Conis gently played her harp.
She only stopped when Takumi finally woke up from his afternoon nap.
"You're awake," Conis said with a soft smile.
Takumi gave a faint response of "Mm," then rose from the cloud chair, ready to leave. However, Conis quickly called out to him.
"Takumi, wait," Conis said, bringing out a light blue bottle she had prepared earlier. "This is fruit wine I made myself. It might not be as good as the ones sold in stores, but I still really want you to try it."
Takumi silently looked at her for a moment, just about to decline.
Conis hurriedly added, "I don't mean anything by it... It's just my way of thanking you for looking out for me these past few years."
Takumi: "..."
Looked out for you?
Before Takumi could respond, Conis had already pushed the bottle into his hands. "Just take it, okay? I... I have something to do, so I'll be going now."
With that, she hurriedly ran off in a fluster.
Takumi watched her retreating figure with a blank expression before glancing at the bottle in his hand. Without much thought, he stored it in his system space.
Later, Takumi wandered around Lovely Street, bought some supplies, and after receiving several hundred bottles of alcohol from the shopkeeper that night, packed them all into his system space. The next morning, as he was preparing to leave, Conis appeared at the cloud shore, holding her pet Sky Fox, Suu, to see him off.
Even though Upper Yard was right next to Angel Island…
"Will you be back next month?" Conis asked reluctantly.
Takumi, now wearing his skates, replied with a simple "Yes."
As he prepared to leave, Conis hesitated before asking, "Um, Takumi... My father always told me that Upper Yard is a dangerous place, full of wild beasts, and that only someone as strong as God Gan Fall could live there safely. But... I've always wanted to see Upper Yard for myself, to feel the Vearth."
Vearth is what the Skypieans call soil, something every Sky Island resident dreams of touching.
Although Gan Fall was always kind to the Skypieans, the beasts in Upper Yard were far too dangerous, and the Shandians often attacked. For everyone's safety, Gan Fall had forbidden the people of Angel Island from setting foot in Upper Yard.
Everyone knew this and rarely complained about the rule.
Takumi stood silently, watching Conis.
Seeing him looking at her, Conis blushed and hurriedly said, "I-I don't mean I'm asking you to take me there or anything! I was just... I mean, I was just thinking out loud. You can forget I said anything. Safe travels, and I'll see you next month!"
With that, Conis quickly turned to leave.
But after just a few steps, Takumi's voice rang out: "I can."
Conis stopped in her tracks, turning around in surprise. "What... What did you say?"
Takumi calmly repeated, "I can take you. Half a day. At most, I'll let you look around for half a day."
"Really?" Conis asked, her face lighting up with joy.
Takumi nodded slightly, then added, "But I don't have a boat."
"I do!" Conis said excitedly. "Just wait here, I'll be right back!"
She quickly ran off, with Suu bouncing along beside her, as she headed toward her family's boat dock.
Takumi took off his skates, placing them aside.
The only reason he agreed to take Conis to Upper Yard was to repay her for the years of playing music for him and for the bottle of wine she had given him.
In the three years since arriving in the world of One Piece, Takumi had made sure never to owe anyone anything. Anyone who helped him, whether for good or ill, received something in return. Though there was one exception… He still owed Rayleigh a drink.
Before long, Conis returned, steering a small boat shaped like a black crow toward Takumi.
"This is my Crow," Conis said with a sheepish smile. "It's a bit simple, but I hope you don't mind."
Takumi didn't care about the boat's appearance. He jumped aboard. "Do you know the way?"
Conis nodded enthusiastically. "Mm-hmm, I do! Well then, shall we go?"
Takumi gave a slight nod, and Conis started navigating the Crow toward Upper Yard.
"I can't believe it! I've lived on Angel Island all my life, and this is the first time I'm going to Upper Yard. I'm a little nervous," Conis said, her hands trembling slightly as she gripped the boat's steering wheel.
Takumi remained silent, leaning back against the side of the boat, letting the wind from the sea of clouds brush against him. He took out his gourd and drank some alcohol.
"Ah, I can see Upper Yard!" Conis exclaimed excitedly, pointing toward the island covered in towering trees in the distance.
But before she could say more, a group of wild-looking people riding on skates and wind shell-powered boards appeared and quickly caught up to the Crow.
"It's the Sky Island people!" one of them called out.
"Hmm? There's a Blue Sea person with them," another observed.
"Wyper, should we take them down?" one asked.
It was the Shandians.
The man with the tattoo around his left eye, Wyper, looked coldly at Takumi and Conis, who were staring back at them.
Seeing the Shandians approach, Conis felt a wave of fear wash over her. When her eyes landed on Wyper's fierce, natural scowl, she paled and began to sweat, overwhelmed with anxiety.
Unlike Conis, Takumi remained calm. He continued sipping from his gourd as if Wyper and his crew didn't even exist.
Wyper's gaze landed on Takumi, surprised that the boy seemed completely unfazed by their presence. Narrowing his eyes, he raised his burn bazooka and fired a shot without hesitation, aiming straight at Takumi and Conis.
Conis was too terrified to speak, her face frozen with fear.
Takumi, however, calmly watched the approaching cannonball. Without a word, he stood up on the boat and kicked the cannonball back toward Wyper.
Wyper's eyes flashed with surprise as he dodged, the shot exploding harmlessly into the sea of clouds behind him.
"Who the hell are you?" Wyper asked, his face darkening.
Takumi responded coolly, "None of your concern."
"Hmph!" Wyper snorted. "If you don't want to die, stay away from Upper Yard!"
With that, he and his group sped off toward Upper Yard.
Once they had left, Conis let out a sigh of relief, her entire body relaxing as she looked at Takumi with newfound admiration. "Takumi, that was amazing!"
Takumi said nothing, quietly returning to his drink.
Conis hesitated before speaking again. "Those people were the Shandians, right? They're going to Upper Yard to fight God Gan Fall, aren't they? So... should we still go to Upper Yard?"
"Yes," Takumi replied simply as he drank.
Conis gripped the steering wheel nervously.
Takumi glanced at her and said calmly, "If you're scared, you can go back to Angel Island."
Conis blinked, her expression troubled. She was definitely afraid, but her longing to see Upper Yard was just as strong. This was her first chance to visit the place she had always dreamed of. If she turned back now, knowing Takumi as she did after three years, she might never get another opportunity to see Upper Yard with him.
****** Important******
I've changed the release schedule to every four hours because I can't keep up with producing more chapters.