Gan Fall.
Although the original story portrays him as a noble and admirable figure…
Luo Lan didn't quite agree.
At least, not during the time when Gan Fall was still the "God" of Skypiea.
After all, even under his rule, the people of Angel Island continued occupying Upper Yard — which, by rights, is the ancestral homeland of the Shandians.
And now that he's been kicked off the throne by Enel, suddenly he's willing to coexist peacefully with the Shandians?
Now that Angel Island is gone, suddenly he's open to sharing Upper Yard with them?
What a convenient redemption arc.
It's almost like they're trying to make it seem as if they're the benevolent ones, allowing the Shandians to return.
But Upper Yard… was always the homeland of the Shandians in the first place!
So now you want to act like you're some kind of savior?
Give me a break.
---
Two minutes later.
Gan Fall arrived above the sailing ship.
"People from the Blue Sea, I am—"
"Alright, Gan Fall, save the introductions. Just tell me where the entrance to the High-Speed Sky Road is!"
"Uh…"
Gan Fall was dumbfounded.
He had planned to give a proper introduction, especially with his fancy title — Sky Knight — which sounded pretty cool, if he did say so himself.
But these people clearly didn't play by the rules.
Which left him standing there awkwardly.
"Well… just head in that direction. You'll reach the Gate of Heaven. Pass through it, and you'll be on the High-Speed Sky Road leading straight to Angel Island."
He raised his lance and pointed.
Gan Fall explained simply.
"You sure you've got nothing else to say?"
Luo Lan asked with a hint of sarcasm.
As if Gan Fall didn't know about Amazon, the watchwoman at the Gate of Heaven?
Come on.
And if he did know, then why didn't he give a heads-up? Maybe mention that if you don't pay the entry fee, you'll be treated as an illegal entrant?
Or maybe inform them that the entry fee is only 100,000 Berries per person when converted from Skypiea's currency?
Isn't withholding that info just a ploy to make outsiders think they don't need to pay — so that they enter illegally and later clash with Enel?
Sure, Enel's strong, but maybe Gan Fall was hoping that one of these Blue Sea dwellers could actually defeat him?
Always scheming… always thinking about how to reclaim his throne.
Clever.
Seeing that Gan Fall stayed silent, Luo Lan didn't bother with him anymore.
He simply told Nami to set sail in the direction Gan Fall pointed.
Truth be told…
After getting used to Danaan's incredible speed, this regular sailboat felt unbearably slow to Luo Lan.
At a pathetic 6 or 7 knots, it was enough to drive someone mad.
Two full hours later, they finally arrived at the checkpoint.
Yes, that's right.
The Highway Toll Booth known as the Gate of Heaven!
Amazon stepped out from her small building and immediately started snapping photos.
Click click click click!
Only after a flurry of flashes did she finally speak:
"There are 58 of you. Entry fee is 1 billion Extol per person."
"What?! A billion per person?!"
Nami practically leapt into the air.
Even without knowing the exact conversion rate, if it were something like 1:100, that'd still be 10 million Berries per person!
Fifty-eight people? That's 580 million Berries!
What kind of ridiculous entry fee is that?
Just an outright scam?
"Nami, calm down!"
Luo Lan stepped forward.
Then he said coolly:
"We don't have that kind of money."
"Oh? Then turn back."
"Can we?"
"Of course. It's completely up to you whether you pay or not."
"Hm. Nami, turn the ship around."
The strange exchange between Luo Lan and Amazon left everyone confused.
"Luo Lan, what's going on? Hina is very curious!"
Once the ship had sailed away from the Gate of Heaven, Hina asked the burning question on everyone's minds.
"In reality, the conversion rate between Extol and Berries is 10,000:1."
"In other words, 10 billion Extol is equivalent to… just 100,000 Berries."
Luo Lan explained.
Everyone froze.
All that fuss, and it turns out 1 billion Extol is only 100,000 Berries?
You could argue that's still expensive.
But outrageous?
Not really. That's basically the average monthly income for a regular person in the Blue Sea.
So, paying a month's salary for a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Skypiea?
Actually… not that bad.
Still—
"Then what did she mean when she said it was optional?"
"She meant: if you pay, you're entering legally. If you don't… well, that's illegal entry."
"What?!"
So all that "you don't have to pay" stuff was just wordplay?
"And what happens if you enter illegally?"
"What happens? You get fined!"
"According to Skypiea's law, illegal entry is a level 11 crime. The penalty? Ten times the original fee — 1 trillion Extol per person."
"So… that woman was baiting us?!"
"What else?"
Luo Lan shrugged.
Good grief. Hina was stunned.
So the whole setup is a trap? Make outsiders think they don't need to pay, then hit them with a 10x fine later?
That's some next-level tourist scam.
"So what do we do now? Go back and pay?"
"No need!"
"We're not here to take a vacation."
"We're here to take out their so-called 'God.'"
"Once Enel is gone… who's left to fine us?"
Luo Lan didn't seem the least bit worried.
"…Well, if you say so."
Hina gave a half-smile and nodded.
After all, Luo Lan had already explained the situation with Enel to her.
And she fully supported the idea of taking him down and bringing him back.
So yeah, Luo Lan was right.
They weren't here for sightseeing.
They were here to end Enel.
Once the so-called God is dead…
Who's left to enforce anything?
---
Soon, they reached the entrance to the High-Speed Sky Road.
Just then, a massive crab emerged from below, clamped its huge pincers around the ship, and started boosting their speed upward.
Along the clouds they went, riding the current at breakneck speed.
Roughly seven to eight minutes later…
They finally arrived at their first destination.
Angel Island.
A floating island entirely made of clouds.
It felt like stepping into a fairy tale.
"Karina, Nami — you two head into the city. Buy up a batch of all the different types of shells they have here."
"Buy shells?"
Both of them tilted their heads.
Shells? For… collection?
If that's not the definition of "too much money, not enough sense," what is?
"Just go. You'll find out soon enough why these shells are special."
Luo Lan didn't bother to explain. He figured they'd see for themselves.
Then—
"Ian, Baby 5 — go scout out where the Shandians are based."
"Yes, sir!"
"Alright, now… Hina, Robin, Ace, Zoro — you guys come with me."
"What about me?!"
A familiar voice chimed in.
Luo Lan suddenly realized—
He had forgotten someone.
"Fine. You can come too."
"Yay!!"
Luffy shouted in excitement.
Unaware that the real reason Luo Lan brought him along was…
Well, if they ran into Enel's lightning strikes…
Luffy would make a perfect human lightning rod.
Tell me that's not genius.
---
Currently at chapter 430 on Ko-Fi
https:// ko-fi.com/sami27