The Going Merry glided smoothly along the Milky Road—a river of clouds that cut through the White Sea. The mist parted before them, revealing a massive structure that loomed like a tombstone against the bright blue sky.
"Heaven's Gate," Robin read the inscription carved into the archway.
It was a grandiose checkpoint, flanked by massive waterfalls of clouds cascading into the abyss below. Sitting in a booth at the center of the gate was a tiny, wrinkled old woman with small wings on her back. She looked bored, holding a camera in her hand and staring at the approaching ship with eyes that had seen too many tourists and not enough excitement.
This was Amazon, the Gatekeeper.
"Halt," Amazon croaked, her voice dry as parchment. "State your business."
"We're tourists!" Luffy shouted from the figurehead, waving his rubber arms. "We came from down below to have an adventure!"
"Blue Sea people..." Amazon scribbled something on a notepad. "Rare these days. Usually, you lot fall off the Knock Up Stream and die. Very well. If you wish to pass into God's Land, Skypiea, you must pay the entrance fee."
"Fee?" Nami's ears perked up, her internal calculator already whirring. She stepped up to the railing, putting on her best diplomatic smile. "Of course, ma'am. How much is it?"
Amazon looked at the large ship, the giant brothers, the monkey men, the duck, and the strange assortment of pirates.
"One billion Extols per person," Amazon said flatly.
Silence descended on the deck.
Nami blinked. "Excuse me? Did you say... billion?"
"One billion Extols," Amazon repeated. "Per head. There are... let's see... about fifteen of you, plus the bird. So, roughly 16 billion Extols."(Luffy, Zoro, Nami, Ussop, Sanji, Ben, Chopper, Robin, Dorry, Brogy, Mini Merry, Vivi, Caroo, Cricket, Masira, Shoujou)
Nami's face turned pale, then red, then purple. Steam practically shot out of her ears.
"SIXTEEN BILLION?!" Nami shrieked, gripping the railing so hard the wood creaked. "Are you insane?! That's robbery! That's extortion! Even if the exchange rate is 10,000 to 1, that's still... 100,000 Berries per person! That's millions of Berries total!"
"Nami-san, calm down," Vivi tried to soothe her. "Maybe we can negotiate?"
Nami leaned over the rail, channeling her inner market hag. "Listen here, Granny! We just got here! We don't have local currency! And that price is ridiculous! How about a discount? A family discount! A 'we-climbed-a-waterfall' discount!"
Amazon stared at her, blinking slowly.
"How about... 90% off?" Nami proposed shamelessly.
"No," Amazon said.
"Fine! We don't have the money!" Nami crossed her arms. "What are you going to do? Send us back?"
Amazon sighed. She looked at the crew. She looked at the flag. She didn't look angry. She looked... indifferent.
"I do not care," Amazon said, stifling a yawn. "Pay. Don't pay. Pass. Don't pass. It is all the same to me. I am just the gatekeeper. Whether you enter with a ticket or enter as intruders... is your choice."
"Wait," Usopp frowned. "That sounds suspicious. If we don't pay, do we get arrested?"
"I am not the police," Amazon mumbled, leaning back in her chair. "I just watch the gate. You may proceed."
"Really?" Luffy grinned. "Awesome! Thanks, Granny! Full speed ahead, Merry!"
"Wait, Luffy!" Nami hesitated. "She didn't say it was free, she just said she didn't care!"
"It's fine, it's fine!" Luffy laughed. "She let us through! Let's go!"
Ben, who was at the helm, eyed the old woman. He saw her raise the camera as the ship passed.
Click.
She took a photo of the crew.
"Ben?" Robin whispered, standing beside him. "She took a picture."
"I know," Ben nodded, his face impassive. "She's marking us. Illegal entry. We're about to become fugitives the moment we cross this threshold."
"Should we stop?"
"No," Ben smirked, revving the thrusters. "If the 'God' of this land wants a fight, let him come. Besides, I refuse to pay 16 billion Extols on principle. Let's go."
