---
"I am the Knight of the Sky! A free mercenary, here to help! The sky is filled with danger, and travelers like you often fall victim to attackers like that masked man. For a fee of 5 million extols, I'll come to your rescue!"
"Rescue us? Old man, what are you talking about? If you hadn't interfered, we would have already Killed that guy," Hancock snapped, glaring at the old man.
The old man was Gan Fall, a God of Skypiea in the past but having been usurped by Enel.
So now during Enel's reign as God, Gan Fall worked as a mercenary and called himself the Knight of the Sky.
"Kill him? Impossible. He was battle-hardened ranger. You—" GanFall stopped mid-sentence, finally taking in the Kuja crew. Most of them were women, and the three men—Akira, Itachi, and Shisui—were still young, barely past their teenage years.
"Old man, let me ask you—do you know where the Sky Island that holds the gold is?" Hancock stepped forward, her voice laced with an imperious command.
"Gold? So that's what you're here for," GanFall sighed. "Every year, people from the Blue Sea come here searching for gold. But I advise you to give up. There was a time when I could have guided you there, but now… it's too dangerous. All that effort, just for some useless metal? It's not worth risking your life."
The Kuja warriors exchanged glances, excitement flickering in their eyes. "So there really is gold here!"
"Tell us where it is!" Hancock demanded, her eyes narrowing.
GanFall smiled wryly. "You're quite the unfriendly young lady. But alright…"
Akira stepped forward, addressing the old man, "Just tell us where the gold is. We'll take care of the danger. Our lives are our responsibility, not yours."
"Even though I knew the place but my main goal isn't the gold anyway" Akira was thinking.
The old man let out a heavy sigh. "You're just like the others, rushing headfirst toward disaster. I've warned many before you, and they all made the same choice… they all regretted it. But it's your decision." He pointed toward the distant horizon. "See that waterfall? That's your entrance from the White Sea to the next level of the Sky Island. Keep heading up, and you'll find the island you're seeking."
With that, GanFall's large bird transformed into a Pegasus. He mounted it effortlessly and prepared to leave. "Good luck, brave travelers!"
With those parting words, he flew away, his form disappearing into the sea of clouds.
"Lord Hancock, shouldn't we stop that man?" asked Ran, one of the Kuja Pirates. "He clearly knows the location of Sky Island. If we force him to guide us, it would be safer."
"There's no need," Hancock replied coolly. "He already showed us the way. Let's head to the waterfall."
"Yes, my Lady!" Ran said, bowing.
Soon, the ship arrived at the base of a massive waterfall, unlike any other. It was a cascading flow of cloud-like water, with a large gate towering at its entrance. The gate had words inscribed on it: Heaven's Gate.
"Heaven's Gate? That sounds ominous," one of the Kuja remarked nervously.
"I don't like this," another pirate muttered. "It feels like we're heading toward our doom."
The ship sailed through the gate without hesitation. Suddenly, an old woman with small white wings emerged from a nearby cabin, holding a camera-like device. She began snapping pictures of the crew and the ship.
"Are you here for sightseeing or war?" she asked, her voice raspy and cold. "Either way, it doesn't matter. If you want to proceed further, you'll need to pay the entry fee—one billion extol coins per person. It's the law here."
"How dare you ask me for money, you old hag?" Hancock's face darkened, her temper flaring. "I'm not paying a single coin today."
"That's fine," the old woman replied nonchalantly.
"Eh?!!!" Shisui stared in disbelief. "Wait, is that really possible?"
The old woman shrugged. "I'm neither a guard nor a soldier. I just asked for your intention. But are you sure you want to head further up?"
"Of course," Hancock said, her tone ice-cold.
Suddenly, there was a loud 'clank', and enormous pincers shot up from beneath the sea of clouds, grabbing both sides of the ship.
"Whoa!"
"What is that thing?!"
The old woman chuckled. "That will be the Express Lobster, a creature unique to the White Sea. These giant shrimps will takes ships stationed near Heaven's Gate into the sky islands of Skypiea."
The crew watched in amazement as the gigantic shrimp-like creature began hauling the ship upward, speeding toward the higher levels of the Sky Island.
As the ship ascended, the old woman picked up a strange seashell device and reported, "Heaven's Gate monitoring officer is reporting. Almighty God and all the Priests, class 11 crime, illegal immigrants are on their way to the Holy Land."
Her voice took on a sinister edge as she added, "Prepare for Heaven's Judgment."
---
In Skypiea.
"Looks like we've got new visitors."
"Haha! More fools from the Blue Sea, thinking they can survive up here."
"I heard there's quite a crowd this time. Should be fun."
---
As the ship neared the upper levels, the sky began to open up. A sprawling island covered in lush greenery, ancient buildings, and towering trees lay before them, bathed in sunlight.
"Sky Island!" one of the Kuja exclaimed.
"It's real! I can't believe it! Islands floating in the sky…" Itachi's voice was filled with awe as he gazed at the surreal sight.
Akira placed a hand on his shoulder, grinning. "There are many incredible places in this world, Itachi. If we get the chance, I'll take you to see them all."
Hancock, standing nearby, gazed longingly at the island. "I want this place."
Akira, momentarily taken aback by her bold statement, smiled. "This place is indeed amazing. For a moment, I thought about making it the new home for the Uchiha clan, but… ultimately, it's too isolated. Amazin Lily Island is more practical."
Hancock rolled her eyes, clearly annoyed. "So you stayed because you like Amazon Lily Island more?"
Akira laughed. "Something like that."
If it weren't for Akira's overwhelming strength, Hancock might have given him a swift kick for that comment.
"Is the gold we're looking for really here on Sky Island?" one of the pirates asked.
Shisui pointed to a group of armed guards gathered near the shore. "We can find out by asking them."
Suddenly, one of the guards spotted them and shouted, "Illegal immigrants from the Blue Sea!"
"A 11 class criminals"
...