The Sky Knight

---

For the next few days, the giant red ship, Perfume Yuda sailed smoothly across the ocean, cutting through the waves with ease.

Meanwhile, the women of the Kuja pirates immersed themselves in practicing snake breathing, the technique Akira had introduced. As they delved deeper into the practice, the immense power of the breathing method became apparent. They began to understand just how precious the gift Akira had given them was.

The previous distance and wariness they felt toward Akira, Itachi, and Shisui melted away. In its place, admiration and enthusiasm blossomed. The three were no longer outsiders but honored comrades.

"I see it! Jaya Island ahead!" The lookout navigator shouted from above.

"Jaya Island?" 

"Have we arrived already?"

"Is there really a treasure trove of gold up there?"

Excitement buzzed through the crew as they rushed from below deck, eager to see their destination.

"But the gold is supposed to be on a Sky Island, 10,000 meters up, right? How are we going to get up there?" one of the Kuja Pirates asked, her brow furrowed.

"Leave that to me," Akira said confidently as he emerged from the cabin.

Hancock crossed her arms, raising an eyebrow. "How are you planning to solve this? Are you going to fly us up?"

Akira smirked. "You're sharp as always. Yes, exactly—we'll fly up."

"???" 

Before anyone could react, Akira pressed his palms onto the ship's deck, and the entire vessel began to tremble. A moment later, it slowly lifted off the surface of the sea, rising higher and higher into the air.

"It's flying!!"

Gasps and exclamations filled the air as the crew looked around in disbelief.

"How is this possible?!" Even Hancock's usually composed face faltered in astonishment.

Shisui turned to reassure the crew, "Don't worry. This is one of Brother Akira's ninjutsu."

"Ninjutsu? What kind of ninjutsu lets you do this?! You can spit fire, water, lightning, and now you can make a whole ship fly?!"

Itachi, speaking more than usual, added, "That's because Brother Akira is a true genius."

Only Itachi and Shisui knew how terrifyingly talented Akira truly was. They had witnessed his prowess firsthand, and even they, who were Uchiha elites, felt like they were barely scratching the surface compared to his potential.

Akira continued guiding the ship upward with the Earth Style: Lightweight Boulder Jutsu, a mastery over this technique, was able to also manipulate the weight of other targets. 

Akira got this ninjutsu in exchange from the Third Tsuchikage Ōnoki. The elderly Kage had initially been reluctant to trade such a secret technique and had even attempted to eliminate Akira during their meeting, thinking it would benefit Iwagakure to rid the world of such a gifted Konoha shinobi.

But the Third Tsuchikage had sorely underestimated Akira, and after suffering an injury at his hands, he realized the boy's terrifying potential. The Tsuchikage had no choice but to give up the ninjutsu in exchange for peace. Even then, he hadn't believed that Akira could master it—after all, only the Tsuchikage himself had ever successfully used it.

He was wrong.

With ease, Akira had mastered the technique, and now, the ship soared ever higher.

Bang!

The ship broke through the clouds, and a vast sea of white spread out before them, bathed in warm, golden sunlight.

"Are we… really above the clouds?" one of the women whispered in awe.

The Kuja crew marveled at the sight of the White Sea, a beautiful and ethereal ocean made entirely of clouds.

"This... this is amazing!" 

"I never imagined a place like this existed!" 

Even the typically stoic Hancock found herself momentarily lost in the beauty of the skies.

Akira, however, narrowed his eyes. "Someone's coming."

The crew turned to see a figure rapidly approaching from across the cloud sea. In an instant, a masked man wielding a shield and a rocket launcher landed on the deck.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing?" one of the Kuja pirates shouted, her hand reaching for her weapon.

"Destroy you…" the masked man growled, aiming his rocket launcher at the ship.

"Court death!" one of the Kuja warriors snarled as the women sprang into action.

But before they could engage, the masked attacker leaped into the air, his gun aimed at the ship below. 

Boom!

A mid-air explosion rocked the skies, but the ship remained untouched. 

"If you want to attack our ship, you'll have to get past me first," said Rindo, the best sniper of the Kuja Pirates, who had just fired a counter-rocket to block the attack.

Rindo was the only member who prefers to use a gun over a bow and arrow or even a sword. However, the ammunition is an arrow-weapon type which was a harpoon rather than explosive rounds.

"Snort!" the masked man growled, preparing to continue his assault.

But before he could, a voice rang out from the distance. "Hold it right there!"

In a blur of movement, a new figure arrived, stabbing at the masked man with a spear. The masked man raised his shield just in time to block, but the force of the strike sent him tumbling into the sea of clouds below.

"I'll be back!" the masked man shouted before vanishing into the clouds.

The newcomer landed lightly on the ship's deck, introducing himself. "I am the Knight of the Sky! A free mercenary, here to help! The sky is filled with danger, and travelers like you often fall victim to attackers like that masked man. For a fee of 5 million extols, I'll come to your rescue!"

"..." 

The crew exchanged baffled looks, unsure of what to make of the so-called Knight of the Sky. They hadn't needed saving in the first place.

Akira, however, seemed amused, recognizing the old man. "Interesting," he murmured to himself. "It seems the protagonist group hasn't arrived here yet. Good—if they were here, my real target might have escaped."

With the masked man gone and the ship now resting on the clouds, the crew looked out over the endless White Sea, feeling both amazed and eager for what was to come next.

...