Nami looked at the bundle on the ground and knew exactly what it was: a makeshift bag, made from Bellamy's clothes, containing two... round, heavy objects.
A little disgusting? Yeah.
But she picked it up anyway.
Money was money.
Zoro didn't see a problem with it either. The pirate world was survival of the fittest.
The second you raised your flag, you had to be ready to die.
He'd killed plenty of pirates back in his bounty-hunting days.
Luffy didn't think Ray had done anything wrong.
He wouldn't do it, but he wouldn't stop a crewmate.
He felt none of the sympathy he'd had for Bellamy in the original story.
Later, Nami found a black-market dealer and cashed in the bounties for 90 million Berries (plus a 1 million "convenience fee").
The dealer didn't dare try to lowball them.
They weren't idiots like Bellamy; they knew better than to mess with the Straw Hat Pirates, especially after the newspapers had branded them as ruthless villains.
(Morgans' fake news was actually helping them out.)
A little while after they left, a few new figures entered the black market.
"Zehahaha! You said you just saw Ray and Straw Hat Luffy? The 100-million-Berry men?"
The dealer, sensing these newcomers were also bad news, cautiously nodded.
"Zehahaha! Bounties like these are perfect! Perfect for trading with the Marines... to become a Warlord!"
With that, Blackbeard strode out, his chest swelling with ambition, and roared at the sky.
"A man's dream... never ends! Zehahahaha!"
…
Since they couldn't find any info on Sky Island, the four Straw Hats headed back to the Merry.
The others were already there.
Robin, it turned out, had found a lead.
"On the eastern side of Jaya," she said, "there's an eccentric old man named Montblanc Cricket. The whole island shuns him because he's a 'dreamer'."
Ray, of course, knew exactly who she was talking about.
A descendant of "Liar" Norland, who'd been executed for claiming he found a city of gold.
Cricket was still on Jaya, diving every day, trying to prove his ancestor wasn't a liar.
To get info on Sky Island, the crew set sail for Cricket's house.
…
Meanwhile, some big things were happening at the World Government.
In the Marine HQ conference room, the heavy hitters were gathering: Bartholomew Kuma (296 million bounty), Donquixote Doflamingo (340 million bounty), and Dracule Mihawk.
The meeting was about picking a new Warlord to replace Crocodile.
Doflamingo was very interested in the rookies who'd pulled it off.
Mihawk was only there because he was curious about Ray, Luffy, and Zoro, and wanted to see what the Marines had planned.
(He couldn't let his future opponents get killed off too soon.)
Just as the meeting was ending, a new guy, Lafitte, showed up and recommended his captain for the position: Blackbeard.
…
In the New World, Shanks sent a messenger to Whitebeard, warning him that letting Ace hunt Blackbeard was a bad idea – probably a trap.
Whitebeard, being Whitebeard, refused, telling the messenger that if Shanks wanted to talk, he should bring some good booze and come himself.
So, Shanks started to move.
…
Half a day later, night fell.
Ray, Luffy, and the others were in the forests of Jaya, hunting... South Birds.
They'd met Cricket, who confirmed the existence of Sky Island.
He told them that around noon tomorrow, a massive upward-flowing current—the "Knock Up Stream"—would erupt south of Jaya.
They could ride it all the way up.
Moved by Cricket's story, Luffy was now 100% determined to find Sky Island and prove to the diamond-faced man that his ancestor wasn't a liar.
They'd partied, and now they were helping Cricket catch the South Birds (whose beaks always point south) to get a bearing.
Luffy and Chopper immediately got distracted by bugs.
Zoro and Robin got hopelessly lost (because of Zoro).
Sanji, Nami, and Usopp got chased by an army of insects.
Ray and Chouchou, thanks to their yokai noses, caught one in two minutes and were just waiting for the others.
(That night, the Going Merry was not destroyed by Bellamy... because Bellamy was already in a bag.)
…
The next day.
Escorted by Cricket and his allies, the Going Merry arrived at the spot.
Just as they were getting into position, they spotted another ship: the Blackbeard Pirates, who had come to hunt them.
"Zehahaha! Straw Hat! Ray! I'm here to claim your heads!" Blackbeard yelled, eating a strawberry pie.
"Gyahaha! Captain! If we beat them, we'll be Warlords for sure!"
As Blackbeard's crew taunted them, Ray's killing intent flared.
He was just about to move in for the kill when the Going Merry suddenly shook violently.
A massive whirlpool appeared directly in front of them.
The Knock Up Stream was starting.
Ray fired an Azure Dragon Break at Blackbeard's raft but didn't follow up.
Getting to Sky Island was the priority.
Blackbeard's crew, caught in the currents, couldn't even dodge.
The 200-meter-long dragon attack completely obliterated their massive raft, sending all of them, including Blackbeard, plunging into the chaotic sea.
In this mess, Ray couldn't track them to finish the job.
'If they survive, I'll kill them later.'
A moment later, the sea calmed, and then... WHOOSH!
An immense column of water erupted from the ocean, shooting straight into the sky.
The Straw Hat Pirates, riding the Going Merry, soared high into the heavens.
