(Please add it to your Library! Please send Power Stones! Thank you!)
----
Above the sea, the Going Merry was sailing smoothly.
"This feels good!"
Vivi stood at the bow of the ship, arms outstretched, feeling the wind against her skin.
Although she had felt the sea breeze many times before, this time it felt completely different.
Without the weight of Alabasta on her shoulders, she could sail freely across the ocean with her friends. It felt like a dream.
And the one who made all of this possible...
Vivi's beautiful eyes unconsciously drifted toward Ace, her cheeks turning slightly red.
Ace, do you know what happened that night, what I felt...
Nami, Kaya, Nojiko, and Tashigi glanced at Ace with expressions that were far from natural.
"What's up with you all? You're acting so strange."
Ace took a leisurely sip of his beer and looked at the girls.
Their faces grew even redder.
"It seems your crew is still a little embarrassed about what happened that night," Robin teased, sipping her tea with a sly smile.
"You! If Ace didn't need a historian, we wouldn't have let you on board! And even now, I still don't fully trust you!" Nami retorted, her face flushing even more as she rushed over to confront Robin.
Robin smiled gracefully, propping her chin on her hand. "What a coincidence, I happen to have some jewelry left over from Crocodile."
She pulled a heavy bag of treasure from her pocket.
"Sister! How are you finding life on this ship?" Nami's eyes immediately turned into Bailey symbols, captivated by the shiny jewels.
"Nami... defeated again," Vivi sighed, watching Nami with an exasperated look.
This crew was clearly already wealthy.
After all, the Devil Fruits they obtained from Mr. 3 and the others alone were worth more than 500 million Baileys.
Nojiko covered her face with her hand, a look of helplessness on her face.
Her sister's love for money was ingrained in her very bones.
But, maybe it was all because of what had happened in Cocoyasi Village.
Nojiko watched Nami counting the jewels, her eyes shining, and noticed Ace gazing at Nami with an affectionate smile.
Ace was like that, always protecting Nami's kindness.
Just like he protected all of our dreams...she thought.
Kaya giggled behind her hand, then sat down next to Ace as usual. As she read her medical book, she stole glances at him and smiled sweetly.
After Robin's lighthearted interruption, the atmosphere on the Merry gradually returned to normal.
Nami studied the navigation chart to plan their route, while Nojiko skillfully guided the ship's rudder.
Under Nami's command, Kaya, Vivi, and Tashigi adjusted the sails and checked their bearings.
As for Ace, he was lying leisurely on a deck chair, basking in the sunlight.
"You're quite relaxed, Captain," Robin said, sipping her tea while observing the busy girls and the laid-back Ace.
Nami, having just received a heap of jewelry from Robin, understood the value of knowing when to be tactful, so she joined Robin for afternoon tea.
"A captain should leave the sailing to his lovely crew. I have the best navigator, helmsman, doctor, swordsman, combatants, and historian in the world. The captain only needs to step in when it truly matters," Ace said with a smile, his hands behind his head.
Robin was taken aback, not just because of Ace's unwavering trust in Nami and the others, but also because of his words: "I have the best historian..."
Since the Ohara incident, Robin had lived a life on the run, fighting to survive. A surge of emotion welled up in her heart.
As for what Ace said about the captain stepping in at critical moments, Robin, who had witnessed Ace's incredible strength, had no reason to doubt.
"Well, the route is stable… Wait, what's going on?"
Nami was checking the calm sea with a satisfied grin when suddenly, her pupils shrank in disbelief as she looked at the Log Pose on her wrist.
"What's wrong, Nami?" Nojiko asked, concerned.
Kaya, Vivi, and Tashigi also turned their attention toward her, worry etched on their faces.
"The Log Pose… it's pointing up… to the sky…" Nami murmured, staring at the device in shock.
"What?"
Vivi, Nojiko, Kaya, and Tashigi gasped and instinctively looked skyward.
"Whoosh! Boom!"
Suddenly, pieces of shipwrecks began falling from the sky with a thunderous crash.
