Flight

"I'm back!! Look what I've got!!" Luffy shouted happily as he was running towards his crew. Everyone looked at him.

Luffy was carrying a bag full of Cricket's gold and he was holding a Hercules beetle in his right hand.

"It's Hercules!!" Luffy grinned at them. He then looked at the Going Merry and was amazed.

" Wow! Merry looks like a rooster now!!" Luffy pointed at Merry. There were four new brass plates on the port and starboard railings to reinforce the Merry.

It was also given a rooster motif: wings, a tail, and a decorative red cowl with a cracked eggshell decoration hiding the broken bit of its figurehead.

This new design of the Merry was intended so that it could easily maneuver on the vertical current called the Knock Up Stream. This current was the only way the ship could reach her next destination.

"It does, doesn't it!? I'm naming this Going Merry: Flying Mode! " Usopp rubbed his long nose while smirking a little.

" Chopper, do you have a glass box that I can keep Hercules in?" Luffy asked Chopper who nodded.

"I have! Wait a while!" Chopper replied before getting onto the Merry. Luffy grinned and approached Cricket. He handed the bag full of gold to him.

"Here ya go!" Luffy set down the bag beside Cricket who was smoking a cigarette.

"Hurry up and get on your ship. Do you want to give up your chance to visit sky island or something? " Cricket asked him. Luffy grinned at him.

" For the ship, thank you." Luffy thanked him. Cricket chuckled.

"If you want to say thank you, say it to those two." Cricket pointed at Masira and Shoujou who were on their respective pirate ships.

Luffy waved at them. "Thanks guys!!!" Luffy shouted his thanks at them.

Luffy quickly jumped onto the Merry. He put Hercules into the glass tank that Chopper provided for him. Hercules will be the crew's pet now.

"Saruyama Alliance!! Don't mess this up!! Give your all for these guys!!! " Cricket shouted and grinned at Luffy.

" Kid! We will part here! There is one thing that is absolutely certain! No one has ever proven that the City of Gold and Sky Island do not exist!! Others might laugh at us, but that doesn't matter to you!! This is romantic!!!" Cricket declared, making Luffy smirk.

" You said it!! Shishishishi!!!" Luffy laughed back.

"For the gold, thank you. Don't crash, you guys! " Cricket nodded at Luffy. Luffy gave him a thumbs up.

Immediately after, they departed to Knock Up Stream. The Saruyama Alliance were there to help them find it and the Imperial Cumulus.

The Straw Hat Pirates were relaxing while listening to the instructions of the Masira and Shoujou.

They reminded everyone that it is 7:00 a.m., and they should be reaching their destination around 11 a.m.

Reiterating how the Knock Up Stream's exact location is different every time, they emphasize that they must get there early to search for its exact position.

Luffy was feeding Hercules and petting the South Bird while keeping one ear open to their explanations.

Everyone was nervous on the inside, but it would do them no good, so for now, they found something to do in the meantime.

3 hours later, they notice the Imperial Cumulus cloud approaching them from the southwest.

It is an hour early, but the Saruyama Alliance takes the necessary action regardless, and sends their scuba divers in to search for the stream.

"These guys are really strange. That Shoujou guy has a sonar ability. " Kaya whispered. Shoujou used his sonar ability to evaluate their surroundings.

Shoujou reported to Luffy that there is a strong sea current directly ahead (12 o'clock), a Sea King directly to their right (9 o'clock), and slightly to the northwest (10 o'clock) there are giant waves, indicative of a large whirlpool.

"That's it! Turn the ship to the 10 o'clock direction! The whirlpool and huge waves are a sign of the pending explosion that creates the Knock Up Stream! " Masira shouted. The Straw Hat Pirates stopped relaxing and became serious.

Nami quickly steered the Merry towards the 10 o'clock direction. The tumultuous waters were concerning, but it's nothing they couldn't handle.

She had already gotten used to the weirdness and the wackiness of the Grand Line. This is just normal to her now.

"Miss Navigator. How is the Log Pose?" Robin asked Nami who checked it.

" It's pointing at the cloud! " Nami replied. Luffy smirked.

" The wind is perfect! The Imperial Cumulus is heading towards the whirlpool! It seems we guessed correctly this time, brother!! " Masira grinned while shouting at Shoujou.

" Yeah! The size of the explosion is perfect too!!" Shoujou added.

"Can we get there?!" Luffy asked them while grinning at the whirlpool. This is why he set out to become a pirate, to enjoy the romance of adventuring and be as free as he possibly could.

"Yah Yah!! We can get there! We will take you to the track of the whirlpool! " Masira shouted at Nami.

" Then what?! " Nami asked back. Masira grinned.

"Follow the current and head to the center of this giant whirlpool!!!" Masira shouted back, surprising her.

"Damn! This is insane! I'm all for it!!" Nami grinned a little as she started steering the Merry so that it followed the current of the whirlpool.

As the crew gets closer to the center of the whirlpool, a Sea King suddenly emerges to attack them.

"I got this!" Zoro shouted before unsheathing Wado Ichimonji, preparing to cut the Sea King's head off with Tobu Zangeki.

But even the Sea King quickly succumbed to the power of the whirlpool. It was sucked into it without putting up a fight. That terrified Chopper who started shivering.

"Chopper!"

