Paradise, waters near Jaya.
Mihawk held a chilled sweet drink in one hand and a white porcelain teacup in the other.
Hearing faint laughter from above, he raised his head toward the night sky.
“What an enviable ability.”
As a great swordsman who had not eaten a Devil Fruit, Mihawk did not possess the ability to fly for long periods.
The source of that laughter was Seven, who had jumped down from Skypiea.
When he was about a hundred meters from the sea, he instantly transformed into lightning and landed steadily on the deck.
His long silver hair was already standing completely on end.
At that moment, Seven finally understood why Kaido liked jumping down from Skypiea.
It was genuinely thrilling.
Not only did it send adrenaline soaring, it also cleared the mind and washed away every worry.
The moment Seven landed on the deck, Mihawk’s gaze was drawn to the Musou Isshin hanging at his waist.
“That blade…”
Like a beast guarding its food, Seven immediately turned sideways to protect Musou Isshin.
“Mihawk, this is my beloved.
I don’t lend it out.”
Mihawk said, “Let me see it.”
Seven said, “No.”
Mihawk drew Yoru from his back and pointed it straight at Seven.
“Come then, Captain.
Let me measure the results of your recent training.”
Mihawk also wanted to know why such a mysterious treasured sword had acknowledged Seven.
“Hey, big brothers.”
The doctor gathered his courage and walked between them.
“Before you spar, could you open my handcuffs first?”
“Also, our ship can’t withstand flying slashes from either of you.”
Mihawk put Yoru away and returned to the cabin.
That brat had grown stronger again, while he himself was still standing in place.
Once he had seen the City of Gold, it would be time to continue his training.
Seven yawned.
“Doctor, keep the night watch properly tonight.
Tomorrow, this captain will open your Seastone handcuffs.”
“Yes, Captain.”
As if suddenly remembering something, Seven grabbed the doctor.
“Just now, did Mihawk call me Captain?”
“Yes, Captain.”
Hearing that, Seven’s smugness nearly spilled off his face.
He waved a hand with a grin.
“Go on, get busy.
If you see a giant whirlpool, remember to wake me.”
“Understood, Captain.”
Having successfully accepted his first crew member, Seven was in an excellent mood.
With both hands in his pockets, he hummed a tune and returned to his bedroom.
“Next, I’ll keep building my bond with Mihawk.”
Now, after obtaining the Super Supreme Grade Blade Musou Isshin, which amplified Haki by one hundred percent, as well as the Musou no Hitotachi Training Experience, swordsman Seven was barely qualified.
After a quick wash, Seven hugged Musou Isshin and fell asleep, soon drifting into a dream.
In the dream, Captain Seven led Vice Captain Hawkeye Mihawk, Helmsman Jinbe, Combatants Kuma, Fujitora, Rocks, Roger, Whitebeard…
He punched the Marine Hero Garp, stepped on Fleet Admiral Sengoku, and cut down the three Admirals, Akainu, Aokiji, and Kizaru, one with each slash.
In the end, he defeated Imu, overthrew the World Government, created a world where everyone could eat their fill, ascended the throne, and filled his harem.
“Captain!
Captain!”
Just as King Seven was expanding his harem in his dream, a burst of urgent knocking woke him.
Seven sat up in bed and cursed.
“Couldn’t you at least wait until I finished the dream?”
After hanging his beloved Musou Isshin at his waist, Seven opened the door in a foul mood.
“Did you find a whirlpool?”
“Captain, a giant whirlpool.”
Seven strode quickly to the helm.
“Hurry and wake Mihawk.
If the whirlpool doesn’t erupt into a Knock Up Stream, the two of us will be counting entirely on him.”
Why had the City of Gold gone almost undiscovered for more than four hundred years?
On one hand, eruptions of the Knock Up Stream were extremely rare.
On the other, even if a ship sailed into one, there was still a fifty percent chance the ship would be destroyed and everyone aboard would die.
“What?!”
Cold sweat poured from the doctor’s forehead.
