------------
If you enjoy please support me on my patreon Future 80+ chapters at patreon.com/Phoenizbeelze
-----
After the strange bird finally calmed down, Jason was ready to head back. But when he looked around, he realized he couldn't tell which direction he had come from.
Don't get me wrong—he wasn't someone who got lost easily! The problem was that the forest was so dark, the tall trees blocked even the moonlight, and everything around him looked identical.
"Emmm, where did I come from?"
Jason scratched his head, feeling a bit confused, but he wasn't too worried. He quickly jumped to the top of a tree and used the faint moonlight to figure out the right direction. Once he did, he jumped down and started walking toward the seaside.
As a normal person, I really don't get how Zoro always manages to get lost. It's so embarrassing!
As he walked, Jason began to hum a catchy tune, one so deeply ingrained in his DNA that it echoed far through the otherwise silent forest.
Suddenly, there was a loud noise up ahead.
"Huh? What are they doing in the forest? Isn't there a party?"
The voice was unmistakably Luffy's, with his iconic laughter echoing through the trees.
The crew had already learned from Montblanc Cricket that they needed a Southbird to guide them to the exact spot where the Knock Up Stream would appear.
Well, Jason had originally planned to take this bird back to make some soup, but he had completely forgotten about that plan.
Now, feeling playful, he decided he wanted to scare Luffy and the others. What Jason didn't realize was that Robin was with them.
If he had just used his Haki, he would have known—and maybe avoided what was coming.
Jason climbed up a tree and started moving stealthily among the branches. Before long, Luffy and the others came into view, noisily making their way through the dark forest.
Robin walked alongside Nami, but it was too dark for Jason to notice.
Usopp and Chopper were shivering as they followed the group, their eyes darting around suspiciously. It was clear they were uncomfortable in such a dark forest at night.
"I haven't eaten anyone in a long time… Finally, someone comes to die... Jie Jie Jie…"
Jason made a low, hoarse sound, like sandpaper scraping against metal, echoing in everyone's ears.
It was tough for Jason to make that sound, and it hurt his throat.
"Yeah!!! There's a monster!"
Usopp and Chopper screamed, their eyes rolling back as they collapsed to the ground. A small ghost seemed to float out of their mouths as they mumbled about the horrors of being eaten by a monster.
It was far from peaceful.
"Nami-san! Don't worry, I'll protect you!"
Zoro and Sanji immediately took fighting stances, cold sweat running down their faces. Nami, in tears, clung to Luffy's neck, begging:
"Let's go back! There are monsters in this forest! Even if we find the bird, we might not make it to Sky Island!"
Even Robin looked tense, a rare cold sweat on her face. But one person remained unfazed—Luffy.
He was completely unbothered by Nami's crying, instead looking amused.
"This is hilarious! Hahahaha! This must be an incredible bird!"
With that, Luffy dragged Nami toward the source of the sound. Despite her protests, she had no choice but to move forward.
"Hey! Are you listening to me?"
Jason, still hidden in the dark, nearly burst out laughing. But he pinched his throat again to keep up the act.
"You can eat them after you remove their heads. I want to hang their organs on the wall…"
He then switched to a higher-pitched voice.
"Yes, yes! Let's start with that little girl... hehehehe…"
Hearing this, Nami burst into tears, pounding her fists against Luffy and shouting:
"Hey!! I'm done looking for guides! Get me out of here! I'm too cute to be eaten by a monster!"
Sanji, despite usually being jealous of Luffy, quickly moved to protect Nami, positioning himself behind Luffy. Zoro did the same, and the three surrounded Nami.
Robin, on the other hand, looked puzzled. Nami had woken her up to search for a guide bird and asked where Jason was. Of course, Robin had no idea where Jason had gone.
So, she had joined them in the forest, thinking it was better to search together.
When she first heard the eerie voice, she felt uneasy. But something about it seemed familiar. As she heard it again, her expression grew even stranger. Coupled with Jason's absence, she began to suspect something.
Closing her eyes slightly, she let her Haki flow, scanning the area. Though her Observation Haki wasn't as strong as Jason's, it was enough to sense the surroundings for dozens of meters.
Suddenly, she froze, and a "ꐦ" mark appeared clearly on her forehead!
"Seis Fleur!"
Jason was stifling his laughter on a tree branch when six hands suddenly appeared on his body. Two held his hands, two grabbed his ears, and the remaining two began tickling his ribs mercilessly.
Jason was shocked:
"Hiss~ Baby Robin is here too? No! This is bad!"
He wanted to struggle free, but he remembered that Robin's sprouted hands shared the same sensations as her own. If he injured them, she would feel the pain and bleed, so he hesitated.
Just as these thoughts crossed his mind, the six little hands began to exert force, and Jason lost his last chance to escape.
"Hahaha! It hurts, it hurts! Hahaha! I'm sorry, I know I was wrong!"
Everyone: ???
What's going on?
Amid Jason's laughter and cries of pain, a figure suddenly fell from the tree with a "bang," hitting the ground and writhing like a giant maggot.
Even though Jason had fallen, Robin didn't stop her relentless tickling, ensuring he felt both pain and laughter.
