Chapter 85 Luffy's Talk-no-Knows Subdue Waver"Is this the monster from Skypiea?" Zoro's eyes sharpened, and he immediately drew his sword and leaped into the air, unleashing a fierce slash.
But the moment the blade touched the octopus, the enormous monster exploded like a burst balloon with a "bang!"
"What the hell was that?" Zoro stared blankly at the octopus skins scattering everywhere. "Was this thing filled with air?"
"It must have evolved an inflatable structure to make its body lighter, to adapt to this buoyancy-less white sea," Robin analyzed, looking at the remains.
"Sanji, extra treat tonight, make some takoyaki." Luffy casually grabbed a piece of octopus skin and tossed it to Sanji.
"Okay! I'll take care of it!"
In less than two minutes, a plate of fragrant takoyaki was placed in front of Luffy.
"Wait a minute! We haven't even figured out if this stuff is edible! What else is in your heads besides eating?!"
Nami yelled at Luffy in frustration, then instinctively grabbed a piece and popped it into her mouth, her eyes instantly lighting up: "Ah...this texture! It melts in your mouth!!"
Luffy, stuffing more into his mouth, mumbled indistinctly, "Hmm...it really is the 'it's actually delicious' law."
Just then, Vivi leaned over, asking疑惑地问道, "Luffy, is this the legendary Sky Island? There's nothing but clouds!"
Luffy shook his head, pointing upwards: "This is just the middle layer of the Cumulus Clouds—the White Sea. The real Sky Island is further up."
"Huh? How do we get up there?" Nami looked around at the vast white expanse, completely lost.
Suddenly, a playful smile appeared on Luffy's lips: "A free tour guide has arrived."
"Huh?" Everyone was utterly confused.
In the distance, a Shandian warrior wearing a mask, strange skateboard shoes, and carrying a rocket launcher, glided across the clouds at astonishing speed, heading straight for the Going Merry.
It was none other than Waver, later known as the "Demon"!
"Who goes there?"
Zoro and Sanji reacted swiftly, instantly blocking his path. Just as they were about to attack, they suddenly felt a tightness in their chests, slowing their movements by a fraction of a second, and were each kicked away by Waver.
Just as Waver was about to kick Luffy, who seemed to be the leader, Luffy suddenly gathered his strength and roared, "We are here to ring the Golden Bell at the behest of Noland's descendants!"
These words seemed to freeze him in place. Waver slammed on the brakes, staggering to a stop in front of Luffy, his voice trembling as if he had heard a divine pronouncement: "What...did you say?"
Luffy chuckled inwardly. How to speedrun the Skypiea dungeon? By defeating the key characters, of course.
The Shandians, though fierce, were extremely loyal, especially Waver, who dreamed of fulfilling the dying wish of his ancestor, the great warrior Calgra.
Rather than fighting them to the death, it was better to reveal their identities and win over allies; after all, Enel was the common enemy.
At this moment, Waver excitedly removed his bull-head mask, revealing a rugged face filled with tears: "Are you serious?!"
Luffy instantly channeled his inner Oscar-winning actor, his face a mask of sorrow, admiration, and deep grief: "Alas… Noland, because of the disappearance of the Golden City, was ridiculed as a liar and died with resentment. His only regret before death was never hearing the sound of the Golden Bell again."
"And his descendant, Uncle Kurik, firmly believed his ancestor hadn't lied, spending countless days diving to search for the ruins. Now his body has collapsed, and he's afflicted with an incurable disease! That's why he entrusted us, a group of outsiders, to find the Golden Bell, a symbol of friendship!"
Everyone: "…"
Everyone was internally screaming: Uncle Kurik is as strong as an ox! When did he get a terminal illness? Are you really going to curse him to death like that?!
However, no one was stupid enough to contradict Luffy at this moment.
After all, Waver was already a sobbing mess, looking like he wanted to chop off a chicken's head and burn yellow paper to become sworn brothers with Luffy right then and there.
"We Shandians...we're so sorry, Noland!"
Waver gripped Luffy's hand tightly, crying like a two-hundred-pound child.
