Chapter 880: The Straw Hat Pirates Following Closely
Just when Kira and others were about to continue flying upwards, something unexpected happened again above the White Sea.
With a "puff" sound, a sheepshead sailboat leaped out from the empty sea and finally stopped steadily above the sea of clouds.
"Hmm? The Golden Merry??"
Kira recognized this lovely sailboat at a glance, but it was not in a very good condition at the moment. The most obvious thing was that the wings on both sides were broken. Those were originally gliders specially made by the ape brothers so that the Merry could make the best use of the wind direction when riding on the strong ocean current.
“Eh?! Is there anyone?!?”
Since the Hope and Merry came up very close to each other, the two sides soon saw each other.
"Ah!! It's the Rain God!!"
"Really?! Rain God!!!"
"How amazing! I unexpectedly met him here. Is he really a god?!"
Luffy, Usopp and Chopper recognized Kira standing in the front at a glance. That figure was exactly the same as the huge figure that brought heavy rain to Alabasta a few days ago and stopped the war.
Generally speaking, Luffy has a hard time remembering other people's names and appearances. Even for important people, he can only remember them by their features, such as the silver fox Fox with a "butt chin" and Marco with a "pineapple head"...
The main reason why he can remember Kira now is because when he was in Alabasta, that huge figure spread all over the country was really... Thai pants hot!!!
What's more, Kira appeared in the image of the "Rain God". He prevented the war by bringing heavy rain for seven consecutive days and saved Alabasta. He was Vivi's benefactor, so Luffy naturally remembered Kira as the "Rain God".
"That person... is with those wizards. He should be their partner, right?"
Except for three stupid ones, the others had high IQs and quickly recognized Erza, Natsu, Gray and others, and thus understood Kira's identity.
Thinking of this, Nami's eyes suddenly lit up: "If so... could it be that the heavy rain that lasted for seven days was also magic?"
As an excellent navigator who discovered her talent at a young age, she was confident that she could accurately predict the upcoming weather based on data such as air temperature, humidity, and wind direction. However, when she was in Alabasta, the sudden and unpredictable heavy rain that lasted for seven consecutive days was completely beyond her cognition.
It’s like you have finished high school math, but then in college you are suddenly told that you have to study advanced math, including probability theory, linear algebra, calculus, definite integrals, and indefinite integrals.
"If I can master weather magic, wouldn't it be more convenient to sail on the Grand Line in the future?"
Just as Nami was making plans in her mind to learn some weather magic from Kira, Luffy had already boarded the Hope in a very familiar manner and greeted Natsuki - both of them were hospitable idiots, and they became good friends after a few words and made an appointment to adventure together on Sky Island.
Then Luffy, together with Chopper and Usopp, pestered Kira and asked him to transform into the Rain God again. Of course, this request was decisively rejected by Kira, so the three of them hugged Kira's thighs and cried in disappointment.
After a brief exchange, Kira also learned about the Straw Hat Pirates' subsequent experiences in Alabasta.
In the original plot, after the Straw Hat Pirates defeated Crocodile, they stayed in Alabasta for several days. During this time, the navy fleet led by Smoker and Tina had surrounded the entire Alabasta. It was Mr. 2 who helped them drive the ship away, thus preventing the Merry from being confiscated by the navy. Later, when they went around the coast to East Port to pick up Vivi, it was also because Mr. 2 helped them divert the navy, and the group was spared.
But now, because the people of Baroque Works were dismissed by Erza early on, there is no role for Mr. 2, and the feelings between the two sides have faded a lot; and the heavy rain caused by Kira, which lasted for seven consecutive days throughout the entire Alabasta Kingdom and the nearby waters, seriously hindered the navy's operations. Not only did they fail to find the Merry, but Luffy and his crew also successfully escaped with the help of the storm.
The storm stopped the navy, but it couldn't stop Nami... I really don't know what those navy people do for a living!!
Except for the absence of Robin, their experiences are exactly the same as in the original: they encounter a sailboat that falls from the sky at sea, the magnetic force of the recording pointer is attracted to the Sky Island, they go to Gaya Island to learn the story of Nolando and the Golden Country, beat up Bellamy, and finally ride the strong ocean current to the White Sea.
"So, Sky Island is even higher up?"
With Erza's explanation, Nami learned the division between the White Sea and the White Sea, but then a new problem arose, "How do we get up there?"
Kira pointed in a direction and said, "There is a Cloud River Road that leads to the White Sea. The entry fee is 1 billion Ikes per person... Ike is the currency unit of Sky Island. The conversion ratio to Bailey is about 10,000:1, which means the entry fee is 100,000 Baileys per person."
Nami was instantly alert: "100,000 Baileys per person... Then we have to pay 600,000 Baileys? I don't want it!!"
