Chapter 86: Arrival at Sky Island
Although Mio's sailing skills couldn't compare to Nami's in the original story, he still knew how to control a ship well enough. After all, this ship had been reinforced, much like Luffy's Going Merry after its upgrades in the original work.
Following the plan laid out in the original timeline, Mio adjusted the sails and steered the ship toward the rising current.
As the ship neared the massive stream of water shooting into the sky, it caught the current for a moment before slightly drifting off course. Still, with the sails raised and the reinforced wings helping balance the vessel, it began to ascend slowly into the sky.
To everyone's relief, the ship did not plummet.
Soon, it pierced the clouds, rushing higher and higher until—boom—they broke through the top of the current. The ship emerged from the dense mist and landed smoothly on a sea of what looked like fluffy white clouds.
They had arrived on the White Sea, one of the two cloud oceans that make up Sky Island.
Despite being made entirely of clouds, the White Sea was indeed navigable, and various creatures even lived there. Above the White Sea was another layer of sky called the White White Sea, which could only be accessed through the Gate of Heaven.
"Is this... Sky Island?" Robin asked with wide-eyed curiosity. She wandered across the deck, running from one side of the ship to the other, taking pictures with a camera she brought.
"What a spectacular sight," Erica said with amazement.
The rest of the crew nodded in agreement, marveling at the breathtaking scene.
As Mio scanned the horizon, he quickly spotted the Gate of Heaven in the distance. If they wanted to go higher, to the White White Sea, that was the path they needed to take.