Rowan could practically see the fear coming off the giant eagle.
The bird looked like it was bracing for execution.
He raised an eyebrow.
“What?”
The eagle immediately straightened.
“You don’t want to leave?”
Its entire body went rigid.
Rowan folded his arms and stared at it for a moment before shaking his head.
“I need to go somewhere.”
He pointed toward the horizon.
“And I need your wings.”
The eagle swallowed.
“Besides, there’s barely enough food left on this island for you anyway.”
His tone was casual.
Almost friendly.
But both of them understood the unspoken reality.
If the eagle suddenly decided to rebel, Rowan would be more than happy to remind it why that was a terrible idea.
Five years of firsthand experience had made the lesson impossible to forget.
The giant bird immediately shook its head so hard that golden feathers flew everywhere.
No objections.
No resistance.
No rebellious thoughts whatsoever.
It was a model companion.
A shining example of cooperation.
The relief in its eyes was unmistakable.
Thank goodness.
He’s not planning to eat me.
Everything’s fine.
We’re still alive.
Seeing the reaction, Rowan nodded in satisfaction.
Much better.
After brushing the sand from his worn clothes, he turned toward the sea.
The endless ocean stretched to the horizon, merging with the sky in a line so distant it almost seemed unreal.
For the first time in five years, he felt genuinely excited.
Not for training.
Not for another breakthrough.
For the future.
“It’s time.”
The words carried away on the wind.
Time to leave this island.
Time to return to the world.
Time to begin moving forward again.
The giant eagle let out a resigned sigh and spread its wings.
A shadow engulfed the shoreline.
Its wingspan now stretched well beyond twenty meters, enough to dwarf most ships.
Even after all these years, it clearly wasn’t thrilled about abandoning its territory.
Unfortunately, Rowan wasn’t asking for permission.
He was giving instructions.
The eagle lowered its body and crouched.
Preparing for takeoff.
A faint smile appeared on Rowan’s face.
He reached out and patted the bird’s head.
“Don’t look so miserable.”
The eagle looked at him suspiciously.
“Following me is probably the best thing that’s ever happened to you.”
The giant bird looked deeply unconvinced.
Rowan laughed.
“I’m serious.”
He stepped onto its back.
“If I find a suitable Devil Fruit someday, I’ll make sure you get stronger too.”
That wasn’t an empty promise.
The Villainous Crew System had already proven that Devil Fruit compatibility wasn’t necessarily limited to humans.
If the opportunity presented itself, Rowan fully intended to strengthen his future companions.
The eagle blinked.
Stronger?
Why?
It was already the strongest creature on the island.
Well…
The strongest creature that wasn’t Rowan.
But Rowan didn’t count.
Rowan was something else entirely.
Seeing the confusion in its eyes, Rowan simply smiled.
There was no point explaining.
A beast that had never left its island couldn’t comprehend how vast the world truly was.
Soon enough, reality would educate it.
He patted its back.
“Let’s go.”
“I’ll handle navigation.”
The eagle released a powerful cry.
Then launched itself into the sky.
BOOM!
The shoreline exploded beneath the force of its takeoff.
Its wings beat once.
Twice.
A hurricane swept across the beach.
The island rapidly shrank beneath them as the giant bird surged upward like a golden arrow.
Within minutes, they had climbed above the clouds.
The world below became a sea of white.
Wind roared around them.
Clouds drifted past like floating mountains.
Yet Rowan sat calmly on the eagle’s back, completely unbothered by the rushing air.
Five years of training had rendered this level of turbulence meaningless.
Reaching into his coat, he pulled out a worn sea chart.
The map had clearly seen better days.
Edges were frayed.
Ink had faded.
But it remained usable.
Carefully unfolding it, Rowan studied the routes.
“Let’s see…”
His finger traced across the chart.
“If I remember correctly, Skypiea should be above Jaya.”
“Ten thousand meters in the air.”
Even now, the destination sounded ridiculous.
An island in the sky.
Most people would laugh at the idea.
Rowan knew better.
He’d seen the story unfold before.
His eyes followed the route southward.
The journey wasn’t exactly short.
The island he’d spent five years on lay deep within the Calm Belt.
Jaya was far away.
Even with a flying mount, the trip would take time.
“A week at minimum.”
He folded the map.
“Maybe two.”
The eagle’s body visibly twitched.
Rowan pretended not to notice.
Jaya.
More specifically, Mock Town.
A lawless haven where pirates, bounty hunters, criminals, and opportunists gathered openly.
The perfect place to reenter the world.
Information flowed through places like that.
So did opportunities.
Recruitment, supplies, rumors, intelligence—everything he needed could be found there.
Rowan leaned forward and patted the eagle’s neck.
The bird immediately sensed danger.
“We’ve got at least another week of flying.”
Its eyes widened.
“Possibly two.”
The eagle nearly lost control of its flight.
Two weeks?!
Are you insane?!
I’m an eagle!
Not a ship!
The protest remained entirely internal.
The bird had developed strong survival instincts over the last five years.
One of those instincts involved not arguing with Rowan.
So it wisely kept flying.
Rowan, meanwhile, appeared completely unconcerned.
After all, ordinary eagles could remain airborne for long periods.
This giant monster was practically a flying Sea King.
Surely it could manage a little exercise.
Right?
The eagle wanted to cry.
The journey continued.
Days passed beneath endless skies.
For perhaps the first time in its life, the Golden Eagle King truly understood suffering.
It flew.
And flew.
And flew.
Then flew some more.
Every morning it hoped the journey was almost over.
Every evening Rowan informed it otherwise.
The experience was deeply traumatic.
Fortunately, Rowan occasionally hunted along the way.
Whenever they passed over suitable waters, he would leap from the eagle’s back, hunt a Sea King or large marine beast, and return before the bird could fully process what had happened.
As a result, neither of them lacked food.
The eagle considered this the only positive aspect of the trip.
Even so, it remained the longest journey it had ever undertaken.
By an absurd margin.
Their size inevitably attracted attention.
A giant golden eagle crossing the skies wasn’t exactly subtle.
Fortunately, most sightings occurred from extreme altitude.
To people on the ground, the eagle often appeared as nothing more than a distant shadow among the clouds.
Many assumed they were imagining things.
Others blamed poor eyesight.
Some blamed alcohol.
A few simply decided the sun had gotten to them.
Only a small number of observers ever saw the creature clearly.
A massive golden eagle soaring through the heavens.
A lone figure riding upon its back.
An impossible sight.
Every witness reacted the same way.
Shock.
Disbelief.
Arguments.
Stories.
Rumors.
The tale spread from island to island.
A giant golden eagle crossing the seas.
A mysterious rider traveling above the clouds.
A wandering figure no one could identify.
With each retelling, the story grew a little larger.
A little stranger.
A little more unbelievable.
And far above the world below, Rowan remained completely unaware.
Neither he nor the Golden Eagle King realized that their journey had already begun to leave traces behind.
The first whispers of a new legend were spreading across the seas.
The legend of the Sky Rider.