"A ship… it's falling from the sky!" Vivi, Kaya, Nami, Nojiko, and Tashigi shouted in disbelief, watching the debris plummet.
"Nami! The wreckage is falling toward us!"
Vivi cried out, panic in her voice.
"Turn the rudder quickly!" Nami shouted.
Nojiko rushed to the helm, steering the Merry away from the falling debris.
Kaya, Vivi, and Tashigi worked to adjust the sails.
"Aren't you going to do something?" Robin asked, puzzled by Ace's calm demeanor as he lay on the deck chair, watching the falling wreckage.
With Ace's power, a single attack could easily burn all this debris away, right?
"At this level? I don't need to do anything," Ace replied, smiling slightly. "I have the best crew in the world."
Ace's words seemed to awaken something in Kaya and Vivi, who had been feeling a bit flustered by the unexpected situation.
Vivi and Kaya looked down at their hands, their expressions shifting from panic to determination.
Yes, they were Ace's crew.
Tashigi tightened her grip on Shigure, feeling a surge of resolve.
"Vivi! Use your Sand-Sand Fruit! Kaya, Tashigi, help break apart the wreckage!" Nami commanded sharply.
"Leave it to me!" Kaya nodded, determination in her eyes.
She disappeared in a blur.
"Tempest Kick!"
Kaya unleashed several powerful air slashes with her kicks.
Tashigi, standing at the bow, unsheathed her sword with a focused expression.
"Take this!"
She swung her sword fiercely, sending a powerful flying slash into the sky.
"Boom!"
The massive chunks of debris were shattered into smaller pieces by their combined attacks.
"Vivi!" Kaya and Tashigi called out, looking at Vivi at the bow.
Vivi stood there, extending her right hand. A small swirling sandstorm formed in her palm.
"Leave it to me."
Her pretty face was filled with confidence.
"I'm no longer just the princess of Alabasta. I'm now a fighter of Ace's crew. I wield the power of the Sand-Sand Fruit, Nefertari Vivi!"
"Desert Tornado!"
Vivi raised her hand, and the small sandstorm quickly expanded into a massive whirlwind, capturing the debris falling from the sky.
"Crash!"
The violent sandstorm hurled the debris into the ocean, far from the Merry.
"Splash! Splash!"
Wreckage splashed into the sea, but the Merry remained untouched.
"Well? How about that?" Ace grinned at Robin.
"Incredible. Their strength has grown so much in just a few days," Robin admitted, her eyes sparkling with admiration.
Over the past few days, Robin had come to understand why Nami, Kaya, Nojiko, and Tashigi had seemed so weak at Whiskey Peak, yet had managed to defeat powerful foes like Mr. 3 and Mr. 1.
Within Ace's realm of comprehension, their growth had been astonishing.
Every day, the crew's strength increased rapidly.
Especially Vivi, who had gained mastery over the Sand-Sand Fruit.
Before, Robin thought Vivi had no talent for combat. But now, Vivi's control over the Sand-Sand Fruit rivaled that of Crocodile himself.
Though her power still fell short, Robin had no doubt that with Ace guiding them, it would only be a matter of time.
Ace looked at Robin and smiled.
"So, do you also want to give it a try? My power."
Robin gave a mature smile.
"Me? I'm not very interested in getting stronger. I'm more fascinated by history."
Ace chuckled but said nothing more.
Robin, you will need it sooner or later...
——
Vivi rushed over to Ace, her eyes sparkling with excitement.
"Ace! Wasn't I amazing? Hehe!"
Ace smiled and patted her head.
"You did great, Vivi."
Vivi's face lit up with joy as she leaned into his touch.
"Your hands are so warm... so safe."
Kaya came running up next, her expression full of hope.
"And me, Ace?"
Ace ruffled her blonde hair affectionately.
"Kaya, you've also grown much stronger. I can see how hard you've worked."
Kaya beamed, her face glowing with happiness. "Yes! That's why I train so hard—for moments like this."
Ace turned to Tashigi with a grin.
