Early the next morning, Moses woke up.
Blinking away his drowsiness, he got up and washed his face.
He went to the window, opened it, and jumped out.
His body transformed from small to large.
Moses appeared in a rented room outside, plopping onto the bed and startling Crow Dabao awake.
With an apologetic look, Moses said, "I'm going out for a swim. If anything comes up, come find me at Angel Beach."
"Got it. Crow will sleep a bit more. Go ahead," Crow replied.
Stepping onto the room's balcony, Moses gazed at the silvery-white sea of clouds shimmering in the faint dawn light.
Pushing off the balcony, he leaped from the small Island Cloud, controlling his glide with the rhythm of his Breath as he rode the wind downward.
A few minutes later, he arrived at Angel Beach.
At this hour, before six in the morning, the place was deserted.
Finding a small patch of Island Cloud, he took off his T-shirt and sandals, placing them neatly aside, then did a quick warm-up.
After a short running start, he stepped onto the Sea Cloud that reached just above his ankles. Using Observation Haki to gauge the distance, he leaped at the perfect moment, diving headfirst into the Sea Cloud with flawless form.
Splashing up a wave of Sea Cloud, Moses began swimming through it.
The Sea Cloud of Skypiea teemed with ferocious Sky Fish—massive in size but remarkably tender and delicious.
Though visibility in the Sea Cloud wasn't as clear as in seawater, its buoyancy far surpassed that of the ocean below.
With effortless strokes and kicks, he could cover significant distances with ease.
Moses swam swiftly into the distance, occasionally surfacing for air. Whenever a Sky Fish tried to hunt him, he rewarded it with a punch. Half an hour later, he reached the edge of the Sea Cloud and surfaced to breathe.
By then, the horizon was painted with the hues of dawn, streaks of fiery clouds stretching across the sky in breathtaking beauty.
After admiring the view, Moses took a deep breath and dove back in, swimming toward Angel Beach.
Soon, he noticed a strange fish chasing him—over twenty meters long, muscular yet plump, its mouth bristling with razor-sharp teeth.
A grin spread across Moses' face as he instinctively began toying with it.
Each time the fish nearly caught him, he'd press a palm or plant a foot against its teeth, using the force to propel himself forward.
Occasionally, he'd breach the Sea Cloud for air.
This, too, was a form of training.
Moses happily led the fish on a merry chase through the clouds.
Every now and then, he'd punch it in the head, stoking its rage while feigning exhaustion.
A true master of the seas, Moses played with the fish, grinning all the while.
Unbeknownst to him, the sun had begun to rise.
Spotting the Island Cloud shoreline in the distance, Moses steered his pursuer in that direction.
After another ten minutes, as he neared the shore, Moses deliberately left an opening. Just as the fish's gaping maw was about to clamp down on him, he kicked off its upper lip, launching himself out of the Sea Cloud in a parabolic arc toward the coast.
The next instant—
Splash!
The massive fish burst from the Sea Cloud with relentless fury, thrashing its tail fin as it chased after Moses, jaws wide and teeth gleaming.
Mid-air...
Wiping the water from his face, Moses looked down toward the shore in surprise as a petite figure carrying a fishing rod emerged from behind a boulder-shaped Island Cloud.
Drops of water splashed onto Conis's face as she looked up. The next second, a figure descended from the sky and landed beside her.
Moses turned his head to glance at the stunned girl, feeling somewhat helpless. What kind of situation is this?
At the same time, the light above dimmed. Without even needing to think, Moses knew what was causing it. Pushing off the ground with his foot, he grabbed the arm of the girl, whose mouth had fallen slightly open, and pulled her forward several meters.
Releasing her arm, Moses relied on his Observation Haki to gauge the distance. Spinning around, he delivered a precise roundhouse kick to the side of the giant fish's face, sending it flipping sideways.
"Shave."
In the blink of an eye, Moses appeared above the fish's head. Raising his right leg high in a split stance, he brought it down like a battle-axe.
A dull thud echoed as the fish, suspended a meter above the ground, crashed heavily onto the Island Cloud. Moses heard a crack from inside the fish's skull before watching a Soul Crystal the size of a broad bean separate from its body.
[Obtained E+ Rank Soul Crystal ×1]
Giant fish captured. Capture Rank: E+.
Moses amused himself with the thought.
Stepping forward, he grabbed the fish's lower jaw and grinned at the "monster fish," which stood a full four meters tall even lying on the ground.
"Breakfast or dinner, take your pick."
Just then, a trembling but clear voice spoke up, still shaken from the close call: "Um… thank you for saving me. My name is Conis. May I ask who you are?"
Moses waved it off as he dragged the fish toward home. "No need. The danger you almost faced was partly my fault anyway."
Passing by another patch of Island Cloud a few meters away, he casually picked up the short-sleeved shirt and shoes he had left there earlier.
Then he headed north without another word.
Conis silently watched Moses walk away, muttering under her breath:
"That fish was an endangered species, wasn't it? It's not allowed to be caught… Ah, whatever. Since he saved me, I'll just pretend I didn't see it. Hopefully, no one else did either."
"And so that's what people from the Blue Sea look like… Aside from the lack of wings, they're not that different from us. Is he one of those Blue Sea people who moved to the small Island Cloud next to my house half a month ago?"
