"You really stirred up quite a commotion at sea, Higanbana."
Inside the bar in Mock Town, Doflamingo sat with legs crossed, holding a newspaper.
Across from him at the bar counter, Sakura hoisted a large barrel of ale, drinking directly from it in big gulps.
"Commotion? What do you mean? I've just been sailing normally."
The massive barrel thudded onto the floor as Sakura set it down. The vibration caused the liquor in the glasses on the counter to ripple.
Doflamingo smiled, finishing the whiskey in his glass before tossing the newspaper in his hand over to Sakura.
"Defeating Golden Lion, and even healing his decade-old injury, allowing him to make a comeback."
"The World Government probably hates you to the bone right now, fufufufufufu!"
Sakura picked it up. The newspaper bore a large, sensationalist headline:
[SHOCK! THE GOLDEN LION PIRATES RETURN TO RULE THE SEAS!]
[LEGENDARY DOCTOR HIGANBANA WORKS MIRACLES!]
"Damn it, Shiki! Morgans!"
Sakura crumpled the newspaper. The entire sheet disintegrated into scraps under the Haki leaking from her.
Wasn't it just asking that old lion to keep an island for her? And yet he specifically mentioned her name during his grand return, reigniting the spotlight on Sakura just as it had begun to fade.
"This is your latest bounty poster."
Doflamingo slid a wanted poster over. The amount written at the bottom, 1.5 billion Berry, was particularly eye-catching. "Hmhmhmhm, actually, I should thank you."
"Thanks to you, the World Government has accelerated the Warlord project. And I've received an invitation."
"Still pursuing your king plan? That's just a waste of your talent."
Sakura rested her elbow on the table, her chin propped on her hand. "Territory… if you're strong enough, it comes to you on its own. Why chase it so desperately?"
"You natural-born monsters wouldn't understand."
Raising a hand to call the bartender for more ice in his drink, Doflamingo watched the cubes slowly dissolve in the clear liquor. "Forget it. Let's not talk about that."
"So, what's your purpose on this island? I have some business interests here. I can give you information for free. Consider it a friendly gesture."
"You're quite generous as a friend."
Sakura's lips curled into a smile as she finished the remaining ale in the barrel.
Come to think of it, quite a few powerful individuals on these seas owed their rise to Doflamingo.
The Goru Goru no Mi, the Ope Ope Fruit, the Mera Mera no Mi... even Leviathan's Mythical Zoan: Night Sparrow was something he had 'relinquished'.
'Did this guy have some sort of 'gift-bearing mascot' attribute?'
"Of course. My investments in the strong have always been generous, fufufufu."
Doflamingo, somewhat unnerved by Sakura's strange look, smoothly changed the subject.
"Then I won't stand on ceremony. I want the route to Sky Island!"
Sakura spread her fingers, beckoning towards him.
There were two methods to reach the legendary Sky Island, the realm of 'god'.
The first was like Roger, riding a massive Knock Up Stream to launch into the lowest layer of the White Sea, then using the ship's buoyancy to ascend.
The second was to find a safe sea route hidden near the waters of Jaya Island, sailing up to the sky the conventional way.
Although Leviathan could fly up directly, since they were already here and had a chance to obtain route information...
Not taking the 'regular' route felt like they'd miss out on a lot of interesting scenery.
"Fine. As you wish."
Doflamingo downed his iced whiskey, waving for a subordinate to fetch the information.
With the new nautical chart in hand and after resupplying sufficiently in Mock Town, the Leviathan set sail once more.
On the docks, Doflamingo, sitting on the steps, watched the large speedboat slowly sail into the distance. He covered his forehead with a hand and laughed. "Soon. The time of greatest chaos approaches. Head to the New World soon, Higanbana!"
"Hmhmhmhm, hahahaha!"
…
"Sakura-nee, that guy who looks like a flamingo you know seems pretty decent."
On the deck of the Leviathan, Kuina, attempting to wrap Lightning Attribute Chakra around her sword blade, marveled at her captain's peculiar connections.
"Decent?"
Sakura snorted coldly. "If that guy counts as decent, there are hardly any bad people left in the world."
"He's a famous underworld middleman and arms dealer," Tiger walked over to explain to Kuina. "He even has a title: [The Man Who Sells Wars]."
Distracted by the story, Kuina made a mistake in her Chakra Control. The lightning on her arm backfired, shocking her and making her hair stand on end.
The girl spat out a puff of black smoke, pouting. "Then why was Sakura-nee so friendly with him?"
"We're pirates! Idiot!"
Sakura handed the nautical chart to Tiger, giving Kuina a pointed look. "Are we supposed to be good people?"
"Oh, right!"
Only then did Kuina have a moment of realization, smoothing down her disheveled hair.
Without any stops, the Leviathan headed straight for an unmarked island near the waters of Jaya Island.
When the island's silhouette appeared before them, they couldn't help but widen their eyes.
The island before them was circular, not very large in area, covered in dense forests. It showed no signs of human habitation.
However, what caught their attention wasn't the island's appearance.
It was at the island's center… a white, spiraling pathway rose upward. Flowing clouds cascaded down this path, then moved outward from the island's various inland rivers.
Finally, they made contact with the surrounding islands, forming transparent water vapor that shot straight into the sky. From a distance, it looked as if the islands were floating in the air.
"This is... heaven?"
Tiger's voice was hoarse, his heart filled with the thrill of his first true adventure.
"Hahahaha, the scenery there is a thousand, no, ten thousand times better than this. So, look forward to it."
Sensing her crew's anticipation through Observation Haki, Sakura laughed and gave her assurance.
The Leviathan sailed into the white river. The ship's hull immediately sank into the soft cloud layer.
"Wow~, so soft~"
Leviathan, the ship spirit whose senses were connected to the vessel, squinted her eyes in pleasure, flopping down onto the deck.
"This is... the sea?"
Kuina caught a bit of the splashing cloud, rubbing it between her fingers with a look of astonishment.
This white pathway was like solidified ocean. It seemed to have no solid substance. The Leviathan wasn't resting on it but floating within it.
"Careful! Don't fall in!"
Sakura reached out to grab Kuina, preventing her from getting too carried away and falling overboard.
Although the cloud path below had buoyancy, if the cloud layer wasn't thick enough, anyone falling in could easily sink straight through to the bottom and plummet towards the ground.
"That dangerous?"
Kuina shrank back, moving cautiously closer to the center of the ship.
Raising the sails, catching the wind blowing against the direction of the cloud flow along the path, the Leviathan raced upwards, ascending steadily into the sky.
Finally, after breaking through a barrier of thick white clouds, it sailed into a cloud so vast its edges were invisible!
"Everyone, welcome to the White Sea… suspended seven thousand meters above the ocean's surface!"