Riki reacted swiftly, jets of high-pressure air erupting from both wings, rapidly decreasing the ship's descent speed.
The ship thudded against the clouds below, a small chunk of the right wing cracking off with a snap.
"We didn't fall! We didn't fall!" The crew members on deck were ecstatic, feeling a sense of relief after narrowly escaping disaster.
But then, one by one, the crew members slumped to the deck, their faces turning dark. They were in immense discomfort, gasping for breath.
Bege was also in great pain, feeling even weaker than before.
He gazed at the seemingly endless expanse of clouds, a gentle breeze causing cloud waves to ripple across the surface, like waves on the sea.
"There's no doubt about it, this is the White Sea, seven thousand meters high."
"We're seven thousand meters above sea level. The air is thin, so it's natural to feel uncomfortable at first. Everyone, rest and adapt to the air here," Bege said in a low voice.
"It's a sea made of clouds... If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn't believe that the Sky Sea actually exists," Moria said, climbing to his feet and approaching Bege, staring in awe at the wave-like Sky Sea.
"Indeed, it's unbelievable."
Bege's brow furrowed. The surface of the Sky Sea near the ship suddenly churned violently. With a boom, a gigantic octopus burst from beneath the clouds. The octopus was seventy or eighty meters tall, shaped like a balloon, its tentacles lashing out at the ship, intent on destroying it.
Modi instantly took action, slashing apart the incoming tentacle with a single strike. It was a clean cut, like a balloon being popped by a sharp blade.
Moria attacked almost simultaneously, his Shadow Spear piercing the octopus's balloon-like belly. With a loud boom, the seventy-to-eighty-meter-tall octopus exploded into countless fragments that scattered in all directions.
The pirate ship suddenly shook. On the other side, a massive creature resembling a giant serpent, but with a flattened body, emerged from the sea. It opened its maw, revealing rows of fangs, and lunged at the crew members on board.
Riki dashed forward with a burst of speed, unleashing a jet of high-pressure air that blasted the flattened giant serpent away. It landed on the surface of the Sky Sea dozens of meters away.
The flattened serpent was already dead, floating on the surface and slowly sinking.
"What on earth is that creature? It's so bizarre," Moria exclaimed, stunned. He picked up a fragment of the octopus that had fallen onto the ship and felt it. It was definitely flesh and blood.
"These are Sky Sea creatures. This Sky Sea has no seabed; below it is just open air. If you fall from here, you'll fall straight down to the Grand Line. To adapt to this Sky Sea without a seabed, these creatures have evolved continuously, either inflating like balloons or becoming incredibly flat," Bege explained.
"I see," Moria and the others nodded, beginning to understand.
Bege looked at the subordinates who were now able to move. "Everyone, back to your positions! Prepare to set sail. We're going higher, to the White-White Sea. Skypiea is there."
The crew members quickly returned to their posts, and the pirate ship set sail. Bege didn't know the location of Heaven's Gate, so they had to search slowly.
After sailing for about half an hour, the lookout in the crow's nest spotted a ship in the distance. Bege's eyebrows rose.
Were they Shandians or Skypieans?
But in an instant, a sound came from the sky. A figure was actually jumping through the air towards them.
"Wearing a mask, carrying a bazooka, and a shield on his back... That's Shandian attire. It's a Shandian guerrilla squad member," Bege realized instantly, recognizing the approaching figure's appearance.
The figure landed on the ship's railing, and a whooshing sound came from his feet as air currents appeared. He quickly jumped onto the deck, each step making a strange puff puff sound. He moved with incredible speed, knocking down several crew members.
With a bang, Modi blocked the man, but he was kicked back several steps by the Shandian.
"Shadow Spear!" Moria snarled, and the Shadow Spear shot out instantly. The man quickly raised his shield to block, but the sheer force of the Shadow Spear sent him flying, smashing through the cabin.
The man burst out of the cabin. His shield was shattered, and a bloody hole had been pierced through his chest, gushing blood. He stomped on the ground, leaping into the air. He raised his bazooka, aiming at Moria, and fired a shell that streaked towards him with incredible speed.
Modi swung his long sword, slicing the shell apart with a burst of sword energy, causing an explosion.
"Get down here!" Riki instantly expelled high-pressure air from his feet, rushing into the air with amazing speed. He punched the man, sending him flying even higher. Riki grabbed him and threw him onto the deck, where he lost consciousness.
"This guy is strong," Modi said, his expression serious.
"It's not that he's strong, but that we're all much weaker. At this altitude of seven thousand meters, in this extremely thin air, we can't exert our full strength," Bege explained.
"What are those skates on his feet? They can actually emit blasts of air," Riki said, intrigued by the skates on the Shandian's feet.
"These skates are a Skypiean mode of transportation called Wavers. The principle behind Wavers is actually the wind dials, a Skypiean specialty. It is this. This kind of wind dial can store wind and then release it. His high-speed movement relies on the wind dials," Bege explained, walking over and removing the wind dial from the Shandian's Waver. He pressed the top, and the dial immediately released a gust of wind.
"What an amazing wind dial!" The others gathered around, marveling at the device.
"There are many types of dials unique to Skypiea. Besides wind dials, there are heat dials that store heat and release high temperatures, flame dials that store fire and release flames, impact dials that can absorb and release impacts, slash dials that can absorb and release slashes, and so on. Dials are at the core of Skypiean life and combat. One of our main objectives in coming to Skypiea is to acquire these incredibly useful dials," Bege stated.
The dials of Skypiea were extremely important resources, and Bege saw their potential. He believed that he could create an elite army using these unique dials.
The crew members were greatly interested in the Skypiean dials, each of them eager to see them in action.
"Godfather, that ship is rapidly approaching us!" the lookout in the crow's nest shouted. Bege looked over and saw that a massive gust of wind had appeared behind the other ship, pushing it towards them at an astonishing speed.
That ship was also equipped with wind dials, and a large number of them at that.
The ship quickly approached the pirate ship, and then figures leaped from it, wind currents extending from their feet.
More than twenty people soared through the air and landed on the railings surrounding the pirate ship. They pointed their guns and bazookas at Bege and his crew.
The twenty-plus Shandians saw the unconscious Shandian on the deck. Their expressions immediately darkened, their eyes filled with a cold light. One of them, a burly man covered in tattoos, roared.
"Kill all these Blue Sea dwellers!"
The twenty-plus Shandians, filled with rage, opened fire simultaneously.
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