Pirate: I was just slacking off, do you really think I'm bad?

"Take a good rest, kid. Maybe we'll ride the upwelling currents to the golden land Noland once visited."

Raleigh settled the little boy down. He stayed there to wait for the rising ocean current to take him to the Sky Island.

Encountering Noland's descendants was an unexpected bonus. At least Noland's descendants had explored this area for many years, and only they could determine how to find the upwelling current.

It's sad that, despite their keen observation skills, they repeatedly avoided the upwelling currents, constantly going against their own goals. If Raleigh hadn't arrived here, they might have continued searching until Luffy appeared.

Three days later, in a sea area near Jaya Island,

The serious-looking little boy was constantly observing the distant sea and writing line after line of text in his notebook.

The little boy stopped writing when the dense text filled most of the page, turned around, and said seriously:

"Lord Raleigh, according to our family records, there is an over 80% chance that an upwelling current will occur here."

In fact, he was 100% certain that the upwelling current would occur here, but he deliberately lowered the success rate for fear of making a mistake.

Raleigh had just gotten up from the sun lounger, looking relaxed at the sea in front of him.

Although it is still a long time before the upwelling currents erupt, it is already clear to the naked eye that something is wrong with this area of ​​the sea.

One after another, dense bubbles rose from the depths of the sea, and the calm sea surface was now rippling.

In particular, the location of the upwelling current's eye, which they had already identified, is now changing even more noticeably.

Raleigh had already scanned the area with his Observation Haki. Although he couldn't yet understand the logic behind this power, he could sense a powerful energy brewing deep within the sea.

Raleigh felt like he was witnessing a volcanic eruption. Could there be an underwater volcano underground?

Raleigh thought to himself.

He walked onto the deck, his gaze fixed firmly on the changing sea eye.

Time passed little by little, and the originally inconspicuous little vortex had now undergone an astonishing change.

Its size has increased by more than a hundred times since it started. Now even the heavy military aircraft carrier under Raleigh's feet has been affected by the vortex and has moved slightly.

Gion stood beside Raleigh, her face filled with worry, and asked, "Isn't what we're doing a bit risky? After all, no one has proven that the other half of Jaya Island is right above us."

After hearing Gion's words, Raleigh gently grasped Gion's hand and said earnestly;

Don't worry, Gion, trust me.

"Even if we ride the upwelling current and don't find any floating islands, we can still land safely."

Raleigh had made two preparations: even if he didn't find the Sky Island, he could use his abilities in conjunction with the ship's unique landing pack to land safely in Gion. After hearing Raleigh say this, his expression visibly relaxed.

No matter what it is, she always feels at ease once Raleigh has spoken, which is probably why she stays by Raleigh's side.

Bessem Reginod held a strange bird by the neck, his eyes revealing a keen interest.

He also grew up in Beihai, and he heard Noland's stories from childhood.

Now that I finally have the chance to verify this, I'm so eager to go to the Sky Island, it's like a cat scratching my heart.

As the whirlpool grew larger and larger, everyone on the ship, whether it was Raleigh or the other naval soldiers, had a look of intense excitement in their eyes.

They're riding the rising sea currents into the sky, and if Raleigh is right, they'll be landing on the Sky Island.

Aside from Shiki the Golden Lion's floating island, this is probably the only naturally existing sky island.

Legends that many people have never even heard of in their lives are appearing before them, and they are immediately tasked with exploring them. No wonder everyone on the ship is excited.

"They've arrived."

Raleigh stood on the deck and shouted loudly. Everyone was startled when they heard Raleigh's voice, and then they quickly secured themselves and the surrounding objects together. This was a rule that Raleigh had strictly ordered all naval soldiers to follow before the start, and both officers and soldiers had to abide by it.

Going to the sky island is no child's play. If he accidentally falls off the ship during the ascent, Raleigh doesn't believe he has the ability to rescue him.

"We are ready, Commander Raleigh."

The naval soldiers tied strong ropes around their waists and to various parts of the warship, and then, on Raleigh's orders, they steered the ship toward the center of the whirlpool.

What amazing energy!

The closer Raleigh got to the center of the vortex, the more he felt his own insignificance.

This is the energy of nature itself; the varying amounts of energy that occur every day can reach levels above the general level.

Amidst the roar of the sea, the warship, billowing thick black smoke, plunged into the center of the whirlpool.

Raleigh stood on the deck, all alone. Countless pairs of excited and worried eyes peered out from the cabins and offices, all focused on Raleigh.

After a period of violent turbulence, the army successfully reached the center of the vortex.

Here, the sea was not as turbulent as outside the whirlpool; it was only slightly calm.

"Let's begin."

Raleigh said again.

As soon as Raleigh finished speaking, everyone on the ship suddenly felt a pressure from gravity. The scenery outside the warship grew higher and higher, and everyone stared blankly as the pressurized island, which had been so close at first, gradually became smaller and smaller.

The great power of nature transformed countless seawater into towering sea columns, charging relentlessly towards the sky.

At the very top of the sea pillar was the naval warship where Raleigh was. After a long time, some of the more powerful individuals among them gradually adapted to the state of increased gravity.

Raleigh was only unable to control his body for the first few dozen seconds, after which he was able to move freely.

Gion is the second person after Raleigh to achieve this. Does this mean we've succeeded? This feeling is truly amazing.

"Even Sister Crane has never seen such a scene before."

Gion couldn't help but exclaim in amazement.

They stayed at headquarters for a long time, especially Tsuru, who stayed even longer and was in charge of intelligence work.

Even someone with extensive knowledge of global intelligence is unaware of the secrets of the rising ocean currents, which shows just how amazing this phenomenon is.

"Well, I guess so. We've basically succeeded in the first step."

"The next step is to see if we can actually find the Jaya Island that I predicted."