...
The Going Merry shot up on the Knock Up Stream, soaring a full seven thousand meters into the sky.
Amid the terrified screams of Nami, Usopp, and Chopper, they burst through the clouds and arrived... in the sky.
Everyone just stared, completely awestruck.
As far as they could see, there was just a vast, white ocean of clouds.
And their ship... was floating on it.
This one miracle told them everything: Sky Island was real, and it was close.
The Log Pose confirmed it.
The needle, which had been pointing straight up, now angled upwards at about 35 degrees.
Nami frowned. "It seems Sky Island is still higher up."
Just as they were wondering what to do next, a hostile figure zipped towards them on... cloud roller skates? The guy was wearing a ritual mask and tribal clothes.
Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji immediately stepped up to fight, but the second they moved, they felt completely weak and were easily knocked down.
Just as Ray was about to step in, an old man riding a giant bird and dressed like a knight intercepted the attacker, easily repelling him with a few effortless swings of his spear.
"I am the Sky Knight, Gan Fall," he announced. "Are you... Blue Sea People?"
"Blue Sea?"
"It's what we call those from below the White-White Sea."
…
After some chatting, they got acquainted with Gan Fall, who gave them a special whistle.
He said if they ever needed help, just blow it, and he'd come.
(For a fee of 5 million "Extol," whatever that was.)
As Gan Fall was about to leave, he called for his giant bird, Pierre.
But Pierre just stood there, trembling, completely ignoring his master.
The bird was staring, terrified, at a small white dog who was staring right back... and drooling.
For some reason, Pierre couldn't move.
It was like this little dog was a god, and his aura was completely suppressing him.
He even felt a weird impulse to just... offer his own head.
Ray sighed.
"Chouchou," he said flatly, "retract your bloodline pressure. That bird isn't food."
Chouchou immediately obeyed, wiping his drool.
"I thought all birds in the world were food." He then wiggled away.
Pierre instantly relaxed and transformed... into a Pegasus... covered in ugly pink spots? It was so... not majestic that it completely ruined everyone's image of a Pegasus.
Finally, under the crew's disdainful gazes, the "Pink Pegasus" flew off with Gan Fall.
…
After adjusting to the new altitude, the crew (now fully recovered) started sailing in the direction Gan Fall had pointed.
They saw all kinds of weird stuff, like bouncy "island clouds" and strange sky creatures.
Ray and Chouchou even caught a few "sky fish," which Sanji immediately cooked up.
(Delicious food = essential part of adventure.)
Chouchou, in his giant form, then dove in and caught a ton more, filling up the Merry's entire storage locker.
And so, just like they were on a scenic vacation, the crew enjoyed the sights and arrived at the entrance to Sky Island: the Heaven's Gate.
…
Meanwhile, on the sea below Sky Island...
Thanks to his crewmate (Jesus Burgess) fishing him out, Blackbeard had survived.
He spat out a mouthful of seawater, fuming.
"That bastard Ray!" he roared. "He pisses me off! All I wanted was to take his head and trade it to the Marines! And he actually tried to kill me!"
He looked up. "Well, they're on Sky Island now. We'll never find them. Guess I'll have to change targets. Now... who should I go after?"
Suddenly, he thought of someone.
…
1 Week Ago
On a random island, two pirates were happily eating and drinking.
"Gya~hahaha! Ace, my man, eat up! Your big bro Buggy's got plenty of money!"
"Hahaha! Buggy, you're really a good guy. I apologize for attacking you yesterday," Ace replied, his mouth full.
Buggy watched Ace eat, looking happy, but his eyes were full of worry.
"Ace," he said, "I'm telling you again... don't go after that Teach guy, alright?"
Buggy had actually fought Teach years ago and knew the guy was hiding his true strength.
Plus, anyone who could go three days without sleeping was just... weird.
He'd had a bad premonition ever since he heard Ace was hunting him.
But Ace flatly refused. "Teach committed the ultimate sin. As his commander, I have to make him pay for killing a crewmate."
Buggy knew he couldn't change his mind.
'He's just as stubborn as Captain Roger.' He sighed.
"Alright. But be careful. Not just me... even Shanks is wary of that guy."
Hearing that, Ace frowned, but nodded.
"I'll be careful."
(But would he? Buggy knew Ace's loyalty to Whitebeard was his biggest trigger. He'd probably get himself into trouble.)
…
Time returns to the present.
At Heaven's Gate, the attendant, Amazon, told them the entrance fee: 1 billion Extol.
Per person.
Ray knew the general plot, but he'd never paid attention to the exchange rate.
'Whatever. Even if it was cheap, I wouldn't pay.'
Not paying just meant they'd be "illegals," which meant Enel and his priests would come after them.
And Ray wanted them to come. It would save him the trouble of hunting them down.
So, the Straw Hats skipped the toll and began their "illegal" tour of Sky Island.
A giant "express shrimp" pulled the Going Merry up a cloud-river, and they finally arrived.
The moment they landed, Ray sensed they were being watched.
'Hmph. God Enel?'
He looked up at the sky, already planning his next moves.