The world was turning upside down.
When the force of the Knock Up Stream finally dissipated, Sanji and Rehn felt themselves, along with their entire scout speedboat, being tossed from ten thousand meters up as if by an enormous invisible hand.
SPLAAASH!!!
With a thunderous smack, the scout boat slammed into something that felt… soft and springy, like a cushiony "sea."
"Cough… cough cough…"
Sanji was the first to climb up from the deck, spitting out mouthfuls of whatever "seawater" he had swallowed, but the moment he looked at the fluffy, cotton-candy-like white "foam" in his palm, he froze.
He slowly raised his head, and what entered his eyes was a scene that could shatter any normal person's worldview.
They were floating atop a vast, endless white ocean made entirely of clouds.
Above them stretched a sky bluer and purer than the Blue Sea.
All around, islands made of thicker, denser "cloud islands" drifted in the air. Some had lush trees, flowing waterfalls, and even strangely styled buildings.
"Th-This is…"
Sanji's pupils widened in disbelief. The cigarette in his mouth dropped onto the "cloud sea"… and simply floated there.
He inhaled deeply, the air carried a mix of sunlight, wind, and the fragrance of unknown flowers. It was unbelievably fresh.
"OOOOOOOOOHHHH!!!"
After a brief moment of stunned silence, Sanji erupted with a thunderous roar of pure ecstasy.
"All Blue! Is this the legendary All Blue?! No… this is even more magical than the legends! Unknown ingredients, here I come!"
In stark contrast to Sanji's joy, Rehn let out a wail filled with despair.
"It's over… everything's over…"
The efficiency-obsessed man lay sprawled on the deck in the shape of a big "X," staring soullessly at the sky.
He hadn't even looked at the scenery, the first things he checked were:
One, the briefcase holding over six billion Berries, thankfully, still securely chained to his wrist.
Two, the boat's condition, hull cracked in multiple places, side planks damaged, mast broken in half. Completely unable to sail.
Three, the most fatal: The special Eternal Pose pointing to Appatia was now spinning wildly like a headless fly. Completely broken.
"Route severed… vessel destroyed… return date unknown…"
Rehn murmured like someone reciting a eulogy, "Lord Renzo's afternoon tea… I… I've betrayed His Excellency's supreme trust… I'm an utterly inefficient failure…"
His entire aura turned gray, as if his soul had left his body.
"Oi oi, fatso, don't look like it's the end of the world."
Sanji kicked him lightly. "Look around! It's the Cloud Sea! Sky Island! We made it to a legendary place! The boat's busted, obviously, we need someone to fix it! Looks like this place has intelligent life. Let's just go ashore first."
He pointed at the nearest island, Angel Island, where a soft-looking "cloud beach" lay.
With effort, they managed to row the damaged boat to shore.
The moment they stepped onto the cottony cloud beach, a gentle voice came from nearby:
"Are you two visitors from the Blue Sea?"
They turned, and saw a beautiful girl with small white wings on her back, golden curls, and a curious expression. She held a strange creature that looked like a "cloud fox."
"O… OOOOH! Angel-chwaaaan!!!"
Sanji's eyes morphed into giant hearts. He spun forward at impossible speed, dropped to one knee, and declared:
"Lovely angelic lady! To meet you in this heavenly paradise is the greatest blessing of my life!"
The girl blushed slightly, startled. "Ah… th-thank you. My name is Conis, and this is my pet, Suu. You two… are 'illegal entrants,' right?"
"Illegal…?"
"Ah, sorry, that's the old term."
Conis quickly waved her hands.
"Since our God Gan Fall returned, and after some kind people from the Blue Sea saved us, Sky Island no longer rejects visitors."
Rehn stepped forward immediately, pushing up his glasses.
"Miss Conis, hello. We are marines. We arrived here due to an accident. Our vessel is severely damaged. Is there anyone who can repair it? We have an urgent mission, we must return to the Blue Sea immediately!"
…
Conis led them to her home, where her father Pagaya lived.
After tasting a "Friendship Parfait" Sanji made using Blue Sea ingredients, the warm-hearted angelic father and daughter quickly welcomed them as friends.
