Chapter 192 - 31

Chapter 31: The Man Worth Three Trillion!The going merry sailed smoothly across the vast, White-White Sea.The deck was filled with a rich aroma. Luffy held a plate piled high with fried Sky Fish steaks, devouring them in large gulps while mumbling indistinctly."Delicious! So delicious! This fish meat is fresher and more tender than any fish in the Blue Sea!""Hey, Luffy!" Nami leaned in with a frown, looking worried."We haven't studied these White Sea creatures yet. We don't even know if they're edible. Be careful not to upset your stomach!""Don't worry, don't worry!" Luffy said, picking up a steaming fish steak with a fork and holding it directly to Nami's mouth."Try it and you'll see. It's absolutely fine!"Nami took a bite skeptically, and the fresh flavor of the fish instantly exploded on the tip of her tongue.The meat was tender and springy, with a faint, refreshing scent of clouds, making her eyes light up."Wow! It really is delicious! I've never tasted a texture like this before!""Really? I'm glad Miss Nami likes it!"Sanji immediately leaned in, hearts sparkling in his eyes as he looked at Nami expectantly."Next time I'll make different flavors for you. I guarantee you'll be satisfied!"Just then, Chopper, who was looking around with binoculars, suddenly had his pupils shrink. He pointed into the distance and shouted, "A ship! There's a ship! No— wait!"Before he could finish, the small ship in the binoculars was blown to pieces by a mysterious figure's cannon. Wood splinters flew everywhere as it sank into the Sea of Clouds.Chopper was so scared his fur stood on end and his ears perked up."Hey, Zoro, did you see that?" Luffy asked without looking up, still eating his fish."Yeah." Zoro leaned against the railing, having already drawn his three swords, their blades glinting coldly in the sunlight."We're the next target. However, I've mostly adapted to this high-altitude environment.""Then I'll leave it to you, Zoro!"Luffy waved his hand, throwing himself wholeheartedly back into the feast before him, seemingly completely unconcerned about the impending battle."A square-shaped bull is charging at us from the clouds!" Chopper shouted again, his voice trembling."What nonsense are you talking about?" Sanjiasked, looking bewildered."A square bull? How could such a creature exist?"As soon as he finished speaking, a figure suddenly appeared above the Sea of Clouds.It was a strangely dressed person wearing Cloud-skates similar to rollerblades.He was moving extremely fast, rushing toward the Merry like an arrow released from a bow, carrying a rocket launcher on his shoulder with an aggressive aura."He's here." A smile curled on Zoro's lips as he pushed off the deck.His body shot out like a leopard, leaping directly onto the Sea of Clouds.Clang!The mysterious man raised a shield to block. Zoro's three blades struck down simultaneously, the shield and swords colliding violently.Sparks flew, and the piercing sound of metal grinding echoed across the White Sea.Seeing this, the man suddenly kicked out, a powerful gust of wind aiming straight for Zoro's face.Zoro reacted instantly, reversing his grip on yubashiri and using the back of the blade to take the kick head-on.Boom!The air seemed to explode. The massive impact sent both of them flying backward.Zoro landed steadily back on the Merry's deck. He rubbed his wrist, his gaze turning serious."He's got some skill."Meanwhile, the strange man retreated to the Sea of Clouds hundreds of meters away, quickly hoisting the rocket launcher on his shoulder and aiming it at the Merry.Bang!A flash of fire erupted from the muzzle. The cannonball whistled through the air, hurtling toward the Merry at incredible speed."Heh, interesting."Zoro's eyes sharpened as a faint black Armament Haki coated his three blades. His aura surged suddenly."Three Sword Style Secret Technique—Three Thousand Worlds!"Before his voice faded, Zoro's figure became an afterimage, carrying three sharp blade auras as he tore straight through the cannonball.Boom!The cannonball exploded mid-air. A massive shockwave swept out, but it didn't scratch Zoro at all.Without waiting for the smoke to clear, Zoro shot forward again, charging straight at the mysterious man."What?!" The man turned pale with shock and hurriedly raised his shield