"Knowledge about weather…"
The moment Will spoke, Nami's disappointed expression vanished, replaced by one of serious contemplation.
Almost immediately, something seemed to click. She turned to him with earnest eyes and said, "Will, take off your clothes."
"Hm?"
Caught off guard by the sudden request, Will froze for a split second. Without asking questions, he grabbed his collar and ripped off his shirt, revealing his powerfully built torso.
Nami then had him straighten his arm and hold the torn garment out. She raised her palm toward the fabric and called out, "Hot Air Current—!"
Whoosh—!
The blast of air rushed past, whipping the cloth backward. Nami didn't stop. A few seconds later, the shirt still clutched in Will's hand suddenly burst into flames.
"Oh?" Will raised an eyebrow, then let go. He watched the burning garment get carried away by the wind, spinning into a fireball that danced through the air before crumbling into ash.
"So you're planning to keep releasing Hot Air Current to rapidly raise the target's temperature until it ignites," Will said, turning to Nami with genuine surprise. Inwardly he marveled, I didn't expect even Nami's ability to produce flames.
Nami's lips curved into a satisfied smile. She aimed her palm at a damaged treasure chest on the nearby table and announced, "Cold Air Current—!"
Whoosh—!
The chest slid backward a short distance from the gust, nearly toppling off the edge. Then the surface of the chest—and the tabletop beneath it—began to whiten rapidly, a thick layer of frost forming in seconds. The sliding chest halted instantly, frozen firmly in place.
"Oh? Ice?" Will's eyes lit up.
"Not ice yet." Nami shook her head, lowering her hand and cutting off the Cold Air Current. "Just surface frost."
Carina studied the white coating on the table and summed it up neatly. "In other words, you can raise temperature with Hot Air Current and lower it with Cold Air Current."
"And the speed is incredible," Robin added with a smile, arms crossed. She had quietly timed it: the shift from normal temperature to ignition or frost took roughly three seconds.
"Not only that," Will said, eyeing the frosted surface from a combat standpoint. "If you manage to frost an enemy, it should restrict their movement. And Hot Air Current isn't just for setting things on fire—it can make opponents sweat heavily and drain their stamina."
Still, he privately doubted the currents would do much against Logia users like Ace or Aokiji.
Nami herself looked quite pleased. "It feels pretty good," she said with a grin. "I think this Devil Fruit has a lot of potential. I'll experiment slowly later."
The others couldn't help smiling along with her.
Later, at dinner, everyone gathered on deck once more, enthusiastically digging into the unique delicacies the Skypieans and Shandians had sent over. After a peaceful night's rest aboard the ship, they raised anchor the next morning and set sail again.
A few of them walked to the railing, waving goodbye to the smiling crowd on the beach. They had only traveled a short distance when—
Dong!!!
A resonant bell tone suddenly echoed across the sea of clouds.
"This bell sound is truly beautiful," Robin murmured, leaning against the railing and gazing toward Apardo with a gentle smile.
"It should be," Nami agreed, eyes sparkling faintly. "After all, it's made of gold."
"Are they using the bell to say farewell?" Issho asked, gripping his cane sword and turning his blind gaze toward the distant figures.
At that same moment on the edge of Apardo, Gan Fall and the Chief stood together beside the Golden Bell, watching the ship slowly recede with soft smiles.
"Those people from the Blue Sea are leaving," the Chief said, a touch of emotion in his voice.
Gan Fall smiled helplessly. "There's nothing we can do. After all, Mr. Will is an adventurer. It's impossible for him to stay on Sky Island forever."
The Chief's expression turned worried. "Do you think Enel, traveling with them, will…"
"Don't worry, Chief." Gan Fall's gaze grew deep, his smile steady. "I actually understand Enel's personality quite well. Arrogant, looking down on everything, doing as he pleases—and when facing the weak, that guy even has a playful attitude."
He recalled the clear shift in Enel's demeanor earlier when the man had appeared behind Will.
"However, after being defeated by Mr. Will, Enel's personality has clearly become much more restrained. Moreover, that guy has always believed the weak should obey the strong, and he probably lives by that rule himself. The reason he agreed to become Mr. Will's crewmate is likely based on the same principle. So as long as Mr. Will's strength continues to suppress him, Enel won't cause any trouble."
The Chief's eyes flickered. "I hope so." Then he suddenly asked, "By the way, Gan Fall—that book Mr. Will privately gave us yesterday—have you tried cultivating it yet?"
"Yes." Gan Fall's expression turned serious. "The contents are incredibly precious to us. Cultivating according to the methods inside can greatly enhance one's strength. It's even possible to surpass the former priests without issue. In the future, if foreign enemies invade again, I believe we'll be fully capable of protecting ourselves with this book."
The Chief's eyes brightened, then he sighed deeply. "Mr. Will's kindness to us… I'm afraid we'll never be able to repay it in this lifetime."
