Within the vast Calm Belt, a massive double-layered bubble shimmered with iridescent light under the sun. On Fish-Man Island, a scene of vibrant reconstruction was underway, with countless fish-men working in unison to rebuild the fallen structures.
After a single strike from Uranus, Imu had abandoned their plan to destroy Fish-Man Island. They had a premonition that to continue would invite a far more terrifying consequence.
The tsunamis that had ravaged the world subsided after a few hours, as if nothing had happened. But what no one noticed was that the moon had drawn slightly closer. This would cause the sea levels to rise continuously. Under the moon's amplified gravitational pull, the oceans of this world would begin a slow, inexorable ascent.
The Great Flood had begun.
For now, this was all still in its initial stages, and very few had noticed the change.
Princess Shirahoshi and Ryuuto remained unconscious. Two days later, thanks to King Neptune's diligent care, Princess Shirahoshi finally awoke.
"Is Captain Ryuuto still alive?"
The very first thing she did upon opening her eyes was ask her father.
"Captain Ryuuto… he… he's still alive!" Neptune's voice hitched for a moment before he nodded firmly, offering his daughter a reassuring answer.
Later, in a quiet chamber, Princess Shirahoshi saw the still-unconscious Ryuuto. He showed signs of life but had not yet woken. From that day forward, Princess Shirahoshi visited him constantly.
Several days passed.
Considering Ryuuto's condition, Hancock, Crocus, and the others decided it was best to leave Fish-Man Island and find another place to treat him.
"King Neptune, we'll be taking our leave now," Crocus said to the group of royals led by Neptune.
"Thank you, truly, for everything you've done for Fish-Man Island!" King Neptune's voice was filled with gratitude.
"Enough with the thanks, we've heard it plenty these past few days. The next time we meet, we'll share a proper drink!" Crocus waved his hand dismissively.
"Shirahoshi, we're leaving!" Nami shouted from the deck of the Nostra Castello, waving vigorously at the princess.
"Mohmoo, let's go!" Hancock commanded from the ship's prow, addressing the giant sea cow in the water.
ROAR!
With a mighty roar, Mohmoo's colossal 1,500-meter body surged forward, pulling the Nostra Castello away at incredible speed. In just a few days, Mohmoo had grown again, adding another 500 meters to his length. The effects of the Super-Giant Sea King Lineage Factor were truly remarkable.
Princess Shirahoshi watched the Soaring Dragon Pirates' ship disappear into the distance, her eyes filled with sorrow and reluctance. "Captain Ryuuto," she thought, "I wonder when we will ever meet again?"
"Captain Ryuuto, we'll never forget you!" countless fish-men called out from the shore, seeing them off.
At the very center of Fish-Man Island, atop the tallest structure, a black dragon flag fluttered fiercely in the air, its menacing gaze fixed upon the world. After all that had happened, Fish-Man Island now felt a profound sense of loyalty to Ryuuto.
"Crocus, let's head to Amazon Lily first. You mentioned a treatment plan. Shall we try it?" Hancock asked, her expression serious.
"I believe it has a high chance of success and is worth a try," Crocus replied with a slow nod. "However, to implement this plan, we may need to return to Skypiea."
"Skypiea? How will we get up there?" Nami turned to ask Crocus.
"There might only be one way left," Crocus said calmly, his gaze fixed on the sea's horizon.
Nami and Vivi looked at him with curiosity.
Mohmoo's speed was now even greater than before. Guided by Hancock's Vivre Card, they returned to Amazon Lily, also located in the Calm Belt, in less than a day.
"Byrnndi, Captain Ryuuto always said that you were only an affiliated crew. I know you just got out of Impel Down. If you have any unfinished business, you should go take care of it," Crocus said softly from the shore of Amazon Lily to Byrnndi World and his crew aboard the Nostra Castello.
Hearing this, Byrnndi was at a loss for words. He couldn't very well say that he was reluctant to leave. Though he had only known Ryuuto for about ten days, they had accomplished something that shook the world. He was starting to love this kind of life. But on reflection, he and his crew had been frozen for thirty years; there were indeed many things they wanted to do, like seeing their families and old friends.
"Well then, old Crocus, let's say our farewells here," Byrnndi said, his voice low with a hint of reluctance. "Let's meet again in the New World! I believe that when Captain Ryuuto awakens, his name will soon echo throughout it!"
With that, Byrnndi made his promise to Crocus and the others.
"Lady Hancock, Miss Nami, Miss Vivi, Mr. Jean Bart, goodbye!" Nightin stood beside Byrnndi, waving enthusiastically.
And with that, the Nostra Castello slowly sailed out of the harbor, soon vanishing over the horizon. Meetings lead to partings, and partings are always tinged with sorrow. Having said goodbye to their friends on Fish-Man Island and now Byrnndi's crew in a single day, Vivi felt an unexplainable wave of sadness.
"Sister, what happened to Ryuuto?" Boa Sandersonia and Boa Marigold asked Hancock as they looked at Ryuuto, who was being carried on Jean Bart's back.
"He's injured and needs some time to recover," Hancock said softly, a pained expression crossing her face as she looked at him. "Alright, let's head back." She then addressed the Kuja warriors led by her sisters.
Escorted by the warriors, the group returned to the island's interior.
The next day arrived. Hancock had already instructed her sisters to prepare food and fresh water for another voyage. Now, atop the royal palace, Hancock, Nami, and Vivi stood beside Crocus.
"Old Crocus, are you ready?" Nami asked first.
Crocus held a golden, spiky fruit covered in lightning patterns. It was the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, taken from Enel.
"Yes," Crocus nodded firmly. He then brought the Devil Fruit to his mouth.
