Even in their human forms, Rowan and Wiper moved faster than the former priests could properly track.
One moment, they were standing dozens of meters away.
The next—
They were already at the pile of food.
The priests exchanged helpless looks.
After six months, they had stopped trying to make sense of it.
Some things simply existed beyond common sense.
Rowan took one look at the feast and grinned.
Then he cupped his hands around his mouth.
“Golden Gale!”
“Dinner!”
A familiar cry echoed from above.
SCREEEEEE!
A massive shadow swept across the training grounds.
The Golden Eagle King descended from the clouds, wings spread wide enough to blot out the sun for a moment before landing with a heavy thud.
The instant its claws touched the ground, it lunged toward the food.
No hesitation.
No dignity.
Just pure survival instinct.
Wiper burst out laughing.
“It really only cares about eating.”
The eagle ignored him completely and shoved its beak into a roasted Sea King leg.
Priorities were priorities.
The feast began.
And disappeared with astonishing speed.
Most of it vanished into Rowan.
The stronger he became, the more absurd his appetite grew.
The Behemoth Fruit demanded fuel.
A lot of fuel.
Entire platters vanished in moments.
Roasted meat.
Fruit.
Bread.
Fish.
Nothing survived.
By the end, the enormous banquet looked as though it had never existed.
Rowan leaned back with a satisfied sigh.
“Perfect.”
Now that hit the spot.
For a few minutes, the three simply relaxed.
Then Rowan stood.
The casual atmosphere faded.
His expression sharpened.
The time had come.
He looked toward Wiper and Golden Gale.
“We’re leaving.”
“Our next destination is waiting.”
Not long afterward, they stood before the Ark Maxim.
The entire area surrounding the harbor platform was packed.
Skypieans.
Shandians.
The Four Priests.
Families.
Merchants.
Children perched on their parents’ shoulders.
Word had spread quickly.
Rowan was departing.
No one wanted to miss it.
One of the former priests stepped forward.
“Lord Rowan…”
His voice carried obvious reluctance.
“Do you really have to go?”
The question echoed the feelings of countless others.
Over the past six months, Rowan had become something unique in Skypiea.
Not a king.
Not a ruler.
And certainly not a god.
He was the man who had ended Enel’s reign.
The man who had given them back the sky.
A protector.
A friend.
Someone who had asked for remarkably little despite possessing overwhelming power.
Naturally, no one wanted to see him leave.
Rowan smiled.
“I have places to be.”
“Things I need to do.”
His gaze swept across the crowd.
Faces he had come to recognize.
People who smiled when they saw him.
“But if Skypiea ever needs me…”
His smile widened slightly.
“I’ll come back.”
A murmur spread through the crowd.
The tension eased.
Several people visibly relaxed.
That answer was enough.
Rowan raised a hand.
“Take care of yourselves.”
Wiper nodded respectfully toward the assembled Shandians.
Golden Gale spread its wings and released a sharp cry that nearly deafened the front row.
A few children immediately covered their ears.
The eagle looked pleased with itself.
Moments later, the three boarded the Ark Maxim.
Blue lightning crawled across the ship’s golden frame.
The engines awakened.
Energy surged through the vessel.
BOOOOOOOM!
The massive ship slowly lifted into the air.
Wind swept across the platform.
Loose clothing fluttered.
Hair whipped wildly.
The Ark Maxim rose higher and higher, its golden hull gleaming beneath the sunlight.
Below, thousands of Skypieans watched in silence.
No one shouted.
No one waved.
For a long moment, they simply stood there, watching.
Only after the flying ship disappeared beyond the clouds did people finally begin to leave.
Aboard the Ark Maxim, Wiper stood beside the railing.
The ocean stretched endlessly below.
Even after days of travel, the sight still felt unreal.
For his entire life, the world had ended at the White Sea.
Now there seemed to be no end to it at all.
Sea.
Sky.
Horizon.
Everything felt vast.
Curiosity eventually got the better of him.
“Captain.”
Rowan glanced up from the chart spread across the table.
“Yeah?”
“Where are we going?”
A grin tugged at Rowan’s lips.
“Alabasta.”
Wiper frowned.
“Never heard of it.”
“Most people in Skypiea haven’t.”
Rowan folded the map.
“It’s a kingdom in the middle of a desert.”
Wiper blinked.
“A desert?”
The concept sounded absurd.
An entire kingdom surrounded by sand?
Before he could ask more questions, Rowan continued.
“More importantly, that’s where our next crew member is.”
That immediately caught Wiper’s attention.
Another recruit?
Someone Rowan had specifically chosen?
That meant they weren’t ordinary.
“Who?”
Rowan’s expression grew thoughtful.
“Nico Robin.”
“The Devil Child.”
“The smartest woman in the world.”
At least, one of them.
But intelligence wasn’t the real reason Rowan wanted her.
Robin’s true value was immeasurable.
She could read the Poneglyphs.
She possessed knowledge no one else in the world had.
If Rowan intended to uncover the truth behind the Void Century, the Ancient Weapons, and the mysteries hidden by the World Government, then Robin wasn’t merely useful.
She was essential.
The Ark Maxim continued its journey.
Lightning-powered engines propelled the vessel through the skies at incredible speed.
Storms meant nothing.
Currents meant nothing.
They simply flew.
Two days later.
Land appeared on the horizon.
A vast stretch of golden desert.
Towering rock formations.
Scattered settlements.
An endless sea of sand.
Alabasta.
Rowan unfolded a map and compared it with the landscape below.
A moment later, he smiled.
“There you are.”
Rainbase.
The City of Dreams.
Home to Rain Dinners.
Crocodile’s casino.
Baroque Works’ headquarters.
And, if his memory was correct—
Nico Robin’s current location.
The Ark Maxim began its descent.
Below, life continued normally.
Merchants haggled.
Travelers moved between streets.
Gamblers crowded around casinos.
No one paid attention to the sky.
Why would they?
Then the wind arrived.
A powerful gust swept through the city.
Sand exploded into the air.
People staggered.
Merchants grabbed their tents.
“What the hell?”
“Is a sandstorm coming?”
“Not again!”
But something felt wrong.
The wind wasn’t coming from the desert.
It was coming from above.
A man looked up.
His face immediately drained of color.
“T-There!”
Shaking fingers pointed skyward.
One by one, heads turned.
Conversations died.
The city fell silent.
A massive shadow swallowed the streets.
Sunlight vanished.
And descending from the heavens—
Was a colossal golden ship.
The Ark Maxim.
Its gleaming hull reflected sunlight like a second sun.
Its enormous frame dwarfed the surrounding buildings.
For several seconds, nobody moved.
Nobody spoke.
The sight was simply too impossible to process.
Then—
BOOOOOOOM!
The Ark Maxim touched down.
The ground trembled.
A shockwave blasted outward.
Market stalls overturned.
Windows rattled.
Loose sand surged through the streets.
Several unlucky bystanders were knocked off their feet.
The arrival announced itself to the entire city.
And naturally—
Baroque Works noticed.
Inside Rain Dinners, alarms immediately rang out.
Agents sprang into motion.
Doors burst open.
Footsteps thundered through hallways.
Operatives flooded into the streets.
Dozens.
Then hundreds.
Within minutes, the area surrounding the landing site was sealed off.
Armed agents formed layers of security around the mysterious vessel.
Every eye fixed on the golden ship.
On the figures now appearing on its deck.
Rainbase held its breath.
A storm had arrived in Alabasta.
And Crocodile had no idea it was coming.