Nami and the others had completely forgotten their fear and approached to find that it was, in fact, Jason.
"Jason? Why are you here? What were you doing?"
"He was scaring you all just now!"
Robin ruthlessly exposed Jason's prank, causing Nami and the others, who had been surprised moments ago, to suddenly look furious.
Luffy, on the other hand, was disappointed. There were no monsters! How boring!
"Nani?? You jerk!"
"I'm going to cut him down!"
"Don't you know you could scare someone to death?"
With eyes red from frustration, Nami grabbed Jason by the collar, who was still laughing and shouting in pain.
"Hahaha! I'm sorry! Hahaha! I know I was wrong!"
The more he laughed, the angrier they got, as it didn't seem like he was apologizing at all. Nami punched Jason right in the eye.
Seeing this, Robin quickly deactivated her Devil Fruit powers. She had never actually hit Jason—at most, she just pulled his ears! How could she let someone else hit him? Especially Nami, who was just a friend, not even a sister.
Nami still had Jason by the collar, so he couldn't dodge. He quickly activated Tekkai to block her punch.
"Boom!"
"Ouch!"
Nami screamed, tears flying out of her eyes as she clutched her fist in pain.
"You can't blame me! You were the one who wanted to hit me! That's not cute at all!"
"You beast! How dare you hurt my precious Nami-san! Cruel!"
Sanji's eyes widened in anger as he flew at Jason with a kick, but Jason countered with a swift chop, knocking him down.
"Sister Robin!"
Nami looked at Robin with teary eyes, but Robin just smiled.
"I've already punished Jason! Just look at how badly he fell!"
Her words were clearly in Jason's favor, making him beam with pride. He then turned into a husky, wagging his tail as he approached Robin like a loyal pet.
"Baby Robin is always so good to me. It wasn't in vain that I caught this strange bird to prepare for you!"
He held up the Southbird in his hand. Everyone had been so distracted they hadn't noticed it earlier. But now that Jason pointed it out, they saw the bird clearly. It had been chattering away earlier, making it difficult to catch, but Jason had done it.
As they got a good look at it, their eyes widened in shock. It looked just like the totem in Montblanc Cricket's house!
Everyone except Luffy: "The Guide Bird!!!"
Luffy: (✧∇✧) "Whoa! An incredible bird!"
Jason: ᕙ(·•᷄ࡇ•᷅ )??? What the hell?
Seeing Jason's confused expression, everyone quickly explained, worried that if they didn't, he might actually kill the bird and cook it for Robin. It took Jason a moment to grasp the situation, but then a lightbulb went off in his head.
Oh! I remember now! The bird even mocked Zoro for not knowing his way around!
Tsk tsk tsk, not even as good as a bird! Serves him right!
After learning how valuable the bird was, Jason decided to postpone his soup-making plans—at least until they reached Sky Island.
With the Southbird in hand, everyone's focus shifted away from Jason's prank. They had nothing else to worry about, so they carried
----
Early the next morning, Jason woke up on the sofa and stretched out. Why the sofa and not the bed? After the exhaustion from last night, he hadn't felt like sleeping in the bed.
After pushing open the door, he noticed that everyone else, except him and Robin, was already awake.
"Jason! Finally, you're up! We're about to leave, and you're still lazing around!"
Jason: ???
Luffy, do you want a beating? Jason shot him a fierce glare before turning his attention elsewhere.
By this time, the Going Merry had been reinforced by the two apes. A comb was added to the sheep's head, wings were attached to both sides of the hull, and all damaged areas were repaired, making it perform even better than anything Usopp could have imagined. The two brothers were indeed professionals in salvage and ship repair, showcasing their unmatched expertise.
The Devil didn't undergo much repair work, except for the addition of a wing, which was added the night before.
After checking the time, Jason saw that it was nearly 7:00 AM. Everyone was ready to set sail, and the two brothers, Shoujou and Masira, were escorting the group.
Jason still felt a bit guilty. After all, he had cut their boat in half and hadn't even joined their party. Fortunately, they didn't know it was him. Out of a sense of conscience, Jason left them enough money to buy a new boat, even though they had already bought a bigger one.
"Saruyama Alliance! Are you confident in helping the Straw Hat Pirates find the Knock Up Stream?" Montblanc Cricket shouted from the shore.
"Of course! We're professionals!"
"Sail! Set sail!"
...
Four ships slowly sailed out to sea. Luffy tied the Southbird to the Merry with a rope to prevent it from flying away. Through Chopper's translation, they discovered that the bird planned to lead them north but ended up guiding them in the wrong direction.
Luffy found this hilarious, but by now, it was close to 10:00 AM.
"A Jet Stream Cloud has been detected in the southwest!"
"Alright! Saruyama Alliance, go scout the direction of the sea currents!"
"Got it!"
Following orders, two crew members dove off the escort ships.
The green ape started wailing into the microphone. Jason had to restrain himself, rationally reminding himself that cutting off the ape's microphone would jeopardize their journey to Skypiea.
After a while, the diving orangutan surfaced.
