Upon hearing this.
Everyone on the ship—except for Chopper, who still looked a little bewildered—instantly realized what was coming.
Issho had clearly been ready for this moment. With a calm smile, he replied, "Rest assured, Captain. Leave the rest to this old man."
Will gave a slight nod of acknowledgment, then turned and strode to the side of the ship. Without hesitation, he leaped high into the air.
Once he was positioned above the ship's railing, he precisely channeled a portion of the strength coursing through his muscles. Drawing his fist back to build power, he drove it downward with ferocious force toward the sea below.
The sheer power dragged massive currents of air along with it, instantly compressing them into a high-pressure shockwave that blasted straight down.
Boom!
The shockwave slammed into the ocean surface, erupting in a thunderous roar.
The impacted water first cratered deeply inward, then violently rebounded, hurling the entire ship skyward.
In the blink of an eye, Will—who had been above the ship—was now beneath it.
He immediately kicked off the air repeatedly with Geppo, soaring upward to meet the rising vessel. Stretching out both hands, he caught the hull from below.
With skillful control, he braced the ship without damaging the planks, while his legs continued stepping on the air, pushing relentlessly and accelerating their ascent.
His legs blurred into afterimages from the sheer speed, sending torrents of compressed air downward and whipping the sea below into constant waves.
Whoosh!
Like a rocket, the ship rocketed upward, rapidly climbing to nearly a thousand meters.
The fierce wind battered everyone on deck, whipping clothes and hair wildly.
"No way… Is the plan Will came up with really to carry the whole ship straight into the sky?!"
Nami clung tightly to the cabin wall and shouted in disbelief.
The cloud layer overhead was still an enormous distance away. To lift such a massive ship thousands of meters into the sky using nothing but raw physical strength—how much stamina would that demand?
Issho remained perfectly steady amid the howling winds. Hearing Nami's shocked cry, he replied calmly, "Please rest assured, Nami-san."
"The Captain is merely sparing this old man some effort."
"The rest of the journey—I'll take over."
As he spoke, he raised the cane-sword gripped in his hand and slowly drew the blade from its sheath.
Will, still beneath the ship, heard him clearly.
With perfect coordination, he released his hold, flipped around the vessel, and rocketed upward a short distance more.
Then, with a graceful somersault, he landed lightly back on deck, breathing as though he'd barely exerted himself.
By now, the ship had already soared past two thousand meters and was still climbing rapidly on momentum.
But after a few hundred meters more, that inertia began to fade noticeably.
Just then—
Issho, fully prepared, parted his perpetually closed eyes a fraction, revealing a glimpse of white.
The half-drawn blade flashed fully free as he swung it upward in a swift arc, tracing several pale blue arcs of sword light beside him.
At the same moment, faint purple ripples of energy emanated from his body.
Those ripples swept across the entire ship in an instant.
"Hold on tight—the ship's about to accelerate!"
Will felt the force envelop the vessel and immediately called out the warning.
The next second—
Whoosh!!!
As though shoved by an invisible hand, the ship surged with renewed power and rocketed upward once more.
On deck, only Will remained unfazed and upright.
Everyone else, despite the warning, couldn't brace fast enough against the sudden burst of speed. They staggered and crashed to the deck.
"Ahhh—! Somebody help me—!!"
Chopper, with his short little arms, failed to grab anything solid. His whole body lifted off the deck, sending him into a terrified scream as tears flew from his eyes.
"Chopper!"
Carina and Nami, close by, gasped and reached out instinctively to catch him.
Issho turned his head toward the commotion, ready to divert some gravity to reel the little reindeer back.
Robin was already raising her hands, about to sprout extra arms with her Hana Hana no Mi to snatch him from the air.
Falling from this height would surely reduce him to paste.
Slap.
Fortunately, Will reacted fastest. As Chopper tumbled past, he lunged forward, seized him by the scruff, and yanked him safely back.
He set the trembling reindeer gently against the railing and grinned. "Hang on tight, Chopper. We've still got a ways to go."
Chopper immediately wrapped his hooves around the rail in a death grip, terrified of being flung off again.
The others let out collective sighs of relief.
Once everyone adjusted to the speed, they cautiously stood and peered over the sides with wide-eyed curiosity.
Thin wisps of cloud streaked past the ship. The ocean far below had long vanished from sight.
"What incredible power…"
Robin leaned against the stair railing, marveling silently to herself.
She had witnessed Issho's ability back in Alabasta, yet seeing him sustain flight for an entire ship still left her in awe.
Even if only temporary, granting their vessel the ability to fly would let them bypass countless perilous stretches of sea.
Soon, as the ship continued its upward rush, the thick cloud layer above drew nearer and nearer.
The sky itself began to darken.
"Will, what now? Are we just gonna crash straight into those clouds?"
Nami shouted over the wind, worry creeping into her voice.
She had a bad feeling that punching through that barrier wouldn't be simple.
"Don't worry, Nami. These clouds won't stop us."
Will smiled reassuringly, clearly confident in his plan, and signaled Issho not to ease up.
As the ship closed to within a thousand meters of the cloud layer, Will suddenly leaped skyward again—far faster than the ship's ascent.
In mid-air, his upper clothes exploded off his body as his back muscles bulged grotesquely into the visage of an ogre.
