Angel Island Shoreline
On the coast of Angel Island, crates of gold were being unloaded from the ship by the islanders.
Diamante idly manipulated a piece of gold in his hands, twisting it like a snake using his ability. As he watched the glimmering metal shift and writhe, he turned to Trebol, voicing the confusion in his heart.
"Trebol, we've gained the wealth and power we once never even dared to dream of. So why do I feel less and less happy?"
Trebol, setting down the sticky bomb he'd just finished crafting, gave a simple answer.
"Probably because we're getting further and further away from Doffy."
Then, after a pause, he asked, "How long until Doffy comes back?"
"He should be nearing Jaya Island by now," Diamante replied. "Let's go. We can't afford to miss a single step of Doffy's path to becoming king."
...
Out at Sea
A ship with wings and uniquely angled sails patrolled the ocean.
Its crew, covered in bandages, bore the scars of countless failures.
Mont Blanc Cricket stood at the bow, staring at the sea with a solemn expression.
"Hey, Captain, if we fail again this time, let's just move on with our journey."
"Yeah, this is our last attempt. If we fail again, we won't have enough money to rebuild another ship."
"Are we even sure we won't crash and die this time?!"
For nearly a year, they had attempted to ride the Knock Up Stream.
At first, they couldn't even get close to the rising currents. Then, their last attempt had taken them up 300 meters before sending them crashing back down.
It had taken them months to scrape together enough funds to build their current ship.
The countless near-death experiences had left a deep fear in the hearts of Cricket's crew. They wanted the gold—but they also didn't want to die.
"Full right rudder," Cricket ordered in a steady voice.
They instinctively obeyed.
Time passed.
The wind picked up, and massive whirlpools began forming on the ocean's surface. Between the impenetrable White Sea clouds and the deep blue ocean, the ship looked like an insect, drawn helplessly toward its fate.
The ship began to glide along the spiraling current.
Beneath the sea, the underwater chamber started accumulating energy. The water flow surged faster, pulling the ship closer and closer to the center of the vortex.
"We're going too fast! Adjust the right sail for redirection!"
Then, without warning, the accelerating whirlpool stopped—
Like the eerie calm before a storm.
Cricket felt a chill run down his spine.
"Something's wrong! Quick! Turn left! Everyone to the oars! We need to pull away—this Knock Up Stream is too close!!!"
BOOM!
But it was too late.
With a deafening roar, an enormous column of seawater shot straight up into the sky like an enraged dragon.
The monstrous Knock Up Stream had erupted once more.
"AHHHHHHH!!!!"
The crew screamed as their ship was hurled skyward at breakneck speed.
The sudden shift in gravity slammed them against the deck, but, fortunately, their past experience had prepared them. They had secured themselves tightly with ropes, preventing anyone from being flung into the sky.
As the ship climbed higher, its specially designed wings and sail structure stabilized its ascent.
Gradually, the expressions of the crew shifted from fear to exhilaration.
"We did it! The City of Gold! The City of Gold! Here we come!!"
"Captain, I think we might actually make it this time!"
"We're real sky pirates now!"
"Beautiful, winged women, here I come!"
"The descendant of the great warrior Kalgara must be up there. I wonder if the Golden Bell looks just like the one our ancestors described."
"I can barely breathe!"
As they continued their ascent, the ship neared the thick cloud layer.
Then—
CRACK!
A loud sound rang out. A fissure appeared on the lower right side of the hull, precisely where the ocean current had struck.
Seawater rushed into the crack.
The ship began to shake.
Panic overtook the crew as despair set in. Their faces turned ashen, as if they had become unpainted statues.
There was nothing they could do to fix the damage.
No emergency landing plan.
"We're doomed."
"We're at least 6,000 meters up. If we fall, we'll be crushed to pieces."
"I don't wanna die!!!"
Cricket's face was grim. He wasn't afraid of dying.
But what about the lives entrusted to him?
And more than anything—the Sky Island was right there.
His ancestor had suffered humiliation for nearly 400 years. The hope of clearing Mont Blanc Noland's name was within reach!
"Fufufufufu… What a pity, just one step away."
A voice cut through the chaos.
Doflamingo watched the ship with amusement, his sharp grin spreading beneath his crimson sunglasses. He had already recognized the man on board.
A thought flashed through his mind—how had this legendary loudmouth's descendant survived in the original timeline?
Of course, he had no way of knowing that, in the original timeline, Cricket had been off on some reckless adventure with his crewmates, enduring years of mockery before eventually giving up and returning to Jaya Island to prove his ancestor's innocence.
This time, however, things were different.
A sudden stillness overtook the ship.
The crew, expecting their doom, realized that the violent shaking had stopped.
"We're saved!"
"The ship has stopped falling!"
"Who—who did that?!"
Turning their heads, they saw him.
A figure clad in a flamboyant red feathered coat, golden hair billowing wildly, exuding an overwhelming presence. Standing in midair like a god—or a demon.
"What kind of Devil Fruit is this?!"
"It must be a Logia! It has to be!"
"Arigato!!! Thank you for saving our lives!!"
After dropping to their knees in gratitude, the crew finally noticed the massive pink flamingo-shaped ship behind Doflamingo.
On its deck, a golden light gleamed.
Piles of gold stacked like mountains.
They rubbed their eyes. Stared in disbelief.
"This can't be real."
"I must be dead. This is heaven. This… is the City of Gold."
"So you have to die to get there, huh?"
Doflamingo chuckled darkly and raised three fingers. "You have three choices."
"Option 1: I let go of your ship, and you enjoy a once-in-a-lifetime extreme bungee jump."
The crew, desperate to live, shook their heads in unison.
"Option 2: I toss you into the White Sea. You can try swimming to Sky Island."
Glancing at each other, feeling the shortness of breath from being at high altitude, no one dared to speak.
Doflamingo smirked. "Option 3: Work for me for ten years—or pay me ten billion Belly."
Silence.
"Good choice."
Their journey to Sky Island had only just begun.
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+145 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg