The White Gull drifted on the Bai Bai Sea for several hours, with nothing around but an endless sea of clouds and the occasional Sky Fish darting by.
Libo leaned over the ship's rail, idly poking the clouds with a carrot: “Gern, are we lost?”
“Sky Island is bigger than I imagined.” Gern stood at the bow, his gaze sweeping the distance.
“According to my memory, Angel Island should be drifting on the Bai Bai Sea!”
(The White Sea is at 7,000 meters, while the islands where Sky Island is located are all above 10,000 meters in the Bai Bai Sea.)
“Vice Admiral Gern.” Tesoro adjusted the Log Pose, frowning: “The magnetic field here is very chaotic, the pointer keeps spinning, it’s useless.”
“Tsk tsk tsk.” Snake Princess leaned lazily on a deck chair, tidying her wind-blown hair while glancing at Gern.
“If this place is as big as the ocean, then we’ve got a lot of searching to do.”
Hearing Snake Princess's words, Gern was about to reply when his Observation Haki suddenly sensed something, so he abruptly raised his hand, signaling everyone to be quiet.
“There’s a sound.”
Everyone held their breath, and soon, a faint engine roar came from a distance.
“Splash!” The sea of clouds suddenly parted, and a uniquely shaped Waver surfboat burst out from below, hovering steadily in front of the White Gull.
The driver was a Sky Island youth wearing goggles and with small, pure white wings on his back, holding a long spear made from a Burn Dial, vigilantly sizing them up.
“Illegal entry by Blue Sea people?!” He exclaimed, “How did you break through the White Sea?!”
Before Gern could answer, the surrounding clouds churned one after another, and three more Wavers broke through the clouds, surrounding the White Gull in an encirclement.
Each Waver had a Sky Island warrior standing on it, holding various Dial weapons, their expressions wary.
The leading warrior took off his goggles, revealing a pair of sharp eyes: “Blue Sea people who have illegally trespassed into God's Country, state your intentions!”
Libo excitedly waved her arms: “Hello! We’re looking for Angel Island!”
“Angel Island?” The Sky Island warriors exchanged glances, a hint of surprise flashing in their eyes.
The leading warrior snorted coldly: “Angel Island isn’t here, this is the territory of God Gan Fall!
Any unauthorized intruders will face retribution!”
“God?” Tesoro frowned, “Vice Admiral Gern, is that Gan Fall the God we’re looking for?”
“Uh…” Hearing Tesoro’s words, Gern recalled the appearance of that old man, Gan Fall, and twitched the corner of his mouth.
“This God is not that God.”
However, I had forgotten, it is now the end of sea circle calendar 1498. The ruler of Sky Island is Gan Fall, the sixth-generation God of Sky Island.
And Eneru won't come to rule Sky Island until 1506, and he will be 39 years old after being defeated by Luffy.
In that case, if we calculate backward from 1520 (Luffy’s starting point for sailing),
Eneru should still be gnawing on an apple in Birka right now. That future tyrant who will destroy his hometown is only 17 years old now...
.......
On the other side, Snake Princess glanced at Gern, seeing him staring blankly at the sea of clouds, a faint smile on his lips.
“Daydreaming again.” After a soft snort, Snake Princess’s fingertips gently tapped the black scabbard at her waist, her red lips slightly curved, a half-smile as she stepped forward.
“Oh? Retribution?” Her voice was lazy, yet it carried a bone-chilling coldness, “Just with a few of you?”
In an instant, the Sky Island warriors were enraged by Snake Princess’s contemptuous attitude, and they fiercely raised their Burn Dial spears, flames erupting from the spear tips, reflecting their ashen faces.
“Presumptuous! God's Country is not a place where you Blue Sea people can run wild!”
“Is that so?” Snake Princess’s lips curved into a dangerous arc, a cold light flashing in her eyes.
“That’s good then, take us to see your God.”
“Arrogant! Lord Gan Fall is busy with countless affairs, how can you Blue Sea people just see him whenever you wish?!”
The leading warrior roared, and his Burn Dial spear instantly spewed out scorching tongues of flame, “Attack! Take them down!”
Before his voice fell, the four Wavers simultaneously accelerated and charged, breaking through the cloud waves, heading straight for the warship.
“You refuse a toast only to drink a forfeit.” Snake Princess’s eyes suddenly turned cold, and she slowly raised her sword, one hand gripping the scabbard, the other on the hilt, the blade rubbing against the scabbard opening, emitting a faint clang.
“Drawing from the head?” Gern, who had reacted, raised an eyebrow, looking at her with interest, “You’re going to cut off the cage of destiny, aren’t you?”
Snake Princess did not answer, only her lips curved slightly.
The next instant—
“Nine Snake Style: Morning Glory Collection!”
“Clang!” The sword light bloomed like a new moon, and no one saw how she drew her sword.
Only four almost overlapping sounds of metal breaking were heard, and the hulls of the four Wavers simultaneously broke into two.
The Sky Island warriors still maintained their charging posture, but they froze in place, as if time had stopped at that moment.
“Crack, crack, crack…” Their goggles all cracked open, and a hair-thin slash appeared on the armor across their chests.
“Thud!” Everyone almost simultaneously knelt on the wreckage of the Wavers, and then, touching themselves all over, they discovered in horror that they were completely unharmed!
The previous slash had precisely cut through their weapons and Wavers, yet it hadn't even scratched a corner of their clothes.
Snake Princess elegantly returned her sword to its scabbard, the tsuba clicking into place with a crisp “clack.”
Her high heels tapped on the deck, making rhythmic sounds.
“Now.” She looked down slightly at the Sky Island warriors kneeling on the wreckage, her red lips parting slightly, “Can you lead the way?”
The leading warrior trembled all over, his throat so dry he could barely speak: “Who… who exactly are you people?”
“Who are we?” Gern stepped forward, with Snake Princess on his left, Tesoro on his right, and Libo cutely peeking out her head.
He stood at the main position, a slight smile on his lips, his tone relaxed yet carrying an undeniable authority.
“We are merely a group of travelers looking for ‘God’!”
The Sky Island warriors’ faces grew even paler at his words.
“You…” The leading warrior suppressed the fear in his heart, his voice trembling: “What exactly do you want with Lord Gan Fall?”
“The God I’m looking for isn’t him!” Gern put his hands in his pockets, his gaze leisurely sweeping across the distant sea of clouds.
“However, I really do have some questions I’d like to ask him now.”
“Of course…” Gern paused, “If he’s unwilling to cooperate, we don’t mind using some ‘special’ methods.”
Snake Princess chuckled softly, her fingertips gently stroking her scabbard, and added,
“For example, letting his God's Country get a new owner.”