The Going Merry sailed past the gate, leaving Amazon behind.
Amazon watched them go, developing the photo in her hand. "Class 11 Criminals," she whispered into a small Dial on her desk. "Illegal entry. Heaven's Judgment awaits."
---
The ship traveled up a spiraling current of clouds, ascending another layer until they burst through into a blindingly bright paradise.
Angel Island.
It was breathtaking. Lush, green forests grew out of the clouds. Waterfalls cascaded from floating islands into a sparkling white lake. The air was sweet and fresh. And everywhere, the ground was made of fluffy, pure white clouds.
The Merry drifted toward a stretch of "beach." It wasn't sand. It was soft, compacted cloud material.
"We're here!" Luffy shouted, leaping off the figurehead before the ship even stopped.
BOING.
Luffy landed on the beach. But instead of sinking or hitting hard ground, he bounced.
"Whoa!" Luffy laughed, bouncing five feet into the air. "It's bouncy! It's like a trampoline!"
"Yahoo!" Chopper jumped after him, bouncing around like a rubber ball. "It's so soft!"
"Quack!" Carue the duck leaped off, bouncing on his tail feathers, looking delighted.
The ship docked, Ben, engaging the landing gears he had installed. The rest of the crew disembarked, stepping tentatively onto the strange terrain.
"It's weird," Sanji tapped the ground with his shoe. "It feels like firm foam."
"This is 'Island Cloud'," Robin explained, kneeling down to touch it. "It has a different density than the sea clouds. It can support vegetation and structures."
Mont Blanc Cricket walked slowly down the gangplank. He fell to his knees on the bouncy beach, grabbing a handful of the cloud-soil.
"I'm fine," Cricket wiped his eyes, smiling. "I'm just... happy. Go play, you idiots."
"YAY!" Masira and Shoujou joined Luffy in the bouncing game.
"I'm gonna build a castle!" Usopp declared, gathering armfuls of loose cloud. "The Great Captain Usopp's Cloud Fortress!"
While the "idiot trio" plus the monkeys and the duck played, Luffy wandered toward the tree line. The trees here were strange—their leaves were thicker, and the fruits were massive.
Luffy spotted a gourd-like fruit hanging from a low branch. It was green and the size of a watermelon.
"Food!" Luffy drooled. He stretched his arm and plucked it.
He sat down on a bouncy root. "Itadakimasu!"
CRUNCH.
"OWWWWW!"
Luffy recoiled, clutching his jaw. "It's hard! It's like a rock!"
He tapped the fruit. Clack. Clack. It sounded like stone.
"What kind of fruit is this?!" Luffy yelled. "It looks delicious but it's a trap!"
"Hey Luffy!" Usopp called out from the beach, where he was shaping a lump of cloud into a vague statue. "Check out my Cloud Angel! It looks just like Kaya!"
"I don't want this stupid rock-fruit!" Luffy pouted. He swung his arm and hurled the hard fruit toward the beach.
The fruit sailed through the air like a cannonball.
BONK.
It landed directly on top of Usopp's head.
"GYAH!" Usopp collapsed, his face buried in his Cloud Angel, ruining the sculpture.
"Luffy!" Usopp sprang up, a massive bump swelling on his head. "Why did you do that?! You ruined my art! And you gave me a concussion!"
"Sorry!" Luffy laughed. "My hand slipped!"
"You aimed it! I saw you!"
As Usopp chased Luffy around the beach, trying to hit him with a cloud-ball, the rest of the crew (Vivi, Nami, Robin, Sanji, Zoro, Mini Merry, and Ben) were taking in the scenery.
"It's peaceful," Vivi smiled, the wind blowing through her blue hair.
"Peaceful is good," Zoro yawned, finding a comfortable cloud-dune to nap on. "Wake me up if God attacks."
"Listen," Sanji held up a hand. "Do you hear that?"
