A Week and a Half Later...
[Mock Town, Jaya]
It was a stormy evening, the kind when people would seek refuge in their homes, huddled close to their hearths, warming themselves against the chilly winds of the approaching storm.
The pirates, however, begged to differ. They hollered and drank merrily along the long boardwalks that served as streets, connecting buildings near the sandy terrain and rocky shores.
The island's architecture was distinct. White stone buildings and towers rose from the ground, their walls punctuated by small, circular windows with redwood frames. The architects had chosen these diminutive openings with purpose—any larger and the walls might crumble under their own weight.
Each building was crowned with a red tier-layered roof, a design replicated across the island. Mock Town was infamous for attracting pirates, who often clashed violently in its streets. Bounty and reputation drove these conflicts, frequently ending in bare-knuckle brawls between rival crews.
"Captain John's treasure map for sale!"
"Shipwreck sighting! Gold confirmed, 10,000 berries for the news!"
"New stack of bounties, 100 berries!"
Hawkers and salvage divers worked the streets, calling out to passersby who either ignored them or spat in their direction. On this island, the only currency that held weight was bounty—and it had to be in the millions.
Under the darkening skies and relentless rain, two figures in black cloaks walked steadily along the wooden planks. Their hoods were drawn up, but occasionally, as they passed beneath the orange glow of store lights, one could catch glimpses of silver hair.
The pair moved with purpose, their presence drawing the attention of pirates and their henchmen. Yet no one dared approach—their instincts warned them that crossing these strangers would lead to their doom.
They passed the tall tower and entered a small, irregular square where several bars and saloons clustered together. A few steps from one of the saloons, they stopped before a large wooden noticeboard.
"They sure made everyone know about us now..." Axe, the taller of the two, spoke softly.
"It must've made you happy," Andretta replied, glancing at his wet face illuminated by the bar's orange lamp.
"Not as much as you!" He caught her eye with a smirk.
Andretta narrowed her eyes and lightly punched his shoulder. "Are you saying I'm shallow? Caring only about the price on my head?"
"I never said that..." He shook his head. "You always jump to conclusions. You were the one who squealed in joy when the new bounties arrived."
"I would have you know, Mister Axe, that I only care about them as a measure of strength!" She lifted a finger and pressed it against his chest.
"I know, and going by your logic, this means I'm stronger than you," he said, smiling. He caught her hand and moved toward the saloon. "We need to go, everyone's waiting!"
"Why are you grabbing my hand?" She fell into step beside him.
"Do you mind if I do?"
"You're acting strange, Axe... have you finally fallen for me?"
Axe coughed, quickly changing the subject. "You haven't paid what you owe me yet, Andretta..."
"You haven't forgotten about that?"
"Never!"
"I'll let you hold my hand as part of the payment. How about it?"
"A cheap deal... but I'll take it... for now..." he replied while looking ahead, missing the fleeting smile that crossed her face.
They entered the saloon, leaving the posters on the board to weather in the howling wind and rain.
The interior was simple in its arrangement. A bar counter stretched along the back wall, where the owner, a black-skinned man, stood wiping his bottles. Round tables and chairs filled the left and right sides, occupied by customers either passed out or engaged in card games.
Despite the numerous crowded bars they'd passed, this saloon was surprisingly empty. The atmosphere was cozy, the space brightly lit. The wooden floor had faded to a dull brown, marked with suspicious dark stains whose origins were best left unquestioned. The walls, however, were adorned with wanted posters of famous pirates, including Alexander and his crew.
All eyes turned toward them as the chilly wind announced their entrance. The patrons sized them up, wondering if it would be worth the risk to discover what lay beneath those cloaks.
Most were wise enough to keep their distance, but there were always fools who mistook their presence in the Grand Line as a mark of greatness.
"And who might you be?" a slurred voice called out. A violet-haired man rose from one of the tables to the right and stumbled toward them.
"Why don't you let me take a look at what's beneath that, huh? Tell me, are you a Marine coming to arrest me?" He thrust his face toward Axe, his breath a nauseating mixture of alcohol and decay.
Andretta ignored the man completely, pulling Axe past him. Her eyes were fixed on a man wearing a white tank top and red striped pants seated at one of the left tables.
"Who said you could go?" The violet-haired man grabbed the edge of Axe's cloak, pulling back his hood.
The saloon fell silent as Axe's face was revealed. Without a word, he turned to face the man, whose confusion quickly gave way to terror.
"Damn it, Johnny did it this time..."
"He's used to it. The Spades pirates kicked his ass two weeks ago..." the bartender commented, seemingly unconcerned about what would happen next.
"Axe... 300,000,000 berries..." Johnny mumbled in fear. A second later, his world went black.
After withdrawing his fist, Axe turned back to Andretta, who had also lowered her hood. They approached the muscular blonde-haired man with a chestnut atop his head, who had been watching them intently.
The man's hand had been resting on his flintlock pistol since their arrival, but he made no move to draw it as they stopped before his table.
Axe extended his hand. After a moment's hesitation, Mont Blanc Cricket shook it.
"Mont Blanc Cricket, I presume," Axe said.
Cricket eyed him warily. "Yes... what do you want?"
"We need your help, and we're willing to pay for your services..."
"I don't think I have much to offer pirates like you..." He shook his head. Years had passed since anyone had approached him with respect rather than the jeers and ridicule they usually threw behind his back.
Axe remained silent as Andretta lifted a finger toward the ceiling.
"We want to go up, and you seem to be the expert regarding these matters... That's what your two Monkey followers told us..."
"Masira! Shoujou!" Cricket leapt to his feet, anger flashing in his eyes. "You better not have hurt either of them!"