Activating both [Explosive Clothing Amplification] and [Ogre Back Muscles] simultaneously, he harnessed the explosive surge of power, drew back his arm, and coated his right fist in a thick layer of Armament Haki.
The next instant—
He threw everything into a devastating punch toward the heavens.
"Armament Release: Sky Elephant—!!"
With a deep roar, his jet-black arm whipped forward, hammering the empty air above.
Boom!!!
A tremendous explosion ripped outward.
A cylindrical shockwave—at least twenty meters wide and shaped like a colossal elephant's foot—blasted upward, wrapped in swirling white currents!
The very next moment—
The massive cannon of compressed air slammed violently into the dense cloud barrier.
BOOM!
An earth-shaking crash louder than thunder echoed across the sky.
Shockwaves radiated outward from the impact point.
Instantly, the thick cloud layer was torn open by the enormous blast, a wide hole punched clean through. Rays of light from above poured down through the breach.
"Oh my god…!"
Everyone on deck stared upward, mouths agape at the terrifying spectacle.
Even Nami and Carina had never seen Will unleash a move of such destructive scale.
If that attack landed directly on a person, they'd be obliterated in an instant.
"What monstrous physical strength…"
Issho, perceiving it more clearly than anyone through his Observation Haki, quietly marveled to himself.
"Now!"
Will's voice rang out from above.
Issho snapped back to focus and steadily intensified the gravitational push on the ship.
While keeping the hull intact, the amplified force sent them rocketing upward once more.
Will landed smoothly back on deck, gazing upward with eager anticipation.
Whoosh!
Following the cylindrical tunnel carved by the shockwave cannon, the ship streaked through the surrounding clouds and emerged into the vast expanse above the White Sea.
"Issho, that's enough. Let the ship settle on the clouds nearby."
Will walked to the railing, curiously taking in the scenery, and called out.
"Understood."
Issho slowly sheathed his cane-sword, halting the acceleration. At the same time, he gently guided the ship downward toward the fluffy white surface below.
He trusted Will's judgment completely.
Moreover, he sensed that these clouds subtly interfered with the range of his Observation Haki.
Clearly, they were anything but ordinary.
With the upward thrust gone, the ship—under Issho's precise control—settled gently onto the sea of clouds.
As soon as the vessel stabilized, Nami and the others rushed to the sides, eyes shining with wonder at the bizarre landscape.
"It's nothing but clouds down there!" Chopper cried, mouth hanging open.
"Everything around us is pure white…" Carina murmured in awe.
"Is this actually… a sea made entirely of clouds?!" Nami exclaimed, equally stunned.
Robin stood quietly to the side, a thoughtful glint in her eyes.
Just then, Carina suddenly felt short of breath. "Hey… does something feel off to you guys…?"
"Huff… huff…" Chopper began panting heavily.
Nami coughed several times, struggling to speak between labored breaths. "What's… huff… going on…?"
Even Robin frowned, sensing the same discomfort.
Soon, the group that had been so eager to admire the view began feeling weak all over as breathing grew harder.
"Don't worry," Will said calmly, completely unaffected. Seeing their distress, he quickly explained. "The air up here is extremely thin because of the altitude. You just need a little time to acclimate, and you'll be fine."
"The Captain is correct," Issho added, also unaffected. "The oxygen is indeed much scarcer than below, so everyone should be mindful of their stamina."
Hearing that, the others relaxed.
And just as Will predicted, within a few short minutes Carina and the rest had fully adjusted to the rarefied air.
Nami glanced once more at the vast White Sea, then checked the Log Pose on her wrist. Her brows furrowed slightly.
"We made it above the clouds, but this pointer is still pointing straight up."
Robin spoke thoughtfully. "It seems we've only reached the midway layer. There must be another level higher still."
"Do we really have to keep climbing…?" Carina asked, looking up at yet another thick cloud ceiling far above.
"If that's the case, allow this old man to resume," Issho said, tightening his grip on the cane-sword, ready to draw once more.
"No need, Issho."
Will, who had been quiet, suddenly stopped him. He turned his gaze toward the distant horizon.
"There's a path over there that should lead straight upward."
Issho extended his Observation Haki as instructed, then nodded slowly. "Indeed… and I sense a person in that direction as well."
Overhearing them, Nami couldn't help but grin teasingly. "With you two around, we might as well leave the binoculars at home."
Robin chuckled softly in agreement. "True enough."
Will and Issho, however, didn't respond right away. Instead, both turned their attention to the calm cloud surface beside the ship.
The next second—
BOOM!!!
A series of deafening eruptions thundered from the side.
Three colossal silhouettes suddenly erupted from the White Sea, eclipsing the sunlight streaming onto the deck.
"Ahhh—!!!"
Nami and Chopper shrieked in unison, throwing their arms skyward in panic.
Facing the sudden appearance of a gigantic crab, octopus, and bizarre serpentine creature—
Will and Issho, having detected them moments earlier, instantly unleashed attacks toward two of the massive sky-sea beasts.
Whoosh!
Issho drew his blade in a lightning flash, the air whistling as it parted.
A pale blue slash streaked outward, slicing straight into the giant octopus.
"Tempest Kick: Vortex—!"
Will simultaneously whipped his leg upward at blinding speed. A spiraling light-blue Rankyaku shot forth, twisting viciously toward the enormous crab beyond the railing.
The two terrifying creatures burst apart on impact, as though giant balloons pricked by needles.
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