Back to the Blue Sea

As the danger passed, the group relocated back in the ruins of Shandora, catching their breath.

"Hey!!" A shout came from afar.

"Aahh! Conis-chan, you're safe! You have no idea how worried I was!" Sanji exclaimed joyfully as he saw Conis, Pagaya, Ryomen, and Luffy approaching.

"You guys, I was so scared, I couldn't do anything to help!!" Conis said tearfully.

"We're so relieved to see you all safe." Pagaya added, nodding in agreement.

"Conis, did you miss me?" Sanji asked with a hopeful grin.

"I doubt it." Usopp replied, shaking his head.

"Ryomen! Luffy!" Aisa shouted happily as they approached.

"What you got there? Provisions?" Zoro asked, eyeing the large sack they carried.

"We passed by the priests' warehouse on the way down." Ryomen replied.

"How did you even get down from there?" Usopp asked, curious.

"I used Gomu-Gomu no Balloon!" Luffy said proudly.

"Are you alright? Maybe Chopper should take a look at you." Nami said to Ryomen, concern evident in her eyes.

"Pfft, there's no need for that." Ryomen scoffed—just before falling face-first to the ground, only to be caught by hands that suddenly appeared beneath him.

"Stop acting tough!!" Nami shouted angrily.

"No woman likes a man who doesn't know his limits." Robin teased with a smirk.

"And why would that matter to you?" Nami narrowed her eyes at her.

"Who knows?" Robin chuckled.

…

The crew rested until nightfall.

"Boy, did I eat!" Usopp exclaimed happily.

"It's completely dark." Zoro observed.

"What should we do? Go back to the ship?" Nami asked, glancing at the sky.

"Nami, what are you saying?" Luffy said, sounding appalled.

"What's wrong?" She questioned, frowning.

Luffy turned to Usopp. "Did you hear what she said?"

"She's a failure as a human being…" Usopp replied, shaking his head.

"What did I do?!" Nami asked, flustered.

"Are you guys masochists? You're just asking for a beating." Ryomen commented dryly.

…

Soon after, a giant fire was lit, and whether they were Blue Sea people, Shandians, or Skypieans, everyone celebrated together.

Wyper stood, staring in shock at the sight of Aisa and all his people joyfully partying.

"I know how you feel, Wyper." Gan Fall came up beside him. "For the first time in generations…not one person wants to fight."

"Let's party!" Luffy shouted.

"Yeah!" Everyone joined him in the fun, drinking, laughing, and dancing.

"Haha! We should do this more often!" Ryomen cheered.

"Do you know how much money it would cost?" Nami asked playfully.

"Right, but everyone really seems to like it." Ryomen looked around at his crew, smiling as he saw them all having fun. "Even Stronger is enjoying it."

Nami glanced over and noticed the horse and bird seemingly flirting. "Even animals have better luck than me…" She muttered under her breath, fuming slightly.

"Huh?" Ryomen asked, confused.

"Nothing." She sighed.

A moment of silence passed between them before Ryomen spoke up. "You…you were really brave back then. When you saved Aisa."

"I was?" Nami looked at him, surprised.

"Yeah. That's why I told you, you don't need to change yourself. When it matters, you'll always be there." His voice softened, and Nami felt a blush creeping onto her cheeks.

"He's right, you were very brave." Robin chimed in with a smile.

"Why are you butting in? You weren't even awake to see it!" Nami huffed, trying to hide her embarrassment.

"Hahaha!" Robin couldn't help but laugh.

And so, the party went on for days on end.

…

"Uuugh…all this and no gold…" Nami mumbled, tears welling up.

"What a shallow woman." Usopp sighed, shaking his head.

"What matters is the journey, not the gold!" Luffy declared.

"Yeah, the journey!" Chopper added, beaming.

"You idiots!" Nami shouted at them. "We came here for the gold!"

"Uh…you're right!" Realization struck all three, and they gasped.

Their conversation was interrupted as one of the Shandians addressed the chief. "We brought down the golden bell!"

"Gold!?" Nami's eyes transformed into berry symbols.

"Great, she's in a trance." Zoro muttered, glancing at her glazed expression.

"If Nami wants it, I'll take it for her!" Sanji declared passionately.

"You wanna check it out?" Ryomen asked Robin, noticing her focus on the Shandians.

She nodded silently.

…

They arrived to see the golden bell in all its splendor.

"I've never seen anything so glorious!" People marveled.

"Though one of the pillars broke." Someone pointed out.

As Ryomen and Robin approached, the Poneglyphs at the bell's base came into view. Robin stepped forward, reading about an ancient weapon called Pluton.

Meanwhile, Ryomen spotted a few familiar figures nearby.

"How are you guys feeling?" Je asked them.

"Nehee!"

