After the ship had sailed for a while, a quiet Cricket suddenly said, "Little brothers, we'll be saying goodbye soon.
But before you go, there's something you should understand. The Golden Bell and Skypiea — no one has ever been able to prove they exist.
Maybe some people will laugh and call it a fairy tale… but so what? This is a man's romance!"
"Romance!" Luffy and Usopp echoed excitedly.
Sandy said flatly, "Old man, you dive into the sea every day and get sick all over. What romance are you talking about? You're already halfway to your grave and still talking about dreams?"
Cricket raised an eyebrow. "You bastard, we're about to part ways — can't you say something nice for once?"
"Oh? Alright then." Sandy immediately changed his tone and started singing terribly.
"I wish you good health, a groom every night. Happy returns of the day, year after year. You—"
"That's enough!!"
Everyone near Sandy got goosebumps.
"Sandy, you're disgusting!" they shouted in unison.
Sandy retorted, "You're just jealous of my talent. Could any of you come up with something this creative, grass—"
Sanji punched him. "Why do I feel like ever since we came back from the forest, the annoying Sandy has returned?"
Zoro nodded. "Yeah. I thought this guy had changed, but he's still as irritating as ever."
"Hahahaha!" Luffy laughed happily. He'd noticed Sandy had been more serious lately, but now that the old Sandy was back, he found it much more fun.
"Hey!!" Shojo called out. "Get ready, we're almost there!"
None of them had noticed that the sky had turned completely dark — storm clouds gathered like a sign of disaster.
Shojo, from another ship, waved and shouted, "Alright brothers, from here on out, you're on your own!"
"Okay!" Luffy waved back. "Thanks for the escort!"
Hey, hey, they said you're on your own! Did you even hear that properly?!
Just then, the Going Merry was suddenly sucked into a giant whirlpool.
"Wait a second!" Usopp yelled in terror. "I can't take it anymore! It's too scary! Come back, you bastards!!"
Chopper cried, "Come back, you bastards! I don't want to die!"
Nami stared wide-eyed at the massive whirlpool. "Give me back my treasure, you scammers! Such a huge whirlpool—we're all gonna die!"
The sky grew darker, and the massive vortex roared like the end of the world.
Damn it!
Cold sweat trickled down Sandy's forehead. This scene was terrifying.
Still, he muttered, "Luffy, this one's several times bigger than the whirlpool when we first set sail, right? Damn it, I'm gonna cut—"
"Hey, hey, don't mess around!" Zoro barked. "Nami—Nami!!"
Sandy said quickly, "Relax, I'm not cutting the sea current. Something big's coming up!"
"A big thing?"
"Coming up?!"
A moment later, a massive fish—several times larger than the Going Merry—burst out of the whirlpool!
"Space Field… Space Swap!"
Sandy used his ability, swapping the fish's position with the center of the whirlpool. Everyone watched in awe as the giant fish was swallowed whole by the raging current.
Everyone on board swallowed hard.
Robin said calmly, "If we're not careful, our fate might be the same as that fish—instantly swallowed."
"Ahhh!!" Usopp screamed. "Luffy, let's go back! It's not too late to turn around! This thing will bury us under the sea! Skypiea's just a dream within a dream!"
"A dream within a dream, huh? That's true," Luffy said softly.
"Yes, Luffy," Nami cried, "I also think we're pushing it this time!"
Luffy smiled. "But missing out on such a great adventure—to the island of a dream within a dream—would be a lifelong regret."
His eyes sparkled with excitement.
Seeing him like that, Sandy was speechless. This idiot wasn't afraid at all!
Then Zoro shouted, "This isn't the time to be scared! Look! The ship's being swallowed!"
Sandy turned quickly. "Nami! What should we do?!"
Before she could answer, the Going Merry was already sucked down into the whirlpool. Just as Sandy was about to use his ability, the scene suddenly turned eerily calm.
"The whirlpool disappeared? Why?" Sanji asked first.
"What happened?" Luffy asked.
Usopp gawked. "That huge vortex just vanished! What's going on?!"
Sandy focused, using his Observation Haki. "Nami! The sea below is unstable!"
"You're right!" Nami gasped. "That means the underwater explosion has started—the whirlpool vanished because of it!"
"No way!" Usopp looked over the side in horror.
Sandy quickly yelled, "Exactly! Everyone grab onto the ship or get into the cabin—don't get thrown off!"
"Waaaah!!" everyone screamed.
"Huh?" Sandy blinked. "Nami, what are you doing? If you're gonna die, do you have to do it in my arms?"
Nami snapped, "Shut up! You have to protect me—you still owe me 1.2 million Berries!"
Sanji cried dramatically, "Nami! Why not hide in my arms instead! I can owe you 1.2 million too—no, 100 million! A billion!"
Zoro rolled his eyes. "Stop talking nonsense, the ship's about to take off!"
And just like that, the Going Merry was blasted upward by the massive current!
The enormous Knock Up Stream shot toward the heavens, carrying the ship with it. The Merry soared straight up, water cascading around them like a waterfall in reverse.
The sudden vertical ascent threw everyone off balance—they could only cling to the mast for dear life.
"Whoa, this is fun!"
"My God, what kind of phenomenon is this?!"
"Awesome! We're really going to the sky!"
Sandy shouted, "Don't celebrate yet! Lower the sails, quick!"
"Why?"
They soon found out. The Merry began drifting away from the main current! Without lowering the sails to use the updraft properly, they'd be thrown right off the water stream!
"What do we do?!" Usopp screamed. "All we can do is hold on!"
Objects started raining down from above—Sea Kings, ship debris, and wreckage of all sorts.
"Ahhh!!" Chopper cried, "Those are all the victims of the Knock Up Stream!"
"It's over!" Usopp wailed. "If we fall from this height, we're dead!"
Sandy sighed. "You guys worry too much. My Space ability can save your lives—just don't fall off, hahaha! Nami, the updraft's your domain, I'll leave navigation to you!"
"Updraft…"
Nami's eyes lit up as she quickly understood. "Set the sails! Move, everyone!"
Seeing the crew hesitate, she explained, "This isn't an ordinary water column—it's a Sea current!
The wind blowing up from below is the updraft caused by geothermal explosions under the sea.
Since we're in the wind and the sea, I can steer us! Don't forget who the navigator is on this ship!"
Everyone felt a surge of confidence and pride.
"It's Miss Nami!!" Sanji shouted, hearts in his eyes.
Sandy groaned. "Nami, can you not be so smug? I was the one who said to lower the sails! I explained the whole principle, hey! Hey! Why's no one listening to me?! I'm actually really awesome too!!!"
His words were completely ignored.
"Everyone, do as Nami says!"
"Starboard's catching wind! Turn the rudder to port—align the hull with the current!"
"Aye aye!"
Soon, the Going Merry skimmed along the towering water column—rising straight toward the sky!!
...
Author's Note:
The fanfic One Piece: My Flirtatious System Adventure is now fully completed.
The entire story has been uploaded on Patreon as a dedicated collection.
📚 Category: One Piece (Chapters 1–657)
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