"Coating the ship will take three days. Once that's done, you can leave for the New World."
Rayleigh promised to coat Aomori's ship and saw them out of the bar.
"Rayleigh, what do you think of that man, Aomori?" Shakky asked, lighting a cigarette and holding it between her lips.
"A remarkable man. To have so many people of different backgrounds following him, he must possess immense strength and an extraordinary charisma," Rayleigh said, draining his glass in one gulp.
"Indeed. With even a Marine Admiral serving under him, it seems another new star is rising."
"A new star? Perhaps 'sun' would be more fitting." Rayleigh sighed. "A magnificent new era is approaching. It's a pity that a remnant of the old era like me won't have the chance to participate again. Truly a shame."
"I wonder what form it will take. I'm quite looking forward to it."
…
"Three days... are we going to wait here?" Robin asked once they were outside the bar.
"There are plenty of places to eat, drink, and have fun here. It's enough to make these three days pass quickly," Crocodile said.
"No, let's forget that. If I stay here, I'm afraid I won't be able to resist beating up those arrogant Celestial Dragons," Aomori shook his head. "How about we go somewhere much more interesting?"
"Somewhere more interesting? Where?"
"Have you ever heard of Skypiea?"
"Skypiea?" Robin was perplexed, but Crocodile and Aokiji nodded.
"An island floating in the sky, right? I've heard of it, but I've never been."
"The Navy has data on Skypiea. To get there, one needs to depart from the Summit of High West. You'll encounter several Sky Islands along the way."
"Islands floating in the sky? How fascinating. But how do we get there now?" Robin asked Aomori.
"We fly up." Before they could respond, Aomori used his telekinesis to lift the group, soaring toward the heavens like an arrow released from a bow.
"Let go of me, I can fly myself." Crocodile supported himself with sand, managing to fly through the air.
"Are you sure? Then try your best to keep up." Aomori dropped Crocodile and accelerated to full speed, leaving him in the dust within the blink of an eye.
"Dammit, how is he so fast?" But since he had asked for it, Crocodile had to grit his teeth and swallow his pride, putting every ounce of strength into his ascent.
Skypiea was situated 10,000 meters above sea level. This seemingly insurmountable distance was crossed by Aomori and the others in just a few minutes, bringing them above the clouds.
At such a high altitude, the air was thin. Robin, whose physical strength was lower, couldn't help but gasp for air. But when she saw the scene before her, she blurted out, "It's so beautiful."
The white sea of clouds beneath their feet was as pristine as fresh snow, and the azure sky in the distance brought a sense of pure joy.
"The feeling of flying is quite nice. I'm starting to envy Kizaru a bit," Aokiji remarked, a smile playing on his lips at the spectacular view.
Even Ace, who had remained silent, had a strange light flickering in his eyes.
By the time they finished their marveling, Crocodile arrived late, looking quite displeased.
"So, do you know the location of the Sky Island?" Aokiji asked.
"No," Aomori shook his head.
"Then what was the point of coming up? Don't tell me you plan to search for it above these clouds? You won't find it by next year at this rate," Crocodile seized the opportunity to snap. "Besides, our stamina won't allow us to search aimlessly like this."
"If only the ship could fly," Robin thought. Sailing through a sea of clouds like this would be so much fun.
"I have a rough idea of the direction, and I have a means of transport." Aomori smiled slightly and looked into the distance. "Look, it's already here."
"A means of transport?" The group looked in the direction Aomori was facing, confused. Sure enough, they saw something like a thin string flying toward them.
As the distance closed, the true form of the "string" was revealed.
"What on earth is that?!" Crocodile stood dumbfounded.
"It's a dragon. A massive flying dragon." Aokiji was reminded of a certain someone who could transform into a dragon, but this one seemed even more colossal in size.
"A dragon? A legendary creature?" After the initial shock, Robin looked intrigued.
Rayquaza flew in front of the group, looking them over one by one with a hint of disdain in its eyes. The ferocious aura it emanated made Crocodile and the others hesitate to move.
"Did you find the place I asked you to look for?" Aomori asked.
"Roar." Rayquaza nodded.
