The violent howling of the wind and the roar of the water died away in an instant. The Eclipse rested steadily on a sea of flawless white clouds. Sunlight poured down, illuminating the marshmallow-like clouds with a dreamy luster. The air lacked the salt of the Blue Sea, replaced by a pure, thin, and cool breeze.
"Incredible. The clouds actually support a warship built of Stellar Obsidian and iron pine." Sabo walked to the rail, probing the clouds with his alloy staff. It wasn't water vapor; it felt like a pressurized, elastic sponge with surprising buoyancy.
Jeno, clutching a massive wrench, ignored the scenery. He hung over the side, meticulously inspecting the paddle wheels and the Suzaku ram. "Click, click..." After confirming no structural deformation, he exhaled. "My craft is the best in the world! Even a natural disaster couldn't shake a screw loose!"
Ace stood at the bow, feeling the thin oxygen of 7,000 meters. To a normal man, this would cause altitude sickness; to his Mythical Zoan lungs, it was nothing. "Propulsion is fine. Let's see what this 'Heaven' is hiding."
The Eclipse glided across the clouds. Half an hour later, Carina called out from the crow's nest. "Captain! Structure ahead!"
At the end of the white expanse stood a magnificent archway carved with ancient patterns: HEAVEN'S GATE.
Sitting on a cloud platform beside the gate was a wrinkled old woman with small wings: Amazon. She held a camera-like device, staring at the black warship. "Blue Sea dwellers? I am the official for Heaven's Gate. To enter the White-White Sea above, you must pay the legal entrance fee."
"A fee?" Carina, the treasurer, squinted. "How much?"
"One billion Extols per person," Amazon said, raising a finger.
"One billion?!" Buggy shrieked. "You old hag, are you robbing us? Six billion would buy a Marine fleet!"
"That's Skypiea currency," Sabo reminded him. "The exchange rate is about one Berry to ten thousand Extols."
Carina's brain went into overdrive. "So... one billion Extols is only 100,000 Berries?" She sighed. After raiding the Warlord's vaults, 600,000 Berries was pocket change. "Fine. We're new here. Let's pay for legal status and avoid unnecessary trouble."
She turned to get the cash, but a broad hand blocked her path.
Ace looked at Amazon, his voice carrying an arrogance that seeped into the very air. "Save trouble? Carina, do you have a misunderstanding about the flag on our bow?"
"We are pirates. Since when do pirates follow laws or buy tickets to sail through 'territorial' waters?"
Carina froze. Sabo tipped his hat, a grin spreading across his face. "Well said. I didn't build this ship to line up like a merchant vessel."
In the hold, Jeno's blood boiled. He roared into the speaking tube, "Hold on tight! Let this damn gate go to hell!"
BOOM—!!
The steam boilers let out a high-pitched shriek. The paddle wheels erupted. The Eclipse didn't slow down—it charged like an enraged beast, smashing through the entrance of Heaven's Gate without stopping.
Click.
Amazon pressed the shutter, capturing Ace's silhouette. "The Eclipse Pirates... illegal entrants. Reporting to God's Island."
The White-White Sea (10,000 Meters)
The Eclipse surged up the cloud waterfall to the highest reaches. The clouds here were whiter, denser. Towering, peculiar trees grew on a fairy-tale beach: Angel Island.
As they dropped anchor, a brisk engine sound drifted across the clouds. A small, sail-less vehicle—a Waver—sped toward them, driven by a bearded man (Pagaya) and a girl with wings (Conis).
"Guests from the Blue Sea, welcome!" Pagaya tipped his hat.
BANG!
Jeno leaped from the deck like a cannonball, slamming onto the cloud beach. His eyes were fixed on the Waver. "Hey, old man!" Jeno's voice trembled with fanaticism. "No boiler, no gears, no sails... what the hell is powering this thing?!"
"Ah? You mean the Waver?" Pagaya stuttered. "It's a Wind Dial in the rear." He pointed to a small seashell.
"A seashell?!" Jeno snatched the shell, examining it. Feeling the steady, powerful airflow, the Scrap Street mechanic felt like his brain had been struck by lightning. A new technology tree had just opened before him.
"Storing wind in a shell? No fuel, no heavy boilers, fits in a palm... yet provides this kinetic energy?" Jeno looked up at Ace, his voice cracking with excitement.
"Captain!!! This island isn't just a base... it's an immeasurable treasure trove! This seashell technology is going to change everything! Hahahaha!"
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