The liween sea and sky blurred. A colossal current—carrying the force to send an isnd skyward, erupted from the o's depths.
"BOOM!!!"
The sound was deafening. Like a curtain—vast and overwhelming, it stretched across Isnds - a sight of breathtaking grandeur.
The power of nature was beyond human prehension. Bck Bear LaBeouf, who had already fled beyond the current's reach, was still gasping for breath, his heart pounding with lingering fear.
He stared at the t pilr of water, a mixture of awe and terror etched on his face. If he had been a moment slower, hesitated for even a sed, he would be dead. His ship would be nothing but splinters, his crew, lost to the depths.
A fleeting thought crossed his mind—the boy, the one who had jumped into the sea.
...
"Hahahaha!" Arthur ughed, a wild, urained sound—He had waited five years for this, five years of pnning, of pretending. And now, his moment had finally arrived.
This was just the first step, the first step towards reag the pinnacle of this world!
He was a strong swimmer; his rigorous training had seen to that—He had also spent the st five years fishing with the vilgers of Jaya.
His physical strength was immense—his lung capacity incredible, allowing him to hold his breath uer for an astonishing amount of time.
Arthur took a deep breath and plunged into the water, swimming towards the ter of the t water n. The edges were too risky; he might fall out. Only the ter guaranteed a successful ast to Sky Isnd.
Remember, Sky Isnd had two yers—The first was at around 23,000 to 26,000 feet, the sed at 33,000 feet.
They were separated by a few thousa. Only the sed yer was where Arthur desired to be.
Enel's home—Birka, was at 33,000 feet. To get the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, Arthur o meet Eo know his location.
In the inal story, Enel was in his thirties when Luffy defeated him. Right now, it was 1493, meaning Enel robably in his teens.
He might be older, he might be younger.
But it didn't matter—Ohur reached Sky Isnd, the Rumble-Rumble Fruit would be his. He could follow Enel or search for it himself. It was only a matter of time.
....
The immense force of the current carried everything upwards. Debris from the seabed, fish, all were swept up.
Some fell baidway. Others would remain in the sky forever. Maybe one day they would fall bato the Blue Sea during a shift in the White Sea's cumulonimbus clouds.
Arthur was in the very ter of the rising current, holding his breath, his cheeks puffed out. He was excited, looking at the fish swimming around him.
Time passed. Arthur could feel the current slowing. It was still rising, but not as forcefully.
He knew he had passed through the White Sea at around 25,000 feet. He was less than 7,000 feet from the White-White Sea, from Sky Isnd.
"Damn it, I'm running out of air. Already?" Arthur's face was flushed—his body weakening. The Lack of oxygen was making him dizzy.
"Hold on, hold on! My dream is within reach!" He was desperate, so close. Failure here was uable.
If he reached Sky Isnd but failed to get the fruit, he could only bme his bad lud grumble a bit. But failing on the ? Unthinkable! That was not an option.
Failure meah. There was no sed ce.
"Is this where my journey ends? No—I absolutely refuse!"
Arthur grimaced, holding onto his st shred of sciousness. Darkness closed in. He passed out.
....
Sky Isnd ce beyond human reach—33,000 feet above the Blue Sea. Most people thought it was a myth, a fantasy.
That was because most who tried to reach it died. Only the exceptionally strong, or the exceptionally lucky, survived, a mere handful. So, legends of Sky Isnd circuted on the seas, but no one could prove its existence.
There were only two ways to get there: one was to ride the rising sea current, like Arthur. The other was to ehe White Sea at around 23,000 feet via the High West.
A gentle breeze blew. Soft, fortable isnd clouds were beh him...
"Gah!!"
"Cough! Cough!"
Arthur gasped, coughing up seawater. He opened his eyes, clutg his head. It felt like it litting open. His body, starved of oxygen, was now funing normally again.
Sky Isnd was high up. The air was thin. But it was enough t him back.
"Hahahaha! I made it..." Arthur pushed himself up—grabbing a handful of the soft, white isnd cloud. He was certain. This was where he had loo be.
Tears streamed down his face as he ughed—His first step, the hardest step, was a success.
He wiped away the tears, squinting. His vision was blurry, like he was severely nearsighted.
He could only rely on on sehe sea breeze was ing from the White-White Sea.
The restricted blood flow had definitely affected his vision.
"Nothing to worry about," he mumbled to himself. "Just a temporary side effect. A little rest, and my vision should be back to normal."
Arthur wasn't worried. He was just excited.
He had waited years for this, paid the priow, he could finally rex. He felt lighter.
Taking small steps, he came to the edge of the White-White Sea and sat down, reag out to feel for any shells that might have washed up.
He was starving. He needed food. Otherwise—he wouldn't have the strength to deal with any surprises.
There were many types of shells on Sky Isnd. Arthur found a bunch, even with his eyes closed.
He brought them close, able to tell they were non-toxid could be eaten raw.
The altitude didn't give him altitude siess, so he could eat raw food without vomiting. Strong people had better adaptability. He was most proud of his body's ability to adapt and recover quickly. It ractically a superpower in itself.
After a good meal, Arthur's vision was a little better. He began to explore.
He o gather information as quickly as possible. That way, he could take the initiative and form a pn.
Behind him was the White-White Sea. Only in front of him were white isnd clouds. The choice was obvious. Arthur adjusted his animal-hide clothing and walked forward.
Isnd clouds were strahey felt different than solid ground.
Walking on them felt unsafe—like you might fall through at any moment. It was a discerting feeling, enough to make anyone feel a little nervous.
