Chapter 421: Adventures on Skypiea: The Straw Hat Crew’s Arrival

“Guys look! There’s an island up ahead—it’s Skypiea!” Luffy, sprawled out on the best seat, was the first to spot the island taking shape before his eyes. Not far away in the sky, a grand palace hovered on its own.

Their ship drifted forward and everyone stared, mouths agape.

They never imagined they’d really make it to the legendary and mysterious Skypiea.

As the ship glided to the edge of a shallow cloudbank, Luffy charged ahead and leapt ashore without hesitation.

“Where are we anyway? Exploring here is bound to be exciting.”

“Idiot, wait up!”

Just moments ago, when they’d rushed up here, the clouds had layered so thick there was nothing solid beneath them to stand on.

But when Usopp jumped down after Luffy, there was a sudden thump.

“You alright, Usopp?” Luffy bent down with a grin.

Usopp scrambled up from the fluffy sea of clouds. “Is this whole island made of these soft, squishy clouds?”

Luffy kept smiling. “Yeah, they’re all soft and springy!”

Usopp seemed to catch the excitement too and started to laugh. “Soft and squishy!”

“Hehe, hahahaha!” The two looked like they’d just remembered the funniest thing ever and bolted off into the island, full of energy.

“Wait for me, I’m coming too!” Seeing them so happy, Chopper couldn’t help himself. He jumped down and hurried after Luffy, his body moving all on its own.

Nami watched the three goofing around and smiled. “I’m heading back to change clothes.”

“Let’s just leave the ship here. Gin, drop the anchor. There’s no sea but it should be fine here.”

“Not to mention, we already paid the fee.”

“What a breathtaking scene. Feels like I’m dreaming,” Zoro admitted, never having imagined he’d one day be off for an adventure ten thousand meters up.

For Zoro, a guy obsessed with swordsmanship, to say something so poetic, the view had to be truly spectacular.

“Seriously, look at those three idiots acting all giddy… Can’t deal with them.” Sanji said as he walked over to the ship’s edge, slipped off his shoes, and launched himself into the Sea of Clouds with a flawless midair spin.

Zoro caught a glimpse of this behind him and muttered, “As if you’re any better.”

But after hearing Ye Fan’s reminder—that they’d already paid—none of them worried about the ship’s safety.

Everyone went inside to pack up what they needed for the island, then one by one leapt down, ready for their Skypiea adventure.

“Sure is comfy here. No way the Navy could chase us all the way up, perfect spot to loosen up for a bit.”

Ye Fan was the last to leave the ship. He looked up at the palace in the distance. “This is the perfect place to see what you’re all really made of.”

“Opera, big brother, the Straw Hat crew has arrived!”

In the empty palace, a fiery and striking woman strolled in. She was Ye Linwei, Karl’s sixteenth daughter, blessed with the June Template.

Her Seventh Sense let her use soundwaves to track enemy movements, like a super-powered sonar.

She’d fused that talent with Observation Haki, letting her develop a network-sensing ability almost like a heart’s web.

“Is that so? Let’s begin, then.”

A steady voice echoed from the throne.

Opera, Karl’s fifth son, wielded the perfect Titan Bloodline and the powers of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit. His template: Yuan Tiangang the Dark Sybil!

His overall strength stood at the very peak of an admiral!

“Understood, brother!”

Ye Linwei used her sonic powers to send out the command. The whole island erupted with excitement.

“Is the Holy Knights’ selection starting up again?”

“Yeah, it’s such short notice! I thought we still had a few months left.”

“Doesn’t matter if it’s early. I’ve been training for ages—no way I’ll miss out this time,” a burly black-haired man said, brimming with confidence.

“You? Give me a break. All muscles and no brains. Anyone can see you’re just a meathead.” A lanky, long-eared youth with black hair sneered at him, bare-chested.

“What? You say I won’t make the cut? What makes you think you’ll be chosen instead?” The big guy glared, shouting right back.

“Psh. Meatheads like you aren’t even worth talking to.”

That insult set the giant off. He swung fists the size of tires straight at the youth’s face.

“Slow, way too slow!”

Every time the fist was about to land, the lanky guy dodged with ease.

Maybe messing with the big guy got boring, because in a flash he drove a kick into the giant’s face, leaving a deep shoeprint behind.

Boom!!

The big man flew back and crashed into a nearby stall.

“With that level of skill, you think you can join the Holy Knights? Go home and train for another 500 years.” With a pat on his hands, the youth strolled off toward the sign-up desk. Everyone nearby melted away from his path, avoiding his gaze.

…

“Who are you guys? Are you from the Blue Sea?” Conis, playing by the shore, spotted Luffy and company and hurried over to greet them.

“Wow, an angel! Beautiful miss angel, please accept this flower as a gift!” The moment Conis appeared, two bright red flowers—no one knew where they’d come from—were suddenly presented to her.

“Wings? Are you really an angel?”

Luffy hadn’t even decided how to play here before spotting a real, live angel. He ran over wanting to touch Conis’s wings.

Slap!

“Luffy! Hands off the angel lady.” No surprise it was Sanji, overflowing with chivalry, who intervened.

“Are you a Skypiean?”

Robin was the one who asked the sensible question.

Conis nodded. “That’s right, I’m a Skypiean. Pirates coming here the way you did, though, that’s really rare.”

“Why, is something off about that?”

Seeing their puzzled faces, Conis explained further.

There were several paths to reach Skypiea: besides the Sky Road in West Blue and the Knock Up Stream from the first half of the Grand Line, there was also the elevator from the New World.

The first path was dangerously tough—out of a hundred who set out, barely a few ever made it.

The second route was a dead man’s run: either everyone made it up or everyone perished.

But the third route was the safest, using the New World’s unique elevator. Pay a small fee and you could reach Skypiea in one piece to experience the island’s wonders.

“See, Luffy? Didn’t I tell you we should’ve looked up more info? We picked the hardest way and nearly got ourselves killed!” Nami said, gripping Luffy’s neck and shaking him left and right.

Just watching her fierce display was enough to scare off everyone around.

Bang bang bang!!

“Oh no, the trial is starting!” Conis hadn’t expected the Holy Knights’ test to begin so soon. She was meant to help set up the trial props, after all.

“Sorry, I really can’t chat any longer. The Holy Knights’ trial is about to start. If you’re interested, you can sign up too!”

Conis finished speaking and dashed off toward the island’s center.