or the next period of time, the ship continued to sail across the sea.
The women of the Nine Snakes began to practice snake breathing, and they all recognized the power of this technique. It was then that they truly understood what a gift Kai had given them.
The previous wariness and distance they felt toward Kai and the others faded away, replaced by enthusiasm.
"I see it! It's Gaya Island!" the navigator on lookout shouted loudly.
"Gaya Island!"
"We're here?"
"Is there really a lot of gold?!"
…
As soon as they heard that Gaya Island had arrived, everyone rushed out of the cabin.
"But didn't it say that the gold is above the 10,000-meter Sky Island? How are we supposed to get to the Sky Island?"
"Leave this to me," Kai said as he stepped out of the cabin.
Hancock crossed her arms and looked at Kai, asking, "How are you going to solve that? Are you just going to fly up?"
"You're so smart; yes, I'll just fly up."
"???"
Before anyone could react, Kai said, "Stand still!"
Kai pressed his palms on the deck, and suddenly the ship's hull shook and began to rise slowly.
"It's flying!!" everyone in the Nine Snakes exclaimed.
"How can this be?!" Hancock's expression changed in disbelief.
Shisui reassured her, "This is brother Kai's ninjutsu. Don't worry."
"Ninjutsu? What can your ninjutsu do? Why does it feel so omnipotent?"
He can spit water, fire, and wind. He can release thunder and lightning, stand on the sea, and now he can actually fly?!
"Because Brother Kai is a real genius," Itachi chimed in, speaking up for the first time.
Only he and Shisui understood how terrifying Kai's talent was.
Kai manipulated the massive hull and quickly ascended. This ninjutsu was the Third Tsuchikage's Light and Heavy Rock Technique, which he had acquired through a deal with the Third Tsuchikage.
Initially, the Third Tsuchikage had been reluctant to make this deal and even attempted to take action against Kai. After all, getting rid of such a talented ninja from Konoha Village would benefit Iwagakure greatly.
However, the Third Tsuchikage underestimated Kai and ended up injured by him. It was only then that the Third Hokage recognized the threat posed by this talented boy from the Uchiha clan.
In Kai, the Third Tsuchikage seemed to see a reflection of himself.
Ultimately, the Third Tsuchikage was forced to make a deal with Kai and handed over this ninjutsu.
Even after giving this ninjutsu to Kai, he doubted that Kai could successfully master it. After all, he was the only one in Iwagakure who could use it. He had tried teaching it to others, but no one could learn it, so he didn't believe Kai would succeed either.
Yet again, he underestimated Kai's talent. Although this ninjutsu was incredibly challenging, Kai eventually mastered it.
"Bang!"
The clouds parted as the ship's hull landed on the fluffy white surface, and warm, soft sunlight shone down on them.
"This... are we really above the clouds?!" the women of the Nine Snakes exclaimed in disbelief, staring at the endless sea of clouds surrounding them.
"Is this the White Sea?"
"It's so beautiful!"
"I never thought a place like this existed!"
As they admired the stunning scenery, everyone was captivated, even the empress, Boa Hancock, who found herself lost in the breathtaking view.
"Huh? Someone is coming," Kai sensed something and looked in one direction.
Everyone turned to see a figure standing on the clouds, rushing toward them at high speed.
Suddenly, a figure leaped onto the ship. The man wore a strange indigenous mask, holding a shield in one hand and a rocket launcher in the other.
"Hey, stop! What do you want?!" someone shouted.
"Destroy you..." the masked man replied ominously.
"You're asking for death!"
The combatants of the Nine Snakes immediately sprang into action, positioning themselves to block the intruder. Seeing this, the masked man jumped high into the air, hoisting the rocket launcher onto his shoulder and aiming it at the ship below.
Boom----!
An explosion erupted in mid-air.
"If you want to attack our ship, you'll have to get through me first!" Rindian shouted, shouldering her own rocket launcher. She was the sniper of the Nine Snakes Pirates and had just fired to counter the masked man's attack.
"Snort!" the attacker grunted, preparing to continue his assault.
But a voice rang out from the sky: "We'll take care of it this time!!"
A figure swooped down quickly, stabbing at the masked man with a weapon. The masked man raised his shield to block the attack, but the force of the impact sent him tumbling into the sea of clouds below.
"Not again!" the masked man realized he couldn't continue the fight and quickly retreated into the distance.
The newcomer landed beside the ship.
"Who is it this time?" someone asked.
"I am the 'Aerial Knight'! I'm a free mercenary. This ocean is dangerous. Those like the one you just encountered often hunt down passing ships and leave them with nothing," he announced dramatically. "For a fee of 5 million Igus coins, I'll come to your rescue!!"
"…"
The members of the Nine Snakes exchanged confused glances, wondering when they had ever needed rescuing.
If the old man hadn't suddenly shown up to cause trouble, they would have been ready to capture the masked man, but instead, he had fled.
Kai felt a surge of joy at the appearance of the old man. It seemed the main characters had not yet arrived. As long as they didn't show up, his biggest target might have escaped.