to block again.Screech!The sound of the blades slicing through the shield was incredibly piercing. The sturdy shield was cut open as easily as a piece of paper.Following that, three deep gashes were carved into the man's chest. Blood sprayed out, staining the Sea of Clouds beneath him red.Zoro slowly sheathed his swords, his eyes cold."So, who exactly are you—"Before he could finish, the man suddenly raised his rocket launcher, ignoring his injuries, and fired at Zoro again.Zoro tilted his head slightly. The cannonball grazed his ear and landed heavily in the distant Sea of Clouds with a loud explosion."So, you want to die, is that it?"Zoro's voice became bone-chillingly cold, brimming with killing intent.wado ichimonji instantly left its scabbard, wrapped in Armament Haki. The blade emitted a terrifying cold light."One Sword Style—Lion's Song!"In an instant, the blade's light cut through the sky like lightning. The man felt as if the Grim Reaper was beckoning him, his pupils filled with terror.At this critical moment, a figure suddenly descended from the sky.A knight in heavy armor, holding a spear, dove down like a swooping eagle and blocked the path in front of the strange man.Crack!The spear and blade collided. The knight was instantly sent flying by the massive force.The spear flew out of his hand, and a deep gash was cut into his armor. He landed wretchedly on the Sea of Clouds.Zoro was slightly taken aback. When he turned to look, the strange man from before had already vanished.He calmly looked at the armored old man, his tone carrying a hint of disdain."Well? Who is it this time?"The old man slowly stood up, brushed the dust off his armor, and said solemnly,"I am the Sky Knight.""You?" Zoro scoffed. "Tch."The old man's mouth twitched, clearly not expecting to be so belittled... On the Merry, everyone gathered around. The old man looked at them and asked,"Are you Blue Sea people?""Blue Sea people? What's that?" Nami asked, looking confused."Blue Sea people is our general term for those who live on the ocean beneath the clouds," the old man explained."This is the White Sea, seven thousand meters above the Blue Sea. Another three thousand meters up is the White-White Sea at ten thousand meters, which is the core area of Sky Island.""Then how do we get to the White-White Sea?" Nami asked immediately, her eyes full of anticipation."Just go through the Heaven's Gate up ahead," the old man said, pointing into the distance."That is the only passage into the White-White Sea."After a pause, the old man's tone shifted, and a business-like expression appeared on his face."Alright, let's talk business. To be honest, I am a Sky Island mercenary. I can help you solve various troubles on Sky Island.""Just blow this whistle and pay five million Extol, and I will come to your rescue.""Are you sure?" Zoro raised an eyebrow, his tone skeptical."Uh... there are some risks in Sky Island that can't be solved by force alone."The old man smiled awkwardly."Besides, my fee is very cheap.""Cheap?" Luffy, having just finished his plate of fish, wiped his mouth and said nonchalantly, "It really isn't expensive.""What are you saying?!" Nami instantly exploded, yelling at Luffy."You really don't know the value of money! Five million is no small amount!""Alright, I should be going."Seeing this, the old man quickly pulled a whistle from his robe and tossed it to Nami."This is for you. Just blow it, and I'll fly down to save you anytime.""Normally, it costs five million Extol for me to move, but since it's our first meeting, I'll give you one free chance.""Wait, may I ask your name?" Nami caught the whistle and asked politely."The Sky Knight—Gan Fall."The old man introduced himself, then pointed to a bird beside him."This is my partner, Pierre.""Though he is a bird, he is a power user who ate the Horse-Horse Fruit. He can transform into a horse with wings—a Pegasus!"Gan Fall said with pride, then shouted to Pierre,"Pierre, transform!"The bird's body glowed, and a second later, it turned into a bizarre-looking "Pegasus."