"Another sky island has appeared!" Jean Bart stood on the deck of the Ark Maxim, watching the scene with curiosity.
"Full speed ahead!" Nami shouted triumphantly to the others, striking a pose as if to surge upward. Today, Nami was dressed in a particularly youthful style, her simple camisole and straight-leg jeans making her look full of energy.
The massive Ark Maxim hummed as it continued its ascent, propelled by the power of lightning. It passed through this layer of the White Sea until they soon reached the White-White Sea.
Amidst a sea of clouds were island clouds, capable of supporting structures just like land. From this vantage point, they could finally see the entire sky island. It was about forty kilometers in diameter, with a small town situated only in its center.
As Crocus withdrew the lightning power, the Ark Maxim came to a steady halt upon the sea of clouds.
"Let's go! We'll land here!" Crocus said from the prow before taking the lead and leaping onto the sky island.
"Hancock!" Nami and Vivi called out, heading to the cabin to get her.
But before everyone could disembark, the sounds of a fierce battle erupted from the nearby island, drawing the attention of Nami, Vivi, and Jean Bart.
"A reward awaits beyond suffering... what a sweet life."
"Dedededede, you're still a long way off!"
The four-meter-tall "Mad Monk" Urouge was laughing maniacally despite the blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, giving off an aura of crazed tranquility.
Facing him was Crocus, who watched the scene, utterly speechless. "What kind of damage sponge is this guy?!"
Just moments ago, right after stepping off the ship, Crocus had been ambushed by Urouge, who was hiding with a giant wooden club. Fortunately, Crocus had eaten the Rumble-Rumble Fruit and simply turned into lightning, rendering the attack harmless. In retaliation, Crocus had hit Urouge with a 100,000 Volts - Thunder Beast. But to his surprise, Urouge hadn't even tried to dodge, taking the full force of the attack head-on.
"This is karma!" Suddenly, Urouge roared, his clothes tearing as his body instantly doubled in size. This was the power of Urouge's Devil Fruit. As the user of the Paramecia-type Karma-Karma Fruit, he could convert the damage he received into his own power, causing his body to grow larger. In short, it was a get-beat-up-to-get-stronger fruit!
BOOM!!
As his voice faded, Urouge swung a massive fist at Crocus. The terrifying force of the punch generated sonic booms, hinting at the incredible power behind it.
"Hehehe, kids these days have no honor, picking on a 70-year-old pirate like me. Though, the guy across from me doesn't look so young himself!" Crocus mused, stroking his beard with an amused expression. "It's been a long time since I've seen such a pure muscle-head!" he thought to himself.
Crackle...
A flash of lightning enveloped Crocus as he turned into his element. The huge fist passed right through him, striking nothing but empty air.
"Is that a Logia-type Devil Fruit?" Urouge felt his punch meet no resistance and broke into a cold sweat, realizing the gravity of the situation.
CRACKLE!!
But Crocus wasn't about to let Urouge off that easily. "Chidori Nagashi!"
With a sharp cry, Crocus's face materialized within the lightning Urouge's fist had just passed through. An immense amount of electrical energy erupted in an instant, engulfing Urouge in a blinding blue light.
RUMBLE!!
A massive sphere of lightning, several kilometers in diameter, materialized in the sky. All the residents of the small ascetic town on the sky island, named Speer-de, witnessed the spectacle.
"What is that incredible lightning?"
"We can feel its immense power even from this distance!"
"Oh, great God! Please tell us what is happening!"
"Please forgive us!"
The residents, all clad in black monastic robes, began to cry out in alarm, praying to the empty air.
"Vivi, don't you think old Crocus is really asking for it? Calling himself a 70-year-old pirate while absolutely dominating that big guy!" Nami said, leaning over the ship's railing with a light laugh as she watched the fight.
"Logia fruits are just too powerful for ordinary people," Vivi couldn't help but remark. It reminded her of Crocodile. Before she had learned Armament Haki, the user of the Sand-Sand Fruit had seemed like an invincible being.