"Report! We've confirmed reflected sound waves! There's a large current surging beneath the sea surface in the shadow of the Jet Stream Cloud! It's right ahead!"
"Report! A large Sea King spotted at 9 o'clock!"
"Report! An opposing current was found at the 10 o'clock direction, possibly forming a massive whirlpool!"
Hearing this, Shoujou perked up.
"That's it! The spot where the Knock Up Stream will break out! Everyone, turn the helm and furl the sails! Head toward the 10 o'clock direction! We're entering the whirlpool!"
Nami and the others were terrified by this.
"What? Enter the whirlpool? We'll be torn to pieces!"
"Exactly! This was always a disaster waiting to happen! You should've been prepared!"
As the ship neared the intersection of the two ocean currents, the wind and waves grew stronger, and the whirlpool began to take shape.
"Kaka!"
Two grappling hooks shot out from the Saruyama Alliance's ships and latched onto the sides of the Merry and the Devil.
"Follow the whirlpool to its center! There, you'll find the upwelling current that will take you to Skypiea!"
The whirlpool grew larger and larger. The Merry and the Devil had successfully entered the whirlpool's range. The Saruyama Alliance released their hooks—they could only escort them this far. If they went deeper, they'd be caught in the whirlpool and dragged down.
"Guys, from here on, it's all on you!"
"Okay! Thank you so much!"
Luffy waved goodbye, excitement on his face, while the others were more nervous. This time, only Usopp was scared to death, while Chopper was oddly excited.
On the Devil, Robin watched the maelstrom and the Sea Kings struggling within it. She hugged Jason tightly, knowing this was no time for jokes—this situation was truly dangerous, different from the illusions they had faced before.
"This is the first time I've seen such a massive whirlpool. If the ship shatters, we'll drown!"
"Don't worry, I'm here."
"Mm!"
On the Merry, Nami and Usopp wore expressions of sheer dread. They desperately tried to persuade Luffy, but his excitement only grew.
Chopper: "Sugoi! What a powerful whirlpool!"
At this point, it was too late for regrets. The two ships picked up speed, racing toward the whirlpool. Then... suddenly, they safely fell back into the sea as the whirlpool vanished.
Everyone: ???
"What just happened? Where's the whirlpool?"
"Gone..."
"No! An undersea explosion is coming!"
Nami, the genius navigator, saw the problem instantly.
"Stop! You idiots!"
Everyone turned toward the sound and saw a group of people on a raft. Luffy recognized Blackbeard immediately, the pirate he had met in Mock Town.
"Zehahahaha! I finally caught up with you, Straw Hat Luffy! I'm here to take your 100 million beli head!"
Luffy: "Huh? Me? A hundred million? Since when?"
"You really don't know? Your latest bounty is 100 million beli! And Pirate Hunter Zoro, your head is worth 60 million!"
Usopp confirmed the news, telling them it was true. Jason poked his head out to take a look. Oh! It was Blackbeard! What was he doing here?
"Yo! Teach!"
"Hm?"
Blackbeard glanced over and froze for a moment.
"Portgas D. Jason! Why are you here?"
"Ah, long story short, I want to go to Skypiea too!"
"I see. My pops often talks about you, wishing you were his son!"
"Not interested, but you probably shouldn't be calling him 'pops' anymore."
"Zehahaha, so you know! Then how about joining my crew?"
"Not interested!"
"That's a shame! I'm here for Straw Hat Luffy's head, but since you're here, I can let him go for now. This isn't the time to fight you!"
"Oh, you don't have to worry about me."
"Zehahaha, forget it! Brothers! Return!"
Just as Blackbeard ordered the return, the sea began to swell as if some massive creature was about to break through.
"It's coming! Everyone, hold on to the hull!"
"Boom!"
A huge Knock Up Stream burst through the water, the impact shattering the chains connecting the Merry and the Devil, while Blackbeard's raft splintered into pieces.
Jason quickly grabbed Robin and secured them both to the ship with Robin using her powers to anchor them firmly to the hull.
The two ships began rising on the powerful current, but despite the current's force, the weight of the ships threatened to break them away from the current and send them crashing back down.
Jason hadn't anticipated this situation! Panic set in as he desperately tried to recall any useful memories.
The wind roared around them when suddenly an idea flashed through Jason's mind.
"Robin, hold on tight, sweetheart! I'm going to the mast!"
"Huh? What are you going to do?"
"I'm lowering the sails!"
"Be careful!"
Although Robin found it strange, she trusted Jason. He must have had a reason for doing this.
Using Moonwalk, Jason quickly reached the observation deck and slashed at the ropes, lowering the sails.
With a loud "Hula," the Devil's speed increased dramatically. Jason sighed in relief—thankfully, he remembered, or the consequences would have been disastrous.
Instead of leaving, Jason stayed to control the sails, trying to keep the ship in line with the dual acceleration from the sea currents and updrafts.
Soon after Jason lowered the sails, Sanji noticed the Merry's bow starting to tilt upward.
"Set sail immediately!"
Nami made the quick decision, knowing they needed the updraft to reach Skypiea. By opening the sails, they could catch the wind and ride it all the way to the sky island!