The first half of the Grand Line. Twenty thousand meters up, in the stratosphere.
The Eclipse hung motionless, completely hidden within the dense sea of clouds. Its ventral vector thrusters hummed low and steady, holding the massive vessel in a silent hover where the air was so thin it offered almost no resistance.
Sunlight poured through the portholes into the spacious conference room. The full crew of the Eclipse Pirates sat gathered around the long table.
"Ace, why are we just drifting up here?"
Enel had his legs propped on the table, tossing a green apple in one hand. His arrogant face was twisted with displeasure.
"I thought you were going to lead us straight into the Sabaody Archipelago. Turn every last one of those self-righteous Blue Sea mortals into ash. Instead you've got this ship hiding in the clouds like a turtle?"
"Yeah, Captain!"
Urouge hoisted a massive dumbbell, his eyes gleaming with eagerness for battle. "We just downed the Limit Breaker Serum and got new gear. We're itching for a fight. Down there it's nothing but a standard Marine garrison. Even if we docked on the island, with our strength now, rolling right over them wouldn't be hard."
Ace watched these hot-blooded monsters, practically vibrating with the urge to punch a hole in the sky.
He sat at the head of the table, leisurely peeling an orange. He took a bite, then spoke at his own unhurried pace.
"Do you people have any idea what 'rolling over them' actually means?"
He dropped the remaining half of the orange onto the table. His gaze swept the room.
"Right now, Sabaody does only have a standard garrison. But don't forget. Two months ago, in Zone 1 of that very island, we executed three Celestial Dragons in broad daylight. And gave Kizaru's internal organs a nice deep-tissue massage while we were at it."
Ace leaned back in his chair. A mocking curve touched the corner of his mouth.
"The moment the Eclipse's conspicuous black hull shows its face in that harbor for more than ten minutes, the intel hits Sengoku's desk and the Five Elders' desk at the same time. To wash away the shame of watching Celestial Dragons get beaten to death like sandbags, what level of force do you think the World Government sends after us this time?"
"Kizaru will definitely come for payback. Probably Aokiji too. And those dogs who answer directly to the Celestial Dragons. CP0. Marine Headquarters isn't far from here."
Carina, who had been running aerial surveillance through her seabirds the whole time, picked up the thread. Her face was grim.
"The moment we stop on that island for a coating job that takes days, we're facing at least two Admiral-level combatants in a fight to the death. Sure, we're stronger now. But getting dragged into a war of attrition on that island against that kind of power, or worse, getting a Buster Call dropped on our heads? It's not just pointless. It's insanely dangerous."
That brutally realistic tactical breakdown hit the room like cold water. The crew members who had been howling to go down and throw punches moments ago slowly quieted down.
Even Buggy had panicked so hard he split into a pile of pieces, cowering under the table. "T-Two Admirals?! That's the kind of force they send to arrest a Yonko! The captain's right! Let's just stay up here in the clouds!"
"Do you understand now?"
Ace laced his fingers together on the table.
"We're heading to the New World to find Vegapunk. That man is the World Government's most prized asset. Do you really want to burn all our trump cards here? Lose a couple of people? Does that sound glorious to you?"
"But, Captain."
Bartholomew Kuma, who had been sitting quietly in the corner, adjusted his round glasses. He raised a critical question.
"If we don't land on Sabaody for coating, the Eclipse can't withstand the crushing water pressure at ten thousand meters. But if we're already flying, why not just cross over the Red Line from high altitude and fly straight into the New World? This ship's power and altitude can absolutely clear that red barrier."
"Yeah!" Chopper nodded furiously beside him, his blue nose twitching with curiosity. "Why not just fly over?"
At Kuma's question, Ace rose from his seat. He walked to the conference room's massive floor-to-ceiling window.
Through the glass, he looked down at the thick, cotton-candy white sea of clouds below, and deeper still, at the vast blue ocean hidden beneath.
"Flying over would be fast. And the safest route."
Ace's voice took on a note of something else. The romance and freedom of a true pirate.
"But I didn't set sail just to rush from point to point and kill people."
He turned his head. Those dark eyes burned with fierce light as he looked at the room full of monsters.
"Ten thousand meters beneath the sea. Fish-Man Island. The place they call the paradise of dreams. If I don't see that impossible sunlight under the ocean with my own eyes, if I don't meet the beautiful mermaids that only exist in legends..."
"If we skip the most breathtaking sights this sea has to offer just because we're in a hurry, then what was the point of becoming pirates in the first place?"
The words landed.
Around the conference room, every face shifted. The arrogant Enel. The cold-eyed Shark. The steady Sabo. One by one, they nodded.
Yeah.
They were pirates. Every monster on this ship had gathered for ambition and revenge. But deep in their bones, they still carried that pure, burning curiosity about the vast sea. That romance.
Enel floated up from his chair. "How interesting. I came from an island in the sky, ten thousand meters up. And now we're heading to an island at the bottom of the sea, ten thousand meters down? Yehahaha! Now that is interesting!"
"Now that you mention it."
Sabo grinned. "The extremes of sky and sea. We've been to the moon. Now we're going to the lowest place in the world. Maybe that's the beauty of adventure."
Even Shark looked moved. It had been a long time since he'd seen his homeland. The thought of going back stirred something in him.
"Yohohoho... the captain is absolutely right."
Brook drew his violin in an elegant sweep. "If I were to miss the mermaid ladies' undergarments... ah, forgive me, I meant the mermaid ladies' beautiful singing, my old bones would never rest in peace. Though I've already died once."
"In that case."
Leona stood. The two named blades, one light and one heavy, hung at her hip. Her vertical-pupil eyes held a note of confusion.
"We can't force our way through Sabaody. But we have to get coated to reach Fish-Man Island. Are we just going to drift up here at twenty thousand meters forever?"
"Who said anything about drifting?"
Ace let out a laugh. He turned and walked toward the door.
"The Marines have eyes everywhere, sure. But those eyes are on the sea and the official ports. In that garbage heap on Sabaody they call the Lawless Zone, there's an old man hiding out. And he happens to be exceptionally good at coating."
"Leona. You're coming with me."
Ace stopped at the door and looked back at the swordswoman.
"Use your Float-Float Fruit. We're going to invite the finest coating craftsman on the sea up to our ship. And while we're at it, have Jeno ready to record the data."
"This kind of critical technology? The Eclipse needs to learn how to do it ourselves from now on."
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