Chapter 214: The Knock-Up Stream Arrives, Ascent to Sky Island
"Hurry up and get over here!"
Ellis called out excitedly, "Today we're having hotpot with eel-type Sea King meat, and that brain delicacy you mentioned!"
Sigh… Luo Han pressed his forehead and walked over to the large stove.
On top of the fire was a huge pot filled with red broth. Beside it were thinly sliced Sea King meat and—on a separate platter—a horrifyingly large white "brain" about the size of Luo Han's own head.
Looking exasperated, Luo Han turned to Ellis and Sora. "Can't you eat something else for a change? Always hotpot?"
"And if you insist on hotpot, at least change the base! It's always spicy!"
Ever since he'd introduced hotpot to them, Ellis had become obsessed. She insisted on eating it every meal—and she was particularly fond of brain delicacies.
Her obsession with "brain" was enough to make Luo Han shiver. He worried she might one day become curious about human brains too.
After all, Ellis wasn't truly human—her real form was a tree. Just like some humans loved pig brain, who knew what Ellis might take an interest in?
"Haha! Next time, next time," Ellis said with a smile, but her eyes were still glued to the bubbling pot.
"Is it ready, Sora?" she asked, barely holding back.
"It's been ready for a while," Sora replied with a smile.
"Why didn't you say so earlier?"
"You said we should wait for Luo Han and Akatsuki ."
Swoosh!
Ellis ignored her own words and activated her nature powers. A slice of fish flew directly into her mouth.
She'd begun—using her Devil Fruit to eat!
"..."
Luo Han watched this unfold, speechless. He'd lost count of how many times this had happened.
Akatsuki and Sora didn't bat an eye. They sat down and began eating calmly.
Sigh… Luo Han sighed again, then also took a seat and joined in.
"So this world does have hotpot. I wonder why Ellis is so obsessed…"
"Maybe she just never had it before," Luo Han speculated.
He used his psychic powers to lift a slice of fish into his mouth.
"Mm! Not bad—the eel-type Sea King today is actually really tasty!"
Luo Han admitted it was good. The heat from the meat coursed through his body and seemed to gather at a particular point…
But he didn't think too hard about it. Instead, he and Ellis continued to show off—eating hands-free with their Devil Fruits.
Each slice of fish arced perfectly into their mouths, preserving its presentation and bursting with flavor upon contact.
"Wow! That's amazing!" the two exclaimed.
"..."
Seeing this, Akatsuki and Sora quietly turned away, pretending not to notice.
And so, their lunch passed in this awkward mix of refined performance and silent protest.
Meanwhile, the day of the Knock-Up Stream's arrival drew near.
The weather darkened. Winds howled.
It was almost time.
…
That day—
The sky was thick with clouds. Furious winds roared across the ocean.
Luo Han and his group stood at the coast, near the spot where the Golden City had been blasted into the sky.
Far out at sea, a massive whirlpool opened all the way to the ocean floor. A salvage ship drifted at the edge of the vortex, manned by about a dozen people—including the chestnut-haired man, descendant of the great liar Norland.
From the ship, he spotted Luo Han's group on shore and looked up toward the sky.
So they're really trying to get to Sky Island, he thought.
But… where was their ship? He frowned in confusion.
He shouted across the sea, "Where's your ship?! The Knock-Up Stream's about to appear!"
His voice rang out, but Luo Han and the others didn't respond.
He pointed to his position and shouted again, "You need to get your ship into the edge of the stream first. Then, when the surge hits, you sail into it!"
Luo Han glanced at him without answering.
In truth, Luo Han had sensed days ago that Sky Island had already arrived above Jaya.
They weren't in a rush because they wanted to witness the Knock-Up Stream for themselves before heading up.
Too bad the man didn't know this.
"Get your ship over here!" the man urged again. "Even if you've prepared, I know these waters better! I've seen the stream many times—it's safer if you follow me!"
But Luo Han and his companions still didn't reply.
What could they say?
"We don't need a ship—we'll just fly straight to the sky!"?
That would blow his mind.
