Inside a bustling tavern in Nanohana, the port city of Alabasta.
"York," Kaido grunted, swirling a massive barrel of ale. "Is Alabasta the secluded place you mentioned?"
"Of course not."
York smiled calmly, tapping the glass dome of the Log Pose on Stussy's wrist.
"The hideout I spoke of is the next island on this magnetic path."
The crew exchanged curious glances.
"The next island?" Gloriosa asked, frowning. "But I've heard the magnetic path from Alabasta leads to a dead end."
Shakky nodded in agreement, taking a drag from her cigarette. "The rumors say the Log Pose eventually locks onto a route that points straight up into the sky. When pirates follow it, they hit a small island that can't store magnetic force properly."
"Countless pirate crews get stranded there," Shakky continued. "They wait for the needle to reset, but it never does—it just stays pointing at the clouds. Eventually, they give up, buy Eternal Poses for other islands, and abandon the route."
Hearing this, York let out a mocking chuckle.
"The needle points to the sky, and those ignorant pirates think it's broken. But you lot are smarter than that, aren't you?"
Realization dawned on their faces.
"You mean..." Kaido's eyes widened. "Sky Island?!"
Most of the crew had never seen a Sky Island, treating it as a sailor's myth.
But Stussy smiled knowingly. As an intelligence broker who had been active in the Underworld for years, she was well-traveled.
"They exist," Stussy confirmed. "I've visited a Sky Island in the New World. But I've never been to one in the first half of the Grand Line. To think the island after Alabasta was one of them... this is truly astonishing."
"York, how did you know?"
York tapped the side of his head and grinned. "It's a secret!"
To avoid drawing the attention of the Marines, the 3-Billion-Berry crew kept a low profile in Nanohana.
Shakky, Stussy, and Gloriosa draped themselves in loose robes, opaque veils, and heavy hoods. Unless someone looked very closely at their eyes or their faintly visible silhouettes, they were unrecognizable.
Thanks to the disguises, no one in the desert nation realized the legendary Crimson Harvest Pirates were drinking in their local tavern.
A few days later, the Log Pose finished charging.
They boarded their stolen Marine warship and set sail. After a little over a day of navigation, they arrived at the fragmented island of Jaya.
York had zero interest in docking at Mock Town. He glanced at the Log Pose on Stussy's wrist.
The needle was pointing straight up.
"Kaido. Take us up."
"WORORORO! Hold on tight!"
Kaido shifted into his Azure Dragon form. Massive, swirling Flame Clouds wrapped around the hull of the warship. Slowly, defying all laws of physics, the massive galleon lifted out of the ocean and began to ascend into the sky.
Down below, in the chaotic streets of Mock Town, a drunken pirate blinked, rubbing his eyes.
"Hey! Is... is that ship flying?!"
He grabbed his Captain's sleeve, pointing wildly at the sky.
"Are you drunk?" his Captain slapped him upside the head. "How can a ship fly?!"
"But Captain! I swear! Look up!"
"Shut your mouth! You're embarrassing the crew in front of the others! Boys, beat some sense into him!"
A bar brawl erupted on Jaya, the foolish pirates completely unaware that a crew of legends was currently bypassing the lethal Knock Up Stream via private dragon elevator.
Even if York had noticed them with his Observation Haki, he wouldn't have cared. Pirates who lacked the romance to believe in the sky weren't even fit to be cannon fodder.
Lifted by the Flame Clouds, the warship pierced the cloud layer.
As the altitude skyrocketed, the air grew thin. The sudden drop in air pressure and oxygen caused some discomfort, but this was a crew of monsters. Even toddler Teach, inheriting Rocks' robust bloodline, merely sneezed.
Finally, they broke through the dense cumulus layer.
They arrived in a vast, blindingly white world. An ocean of clouds stretched out to the horizon.
"This is the White Sea," Stussy announced, a trace of nostalgia in her eyes. "An ocean suspended 7,000 meters above the Blue Sea. It's the gateway to the true Sky Island."
She looked at the massive dragon wrapped around the ship.
"Kaido, you can let go now."
Kaido blinked his massive reptilian eyes. "Are you crazy? The ship will plummet!"
"It won't. Trust me. This is the White Sea. The Sea Clouds can support the weight of a ship."
Half-doubting her, Kaido carefully lowered the ship until the hull touched the clouds. He released the Flame Clouds.
PLOP.
With a soft, muffled splash, the heavy warship settled perfectly onto the fluffy white ocean. It bobbed gently, just like it was on water.
"Incredible!" Gloriosa gasped, leaning over the railing.
"This is just the beginning," Stussy smiled, taking the helm. "The true Sky Island is even higher up at 10,000 meters! Hold on, I'll navigate us to the entrance."
Under Stussy's expert steering, the warship sailed across the White Sea, approaching a range of towering mountains made entirely of dense clouds.
Looking at the fluffy white peaks, York felt a surge of curiosity. He hopped onto the ship's railing and leaped off.
"York, wait! We're 7,000 meters up!" Gloriosa screamed, reaching out.
But York didn't fall through.
His boots hit the dense cloud. BOING.
He bounced high into the air, laughing out loud. "Hahaha! It's like a giant trampoline! These are Island Clouds!"
Seeing their Captain bouncing like a child, the younger members of the crew couldn't resist.
"Yahoo!" Ivankov, Ginny, and Kuma eagerly leaped over the railing, sinking into the soft, elastic mountainside.
Baby Teach, sitting securely on Kuma's broad shoulders, poked the cloud wall with a chubby finger. It was soft, bouncy, and surprisingly warm—nothing like the cold dirt of the Blue Sea.
After burning off some energy, York returned to the deck, and the crew navigated the ship through a winding canyon of Island Clouds.
Eventually, the path opened up.
Standing at the end of the cloud river was an ornate, ancient stone archway. A sign hung above it, reading: God'sland.
Beside the gate sat a small, dome-shaped reception booth, and beyond it, a winding, milky-white expressway leading even further into the sky.
They had reached Heaven's Gate.
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