"Nami, Vivi, let's go." Just then, Hancock emerged from the cabin, holding Ryuuto, and spoke to them.
BAM!!
As the lightning dissipated, Urouge's figure was revealed once more. His body was charred black and his face was covered in blood; he was clearly severely injured by Crocus's last attack.
"The 'Mad Monk' Urouge, from a sky island. Bounty: 108,000,000 Beri! User of the Paramecia Karma-Karma Fruit!" Not far away, countless bolts of lightning converged to form Crocus's body.
"Great Penance!!"
Hearing Crocus's introduction, Urouge's eyes snapped open. With a furious roar, he activated his fruit's ability, absorbing and converting all the damage from the previous attack. In an instant, his body grew ten times larger. He was now as tall as Oars—seventy meters high! His colossal form charged at Crocus once again, swinging a gigantic fist.
Down in the ascetic town, the residents stared in shock at Urouge's towering figure. They had no idea what had happened to drive the powerful pirate to such an extreme.
"Doesn't he realize it's useless?" Crocus wondered, watching the relentlessly attacking Urouge. Without Haki, Urouge couldn't touch him at all; he could only take a beating. Crocus steeled himself, convinced that Urouge's Devil Fruit must have a limit.
"Slave Arrow!"
Suddenly, Hancock's voice rang out from the Ark Maxim, and countless pink arrows shot toward Urouge.
THWACK!!
The pink arrows were incredibly fast, striking the giant Urouge in an instant and petrifying him on the spot. All his life, Urouge had loved to eat, drink, and chase women. His heart was filled with worldly desires, making him completely unable to resist Hancock's attack.
"No one can resist my charm!" Standing on the deck, Hancock tilted her head back, raised a hand, and let out her signature narcissistic laugh, all in one smooth motion.
Urouge's fate was truly unjust. His final attack wasn't even aimed at Crocus. He had been trying to jump into the White Sea below, where his pirate ship, the Holy Monk, was waiting quietly. If he could just make it to the ship, he and his crew would have a chance to escape. He was reckless, not stupid. The moment he realized Crocus was a Logia user, he knew there was no point in continuing the fight. No matter how much stronger he became, he had no way to counter his opponent's elemental form. Unfortunately, Hancock's attack shattered his plan. In her eyes, he was merely delaying Ryuuto's treatment. And so, Urouge was turned to stone.
"Old Crocus, let's start the treatment immediately!" Hancock said, quickly approaching Crocus while holding Ryuuto.
"Right, let's begin!" Crocus replied, his expression turning serious. He selected a drifting island cloud overhead, raised his hands, and began pouring a terrifying amount of lightning into it. This had been their plan all along: come to a sky island and use its unique island clouds to create another massive lightning pool.
Hancock watched, her heart filled with anticipation.
But this would take some time. While Crocus and Hancock stayed behind to guard Ryuuto, Nami, Vivi, and Jean Bart decided to check out the ascetic town.
"You're from the Blue Sea?"
As Nami's group entered the town, they were immediately stopped by a dozen Skypieans dressed in monastic robes, each with small wings on their backs. Vivi and Jean Bart exchanged a look. It was a familiar scene, the usual greeting from Skypieans. Fortunately, before they could answer, an elderly man stepped forward from the crowd. He put his palms together and bowed respectfully. "Thank you for defeating that brigand, Urouge!"
This piqued Nami's curiosity. From the old man's words, it seemed they knew Urouge quite well. It turned out that this was Urouge's hometown. He had once been a disciplined ascetic himself, but everything changed when he suddenly acquired the Karma-Karma Fruit at the age of 44. He became violent and cruel, and the martial arts he once took pride in became a tool to oppress the weak.
"Don't mention it, it was our pleasure!" Nami said with a wave and a smile after hearing the full story.
