Chapter 242: Angel Island

The Miss Love Duck went up the spiralling water path. The girls held onto Ben tightly. Alvida and Honey held on to his arm. Mikita and Marianne held on to his leg. Vivi held on his chest. Saphir held onto his back. Kaya held his hand. Robin smiled and held onto his other hand. This does feel like heaven, Ben thought. 

In the distance they could see a light ahead. The Miss Love Duck raced towards the light. They went through the hole and out the other side. Their ship went soaring into the air as they landed back onto the white sea. 

"Is everyone alright?" Ben inquired, concern etched across his face.

"Yes," came the collective and reassuring response from the crew, a chorus of voices confirming their well-being.

"You can let go of me now," Ben remarked with a light chuckle, a playful glint in his eyes.

"It's nice here, my love," Alvida replied, her voice carrying a hint of contentment as she snuggled against his arm.

"Yes, it is," Honey chimed in.

"Your hand is nice; even Kaya likes it," Robin said, a mischievous smile playing on her lips.

"No, I don't," Kaya blurted out with a mock protest, releasing Ben's arm. Laughter rippled through the group.

"Ben we are here," Zala remarked. 

They looked up to see an island in the clouds. There was a large building with windows and a tower in the background. The island had several smaller homes scattered around. There were two wines connecting different areas. Staircase connected two clouds up. In front of them was a beach. It looked tidy and clean. There was a circular hut just behind the beach. 

"This place is beautiful," Kaya commented, her eyes taking in the scenic surroundings.

"It is unique for sure," Nojiko added, nodding in agreement, her appreciation evident in the way she observed the distinctive features of the location.

"Can we go to the beach?" Marianne asked, her eyes sparkling with anticipation.

"I want to as well," Honey chimed in, her enthusiasm matching Marianne's.

"Sure, let's go," Ben replied, a smile spreading across his face. 

"I will let HQ know," Nojiko said as she headed back to the Bridge. The Miss Love Duck headed towards the shoreline and stopped. The anchor dropped. 

"Looks like this is as far as we can go," Ben said. 

HQ came out of the Bridge with Nojiko. "Master, we would need to make our own way up there now," HQ reported.

"Sure, me, Kaya, and yourself can ferry the girls across," Ben said.

"I will put the money away," Mikita informed. 

"I will help as well," Saphir chimed in. 

"Sorry about that," Ben apologised. 

"Not a problem," Mikita firmly replied. She added, "As a Captain, you should not apologise." 

Ben smiled. "When there is a mistake made, we should take ownership, I am your Captain, and will own up to my mistakes," Ben declared. 

"Why did I get a tingling feeling," Saphir muttered to herself. 

"He has his way of word," Kaya remarked. Ben and Kaya transformed. With the help of HQ, they had flown all the girls across. HQ headed back to look after the Miss Love Duck.

Kaya, Alvida, Mikita, Honey, Nojiko, Vivi, Marianne, Zala, Robin and Saphir all stood on the beach. It was soft and fluffy. 

"This feels nice to stand on," Vivi remarked, her eyes scanning the unusual surface beneath her feet.

"It is soft and fluffy," Mikita commented, as she took a few steps, revelling in the unique sensation.

"It is a unique material for sure," Robin observed.

"It's like those clouds from before, but better," Marianne noted, drawing a connection. 

"This is an adventure for sure," Ben declared, a twinkle in his eye as he took in the surreal landscape. 

"Adventure," Robin mused. 

"It does feel nice exploring," Kaya added.

"But there is that big bad guy here," Saphir pointed out. 

"We will deal with him when the time comes," Alvida assured.

The girls started playing with clouds. Marianne was rolling around on it. Honey was stomping around. Vivi, Nojiko and Kaya were making a cloud-man. Robin picked up some clouds and blew it. It went slowly. Zala smiled at this. Mikita and Saphir went towards a hut. 

They saw two reclining chairs there. Mikita sat down on it. "It's like clouds," she remarked. 

Saphir also sat down. "You are right," Saphir added. They both rested on the chairs. 

"It looks like everyone is having fun my love," Alvida said. 

"You should join them," Ben replied. Alvida leaned onto Ben`s shoulder. 

"I like it here," Alvida said with a smile on her face. 

"I am thinking of adding someone to the crew from here," Ben said.

"Okay, I want you to have the biggest harem here," Alvida stated. 

Ben smiled. "I wonder how big it will get," Ben said.

"As big as we need," Alvida replied. She paused and looked in front of her. The girls were relaxing and playing together. They were content and close. "Seeing this, I know we are right," Alvida added. 

Ben smiled. At that moment they heard music. "This sounds," Ben said.

