His gaze landed on the pair of wings spread out on Urouge's back. Under the sunlight, those wings looked especially striking.
In that instant, Blueno suddenly understood.
In this entire world, only the legendary people of the sky had wings.
And when he thought about how strangely Lancelot was carrying Urouge straight up into the sky, the answer was already obvious.
They were going to Sky Island.
The moment that thought occurred to him, Blueno's heart filled with an excitement he could barely suppress.
Sky Island.
That was a legendary land wrapped in mystery.
Who would not long to see a place like that?
Without the slightest hesitation, Blueno kicked off the ground with all his strength, his body shooting upward like an arrow released from a bowstring.
Immediately afterward, he skillfully used Geppo, darting through the air as if he were running across flat land, chasing after Lancelot, who was still carrying Urouge.
Sky Island was like a mysterious realm suspended high above the White Sea, while the White Sea itself lay 7,000 meters above sea level.
In this seemingly endless sea of clouds, the air grew exceptionally thin, as though it were a place completely isolated from the world below.
For people accustomed to the environment of the Blue Sea, such an altitude was undoubtedly a great challenge.
Here, the lack of oxygen caused a person's physical ability to decline sharply, and the strain on the body increased along with it.
That was exactly what Blueno was experiencing right now.
Even though he had only reached around 6,000 meters, he was already starting to breathe heavily.
His expression darkened slightly. His body's instincts were warning him to stop, telling him he should not climb any higher.
But when he saw that Lancelot was still rising without pause, unwillingness surged in his heart.
Lancelot seemed completely unaffected by the thin air, still ascending with effortless ease.
Blueno gritted his teeth and decided to challenge his own limits once more.
He stepped rapidly through the air, his entire body shooting upward at high speed like an arrow.
This was completely different from riding a ship up on a rising current. This method required an enormous amount of stamina and skill.
By the time they finally reached the White Sea, Blueno was panting like an ox, and a fine layer of sweat had even appeared on his forehead.
Clearly, this journey had consumed a great deal of his strength.
The thin air had multiplied his stamina consumption several times over.
Breathing heavily, he turned his gaze toward Lancelot.
Lancelot's expression remained completely normal. There was no flush on his face, no sign of breathlessness, as though all of this had been nothing more than a simple little exercise.
His posture was relaxed and natural, as if he had not felt the pressure of the altitude or the thin air at all.
Blueno's gaze slowly swept over Lancelot, and an indescribable feeling rose in his heart.
The corner of his mouth twitched.
'Sure enough, a monster is still a monster.'
Just then, however, Lancelot's attention was suddenly drawn to an old woman standing not far from the Heaven's Gate.
Lancelot stared at her, and a sense of familiarity rose in his heart.
Because he had seen the original story, he knew exactly who this old woman was.
She was Amazon, the inspector of Sky Island's Heaven's Gate.
When the Straw Hat Pirates reached the Heaven's Gate, she had hinted in an ambiguous manner that they could enter without paying the entry fee.
But behind that seemingly kind gesture was a vicious trap.
Once the Straw Hats entered Sky Island, Amazon secretly contacted the Divine Soldiers and the priests, asking them to pursue these uninvited guests.
And the camera she always carried was no ordinary camera. It was specifically used to photograph lawbreakers.
Lancelot cursed inwardly.
This Amazon was practically the textbook example of entrapment.
She used people's greed and sense of luck to set up a trap, letting those who did not understand the situation walk right into it.
Illegal entry into the country—entering without paying the fee—came with a severe punishment.
The fine was ten times the original amount, and the original fee itself was not included in that total.
Originally, each person only needed to pay one billion Extol, which converted to 100,000 Berries in Blue Sea currency.
But after Amazon's little scheme, the fine instantly shot up to 1.1 million Berries.
It was a complete rip-off.
And that was only the secondary problem.
The worse part was that once they were pursued, people who had no idea what was happening would instinctively fight back.
And once you were forced to retaliate, what awaited you would no longer be as simple as a high fine.
Instead, you would face divine punishment.
With Enel's strength, that was practically a death sentence.
In other words, if Luffy and his crew had not been strong enough, they would probably have died long ago.
No…
It would be more accurate to say that if Luffy's ability had not happened to counter Enel's, the Straw Hat Pirates might have been completely wiped out here.
This old woman was practically a demon.
Toward people she had only just met, she could be so ruthless, calmly pushing them down a road that led to death.
Because of that, Lancelot's disgust toward the old woman ran deep.
After all, anyone would feel extreme hatred toward a villain who deliberately plotted to take other people's lives.
At that moment, Amazon also sensed someone approaching.
Her gaze sharpened like a hawk's, instantly locking onto Urouge.
However, what surprised her was that the person who had appeared before her was actually Urouge.
Clearly, she had not expected to encounter him here.
Only then did Amazon slowly shift her gaze toward Lancelot and Blueno.
When her eyes fell on them, her brows furrowed involuntarily.
Among the Sky People, Urouge was a famous powerhouse, and his strength could be considered top-tier.
After all these years, his strength had probably risen to an even higher level.
More importantly, he actually dared to return.
One had to know that he had been knocked down to the Blue Sea back then.
If he returned, he would inevitably face severe divine punishment.
Did that mean Urouge now had enough confidence to face God directly?
Or did it mean he had found something he could rely on against God?
Her gaze landed on Lancelot and Blueno, her eyes full of scrutiny, as if she wanted to see straight through them.
Lancelot, however, simply walked forward.
The corner of Amazon's mouth lifted slightly, revealing a sly smile.
She spoke in a slow, leisurely tone.
"The entry fee is one billion Extol per person. Converted to Blue Sea currency, that would be 100,000 Berries. Of course, you may also choose not to pay."
The moment Lancelot heard those words, his expression darkened.
Inwardly, he cursed.
'Isn't this damn woman blatantly trying to scam me?'
Although he did not fear Enel, being tricked so openly—and tricked in a way meant to send him to his death—was not something he could possibly swallow.
Lancelot abruptly turned his head and stared coldly at Amazon.
A sharp chill flashed in his eyes as he asked in an icy voice.
"And what happens if we don't pay?"