Chapter 97: Skypiea – Descent from the Sky & Merry's Gentle Farewell
"Hey! That's my golden throne! Those are my decorations!" Enel watched helplessly as Nami charged into the Ark Maxim, shaking open sack after sack and looting like a madwoman. He rushed forward to stop her.
But the next second he was floored by a single brutal strike from Nami. Right now, the navigator was practically invincible.
"What kind of woman is she?! Is she a god too?!" Enel clutched his swollen cheek, staring in disbelief at Nami whose eyes were practically glowing with Berry symbols. "Even my Mantra couldn't catch her movements!"
"Exactly. Nami is the genuine article—the 'God of Greed.'" Sol crossed his arms and laughed heartily. "Her obsession with treasure puts even Devil Fruit users to shame."
"Damn it… most of this ship is built from gold, and the master bedroom is pure gold everything…" Nami ran her hand along the glittering wall, grinding her teeth in envy.
Though she knew the Merry couldn't carry it all, she still calculated the exact load limit with surgical precision. Everywhere she went was like a locust swarm—every movable decoration was taken without mercy.
Before long, Nami jumped off the ship carrying bulging sacks of gold. Enel rushed to inspect and found that aside from the large fixed golden structural elements, everything removable had been stripped clean.
"200 Million Volt: Maximum Discharge!" Enel's face darkened. He poured the full power of his Rumble-Rumble Fruit into charging the Ark Maxim. Golden hull blazing with dazzling electric light, the ship slowly lifted off.
"The… the ship's flying!" Nami looked up in shock, mouth wide open as the Ark rose.
"Hmph, just you wait, Sol!" Enel stood at the rail looking down. "I'll definitely come back and challenge you again!"
"Get your Armament Haki up to standard first!" Sol waved with a grin. The Ark Maxim carried Enel away, shrinking into a dark speck on the horizon before vanishing completely from sight.
When Sol and Nami returned to the Merry carrying their heavy load of gold, Gan Fall and the Shandian chief were deep in discussion with Vivi about the governance plan details.
Upon confirming Enel had truly left and would not return, both leaders finally breathed huge sighs of relief.
During the final shopping time before departure, everyone reaped rich rewards:
Nami bought a Blow Wind Dial Waver; Robin and Vivi selected several sets of light, flowing Skypiean clothing; Chopper gathered a huge amount of rare Skypiean medicinal herbs—his little backpack stuffed to bursting; Usopp went full collector mode, acquiring every kind of Skypiean dial from daily-use to combat models; Sanji shopped most practically, cramming the galley fridge full of every kind of unique Skypiean ingredient; Sol fell in love with the soft, fluffy island cloud furniture. After confirming it would function normally in the Blue Sea, he happily bought a full set to replace the Merry's existing pieces.
Departure time arrived. The Merry slowly sailed toward the edge of the clouds. Luffy lay listlessly on the figurehead: "Aww, do we really have to leave?"
Sanji gazed at the receding white cloud river and exhaled a smoke ring: "Yeah… kinda hard to let go."
"Don't worry—we'll definitely come back someday." Sol patted both their shoulders. "After all, this is our first territory now!"
Pagaya led the way on his waver with Conis riding behind: "Go through that big gate and follow the Cloud Current back to the Blue Sea!" After stopping his waver, he jogged over to remind them: "Now please furl the sails and hold on tight!"
"Everyone do what the old man said!" Usopp immediately relayed the order. At that moment, the South Bird that had been following the ship panicked and crashed onto the deck. Angry squawks echoed from the distance.
After listening to the translation, Chopper glared disdainfully at the trembling bird: "You actually seduced someone else's wife? And now you come back begging for refuge?" The crew gave the bird meaningful looks. It had no defense and shrank silently into a corner.
"We're through the gate!" Luffy suddenly shouted. "Crew! Let's keep adventuring toward the Blue Sea!"
Conis's farewell voice drifted on the wind: "Be careful on the way down!"
"On the way down?" Before anyone could react, the Merry suddenly plummeted from the clouds! "Aaaaaaaaaah!!" A chorus of screams tore through the sky as the Merry fell like a kite with its string cut.
Just when everyone thought they were doomed, Conis's clear whistle rang out: "Go! Skypiea specialty octopus balloon!"
Puff! A giant octopus burst from the clouds. Its eight tentacles wrapped precisely around the Merry.
Amid violent weightlessness, the ship's descent slowed dramatically. Luffy clung desperately to the rail, eyes suddenly wide: "Hey! Everyone look outside! This is super cool!"
The octopus inflated into a round balloon shape and carried the Merry gently drifting downward.
Sunset dyed the cloud sea gold; a rainbow arched across the horizon. Everyone held their breath in unison, lost in the dreamlike scenery.
"Phew… I really thought we were dead this time…" Usopp collapsed on the deck, gazing at the approaching Blue Sea. "Completely different from the stormy waves when we came up."
In that warm moment, a beautiful tolling suddenly rang from the sky.
Sanji saw they wouldn't reach the Blue Sea anytime soon, so he went to prepare afternoon tea—perfect with the view.
Soon he returned to the deck with a table of pastries and black tea. Everyone enjoyed the scenery while savoring the snacks.
"Ah This is the life" Nami elegantly sipped her tea, sighing contentedly at the blue sea below.
She opened her ledger: "What does everyone want to buy once we reach the Blue Sea?"
"Nami-san~" Sanji dropped to one knee instantly. "Please just buy me one large lockable fridge!"
Chopper bounced with his little hooves raised: "I want medical books from every country!"
The other crewmates listed their supply requests one by one. Nami recorded everything: "Okay, we'll shop when we find a good island."
"Nami banzai!" Chopper and the others immediately cheered around the navigator.
"Why is my request the only one rejected?!" Luffy puffed out his cheeks and glared at Nami.
"A giant bronze statue on the deck? Dream on!" Nami delivered a knuckle to his forehead. "You'd sink the Merry!"
"Then… then I want a ton of meat!" Luffy thought and reapplied.
"That's more like it." Nami noted it down. "I'll take you to a restaurant and let you eat your fill."
"Nami's the best!" Luffy instantly brightened and joined the bouncing celebration.
"Idiot captain…" Sol facepalmed with a sigh.
"What about you, Sol?" Nami turned to her lover—only to see him lean in mysteriously and whisper in her ear.
As he spoke, the navigator's cheeks flushed visibly: "B-buy… buy that kind of clothes… for you to see… you… you…"
"Oh my Nami's face is so red" Vivi covered her mouth with a giggle. "What did Sol say?"
"I'm quite curious too, Navigator-san," Robin added, watching Nami with a knowing look.
"N-nothing at all!" Nami slammed the table and stood up, but finally gave Sol the tiniest, blushing nod.
"Nami banzai!" This time it was Sol's turn to cheer.
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