Above the Blue Sea, in the waters near Jaya Island.
Cricket looked up at the sky. The column of water formed by the Knock Up Stream was gradually collapsing, its eruptive force fading until it was no longer strong enough to keep the massive pillar standing.
Rain poured down from the sky. A tremendous downpour blanketed the sea and islands across dozens of kilometers.
Cricket let the rain soak his hair and clothes. His fists were clenched tightly, tears streaming down his face. He hadn't seen a single member of the Nether Soul Pirates fall back from the sky. Nor had he seen any wreckage.
What did that mean?
"They made it!"
"They really reached Skypiea! They went somewhere none of us have ever known!"
The rain continued relentlessly, a byproduct of the Knock Up Stream's eruption. The sea and ships rocked violently under the pounding rain, looking as if they could capsize at any moment.
Cricket was a cautious man. He immediately steered his ship toward the surrounding waters to confirm whether Rogen's group had truly succeeded.
The fact that there were no signs of them falling back only gave him about a sixty percent certainty. There was still a forty percent chance they had fallen into another nearby stretch of sea due to a slight deviation during their descent.
However, after spending three days searching all the nearby waters, he still found no trace of Rogen and his crew.
"Waaaaah... They really made it!" Cricket broke down in tears. "Skypiea really exists!"
After crying for a while, he raised his head and shouted toward the heavens, releasing years of frustration. Passing ships heard him and mocked him quietly.
"There he goes again. I told you that his dream is nonsense. Skypiea doesn't exist."
"Hey, Cricket! Go get some sleep already. Look at those bloodshot eyes. How many days has it been? Don't ruin your health chasing some impossible dream. You'll die young at this rate!"
"Exactly. That idiot never changes."
"Not just him. His whole family is crazy. Haven't you heard? His ancestor Noland was a liar."
Every word reached Cricket's ears clearly. In the past, hearing those words would only have made him clench his fists and silently sail away. But now, he was certain that Rogen and the others had reached some unknown place, and that place was very likely Skypiea.
"No! Noland wasn't a liar! Skypiea really exists, you idiots!" he shouted angrily.
"What did you say? You dare insult us?"
"You say Skypiea exists? Where's your proof? Got any evidence?"
The sailors grew angry as well and started yelling back.
Cricket froze. He really didn't have any proof. The only people who could prove it were the Nether Soul Pirates, and they were probably in Skypiea right now.
"If you don't have proof, then don't blame us for what happens next!" a pirate aboard the ship sneered. They weren't the forgiving type, and letting an insult slide wasn't their style.
Cricket's heart skipped a beat. Arguing with passing pirates was never a good idea. Without enough strength, getting killed by them would leave him with nobody to complain to.
"Damn it. Looks like I'll have to fight!"
The next moment, he saw the pirate ship turning toward him. They were really planning to attack.
Just as Cricket prepared himself for a desperate battle, he suddenly noticed the pirate ship hurriedly changing course again and speeding away in the opposite direction. The panic in their movements made it seem as though they were fleeing from something terrifying.
Confused, Cricket looked around until he spotted a small boat approaching from the distance.
A strange blue candle burned on it. The boat looked tiny and seemed to have no visible means of propulsion, yet it moved astonishingly fast. In the blink of an eye, it had already arrived nearby.
"Hawkeye Mihawk!" Cricket's pupils contracted. He finally understood why those pirates had been so terrified.
"Damn it, what rotten luck! We had to run into that guy!"
"Remember that brat. We'll deal with him another day."
"Captain, we probably won't get another chance. Once we reach the next island, turning back will be a pain. It's not worth it."
"Damn it! I got cursed at for nothing!"
The voices from the pirate ship quickly faded into the distance. Without question, Mihawk's appearance had left them furious, yet completely helpless.
Meanwhile, Mihawk's small boat slowly approached Cricket.
"Where's Rogen?"
The moment those hawk-like eyes locked onto him, Cricket shuddered from the immense pressure.
"They... went to Skypiea!" Summoning all his courage, Cricket took a deep breath and shouted the answer. He didn't know whether Mihawk would believe him, but one thing was certain: if someone of Mihawk's stature thought he was lying, the consequences would be disastrous.
"Skypiea?" Mihawk's eyes shifted slightly. He nodded, then turned his boat around and began to leave without saying anything else.
Cricket stared blankly. For some reason, he felt that Mihawk had actually believed him. But how was that possible? Wouldn't normal people refuse to believe Skypiea existed?
"You... believe they went to Skypiea?"
"Though I've never been there myself, Skypiea does exist," Mihawk said, waving a hand as his voice drifted across the sea.
Cricket was stunned. The world's greatest swordsman had just said that Skypiea was real.
"If you've been to the New World, you wouldn't have any doubts about that."
Just as Cricket stood there in a daze, Mihawk's voice came again, leaving him completely frozen. So the answer he had spent so many years searching for was already common knowledge to others.
"The New World?" Taking several deep breaths, Cricket finally recovered and clenched his fists. He found himself curious about the place Mihawk had mentioned. Just what kind of place was the New World?
"But now isn't the time." Thinking of Rogen and his crew, he quietly made up his mind. "I need a group of reliable companions before I can go to the New World too!"
---
Meanwhile, in the White-White Sea.
After resting for half an hour, Rogen's crew had finally calmed down and adapted to the pressure and thin air of the sky. Chaporos was steering the Logan as it slowly sailed across the White-White Sea.
As they admired scenery completely different from the Blue Sea, they couldn't help marveling at the many strange fish living in the Sea of Clouds.
Suddenly, Trens narrowed his eyes toward the cloud sea. Crocodile exhaled a stream of smoke, his gaze sharpening as well. Rogen, however, remained seated cross-legged at the bow with a relaxed smile, completely unconcerned.
'Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!'
Several sharp sounds tore through the air. Something flashed through the Sea of Clouds and vanished in an instant, like a phantom that was impossible to track.
(End Of This Chapter)
You can read ahead up to 15 chapters on my Patreon https://www.patreon.com/darkshadow6395