"Excellent. Then give us a lift." Aomori pulled everyone onto Rayquaza's back. "Let's go. Off to Skypiea!"
"Roar!" Rayquaza responded, swaying its body as it flew back in the direction it came from.
Feeling the powerful wind whipping past, Crocodile realized just how fast this dragon was. He couldn't help but ask, "If you have this, why waste time coating the ship? We could have just flown the whole way."
"Because I want to visit Fish-Man Island. I heard the Mermaid Princess there is the most beautiful woman in the world, so of course, I have to see for myself," Aomori replied.
"The Mermaid Princess is indeed very beautiful," Aokiji agreed.
"Heh, men." Robin shot a side-glance at Aomori, her expression full of playfulness.
"Hmph, boring," Crocodile closed his eyes.
"The most beautiful woman in the world?" Ace was reminded of a girl he had once talked with quite happily. I wonder how she is now. Is she still trapped on that island?
If we went with this lineup, we could surely save her. Ace shook his head violently. Beg that detestable Aomori for help? Not a chance!
…
The moon rose and the sun set. By the time night fell, Aomori and the others had arrived at Skypiea.
"Is that the Sky Island?" Robin asked, looking at the cluster of buildings looming through the clouds.
"Yes, but our destination isn't there. It's an island on the other side called the 'Shrine,' also known as God's Island. It's said that a 'God' lives there," Aomori said.
"A God?"
"Hmph, there are no gods in this world. Probably just some ignorant fool who gave himself a title," Crocodile said dismissively.
"Whether he's a God or not, we'll find out when we get there. Let's go, Rayquaza."
In the night sky, a massive silhouette flew silently toward Upper Yard.
…
"Bonfire! Bonfire! Let's get it burning!"
In a clearing within the forest, Luffy and the others were dancing and singing around a towering bonfire.
"With a fire this bright, those wild beasts won't dare attack us."
"Exactly!" Usopp, who was also jumping around, nodded in agreement, laughing happily.
However, when he looked up at the sky, his smile instantly froze.
"Cho-Cho-Cho... Chopper, l-l-look... up there..." Usopp stammered, trembling as he tapped the shoulder of Chopper standing beside him.
"Up there? What's up there?" Chopper looked up with a smile, but soon developed the same symptoms as Usopp.
"Lu-Lu-Lu... Luffy, l-l-look... up there..."
"What's wrong with you two?" The others were puzzled and looked up. "What is—"
Everyone's faces paled. A massive, indistinguishable shape was diving toward them.
"I told you the fire would attract attention!" Nami was so scared she was on the verge of tears.
"Nami-san, don't worry! I'll protect you!" Sanji immediately shielded Nami behind him.
"What is that thing?" Zoro drew his swords, his expression grim.
Among them was an old man in armor, Gan Fall, holding a lance and pointing it at the sky, ready for battle.
Only Luffy's eyes lit up. He swung his arm to grab a branch and launched himself into the air. "Interesting! Let me see what you are!"
"Luffy, you idiot! Don't provoke it!"
Unfortunately, the warning came too late. Luffy had already acted, swinging his rubber arms toward the dark shadow that had mysteriously stopped its descent.
Suddenly, a figure fell from above, crashing right into Luffy. Both plummeted together, slamming into the ground.
"Eh? Aren't you Ace?!" Luffy shouted in surprise and joy as he recognized the man.
"Ow, ow, ow... I forgot I can't turn into fire." Ace rubbed his head from the impact, forcing a smile. "Yo, Luffy. I didn't expect to run into you here."
After waiting for days in Alabasta without success, meeting here was truly a twist of fate.
The clearing below was too cramped, so Rayquaza was unwilling to descend and stayed in mid-air. Consequently, Aomori and the others jumped down from Rayquaza's back and landed on the ground.
"Aomori-san?!" Nami pushed Sanji aside, making no effort to hide her delight, leaving Sanji to gnaw on his handkerchief in despair.
But when Sanji saw Robin standing next to Aomori, his eyes instantly turned into hearts. "What a beautiful lady!"
"Are they acquaintances?" Gan Fall asked.
