Upon arriving at the Sea of Clouds, the endless white world before them left everyone speechless for a moment—then an explosive wave of cheers erupted.
"Clouds! They're really clouds!"
"We're actually sailing on top of clouds?!"
Several crew members rushed to the railing and cautiously reached down to touch the dense white sea below.
Instead of empty air, their fingers met a soft, moist texture, almost tangible.
More people crowded around.
Some grabbed oars and sticks, poking curiously into the cloud sea.
The sticks slid in easily, encountering almost no resistance—like plunging into water.
The clouds flowed gently around them.
"Hey! This cloud… actually has texture!"
"It feels kind of like water!"
"Let me try!"
Aldo shoved his way forward, snatched a harpoon, and hurled it into the clouds.
The weapon spun once before vanishing into the white surface.
No splash.
No sound.
"Not even a plop! It's like water, but… not quite water."
"This thing can really hold up a ship?"
Even Marcus couldn't resist his curiosity.
He drew Luan Sakura, lightly touching the cloud surface with the tip of the blade.
The sword sank in effortlessly.
When he pulled it back, droplets of moisture clung to the steel.
But the cloud surface showed no trace of the cut.
As if nothing had touched it at all.
"Incredible…"
"Even basic common sense is different up here."
The deck became chaotic.
Crew members ran around shouting in excitement.
Some tried scooping up handfuls of cloud-water.
Others shouted into the distance, listening as their voices faded into the endless white world.
Sami walked to the bow and took a deep breath.
Cool, strangely fresh air filled his lungs.
He gazed across the unimaginable scenery.
But the excitement didn't last long.
Several crew members who had been jumping around suddenly slowed down.
Their faces turned pale.
Clutching their chests, they sank to the deck.
Like a row of falling dominoes—
More people began struggling to breathe.
It felt as though a heavy stone pressed against their lungs.
Aldo shook his head.
The white world before him started to spin.
Even Sami felt a sudden palpitation.
A dull throbbing spread through his temples.
Thump… thump…
Some of the weaker sailors collapsed outright, gasping for air.
"What happened?! Enemy attack?!"
Hans and Leon rushed out of the cockpit, faces pale.
Aldo weakly waved a hand.
"N-no enemies…"
"My chest… feels tight…"
"Can't… breathe…"
Sami dropped to one knee.
Suppressing the dizziness, he adjusted his breathing and sensed the subtle changes in his body.
"It's the altitude."
"The air here is too thin."
"Don't panic."
"Slow your breathing and give your bodies time to adapt."
Under his guidance, everyone gradually calmed down.
They began taking slow, deep breaths.
As time passed, the suffocating sensation slowly faded.
Aldo recovered first.
His reckless energy quickly returned.
He ripped open the buttons of his shirt.
"Damn near suffocated me!"
"But I'm fine now!"
He grinned at the vast cloud sea.
"This place is amazing!"
"Anyone want to jump in for a swim?"
"A Sky Island swimming pool—might be the only chance in our lives!"
With him leading the charge, several energetic sailors eagerly began removing their jackets.
"Hey! You idiots!"
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Sami flashed forward and smacked Aldo and the others on the head with sharp knocks.
"Ow!"
"That hurt!"
"Swimming, my ass!"
Sami glared at them.
"Use your brains!"
"This is the cloud sea."
"There's no seabed underneath!"
"If you swim too far out or dive too deep, what happens if you fall through?"
"Stay on the ship!"
"S-sorry, boss…"
Aldo rubbed his head, instantly deflated.
The others hurriedly put their clothes back on.
Ignoring the troublemakers, Sami turned to Hans.
"Hans."
"Check the Log Pose."
"Has it locked onto the Sky Island's magnetic field?"
Hans looked down at the Log Pose on his wrist.
The needle was trembling slightly—
Pointing toward somewhere deep within the cloud sea.
"Boss! It's reacting!"
"Good!"
Sami's eyes lit up.
"Adjust the course immediately!"
"Follow the needle at full speed!"
He looked around.
"Where's Barry?"
"Where's the old man?"
"Captain!"
A sailor shouted from the cabin entrance.
"Barry's down here!"
"Something's wrong with him—he won't wake up!"
Sami's expression changed instantly.
He rushed below deck.
Barry lay curled up on a mat in the corner.
His face was flushed.
His breathing was weak.
He had already slipped into semi-consciousness.
"Hiriluk!"
"Coming!"
The ship doctor rushed over with his medical kit.
He quickly checked Barry's pupils, pulse, and temperature.
His face grew serious.
"He has a high fever."
"Acute altitude sickness—and severe."
"He's old. His body can't handle low pressure and oxygen deficiency as well as we can."
"Can you treat it?" Sami asked.
"I studied altitude sickness before we left."
"I prepared medication and treatment plans."
Hiriluk opened his medical case without hesitation.
He took out several specially prepared bottles and a simple infusion device.
"We need to administer medicine immediately."
"Hopefully we can stabilize him."
He disinfected the equipment swiftly.
Pale blue liquid flowed through the tube into Barry's vein.
"Hans!"
"Don't slow down."
"Keep heading toward Sky Island at full speed."
Sami gave the order while watching Barry.
"We need to reach land as soon as possible."
About half an hour later—
Under Hiriluk's treatment and the medication's effects—
Barry's breathing gradually stabilized.
The redness in his face faded.
His eyelids trembled.
Slowly, he opened his eyes.
His vision remained blurry for a moment before focusing on Hiriluk adjusting the drip and Sami standing nearby.
He noticed the cold sensation in his arm.
And the tube feeding medicine into his vein.
"Heh… cough…"
He smiled weakly.
"Looks like… this old body… is useless after all…"
"I ended up… causing trouble for everyone…"
"Don't talk," Sami said, gently pressing his shoulder down.
"Just rest."
"The medicine is working."
"Hiriluk says you'll be fine once things stabilize."
"We're heading for Sky Island at full speed."
"We'll arrive soon."
"Sky Island…?"
A faint spark lit up in Barry's cloudy eyes.
He struggled to recall something.
"If… the location… hasn't changed too much…"
"According to the old records…"
"After crossing this sea of clouds…"
"The next island… should be called…"
"Aramuk Island…"
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