"Piee!"

"Better than ever! Peace in Skypiea was all I ever wanted!"

'At least I understood one of them.' Ryomen thought, the corners of his mouth twitching.

"We were actually planning to leave." Ryomen said. "So, what about you Stronger? Are you coming with us?"

"Neihee!" Stronger shook his head, the words clearly embarrassing Pierre.

'What's with this sudden development…?' Ryomen wondered.

"I'll take that as a no."

"Boy, I thank you and your friends for everything you've done for us." Gan Fall extended his hand.

"Haha! No problem!" Ryomen shook it, a little embarrassed.

"Ryomen! Let's go!" Robin called, as a group of Shandians hoisted a massive golden pillar. …

"They're late." Zoro noted. "Do we really have to wait? We could just head to the boat."

"Idiot! Don't!" Usopp protested.

"Stupid!" Luffy added.

"Moss-head!" Sanji chimed in.

"Moss-head! Idiot!" Chopper mimicked.

"You bastards! Stop insulting me!" Zoro shouted.

"If you go into the woods, you'd get lost in three steps! So how dare you talk!" Sanji retorted, and the bickering turned into a full-blown quarrel.

"Hey, they're back!" Usopp called as he spotted Ryomen and Robin.

"What's that behind them?" Luffy asked, wide-eyed.

"Gold!!" Nami cheered.

"I'll carry it from here." Ryomen offered, reaching for the pillar.

"Are you sure? It's heavy—" The others watched in awe as he lifted it with ease.

"Whoa! Couldn't you have helped earlier!?"

"Haha…sorry." Ryomen muttered, face flushing.

"Ryomen!!" Nami ran to him and kissed him on the cheek. "I knew I didn't choose wrong!" She cried, tears of joy sparkling in her eyes.

"W-What!?" His face turned an even deeper red.

"How bold." Robin covered her mouth, hiding an amused smile.

Realizing what she'd done, Nami cleared her throat. "Let's take it to the ship!"

"Sure, but I'm not sure it'll fit on the Merry." Ryomen replied.

"We'll make it fit." Nami said firmly, leaving no room for debate.

…

"Thank you!!"

"Come back soon!!"

The people of Skypiea waved as the Merry sailed away.

"Good luck on your journeys!" Gan Fall exclaimed.

"Goodbye!!" Aisa shouted tearfully.

Wyper looked on in silence, only giving a grateful nod.

"So the horse isn't coming?" Zoro asked, noticing Stronger on the shore, tears in his eyes as he watched the ship leave.

"Seems he's found his place." Chopper observed, seeing Pierre comforting the horse.

"Even the horse has a better love life, cook." Zoro teased.

"You shut your mouth!" Sanji yelled, sparking another argument.

"Maybe I should've gotten some pointers…no, what am I saying?" Nami muttered to herself.

"I could give you pointers." Robin offered with a sly smile.

"I don't need it!" Nami shot back, casting a wary glance at her.

"Being looked at with such gratitude, it's…really weird. But not unpleasant." Ryomen mused.

"Shishishi! You're starting to understand what it means to be a pirate!" Luffy said with a wide grin.

"Is that so…" Ryomen smiled as the shore grew smaller in the distance.

…

"Hey…did you guys repair the Merry?" Ryomen asked, his curiosity piqued as he turned to Usopp.

"Nope. We just found it fixed when we split into two teams." Usopp replied.

"Huh? Someone repaired it for us?" Ryomen's voice was filled with disbelief.

"It's weird, right?" Usopp said, looking slightly concerned. "They even removed the wings! They must've known what the Merry looked like before we added the upgrades!"

"How strange…" Ryomen murmured thoughtfully.

"Who cares!? We're rich!! Hahaha!!" Luffy shouted happily from behind them.

"Nami-san! Can I buy a refrigerator with a lock now? Pretty please!" Sanji pleaded, his eyes twinkling.

Chopper started climbing up Nami's leg, "Listen, I want–! I want to buy books! I want to learn about medicine from other countries!"

"Booze." Zoro added plainly.

Nami and Robin exchanged glances, silently smiling at their excitement.

"Let's wait until we get down before deciding." Nami told them, playfully pinching Chopper's cheeks.

"Pwease buy me buuks." Chopper pleaded again, his cheeks squished in her grip.

"Everyone! We're reaching the end of the clouds!" Pagaya exclaimed from his waver, with Conis right behind him.

"So…we have to leave?" Luffy murmured sadly, his face dropping.

"It's been great, but this is as far as we can go!" Pagaya called back with a smile.

"Take care, everyone!" Conis shouted, waving as she held onto Suu.

"Thanks for seeing us off!" Nami shouted in return.

"And for everything you've done!" Usopp added.

"Conis-chan! Take care of yourself!" Sanji said with a hint of sadness.