Pagaya examined the boat and delivered another soul-crushing verdict to Rehn:
"The damage is too severe. My dial technology isn't strong enough to reinforce the hull. And since you lost your route, your Eternal Pose won't work; our magnetic field is completely different from the Blue Sea."
"So we… can't go back?"
Rehn's face collapsed instantly.
"Don't worry," Pagaya said kindly. "There's always a way. To return to the Blue Sea, the best option is finding the 'End of the Clouds.' That's where the most stable downward currents appear. But… without a sea chart and a navigator, there's no way you can find it yourselves."
Rehn's mental calculator started sparking.
"How much to hire a navigator? How much for the charts? Name your price!"
"Heh heh. This isn't about money."
Pagaya shook his head. "Recently the weather around Sky Island has become unstable, even the most experienced locals don't dare to sail right now. But…"
He stroked his chin.
"Some scientists from another moving Sky Islandare currently staying in Angel Island. They're weather experts. They might give you some advice."
"Weather experts?"
Rehn's eyes brightened.
"Where are they? We can pay them generously!"
"They're probably at the 'Lovely Street' market collecting cloud samples. One of them is a lively young Blue Sea girl with orange hair."
"Orange-haired… girl?!"
Before Rehn could react, Sanji exploded into a pink whirlwind and shot out of the house.
"Oooooh! Fate is calling me! The goddess of love beckons! Angel-chwaaaan! I'm coming!!"
"SANJI!!"
Rehn panicked and chased after him, clutching his briefcase like his life depended on it.
"Wait! Efficiency! Remember negotiation efficiency!!"
Lovely Street Market
Everything Sanji saw filled him with delirious joy.
"OH! Cloud Cotton Candy! Sky Flounder! These ingredients are a dream!"
Even though he was rushing, the chef in him couldn't help admiring the exotic ingredients.
Then he heard a lively voice.
"This swirl cloud has a much higher moisture level than yesterday. We might get cloud-dew tonight!"
Sanji snapped his head toward the voice and locked on instantly.
Not far away stood a stunning young woman with bright orange short hair and a graceful figure, holding a strange glass jar while talking excitedly to an elderly man with a long white beard.
Sunlight lit up her profile; her confident smile was even brighter than the sky itself.
In that moment, Sanji felt he was struck by a lightning bolt named Love.
"Mellorine~~!!!"
He twirled into a heart-shaped tornado and appeared before her in an instant.
"Beautiful lady! Are you the orange-haired goddess descended upon this sacred sky?! Your thirst for knowledge is more delicious than the finest caviar! Please allow m- GUAH!"
He didn't even finish before her elbow shot into his stomach with perfect accuracy.
"Wh-Who are you?! Don't just jump out of nowhere like that!"
Nami looked at him suspiciously.
"S-So strong… even her complaints are adorable…"
Sanji groaned, clutching his stomach, but the hearts in his eyes grew even stronger.
"Nami, don't be rude to visitors," Haredas said slowly.
"But this guy is REALLY weird!"
Just then Rehn arrived, panting heavily.
He spotted Haredas and immediately bowed ninety degrees.
"Hello! You must be the scientists from Weatheria! I'm Rehn, a marine. We are in great trouble and desperately need your help! We can pay any amount!"
Both Haredas and Nami blinked.
After listening to Rehn's fast, hyper-efficient explanation, they finally understood.
"So you rose up from Jaya using the Knock Up Stream," Nami said.
Haredas nodded. "Helping you return to the Blue Sea… is possible. Coincidentally, we'll be piloting Weatheria to the End of the Clouds in a few days for observation."
"Really?! That's wonderful! Lord Renzo's afternoon tea is saved!"
"But," Nami added with a sly smile, wagging a finger in front of Rehn, "we don't work for free."
She pointed at his heavy briefcase and gave him a predatory smile he knew all too well.
"Navigation fee. Technical consulting fee. And… emotional damage fee. Since you're marines, I'll even give you a discount. Final price-"
"One hundred million Berries. Deal?"