Enjoy Chapter 53!
"Oh!?"
Tashigi heard Saitama yelling from the clouds. She slowly let go of the mast and walked over to the side of the ship.
Seeing Saitama casually hopping up and down atop a layer of clouds, she felt all her common sense collapse—her face was pure shock.
"This… is actually happening…"
She took off her glasses, rubbed her eyes, then put them back on.
When she realized it was real, she drew in a sharp breath.
A cloud that could hold people…
"In fairy tales, there are clouds like this…"
Tashigi carefully jumped from the ship, landing lightly on the soft cloud, then tried bouncing a little to see if it'd hold her.
"Some legends say there are islands in the Grand Line's cloud layers, where people with wings called Gaburians live… According to the story, this might be the real Sky Island. I never thought it existed, Saitama…"
"Sky Island,"
Saitama muttered, tearing off a small piece of cloud. "Looks and feels just like a regular cloud… There really are a lot of strange things in this world."
Still—
"Arriving at Sky Island is a surprise…"
Tashigi frowned at the warship behind them. "But, if the story's true, how do we get back from 10,000 meters up…?"
"Don't worry…"
Saitama dusted his hands off, surveying the area. "There are forests over there; let's just find some locals and ask around. If not, I can always jump down—10,000 meters isn't a problem for me."
10,000 meters…?
Tashigi smiled awkwardly.
Honestly, the way a powerhouse like Saitama thinks is totally different.
What he called a casual jump was pretty much suicide for anyone else.
"All hands, guard the warship!"
Tashigi called to the marines, then jogged off after Saitama.
"Wait for me, Saitama, I'll come too!"
"So, what kind of people live on Sky Island?"
Saitama wondered aloud. "Maybe muscular, winged weirdos… or maybe dinosaurs…?"
"I think they're just normal people…"
Tashigi guessed.
"This place is actually nice,"
Saitama added, "The sun, the environment… If I could, I'd live here."
"Then let's live here together, Saitama,"
Tashigi grinned, two pretty dimples blooming as she blushed.
"There's less oxygen, but I'll get used to it. I'll even take care of your daily life!"
Saitama looked a bit reluctant. "I'd rather live alone…"
Tashigi quickly recovered, snapping her fingers with an idea.
"I've got five million Berries saved up—take it as rent!"
…
Silence.
Saitama looked at her with complete seriousness.
"Make sure you bring a towel and a toothbrush."
Tashigi broke into a huge smile and snapped a salute. "Yes, Saitama!"
…
Chatting, they entered the forest.
It was prehistoric, vast, canopied, with the distant roars of beasts.
Tashigi immediately drew "Shigure," scanning their surroundings.
Saitama just walked calmly ahead, eyes as blank as always.
Where there were predators, there were usually no humans; but if they'd come this far, they had to keep going.
The beastly noises grew louder.
Finally—
A strong wind blew!
A giant, two-tailed saber-toothed tiger burst from the woods, charging straight at them.
Massive claws, flying dust, total savagery!
"Oh no!"
Tashigi jumped in front of Saitama, clutching Shigure.
"Saitama, get back, I've got—"
But Saitama was already in front of her.
One punch—
The seventy-meter, two-tailed saber-toothed tiger was smashed into pulp.
The shattered body collapsed, blood pooling everywhere.
Saitama waved at Tashigi. "Okay, let's go."
…
"Right…"
Tashigi took a long time to come back to earth, sighing.
No matter how many times she saw it, she was always shocked.
That almost godlike power, and that constant, blank expression.
Saitama was just… too strong.
They continued through the forest, and by the time they reached the edge, Saitama had already crushed two 100-meter centipedes, one octopus, and a machine-gun-wielding mantis, plus shattered a sword-wielding bear.
There were a lot of monsters on this island… Maybe too many.
With that thought, they exited the woods and saw a small village.
The villagers they spotted all had wings, with feathers on their arms—just like in the storybook.
But…
"They're strangely skinny…"
Saitama carefully observed the Sky Islanders. "And… there are no young people, no elders…"
Tashigi nodded. "And it's really quiet…"
Saitama stopped a middle-aged woman on the street.
"Excuse me, where are we? We ended up here by accident from the sea below. Is there a way back?"
"From the Blue Sea…?"
The woman looked surprised, then said,
"Are you immigrants? You're unlucky. You've arrived in the place called Despair…"
Despair?
Saitama and Tashigi exchanged uneasy glances.
Something felt off.
"What's wrong, ma'am?"
Tashigi clasped the woman's hand. "Why is everyone so thin? Even if you're not under the World Government's protection, we're Marine heroes. If someone's hurting you, we can help!"