"Conis and old guy and white thing, take care!" Luffy exclaimed with a grin.

"At least try to remember their names." Ryomen sighed, shaking his head as he waved.

"We will! Now hurry and pull in your sail and cling to the ship!" Pagaya advised.

"Okay, captain! Our course to the next island is set!" Nami called to Luffy, her gaze fixed on the log pose.

"That's right! Once we're down…another adventure awaits!!" Luffy replied. "Now…let's go back to the blue sea!"

"Yeah!!" They all shouted in unison.

"Be careful during the drop, everyone!!" Conis called as they passed through the tunnel.

"…"

"Drop?"

The Merry suddenly began plummeting from the clouds, the vast blue sea stretching far below them.

"Aaaaahhh…" They stared, mouths agape as they fell through the sky.

"Heso!!" Pagaya and Conis saluted them from above.

"Here goes! Sky Island specialty…the Octo-balloon!" Conis shouted, pulling out a whistle.

"Octopus!!" Usopp screamed, clutching the railing as a massive octopus engulfed their ship like a parachute.

"Hey, this is awesome!" Luffy laughed as they drifted down.

As they slowly descended, the resonant sound of a bell echoed through the clouds and across the sea, a beautiful farewell to their journey above the clouds.

…

"You want to use the money for the ship?" Luffy asked, tilting his head as he looked at Nami.

"Mhm. The Merry's falling apart, you know." Nami replied matter-of-factly.

"Yeah, it can barely hold that pillar." Ryomen added, nodding toward the tied-up gold pillar.

"Upgrades for the Merry!? I'm all for that!" Usopp chimed in happily. "She's taken us all the way from the East Blue. We should reward her now and then."

"Hey, I know!" Luffy said with a grin. "How about we find a shipwright? We're gonna be voyaging for a long time—it's something we'll need!"

"The Going Merry is our home…our life! Let's find someone who'll protect it!" Luffy's voice held surprising conviction.

The crew stared at him, momentarily silent.

"Well…when he's right, he's right." Sanji said with a shrug.

"Once in a blue moon, he really hits the nail on the head." Usopp agreed.

"Must be because of my lectures." Ryomen said, giving a proud nod.

…

"So, you two unlocked Haki?" Zoro asked Ryomen and Luffy, a hint of envy in his voice.

"You jelly?" Ryomen teased.

"Hmph. I don't care—I'll just train harder." Zoro scoffed. Then he glanced at Ryomen. "And you? Finally catching their idiocy?" He gestured to the idiot trio.

"That might be part of it." Ryomen replied with a smirk, "but I think I'm just…finding myself."

"That so?" Zoro looked at him for a few seconds, his eyes narrowing thoughtfully. "Good for you." He said with a nod.

"Listen up!" Luffy suddenly shouted. "As a master in Armament–"

"Observation." Ryomen corrected.

"Observation Haki! It's my job to train you all!"

Ryomen raised an eyebrow, surprised. "Well, that's unexpected, Luffy."

"Now, the first trainee will be…Nami!" Luffy announced, laughing sheepishly as he held a stick infused with cursed energy, one Ryomen had used for Haki training.

"Guess I spoke too soon…" Ryomen sighed to himself.

"Alright, let's get on with it!" Usopp said, moving closer to Nami with Luffy. Nami was focused on checking the weather, oblivious to their approach.

"Pfft…" Luffy stifled a laugh.

"Shhh!!" Usopp shot him a look, struggling to keep a straight face.

"This won't end well for them…" Robin murmured, observing from a distance.

"That's how they learn." Ryomen replied with a smirk.

"Learn!? They're gonna die!" Chopper said, his voice filled with fear.

With the stick in hand, Luffy crept closer and struck, aiming to poke Nami. She leaned slightly to the side, checking her log pose, effortlessly dodging the strike.

Luffy and Usopp exchanged baffled looks. Usopp took the stick, preparing his own attempt. He aimed for her head, but she leaned over the edge of the ship, gazing at the waves below.

"Give it here!" Luffy mouthed, snatching the stick back and taking another strike.

"I gave you a chance!!" Nami suddenly roared, whirling around and grabbing the stick.

…

"She already has Observation Haki!!" Luffy and Usopp shouted in disbelief, their faces covered in fresh bruises.

"As expected of Nami-san! She's amazing!" Sanji praised, hearts in his eyes.

"She's terrifying!" Chopper corrected.

"Now that I think about it, how does she even hurt Luffy?" Ryomen mumbled, then shook his head, deciding not to question the logic any further.

As the crew went about their usual routines, the day finally turned to night, and the Straw Hats retired to their quarters.

They slept peacefully—except for one of them, rustling in his sleep as he found himself in a familiar, yet subtly different place.