"Great salvage! Great salvage!..."
Several heads turned toward the source of the commotion, spotting a massive ship, several times larger than their own. At the bow of the vessel stood a monkey, rhythmically banging two gongs together.
Suddenly, a voice boomed from the ship.
"All the wrecks in these waters belong to us, the Ape Pirates! Which means they're mine to salvage, as the Salvage King! Boys, are you ready?"
...
The large, ape-like man, after a long pause, noticed something strange—no one had responded to his rallying call. His brow furrowed in annoyance.
He turned to his crew and demanded, "What's wrong with you lot? Why didn't anyone answer?"
Still, there was no reply. Just as he was about to let loose a string of curses, one of his crew members finally stepped forward, hesitantly asking:
"Uh... Boss, did you just say that all the sunken ships in this area are ours?"
"Of course! You've been with the crew long enough to know that! What kind of dumb question is that?" The Ape King scowled.
The crewmember fell silent for a moment before quietly asking, "But... what about the sky?"
"The sky? Are you an idiot? What kind of ship would be in the sky?"
The crew remained silent but pointed behind him in unison.
"What's the matter with all of you now?" he asked in confusion, turning around.
The moment his eyes caught sight of the scene behind him, his jaw dropped.
"W-What... the ship... it's... floating in the air??"
The ape-like man rubbed his eyes furiously, thinking it was some sort of illusion. But no matter how hard he tried, the ship continued to hover in the sky above him.
He stood there, dumbfounded, unable to utter a word. After a long pause, he muttered to himself, "I must be dreaming. Yeah, that's it! There's no way a ship could float in the sky."
Without thinking, he punched himself hard in the face.
BAM!
"Oww! That hurt!" But instead of dwelling on the pain, his eyes darted back to the sky, confirming what he had just seen.
Just then, he noticed something even stranger. Squinting his eyes, he peered closer at the sky, doubting his senses yet again.
Turning to his crew, he asked, "Have you... ever seen people flying in the sky?"
The entire crew nodded in sync, and beads of sweat started to form on the Ape King's forehead.
This is it. Everyone on this ship must be sick. They've got a disease that makes everything fly. First the ship, now the people!
He started to panic, mentally convincing himself that he needed some medicine to calm down.
———
Meanwhile, Kai and the others had returned to the Merry.
"Sex-crazed cook, you're dead!" Zoro shouted the moment they landed, immediately drawing his sword and charging at Sanji.
Sanji, startled, quickly recovered and matched Zoro's fury, "Third-rate swordsman, you think I'm scared of you?"
Ignoring the usual bickering between the two, Kai and the rest gathered on the sidelines, chatting.
"Well, did you find any clues?" Usopp asked eagerly.
"No," Kai shook his head. "All we found were some ancient ceramics. They're worthless, and it looks like the place was already looted."
"Ah? Then how are we supposed to get to Sky Island?" Usopp groaned in disappointment, but then a thought struck him. Turning to Kai, he asked, "Wait, Kai, can your cloud carry us all the way up?"
Kai sighed, shaking his head. "My cloud can only take us so high, not all the way up to a place like Sky Island."
Of course, this wasn't entirely true. Kai could easily fly them there, but where's the fun in that? He wanted to experience the legendary Knock-Up Stream and enjoy the thrill of the journey. Plus, he hadn't checked in at Gaya Island yet—skipping that would mean missing out on some potential rewards.
"In that case, we're back to square one with no clue how to reach Sky Island!" Nami said, rubbing her forehead in frustration.
Kai smiled thoughtfully. "Actually, we could ask some of the locals. They've been sailing these waters for years. They might know something."
Everyone immediately turned their attention to the nearby ship—the Ape Pirates' ship.
Kai chuckled and waved them over. "Let's go have a little chat with them!"
In just a few moments, Kai and his crew had boarded the Ape Pirates' ship. The sudden appearance of strangers drew attention, and the crew immediately got into defensive stances, eyeing them warily.
"Who are you? What are you doing on our ship?" one of the pirates growled.
"Hello, we're looking for a way to get to Sky Island," Luffy said, stepping forward confidently.
"We don't know anything about that fairy tale nonsense. Get off our ship before we make you regret it!" one pirate barked back.
"Sky Island? That's why you're making all this noise?" a deep voice growled from the cabin. The Ape King appeared, looking exhausted and annoyed. "I've got enough problems already without you guys screaming about some made-up island."
He glanced at Kai and the others, frowning in curiosity. "Who are you lot?"
Luffy didn't answer directly but instead pointed at him with wide eyes, exclaiming, "Whoa, you look like a giant ape!"
The Ape King's expression softened immediately, his irritation vanishing. "You think so too? You've got a good eye!"
"Yeah, totally! You really look like an ape! Hahaha!" Luffy laughed heartily.
"Hahaha! I know, right?" The Ape King joined in the laughter, feeling oddly pleased by the compliment.
After they shared a laugh, the Ape King asked, "So, why did you come aboard my ship?"
Luffy didn't hesitate. "We want to go to Sky Island. Do you know how to get there?"
The Ape King scratched his chin thoughtfully. "Sky Island, huh? Most people don't believe in that stuff. But me? I happen to be one of the few who do! Our boss has done a lot of research on it. If anyone knows how to reach Sky Island, it's him."
"Your boss knows?" Luffy's eyes lit up with excitement.
"Of course!" the Ape King puffed out his chest with pride.
"Then can you take us to him?" Luffy asked eagerly.
"Well, normally I wouldn't... but since you're my brother now, I'll make an exception!" The Ape King slapped his chest, grinning.
"Really? Thanks a ton!" Luffy grinned, shaking his hand enthusiastically.
"Hey, don't mention it, brother! For life!"
Luffy: "Good brothers, forever!"
The crew: "..."