Chopper looked at Luffy who smiled at him. "It's okay to be afraid of the unknown. But this is what adventuring is all about! We explore the unknown, conquering it and our fears at the same time! That's how boys become men!!" Luffy grinned broadly at him.

" So from now on, face your fears with a smile on your face! Got it?!" Luffy asked him. Chopper nodded and grinned.

" Got it, captain!! "

"Hey, our ship is flying." Zoro commented. Luffy looked to see that he was right.

The ship is now completely airborne, and about to plummet to the center of the whirlpool. Just as it falls however, the whirlpool seemingly disappears.

"Huh?" Nami raised her eyebrow a little. Of all of the things that could've happened to them, this wasn't what she was expecting.

She looked at the sea and widened her eyes in realization. "Guys! It hasn't disappeared! It's gone into the seabed!!" Nami shouted.

" So it's starting!! " Luffy grinned but then he narrowed his eyes as he sensed a group of people approaching them with his Observation Haki.

" Zoro."

" Yeah, I see them. " Zoro replied to Luffy's call as everyone looked at the newcomers approaching them from the rear via a raft. It was Blackbeard and his pirate crew, the Blackbeard Pirates.

Luffy looked at the Jolly Roger. The Blackbeard Pirates' flag is that of three scowling skulls: one looking left, one looking forward, and one looking right.

Behind them there are cross intersected sets of bones, in addition to the classic two. The Blackbeard Pirates utilized a giant raft for a ship.

The raft is made up of gigantic trees possibly wound together. Around the sides of the raft are gun ports.

A large mast is posted in the middle, bearing the flag of the Blackbeard Pirates and three sails. Another sail is placed at the stern of the raft, behind the main sails.

The other means of propulsion, other than the wind, seems to be that the crew uses paddles or oars to move the raft along.

"ZEHAHAHAHAHA!!!!! I've finally caught you now, Straw Hat Luffy!!!" Blackbeard shouted.

" We're here to take you and your crew's heads which is worth almost a billion Belly!! Surrender to us now!!"

" Ignore his barking and focus on what we're here for. " Luffy ordered his crew with a serious expression.

" Got it!!! "

"It's coming, Knock Up Stream is coming!!!" Shoujou shouted. Luffy nodded.

" Prepare to die!!! " Blackbeard shouted as the raft he and his crew were on were quickly advancing to the Going Merry's position. The water beneath the Going Merry begins to swell and rise.

"Grab onto something!! It's gonna be hell for a few minutes!!" Luffy ordered, everyone quickly listened and frantically looked for something to grab on.

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!!!*

There is a massive explosion beneath them as the Knock Up Stream finally emerged. It immediately blasts the Going Merry into the air and utterly destroys the Blackbeard Pirates' raft in the process.

Luffy cheered loudly as he felt the chilly violent wind blowing past his face. Shoujou and Masira smirked in satisfaction. They silently cheered them on while watching from below.

Cricket watched the Knock Up Stream from a distance, and breathes a sigh of relief. In his point of view, the stream is shown to extend all the way into the sky, above the clouds.

"How is it sailing vertically on the stream? Is it the wind?" Robin asked herself.

" Uh guys..... the ship is beginning to leave the stream! If it goes on much longer, we'll get bounced off!" Sanji warned everyone. Suddenly, Usopp's eyes glowed bright red as his Observation Haki activated. He sensed danger incoming in front of everyone. He looked to see it was the Sea King from earlier.

"Sea King incoming!!!" He shouted. Zoro quickly unsheathed Sandai Kitetsu and slashed upwards, sending a compressed air blade towards it.

The blade sliced the Sea King cleanly in half. Both halves fell past their ship. With that dealt with, everyone focused back on their main problem.

They saw a lot of debris that had fallen victim to the stream's power fly past them. It disturbed them but they kept on sailing up bravely.

"Release the sails!!" Nami suddenly shouted. Nojiko immediately released it the second after hearing her sister's command.

"We're sailing on the sea itself! We're just riding a current that just so happens to be going upwards! The water vapors from the explosion below are actually creating an updraft of air for us to ride! " Nami explained to them before smirking.

" If our opponents are the wind and sea, we will sail on in their faces!!! After all, who's this ship's navigator?!"

" You are Nami!!!" Everyone answered with a smile or a large grin on their faces, reaffirming their trust in her ability. Nami then directs the crew to align the ship to be parallel to the stream itself.

She then ordered everyone to use the wind to help align the ship and to go into the deck of the ship for additional momentum.

"Nami! The ship's almost losing contact with the stream! It's falling! " Chopper shouted at her. Nami smiled at him.

" There's no need to panic, Chopper. It's already good to go!" Nami gave him a thumbs up. Chopper widened his eyes and looked back at the current situation of the Going Merry.

" Ehhhhh?!! Merry's flying!!!" He shouted, surprising everyone.

" Awesome!!! She can fly too!! " Luffy shouted with stars in his eyes. Everyone was amazed. Robin just smiled.

"As long as we follow this wind and stream, we can make it anywhere! " Nami grinned confidently.

" Nami! Are we going to be at Sky Island soon?!" Luffy asked excitedly.

" I'm not sure. But if it exists, it should be on top of that piece of cloud." Nami replied with uncertainty in her facial expressions. Luffy hummed and looked up again.

"I wonder what's on top of there? " Luffy wondered as the Going Merry finally began to enter the clouds.

To be continued.....