"Let's go! To Water 7!" Luffy had already jumped to the helm, his straw hat fluttering in the wind. "To find our super shipwright partner!"
The Thousand Sunny's sails were fully unfurled under the setting sun, speeding towards Water 7. This time, they absolutely had to build the Pluton, as they had gathered everything, both money and blueprints!
At the same time,
Ace's small motorboat cut through the azure sea, the steam from its stern leaving a long white trail on the water.
He held the helm with one hand, while the other unfolded the nautical chart Ron had described to him, which precisely marked all the key information leading to Skypiea.
"Upward Stream… South Bird…" Ace murmured, a spark of excitement dancing in his dark eyes. He looked up at the sky, as if he could already see the mysterious island hidden tens of thousands of meters above.
The motorboat suddenly made a sharp turn, avoiding a sea king that suddenly broke the surface.
Ace grinned, "Big Brother Ron's intel is really detailed." He recalled Ron's instructions before he left— "The Upward Stream will erupt at dawn three days from now. Miss it, and who knows how long you'll have to wait!"
"I need to hurry!"
Ace's Flame-Flame Fruit ability burst forth, the burning flames superheating the motorboat's steam engine, producing a deafening roar. The fire beneath the hull intensified, boiling the surrounding seawater, and the motorboat shot out like an arrow from a bow!
Two days later, at dusk,
Ace, guided by the nautical chart, arrived at an empty sea area where the seawater exhibited peculiar miniature whirlpools.
A dazed South Bird stood on a drifting tree stump in the ocean. He whistled, and the South Bird immediately flew over, landing steadily on the bow.
"Hey, little guy." Ace gently stroked the bird's feathers, "Take me to find the Upward Stream."
The South Bird tilted its head, looked at him, and then suddenly flapped its wings and flew up, its beak consistently pointing southwest.
Ace unhesitatingly turned the boat around, following this magical navigation bird at full speed.
As night fell,
The sea surface began to show unusual fluctuations. Tiny bubbles continuously surged up from the seabed, and the current speed also increased. Ace extinguished the engine, letting the motorboat float quietly on this restless sea.
"This is it…" He lay down on the deck, hands clasped behind his head, gazing at the starry sky. At dawn tomorrow, this calm sea surface would transform into a colossal geyser reaching the sky, sending him skyward.
Under the Moonlight,
Ace's straw hat covered half his face, but the smile on his lips couldn't be hidden: "Teach, you'd better be ready. Because tomorrow… I, Ace, am coming to take half your life!"
...
The sea surface before dawn was as black as ink.
Ace suddenly felt an unusual vibration from the bottom of the boat. He sharply opened his eyes and found that the surrounding seawater was strangely swirling, and countless tiny bubbles were gushing out from the abyss, forming dense white foam on the surface.
"It's starting!" Ace sprang to his feet with a swift movement, quickly tightening his hat.
The vibration of the sea surface grew increasingly violent, and the previously calm seawater suddenly began to spin wildly.
In just a few minutes, a massive whirlpool, over a thousand meters in diameter, had formed. The center of the whirlpool was bottomless, as if it led straight to the ocean depths!
The surrounding seawater produced a deafening roar, and countless marine creatures frantically jumped out of the water.
"This is too exaggerated…" Ace gripped the helm tightly, his small motorboat rocking violently at the edge of the whirlpool. He watched with wide eyes as several huge Sea Kings were swallowed by the whirlpool, instantly disappearing without a trace.
Just as the whirlpool spun to its extreme, the sea surface suddenly stilled for a moment—as if the entire world held its breath.
"Boom!!!!"
Amidst an earth-shattering explosion, a giant geyser of seawater, several hundred meters in diameter, shot skyward from the center of the whirlpool!
This azure column of water, like a mythical sky-supporting pillar, pierced the clouds at an astonishing speed. The splashing water, illuminated by the morning sun, refracted into a spectrum of colors, forming a rainbow that stretched across the sky.
"Now!"
Ace stomped on the throttle, the motorboat's steam engine emitting a piercing shriek. He precisely maneuvered the small boat into the edge of the geyser, and instantly, he was swept up by the turbulent current, propelled into the high sky!
"Wahoo—!" Ace's cheer was drowned out by the deafening roar of the water.
The small motorboat spun wildly within the water column. He had to use all his strength to maintain balance. All around was a tunnel formed by continuously rising seawater. Through the water curtain, he could see the distant clouds rapidly descending.
1000 meters… 3000 meters… 5000 meters…
The motorboat's wooden planks groaned under the strain, but Ace's smile grew even wider.
He looked up, and the top of the geyser had already reached the unique white sea of clouds of Skypiea.
"Teach! You wait!" Ace's voice was swallowed by the roar of the Upward Stream, but the flames burning in his eyes were even more dazzling than the morning sun.
Soon, as the Upward Stream continued to erupt,
When Ace's small motorboat broke through the last cloud barrier, his vision suddenly cleared—a flood of golden light poured down, forcing him to squint.
Once his vision recovered, a breathtakingly magnificent sight unfolded before him:
The pure white "White White Sea" spread out beneath his feet like soft cotton, and directly ahead, a massive island floated quietly tens of thousands of meters above.
Even more astonishing was how familiar the island's outline was—the curved coastline, the protruding peninsula, and the vaguely visible buildings on the island…
"Is it really… Upper Yard?" Ace rubbed his eyes in disbelief.
The ruins of the Shandorian settlement were clearly visible, only now they were bathed in the golden sunlight unique to Skypiea. The once familiar structures now floated in the clouds, their edges gently lapped by soft cloud waves.
The small motorboat slowly descended onto the cloud sea at the edge of the island. Ace jumped off the boat, his boots sinking into the fluffy clouds.
He squatted down, scooped up a handful of "cloud," and watched the magical substance slip through his fingers. In the distance, several sky island birds unique to Skypiea glided across the sky, emitting crisp calls.
"What terrifying power…" Ace murmured softly, his dark pupils reflecting the sky island.
What kind of world-destroying energy must the Upward Stream, capable of propelling an entire island into the clouds, contain?
He stood up, flicked the brim of his hat, and his gaze sharpened. Now was not the time for sentiment. First, he had to find Teach, then capture him and beat him within an inch of his life, but not kill him, and then hand him over to the Marines!
....
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