"Tashigi, your swordsmanship has improved too. Just as I'd expect from my swordsman."
Tashigi blushed, surprised by the compliment.
"Really?"
"Yes."
Nami pouted, her lips curling slightly.
"You're pretty good at making girls happy, aren't you?"
Nojiko nudged Nami playfully.
"Why don't you go over there too?"
Nami shot back, her cheeks flushing red.
"Why would I, when you were the one sneaking into Ace's room that night?"
Nojiko, usually composed, suddenly turned red and pretended to be engrossed in the route.
"Hmph, pretending to look at the route... The record pointer is pointing to the sky. It has to be broken, right?"
Robin smiled slightly.
"No, Miss Navigator."
Everyone quieted down and turned toward Robin.
"No? What do you mean?" Nami asked, confused.
Robin explained, still smiling.
"When the pointer points somewhere strange, it usually means it has encountered a stronger magnetic force and is recalibrating."
Nami frowned, puzzled.
"But the pointer is pointing to the sky! How can that be possible? It must be broken."
Robin replied, her voice calm.
"In these vast seas, whenever you encounter something strange, don't assume the pointer is broken. Instead, question your own understanding of the world. That's the golden rule for sailing these waters."
Nami looked up, skeptical but intrigued.
"An island in the sky? How could such a thing exist?"
Ace's chuckle caught everyone's attention. "Sky Island?" he mused, smiling.
Robin's expression grew more serious.
"You know about Sky Island, Ace?"
Ace nodded.
"I've heard some stories."
Nami murmured, still shocked.
"An island... in the sky? Is that even possible?"
Kaya's eyes sparkled with excitement.
"How romantic! I want to go there!"
Nami glanced at her record pointer, still trying to process it all.
"But... how do we get up there? It seems impossible."
Ace leaned back, grinning.
"I have a feeling the Devil Fruit that's perfect for you, Nami, worth over three billion, is on Sky Island."
Nami's eyes widened.
"Really? All right, Nojiko, set course for the sky!"
Nojiko sighed, a bit flustered.
"How do you expect me to do that, Nami? I'm the helmsman, but I can't make the ship fly."
——
A loud roar interrupted their conversation.
"What did you do to my ship?!"
Everyone turned to see a giant salvage ship, with a humanoid ape shouting from its bow.
The girls stared at the ape in disbelief.
"A... talking ape?"
Ace's eyes narrowed slightly. 'It's them.'
Nami shouted back.
"What do you mean, 'your ship'?"
The ape yelled back angrily.
"Every ship that falls from the sky in this sea belongs to me! I salvage them, but you destroyed them!"
Ace's eyes flickered with a dark hue.
The ape trembled and immediately bowed in apology.
"S-Sorry, I spoke too loudly."
What a terrifying guy! the ape thought, feeling a chill down its spine.
Robin observed Ace with a knowing look.
Is this also the power of Conqueror's Haki?
Ace gestured to the ape.
"Come over here, let's talk."
The ape hesitated but then slowly approached.
"What do you want to ask? Is it about the ships falling from the sky? You can have them if you want."
Ace smiled.
"I'm not interested in the ships. I'm more curious about how to get to Sky Island."
The ape looked shocked.
"You believe in Sky Island?"
Nami jumped in, full of enthusiasm.
"Of course! We're planning to go there. Do you know how?"
The ape was overwhelmed with emotion.
"Boss! Look, there are people who believe in Sky Island!"
Ace remained patient.
"So, do you know how to get there?"
The ape replied cautiously.
"I don't know, but my boss might. He's a descendant of Montblanc Noland!"
Robin raised an eyebrow.
"Boss?"
The ape nodded.
"Yes, but he's usually out during the day. There's a small house on the coast of Jaya Island where he lives."
Nojiko thought for a moment.
"We need to stock up on supplies for our trip to Sky Island."
The ape pointed.
"Then head to Mock Town on Jaya Island. You can get everything you need there."
Ace took the pointer from the ape, grinning slightly.
"It seems Jaya Island has more surprises in store for us."