"Yeah, we traveled together for a while." Zoro sheathed his swords.
"I see."
"Who is that?" Chopper asked curiously; he had never met Aomori.
"A reliable person. In short, the danger is over." Usopp slumped to the ground, breathing a sigh of relief.
Scanning the area, Aomori waved his hand. "Hello everyone, we meet again."
"Aomori-san, why are you here?" Nami walked up to him and asked.
"I'd heard legends of Skypiea before, so I came to take a look. What about you?"
"That's a long story..."
While Nami told Aomori about their adventures, Luffy and Ace were catching up.
"Ace, I set out to sea just as we promised! I even found some great crewmates!" Since seeing Ace, the smile hadn't left Luffy's face.
"Yeah, I can tell. You've grown a lot, Luffy." As the elder brother, Ace patted Luffy's shoulder with pride. "It's a bit late, but I should say it: welcome to the Great Sea."
"Hehehe, Ace! I'm definitely going to be the Pirate King!"
"Not necessarily. I'm going to do my best to help the Old Man become the Pirate King!"
"Huh? You don't want to be the Pirate King anymore?"
"Yeah. After going out to sea, I experienced so many things. My dream has changed now. But my desire for adventure hasn't. From now on, we'll be rivals."
"Alright! Let's work hard together!"
"Yeah!"
"And that's the gist of it." Nami summarized the origin of the island in the simplest terms.
"I see. No wonder there's land above the sky," Robin nodded in understanding.
"If what this lady says is true, this Enel must possess Observation Haki capable of covering the entire island. Furthermore, he already knows we've arrived," Aokiji noted. "He might be taking countermeasures as we speak."
"Yes, and here he is," Aomori said, pointing toward the sky.
"Eh?!" Everyone was shocked and looked up. Sure enough, a bolt of lightning suddenly appeared above, manifesting into a man.
He stood atop the lightning, his head wrapped in white cloth, holding a golden staff. Four drums carved with three tomoe were fixed to his back. He looked down at the people below with an arrogant expression.
"You ants... your incessant chatter is truly annoying."
"Enel!" Gan Fall gripped his lance tight and shouted, "Have you finally lost your patience and decided to act personally?"
"Don't misunderstand. My target isn't you." Enel looked at Rayquaza floating in the air, his eyes filled with clear admiration. "What a powerful flying dragon. You are worthy of becoming my steed to accompany me in my conquest of the world."
"He's got his eye on Rayquaza? He has good taste." Aomori wasn't in a hurry to act; he was ready to watch the show first.
Sometimes a bystander sees more clearly.
"Roar?" Rayquaza hadn't expected to be targeted while minding its own business. Its anger flared instantly, and it opened its mouth to fire a Hyper Beam.
"Come then!" Enel showed no fear, striking back with a massive pillar of lightning.
BOOM!
A massive burst of fire erupted above, making Nami and the others look on in terror.
"Aomori-san, that's your pet, right? Don't you need to help it?" Nami asked.
"In this situation, I don't think I even can," Zoro said, gritting his teeth. He didn't think he could survive an attack like that.
"Exactly!" Usopp and Chopper nodded frantically.
"No need, no need. Rayquaza is very strong. Don't underestimate it," Aomori said with a smile.
"No, no, no! How could we possibly underestimate it?!"
"Old Sand, Kuzan, do either of you want to fight a God?" Aomori asked the two people present who were capable of intervening.
"Not interested," Aokiji shook his head decisively; he wasn't particularly keen on fighting.
"What about you, Old Sand? Successfully slaying a God would certainly boost your reputation."
Crocodile was a bit tempted by Aomori's words, but he was cautious by nature and preferred to act only when he was certain of victory. "We'll see."
"Tsk, people these days," Aomori sighed.
Just then, Ace and Luffy, drawn by the intense battle above, jumped out together and shouted, "We'll do it!"
"Can you two fly?"
"Er... no."
"Then just watch the show for now."
"Oh."
————
NOTE: This fic has been completely translated. If you want to read the whole story head over to my p-atre-on: p-atre-on.c-om/Overgod [Just remove the hyphen to access normally]