Drifting on the wind was a soft, melodic sound. It sounded like a harp.
"Music?" Nami turned. "It's coming from over there."
---
The crew (minus Zoro, who was already asleep) walked down the beach toward the source of the music.
Sitting on a cloud-bench near the water's edge was a young woman. She was beautiful, with short blonde hair and, most strikingly, a pair of small, white wings on her back. She was playing a golden harp, her eyes closed in concentration.
Beside her sat a small, fluffy white fox.
"An angel?" Sanji's eyes turned into hearts instantly. "I have died and gone to heaven! MELLORINE!"
The girl stopped playing as she heard them approach. She opened her eyes and smiled warmly.
"Heso!" she greeted, holding up her hand in a strange two-finger salute.
"Heso?" Luffy tilted his head, mimicking the gesture. "Heso!"
"Hello," Nami smiled. "We're travelers. We just arrived."
"Travelers from the Blue Sea?" The girl's eyes widened. "Welcome to Skypiea! My name is Conis. And this is Su."
"Su!" the fox barked.
"I'm Luffy! The man who will become the Pirate King!"
"I am Sanji, your humble servant/slave/chair!" Sanji twirled over to her. "Mademoiselle, your beauty outshines the sun!"
Conis giggled, a bit flustered. "You are... very energetic."
"Are those real wings?" Chopper asked, hiding behind Robin's leg.
"Oh, these?" Conis touched her wings. "Yes, all Skypieans have them. Though they are just ornaments, really. We cannot fly with them."
"That's a shame," Ben noted, scanning her. "Vestigial traits? Or maybe decorative evolution?"
Before Conis could answer, a loud engine noise tore through the peaceful atmosphere.
VRRRRRRRRROOOOM!
"Make way! Make way!" A voice screamed.
A man on a strange, motorcycle-like vehicle was speeding across the white sea, heading straight for the beach. He was wearing a thick suit and goggles.
"Father?" Conis gasped.
"The brake! Which one is the brake?!" the man yelled.
He was heading straight for a massive tree near where the crew was standing.
"Look out!" Usopp yelled.
The man didn't stop. He hit the tree root at full speed.
CRASH.
The vehicle flew one way. The man flew the other, tumbling through the air and landing face-first in the sand.
"DAD!" Conis ran over.
The crew rushed to help. Chopper pulled out his medical kit. "Doctor! We need a doctor! Oh wait, I'm the doctor!"
The man lay motionless for a second. Then, he suddenly sat up, adjusting his crooked glasses.
"I am fine," he said calmly. "I appear to have forgotten how to stop. Heso."
"Heso..." the crew replied, sweat-dropping. "He's tough."
"This is my father, Pagaya," Conis introduced him, dusting the sand off his coat.
"Apologies for the scare," Pagaya smiled, rubbing his bruised head. "I was testing the new Waver repair, but it seems the Breath Dial is a bit too potent."
"Waver?" Vivi asked, looking at the wrecked vehicle. It looked like a jet ski with no propeller.
"Yes," Pagaya walked over to the machine. "It is a vehicle of the sky. It uses a 'Dial' to propel itself across the cloud sea."
"A Dial?" Luffy poked the machine.
"Dials are shells from the White-White Sea," Conis explained. "They store energy. Wind, heat, sound, light. This Waver uses a Breath Dial—it stores wind and releases it for thrust."
Ben walked over to the Waver. He crouched down, inspecting the engine. He placed a hand on the shell casing.
"Interesting," Ben muttered. "Organic battery technology. High output, low weight. Primitive control interface, though. No stabilizers, no vectoring."
"Can I ride it?!" Luffy shouted, his eyes shining. "It looks like fun!"
"Luffy," Nami warned. "You can't even ride a bicycle without crashing."
Pagaya smiled. "You are welcome to try, but it requires a certain knack for balance. The Sea Clouds provide no friction, so it is like sliding on ice."
---
Luffy dragged the heavy Waver into the water. He hopped on, gripping the handlebars.
