Ann squi him. "Thinking? Just what is going on in your head."

  She ughed, nudging him, but there was something in his eyes she couldn't quite read.

  Luffy chuckled, shaking his head. "Well, nothing much. Anyway, I'm leaving. Gonna go see some things."

  Both Sabo and Ann blinked in surprise.

  "Leaving? Like… leaving Foosha?" Ann asked, her tone more serious now.

  "Yep. Got a little adventure waiting for me," Luffy replied, his voice carefree but his mind already elsewhere. He took a step toward the door, then turo the three of them, his gaze softer but i.

  "Take care of things here while I'm gone, okay?" He was already halfway out, heart pounding with excitement at what y ahead.

  Makino called after him, her voice holding a tremor of worry. "Luffy, wait! Are you sure about this? What's so important that you'd leave like this?"

  He paused, looking back with a smirk. "Something that's worth everything."

  And with that, he turned and disappeared from the bar, the neer with the words Elegia and tragedy left lying on the ter like a secret he couldn't share.

  Luffy stood at the edge of the vilge, his eyes fixed on the distant horizoook a deep breath, then smirked, pulling the system interfad opening the Universal GPS. Its smooth surface held a soft glow, casting a faint blue light over his small, determined face.

  With a fes, the map expanded, showing him the distaween his current location and Sky Isnd.

  The route stretched through uncharted territories and miles of open sea, a daunting journey for most, but to Luffy, it was nothing short of thrilling.

  "Sky Isnd, huh? Let's see just how high up it is…" He murmured to himself, a glint of excitement in his eyes. The ing side of his soul reveled in the preparation, calg the time and speed he'd o reach his destination.

  As the GPS settled into navigation mode, Luffy's thumb traced over his wrist. With a quick flick, he activated his u u no Mi powers, feeling the familiar, exhirating pull as he stretched upward, ready to leap from one cloud to the .

  A moment ter, he was s through the air. He bihe u u no Mi with the Sky Walk teique he'd learned, practically flying over the waves below. With each bound, he could feel his heart race with a mix of excitement and satisfa, knowing that he was growing stronger with every step of this journey.

  The wind whipped through his hair, the salt spray of the o mist cooling his face. There was a freedom in this—being alone on the vast open sea with nothing but his goal before him and the endless blue expanse around him.

  For hours, Luffy tinued his high-speed travel, leaping aing in short bursts, his eyes glued to the distant sky, where he knew Sky Isnd awaited. As he journeyed, his mind wao the Goro no Mi, the legendary Devil Fruit he sought.

  'The power of thunder, he mused, a sly grin crossing his face. With that, I'll be unstoppable. Imagihe kind of people I'll attray side with that strength. I'll be more than a legend—I'll be a force of nature.'

  After hours of relentless movement, the air began to feel lighter, and cooler, with a mist ging to the space around him. He knew he was close; the White Sea was near.

  The GPS firmed it, the route narrowing as he approached the thin barrier that separated the Blue Sea from the cloud-like o above.

  As he broke through the mist, a new world unfolded before his eyes. The White Sea stretched endlessly in all dires, a shimmering o made not of water, but of clouds, thid soft beh his feet.

  For a moment, Luffy simply stood there, stunned by the beauty of it. The sky above was a deep, endless blue, and the "sea" beh him reflected golden light from the sun as it glowed through the clouds, casting everything in a magical, otherworldly hue.

  "Wow…" Luffy murmured, his voice barely a whisper. He took a step forward, his foot sinking slightly into the dense cloud-like sea. "This pce... it's unreal."

  He looked out across the White Sea, his mind fshing to the future crew he inteo gather. He could picture Zoro here, standing tall and smirking at the strange o; he could imagine Nami's wide-eyed wonder as she navigated these clouds; he could almost hear Usopp spinning tales about his bravery against sky creatures.

  "Guess I'm seeing this without you guys, huh?" Luffy thought, a pang of guilt settling in his chest. "When I finally bring you all here… it'll be worth the wait."

  A warm smile crossed his face as he thought of his future friends, his loyalty to them as fierce as his desire to grow stronger.

  He took another deep breath, letting the fresh, pure air fill his lungs. This pce was beyoiful—it felt like stepping into a dream. Yet, as much as he wao enjoy it, his gaze sharpened. He couldn't linger here; he had a mission to plete.

  Pushing his ses aside, Luffy took annce around, his senses heightened. Everything here looked different, but it also felt fragile, as if even the slightest disturbance could shatter the illusion.

  As he moved forward, the clouds shifted beh him, rising and falling in waves like a real sea. Each step felt like walking on air, his feet leaving faint iions that disappeared seds ter.

  "If I didn't have a purpose here, I'd be tempted to stay a bit longer," He muttered, his griurning. "But there's someone waiting for me—and I won't let her down."

  His mind drifted briefly to Uta, and he ched his fists. 'No matter what it takes, I'm bringing her back. She's not going to face this world alone.'

  The power that had brought him here, that ing side of him that analyzed and phrived on the idea of proteg her, of shaping his future through sheer will.

  As he moved across the White Sea, Luffy's footsteps became a rhythm, each step drawing him closer to his destination. He looked around, his sharp eyes catg glimpses of life in the clouds—a flock of skybirds glided above, their wings catg the golden light, while strange cloudfish swam below, leaving ripples across the cloud sea. He marveled at the world around him, each detail filling him with awe.

  "A pce this amazing… it's almost like a piece of heaven dropped into the sea." He let his thoughts wander, sav the peacefulness of the se.

  But his resolve didn't waver. Every sight, every wonder he entered was a reminder of why he was here and what he had to do.

  Soon, he'd reach Sky Isnd, and there he would find the Goro no Mi. The thrill of that power surged through him again, anticipation and ambition mixing in his veins.

  'I will need all the strength I get to make a mark in this world—to protect what's mine.'

  --- ? ? ? ---

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