This time, both groups had a clear destination in mind: they were making a beeline for Nanohana, the port city of the Arabasta Kingdom. Thanks to that, the journey from the capital to Nanohana took them only five days.
Gazing at the colossal warship anchored right beside his own pirate ship, Baichuan couldn't help but marvel at Garp's twisted sense of humor. The old man had definitely done this on purpose.
"Wow, seeing it from this angle, my warship really is enormous, isn't it?"
Garp spoke these words while standing right next to Baichuan. But Baichuan knew full well—he was absolutely doing this intentionally. How else could he have positioned himself so perfectly by his side at just the right moment?
"Vice Admiral Garp, our ship is only temporary. Once we reach Water 7, we'll switch to a bigger one."
"Water 7? Heh." Garp let out a cold snort.
"You can talk about that after you actually manage to get there." With that, Garp didn't give Baichuan so much as a chance to ask a follow-up question. He simply leaped straight onto his warship.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
Garp's words plunged Baichuan deep into thought. He was certain Garp wasn't the kind of man to say something like that without a reason.
But Baichuan's question drew no response from Garp. By now, the marines had already begun boarding the warship in orderly succession, preparing to set sail.
"Captain, shouldn't we be heading out too?"
Qiaola sidled up to Baichuan and asked.
"Yeah." But even as he spoke the word, Baichuan was already walking over to stand in front of Wende. "Well? I've given you plenty of time. Have you decided whether you want to become a member of my Silver Pirates?"
"Captain, aren't I already a member of the Silver Pirates?"
Wende shot back a question of his own. Baichuan froze for a moment at the reply, then suddenly broke into a grin and extended his hand.
"The Silver Pirates welcome you aboard."
"Thanks, Captain." Over the past month and more, Wende had been with them the entire time. He'd long since come to see himself as part of the crew.
Gaining a crewmate with such formidable strength naturally put Baichuan in high spirits, and he promptly threw another banquet right there on the ship.
Helming the vessel, meanwhile, fell entirely to Mo'er, who was still underage and couldn't drink yet. He was the navigator, after all, so he steered them along the heading set by the Log Pose.
Banquets were always joyful, but joyful times were invariably fleeting. After two full days and nights of sailing, Baichuan and his crew finally caught sight of the next island.
"Captain! Look—quick, look at the Pose!"
Mo'er suddenly cried out in astonishment, drawing the attention of every crew member on deck.
"What's wrong, Mo'er?" Everyone crowded around.
"Look at the Pose, all of you! It's pointing straight up!"
"Whoa, it really is."
A circle of faces huddled together, their eyes brimming with puzzlement and curiosity.
"Maybe the Pose is broken?"
Having failed to reason their way to an answer, they collectively arrived at this conclusion.
"Heh." Hearing their final verdict, Baichuan couldn't help but laugh out loud.
"Captain, what are you laughing at? Do you know what's going on with the Pose?"
"The Pose isn't broken."
"Then why is it pointing into the sky?" Everyone voiced the question burning in their hearts.
"Could it be that this island is..."
"That's right. This island is a sky island."
"There really are sky islands? How do we even get up there?" Mo'er asked, his face a complete blank. Nothing in the navigational knowledge he'd studied contained any method for reaching a sky island.
"There'll be a way," Baichuan said with a smile.
He could have simply controlled the ship to fly straight up there, but he also wanted to experience the thrill of the Knock-Up Stream firsthand.
"Alright, let's set foot on this island first and take a look around. Maybe we'll find some clues here."
Heeding Baichuan's suggestion, the Silver Pirates disembarked onto the island. The name of this place was Jaya Island—not a particularly large island.
The island's shape resembled a skull.
No sooner had they stepped ashore than they spotted a lone figure standing along the coastline.
"Captain, look! That guy's head is shaped so weird!"
Mo'er pointed at the man's head and shouted. Because it looked exactly as if a chestnut had sprouted right on top of it.
"Whoa, you're right. What a weird-shaped head."
Everyone was taken aback by the man's bizarre hairstyle.
"Hey, Chestnut-Head old-timer! Do you know how to get up to a sky island?"
Mo'er called out directly to the man.
Hearing Mo'er's shout, the man visibly flinched, then turned around to face him. His eyes glistened with tears, and he looked deeply moved.
"What's with this guy? Why's he crying?"
Mo'er muttered to himself in confusion. He hadn't said anything particularly harsh, had he?
"You... you believe that sky islands exist?"
The chestnut-headed man spoke, his voice trembling with emotion.
"Of course. The Log Pose never lies."
Mo'er lifted the Log Pose strapped to his wrist for emphasis.
"Wonderful, wonderful... There are still people willing to believe in sky islands!"
The man dashed over to Mo'er in a flash and seized his hands with fervent excitement, startling Mo'er so much that he instantly shot a pleading look toward Baichuan.
What kind of strange person have I run into here? Mo'er thought.
"Hey. Let go of his hands."
Qiaola struck the man's arm with the flat of her sword scabbard. The sharp sting made him yank his hands back at once.
"Seriously, what are you getting so worked up about? Have you never seen outsiders before?"
"No, no, it's not that. It's just that there are still people willing to believe in sky islands—I'm just so overwhelmed."
The man wiped at his tears.
"Don't tell me nobody else has ever believed you?"
"No one believes. They all refuse to accept that there could be islands up in the sky. By now, even the locals on this very island don't believe anymore."
"Is that so... Well, then, do you know a way to reach a sky island?"
"Of course. When it comes to sky islands, there's no one in the entire Blue Sea more knowledgeable than me."
A proud expression spread across the man's face as he said this.
"Alright then, tell us. Let's hear it."
"Ah, wait—I haven't even asked who you people are." Cricket studied their faces; they looked familiar, but he couldn't quite place where he'd seen them before.
"We're the Silver Pirates."
"Silver Pirates... Silver Pirates." Cricket murmured the name to himself twice, and then a spark suddenly flashed through his mind.
"Wonderful! If it's you people, then you can definitely make it to the sky island!"
Far from being frightened by their identity, Cricket grew even more excited than before.
"Look, look, Cricket's tricking outsiders again!"
Just then, a gaggle of kids came running past nearby, their loose tongues wagging without restraint. Naturally, their voices carried right to Baichuan and his crew's ears.
"Don't you go believing a word those little brats say! They don't believe in sky islands, not one of them."
"Of course we don't! There's no such thing as sky islands in the first place! It's all lies made up by the big fat liar Cricket!"
One of the kids pulled a mocking face and yelled at Cricket, and then the whole pack of them dashed away.
/-\
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