A Splash of Trouble

The Going Merry sailed quietly across the sea of clouds. The skies stretched wide and bright above, while below, the clouds shimmered like soft ocean waves. It was beautiful—surreal, even—but the silence hung just a little too still.

Y/N leaned against the railing, one arm draped lazily around Grimm, who lounged across her chest like a purring scarf. His weight was warm and familiar, and his yellow eyes scanned the skies with unease.

"Something feels... off," she murmured. "Too quiet."

Not a second later, a splash echoed from behind. Everyone turned.

"USOPP!" Nami shouted.

He'd tried swimming in the White Sea and fallen overboard—only to realize mid-air that the cloud water didn't quite work like the ocean.

Before panic could set in, Luffy's arm shot out and grabbed him, snapping him back onto the ship like a slingshot.

"You okay?" Luffy asked, grinning.

"Absolutely not!" Usopp wheezed, clutching the deck. "This sea is cursed!"

Y/N arched a brow. "Told you not to trust it."

But none of them had time to laugh, because a sudden whoosh of air cut through the sky.

A masked figure on a flying manta came out of nowhere. Before anyone could react, he struck—fast and silent. A blur of movement, and Sanji hit the deck hard. Zoro charged, swords drawn, but was swiftly knocked away. Even Luffy, caught off guard, was floored.

"Get down!" Y/N shouted, shielding Grimm as the masked man raised an orb-like weapon. A pulse of energy gathered in his hands—aimed right at the Merry.

He was going to blow the ship up.

Then—

Clang!

A lance came from above, crashing into the masked attacker's weapon just in time. A man in full armor, riding a massive flying bird, descended like a thunderbolt. The masked man recoiled, hissed under his breath, and retreated into the sky.

The armored rider landed on the deck with the grace of someone used to saving lives.

"I am Gan Fall," he said calmly, straightening his posture. "Sky Knight of Skypiea."

Chopper rushed to check on the others. Sanji groaned, Zoro was sitting upright and glaring, and Luffy blinked up at Gan Fall with awe.

"Whoa... cool bird."

Gan Fall offered no smile. "You were lucky. That man... he would have destroyed you all."

"He was fast," Zoro grunted. "Too fast."

"He's one of the Shandians," Gan Fall said. "Warriors who oppose the current rule of Skypiea. You're outsiders, and they don't take kindly to that."

Y/N dusted herself off. "Well, we've barely been here a day, and we're already on someone's hit list. Lovely."

Grimm growled low in his throat, eyes still locked on the sky where the attacker disappeared.

Gan Fall pulled a small whistle from beneath his cloak and handed it to Luffy. "Blow this if you ever need help. I will come."

Luffy nodded and slung the whistle around his neck. "Thanks, bird knight guy!"

Without another word, Gan Fall mounted his bird and soared off, vanishing into the mist of the upper clouds.

The Going Merry drifted onward, shaken but still afloat. And then, rising from the clouds like a mirage, they saw it: a massive, gleaming gate floating in the sky.

"Heaven's Gate," Nami whispered.

An elderly woman stood before it, her white robes flowing like mist. Her name was Amazon, and her eyes, though kind, held something unreadable.

"To enter Skypiea," she said, "each of you must pay an entrance fee of one billion Extols."

"A billion?!" Usopp gasped.

"Per person," Amazon clarified.

"We don't even have extols," Nami muttered.

"Do you intend to pay?" Amazon asked calmly.

The crew exchanged uneasy glances.

Luffy shrugged. "Nope."

Y/N stepped forward, hands on hips. "Look, I'm not even sure I intended to be here in the first place."

Amazon paused, then gave a small nod. "Very well. You may pass."

Everyone blinked.

"That's it?" Chopper asked. "You're just gonna let us through?"

Y/N narrowed her eyes. "...Where I come from, free entry usually comes with a curse."

As the Going Merry drifted forward, Amazon raised her arms to the sky and spoke in a voice carried by the wind:

"Oh mighty God... hear my plea. A group of illegal trespassers has entered the upper yard. I ask for Heaven's Judgment."

Behind them, clouds began to swirl.

Then came the rumble.

From the depths of the cloud sea, a giant lobster burst forth, claws snapping and eyes wild. The crew barely had time to shout before it clamped onto the Merry and dragged them forward at breakneck speed.

"IS THAT A GIANT LOBSTER?!" Usopp wailed.

"It's an express lobster!" Nami shouted, hanging onto the mast.

Y/N clung to the rail with one hand, the other gripping Grimm tight against her chest. "I swear, if this crab flings me into the sky again—!"

"It's not a crab," Robin said with a small smile. "Technically."

Clouds roared past as the ship rocketed toward the unknown. Ahead, the first true glimpse of Skypiea waited. The White-White Sea was no longer peaceful.

And the crew wasn't alone anymore.

Not in the sky.

Not with "God" watching.