A Way Out, Sky Island!?
Yang Ning was speechless. He had to admit, they had indeed escaped.
But escaping didn't mean surviving; it just meant dying again in a different place, in a different guise.
Yang Ning was confused, bewildered, and shocked.
He rushed to the ship's side. The towering current was beginning to weaken, and the New Windbreaker was nearing its peak altitude.
As the ship continued to climb, the world before them expanded. Under the sun—bright as a washbasin—the sky above the clouds was dreamlike and beautiful. But often, the most beautiful things are the most deadly.
"Hey, Willie, what are you doing?"
Yang Ning watched the collapsing current for a while, then turned to see Willie, his large rear end sticking out, mumbling something in the corner of the deck.
Willie chuckled and turned his head, holding up the small chisel in his hand with a smug look.
"Carving my last words, buddy! Aren't I clever? If I carve it on wood, it definitely won't get smashed away."
He paused. "By the way, buddy, do you need me to carve yours too? I can do yours first."
"Then thank you!"
"Hehe, you're welcome."
Yang Ning stared blankly at the grinning Willie for a moment, then smiled with relief.
He covered his face with his hand, feeling incredibly foolish. He hadn't even asked—could he really rely on Willie?
Snap, snap~
Willie's little chisel flew across the deck. The silly boy carved and laughed. No one knew what he was carving.
Yang Ning sat cross-legged between Esdeath and Nami, a hint of despair creeping onto his face.
Even if he survived thanks to the invincibility shown on his character panel and Arthur's healing, his companions had no chance.
What to do? He racked his brains but found no solution.
Just as he began considering tearing the sails to make a parachute, Willie's loud shout rang out:
"Hey, boss! There are islands! Lots of islands in the sky!"
Islands?
It was still light out—was he already dreaming? How could islands exist ten thousand meters above sea level?
Yang Ning chuckled twice, dismissing Willie. The situation was changing too fast; his mind was a mess, and he couldn't remember clearly.
But the next second, he jumped up.
"Islands!"
Who said islands couldn't exist in the sky? Even if the people of this world didn't know, he certainly did! Sky Islands really existed!
His eyes gleamed as he rushed to Willie's side, eager.
"Where are they? Point!"
Willie grinned foolishly, jabbing his small chisel toward a spot below the clouds.
"Right there! Lots of islands—and a sea too!"
Islands. Many islands. And a sea with them.
Confirmed. Yang Ning's heart pounded. They were definitely Sky Islands!
"Nami! Nami! Stop lying there—get up and get to work! Our survival depends on your skills!"
Yang Ning turned and shouted excitedly, jolting the entire ship full of despairing, exhausted people.
With Sylvester's help, Nami struggled to her feet and approached Yang Ning.
"You really believe there are islands in the sky?"
"Yes!"
Yang Ning spoke with unwavering conviction, eyes wide as he scanned the direction Willie had pointed.
Nami opened her mouth, ready to explain that an island couldn't possibly float in the air due to its weight—but after a moment's thought, she stayed silent.
Dying with hope is better than dying in despair.
Suddenly, a rainbow of light shone on Nami's face from below—like sunlight refracted through calm water.
Nami instinctively turned away from the glare—but then whipped back, shocked.
What calm water existed ten thousand meters in the sky?!
She leaned against the ship's railing, peering through the thick clouds. A faint blue hue was visible.
"Something's not right…"
Just as Yang Ning frowned and muttered, a dozen islands of varying sizes—arranged at different heights—slowly drifted out from the clouds, forming a cluster of Sky Islands.
"There really are sky islands!" ×2
Sylvester and Nami, faces contorted with exaggerated shock, exclaimed in unison.
Yang Ning shook his head, discarding doubt. Whatever it was—as long as it was land, survival was possible.
"Hurry, hurry, Yang Fan!
Nami, give it your all! Give me a howling wind!"
Nami remained silent. She only raised her hands and clenched her teeth.
The wind gradually arrived.
A gentle breeze… a strong wind… a gale… a storm… a hurricane… a tornado.
All of these were forms of weather, and Nami's Devil Fruit controlled weather.
The wind around the New Windbreaker grew stronger—soon making it impossible to open one's eyes. Nami's face gradually paled.
Guiding the ocean currents and leaping to save people had pushed her spirit and body to their limits.
But the wind didn't stop. It grew stronger.
The powerful gusts converged, forming a massive column of wind that raged only around the New Windbreaker.
The ship swayed violently, gradually lifting as the gale overpowered the fading upwelling current.
The current showed no mercy.
As its spiral slowed, the towering column of water collapsed—like a skyscraper suddenly losing its foundation.
The collapse was far faster than the ascent. In a blink, the New Windbreaker was left alone in the air.
Without water support, the ship plummeted. Everyone on board held their breath.
But Nami kept fighting.
She raised her hands high, storm raging around her. Her frail body trembled—but her arms never lowered.
As blood slowly seeped from Nami's nose, ears, and mouth, the New Windbreaker finally stabilized. Little by little, it glided straight toward the Sky Island, carried by the wind column.
The glide was far from smooth. If Arthur hadn't gritted his teeth and kept channeling healing energy, Nami might have burned out before reaching the island.
After all, the Weather Fruit only controlled weather. Even the strongest wind had limits. For wind alone to keep a medium-sized ship airborne for so long was nothing short of a miracle.
And a miracle is something absolutely impossible that actually happens.
Just like the New Windbreaker—it wobbled, lurched, and groaned—but it didn't crash. Despite every hardship, it crossed several kilometers and reached the Sky Island.
The moment the view below shifted from white clouds to azure waves, Nami finally collapsed—limp, boneless.
Yang Ning swiftly caught her and carefully handed her to Sylvester.
"Take her inside to rest."
Sylvester nodded solemnly, lifting Nami in a princess carry—and tucking the half-conscious Arthur under his other arm.
Seeing this, Willie followed suit, carrying the still-unconscious Esdeath into the cabin as well.
While they moved, the New Windbreaker continued plummeting at high speed.
But Yang Ning remained calm. MVP Nami had guided them to within a hundred meters of the Sky Island's waters.
The battered Going Merry had survived a fall of over a hundred meters without breaking apart.
He believed the New Windbreaker could endure it too.
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