"We wouldn't stoop so low... Relax, old man, they're fine," she said, winking at Cricket. "However, if you want to be sure about their safety, you'd better come with us..."
The blonde-haired man glared at them for several seconds before mastering his anger.
"Lead the way," he said calmly.
"Good, let's go!" Axe nodded, and they left the saloon. They walked in silence, following the edge of the cliff that led toward the north of the island.
Twenty minutes later, they stood before the Perfume Yuda, anchored close to the cliffside. Cricket spotted a group of women and men standing on the forecastle deck, accompanied by Masira and Shoujou, who appeared to be laughing and in good spirits.
"Welcome!" A voice behind him made Cricket start. He turned to find a tall young man looking at him, his eyes gleaming like molten gold.
"We need your help, Cricket!" The young man extended his hand. "Please help us reach the Sky Island!"
Mont Blanc's eyes widened as he recognized the three-billion-bounty pirate before him. In that moment, he realized he had no choice in the matter.
"How can I help you?"
Two Days Later
"JAH!"
"Shut up, stupid bird!"
"JAH! JAH!"
"Alexander! I swear I'm going to throw this stupid bird off the ship!" Andretta screamed while dodging the South Bird that pecked angrily at her hair.
"Shut up, Andretta! The whirlpool is forming—get everyone inside!" Alexander yelled. Above them, the sky had darkened, and below, the sea swirled, drawing the ship in circles. Soon they would be pulled to the center, where the Knock-Up Stream would fling them skyward.
"Aye!" She finally managed to stun the large red bird with a well-placed slap, then evacuated the remaining Kujas, leaving only Alexander, Alarin, and Kuma on deck, drenched by the rain.
"Are you ready, Kuma?" Alexander asked with a grin.
"Ready for my death? Perhaps not..." the giant replied dryly, staring at the black mass among the clouds.
"Look at Alarin—he seems to be enjoying it!" Alexander ignored Kuma's pessimism and pointed to where Alarin was securing himself to the mast with a thick rope.
"I'm not!" the green-haired man protested while testing the rope's strength.
"Alright! Alright! I know it's dangerous, but we have to do it," Alexander said, his expression growing serious as he looked at his crew.
"This island will be our safe haven, for us and our families, should the World Government ever decide to move against us." His eyes held no trace of amusement—only pure determination.
"We understand, Alexander. No need to worry..." Alarin said as he finished securing himself and moved to help Axe and Andretta. Inside the palace, Sabine and Hancock were ensuring Bonney's safety.
Alexander nodded. "Good. Now we wait..." He watched as the whirlpool's speed increased dramatically over the next few minutes.
The tension mounted as they drew closer to the center. Andretta and Axe appeared to be praying, Alarin braced himself against the mast, and Kuma stood ready by the palace door.
"IT'S COMING!" Alexander shouted, running back to join Kuma.
The sea grew eerily calm as the whirlpool vanished, but the ship began to vibrate violently. Then, without warning—
BOOM!
The sea beneath them exploded, shooting a massive column of water into the sky. From a distance, the Knock-Up Stream might have looked majestic, like a pillar supporting the heavens, but those aboard the ship were in no position to appreciate its beauty.
"AGH!" Andretta and Axe clung to each other, screaming as the ship rode the stream's edge, barely maintaining its course despite the giant wings Cricket had installed.
"Kuma, remember our agreement—every time the ship starts tilting back, you must repel us back on course," Alexander said as he and Kuma stood braced against the palace walls.
"Don't worry!" Kuma removed his gloves and prepared himself. They had only covered a third of the stream's height when the ship began to lose its angle and contact with the water.
"IT'S TILTING! IT'S TILTING!" Andretta and Axe shouted in unison, now huddled together on the mast.
"KUMA!" At Alexander's signal, the buccaneer wasted no time. He thrust out his palm, conjuring a giant paw bubble that expanded to encompass the entire ship, then pushed.
WHOOSH! The ship vanished, then rematerialized above the stream's midsection. It slammed into the water's surface and skidded like a stone before beginning to lose angle again.
Kuma repeated the process, sending the ship flying upward again and again until finally, they burst through the dark clouds into a world of pure white, fluffy clouds and crystal-clear blue skies.
The ship settled gently onto the sea of clouds, sinking slightly before bobbing back up.
"How beautiful!" Andretta and Axe disentangled themselves from their awkward embrace to stare at a gigantic cloud waterfall. Just below it stood a massive yellow star-shaped gate bearing the words:
"HEAVEN'S GATE"
"How are we supposed to move this island?" Alarin murmured in amazement at the sheer scale of their surroundings. If the gate was this size, he could only imagine how vast the entire island must be.
"We need power, fuel..." Alexander said as he and Kuma walked toward Alarin.
"And where will we find enough fuel to move this island?" He scratched his beard and untied himself.
"There's a person on this island who can help—Arsen mentioned them... We'll ask nicely for their help, but I doubt they'll be willing to give this piece of land to some land dwellers..."
"And if they won't?"
"Then I'm afraid we'll have to take everything by force. I won't tolerate any mistakes during this mission..." Alexander replied, his eyes flashing menacingly for a moment. Everyone felt the surge of power emanating from his clenched fist.
He bent down and picked up a red apple, studying it thoughtfully. The fight with the Malformed Star came flooding back to his mind—when he had sworn to become a monster if that's what it took to protect his loved ones.
"We'll be taking everything by force... Including what he holds most precious..."
Once again, honor and duty clashed within his mind.
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Thanks for reading, there'll be a chapter tomorrow; if I get better from the flu.