Chapter 105: The Sky Island

A suffocating sensation pressed in amidst the clouds. Before Shu Mingyuan’s eyes stretched a vast expanse of white. It felt as though he were submerged in seawater, yet the environment was entirely unlike the ocean below.

“Is this the White Sea?” Shu Mingyuan murmured to himself. The atmosphere here was far thinner than that of the Azure Sea beneath. Even with his current physique, he felt a slight discomfort—an unmistakable sign of oxygen deprivation.

He glided through the air, swimming upward above the White Sea. This white cloud sea was also known as the Sky Sea. Here lived enormous monstrous fish comparable in size to sea kings, but due to the unique environment, they had swollen their bodies to survive more easily; their true forms were not so large.

A furious roar echoed through the Sky Sea as a massive, flat monstrous fish lunged toward Shu Mingyuan, snapping its jaws. He glanced at it indifferently, casually drew his Thunder Slash, and swung his sword. A blade of sword energy shot forth, slicing the flat fish in two, which then burst like a balloon.

“Truly strange creatures,” Shu Mingyuan remarked with a hint of awe. Yet the world of the Pirate King was a bizarre and wondrous realm, so no matter how peculiar the phenomena, he was seldom surprised.

Emerging from the Sky Sea, he walked upon the clouds. The White Sea lay three thousand meters below this point. From here, one could enter the Gates of Heaven, board a Swift Shrimp, and then travel along the Cloud River Road to reach the true Sky Island.

As the moisture from the sea clouds evaporated, Shu Mingyuan stepped onto the soft, fluffy island clouds. These cotton-like clouds covered every corner near the Gates of Heaven, connected by a series of cloud bridges.

“Is that the Gate of Heaven?” he wondered, walking leisurely toward the grand gate not far ahead.

“Stranger, entrance to the realm of the gods requires one billion Iks,” said Amazon, the gate’s watcher.

“Money? I don’t have any. But will this suffice?” Shu Mingyuan smiled faintly, eyeing the sly, cunning little dwarf before him. From his waist, he pulled out an artificial Devil Fruit and tossed it to her casually. He disliked being arbitrarily hunted by the gods’ forces here.

“This is… a Devil Fruit?” Amazon exclaimed in shock.

“Indeed. Not sure if it’s enough?”

Shu Mingyuan chuckled. These artificial Devil Fruits were not only ugly but came in all sorts of bizarre forms—crab claws, mantis bone blades. Anyone who had seen Kaido’s Devil Fruit users would understand. To him, such fruits were mere trash, utterly useless.

“That’s sufficient. Your generous gift to our great god marks you as a distinguished guest of Sky Island. Beyond the sacred grounds, you may go anywhere. Judging from your appearance, you must have just come from the Azure Sea to the White Sea?”

Amazon rubbed her hands together but subtly glanced at the other Devil Fruit hanging at Shu Mingyuan’s waist.

“Ah… then it’s troublesome,” she said quietly.

“Wishing you a pleasant journey,” she added.

The Swift Shrimp emerged from the sea clouds, carrying Shu Mingyuan swiftly along the Cloud River Road. Passing through the Gates of Heaven led directly to his destination: Sky Island.

“Guardian Amazon reporting to the Almighty God and all priests: a person from the Azure Sea has arrived at Sky Island. He… has presented a precious Devil Fruit to the great god.”

“A Devil Fruit? Is this true?” came a voice over the phone, filled with astonishment. The realm of the gods, perched high above at tens of thousands of meters, had far fewer resources than the vast ocean below. Regarding Devil Fruits, only Enel and Pierre were known users. Such fruits were extremely rare and valuable everywhere.

“It’s true! The fruit is now in my possession,” Amazon’s voice changed, her eyes burning with fire as she stared at the strange black fruit in her hand. Though different from the fruits she knew, the Devil Fruit’s appearance was always peculiar. Even if she had never seen it before, she had no doubt—it was a Devil Fruit.

“Then what are you waiting for? Send it to the sacred grounds immediately!”

“At once, Almighty God!” Amazon took a deep breath, steadying her trembling voice. “That person also carries another Devil Fruit.”

“What!”

If the voice over the phone had been astonished before, now it was utterly unsettled. One person carrying two Devil Fruits? When had these rare treasures become so common? And he casually gave one away? This suggested he might possess information on many Devil Fruits.

“Amazon, send all intelligence on that Azure Sea individual immediately. We must control him! At the very least, we must seize his other Devil Fruit!” On Sky Island, Devil Fruits symbolized power. Absolute strength was needed to rule this island.

“Understood. I’m heading to the sacred grounds now!”

“Amazon, you’ve done a great service! Once we capture this Azure Sea man, you will be rewarded!”

“Thank you, Almighty God.”

…

The Swift Shrimp was incredibly fast—much faster than many sea kings. It spiraled upward along the Cloud River Road, covering three thousand meters in less than a minute, arriving above the White Sea.

Shu Mingyuan leapt down from the Swift Shrimp’s back and gazed at the island rising above the cloud sea before him. He was momentarily lost in thought.

This was Sky Island, exactly as he remembered it. The entire island was constructed from artificial clouds. The island’s inhabitants possessed the technology to process island clouds, crafting all manner of cloud-based goods for daily life.

“Though I was prepared in my heart, seeing such a defiance of natural law in front of me is truly astonishing,” Shu Mingyuan mused, his spirits lifted. He strolled atop the island clouds, feeling the soft, springy texture beneath his feet, marveling silently. Only a supreme creator could produce such a near-miraculous thing.

Suddenly he stopped, sensing something amiss beneath his foot.

Lifting his foot, he found a small, pure white creature sleeping on the cloud.

“Xiu?” he smiled warmly, deeply impressed by the adorable being. He wondered whether he might coax it along back to the Azure Sea.

He grabbed Xiu’s tail and lifted it up. At that moment, Xiu woke, and the two stared at each other wide-eyed.

“Xiu!”

The little creature squealed, struggling to break free, then darted toward a small pavilion on the shore.

There, beneath the sunlight, a graceful figure played a harp, the music exquisitely beautiful.

ps: [WE lost, no mood to write more! Just two chapters today! Hmph!]