Translator: PapaSmurf0700
After leaving Enies Lobby behind, Luffy, now content with a full stomach, stood proudly at the prow of the Golden Merry. Resting on the goat head, he called out energetically to his crew: "Alright, everyone!!" His voice carried over the waves with infectious enthusiasm. "Next stop, Sky Island at full speed!!"
The decision to head to Sky Island was made back when they were planning their next moves in Water 7. Luffy's excitement was fueled by two main reasons. First, the Golden Merry was due for an upgrade, something they planned to undertake on Sky Island. The whole ordeal at Enies Lobby had been, in a large part, for the sake of the ship. Now, with their objectives achieved, the prospect of enhancing their beloved vessel was exciting.
The second reason was even more personal to Luffy—the chance to finally visit Fairy Vearth. This mythical place was the only destination Luffy had longed to visit but had been unable to reach immediately. Such a delay only heightened his anticipation.
The key to reaching Fairy Vearth lay in accessing Enel's ship, the Ark Maxim. Activating this ship required not just the power of Nami's thunder abilities but also the expertise of a shipwright who could comprehend the ark's blueprints and craft its essential components. This issue had been resolved with Franky joining the crew as their shipwright.
Bai Ye had suggested heading to Angel Island not only as a way to hide from the navy but also to complete the Merry's upgrades. From there, they could ascend directly to Fairy Vearth. It was like killing three birds with one stone.
At that moment, Nami turned to Bai Ye, her eyebrows knitting with concern: "But... we don't have an Eternal Pose for Sky Island, do we?" She raised this point amidst their busy preparations, clearly concerned about the logistics of their journey.
As she waited for an answer, her gaze fixed on Bai Ye, who was the architect of their plan. Bai Ye responded confidently, "No worries." He explained further, catching everyone's attention, "After we planted our flag on Sky Island, I prepared a spiritual formation there. I even set an anchor point to connect directly with the Golden Merry."
Nami, intrigued, replied, "So, Merry is leading us there?" Her voice carried a mix of surprise and curiosity.
Bai Ye flashed a mischievous grin, hinting at more secrets up his sleeve. "Initially, yes, that was the plan," he admitted, then added with a flourish, "But, I came up with an even faster way to get us there." With theatrical enthusiasm, he spread his arms wide and declared, "Let's give a grand welcome to Merry!"
The crew looked on in bewilderment as suddenly, a door appeared in mid-air, right where Bai Ye was gesturing. It swung open slowly, and out popped Merry, striking a heroic pose with hands on her hips, exuding a confident air of 'look at me now!'
At this sight, Nami couldn't help but think that Merry was quickly picking up Bai Ye's flair for the dramatic. The seamless execution of the entrance was undoubtedly Bai Ye's bad influence.
Luffy was the first to break the silence with a shout. "Ah! It's the fruit power of that guy with the horns. He was tough to beat," he recalled, his face lighting up with the memory of his previous battle against CP9.
Sanji, leaning against the railing, chimed in thoughtfully, "Yeah, but it's a power that could really be useful for Merry. With it, we'd be able to dodge the navy much easier at sea."
Merry beamed at the mention of her role. "Hey~" she piped up cheerfully, clearly pleased at the thought of being more helpful to the crew.
Nami, holding onto a map, nodded in agreement. "Exactly, the Door-Door Fruit allows the user to open doors to virtually anywhere they've been before, even to other dimension called the Air Door. It's perfect for Merry."
She had gathered a great deal of information about CP9 from Fukurou, including the capabilities of Blueno's Devil Fruit, which now resided with Merry.
Robin, who had been listening quietly, raised a thoughtful point. "But can Merry really use her new ability to open a door directly to Sky Island?" she questioned, her brow furrowed slightly. "Devil Fruit powers have their limits, and they depend heavily on the user's physical condition and mastery. Merry has only just acquired her powers, and Sky Island is quite a distance from our current location."
Bai Ye, who had been overseeing the discussion, responded with a reassuring smile. "On her own, Merry might struggle," he admitted. "But with a bit of help from me, we shouldn't have any problems."
Bai Ye had meticulously planned their return to Sky Island, presenting several strategies to the crew. The simplest approach was to slowly sail back, following the directions provided by the eternal pose. Another method involved using a teleportation formation, though he cautioned that not everyone could handle the sudden shift. The most intriguing option, however, was utilizing the Door-Door Fruit's powers.
In Water 7, Bai Ye had been particularly interested in Blueno's fruit, recognizing its unique potential beyond its initial weirdness. He wondered if he could enhance the fruit's power using the energy from his inner dimension, which had already proven compatible with Devil Fruit laws.
To test this theory, Bai Ye experimented with Chopper, applying inner dimension laws to amplify Chopper's Devil Fruit abilities. The results were promising, though not as dramatic as hoped, possibly due to the physical limitations imposed by Zoan fruits. Nonetheless, Chopper was inspired and subsequently developed an improved version of his Rumble Ball.
Recently, after Merry acquired the Door-Door Fruit, Bai Ye applied the same enhancement technique. The results were significantly more impressive than with Chopper, likely because Paramecia fruits like Merry's aren't as constrained by the user's physical form.
When Bai Ye shared these developments, the crew's reaction was fairly subdued—except for Franky, no one seemed overly amazed. By now, they were quite accustomed to Bai Ye's miraculous feats; enhancing a Devil Fruit was just another day's work for him.
"Then, the Merry is ready to go!" Bai Ye announced confidently.
Merry, now fully empowered and eager, grasped Bai Ye's hand and beamed at her companions. Standing boldly at the bow, she declared, "Everyone, please hold on tight! Our next stop is Angel Island, 10,000 meters above the sea!"