While he was carefully calculating currents and angles, nervously maneuvering his boat to enter the stream at the perfect moment—
—they were just going to zoom straight up?
Better not break his heart with the truth. Luo Han decided to let him live his dream.
Sigh.
The man gave up, shaking his head. He'd done his part. If they got hurt, it wasn't on him.
Suddenly, the whirlpool vanished, and the sea calmed.
"Hm!" Luo Han's expression turned serious. Through his spiritual sense, he could feel a tremendous force building beneath the sea.
"It's coming," he said.
BOOM!
A massive pillar of seawater, hundreds of meters wide, shot into the sky like a dragon. It tore through the clouds, blasting into the stratosphere.
The salvage ship rushed toward it.
"Quick! Move to the right edge!" the man barked to his crew.
He spun the wheel furiously, adjusting the ship's angle. "Grab the railings! Don't get thrown off!"
The moment he said it, the ship entered the spinning stream and was rapidly pulled upward.
BOOM! The vessel slammed into the rising column but wasn't destroyed. It was swept upward like a bullet.
The ship climbed vertically—ninety degrees straight up.
"Aaaah!!"
"We're gonna die!"
As the altitude climbed past 1,000 meters, fear set in.
Crew members clung to whatever they could find.
No one could hear the captain's orders anymore.
"Raise the sails!" he screamed.
"Come on, you idiots! We'll fall if we don't!"
No one moved.
"Damn it!" he cursed, abandoning the wheel to hoist the sails himself.
BOOM!
The moment he let go, the ship lurched and flipped backward.
"We're dead!"
"Noooo!"
The ship and crew plummeted toward the sea.
The captain gripped the wheel, helpless. He couldn't bear to look as the water rushed toward them.
FWOOOSH! FWOOOSH! FWOOOSH! FWOOOSH!
Suddenly, four black shadows shot past the rising stream.
The captain's eyes widened—he had seen them clearly.
It was Luo Han and his group.
"Heh…" Luo Han chuckled at the man's dumbfounded expression.
"You seem like a decent guy—guess I'll help you out."
With a thought, he used his power to gently float the mAnne and his ship back to shore.
"We're saved!"
"Wait—how'd we end up back on land?"
"Whatever! We're alive! Hahaha!"
Only the captain understood what happened. The others were clueless.
He looked up at Luo Han's group, vanishing into the distance.
"Wha… WHAT?!"
"You can fly?! You didn't say anything!"
"If I'd known, I'd have begged you to take me along!"
He cursed under his breath, full of regret.
Next time, he vowed. I'll ask them directly if the Golden City is really on Sky Island.
…
BOOM! BOOM!
Luo Han's group broke through the cloud layer and emerged into the White Sea.
"So this is Sky Island…"
"It really is something."
Ellis hovered in the air, gazing at the sea of clouds around them. "How are there clouds on top of the sea made of clouds?"
"Not Sky Island yet," Luo Han chuckled, pointing upward. "This is the White Sea. We still need to pass through that thick layer—Strato-Clouds. That's where Sky Island is."
"You know way too much," Ellis muttered. Luo Han always seemed to know everything.
"Heh," Luo Han grinned and opened his mouth—
"You don't need to say it. Let's just go." Ellis cut him off and flew upward, not giving him a chance to brag.
"Tch." Luo Han pouted. Then turned to Sora and Akatsuki . "Let's go too."
He used telekinesis to lift them as they ascended.
BOOM!
Just ahead, Ellis hit the cloud layer and bounced off.
"This one's different from the sea clouds. It's elastic—like rubber."
She poked it, amazed at the soft, bouncy texture.
"That's Island Cloud," Sora explained. "It's denser than Sea Cloud."
"Ah, makes sense."
Ellis looked toward Luo Han. "So what now? Go around?"
"No need." Luo Han smiled.
He summoned a cone-shaped telekinetic barrier around the group. "I like to go straight through."
BANG!
With a sharp burst, the cone shield pierced upward through the cloud.
Soon, the four of them emerged at 10,000 meters altitude—into the White-White Sea.
This was it—Sky Island.
(END CHAPTER)
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