Chapter 286: Skypiea
Seeing that cannonball, everyone's first reaction was that they were under attack!
But then they thought again, that couldn't be right! The Dragon Hunter Pirates' ship was docked at the port, with someone on watch at all times. If an enemy had attacked from the sea, the ship would have sent someone running to report immediately.
Moreover, setting that aside, the Dragon Hunter Pirates' main opponents used to be the Marines. But ever since Ian became a Warlord, the Marines simply couldn't make a move against him now. As for other pirate crews, they all knew Ian was on this island; even if they were plundering, they would steer far clear of here. Unless...
Unless some bold pirate crew, wanting to challenge a Warlord's position, dared to tweak the tiger's whiskers.
Such thoughts flashed through Fujitora and the others' minds. However, before they could figure it out, several more booming sounds came in succession, and the rumbling was coming from outside the tavern.
Now they couldn't sit still. They quickly opened the tavern door and ran out, only to see a sight that left them dumbfounded!
The sky! A ship's wreckage was falling from the sky!
The cannonball that had hit the tavern roof earlier had come from that ship—perhaps it had fallen from the ship's ammunition storage. It was just an unfortunate coincidence that it landed right on the tavern's location. All around the tavern's position, things were still falling in succession: broken bulwarks, snapped masts, gun turrets, and the like. Larger pieces of wreckage hit the ground and shattered with loud crashes, while smaller pieces pattered down like rain.
The entire vicinity of the Dragon Hunter Pirates' base was now experiencing this rain of debris.
Having never seen such a spectacle, everyone cried out and scrambled to take cover.
No one knew how long it lasted, but eventually the debris rain stopped. Everyone emerged from their hiding spots, still shaken, and began examining the wreckage.
Ian had been on the training ground earlier and was now alerted. He ran over to the tavern and asked, "What's going on?"
He had already guessed something, but after hearing the account from Fujitora and the others, he became even more certain. He looked up toward the sky.
Whether by coincidence or not, at that moment, a massive cloud was slowly drifting over the island where the Travira Republic was located. The cloud's position looked incredibly high, and it was impossible to tell how far it was from the ground.
"Captain Ian!" Zeke and the others came running, panting. "We just checked. It's a pirate ship, but there's no one on it, no bodies either. And for some reason, the ship looks very old."
Ian nodded but said nothing. He looked around, spotted the tavern's server, and called him over.
The server at Ian's tavern was a local hired help. He was used to dealing with the Dragon Hunter Pirates, so he wasn't nervous. He came over and gave a slight bow. "Sir, you called for me?"
Pointing at the massive cloud above, Ian asked, "Is that a Skypiea? Did that ship fall from up there?"
"Maybe," the server said, scratching his head uncertainly. "Actually, on this island, falling objects from the sky happen quite often. There have even been cases of people being killed by them. The older generation says they fall from a Skypiea, but since no one has ever seen a Skypiea with their own eyes, I can't say for sure."
"Let me ask differently," Ian said. "Every time something falls from the sky, does that kind of massive cloud appear up there?"
The server thought for a moment, rubbing his chin, then said, "It does seem to be the case!"
Ian became even more certain. The cloud above might be a Skypiea, and the pirate ship wreckage had fallen from it.
Skypieas were rarely known in the first half of the Grand Line, but in the New World, they were no secret. Many people had heard of them even if they hadn't seen one, so mentioning the term wouldn't invite ridicule.
This meant that legends of Skypieas were still widespread in the New World.
In fact, this world had more than just one or two Skypieas—there were many. The reasons for their formation were varied. Ian just hadn't expected that there was also a Skypiea above this island.
And from what the server said, this Skypiea's orbit was probably limited to the nearby seas. It wasn't the type that drifted with the wind; it had a fixed trajectory.
Ian suddenly became interested. Back when he first set out on the Grand Line, he had thought about visiting a Skypiea. It must be a unique sight, right?
But the route he had taken wasn't the one Luffy and his crew had taken years ago. He couldn't reach Jaya Island, so naturally, he couldn't encounter the Knock-Up Stream. Well, even if he had, he wasn't sure he would have dared to try it. That Knock-Up Stream was a life-risking endeavor. To reach a Skypiea that way, you needed not only a top-notch navigator but also help, perfect timing, and a strong enough protagonist's luck. Ian was afraid to attempt it.
However, Ian also knew there were other ways to reach a Skypiea, and they seemed safer.
Fujitora might have heard of Skypieas too, so after hearing Ian's question, he said in surprise, "You mean there might be a Skypiea up there?"
"Ten to one," Ian said, looking up again at the massive cloud. It was moving very slowly, but because it was so huge, it looked like a large dark cloud.
"That ship that fell earlier—did it meet with an accident on the Skypiea?" Konenai asked curiously.
"I don't know. That ship looked pretty old. Maybe it got lost on the Skypiea many years ago and only fell now," Ian said.
Walnut hopped around excitedly. "How do we get to the Skypiea? I want to see it!"
"Well..." Ian didn't know how to answer. He knew there must be a way to reach a Skypiea, but what that path was like was hard to say.
"Perhaps my ability could send someone up," Fujitora said. "But I don't know how high I can lift them."
Hearing the first half, everyone remembered Fujitora's gravity ability and felt a surge of hope. But after the second half, including Ian, they were stumped. Yes, Fujitora's ability could make people and objects weightless and float them up, but at high altitudes, there were air currents and other interference. Whether he could actually send someone to that cloud was unknown.
"Maybe we could give them a push while they're weightless, give them an initial velocity?" Yardy suggested. "I'm pretty confident in my strength."
"Don't be ridiculous!" Konenai said. "A gust of wind would blow them away!"
At least one thing was certain: Travira Island seemed to have no way to reach the Skypiea above. If there were, the server would know. But the legend of the Skypiea sparked everyone's imagination, and they started brainstorming wildly, thinking of ways to get there.
Just then, Baby-5, who was smoking a cigarette, suddenly spoke up. "Maybe I have a way to get up there."
Everyone was stunned and looked at her. Ian suddenly slapped his palm and said in realization, "Right! Baby-5, your Weapon-Weapon Fruit can turn you into a missile, can't it?"
"I can turn into a missile, but the flight time is short," Baby-5 said. "That kind of flying consumes a lot of stamina."
Short didn't matter; what mattered was speed. Ian thought for a moment and said, "How about you and I go up and take a look?"
"You?" Baby-5 was taken aback.
"Of course, don't forget, I can fly too!" Ian said with a smile.
Ian was referring to the flight ability he gained from devouring the Black Dragon Wave. With those black flame wings, his psychic power recovery rate could now sustain flight for a while. It had increased from the previous five seconds to about a minute now.
If he and Baby-5 took turns, they might actually be able to reach that Skypiea.