"Wow!"
"So damn exciting."
The Freedom, with a bang, shot out of the thundercloud area.
Everyone on board instinctively let out a sigh of relief, and then cheered loudly.
Even Kōta and Kuina, sitting on the windmill at the bow, showed expressions of excitement.
They were in the VIP seats!
If anyone on the ship could best experience the thrill of this journey, it would be them.
And throughout the trip, Kōta hadn't made a move, relying entirely on A-Tao and A-Lo to drift. They had indeed piloted the ship with the spirit of an AE86, and the feeling throughout this journey could be summarized in two words: "exciting."
Woo hoo!
The cold air swept in, instantly sobering up the previously excited crowd.
The current altitude exceeded 6,000 meters, with the constantly churning thunderclouds below resembling waves, and above, a vast expanse.
Daylight shone brightly.
They could even see streaks of golden sunlight filtering through the clouds above, and some thin clouds were rendered entirely golden by the sunlight.
Reaching out to touch a cloud that quickly drifted past, Kōta's face broke into a cheerful smile.
"Is this the sky above 6,000 meters?"
"It's so magical!"
Although he had flown with the ship, he hadn't flown this high before.
Even when fighting with Golden Lion, they hadn't been this high in the sky.
In his previous life, he had seen clouds from an airplane, but that was through glass, and the experience now, in person, was entirely different.
"Huh!"
Kōta turned his head, staring at the path ahead, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.
These guys were lucky enough to pass through this deadly thundercloud area, which he hadn't expected.
When he had seen the mast flying towards them earlier, he had thought these guys were shipwrecked and dead!
Unexpectedly, only a mast had broken, and the ship was completely unharmed.
Ignoring the ship ahead, he looked down at Kuina, who also happened to look up.
Their eyes met, and they both smiled tenderly.
"Are you cold?"
At an altitude of six thousand meters, the air was already thin, but for people of their strength, it was still easy to adapt to.
The sudden drop in temperature, combined with the wind from the high-speed sailing ship, not only made the air thinner but also brought more cold.
"I'm fine."
Kuina's lips curved upwards, her eyes narrowing into crescent moons. She replied softly, then lowered her head, nudging her nose into his chest to find a warmer spot to lean against, her gaze fixed ahead.
"Huh!"
Kuina suddenly exclaimed, as if she had discovered something, looking up at Kōta. Then she extended her hand, pointing in a direction, and said loudly, "Kōta, look, on that cloud, isn't there a person?"
Kōta raised his hand, and an invisible space enveloped the entire bow of the ship.
The wind, encountering the space, parted like blades, sliding quickly to both sides of the space.
Without the obstruction of the wind, the Freedom's speed noticeably increased, and those at the bow felt more comfortable.
Hearing Kuina's call, Kōta first lowered his hand, then placed it on Kuina's head, smoothing her hair that had been disheveled by the wind, before looking up in the direction Kuina was pointing.
He saw that amidst the golden clouds, a long, human-like black shadow with huge wings on its back had appeared at some point.
It was faintly visible.
"Mm!"
Kōta nodded, then said, "That should be a native of Skypiea."
"And this shadow should be his."
"Shadow?"
Kuina was startled and looked up sharply, staring at the spear-shaped weapon in the shadow's hand, her voice grave, "It's so big, isn't Skypiea very dangerous?"
By her estimation, the shadow on that cloud was at least several thousand meters long.
Such a colossal being, even if its main body wasn't as large as the shadow, it certainly wouldn't be small!
"Hahahaha!!"
Seeing Kuina's adorable expression, Kōta couldn't help but chuckle.
"What are you laughing at?"
"Did I say something wrong?"
Kuina sat up, turned her head, pouted, and stared at Kōta, asking.
She felt like Kōta was mocking her.
Kōta reached for the sake gourd at his waist, pulled out the stopper, and took a long drink.
Then he looked up at the gradually dissipating shadow in the clouds and said with a smile, "You have to realize, the thickness of these clouds is thousands of meters!"
"And Skypiea is somewhere in the sky above, who knows where."
As he spoke, he turned to look at Kuina, his lips curving upwards, and said teasingly, "At such a long distance, of course, the shadow would appear large."
"Uh..."
Kuina was speechless. Then, a blush quickly spread across her fair, smooth cheeks. She lowered her head, extended her hands, and lightly punched Kōta on the chest a few times.
She knew why Kōta was laughing at her.
This was something that anyone with a little thought could figure out if they weren't too slow-witted.
But she had said it without thinking.
It was no wonder Kōta would laugh at her.
At the bow of the ship.
With Kōta's domain, Robin and Indigo no longer had to grip the railing with their hands.
They retreated to the railing behind the deck at the bow, leaning their backs against it, admiring the unparalleled natural beauty.
Seeing Kōta and Kuina playing at the bow, Robin extended her hands, her slender fingers forming fists, raised them above her head, and stretched lazily, her upper body straightening, her good figure on full display.
She then lowered her hands, turned to Indigo, and said with a light laugh, "Dr. Indigo, have the captain and Kuina-chan always been this close?"
"Their relationship doesn't seem like just ordinary companions!"
"Kekekeke!!"
Indigo retracted his gaze, swept his eyes over the bow, then turned to Robin, a smile on his face, "You've been on the ship for so many days, I thought you already knew!"
"After all, there are only two women on board, and your relationship with Kuina should be good!"
"We are very close, but I only just arrived! I haven't really inquired about everyone's news."
"Tell me! I want to truly understand everyone. I love this ship and this crew."
"Mm!"
Indigo nodded, then looked up at the golden clouds ahead, his eyes becoming distant.
He had seen such beautiful scenery countless times before, but he found that his past experiences seemed like bubbles, popping at a touch, while the beauty he saw now was so real, so beautiful, and so delightful.
Shaking his head, he came back to his senses and turned to Robin, "Kuina is Kōta's fiancée. They have been engaged for a long time, even before I joined the ship."
"Mm!"
Robin nodded and murmured, "No wonder they are so intimate; they are already engaged lovers!"
After speaking, she looked up at the bow, a hint of envy in her eyes.
She was already 26 years old. To be honest, she also longed for her own love, but her identity and dreams destined her to live a life unlike ordinary people, and she didn't want to live like her mother.
Therefore, love, for her, was just a fleeting thought.
Robin withdrew her gaze, turned to Indigo, and asked, "What about the others?"
"The others?"
Indigo rubbed his chin, thinking, and replied.
"Ah Hua and the other two are childhood friends of Kōta and Kuina, and they are companions who set sail with them."
"Hmm..."
As he said this, Indigo suddenly seemed to recall something, looked up at Robin, and a slight smile appeared on his lips.
"So!"
"Kekekeke!!"
He suddenly burst into laughter and said, "So! Strictly speaking, on this ship, only the two of us... are outsiders."