Chapter 15 – Climbing to Skypiea
"Ash had no idea, That Navy Hero Garp had turned as black as coal with fury, speeding toward him aboard the naval warship."
It seemed that when Garp finally found Ash, it was bound to be a grand reunion between grandfather and grandson...
> "Garp, your parenting is an absolute failure!"
Right now, Vice Admiral Garp stood silently on the Doghead, not munching on donuts for once, his usually cheerful face replaced by a heavy frown.
The stern voice of Fleet Admiral Sengoku echoed repeatedly in his mind.
All Garp could do was sigh.
---
Meanwhile, in a stretch of sea dozens of miles from Jaya Island, the bright blue sky suddenly darkened.
Storm clouds rolled in and swallowed the sun. The ocean roared to life, whipping up waves and wind, converging into a massive whirlpool of raging currents—it looked ready to swallow the entire sea.
Luckily, the Smile, Ash's pirate ship, remained steady and powerful, keeping its distance from the vortex.
After some time, a massive vertical current spiraled upward from the heart of the whirlpool, breaking through the clouds and forming a colossal path toward the sky.
"Whoa! That's amazing! Boss, is this the Knock-Up Stream you told us about?!"
Tuan Tuan spun in place with excitement.
"So this is the outside world… Incredible! I want to study the formation of this current!"
Poker's small eyes lit up with wonder.
Though Ash had instructed him to focus on medicine, Poker's boundless curiosity often pulled him toward strange and mysterious things.
"You're not actually going to ride that into the sky, are you…?!"
Carina trembled, her face pale. A fall from a place like this would surely be fatal.
Gin remained silent, eyes calm as ever. As long as Ash gave the order, he would follow it without hesitation.
> "Skypiea! Here we come!"
Ash stood firmly at the bow, his gaze steady as a beam of light exploded from the front of the ship. The Smile surged forward, charging directly into the vertical current.
"Waaah!"
"Yahooo!"
"Hehehe!"
---
Surfing the violent torrent, the Smile rocketed upward, braving the roar of the Knock-Up Stream.
After hours of spiraling ascent, the ship broke through the thick cloud layer, soared briefly—and then plummeted—crashing down into a sea of white clouds.
The crew looked out across an endless ocean of fluffy white. A sight unlike anything on the Blue Sea.
> 𝗗𝗜𝗡𝗚!
[System Task:
Defeat Enel and conquer Skypiea]
Rewards:
🎰 Lottery Chance +1
🧭 System Points +50
Even though it came late, the notification made Ash smile.
It was a solid reminder—he was one step closer to his goal.
The Smile continued sailing smoothly through the White Sea, now more than 7,000 meters above sea level. But to reach Enel, god of Skypiea, they needed to climb even higher—to the over 10,000 meters in altitude.
> "This isn't the Blue Sea anymore, we are 7000 meters above the Sea level.
You need to adapt to this thin air quickly or your strength will drop to a tenth during battle."
Ash warned his crew as they relaxed. He felt no effect himself.
After years of extreme training under the Bald Demon King Method, few environments could shake him now.
---
Whoosh!
A strange figure darted past the ship, but Ash noticed it instantly.
Dressed like a tribal warrior, the intruder wore a horned mask, carried a cannon in one hand and a shield in the other.
A descendant of the Shandian Tribe.
> "Gin—go greet him."
"Understood, Captain."
A rare spark lit up Gin's usually cold eyes—his first real battle since gaining his Devil Fruit.
Fiery red wings burst from Gin's back. With a thunderous kick, he shot toward the Shandian like a missile.
> BOOM!
Despite his Devil Fruit, Gin still preferred melee combat.
Swinging his golden war hammer, he smashed into the warrior's shield with devastating force.
Cracks spread instantly before the shield shattered, the debris falling into the clouds below.
The stunned Shandian hesitated, locking eyes with Ash and his crew—then turned to flee.
> "Hmph! Come and go as you please? What do you think this is?!
Gin! Don't let him escape—show him what happens when you mess with the Smile Pirates!"
Tuan Tuan bellowed, cupping his hands around his mouth like a megaphone.
As a Mythical Zoan-type Devil Fruit user, Gin's flight speed far surpassed anything mechanical.
He quickly caught up, his war hammer now coated in a fiery red aura—his Devil Fruit ability and weapon combined at last.
> "Ghost Hammer: City Breaker!"
> BAANG!
The blow struck with terrifying power. The Shandian coughed up blood, his body blasted through the clouds like a cannonball—disappearing into the distance.
Gin returned, unimpressed.
> "He was too weak, Captain."
Ash laughed and patted him on the shoulder.
> "It's not that he's weak—you're just too strong now."
---
As they approached the Sky Gate, a cranky old woman with a wrinkled, sour-plum face stepped out. She held a Den Den Mushi camera and began snapping photos.
> "You here for tourism… or for war?"
> "We're here for war.
Where's Enel?"
Ash dropped his playful tone and stepped forward, eyes burning with resolve.
> "What… what did you say?!"
> "I said—where's your so-called god Enel?
I'm here to defeat him."
The old woman, Amazon, trembled as her eyes widened in disbelief.
Suddenly, a figure swooped down riding a strange vulture-like creature. It was Shura, one of the Four Priests under Enel's command.
> "You ignorant brat.
Do you even realize what you're saying?
You dare speak of challenging the invincible god?!"
> "Captain, I'll go take him down."
Gin stepped forward again, but Ash held up a hand.
> "No.
This one's mine."
---
To be continued…