"Okay! Go!" Luffy slammed his foot on the pedal.
WHOOSH.
The Waver shot forward.
"I'M DOING IT!" Luffy yelled.
For exactly two seconds.
Then, the Waver tilted slightly to the left. Luffy overcorrected. The Waver spun out of control, doing a 360-degree spin.
"WOAAAAAH!"
Luffy flew off the handle, skipping across the water like a stone before sinking.
"Luffy!" Chopper panicked. "He can't swim!"
Ben sighed, lifting a finger. [Ruler's Authority].
He levitated Luffy out of the water and dropped him on the sand. Luffy was coughing up cloud-water.
"It's too slippery!" Luffy complained. "Stupid boat!"
"I told you," Pagaya chuckled. "It takes years to master. The wind is unpredictable."
"Let me try," Nami said, stepping forward.
She walked into the water and mounted the Waver. She didn't look nervous. She looked focused.
"Nami-san, be careful!" Sanji called out.
Nami gripped the handles. She closed her eyes for a split second, feeling the wind on her cheek. She felt the subtle current of the clouds beneath the hull.
She pressed the pedal.
The Waver didn't jerk. It glided.
Nami leaned into the turn before the Waver even started to tilt. She accelerated, cutting a perfect arc through the water. She sped up, hair flying behind her, maneuvering the vehicle with the grace of a dolphin.
She did a figure-eight. She did a sharp turn, spraying a curtain of water. She rode it back to the shore, stopping exactly one inch from Luffy's nose.
"Easy," Nami smirked, flipping her wet hair.
"NANI?!" Pagaya and Conis dropped their jaws. "She... she mastered it instantly?!"
"How?" Pagaya stammered. "I've been riding for ten years and I still crash!"
"She's our Navigator," Usopp bragged, thumbing his nose. "She knows the wind and sea better than anyone! Even Sky Sea!"
"That was amazing!" Luffy looked at Nami, then at the Waver. He looked jealous. "I want to ride it too! But it hates me!"
Ben walked up to Luffy. He patted the rubber man on the shoulder.
"Don't worry, Captain," Ben said, glancing at the Waver with a critical eye. "This design is flawed. It relies too much on the rider's weight distribution. It lacks gyroscopic stabilization."
"Gyro-what?" Luffy picked his nose.
"I'll build you a better one," Ben promised. "One that even you can drive. Maybe give it a steering wheel instead of handlebars."
"REALLY?!" Luffy beamed. "A Ben-Special Waver?!"
"Yeah. Just give me some time."
"You are all very interesting people," Conis giggled. "Would you like to come to our house? It's just up the 'Lovely Street'. We can prepare some Sky Island cuisine and explain more about our country."
"FOOD!" Luffy, Usopp, and Sanji shouted.
"We would be honored," Robin smiled.
"However," Nami stayed on the Waver. "I think I'm going to stay here for a bit. I want to practice more with this thing. It's really fun! And I want to check out the shoreline."
"Are you sure, Nami-san?" Vivi asked.
"Yeah! I'll catch up with you guys later. Ben, you go ahead and learn about the tech. I'll just enjoy the ride."
"Suit yourself," Ben shrugged. "Don't go too far. And watch out for... well, everything."
"I'll be fine!" Nami revved the engine. "See ya!"
She sped off along the coast, laughing as she cut through the waves.
"She is free-spirited," Pagaya noted. "Well then, please follow us. Our house is this way."
The group—Luffy, Zoro (dragged by Sanji), Usopp, Chopper, Robin, Mini Merry, Vivi, Ben, Cricket, Masira, Shoujou, and Carue—followed Conis and Pagaya away from the beach.
As they walked, Ben hung back slightly, his eyes scanning the environment.
'Sky Islands,' * Ben thought. * 'Isolated ecosystems. Unique technology. And a God with a Logia fruit watching everything via Mantra. This is going to be a complicated vacation.' *