This stingy look made all the wizards look at Kira involuntarily. Although they didn't say anything, it seemed as if they had said everything.
“Hey, hey, hey… why are you looking at me like that?” How could Kira not know what these guys were thinking? He immediately frowned and said, “Whatever you are thinking now, stop it!!”
The wizards then withdrew their gazes awkwardly, but some were still slow to react, such as Happy and Natsu, so they received the "love bag" rewarded by Kira.
"Then again, there are 20 of you, so doesn't that mean 2 million Baileys?"
"No, we don't need money!" Kira shook his head, his lips curled up, revealing a faint smile.
Are you kidding me?! That’s 2 million Baileys, not 200 Baileys!!
2 million Baileys was almost equivalent to the reward for a ten-year mission. So far, the treasures he had looted from Aaron Paradise and Baroque Works were less than 1 billion in total. How could he possibly be willing to spend such a huge sum of money? !
Nami's ears moved, and she immediately asked, "Huh?! Why don't you have to pay the entry fee?? Do you have any connection with Sky Island?"
She had already secretly decided in her heart that as long as Kira said "yes", she would immediately go forward and ask him to take her with him. At worst, she would sacrifice her looks and let him touch her hand.
Well... I have really sacrificed a lot for this pirate group!
"That's not the case. We just don't take the Cloud River Road!"
Nami's eyes lit up. She always accepted this kind of money-saving plan: "Is there any other way to get up?"
If there is a free passage, she will squeeze in even if it is crowded... Of course, she will forget it if it is dangerous.
"Of course!"
Kira chuckled, pointed upwards with his slender index finger, and said, "We plan to fly up!!"
"Fly...?!" Luffy and his crew were stunned.
Only then did they realize that the Hope that Kira and his companions were riding on was different from the Merry. It was not anchored on the surface of the White Sea, but was suspended in the air above the White Sea. Moreover, they came up on the surge of the ocean current, but they had never seen Kira and his companions along the way. In other words, this iron box did have the ability to fly.
"Wait... wait!! Did you fly up here before?!"
Usopp was completely shocked. "Are you kidding?! This is 7,000 meters high! How is it possible for a ship to fly here?! What's more, there is such a thick sea below..."
Kira puffed out his chest proudly, spread his hands, and said proudly: "I'm so sorry, long-nosed brother, the development of magic technology is far beyond your imagination! The Hope is not a ship, but an airship, and flying is its basic function!"
hiss--!
Usopp took a deep breath and looked at the Hope with envy. In his heart, he had already entered a fantasy time: "If I could give Merry the ability to fly..."
"Magic technology?!!"
"A flying ship?!!"
"So cool!!" ×2
Luffy and Chopper exclaimed again, their eyes turning into bright lights.
"Brother Kira, we are so destined to each other, can you take us flying with you?" Nami came close to Kira and kept flirting with him, with the word "beauty trap" almost written on her face.
Take you flying?? This is not good...
There are so many people watching here!
Kira licked his lips, gritted his teeth and refused: "No! There is an empty sea above. Your ship has no protective shield and can't cross it at all!"
"Besides, not paying the entry fee is an 11th-level crime on Sky Island. You will be punished by the administrators on Sky Island. If you are caught, you will have to pay ten times the amount! Do you want to pay 6 million Baileys?"
"Is this... the manager of Sky Island... very strong?"
Kira didn't hide anything and said directly: "The user of the natural devil fruit, the Thunder Fruit, can release unlimited electricity. Do you think it's powerful?"
"Nature type... is it the same ability as Smoker and Crocodile? And it's lightning..."
"Then forget it..."
Not only Nami, but also Zoro, Sanji and others were stunned. They gave up the idea of sneaking across the border. However, they looked at Kira and others with a puzzled look: "But, Brother Kira, aren't you afraid?"
Kira snorted lightly and said disdainfully: "What's there to be afraid of with thunder and lightning? We are wizards from Fairy Tail! Besides, what do you think this is?"
Under the confused gazes of everyone, Kira took out a hard stone from his personal space.
"What is this?!" Luffy stretched out his hand and pointed at it curiously, and instantly collapsed to the ground.
"Seastone?!"
Nami recognized what was in Kira's hand at a glance and couldn't help but exclaimed. Zoro, Sanji and others immediately became nervous. They had seen this kind of thing at the Rain Banquet and knew that they had a restraining effect on Devil Fruit users. Crocodile was building a seastone cage.
When the few people finished the hunting game in the rain, Erza had already explained that they defeated Crocodile, but he accidentally escaped. In addition, Kira later brought rain to stop the war and saved Alabasta, so they had always naively thought that Kira and his group were just kind people passing by, and did not suspect Kira of Crocodile's disappearance.
"Yes, it's the seastone. I stole it from Crocodile!"