Luffy, seeing Waver almost throwing himself into his arms, coughed awkwardly twice: "Brother, don't get excited. We're here to correct this mistake! So, we're here to help you defeat that imposter god Enel and reclaim your homeland, Shandora!"
Waver, hearing this, became even more excited, feeling a fire burning in his chest. He gripped Luffy's hand tightly: "Brother! You're my half-brother!"
Luffy, equally righteous, replied: "Brother!"
Everyone: "..."
╯︵┻━┻!
This actually works?! Is this the legendary "talk-no-jutsu"?
"But bro, your crew is really tough. They've only been up here a short while, and they've already adapted to the thin air at high altitudes. Much better than those pirates who couldn't breathe before the fight even started."
Waver looked at Sanji and Zoro, who were already up and acting like nothing happened, and exclaimed in astonishment.
"Who's my crew, you bastard?!"
Zoro and Sanji's forehead veins bulged upon hearing this. If it weren't for Luffy still acting, they would have already rushed up and attacked.
Luffy laughed heartily, patting Waver on the shoulder, "Of course! My crew is destined to make a name for themselves on this sea; this little incident is nothing."
Nami, however, astutely picked up on a crucial detail: "Wait, you said many pirates have come here before? Are people here often?"
Waver looked at Nami with suspicion: "Didn't you come from the Blue Sea below?"
Nami nodded: "Yes."
"Didn't you encounter any other ships along the way?" Waver was even more puzzled. "Although the 'high-speed air route' is a bit dangerous, as long as you dive down from the peak, even with heavy casualties, there should be a few surviving ships, right? At the very least, you should have found out by the time you passed the previous sky islands."
Nami's face instantly fell, her expression darkening considerably: "Wait a minute! You mean... besides that deadly current, there are other legitimate ways to get up here? And not just this one sky island?"
Waver was taken aback: "What other ways? You didn't take the legitimate high-speed air route down?"
Robin shrugged, calmly adding, "We flew up along that monster current that blew a hole in the earth's crust."
Waver's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets, then he looked at Luffy with utter admiration: "No wonder he's a descendant of Noland! To dare challenge that legendary death route, only a warrior like him deserves this mission!"
Nami didn't want to hear such flattery. Tears streaming down her face, she covered her mouth and let out a groundhog-like scream: "Luffy!! I knew that wasn't the way normal people walk! I knew it!!"
Then she transformed into a demon, grabbing Luffy's collar and shaking him wildly: "We almost all got wiped out! It's all your fault, you bastard! If you had just asked around more, we could have taken the safe passage!"
Luffy, swaying like a roly-poly toy, laughed resignedly, "Who cares if it's ordinary or not, as long as it's fun and we get there, that's all that matters!"
"It's not fun at all!!"
At this moment, Waver quickly stepped in to help his newly sworn brother out of the predicament: "Miss, don't blame Luffy. Actually, taking the Monster Current is the safest way, because although it's terrifying, it's the only route where, with a bit of luck, everyone can arrive unharmed. If we took the so-called regular route, it's hard to say how many out of a hundred people would survive."
Hearing this, everyone's mood finally calmed down a bit. It turned out this was a case of fortune favoring the bold.
Led by Waver, the group arrived at a massive cloud gate.
"This is the entrance to the Land of Gods, the 'Gate of Heaven'," Waver said, pointing to the gate. "Our guerrilla force is considered a thorn in the side by the Skypiea people, so we can't use the main gate. Your ship is too big, so you can only pass through here."
"We'll split up first. Once you reach the top, I'll bring my people to meet you in Apayado."
The group quickly thanked Waver.
Waver waved casually: "The day we meet on the Land of Gods will be the day the Golden Bell rings!"
Watching the simple, passionate Shandians disappear into the distance on their skateboards, Usopp waved his handkerchief goodbye, deeply moved.
"Luffy, how do you know so many secrets that aren't even written in the books?"
After Waver left, the group stared at Luffy as if he were a monster.
"Didn't you read Noland's logbook?" Luffy asked innocently.