A Splash of Trouble

The sky stretched wide and endless above them, soft clouds drifting like cream across a sea of blue. The Going Merry bobbed gently atop the White Sea, its hull still creaking from the Knock Up Stream's wild ascent. But no one was thinking about the journey now—they were too busy staring in awe.

Skypiea.

It shimmered like a dream. Floating islands connected by fluffy white paths, trees sprouting from clouds, waterfalls pouring out of nowhere into open sky. The whole world felt like it had been carved out of a bedtime story.

"It's... beautiful," Nami whispered.

"I didn't think this kind of place could exist," Y/N murmured, brushing a cloud off her shoulder as Grimm—now curled in her arms in his smaller form—sniffed cautiously at the air.

Luffy, of course, was the first to break the moment.

"CLOUDDDDDD!" he yelled with joy—and cannonballed right off the ship's edge.

He hit the cloud below with a soft whump, landing on his back and kicking his legs in the puffy surface. "It's like swimming in mashed potatoes!" he giggled.

Usopp followed without thinking—and promptly face-planted. "OW! Okay, the clouds are not that deep!"

The others climbed down more carefully. Chopper bounced in place, amazed by how the water-like clouds responded to his steps.

The Straw Hats wandered from the shore and onto a sandy beach made entirely of white sea foam. There, they finally let themselves relax.

Luffy found some fruit growing nearby—odd, heavy ones that looked like peaches but felt like cannonballs.

"Hey, Usopp!" he called. "I brought you a snack!"

He hurled one.

It thunked against Usopp's skull mid-laugh. "OW! You airheaded menace!"

While the two bickered, Sanji was already collecting flowers for Nami and Y/N. "My angels," he said, presenting the bundles with a dramatic flourish. "Even heaven can't compare to your beauty!"

Y/N raised a brow. "Flattery and flowers? You must be in a good mood."

"Or hopelessly enchanted," Sanji replied, twirling into a lovestruck pose.

Zoro, meanwhile, wandered away from the chaos, eyes scanning the cloud-covered paths and strange floating trees.

That's when he saw it—a tiny, white fox poking its head out of a bush.

"...What the hell?"

The fox blinked at him with shiny eyes, then scampered away as the sound of harp strings drifted through the clouds.

Zoro followed the melody—and that's when they saw her.

A girl sat on the edge of a drift-cloud, pale blonde hair glowing like sunlight. She plucked a harp with graceful fingers, a gentle "heso" escaping her lips as she played.

Sanji shot forward like a missile.

"MAIDEN OF THE SKY!" he cried, dropping to his knees. "My goddess, I have traveled across dimensions to bask in your radiance—"

She blinked. "Um... heso?"

Y/N tried to stifle her laugh. "He's harmless. Mostly."

The girl smiled, setting down her harp. "I'm Conis. And this little guy—" she picked up the white fox— "is Su."

"I'm Luffy," their captain grinned. "And I'm gonna be King of the Pirates!"

Introductions went around quickly. Conis's eyes sparkled with curiosity as she listened. "It's rare to see outsiders here. Welcome to Angel Beach!"

Just then, a loud crash echoed through the clouds.

A man with a long beard and goggles came skidding out of a cloud bank, riding a strange one-person wave vehicle—and promptly slammed into a tree.

"Dad!" Conis yelped.

Pagaya groaned and lifted a thumbs-up. "I'm okay!"

After a quick check to make sure he was intact, Pagaya introduced himself and offered them dinner. "We'd be honored to host you. Not every day strangers make it to Skypiea."

"Dinner?" Luffy's eyes sparkled. "We're in!"

Before they left, Luffy spotted the waver and—of course—had to try it.

"Let me ride it!"

Pagaya hesitated. "It takes practice—"

Too late. Luffy was already on.

The waver bolted forward, Luffy screamed, then plunk—he fell straight through the clouds.

"Luffy!" Y/N shouted.

"I'll get him!" Chopper dove in—

—and promptly sank too.

Grimm let out an alarmed meow.

Zoro moved like lightning, diving in to grab Luffy by the back of the vest and hauling him out like a soggy doll. Usopp scrambled after Chopper, dragging the reindeer-boy to safety with a bit more panic than grace.

Coughing, sputtering, and soaked, the two Devil Fruit users laid on the shore.

"I hate clouds," Luffy gasped.

"That's your own fault!" Nami snapped. Then she climbed onto the waver herself. "You want to see how it's done?"

She revved the engine—and took off, cutting clean arcs through the clouds like a sky surfer.

"She's a natural," Pagaya smiled.

"Wha—how?!" Luffy cried. "Not fair!"

"She'll meet us at dinner," Robin said, amused. "Let her have her fun."

With that, the rest of the crew followed Pagaya and Conis toward their home, laughter trailing behind them through the clouds.

Unnoticed by all but Y/N, Grimm glanced back once—ears twitching as if something far off in the sky was watching.