Outside, the snow was falling in heavy flakes as Noah descended the mountain. Robin and Zoro were waiting for him in a clearing further below, but Noah had something else to take care of before joining them.
Slipping through the shadows, Noah moved silently until he infiltrated Drum Castle. Wapol was accompanied by a small group of loyal followers. Noah got in with ease, dispatching the guards quickly and quietly.
When he reached the main chamber, he found Wapol devouring a piece of metal.
"Who are you?" the monarch growled when he noticed Noah's presence.
Noah didn't answer. In the blink of an eye, he appeared right in front of Wapol and plunged a chakra blade into his chest. The corpulent man tried to scream, but Noah covered his mouth with his other hand, preventing any sound. Wapol writhed, life quickly draining from his body until he finally went still.
When everything fell silent, Noah leaned over the corpse and placed a small fruit on it. The fruit rapidly changed in appearance, transforming into a Devil Fruit: the Baku Baku no Mi, which had allowed Wapol to devour and fuse with any material.
When he arrived at the clearing where his companions were waiting, Robin looked up from a book she was reading under the moonlight.
"Did you finish what you had to do?" she asked with curiosity.
Noah nodded with a smile.
"Yeah, everything went according to plan."
Without wasting any more time, the group left Drum Kingdom behind and headed toward Jaya Island. Their goal wasn't to stop on the island but to wait for the right moment to ride the Knock Up Stream, the massive upward current that would take them to the legendary Sky Island.
The sun blazed overhead as the ship floated peacefully on the sea, anchored a short distance from Jaya's coast. From the deck, Robin observed the dense jungle and jagged cliffs of the island with a thoughtful expression.
"Jaya has an interesting history," she remarked, breaking the silence. "They say it was once part of a great land that vanished centuries ago."
Noah, sitting on a barrel with his arms crossed, nodded.
"Yeah. And it's also home to ruthless pirates," he replied without taking his eyes off the horizon. "Better not attract attention. I don't want to deal with unnecessary people before reaching our destination."
Zoro, leaning against the mast, let out a sigh.
"You say that, but I'm sure we could handle anyone," he said with a confident grin.
During the past few days, Zoro had significantly increased his strength using a training room specially designed by Noah for intense workouts. It had chakra puppets for sparring, a ten-to-one time dilation, and adjustable gravity to increase bodily strain.
Ever since discovering the room, the swordsman had fallen in love with it and spent all his time training without pause.
"Anyway, what are we doing for the next two days? If you don't need me, I'll head back to training."
Noah shrugged.
"Do as you like."
Robin settled on a wooden bench and pulled a book from her bag.
"I won't complain if I get time to read," she said with a slight smile.
For a couple of days, they remained at sea, observing the ocean's behavior and making sure they were in the correct position when the current activated.
When the day finally came to an end, Noah stood up and stretched his arms.
Zoro approached the edge of the ship, looking at the horizon line.
"All set?" he asked, checking the ship's mechanisms.
"It is," Noah replied calmly, already standing by the sails, preparing the psychic shield around the ship. Although it wasn't a skill he used often, he had learned to master it over the years.
Robin stayed to one side, her eyes fixed on the water.
A low roar began beneath the ocean's surface, and the waves suddenly rose. Noah watched the water churn, and before he could give a signal, the Knock Up Stream burst forth with force, and a column of water shot them into the sky.
"Hold on!" Noah shouted as the ship started to ascend violently.
Noah's psychic shield activated, surrounding the ship with an invisible sphere that prevented the water's forces from harming it.
The ship rose higher and higher, the waves growing smaller beneath them. Suddenly, the water began to thin, and the ascent became smoother.
"There it is," Robin murmured, watching the Sky Island appear on the horizon, floating in the air like a massive cloud formation.
The ship reached the peak of its ascent with one last push, and in the blink of an eye, they were surrounded by a landscape of floating islands and clear skies.
An elderly woman with small white wings on her back greeted them with a neutral smile and announced the entrance fee.
