Translator: PapaSmurf0700
In the dense underbrush of Upper Yard, Chopper nervously followed Zoro, his small voice barely above a whisper, "Zoro... I think we might be lost."
Zoro, caught off guard by the suggestion, responded a bit too sharply, "Ha?!" The intensity of his voice startled Chopper, who instinctively dove for cover behind a nearby rock, though most of his body still exposed.
Noticing Chopper's frightened scramble, Zoro's expression softened slightly. He never meant to scare his little companion. "Sorry, Chopper," he said, lifting Chopper onto his shoulder with more gentleness than his gruff exterior usually showed. "We'll find Luffy and the others soon," he reassured, though his sense of direction was notoriously unreliable.
Chopper, though initially terrified that Zoro's sudden movement was a precursor to some sort of slash, found himself instead securely perched atop Zoro's shoulder. He sighed, a mixture of relief and resignation, and murmured, "Okay."
However, their journey did not improve. After some wandering, they found themselves back at the site of the previous night's banquet. Zoro scratched his head, "This looks familiar... Or maybe not."
Chopper's eyes widened in disbelief. Was Zoro really that clueless? But before he could comment, Zoro continued, "I must've been somewhere like this before."
At that moment, an unexpected laugh echoed through the trees, stopping both in their tracks. Zoro's face flushed with embarrassment and annoyance.
With a swift movement, Zoro grabbed a large, mocking bird by the neck, its laughter still hanging in the air. "Laughing at me, huh?!" he growled.
Chopper recognized the creature as a variant of the South Bird they had encountered before. "Zoro, wait! That's a South Bird! It can guide us to Luffy and Bai Ye!" he exclaimed, hoping to prevent Zoro from making a regrettable decision.
Zoro paused, sword half-drawn, eyeing the bird that now seemed more important than annoying. "Fine," he grunted, "But it better show us the right way."
-----
Shortly after, Zoro and Chopper successfully reunited with Luffy and the rest of the crew. During their reunion, Chopper happily took on the role of translator. This allowed everyone to learn about the historical bond between the Master of the Sky, Noland, and Kalgara from 400 years ago. Luffy and Usopp, deeply moved by the tale, couldn't help but shed tears once more.
With Chopper's mediation, Luffy quickly struck up a friendship with the Master of the Sky. Upon hearing that the crew was on a treasure hunt, the giant snake graciously opened its mouth, allowing Luffy to dive inside in search of treasures. During this time, Chopper shared with the group the earlier events.
As Chopper recounted the story, Bai Ye watched Zoro, who tried his best to appear indifferent by looking away. Although Bai Ye managed to keep his amusement under control, Sanji and Usopp couldn't contain themselves. They nearly pointed at Zoro, rolling around with laughter at his expense.
This scene of mirth quickly shifted as Zoro, unable to ignore their teasing, launched into an attack. This set off a series of evasive maneuvers and jumps among the group, which continued until Luffy and Nami emerged from the snake's stomach, signaling a momentary pause in the chaos.
After stashing the recently found treasures safely in Bai Ye's internal space, Luffy's excitement surged. He had just learned from Bai Ye that even more gold, collected by Enel, was likely hidden deep within these ancient ruins. So, the next objective for everyone was clear: hunt for the bigger treasure stash.
Thanks to Luffy's sudden zest for treasure hunting, the group quickly uncovered the gold hidden deep within the ruins. During their exploration, they also managed to rescue some of the Sky Islanders. These individuals, former sky soldiers under Gan Fall's command, had been held captive here to construct the Ark Maxim for Enel after Gan Fall was ousted.
Standing before the ark, Luffy was awe-struck and could only exclaim, "Wow! What a big piece of gold!!" Usopp, ever the pragmatist, corrected him with a sigh, "It's obviously a ship! You idiot."
Sanji, observing the overly golden structure, remarked, "This ship doesn't seem built for sailing at sea." One of the leading soldiers confirmed Sanji's suspicion: "That's right, Enel didn't intend for it to sail the seas. His only goal was the Fairy Vearth, which is actually the moon in the sky."
Chopper gasped, "Fairy Vearth?!" Usopp echoed the sentiment, equally astounded, "Fairy Vearth?!" Robin, ever knowledgeable, added, "It's believed to be the origin of the people who once founded the great kingdom."
"I didn't expect to find a clue about the Fairy Vearth so quickly," Robin mused. Upon hearing this, Luffy lit up with a gleam of excitement: "Another world!! The moon in the sky!!"
"It's decided! Let's go there!!" Luffy declared. It was typical of Luffy, whose very essence was imbued with adventure, to make such a bold decision upon discovering such an exotic destination.
The Straw Hats, excluding the rescued soldiers, looked to Bai Ye with calm expectancy. In their crew, Luffy might be the one who dreams up the adventures, but it was Bai Ye who figured out how to make them happen.
Observing the anticipatory expressions on his comrades' faces, Bai Ye couldn't help but feel amused. Yet, maintaining his composure, he turned to the soldier and asked, "In its current state, is the ship operational?"
The soldier, somewhat taken aback by such a laid-back attitude toward such a grand undertaking, paused before answering. He respected these peculiar saviors, so he considered his words carefully. "At the moment, no, it's not functional," he admitted.
Stepping forward, the soldier elaborated on the technical challenges: "Firstly, there's the issue of power. The ark has numerous dials installed, but they aren't sufficient to serve as its primary power source. The main power for the Ark comes from Enel's lightning."
Bai Ye responded with a sly smile, hinting at a solution only they could provide. "But... we have access to that too."