The wind had changed.Ships sailing the open sea began spotting strange clouds twisting into a massive vortex, while seabirds fled in flocks, as if something in the very sky had gone wrong.
Aboard the Thousand Sunny
Arkan stood at the bow, eyes fixed on the distant horizon where the vortex churned above.Nami gripped her compass, its needle spinning wildly.
"This isn't a natural storm… it's forming over a fixed point in the sky."
Lyra gazed upward at the constellations, her voice almost a whisper.
"Aetheria… she's there."
Orren stepped forward, his breath misting the air.
"But reaching her is impossible… unless you're ready to leave the earth behind."
Luffy grinned, eyes sparkling with reckless excitement.
"Then we just go higher than anyone's ever gone before!"
The Plan
Franky slammed a blueprint onto the deck—a design for temporary sky wings, using modified Coup de Burst thrusters.
"We can get above the cloud barrier, but we'll need a massive updraft to keep Sunny stable."
Nami frowned.
"Updrafts like that don't just happen."
Orren's eyes narrowed.
"They do… if I make them."
Meanwhile — The Temple of the Mirror
Veyron stood before the shattered viewing pool, Heralds gathered at his sides.The image of the swirling clouds hovered in the air.
"The Sky Prison opens," he said. "And with it, the Flameborne of Chains will stir."
Caligo, still scarred from his fight with Arkan, stepped forward.
"Do you want her dead?"
Veyron's smile was cold.
"No. Bring her to me alive. Her flame belongs to me."
Into the Vortex
The Sunny surged forward as Orren unleashed a blizzard-fueled column of rising wind, the ship rocketing toward the storm barrier.Lightning arced around them, and the clouds twisted into colossal shapes—faces screaming in silence.
Arkan's eyes glowed with the Flame as he steadied himself.
"Hold on. This isn't just weather—it's a test."
As they pierced the first layer, the world inverted.The sea vanished beneath them.Above… an entire fortress floated upside-down, chained to fragments of shattered sky.
And at its heart, a single figure knelt, her hair drifting like embers in zero gravity.
Aetheria.
Final Scene
Her eyes opened slowly, locking onto Arkan through the distance.
"You finally came," she whispered. "But you're already too late."
Behind her, something stirred in the shadows—massive wings unfolding.