Bonus chapter unlocked by your Power Stones!
...
"You're… Marine Admiral Kuzan? How are you here? And were you the one fighting just now?"
Kuzan had just been about to leave when a startled voice suddenly reached his ears. He looked up and saw a gigantic bird in the sky rapidly swooping down toward him. No—rather than calling it a bird, it was more accurate to call it a man shaped like a bird. Aside from looking like a bird, his clothes were clearly those of a human.
"Morgans? What are you doing here?" Kuzan paused his departure and asked in confusion.
"I just saw a massive explosion and weird weather earlier, so I rushed over here at the risk of my life."
Morgans glanced around at the ice that still hadn't fully melted and at the flames blazing across the sea as if they had no intention of going out, and his eyes lit up.
"Ice—that's your power, right? And this fire… and the strength that could trade blows with you. Aokiji, the one you were fighting just now wouldn't happen to be Arton, would it?"
Morgans moved closer to Aokiji and asked curiously.
"Why do you say that?" Aokiji looked at Morgans in front of him as he spoke.
Because Morgans had previously reported on Arton's Flameblade Pirates, letting him learn a bit about Arton's information, Kuzan was at least willing to exchange a few words with him.
"Hehe, in these waters, the only ones who could fight a powerhouse like you are probably just Arton and Ace, the two I happened to run into not long ago. But Ace shouldn't show up around here right now, so the one you met has to be Arton. After all, that man's signature move is his Flaming Sword Slash."
Morgans smiled, then once more looked at the still-burning flames on the sea.
"Still, I didn't know Arton's flames could reach this level. This doesn't look like a sword slash at all—it's more like he directly released pure flames."
"It seems you truly didn't know about Robin's ability," Kuzan said, looking at Morgans with a deep gaze.
"Robin's ability?" Morgans' eyes flickered. "Wait—are you saying the one who turned this whole stretch of sea into a sea of flames… was Robin?"
"Not just her alone," Kuzan said with a shake of his head.
"Got it! You mean Arton fused with Robin and then unleashed that fire? So the template Robin received doesn't just control ice—it can use flames as well. Just like Nami, Robin's new Devil Fruit ability also has powers she didn't show me?"
Morgans exclaimed in surprise.
Kuzan nodded, essentially agreeing with Morgans' conclusion.
"In my view, among the powers Robin obtained, the flames are even more troublesome than the ice," Kuzan said.
"Arton actually kept a trump card hidden from me… because of that, my earlier report on Robin ended up inaccurate. Don't tell me he predicted from the very start that he might end up fighting you, and deliberately hid the fact that Robin can control fire?"
"It's not an impossible theory," Kuzan replied.
"I see…" Morgans fell into thought—then suddenly heard something moving away. He looked up; that sound was Kuzan riding away on his bicycle.
"Wait, you're just leaving like that?"
"What else would I do? Arton's already gone. I don't have any reason to stay."
"At least tell me where he went!"
"I don't know either. A Knock Up Stream suddenly appeared and carried him away."
"Uh—don't leave so fast, let me interview you a bit longer!"
"I already answered your questions."
"Come on, just a little more. Tell me—what actions is the Navy planning to take against Arton next?"
"No comment~"
Chapter 495: Piercing the Clouds, Reaching Skypiea
Whitey Bay: "I knew it, it had to be the Knock Up Stream! Arton and the others really rode the Knock Up Stream."
Makino: "S-so… scary. Is that the power of nature?"
Kujaku: "It's really dangerous. So this is the Knock Up Stream Arton's been waiting for… it feels even scarier than a Marine admiral's strike."
Smoothie: "They're moving too fast. Kuzan can't keep up with Arton and the others anymore."
Yamato: "That strike Kuzan used just now was already his last chance. Good thing Arton was prepared and blocked it."
Stussy: "And just like that, the Marines have failed at Arton's hands yet again. I wonder what Sengoku's mood will be like after this failure fufu."
Kalifa: "Those old geezers in the World Government must be furious. Shame we don't get to see the look on their faces."
Doll: "There it is—right, Arton's started writing in his diary again."
Raki: "So, Arton's finally going to set foot on Sky Island, huh?"
Conis: "I wonder what kind of changes Arton-sama's arrival will bring to Skypiea…"
Faced with the imminent arrival of the Flameblade Pirates on Sky Island, the ones who were the most excited, without question, were the two who lived there—Raki and Conis.
And of the two, Raki was the more worked up.
After all, she was truly walking the path of resisting the tyrant Enel, who currently ruled over Skypiea.
And since Arton was coming to Sky Island to hunt treasure and seek out the Poneglyph, he would definitely clash with Enel.
Raki had already seen for herself what Arton could do down in the Blue Sea. Enel might be formidable, but compared to Arton, Raki felt Enel still fell far short.
When she thought about how Arton's arrival might change the situation on Sky Island, Raki couldn't help getting excited.
"If Arton can defeat Enel and return the holy land to us… then I don't mind offering up my body."
Raki drew in a deep breath and opened the "Works" tab in her diary copy.
Looking at the illustration of herself sprawled over Arton, licking him, Raki steadied herself and picked up the carrot beside her.
She opened her small mouth and bit into the carrot—but instead of swallowing it, she started practicing, imitating the pose and movements from that illustration.
If I get used to this ahead of time, it should make Arton happier… Raki thought to herself.
…
[This is amazing. So this is the Knock Up Stream—this feeling is way more intense than a roller coaster.]
[I wonder if Roger and his crew felt the same way when they went to Skypiea.]
[Turns out the wait was worth it. I mean, if I came all the way to the One Piece world and didn't experience the Knock Up Stream, wouldn't that be a huge waste?]
[That said… can our ship actually hold together through this?]
[Forget it, better use Projection Magecraft to reinforce the hull a bit. If the ship gets damaged by the Knock Up Stream, that would really suck.]
As Arton excitedly left his thoughts on the diary interface, he placed his hand on the gunwale and used Projection Magecraft to strengthen the ship's structure.
The ship's shaking was quite intense, but Arton—as well as Nami, Robin, and the rest on board—were all pretty skilled.
So there was no real need to worry about anyone being shaken off the deck.
The only exception was the comparatively weaker Ain, who lost her footing and toppled straight toward Arton.
Seeing this, Arton instinctively reached out to catch her.
And just his luck—his hand landed squarely on Ain's chest.
"C-Captain …" Ain lowered her head, her face bright red.
"Hehe, careful there. Don't go getting thrown off." Arton gave a light squeeze, then withdrew his hand as Ain's blush deepened even further.
As much as he wanted to appreciate Ain a bit longer, there were a lot of people around, so he had to at least pretend to mind everyone else's feelings.
Ain, on the other hand, only stayed flustered for a short while. Then she simply stepped closer and leaned into Arton's arms.
Arton glanced at her but didn't say anything more. He just rested his hand at her waist so she could stand more steadily on the deck and wouldn't get flung away by the violent shaking.
Seeing Ain and Arton like that, Nami, Kaya, and the other women around them couldn't help feeling a little jealous.
Just as they were all wondering how they might do what Ain had done and get that much closer to Arton, the Knock Up Stream finally launched the ship to its highest point.
Everyone felt the ship pierce through a thick layer of cloud—then come to a stop, resting right on the very surface of the sea of clouds.
....
For every 100 Power Stones → +1 extra chapter.
Read 50+ chapters ahead on Patreon! [patreon.com/METARLN]