Usopp's jaw hung open as he watched Nolan effortlessly perform one-handed push-ups on the sun-warmed deck. "This is insane..." he muttered, wiping sweat from his brow. Just yesterday, the guy could barely manage ten regular push-ups without collapsing. Now he was matching Zoro's training intensity with that same lazy expression.
Sanji paused mid-kick against a training post, cigarette bobbing as he spoke. "Can't say I'm not impressed." He exhaled a long stream of smoke before stubbing out his cigarette. "Right. That's enough slacking." The cook disappeared into the galley, his competitive spirit ignited - there was no way he'd let himself be outdone by their resident sloth.
The sudden surge in training intensity left only Nami, Chopper, and Robin to manage the ship. Nami scowled at the ship's wheel. "Great. Now I'm babysitting while the testosterone brigade tries to out-macho each other."
A sudden shadow fell across the deck.
"Mm?" Nolan paused mid-pushup, sensing the change in light. Zoro's weights clattered to the deck as all four training men looked skyward.
Luffy's straw hat nearly flew off as he tilted his head back. "Ah? What the hell?!"
A massive ship - easily ten times the size of the Going Merry - was tumbling from the sky directly toward them.
Panic erupted. Usopp screamed and dove for cover. Chopper transformed into his heavy point, ready to brace for impact. Nami's hands flew to the railings.
Only Nolan remained calm, staggering to his feet with his trademark unhurried pace. He shuffled toward Robin, who stood ready with open arms and an amused smile.
"Tired already?" she teased as Nolan raised The Third Eye.
"Exhausted," he admitted, squinting one eye to aim. The gun's barrel hummed with energy as he pulled the trigger.
A blue streak lanced upward. Where it touched the falling ship, the wooden hull simply... unraveled. Planks dissolved into nothingness, ropes evaporated like morning mist. By the time the blast finished, only furniture and loose items remained, raining harmlessly into the sea around them.
Nolan immediately face-planted forward - somehow perfectly positioning his face between Robin's breasts as he went limp.
Robin looked down at her human pillow with raised eyebrows. "I'm beginning to suspect you plan these landings," she mused, fingers idly playing with his blue hair.
Nolan cracked one eye open. "Do you... dislike it?" he mumbled around a yawn.
"Certainly not." Robin's smile turned mischievous as she glanced at Nami. "Isn't that right, Navigator?"
Nami's eye twitched violently. "I swear to god-" She cut herself off, then rounded on the gawking men. "YOU LOT! Stop staring and get swimming! I want every salvageable piece of that wreck recovered!"
As Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji groaned and stripped to their shorts, Usopp peered over the railing at the floating debris. "You know," he said thoughtfully, "most crews worry about ships shooting at them. Ours gets attacked by falling furniture."
Chopper nodded sagely. "We should add 'sky debris' to our emergency drills."
"Sky?" Luffy repeated, scratching his head as they all stared upward where the ship had fallen from. The concept seemed to baffle everyone except Robin and Nolan.
Nami's sudden shout broke the silence. "The log pose! It's—" She held up her wrist, where the compass needle pointed stubbornly toward the clouds. "It's not working right! It's just pointing straight up now!"
Robin adjusted her hat with a knowing smile. "Oh my. How interesting."
Nolan let out a lazy yawn. "Sky Island, huh..."
Robin's eyes lit up with curiosity as she turned to him. "You're familiar with the concept?"
Nolan shrugged noncommittally. "Heard stories." He couldn't exactly say he'd watched their adventures in another life, after all.
Robin nodded, her scholarly enthusiasm taking over. "Then there's no doubt—the log pose isn't broken. It's functioning perfectly by pointing toward an island that exists above us in the sky."
The crew's reactions came in waves,
"Wait, islands can float?!" Usopp's voice cracked.
"Like clouds with land on them?" Chopper's eyes sparkled with wonder.
Robin chuckled at their expressions. "According to research, there are indeed islands suspended in the upper atmosphere. They're formed on special sea clouds called 'white sea' and—"
"YOSH!" Luffy's sudden shout cut her off as he punched his palm excitedly. "New destination confirmed! Nami, set course for Sky Island!"