Gan Fall nodded in agreement, eyes filled with gratitude.
Meanwhile, Will and the others' ship continued gliding across the vast sea of clouds. In the ship's medical room, Enel—who had been unconscious—suddenly furrowed his brows from the gentle rocking and slowly opened his eyes.
As the memories returned, his hazy gaze sharpened. He sat up and looked around, spotting only a small figure busy at a table.
Chopper, who had been grinding herbs nearby, turned at the sound. "You're awake!" he exclaimed in surprise.
"You are… that raccoon… that reindeer Doctor?" Enel rubbed his head, still a little dazed.
Hearing that Enel remembered he was a reindeer, Chopper beamed and nodded. "That's right! You can call me Chopper."
"Chopper…" Enel murmured the name, then started to stand. A sudden tightness gripped him. He looked down, expression turning strange. "This is…?!"
Bandages covered nearly every part of his body, thickest around his torso—like white armor. He had never experienced anything like it and was momentarily speechless.
After a long pause, he decided not to dwell on it, forced himself upright, and asked, "Chopper, how long have I been asleep?"
"And that guy… where is Will?"
Still recovering, he couldn't be bothered to use Mantra to sense the surroundings.
"You passed out yesterday afternoon and just woke up, so about a full night," Chopper answered. "Will's on the deck outside. I'll take you there."
Seeing that Enel didn't seem too hard to get along with, Chopper secretly sighed in relief, hopped off his chair, and led the way.
The small reindeer and the tall former God walked together down the wide corridor. As they neared the deck, casual voices drifted in.
"Will, how are we going to get back down later?"
"According to the Skypieans, we need to go to something called the 'Cloud's End' first before we can return to the sea below."
"That's too much trouble. No need. We'll just keep sailing straight and open a path down wherever we want."
"Hmm, that works. Going down should be a lot easier than coming up."
"Eh? No way, again?!"
"Heh heh, that would be pretty interesting too."
Stepping out into the bright sunlight, Enel gradually took in the scene. To the left, the three women sat at a smaller table. Will and the tall middle-aged man occupied the larger table on the right.
Hearing footsteps, everyone turned toward the cabin door.
"Oh? You're awake already. Come sit down," Will called with a smile, waving him over. He had expected Enel to stay unconscious until they reached the Grand Line. He hadn't thought the man would be up and walking after just one night. It seemed the heavy bandaging and Chopper's herbs could heal even fatal wounds remarkably fast.
Enel walked over slowly and took the large chair beside Will.
A slender arm suddenly extended from his left, offering a teacup. "Here, have some tea, Enel-san. It'll refresh you."
"Thanks."
Enel took the cup. Before he could speak, the connected arms vanished. He paused, then looked at the black-haired woman with the gentle smile. "Those arms must be your Devil Fruit ability."
"That's right," Robin replied with a slight nod. "Though compared to yours, mine is truly insignificant."
Enel's lips curved in a small smile; he didn't bother with false modesty.
Will took the chance to briefly introduce the rest of the crew.
"Nami, navigator, who just ate the Paramecia-type Air-Air Fruit yesterday. Carina, informant, who ate the Mythical Zoan-type Nekomata Fruit. Nico Robin, archaeologist, who ate the Paramecia-type Hana Hana no Mi (Flower-Flower Fruit). Tony Tony Chopper, ship doctor, who ate the Zoan-type Hito Hito no Mi (Human-Human Fruit). Issho, swordsman, who ate the Paramecia-type Zushi Zushi no Mi (Press-Press Fruit)."
Since Enel had only just joined, Will didn't introduce him in detail—everyone already knew he possessed the Logia-type Goro Goro no Mi (Rumble-Rumble Fruit).
Enel was still a little surprised after the introductions. "I didn't expect every member of your crew to be a Devil Fruit user."
He hadn't imagined the crew would be this stacked with talent. Even when he had recruited his priests, he had barely found a few usable ones.
What surprised him most, however, was the Devil Fruit Nami had eaten. Will had said he found it on Sky Island just yesterday.
Curious, Enel asked, "That Air-Air Fruit you mentioned—where exactly did you find it?"
Will answered without hesitation. "It was hidden in the clouds near Golden City Shandora. I discovered it by accident."
"By accident…" Enel's eyes shifted.
He knew he had stripped nearly every ounce of gold from Shandora while building the Ark Maxim. Yet despite visiting countless times, he had never sensed any Devil Fruit there. This man—who had completely defeated him—had found it on his very first visit.
Clearly, the other party's Mantra was far stronger than his own.
Enel set the chaotic thoughts aside for now and looked down at the green tea in his hand. Without further hesitation, he took a large gulp.
His expression stiffened instantly.
So bitter…
His still-blurry eyes widened considerably.
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