"One billion Extol per person to enter Skypiea," she stated calmly, unconcerned that Extol was the local currency and they, as outsiders, naturally didn't possess a single coin, let alone a billion each.
Without bothering to argue, Noah raised a hand and whispered a mind-control spell. The woman's eyes glazed over for a moment, and with a slight nod, she let them pass without paying a single Extol.
Wasting no time, Noah steered his ship through the fluffy white clouds toward Skypiea. The group watched in awe as their vessel sailed smoothly over what seemed like an intangible surface. Robin was particularly fascinated by the phenomenon.
"It's incredible… we're floating over the clouds as if they were a solid sea," Robin commented, sliding her hand over the ship's edge to feel the strange consistency of the cloud sea.
"It's a natural wonder… How can these clouds be so firm?" she asked curiously.
Noah, slipping into teacher mode, decided to explain:
"These clouds aren't just simple accumulations of water vapor. Their solidity is due to an extraordinary solidification process caused by the sea stone. When an element present in the sea stone is expelled into the air by volcanic eruptions and comes into contact with water vapor, these solid clouds are formed."
Robin nodded, clearly interested in the explanation.
"That explains why they can support entire islands and allow air navigation… Fascinating. But if sea stone is involved, does that mean these clouds affect Devil Fruit users?"
Noah nodded seriously.
"Exactly. These clouds have properties similar to sea water. They don't completely nullify your power, but if you fall into a cloud that's too dense, you could be in serious trouble. Be careful."
Robin looked at the expanse of clouds before them with a new perspective, understanding the risks their stay in Skypiea implied.
With this warning in mind, the group continued their journey, ready to explore the wonders and dangers of the Sky Island.
Without wasting time stopping around the island, Noah took control of the ship and headed straight to the heart of Skypiea, where Enel, the self-proclaimed god of the sky, resided. He knew the island's ruler possessed an incredibly powerful Devil Fruit, the Goro Goro no Mi, which granted devastating electrical abilities.
As they sailed through the clouds, the group saw the magnificence of the island, with its floating structures and exotic vegetation. However, Noah had no intention of being distracted by the beauty since his goal was clear.
As they approached Enel's dwelling, loud lightning flashes lit up the sky.
"Looks like he already knows we're here," Noah murmured with a smile.
Meanwhile, high on the island, inside Enel's temple, the self-proclaimed god of Skypiea rested on his golden throne. His subordinates were arguing heatedly among themselves, but he barely paid attention, bored by their trivialities.
Suddenly, his gaze shifted in a specific direction. A mocking smile appeared on his face as he slightly rose.
"How interesting…" he murmured. "Who could be foolish enough to invade my domain?"
Without changing his confident expression, he snapped his fingers, drawing his subordinates' attention.
"Go. Six of you. Bring the intruders before me… if they survive."
The chosen exchanged looks before nodding respectfully. Within seconds, they disappeared, ready to carry out their god's will.
The six warriors sent by Enel swiftly descended from the sky.
Seeing Noah's ship and his group, they surrounded the vessel like stalking predators.
One of them, a tall man with a bare torso and golden decorations on his body, pointed his spear at Noah and spoke:
"By order of the god Enel, you will be captured and brought before him. If you resist, you will be eliminated."
Noah smiled with amusement.
"Eliminated? How interesting."
Before the warriors could react, Noah vanished in a blink. He reappeared behind one of them and, with a swift move, knocked him out with a single blow to the neck. The warrior's body fell unconscious to the ground without a sound.
The others tried to respond, but Noah was too fast. One by one, they fell without even understanding what had happened. In seconds, only two remained standing.
Noah turned to his companions and pointed at the remaining opponents.
"Zoro, Robin, I'll leave them to you."
Zoro slowly drew one of his swords with a confident smile.
"I've been wanting to test the strength of this island's warriors for a while."
Robin, meanwhile, crossed her arms calmly.
"I suppose a bit of exercise won't hurt."
Leaving these two guys as punching bags for his companions, Noah went off to face Enel.