Sky Island.
After years of development under Doflamingo, the once separate Angel Island and Upper Yard had now been connected by man-made island clouds.
Angel Island remained home to the original inhabitants and the Shandia tribe.
Surrounding the island were factories for processing island clouds, allowing every Sky Island resident to commute with minimal travel time.
Most of Upper Yard's natural features remained intact—except for the area around the massive vines, where numerous buildings had been constructed surrounding the Divine Temple.
Between these two zones lay a newly established region known as the Blue Sea Immigrant District.
As the name suggests, it was built for immigrants from the Blue Sea who had moved to the Sky Island.
Meanwhile, Big Run Ascends to the Heavens was the informal name for a special channel Doflamingo had opened up, available only to selected individuals.
In addition to housing, the Donquixote Family had also constructed a private training base and several other unique facilities in the area.
At the center of the Immigrant District—
"Law, make sure you pay attention on your first day of school, okay?"
A large green hand gently patted Law's head.
"I know, Dad!"
Though he'd been with his green-skinned father for a while now, Law still wasn't completely used to it.
"Mom! Lami! I'm heading out!"
He shook off the hand ruffling his hair and waved to his mother and little sister Lami, who was babbling in her arms.
Then he slung on his backpack and headed for the door.
Click.
Once Law was out of sight, the smile on Lina's face faded, replaced by a look of concern.
This Sky Island… its peacefulness felt almost unfamiliar.
She turned to Bone, who was getting ready to head out as well.
"Bone… Can we really trust the Donquixote Family?"
Bone froze mid-way through tying his shoes. Then he turned around with a warm smile.
"At the very least, they're not like the World Government—they won't just abandon us. If Doflamingo wanted to harm us, he wouldn't have gone to all this trouble."
He straightened up, beckoning Lina over.
As she approached, Bone pulled her into an embrace and whispered softly in her ear,
"Besides… I won't let Doflamingo abandon us."
...
Outside, Law had already made his way to the entrance of the residential district, following the directions given by community staff.
He stared curiously at the strange vehicle slowing down in front of him.
It was enormous—several times the size of a noble's carriage.
There were no horses or strange beasts pulling it; it ran entirely on four wheels.
Shhhk~
The vehicle came to a stop.
The front compartment opened, and a broadcast played from the onboard speaker system.
"Passenger Trafalgar Law, please board the vehicle."
"Passenger Trafalgar La—"
Law, who had lived through plague, pain, and slaughter, had a psychological resilience far beyond his years.
Without flinching, he boarded the vehicle.
Once inside, Law was surprised.
There were no lavish interiors like he'd imagined.
Instead, it was clean, simple, and brightly lit.
Most of the seats were already filled with kids around his age, all staring at him with curiosity.
Clunk!
The door shut behind him.
Law grabbed the nearest open seat and sat down.
"Hey everyone. I'm Law, from the North Blue. My dad's a doctor."
As soon as he finished introducing himself, the other kids started chiming in all at once.
"I'm from the North Blue too! Used to live on Swallow Island. My grandpa's a famous inventor—...!"
...
After listening to the chaotic introductions, Law pieced things together.
All of them had been "invited" here by Doflamingo.
And each of their elders seemed to have some special skill.
Ding-ding-ding~
Hmph… haah…
The sudden sound of labored breathing pulled Law from his thoughts.
He looked out the window.
What he saw was... a beast? A person?
A towering figure, at least five meters tall, wrapped in heavy, soot-stained chains.
The creature was struggling to push a plow through the earth, planting some unknown crop.
Law turned to the kid beside him—the grandson of that inventor—and asked,
"Who's that?"
"Huh?"
"Wasn't it something like…?"
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