"It is beautiful," Alvida remarked. They approached the source of music. They got closer to see a tall, slender young woman with blonde hair. She wore two braided pig-tails and had two antennae sticking out at the top of her head. She wore a pink dress with black, flower shaped textures. She also wore red and pink striped sandals. She had a pair of wings on her back. The woman was playing a harp. 

"She is beautiful," Ben commented.

"We must have her join us," Alvida stated. 

The woman looked at them and smiled. "Heso," she said. 

"Heso?" Alvida asked. 

"Suu come here," the woman said. A small white fox approached her. It had a round face, long nose and two ears pointing upwards. It had a fluffy tail. 

"Did you come from the blue sea?" the woman asked.

"Yes, we did," Be replied. 

"Welcome to the Skypiea`s Angel Beach," the woman said.

"It is a lovely beach," Alvida said. 

"Thank you, my name is Conis, and this is Suu," Conis introduced herself. 

"I am Ben and this is Alvida," Ben replied back.

"You are the few people that got here in a while," Conis said.

"We have some friends travelling with us but not sure where they went," Ben said. 

"That could be dangerous here," Conis said with caution. 

"They will be here soon, it is only one way," Ben replied. 

"Okay," Conis nodded. She had a look of concern. 

"This place is mysterious," Alvida said.

Conis smiled. "I am happy to help answer any questions you may have," Conis said. 

"I would be very happy for your help and we would tell you about the blue sea," Alvida said. They both smiled at each other. 

They heard a noise in the distance. Marianne and Honey looked up who were playing together. "Captain, there is something coming towards us," Marianne shouted. 

Kaya, Vivi and Nojiko all looked up after completing their cloud-man, it looked similar to Ben.

They saw a man in a vehicle approaching them. "That is my father," Conis noted. 

"Heso Conis," the man shouted. 

"What is he on?" Kaya asked.

"It looks cool," Marianne chimed in.

Conis, Ben and Alvida approached the other girls. "It's a Waver," she replied.

They saw a man who was almost bald with hair like dark brown antennae sticking out. He had a round beard covering his mouth. He wore a brown yellow robe with a light yellow collar, and light yellow at the end of where the sleeves would be. His eyes looked shut. 

The man was riding a small boat with a large bike handle to control it. It had a circular engine holder on the back. "I can stop it," the man said as he came towards Ben and the girls. 

The man crashed into the land and he went flying in the air. He landed on his arms. "Is everyone okay?" the man asked.

Zala and Robin looked. "You were the one who crashed," Zala remarked. 

"That, I did, I am Pagaya," Pagaya introduced himself.

"I am Ben, this is Alvida, Kaya, Mikita, Honey, Nojiko, Vivi, Marianne, Zala, Robin and Saphir," Ben replied back. 

"Its is a pleasure to meet you," Pagaya said. 

"That was something cool," Vivi said. 

"Can we try it please?" Nojiko asked. 

"Sure, but it takes years of practice," Pagaya said. 

Nojiko picked up the unfamiliar contraption, a curious blend of excitement and uncertainty playing on her features. Kaya and Vivi, flanked by Ben and Alvida, waded into the gentle ocean waves, assisting in launching the Waver iinto the water. With Nojiko securely holding the handle, anticipation filled the air as she pressed the accelerator, initiating the mysterious machine's movement.

As the Waver glided over the ocean's surface, Nojiko skillfully navigated left and right.

"Wow," Mikita exclaimed, her eyes widening at the spectacle before her.

"I only just recently learned it," Conis chimed in.

"It took me 10 years to get a handle on it," Pagaya added, his admission drawing a few chuckles from those gathered. 

"These sisters are so talented," Ben said. 

"Nami can ride this?" Alvida asked.

"She can or will," Ben replied. 

"Nojiko, come back please," Ben ordered. Nojiko nodded and came back. 

"That was fun," Nojiko said. 

"You all can come to our house," Pagaya offered. 

"Father, they said they have friends coming here," Conis informed, her voice laced with concern.

"It's been a while, and they have not arrived yet," Ben noted. 

"I am worried if they are alright," Conis admitted, the lines of anxiety etched on her face.

Ben offered a reassuring smile, "They will be, they are strong," he stated confidently. 

"They might be, but there is a place they should not take a step on, no matter what," Conis added, her concern deepening as she contemplated potential risks.

"Knowing them, they would be near there or there," Kaya remarked. She thought that her Captain and Luffy were both reckless and get into trouble all the time. 

"They do seem a bit reckless," Vivi added. She heard the adventures of the crew and how they fought together against various powerful people. 

"Very reckless," Alvida added with a light giggle.

"We need to get them, that place is where the god lives," Conis added.

"Gods live?" Mikita asked.

"Yes, it is a sanctuary for the gods. We call it Upper Yard," Conis replied.