“Why aren’t you going?”
Seven had already turned the ship, steering toward the giant whirlpool nearly a hundred meters ahead.
The doctor ran into the cabin and had just raised his hand to knock when Mihawk opened the door and sliced through the doctor’s Seastone handcuffs and shackles with one stroke.
When the two reached the deck, Seven was gripping the helm with both hands and grinning.
“Mihawk, hold on tight!”
Men who loved to smile usually had decent luck.
The pirate ship rushed into the giant whirlpool at full speed.
For a single instant, it seemed to hover above the vortex.
Amid the doctor’s hysterical screams, a cylindrical Knock Up Stream a hundred meters thick suddenly erupted from the bottom of the whirlpool and shot straight into the sky.
The pirate ship landed on the surface of the rising current and, with the force of the impact, shot upward at a speed Newton would have a hard time explaining.
The Knock Up Stream.
“Mihawk, raise the sails.”
Although there were only two crew members aboard, Captain Seven still issued commands calmly and methodically.
The Knock Up Stream climbed higher and higher, while the three people aboard reacted completely differently.
Seven was howling with excitement.
The doctor’s face was deathly pale.
Mihawk’s gaze was sharp.
“If you don’t want to fall to your death, use your ability and move the ship a bit.”
The doctor did not think too much about it, assuming Seven believed he had eaten the Space-Space Fruit.
“Let me catch my breath, Captain.”
“Hurry up and stop wasting words.
The Knock Up Stream may not carry us all the way to Skypiea.
You don’t want to fall to your death, do you?”
Imagining the miserable scene of being smashed to death, the doctor finally overcame his fear. You are reading on g.com, the official source.
A white circle of light gathered around his right hand and enveloped the entire ship.
With a whoosh, the pirate ship teleported dozens of meters.
“Again.”
Just like that, the pirate ship followed the Knock Up Stream upward, aided by the doctor’s Devil Fruit ability, until they were finally about to reach the White-White Sea ten thousand meters above.
“Put in a little more effort.
We’re almost there.”
When they were still several hundred meters from Skypiea, the Knock Up Stream seemed to lose its power and began falling straight downward.
Seeing this, Mihawk stepped on the pirate ship, used the force to leap upward, and landed on Skypiea after a series of agile movements.
The doctor went almost mad, using his Devil Fruit ability to teleport onto the island by the skin of his teeth.
As for Seven, he transformed into lightning and landed calmly beside Mihawk as if nothing had happened.
The pirate ship they had stolen from Loguetown, now without the power of the Knock Up Stream supporting it, fell straight down.
Its fate was obvious.
It was destined to smash into pieces.
The doctor knelt on the ground with his backside raised, supporting himself with both hands.
It was impossible to tell whether the liquid on his face was drool or tears.
“That could’ve killed us… Captain.”
Seven gripped the hilt at his waist and waved grandly.
“Let’s go.
We’re heading to the City of Gold.”
…
Two days later.
Near the waters of Jaya.
A yellow light flashed past at incredible speed.
When it passed the wreckage of a ship floating on the sea, a figure in a yellow-and-white striped suit slowly appeared.
It was Marine Vice Admiral Kizaru, Borsalino, who had departed from Marineford and circled Sandy Island and Jaya several times.
“Even the ship was destroyed?”
Kizaru took out a Den Den Mushi from his pocket and snapped a few photos of the wreckage, then fell into thought.
“Who could have done this?”
The World Government?
Or pirates?
After searching the area for a long time and finding no corpses belonging to the two targets, Kizaru had no choice but to contact Sengoku.
The Den Den Mushi spoke.
“Borsalino?”
“Sengoku-san, the target ship has been destroyed.
I found no corpses nearby.
It’s suspected that someone acted before us.”
The Den Den Mushi replied, “Good work.
Come back.”
“Understood.”
Just as he hung up the Den Den Mushi, a deep rumbling sounded overhead.
Kizaru raised his head toward the sky flashing with lightning.
“How scary.”
“So they’re up there?”