Led by the white-haired elder, the three of them walked into the town. Ascetic monks were everywhere: some sat cross-legged in meditation, others were doing weighted training, and still more were practicing their katas, most of them completely lost in their own world.
"Every place really does have its own unique customs!" Vivi remarked with emotion. Nami and Jean Bart nodded in solemn agreement. Before long, they entered a large courtyard that opened up into a surprisingly vibrant space filled with all kinds of crops.
"This is our local bitter wheat tea," the elder said, bringing out several cups of a pale yellow beverage.
"Erm... this taste!" Nami took one sip, and an intense bitterness shot straight to her brain. Vivi spat hers out immediately, then pulled a flask of fine wine from her waist and took a swig. As the user of the Sake-Sake Fruit, it was only natural for her to carry wine at all times, right?
"You get used to it," the elder said with a faint shake of his head, as if he had expected this reaction.
Meanwhile, Crocus had already stored a considerable amount of lightning inside the island cloud.
"Nope, I need a break! I'm getting too old for this. A 70-year-old pirate like me just can't keep this up!" Crocus said, shaking his head as he plopped down on the ground, spreading his hands in defeat.
"Hm?" Seeing this, Hancock shot him a sharp glare.
"On second thought, let's get the captain up there first!" Detecting the murderous intent in Hancock's eyes, Crocus's aches and pains miraculously vanished. He scooped up Ryuuto and instantly transformed into a bolt of lightning, shooting into the island cloud.
Crackle...
Countless blue sparks of lightning erupted within the cloud. Crocus gently placed Ryuuto in the center. The blue lightning, as if finding an outlet, began to surge wildly into Ryuuto's body. Not only that, but the Kiryu-zan at Ryuuto's side unsheathed itself, hovering beside him and absorbing the lightning as well.
"Alright, now it's just a matter of time!" Crocus nodded in satisfaction at the sight.
"Hancock, don't you worry too much. The captain will wake up before you know it," Crocus said, comforting her as she periodically glanced up at the cloud. Of course, Crocus himself didn't stop, continuing to pump lightning into the island cloud.
"Mm-hm." Hancock reluctantly pulled her gaze away and replied in a tiny voice.
And so, the days passed. Speer-de hadn't seen anyone from the Blue Sea in decades. But having defeated Urouge and earned the friendship of the locals, Nami and the others were treated with great hospitality.
Furthermore, with Jean Bart's help, they placed the massive petrified statue of Urouge in the center of the town. Just like that, the town had a new landmark. The seventy-meter-tall statue could be seen from a great distance.
After several days in the lightning pool, Ryuuto's condition began to improve. The most noticeable change was that his heartbeat grew stronger and stronger, sounding like rolling thunder to anyone who listened closely.
"It should be soon!" Crocus concluded after his latest check-up.
From then on, Hancock spent her days eagerly awaiting Ryuuto's recovery. Meanwhile, Nami, Vivi, and Jean Bart started getting the Justice Guild up and running.
They established the Justice Guild's headquarters aboard the Ark Maxim. Their first target: the remaining members of the Mad Monk Pirates. It didn't take long for Crocus to locate them using his lightning abilities.
"Where do you think you're going?"
Nami, Vivi, and Jean Bart appeared swiftly on their Wavers in front of a massive pirate ship. The vessel had a distinct Skypiean design, featuring two pairs of large, white angel wings and cloud-like patterns decorating its hull. Its figurehead was a bronze statue of a solemn-looking monk.
"You're from the Blue Sea? How did you get to a sky island?" a heavyset man on the deck of the Holy Monk demanded. He wore a pilot's cap and goggles and exhaled a thick ring of smoke as he barked at them. This was the first mate of the Mad Monk Pirates, Purgatory Monk.
"Hehehe, we're here to collect you, of course!" Nami said with a mischievous, taunting grin.
"Sake Dragon Bind!" As soon as Nami finished speaking, Vivi slapped the flask at her hip. Several thick streams of sake shot out, snaking toward the Purgatory Monk and his men.