*CRACK.*****
The sky screamed.
Water exploded upward in a tower that defied every law of nature — a storm-spear of the sea itself piercing the clouds. The Knock-Up Stream surged like a beast waking from centuries of sleep, pulling the Going Merry into its grip.
"WE'RE GONNA DIEEEE!" Usopp screamed as the ship tilted straight up.
"I'M GONNA PUKE!" Chopper added, clinging to the mast.
"STEADY THE RUDDER!" Nami shouted, trying to keep her footing as waves slapped the deck like hammer strikes.
Zoro stabbed his swords into the wood for balance. "This is insane!"
Luffy stood on the rail, arms stretched wide, laughing. "WE'RE FLYINGGG!!"
And through the chaos—
Rex stood still.
Right at the ship's prow, eyes calm, coat snapping violently in the rising wind.
His gaze was fixed upward.
Because above the chaos…
Through the lightning and rain…
He felt it.
Something was waiting.
Skyline – Entry Layer
The moment they breached the clouds, everything changed.
The violent wind went silent.
The world brightened.
And the Going Merry emerged into a sea of white — sky that looked like cotton but carried them like water. Floating islands drifted like ancient ruins across the sky, and glowing fish glided through the air in lazy spirals.
The crew stared, stunned.
Nami dropped her compass. "No way…"
Usopp fell flat on the deck. "It's real…"
Zoro blinked. "This is... a sea? In the sky?"
Chopper danced in circles. "Cloud water! We're really here!"
Luffy spun in place, pointing at everything. "SKY ISLAND! SKY ISLAND!! LOOK AT ALL THIS STUFF!!"
Sanji leaned on the railing, jaw slack. "I think I'm in love."
And Rex…
Rex didn't smile.
He knelt.
Placed his hand into the cloud-sea.
And closed his eyes.
[…Energy anomaly detected. Cloud current contains structured matter. Unknown electromagnetic residue. Matching ancient environmental signature. Confirmed: upper sky strata once occupied by void century civilization.]
He opened his eyes.
"They were here."
Angel Island – The First Encounter
The Going Merry sailed cautiously through the white sea until a floating dock came into view. A settlement of cloud buildings and long rope bridges stretched across floating islands. People walked in white robes, many with feathered wings on their backs.
Chopper gasped. "Wings!"
Usopp blinked. "Are they angels?!"
"No," Nami said, scanning the structures. "They're just a different race. Sky People."
A group of guards approached, riding flying fish creatures called wavers, armed with spears crackling with golden sparks.
"State your names and purpose!" the lead guard called.
Luffy waved. "I'M MONKEY D. LUFFY! WE'RE PIRATES!"
Usopp screamed. "DON'T SAY IT OUT LOUD!"
The guard frowned. "All visitors must pay the Heavenly Tribute."
"How much?" Sanji asked.
"10 billion Extols."
The crew paused.
"…What?" Nami said flatly.
Rex stepped forward.
The guards' eyes flicked to him. He didn't raise a weapon.
But something in his presence shifted the wind.
"I'd like to speak with whoever leads this place."
"And who are you?" the guard snapped.
"I'm the one who remembers your past," Rex said, voice calm but cutting. "And I think you've forgotten where your wings came from."
The guard's spear dropped an inch.
And one of the older soldiers whispered, eyes wide—
"…That symbol… on his gloves… it matches the ruins of Shandora."
Later – Hidden Archives Below Angel Island
After some tense negotiation (mostly Luffy promising not to touch anything), the crew was allowed a brief audience with Pagaya, one of the elder scholars of the sky people.
He led them down into a small vault below his cloud home — dusty, sealed, lined with old carvings and tools.
"This is all we've preserved from before Enel took over Skypiea," Pagaya said. "Much was lost."
Rex stepped forward.
His eyes locked onto a wall engraving shaped like a storm spiral, just like the glyphs below Alabasta.
And next to it—
A fractured sketch of a Poneglyph fragment.
Chopper pointed. "That's just like the one from Alabasta, right?!"
"Not just like it," Rex murmured. "It is part of it."
Pagaya's voice trembled. "You… you know these symbols?"
"I understand their rhythm," Rex said, eyes glowing faintly.
He placed his hand on the wall.
And for a moment—
It pulsed.
Pagaya dropped to one knee.
"The legends said they would return. The ones who held thunder in their blood."
"Thunder?" Zoro asked.
Pagaya looked up, eyes locked on Rex.
"The Michaelers were born in the sky."
Meanwhile – Upper Yard
Far above, inside his massive cloud temple, Enel, self-proclaimed god of Skypiea, sat calmly on his floating drum throne.
A bolt of lightning danced along his fingertips.
He smirked.
"So… the whispers were true."
A priest kneeled before him. "My lord, the lower sky sea is stirring. Outsiders have arrived. They carry strange power."
Enel opened one glowing eye.
"…Then bring them to me."
He rose, stepping toward the edge of the cloud palace.
"Especially the one with the storm in his heart."
Back at Angel Island – Private Deck of the Merry
Night fell over the sky sea.
The Going Merry floated gently at the dock while the crew slept in hammocks or rested under stars that shimmered brighter than any on the sea below.
Rex sat alone at the rear railing, the Poneglyph fragment from Alabasta resting in his hands.
[…Sky signature matched. Ancient technique resonance detected within local cloud matter. Storm-based enhancements possible. Locking compatibility with Thunder Form evolution.]
He stared at the stars.
"They really came from here…"
Memories of the shrine battle underground… of the sky glyph in Alubarna… of the fragment humming with thunder…
It all pointed here.
Not just to Skypiea.
But something higher.
Something still hidden above even this sky.
He closed his eyes.
And saw a place of silver cities and lightning trees — a dream… or a memory not his own.
"When the thunder falls, the truth will rise."
Final Scene – The Drums Begin
The next morning, the crew was preparing to leave Angel Island when the sky roared.
Clouds turned black.
Thunder cracked open the horizon.
And golden lightning rained from above.
A voice boomed from the heavens.
"I AM GOD ENEL. YOU TRESPASS ON HOLY LAND."
The sky shook as a massive bolt of lightning struck the ocean next to the Merry — exploding the cloud sea into steam.
Luffy growled. "He wants a fight?!"
Zoro drew his sword. "Finally."
Sanji lit his cigarette. "Hope he likes pain."
Rex stepped forward.
But this time, he pulled his glove off completely — revealing the faint glowing seal burned into his palm.
A symbol only the sky could awaken.
He looked up, eyes sharp.
"I think I've just found my next evolution."