Chapter 434: Celebration on Skypiea and the Journey to Water 7

As the lightning barrier vanished, Opera came into view, raising Luffy’s hand to make an announcement.

“Let’s all congratulate Luffy for passing the fourth trial!”

“He’s also the first in nearly ten years to clear the fourth stage.”

“To celebrate the birth of this brave warrior, everything on the island will be thirty percent off!”

“Wow!!!”

“Long live Lord Opera!”

“Time to shop, let’s go, go, go!”

Skypiea had plenty of local specialties and with everything discounted, it was a windfall for the merchants. Those who missed today’s arrival would be kicking themselves.

“Sun God, huh? Karl, you really do have a sharp eye.” Hidden deep in the palace, Ledfield watched Luffy’s transformation and instantly remembered the legendary Nika.

Back when he searched for the Vampire-type Devil Fruit, his knowledge of ancient texts ran deep.

But even he hadn’t expected that the Sun God Nika Fruit was actually the awakened form of the Gum-Gum Fruit.

“Over the centuries, countless people have acquired the Gum-Gum Fruit, but none ever awakened it.”

“I guess this is destiny, isn’t it, Karl?”

The ancient texts recorded that the one who could topple a great kingdom was a liberator who ate the Sun God Nika Fruit.

He had to admit, Karl’s planning was impressive.

When Luffy walked down with five hundred million berries worth of gold, Skypiea’s people were already in a state of wild celebration. News kept spreading and soon crowds lined up for their chance to get to the sky island.

“Everyone, I did it!”

The group couldn’t help but smile at the sight of Luffy looking tattered yet triumphant.

“Nice going, Luffy.”

“Yeah, I can’t believe you actually got through the fourth trial.”

Nami rushed up and took the gold from Luffy’s hand, stashing it with Ye Fan and the rest’s collection.

“I never thought you’d all actually pull it off.” Conis looked at Luffy in awe, just amazed to witness such heroes in her lifetime.

For her, anyone who passed the fourth trial was a true hero—after all, the Four Seas and the open seas were worlds apart, and here justice and evil weren’t so clear cut.

“Alright, everyone, it’s time to go.” Ye Fan stepped out from the crowd just then.

Aside from a few who stayed to sell food, most had already seen the sights, played around, and bought plenty of Skypiea’s specialties.

Nami even splurged on a Weiba.

“Since you came up here by ship, you’ve only got two ways down. One is by taking Heaven’s Gate, the other is using Skypiea’s special balloon octopuses.”

Seeing the group looking ready to leave, Conis quickly whispered this advice.

To prevent human traffickers from coming up to Skypiea and capturing its people, ships weren’t allowed at the elevator.

She knew Luffy’s group had come up by ship, so basically, they had only one way down.

Following Conis, they bought a few balloon octopuses at the store and waved goodbye before heading back to their ship, steering it below the clouds.

“Safe travels, heroes!” Conis hugged a signboard with Luffy’s name on it, face blushing as she watched the Going Merry descend beneath the clouds.

Thanks to the three balloon octopuses, they avoided any sudden drops and made it safely back to the sea.

“The Blue Sea, huh? Feels good to be back again.”

“Oh, right—Robin, here’s the Poneglyph from Skypiea.”

Once the ship landed smoothly on the ocean, Ye Fan pulled out four sheets of paper from his jacket.

“What, a Poneglyph? Skypiea actually had a Poneglyph!” Robin was shocked. She’d spent days exploring the sky island, but had never found the red Poneglyph herself—how had Ye Fan managed it?

But right now, Robin didn’t bother questioning it. She just picked up the papers.

When she read the line on the back of one, she murmured quietly: “‘I guided the journey to its end’—Roger!”

“Roger?”

Hearing such a familiar name, Luffy immediately jumped down from the VIP seat.

“Is there more, Robin?”

Seeing Luffy’s eager eyes, Robin shook her head. “That’s all, just that one line.”

“How could it be just that…”

“Does the message mean something?”

“Maybe Roger wanted to say that all the secrets and mysteries are waiting at Laugh Tale!”

“Pirate King, huh? That’s my goal!”

Luffy raised his hand, shouting his oath again. Over time, Zoro and the others had become devoted to Luffy, firmly resolved to help him reach Pirate King.

…

After returning to the Blue Sea and a brief rest, the crew set sail for Water 7. With their new stash of berries, their first priority was repairing the ship and replacing old parts to breathe new life into the Going Merry.

As a giant frog swam backstroke in the water, Ye Fan knew Water 7 couldn’t be far.

“Hey, everyone, look! There’s a gigantic frog out there!”

At Ye Fan’s shout, everyone turned to look ahead of the ship.

“It’s true! Why is there such a huge frog here?”

“I want that frog as my new crewmate!” Luffy’s eyes sparkled with excitement.

“Forget it, Luffy.” Nami marched over and punched him, slamming his head down onto the deck.

She hated little animals the most—even big ones were no exception. Just the look of a frog’s slimy skin and bumpy spots gave her the chills.

“Hey, look! I think it’s headed somewhere!”

Chopper gripped the rail with both hands, swinging his legs beneath him.

“No matter what, something interesting’s bound to happen! Let’s catch up and see! Full speed ahead!” Luffy waved his arm, and Gin spun the helm toward the frog’s path.

“Hey, don’t just listen to Luffy! Don’t go changing course on a whim! We’re supposed to be heading to Water 7, now who knows where we’ll end up.”

Nami sounded anxious. This wasn’t the plan, and they still needed to buy supplies—everything was way too expensive up on Skypiea, so they’d held off on shopping.

“Don’t worry, Nami. Our ship’s quick, and that frog looks like it’s got a lot of meat. It’s probably delicious.” Luffy drooled at the thought.

Sanji joined in, “Yeah, I have a real talent for grilling up frog!”

“What?!”

“So that’s why you want to chase it—you’re planning to eat it!” Chopper’s jaw nearly hit the floor.

“Look ahead! There’s a lighthouse over there!”

Usopp called down from the lookout to everyone below.

At the news, Nami quickly lifted her telescope and sure enough, there was a lighthouse in view.

“Wait, what? Why is there a lighthouse here?”

“We’re out in the open sea—there aren’t any islands nearby. What would a lighthouse be doing way out here?”