Sky Island, as the name suggests, is an island suspended in the sky, tens of thousands of meters above the sea.
In Takumi's memory, getting to Sky Island required catching the right moment when the rising ocean current appears. The rising current is a high-pressure ocean flow that shoots upwards into the sky.
This current is created by cold seawater flowing into deep ocean caverns, where geothermal activity creates massive steam pressure that explodes upwards. It's considered a natural disaster.
The rising current lasts about a minute each time it happens, occurring five times a month at unpredictable locations. If you're lucky, you can ride the current safely to Sky Island. If you're unlucky, it's likely everyone onboard won't survive.
In short, reaching Sky Island isn't easy. For Takumi, with his small, one-person boat, it's impossible to withstand the pressure of the rising current. Even if his boat somehow survived the current, it wouldn't be able to ride it up successfully.
Also, traveling the rising current isn't just about having a sturdy boat; you need a skilled navigator too. Even though this form of sailing defies normal logic, it's still navigation. Without a competent navigator to steer the boat, even the best ship would end up sinking.
Takumi had spent months traveling the sea, but since he always used a small, single-person boat and had the system guiding him to his destination, he never really needed to rely on sailing skills.
However, now that he needed to go to Sky Island, he either had to find a skilled navigator to accompany him or hitch a ride with a crew already planning to go there.
Thinking about this, Takumi took a swig from his bottle.
"Ah well, I'll just go with the flow. I'll figure it out as I go," he thought.
Sitting to Takumi's left, Cobra had already opened his fourth bottle of liquor and was drinking happily.
Igaram, seeing Cobra getting tipsy, tried to stop him. After all, they were in a tavern full of citizens. As the king of Alabasta, it wasn't appropriate for Cobra to get drunk in front of his people.
"Your Majesty, you should stop drinking. You're going to get drunk," Igaram said anxiously.
Waving his hand dismissively, Cobra replied, "Takumi here isn't drunk, so why would I be? I'm an adult, after all! No way my tolerance is lower than a kid's. Stop worrying. I won't get drunk before he does!"
"Hahaha, Igaram, stop worrying about my father," Vivi chimed in, giggling. "He's happy for once. Let him enjoy himself."
"But, Your Majesty, you're the king of Alabasta," Igaram said, still concerned. "It would be a bit improper for you to get drunk in public…"
"Igaram, my father is a king, sure," Vivi said, "but before that, he's still just a father. He already told everyone in this tavern to act like they didn't see anything. If he were here as a king, I'd agree with you. But right now, he's just a dad trying to repay someone who helped him. Even if he gets drunk, it's fine."
"Exactly! Vivi understands me," Cobra said with a grin.
Igaram paused, then gave a resigned smile. "Ah, well, I guess you're right. Vivi really is her father's daughter."
Vivi smiled and then turned her gaze to Takumi, her eyes full of curiosity. "Takumi, you said you're a traveler, right? You must've been to lots of places!"
Takumi: "…"
Vivi continued, "You're not from Alabasta, so you sailed here all by yourself? That's incredible! I don't think I could do something like that."
Takumi: "…"
"I wish I could travel like you," Vivi said wistfully. "To go wherever I want, whenever I want. If I ever get the chance, I'd love to visit lots of different places."
"Princess Vivi, you can't!" Igaram said, panicking. "You're only seven! Even if you want to travel, you'll have to wait until you're older."
"Igaram, if Vivi wants to travel, let her. We can just follow her in secret, like we've done before," Cobra said, laughing.
"Your Majesty, this is different!" Igaram said, smiling wryly.
"What's different?" Cobra asked, his face flushed from the alcohol. Clearly, he was drunk.
Igaram rubbed his forehead in exasperation. "Before, Vivi only wandered around Alubarna. Now, she's talking about leaving Alabasta entirely."
"Huh?" Cobra sobered up slightly. "No way, Vivi's too young to leave Alabasta."
Vivi sighed, "I never said I wanted to leave right now…"
Takumi drained the last of his bottle and stood up. "I'm leaving."
"Huh?" Vivi blinked. "You're leaving? Are you going somewhere outside Alabasta?"
Takumi replied casually, "Yeah."
"But you've only been in Alubarna for a few days. Can't you stay a bit longer?" Vivi asked, sounding a bit sad.
Shaking his head, Takumi said, "I'm a traveler. I don't stay in one place for too long."
The truth was, he'd completed his mission and was ready to move on.
Vivi looked disappointed. "But I haven't even properly thanked you for saving me…"
Takumi grabbed a bottle of unopened wine from a nearby crate and shook it slightly. "This is thanks enough."
With that, he turned and left the tavern, taking the bottle with him.
Vivi wanted to follow, but Igaram stopped her. "Princess Vivi, you can't."
"Why not? I know I can't make him stay, but why can't I at least see him off?" Vivi said angrily.
Just then, there was a loud "thud." Cobra had collapsed, face-first onto the bar, passed out from the alcohol.
"Your Majesty…," Igaram sighed in frustration.
Seizing the moment, Vivi darted past Igaram and ran out of the tavern.
Igaram hesitated, glancing between the unconscious Cobra and the fleeing Vivi. With a sigh, he hoisted Cobra over his shoulder and hurried after her. But by the time he made it outside, Vivi and Takumi were long gone.
"Takumi, let me at least walk with you. Do you need anything before you leave? I could help you get supplies. I know you don't like talking much, but I'm really curious about your travels," Vivi said as she followed behind Takumi.
Takumi silently kept walking, feeling a bit awkward. He didn't think there was any need for a send-off.
Sure, young Vivi was adorable, but this wasn't the kind of goodbye he liked.
Without another word, Takumi activated his Soru technique, vanishing from Vivi's sight in an instant.
"Huh?!" Vivi gasped, looking around in a panic. "Takumi?!"
She searched frantically but couldn't find him.
Later, Igaram and Pell found her in a deserted area outside Alabasta, crying.
"Princess Vivi, are you okay?" Igaram asked, worried.
Vivi hugged Igaram's leg, sobbing. "Takumi left! He disappeared right in front of me. I just wanted to say goodbye. Does he really hate me that much?"
"Princess, I don't think that's it," Pell said gently. "From what we've seen of him, Takumi seems to be someone who's used to traveling alone. It's not that he dislikes you. He's just used to his own company."
"But why wouldn't he let me see him off?" Vivi asked, still crying.
Igaram thought for a moment before responding. "I think maybe he didn't want you to feel sad. It's always hard to say goodbye. Instead of making you watch him sail away, he chose to leave quietly."
Of course, Igaram was just making this up to comfort her.
"Really?" Vivi sniffed. "Will he ever come back to Alabasta?"
"Definitely!" Pell said confidently.
Vivi looked up, confused. "How do you know for sure?"
Pell smiled. "Because I still owe him a drink. He'll be back for that."
******
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