Arthur was bold, but cautious. He had sidered that newers to Sky Isnd might not adapt well to the clouds. But he wasn't overly ed.

  He was certain he was currently oher Angel Isnd or Birka.

  Upper Yard, was once part of Jaya. It held a resource coveted by the Skypieans—Soil!

  It was currently occupied by the God of Skypiea, Gan Fall—Outsiders were forbidden.

  Since he wasn't standing on solid ground, he figured he must be on Angel Isnd, Birka, or a nearby isnd cloud.

  Arthur walked for about fifteen mihe sery finally ged. A unique, hexagonal building appeared amidst the white clouds. He squirying to focus his blurry vision. He vaguely recalled what this pce was!

  It was Heaven's Gate—the entry point to Skypiea.

  "So, I'm not actually in Skypiea yet? I'm still on the White Sea at 23,000 feet? Do I have to take that circur cloud road to Angel Isnd?"

  As he got closer, Arthur frowned, looking at the path leading higher.

  He had thought he was already on Angel Isnd. Now, it seemed he was oep short.

  Arthur shook his head and tinued forward, walking on the soft cloud. He suddenly stopped. A primal instinct warned him. He felt like he was being watched.

  Ihe hexagonal Heaven's Gate, there was a tunnel, a few doze long. he tunnel's edge, a door to a room suddenly opened. An old woman stepped out, about half Arthur's height.

  The old woman's face was wrinkled, like a dried plum. She was quite ugly. She wore pink clothes and had a pair of small, white wings on her back - a true Skypiean.

  She was holding a Sky Isnd-made Vision Dial camera—snapping pictures of Arthur.

  Arthur's vision was still blurry. He couldn't see who it was from this distance. But he had a guess.

  "I am the gatekeeper of Heaven's Gate, Amazon. Are you here to sightsee? To enter Skypiea, you must pay one billiool!" The short, prune-faced old woman, Amazon, said expressionlessly.

  She wasn't as old as she would be iy years. But her voice was still raspy.

  "One billiool?" Arthur frowned—He subsciously touched the translut blue gemstone hanging on his chest.

  When he was eight, stranded on Jaya, he'd already thought about the future. He knew about Skypiea's currency, Extol. 10,000 Extol equaled 1 Beli. It was cheap.

  But how could he get in without any money?

  He had once sidered using this gemstone, a family heirloom of the Seabury family. Now he'd ged his mind.

  He vaguely remembered a Seabury family member saying something when they gave it to him. They said it was the key to the family's treasure vault.

  What good stuff could a small-time family have? Gold and jewels? Arthur didn't care for those. In this world, the most important thing was strength. With strength came freedom and everything else.

  But he wouldn't just hand over this gemstone.

  He wao live as he pleased. If they asked for it, he wouldn't give it!

  Arthur smiled nontly, walking closer to Amazon. He casually asked, "Where is Birka iion to Angel Isnd? you tell me?"

  His smile was bright. With his tall frame and handsome face, he was quite charming.

  "Birka? That sounds familiar. I think it's southeast of Angel Isnd. I 't quite remember... If you go to Angel Isnd, you'll find out." Amazon thought for a moment, then replied.

  "Thank you. Then, goodbye!" Arthur got the answer he expected. He turned, walking onto the cloud in the ter of Heaven's Gate. He knew he needed a creature called an Express Shrimp to get to Skypiea.

  These creatures were incredibly fast. They would save him a lot of time.

  "Those who don't pay the toll ot enter Skypiea. That's illegal entry!"

  Amazon was annoyed. Arthur was just leaving. She took out a on made from an Impact Dial and attacked him.

  Twenty years ter, Amazon would be too zy tue under Enel's rule. But it wasn't twenty years ter yet.

  Impact Dials were another Skypiean specialty. They had incredible abilities, releasing a powerful impact. The force was parable to Arthur's stro punch.

  Arthur had already turned his back. He couldn't see what was happening behind him. But he clearly felt the danger approag.

  ....

  In that instant, his body seemed to move on its own. Instinct made him dodge to the side, pletely avoiding the attack, which was as strong as a 30-million-Beli pirate's.

  "What was that? Just now—"

  A strong gust of wind brushed past his ear, ruffling his hair—Arthur was stunned.

  His reflexes shouldn't have been fast enough to dodge that surprise attack. But somehow, his body had reacted beyond his normal capabilities. It was as if he had grown an eye on the back of his head, as if he had "seen" the ining attack.

  "Could it be Observation Haki?" He was overjoyed. He hadn't expected his—Haki to awaken without any formal training.

  It was well known that innate Observation Haki was strohan trained Observation Haki.

  In the world of pirates, there were many masters of Observation Haki. The closest to him was a little girl named Aisa on Sky Isnd. She was a Shandian. She had awakened Observation Haki at birth and could hear the voices of the dying. However, she was not yet born.

  The Fish-Man Isnd's Queen Otohime's Observation Haki could sehe emotions in people's hearts. Was that any different from mind-reading?

  Charlotte Linlin's son, the future 1-billion-plus bounty Charlotte Katakuri, had trained his Observation Haki to su extent that he could foresee the near future.

  Fujitora was blind, but his Observation Haki was formidable. he could sehe movements of distaeors and pull them down for attacks. Maybe his Devil Fruit amplified it, but his Observation Haki was still formidable.

  Many people thought Enel -tier Observation Haki user. But iy, if Enel didn't have the amplification from his Rumble-Rumble Fruit's electrical waves, his Observation Haki might not have been that strong.

  Hearing the versations of everyone on Sky Isnd ranted by the electrical waves. That made his Observation Haki seem incredibly powerful.