Chapter 118: Soaring to the Sky
The violent force blasted up through the ship, flinging Jiang Qize into the air.
His body arched sharply—like a spider snapping into motion—and he shifted his weight to all fours, landing back on the deck in one smooth movement.
Bawang shot a grim look at the water surging upward around them. Once he confirmed the Dragonflame wasn't brushing against the edge of the skyward water column, he pressed another button.
Click—click—
The hull beneath the Dragonflame began to shift. The raging upward current struck the ship, but the internal mechanisms converted the impact into upward thrust, making the vessel feel lighter than air.
…
On the dog-headed warship—
When the massive water pillar blasted toward the sky, the marines stared in shock, mouths hanging open.
Even Garp stood there with a tense expression, watching the skyward current—and the nearly vanished Dragonflame.
"Ya~"
Seeing the Dragonflame rise steadily, the Quetzalcoatlus let out a cry. It paid no further attention to the warship, folded its wings, then shot upward with a single powerful beat, spiraling into the sky.
Within the skyward current, a huge black shadow in the water rose with the column as well.
Garp watched in silence, deep in some thought.
A few seconds passed.
"…We're heading back."
"Vice Admiral Garp—this…?" his adjutant said, unable to believe it.
As Garp's adjutant, he wasn't of low rank—he was a rear admiral, and his strength was nothing to dismiss.
He had followed Garp for years, and never—not even once—had he seen something like this. They hadn't even faced their opponents properly before the quarry escaped.
Even when chasing Roger, it had never been this helpless.
"Return!"
Garp had now etched the Dragonflame Pirates deeply into his memory.
He hadn't cared much at first, but now he could tell—if the Dragonflame Pirates kept growing like this, something serious would happen sooner or later.
"…Yes!"
The adjutant bowed his head, sighing inwardly.
The dog-headed warship turned around and departed from Jaya.
Across this stretch of sea, aside from the initial gigantic skyward water column, other similar towering pillars were bursting upward in all directions, thrusting straight into the sky—an awe-inspiring sight.
Each one looked like a colossal pillar propping up the heavens.
…
On the Dragonflame—
Jiang Qize looked up at the mass of cumulus clouds so close it felt like he could reach out and touch them.
The ship was now completely shrouded in shadow—blocked entirely by the dense cloud layer.
"Almost there…"
He watched the skyward water column pierce through the clouds above, revealing another layer of white mist.
This was the White Sea, floating more than 7,000 meters above ground.
BOOM!!
Pushed by the last surge of force from the skyward current, the Dragonflame finally blasted through into the White Sea.
Thump!
The upward momentum faded instantly, and the ship settled onto the cloud-sea—soft and fluid like water.
"So this is the White Sea… what an incredible sight," Jiang Qize said, staring at the cloud-mountains and cloud-water surrounding them. Everything was a blinding white, like they had ascended into heaven itself.
If this existed on Earth, it would be overflowing with tourists every day.
Click—click—
The cabin doors opened one after another.
Robin and the others stepped out.
The moment they saw the White Sea, all of them froze in stunned amazement.
"My god… is this Sky Island? It's unbelievable…"
"Is this… really water?"
Buck stared at the cloud-sea around them, overwhelmed.
"This isn't Sky Island yet. This is the White Sea at seven thousand meters. The real Sky Island is another three thousand meters up—called the White White Sea."
Jiang Qize spoke softly.
"Captain knows so much…"
"Yeah… I've never even heard of this before…"
Their eyes sparkled as they stared at him, full of admiration.
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