"Hello, adventurers from the Blue Sea. You must stop here and obtain entry permits to enter God's Country."
A robust man, dressed slightly differently from the surrounding soldiers, stepped forward.
He was the squad leader of God's Country's guard team, Robert Algernon.
"Hello. I am a Marine Captain—Bessermer Reginald."
Bessermer leaped down from the ship in one fluid motion, landing gracefully before the squad leader.
"Please state your purpose for coming to God's Country."
"We encountered an upward sea current at Jaya Island below," Bessermer explained. "The warship was carried upward, breaking through the sea's surface and arriving here in the White Sea. In fact, we had previously studied this phenomenon and concluded that it is highly likely part of Jaya Island was washed up into the sky centuries ago."
After hearing Bessermer's account, Robert Algernon thought for a moment with a puzzled expression before shaking his head.
"Respected Marine Sir, I regret to say that in my memory, there is no island called Jaya Island. The White Sea has many islands and ships swept up by the currents. No one can determine their exact number or names."
He paused, looking up at the massive warship.
"Additionally, I must admire your luck—being able to come directly through the violent currents rather than arriving via the standard routes."
Hearing Robert's words, neither Raleigh nor Bessermer showed surprise.
The event had occurred four hundred years ago; it was natural that the current inhabitants wouldn't know the geography of the Blue Sea.
If Raleigh hadn't possessed prior intelligence regarding Jaya, he too would have assumed it was a myth.
"That's alright, Captain. We can search for it slowly once we are inside," Bessermer said with a relaxed expression.
Robert Algernon nodded and proceeded to explain the rules of the land.
"Very well. To obtain entry permits, each of you needs to pay 100 million Extol."
As soon as he spoke, Robert realized the issue—these people were Blue Sea dwellers who had arrived via the Knock Up Stream; they wouldn't have local currency.
Seeing Bessermer's astonished expression, he quickly added, "Don't misunderstand, Marine Officer. 'Extol' is the special currency of God's Country. The exchange rate is 10,000 Extol to 1 Belly. So, you only need to pay 10,000 Belly per person."
Hearing the explanation, Bessermer's shocked expression gradually relaxed.
He clutched his chest and exhaled.
"My God, fortunately you added that explanation. Otherwise, we truly wouldn't have enough money to enter." He glanced back at the ship. "Please wait a moment. I need to communicate with my superior before authorizing the payment."
Robert nodded, indicating he understood, and adopted a patient stance.
Bessermer stopped conversing and used Moon Walk to leap back up to the ship's deck.
"Commander Raleigh, we need to obtain entry permits. I just communicated with their person in charge—it requires 10,000 Belly per person."
Raleigh nodded.
Ten thousand Belly wasn't particularly expensive, though it wasn't exactly pocket change for a whole crew.
"Go to the ship's cabin, get the cash, and pay them. Then prepare to enter."
Raleigh didn't dwell on the cost.
What he wanted was the vast amount of gold hidden in the Sky Island.
Compared to the treasures of Shandora, these passage fees were insignificant.
Bessermer called several soldiers to accompany him to the treasury. Moments later, they walked down the gangway carrying several heavy bags filled with cash.
"Here is 9.3 million Belly. Please count it."
Bessermer handed the bags to Robert Algernon. Robert signaled his soldiers to start counting.
"There are 930 people on the ship in total, correct? We must not have a discrepancy."
"Of course," Bessermer replied. "All our personnel are accounted for."
"Okay, please wait a moment. We'll finish checking soon."
While his men checked the money, Robert ordered soldiers from the small guard hut to bring out a sack containing markers.
"Please take these, Marine Officer. These are the entry permits for God's Country. With these, you can prove you didn't enter illegally."
Once the money was verified, Robert handed Bessermer the markers.
"You may return to your ship now. There might be some turbulence coming up, so please ensure everyone holds onto fixed objects." Robert offered a final salute.
"May you have a wonderful journey in God's Country. Additionally, please absolutely do not attempt to enter God's Island—Upper Yard. That is where God resides and it must not be intruded upon."
Bessermer nodded, then returned to the warship with the soldiers. He relayed the conversation verbatim to Raleigh.
"God's residence? Ridiculous," Raleigh scoffed.
He was dismissive of the warning.
He knew what the so-called "Gods" of the Sky Islands really were.
In this place, a "God" was simply a title for the ruler.
The fact that Gan fall had been driven out by Enel proved they weren't divine—just powerful.
Down on the platform, Robert Algernon took out a special tone dial whistle from his chest and blew it hard.
BEEP!!!
The sharp sound carried far across the White Sea.
Suddenly, Raleigh sensed fluctuations coming from the distance via his Observation Haki.
From the milky waters, several abnormally huge crustaceans emerged.
They were Super Express Speed Shrimps—creatures resembling massive lobsters. They circled the warship, searching for anchor points.
They extended their powerful claws, firmly clamping onto the hull of the warship.
After confirming they had a tight grip, the dozen or so Express Shrimps simultaneously exerted force, carrying the massive vessel toward the reverse-flowing waterfall.
"Whoa! Look at those things!"
The crew on the warship couldn't help but be intrigued by this magical sight.
They had never witnessed such a scene before, finding it extremely amusing as everyone crowded against the railings to watch the giant lobsters working hard below.
The Shrimps charged into the waterfall.
Only after entering the white torrent did everyone understand the mechanics.
The interior of this inverted waterfall was actually a spiral ascending cloud ladder—the Milky Road.
The Express Shrimps worked diligently, rapidly carrying the warship upward, racing toward the summit of the White-White Sea.
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