THWACK!
Nami's fist connected with Luffy's skull. "You idiot! Even if we know where it is, we can't just fly up there!"
Zoro, who had been quietly examining some waterlogged papers from the wreckage, held up a soggy map. "Hey, Navigator. Might want to see this." The faded but still legible title read "Skypiea."
Nami's anger instantly turned to fascination as she took the map. "This is... incredible..."
Usopp, ever the voice of practicality, raised a trembling hand. "Great, we have a map. But how exactly are we supposed to reach an island in the sky? Build a giant ladder?"
Nolan leaned against the railing, looking like he might fall asleep standing up. "Could ask... at the next town..."
Luffy immediately protested, "But if we go to another island, the log pose will reset! We'll lose the sky island!"
Nolan waved a lazy hand. "Relax... answers come... when needed."
Nami groaned, pulling at her hair. "That's not helpful! And we can't even get to the next island with our log pose broken like this!"
Just as the crew began to slump in disappointment, Chopper's ears perked up. "Hey! Is that...?" He pointed toward the horizon where a ship's silhouette was growing larger by the second.
The timing was so perfect it seemed scripted. Nolan gave a sleepy smirk. "See? Told you."
.
.
.
The Straw Hats cheered as they examined their newly acquired eternal pose, the glass casing glinting in the sunlight. Usopp held it up like a sacred artifact while Chopper danced around his legs.
"Let's go! To Jaya!" Luffy whooped, completely ignoring the pile of unconscious pirates they'd "politely borrowed" the log pose from. The others joined in the celebration, their laughter carrying across the waves as they set sail.
Several days of peaceful sailing later...
"Wow," Nami deadpanned as they docked at Jaya's bustling port. "This place makes other islands look like a library." The streets teemed with rowdy pirates, drunken brawls spilled out of every other building, and someone was literally getting thrown through a second-story window as they watched.
Luffy grinned like a kid in a candy store. "This place is awesome!"
"Don't worry!" Luffy added with complete insincerity, "We won't do anything stupid!"
THWACK!
Nami's fist connected with the rubber idiot's head. "You saying that automatically means you will!"
The exploration team consisted of Nami , Luffy, Robin, and—to everyone's surprise—Nolan, who had actually volunteered to come. The blue-haired man was wrapped head-to-toe in local garb, only his pink eyes visible beneath the hood.
As they walked, Robin subtly slipped away. Nolan noticed immediately. "Robin...?"
She pressed a finger to her lips with that mysterious smile before disappearing into an alley. Nolan shrugged and continued following Luffy, figuring whatever she was up to would be more interesting than whatever trouble Luffy found.
Their next stop was a raucous bar called "The Tipsy Seagull," where pirates gambled, drank, and arm-wrestled with equal recklessness. Gold coins and ale flowed freely, splashing onto the sawdust-covered floor.
Ignoring the chaos, they approached the counter where a massive man is polishing glasses.
"Boss! Give me your best dish!" Luffy slammed his hands on the counter, already drooling.
Nolan slid onto the stool beside him and pointed at Luffy, then held up two fingers—he wanted whatever the captain was having. The bartender grunted and disappeared into the kitchen.
Minutes later, three identical cherry pies were placed before, Luffy, Nolan, and a large, gap-toothed man at the end of the counter they hadn't noticed before.
The simultaneous first bites produced three very different reactions,
Luffy's eyes turned to stars. "This pie is ridiculously bad I could die!"
Blackbeard spat his out. "This pie is ridiculously good I could die!"
Nolan chewed thoughtfully. "Mm... bland."
Three tankards of ale were promptly served to wash it down.
"This beer is ridiculously good I could die!" Luffy cheered.
"This beer is ridiculously bad I could die!" Blackbeard grimaced.
Nolan took a sip. "Same... bland."
The two extreme food critics turned to stare at the indifferent man between them, then at each other.
""IS THERE SOMETHING WRONG WITH YOUR TASTE BUDS?!""
Nolan yawned, completely unboth
ered by the shouting match erupting on either side of him. Nami facepalmed in the background—somehow, they'd already found trouble.
---