CRUNCH!
He took a bite, and an indescribable flavor assaulted his senses. Fortunately, Crocus was prepared and forced it down.
CRACKLE...
Soon, the sound of crackling electricity emanated from his body. The Devil Fruit's power had taken effect.
"Old Crocus, quick, try out your ability!" Vivi, the most excited of the group, rushed to his side and grabbed his arm.
"Hahahahaha! To think I'd eat a Devil Fruit at my age!" Feeling the immense power coursing through him, Crocus's spirits soared, and he couldn't help but laugh. "Now, let's see what this Rumble-Rumble Fruit can do!"
CRACKLE!
The moment he finished speaking, a peal of thunder erupted from his body, and he instantly reappeared a hundred meters away.
"Not bad. The speed of lightning." Crocus nodded in satisfaction and continued his test. "Three Thousand Volts: Thunder Bird!" He pointed a finger to the sky, and a brilliant blue bolt of lightning shot out, forming a giant bird of thunder that soared into the air.
CRACKLE!
The attack struck the air with a deafening roar, as if it would tear space itself apart.
"As expected of a Logia fruit. The base power is truly on another level," Crocus said, reappearing beside Hancock, Nami, and Vivi.
"The Rumble-Rumble Fruit is just what we needed! The captain is saved!" Nami said with satisfaction.
Hancock also smiled and nodded, her gaze turning toward the room inside. During this time, Crocus had determined that Ryuuto's physical injuries were mostly healed. His failure to awaken, he deduced, was likely due to an extreme depletion of his lightning energy, leaving his body in a deficit. Thus, he had decided that someone needed to eat the Rumble-Rumble Fruit and "recharge" Ryuuto. Among them, only Crocus had not eaten a Devil Fruit, making him the only candidate for this crucial task.
"Now that the Rumble-Rumble Fruit has been eaten, let's head to Skypiea," Crocus said in a low, serious tone.
"Right! To Skypiea, to save the captain!" Nami clenched her fists and nodded resolutely.
"Then let's depart immediately. The food and water are already loaded onto the Ark Maxim," Hancock declared.
There was no other way. The Rumble-Rumble Fruit had to be eaten. Otherwise, no one would know how to operate the Ark Maxim, and they wouldn't even be able to reach a Sky Island. They couldn't rely on the Knock Up Stream again; after all, that phenomenon relied on geothermal eruptions from underwater caverns. It was completely unpredictable and by no means a reliable way to travel.
The group heading to Skypiea was the same as before: Ryuuto, Hancock, Nami, Crocus, Vivi, and Jean Bart. Mohmoo's immense size meant he had to remain in the seas around Amazon Lily. This was also for the best, as he was in the middle of his evolution and required vast amounts of food, which the Calm Belt could provide.
With everything settled, they quickly made their way to the Ark Maxim.
"Old Crocus, do you even know how to fly this thing?" Nami couldn't help but ask as she watched him fumble around on the deck.
"Ermm… this might take a while." Crocus felt the complex network of gold conduits on the ark and frowned. It was much harder than it looked. Hancock, Vivi, and Jean Bart all turned to stare at him.
"Watching Ryuuto pilot the Ark Maxim made it seem so simple. I see now it was because his control over lightning was so precise that it became second nature to him," Crocus thought to himself as he continued to experiment.
After half a day of tinkering, while he still hadn't figured out how to steer, he had managed to make the ark ascend. That was good enough. They would set off first and worry about the destination later.
WHIRRR…
As lightning energy flowed through the vessel, the Dials beneath the massive Ark Maxim slowly activated. A powerful current of air blasted against the ground, and the resulting lift carried the ship into the sky.
"We finally did it!" Vivi wiped the sweat from her brow. Watching Crocus struggle for so long had made her so anxious she had downed two large jugs of fine wine.
"Skypiea, here we come again!" Hancock murmured to herself as she watched Amazon Lily shrink below them. She then walked slowly into the ship's cabin.
Ryuuto was lying in his room. Under the electric lights, he rested quietly on the luxurious bed, his closed eyes the only sign of his poor condition.
CRACKLE…
Hancock sat by the bed and reached out with a hand coated in Armament Haki. As her fingers neared him, a faint golden spark of lightning leaped from Ryuuto's body. This was the reason Crocus believed he was unconscious from overusing his powers. This automatic defensive lightning was growing stronger over time, but the process was agonizingly slow. Crocus theorized that once the golden lightning reached a certain threshold, Ryuuto would awaken.
"Ryuuto, when will you wake up?" Hancock retracted her Haki and gently rested her head on his chest, whispering to him over and over.
As the Ark Maxim climbed higher, they soon saw a colossal red continent in the distance, stretching ten thousand meters into the sky. It was the Red Line, the great wall that divided the seas. Ascending further, they came upon a soft, fluffy layer of clouds.
"This… is this the White Sea? Does that mean there could be a Sky Island here?" Crocus was stunned. He hadn't expected to find one, as not every sea in the world had a sky island above it.
"Hehehe!"
At that moment, the true hero of their success said nothing, only offering a sheepish grin. Of course, if Nami hadn't been frantically using her luck-based Devil Fruit powers, there was no telling where they would have ended up.
Vivi glanced over at Nami's silly smile. "Let's go! Skypiea, here we come!" she shouted, full of energy.
The Ark Maxim gently passed through the soft layer of clouds and emerged onto the White Sea, an ocean made almost entirely of Sea Clouds, solid enough for a ship to sail upon.
But this was not their final destination.
Looking up, they saw a massive island floating in the sky not far away, shaped like a giant hot-air balloon.