While talking to Gion, Raleigh was using his Devil Fruit ability.

Keep the ship constantly in the center of the sea.

To prevent falling during the ascent.

In reality, Raleigh didn't seem to care as much about researching Noland's deeds as he appeared. What he truly wanted was the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, Enel, and the flying ark.

If possible, Raleigh also wants to take some of the gold from Jaya Island.

White Sea, a mysterious sea that floats in the air.

This is a sea area perpendicular to Qinghai, at an altitude of 7,000 meters above Qinghai.

Because of the high altitude, the oxygen here is extremely thin.

To get here, besides using a special upwelling current, probably only Shiki's Float-Float Fruit ability could do it.

Above the White Sea lies another sea area known as the White-White Sea.

In the White Sea, there exists a country known as the Kingdom of Gods.

The Kingdom of Gods is about three thousand meters higher than the White Sea, and mainly consists of Angel Island and Apayado Island.

Luffy traveled from the White Sea to the Land of Gods, where he encountered a large amount of gold and Enel.

Luffy, who ultimately defeated Enel, didn't take much with him; for him, it was a memorable journey.

But Raleigh is different from Luffy; he'll do anything to get what he sets his sights on.

Appayado Island is rich in gold, the blueprints for the Ark Maxim, and Enel's Rumble-Rumble Fruit—just thinking about it excites Raleigh.

!

Like an egg hatching, a metal ram appeared first in the snow-white sea of ​​clouds, followed by the massive metal hull of a naval warship.

The moment they burst out of the sea, Raleigh and his friends saw the sun in the sky again.

The warship was thrown into the air by the rising sea. Bessem and the sailors who had already stepped out of the cabin stood on the deck, looking at the sea of ​​clouds below, their faces beginning to show signs of panic.

"Lord Raleigh, are we about to fall?"

Can the sea of ​​clouds below support our warships?

"Wow, this is amazing! Is this what islands and oceans floating in the sky looks like? It's truly unforgettable."

They chattered amongst themselves, and although they had been somewhat worried, seeing Raleigh's back as he stood at the bow of the ship calmed them down.

In their hearts, nothing could compare to the sense of security that Raleigh brought them. Raleigh stretched out his hands, and gusts of gentle breeze swirled around his body.

His hands seemed to be embracing something, or perhaps supporting something.

"Hurricane-Hurricane Fruit - Guardian Hand"

Unseen beneath the warship, gusts of wind, aided by Raleigh's abilities, condensed into two gigantic, transparent hands, stabilizing the entire vessel. The warship's descent from its height began to visibly slow, and the sailors on board patted their chests proudly, declaring:

I told you long ago, Lord Raleigh is omnipotent. A mere sky island is no challenge for the clever Lord Raleigh.

"Yes, yes, Lord Raleigh's strength is terrifying. I really wish I could have Lord Raleigh's strength too."

Are you still dreaming? Lord Raleigh's strength is among the top even in Headquarters. You think you can compare to him? Go to sleep.

The naval soldiers were having a heated discussion; they had already run to the railing on the deck, looking out at the world and shouting loudly.

Secure the railing, we're about to land.

Raleigh reminded the naval soldiers on board again.

!

The warship crashed into the sea of ​​clouds, splashing up a wave several meters high. After a violent tremor, the warship calmed down.

"Is this the Sky Island?"

"Wow, it's like being in the clouds, everything is white."

It's incredible how the sea beneath our feet seems to float on clouds.

Can I go swimming? I really want to have a good swim in this kind of water.

Raleigh looked at the noisy naval soldiers who were like a bunch of ducks, and his head started to ache.

"We're not going to this place, but somewhere further up, where there aren't many people."

Raleigh didn't want to waste any time in the White Sea, mainly because he didn't know whether Enel had actually eaten the Rumble-Rumble Fruit.

He pointed into the distance and said:

"There's a waterfall flowing backwards over there, and we can go upwards through this waterfall. I sensed that there were many people at the top."

Everyone followed the direction Raleigh was pointing and looked into the distance.

Although many clouds floating on the sea of ​​clouds obscured the view, everyone could still see a huge waterfall and hear the sound of its water.

"If I'm not mistaken, the remaining half of Jaya Island, along with all the gold, is on the island above."

"So, let's go!"

"Let's go! Let's go!"

Raleigh's words reignited the excitement of the once-calm navy men, who howled as they charged toward the cockpit and engine room.

It pushed the power system to its limit and rushed towards the distant, reverse-flowing waterfall.

As the warship continued to advance, the clouds that had been obstructing the view were now being passed through, and the distant waterfall became increasingly clear.

Unlike the waterfalls in the sea below, the waterfalls here actually flow water upside down.

However, in front of the waterfall, a gleaming golden gate appeared before Raleigh and his group.

The gate was ornately designed, and a wooden plaque hung in the very center that read: "HEA"

VENSGATE.

Behind the gate was the reverse waterfall they were about to ride, rushing straight into the unseen distance.

This is the entrance to the Kingdom of God, a place known as the Gates of Heaven.

Who built this gate? Was it a local?

"It's truly astonishing that such a tall gate could be built in such a place."

As the warship continued to advance, a sudden cry of surprise came from near the door.

A group of men dressed as soldiers came out of the room behind the door, and shouted loudly as they looked at the warship that Raleigh and his men were on.

Upon seeing someone appear here, Raleigh waved his hand, signaling the naval soldiers to slow down.

He planned to have a good talk with the guards of these sky islands to find out about Enel and the Ark Maxim.

When the warship came to a stop, Raleigh gracefully jumped from the deck onto the terrace where the guards were.

Looking at the uniformed figures in front of him, holding long guns, and most importantly, with a pair of white wings on their backs, Raleigh knew he hadn't gone to the wrong place.