"Better head back. No more fishing today—this place is too dangerous."
Rubbing her arms to soothe her lingering unease, Conis turned and left.
...
On the way back, Crow Dabao found Moses and called him home for breakfast.
Top Floor · Dining Room
Seeing that Kureha and the others had been waiting for him, Moses smiled apologetically.
"Woke up early, so I went for a swim in the sea of clouds and caught a big fish on the way. Sorry for making you wait. You really didn't have to hold breakfast for me."
Perona pouted, her large eyes glaring at him. "What are you talking about? We're family—of course we'd wait for you! It's not like you weren't coming."
Robin chuckled in agreement. "Peipei's right. It's not like it takes much time. Eating together is what makes it enjoyable."
Kureha rolled her eyes at Moses. "Enough nonsense. Go wash your hands already—how much longer are you going to keep us waiting?"
Though he'd been scolded, Moses couldn't help but feel warmth in his heart.
This kind of life… isn't bad at all.
And so, a lavish breakfast was enjoyed by all.
While clearing the dishes, one of the Den Den Mushi nibbling on vegetable leaves at the dining table suddenly began ringing with a "Buru Buru Buru" sound.
Looking at the familiar appearance imitated by the Den Den Mushi, Moses raised an eyebrow and picked up the receiver to answer.
"Moses, what are you up to?"
A boisterous voice came through—it was Ace, sounding like he'd just woken up not long ago.
Moses replied, "Just finished breakfast. What's up? Did something happen?"
"Well, I just wanted to ask—do you know a woman in Windmill Village? Yesterday, when Sabo and I went there to buy stuff for Dadan, we ran into this young woman. She grabbed me right away and said I looked a lot like a friend of hers."
"Then she mentioned your name."
"I didn't engage with her, just brushed her off."
"But I just remembered it now, so I thought I'd check with you. What was her name again? Oh yeah, Makino."
Hearing Ace's words, Moses' expression turned odd. What a coincidence.
"Yeah, I know her. She's a good friend," he said.
Then he added, "Why didn't you just say so? She doesn't seem like a bad person, does she?"
Ace's face twisted into an equally strange expression as he replied, exasperated,
"Who knows? The woman smiled when she first mentioned you, then immediately looked like she wanted to bite your head off. I thought she was some kind of enemy of yours."
"I didn't punch her—that was me being polite. But seriously, she's really your friend?"
Moses' eye twitched. Thank goodness this little brat Ace hadn't actually hit her—otherwise, how could he ever face her again?
With a sigh, Moses said, "She's my friend. A very close one."
"Whatever. Later, take some game over there and apologize. Also, tell her I've got some things going on lately, so it might be a while before I can visit her."
"Oh, and make sure to tell her—if she wants to get stronger, strong enough to punch through a wall, she needs to train seriously in the Breath technique. If you say that, she'll believe you're my brother."
"Why are you making this so complicated? Forget it, when you get back, you can tell her yourself."
Ace snapped, "Hanging up."
He carelessly hung up the Den Den Mushi, looking thoroughly annoyed.
Beside him, Sabo chuckled.
"See, Ace? I told you that woman had to be Moses' friend."
Ace scratched his head, thinking it over. Maybe he should go after all?
Otherwise, when Moses came back, that woman might complain about him. Yeah, definitely not because Moses' punches hurt like hell.
With that in mind, Ace stood up abruptly and headed for the door.
Sabo blinked. "Ace, where are you going?"
Ace paused, glancing back at Sabo before answering flatly,
"Going to pass on Moses' message to that woman. You coming?"
Sabo burst out laughing.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming. Heh heh heh."
...
Moses shook his head at the disconnected Den Den Mushi. What a mess. Unbelievable.
Then he glanced at the people washing dishes in the kitchen and called out to Crow Dabao.
"Let's go. To Upper Yard. Time to continue our training."
Crow Dabao nodded, and Moses watched as the scenery outside the window began to shift.
A moment later.
A petite figure ascended the small Island Cloud from the cloud-made staircase below and knocked on the door of the house. After waiting for a while, there was still no response from inside.
A little dejected, Conis glanced helplessly at the specialty pastries in her hand:
"No one home? I wanted to thank them."
...
Upper Yard.
The enormous Braided Vines.
High in the sky, with the howling wind around him, Moses hung in the air, using only his hands to climb upward, sweat beading on his forehead.
He continuously challenged his own control over his body.
From time to time, the strong winds would blow him sideways, but Moses used Disguise to synchronize the fluctuations of his Breath with the surrounding wind, using his spiritual perception to harness the natural wind to counteract the natural wind.
Not only was he tempering his Physique, but also his mental willpower and perception. As if tireless, he kept his gaze fixed on the highest point, his hands steadily climbing upward.
Since his endurance attribute was of C- grade, Moses felt at ease in tempering his body. With Qi Circulation Throughout the Body and Spirit-Flesh Convergence, his perception and application of his body could truly be considered at the level of Life Return.
Moses exerted his entire body, channeling all his strength into his hands. Like an eagle's talons, he firmly gripped the outer surface of the vines, climbing relentlessly. Even though he was only using his hands, his entire body was thoroughly exercised.
Tireless, with only one goal in mind—to reach the summit and strike the great bell.
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