"Where… is this?"
Enel opened his eyes to an unfamiliar ceiling. For a moment, his thoughts were scattered. He pushed himself up on the bed.
"Hiss!"
A sharp soreness surged through his entire body, instantly clearing the fog in his head.
"I think I…" He paused, searching his memory. "I passed out?"
Voices came from outside. Heavy footsteps, overlapping shouts, and the sound of things being dragged across the deck.
"Move faster, faster. Carry everything over."
"Put it in the freezer. We won't get many chances to eat cloud beast meat again."
"Fill all five freezers. The cadres handled these beasts personally."
Enel pushed the door open.
The scene outside stunned him. Several crew members were hauling massive chunks of meat, each piece nearly the size of a person. He recognized it at once. Cloud beast meat. And judging by the cuts, it came from large cloud beasts.
The deck was packed with activity. People ran back and forth, loading supplies, shouting instructions, working with clear purpose.
"I'm… on a ship?" Enel muttered.
He looked around, finally realizing he was standing on the deck of a huge pirate ship.
But why was he here?
He remembered running. He remembered his vision going dark. Had he passed whatever test they had given him?
Confusion and hesitation crept into his chest. He stood frozen in the doorway, unsure of what he was supposed to do.
"Hey, kid. Don't just stand there. Get over here and help."
A crew member noticed him, wiped sweat from his neck, and waved him over.
"Me?" Enel pointed at himself, eyes wide.
"Who else?" The man laughed. "You're already one of us. If you're awake, then work. That's how it goes."
The words hit him like a wave.
"Really…?" Enel asked, still dazed.
"What are you waiting for? Move!"
That snapped him back to reality.
"Oh! Right!" Enel nodded hard and hurried over.
As he started working, his heart began to pound. Not from exertion, but from excitement. His steps felt light, his body strangely energized despite the soreness.
When the work was done, sweat clung to his body and his cheeks were flushed. He sat down near the side of the deck and finally asked the question that had been bothering him.
"What's going on? Why is everyone in such a rush?"
The crew member beside him glanced over. "We're leaving. You've been out for a full day. If you've got anything to grab or anyone to say goodbye to, do it now. Once we leave this time, we won't be back for a long while."
"I see…" Enel nodded.
There was nothing in Birka he would truly miss. Still, there were people he should speak to. Companions, friends. This wasn't a short trip. As the Nightfall Pirates had said, once they left, the future was uncertain.
He also needed to gather his belongings. Clothes, daily necessities. Things no one else could prepare for him.
With that in mind, Enel quickly left the deck.
On the Lucky Goddess, Teach sat on his throne.
In his hand was a Devil Fruit, gray with a faint silver sheen. The Steam-Steam Fruit.
A thin booklet rested beside him.
The former God of Birka had long since lost all value. Before dying, he had been forced to write a complete and clear development manual for the Steam-Steam Fruit.
It had not been easy. Making a hypnotized person think clearly and logically was extremely difficult. But they had succeeded.
That alone demonstrated the depth of Laffitte's hypnosis.
The man retained his intelligence, memory, and reasoning, completely unaware he was being controlled. It was almost indistinguishable from a Devil Fruit ability.
And Laffitte was still improving.
The pocket watch was only a tool. With his ability to hypnotize in an instant, whether he held it or not hardly mattered. Combined with his supersonic speed, hypnosis could be woven directly into combat.
A momentary lapse. A flicker of hesitation.
That was enough to kill.
This had become one of Laffitte's main directions of growth.
As for Birka itself, a new God had already been chosen. A respected local figure, now firmly under the Nightfall Pirates' control.
Laffitte had repeatedly hypnotized him, layering suggestion upon suggestion until obedience became instinct. In his mind, the Nightfall Pirates were his absolute masters. His duty was to rule Birka for them and immediately report any external threats.
To legitimize the transition, a grand ceremony was held. The people of Birka witnessed the selection of their new God.
Behind the scenes, Laffitte worked through the night, implanting subtle psychological cues in many residents, ensuring their wholehearted support.
Anyone with dangerous intentions did not last long. Redyat identified them, and they disappeared quietly. No one needed to ask how.
"Prepare to depart," Teach said calmly as he stood. He placed the Steam-Steam Fruit into its box and closed it. "We're leaving Skypiea."
Five pirate ships were docked at the edge of Birka.
Ahead of them stretched a downward airway made of white clouds. Through it lay the path back to the Blue Sea.
No one knew when it had been built. Angel Island had one. Birka had one too.
It was likely ancient, from a time when Skypiea and the Blue Sea communicated freely. Despite centuries of abandonment, it remained intact, pristine against the endless white sky.
Now, it would be used once more.
At Teach's command, Nelson relayed the order.
The Lucky Goddess moved first. The other ships followed in formation.
From the island, Birka's residents watched in silence. Some felt relief at the Blue Sea pirates finally leaving. Others stared at Enel's companions, now departing alongside them.
The ships slid down the airway like falling stars.
Wind roared past them.
Then the path vanished.
"Everyone, brace yourselves!"
With a sharp rush of air, the Lucky Goddess burst free of Skypiea and seemed to hang in the sky for a heartbeat.
Then it plunged.
Ten thousand meters.
The sudden weightlessness stole the breath from everyone on board. Even those who had prepared themselves felt fear grip their hearts.
Then a clear whistle rang out.
A massive octopus emerged from the White-White Sea below, its tentacles wrapping around the ship. Its head swelled like a balloon, slowing the descent.
The Octopus Balloon.
One by one, each pirate ship was caught and gently lowered.
As the fear faded, the crew relaxed. Some leaned against the railings, gazing down at the endless blue sea.
This time, they could truly see it.
Vast. Boundless. Beautiful.
A News Coo spotted them and immediately sensed a scoop. Pirate ships falling from the sky was not something seen every day. It activated its Visual Den Den Mushi and began recording.
No one bothered to stop it.
They wanted the world to know they had returned.
When the ships were about ten meters above the surface, the octopuses released them.
Splash.
Waves exploded outward as the ships struck the sea. One after another, all five landed safely.
Freed of their burden, the octopuses floated back toward the sky.
"Northwest," Teach said. "There's a small archipelago about eighty kilometers out. We'll confirm our position there."
As the ships moved on, training began.
Teach activated his gravity, pressing it down over the deck. Layered gravity fields formed as he trained himself alongside the crew.
Seastone cuffs locked around his wrists. Heavy weights were added. Under crushing gravity, he pushed his body to its limits.
Time was too precious to waste.
Redyat and the others followed suit.
Enel stared in disbelief.
Training. Immediately?
He barely had time to react before the gravity hit him. His legs buckled, and he caught himself on the railing with both arms.
Every movement felt like dragging lead.
This was nothing like his old training.
Step by step, gasping for breath, Enel forced himself to move. After only a few paces, his lungs burned.
But he endured.
This was his first trial as a member of the Nightfall Pirates.
And it would not be an easy one.