—It had the shape of a horse but retained the head and wings of a bird. It looked neither here nor there."Hey, hey, are you sure that's a Pegasus?" Zoroheld his forehead, too tired to even complain."It's so weird. Is there really a need for it to look like that?" Chopper couldn't help but add.Gan Fall coughed awkwardly twice and didn't explain further, riding Pierre toward Heaven's Gate... "Alright, we're off to Sky Island!"Luffy patted his round belly and stood up, his eyes full of excitement."Zoro, can you see Heaven's Gate?""Yeah." Zoro nodded, looking into the distance."Then let Zoro lead the way!"Luffy made the decision with a wave of his hand."Idot!" Sanji immediately objected."You're letting a guy with no sense of direction lead? We'll end up who-knows-where!""So?"Luffy tilted his head, having a bad feeling."None of us can see the specific direction of Heaven's Gate, so it's up to you to lead the way, Luffy."Robin chuckled, a hint of teasing in her voice."Alright."Luffy shrugged helplessly, walked to the bow, and activated his Observation Haki to sense the location of Heaven's Gate.Under Luffy's guidance, the Merry sailed slowly toward Heaven's Gate.Soon, a massive arch bridge appeared before them. Three prominent words were written on the bridge—Heaven's Gate."Heaven's Gate?" Usopp looked at the three words and couldn't help but shout."That sounds so ominous. It's like we're dead or something!""Maybe we really are dead!" Luffy suddenly leaned his head on Usopp's shoulder and made a ghost face."Aaaah!" Usopp screamed in terror."Hahahaha!" Laughter rang out on the deck... Just then, a short old woman stepped out from beside Heaven's Gate.She held a camera and took a photo of the Merry with a "click.""I am Amazon, the Inspector of Heaven's Gate," the old woman said slowly, her voice raspy."Are you here for sightseeing, or are you here for war?"Without waiting for an answer, she continued,"Forget it, it doesn't matter which.""To enter the upper White-White Sea, you must pay an entry fee of one billion Extol per person.""One billion Extol? How many Berries is that?"Nami immediately turned to Luffy. He had said five million Extol was cheap earlier, so he clearly knew something about this currency."Oh, that!" Luffy said proudly."My net worth is as high as three trillion Extol!""Three trillion?!" Everyone was stunned by the number, staring at Luffy with wide eyes."If converted to Berries, one billion Extol per person is one hundred thousand Berries. For the seven of us, that's seven hundred thousand Berries."Nami quickly calculated the result and frowned."That's still a lot!"She turned to Amazon and asked urgently,"Excuse me, if... I mean if we don't have the money, can we still enter?""You can enter," Amazon nodded and said expressionlessly."Of course, you can also choose not to enter.""Luffy, should we pay or not?"Nami looked at Luffy, feeling that things weren't as simple as they seemed.Luffy blinked, and a system prompt suddenly rang in his mind:[Ding! Choice Mission Issued: Island Landing]1. Choose to pay and enter for sightseeing.Reward: 100 Million Berries2. Choose not to pay (Bear the consequences yourself).Reward: Everyone's Observation Haki talent increased by 10%.Luffy's memory of Sky Island wasn't very deep. He only remembered Eneru, the Rumble-Rumble Fruituser, and the angel Conis.He vaguely recalled that not paying would label them as illegal entrants, but so what?It was just Eneru. He'd just blow him away!Thinking of this, Luffy smiled slightly and said to Amazon,"No, we don't have any money. Please just let us in!""OK, all seven are going in, right?"Amazon confirmed, a faint glint flashing through her eyes.A second later, several giant Super Express Shrimpemerged from the Sea of Clouds.They gently gripped the Merry with their massive claws,then rushed along the cloud path, carrying the Merry straight into the sky!A breeze brushed against everyone's faces as the white scenery receded rapidly.Luffy stood at the bow, pressing down on his straw hat which was being whipped by the wind, staring calmly at the White-White Sea above... Meanwhile, in the monitoring room of Heaven's Gate, Amazon picked up a den den mushi and said respectfully,"Heaven's Gate Inspector Amazon reporting to the Almighty God and the Priests!""Seven illegal entrants have invaded the Land of God.""Please grant them Heaven's Judgment!""Please grant them Heaven's Judgment!"A cold response came from the other end of the den den mushi, signaling that a thrilling battle was about to begin in the White-White Sea.