THIS STEADY?!"
BOOM—!!
The warship pierced through the first layer of thunderclouds.
*****
White Sea
As the last bolt of lightning was left behind, the view suddenly cleared.
Ahead, a pure white sea straight out of myth stretched silently across the sky.
Sunlight cascaded down, making the white sea glimmer like a dream.
The warship cut through the waves in the air, churning up pure white spray.
On the deck, everyone stood dumbfounded.
Puck's eyes were especially wide as he muttered to himself.
"...There really is a sea... in the sky..."
The veteran soldiers were all gaping, their expressions frozen like stone statues.
"Am I still alive?" A bearded veteran numbly patted his own head.
"I didn't even wet my pants!" A lanky soldier cried tears of joy.
Next to him, Puck quietly added, "Your pants are soaked - that counts as not wetting them?"
Guts stood at the bow, hands clasped behind his back.
His gaze was sharp as a blade, calm as a thousand-year glacier.
Squinting at the boundless white sea, the corner of his mouth curled into a sharp arc.
"Skypiea... the White Sea..."
On the vast, endless sky stretched a pure white ocean, silently spread between skies.
The sun pierced through layers of clouds, casting brilliant rays that illuminated the entire White Sea like ruins of a divine kingdom.
On the deck.
Puck clutched the railing desperately, panting heavily, his face alternating between pale and green.
"...Boss."
Puck gritted his teeth and growled, "This is the first time I've genuinely thought you were going to be the Death of me!"
Behind them, the elite soldiers struggled to maintain their composure, fighting not to faint, their expressions a spectacular array of emotions.
"Cough cough... Sky island is really... it actually exists!"
"Good lord, I thought we were heading straight to meet our maker!"
Guts merely gave his subordinates a cool glance before saying sharply.
"Quit your whining. If you can't handle a little air pressure, we'll double your training when we get back."
The soldiers immediately fell silent, standing at attention in unison.
Puck scratched his head and grinned helplessly.
"...Tch, still squeezing us dry even at a time like this."
He straightened up and looked around.
On the vast White Sea, the faint outline of an island floating among the clouds could be seen in the distance, as unreal as a fairy tale.
Puck couldn't help but murmur.
"...Is that the legendary Sky island?"
Guts narrowed his eyes slightly, spreading his senses to detect the fluctuations of Dial energy and human activity ahead before calmly confirming.
"Correct."
"Sky island - Skypiea."
Then he raised his hand to issue orders to the fleet.
"—All hands, retract sails, adjust to aerial mode, objective: landing!"
"YES SIR!!!"
The soldiers' spirits lifted as they quickly adjusted the warship's sailing mode, switching the power system to low-pressure environment adaptation.
Guts controlled the air currents, his aura gently yet powerfully enveloping the entire warship like a divine envoy steering a vessel across the White Sea, slowly heading towards Angel Island.
*****
Thirty minutes later
The warship approached the outskirts of Angel Island.
Beneath thick white clouds, glimpses of floating city structures could be seen—white houses, transportation tracks powered by Wind Dials and the occasional passing guards.
Puck leaned against the deck railing, dumbstruck.
"...Holy shit, people actually live here?!"
Guts' gaze remained steady.
"Civilization and decay are never determined by geography."
Puck blinked and asked casually, "So boss, do you think this Skypiea place is decayed or not?"
Guts clasped his hands behind his back and said coldly.
"We'll find out soon enough."
In the sky, several Angel Island guards riding Skyfish spotted the presence of the warship.
A sharp alarm pierced through the clouds!
"Intruder! Halt immediately for inspection!"
The lead guard captain shouted loudly, his white feathered cloak fluttering in the air currents.
Puck rubbed his hands together excitedly.
"Boss, time to stretch our legs?"
Guts' eyes flickered slightly as an 'Air Shock Ring' silently expanded.
With just a slight raise of his hand, the clouds over the White Sea suddenly churned like startled beasts!
"Wah—!"
"What's happening?!"
Before the guards could react, they felt a gentle yet irresistible current of air rushing toward them.
Their skyfish mounts let out panicked cries as their wings were lifted by the airflow, sending both riders and fish arcing through the air.
"Ahhh—we're gonna fall!"
"Hold onto the reins!"
The guards scrambled to control their mounts, eventually landing safely on a soft cloudbank in the distance.
Though somewhat disheveled, none were harmed.
Puck pouted in disappointment, "Tch, just letting them go like that?"
Guts withdrew his hand and said calmly, "We're here on business. No need for casualties."
In the distance, the shaken guards exchanged bewildered glances.
The captain wiped cold sweat from his brow as he tremblingly pulled out a Den Den Mushi.
"R-report! Unknown warship sighted...the enemy...the enemy seemed to show mercy..."
.....
"Let's go."
"To meet...the 'God' of this decaying kingdom."
The warship continued plowing through the waves.
The White Sea churned beneath them as clouds tore apart in their wake.
The hunt for Skypiea was about to begin!