"Captain! A ship has been spotted, and it appears to be heading in the same direction as our Sky Road."
At that moment, behind the burly man, a subordinate holding binoculars ran up to him and said loudly.
"Hm!"
The burly man turned his head, his gaze following the direction the subordinate pointed. Indeed, he saw a small black dot. He nodded, then looked away, and calmly said, "Understood. Go inform the crew that we're about to enter the ascending sea current. Prepare yourselves."
So many ships set out for the Sky Islands every year, yet only a few truly reach them. And among those that do, the number that can reach the Golden Island on his map is unheard of.
Even if they managed to get there, without a map, they wouldn't be able to find it.
He didn't believe that the ship in the distance also possessed a treasure map.
After all, the treasure map he had was over a hundred years old.
One hundred years. If the Golden Island were so easy to find, it would have already become famous throughout the seas. Would it still be waiting for him?
Therefore, he wasn't worried at all about the other party snatching the treasure.
Besides, he had no idea about the strength of the crew on the other ship.
Ever since entering the Grand Line, he had encountered many powerful pirate crews. The chaotic nature of these seas had long since eroded the arrogance he had cultivated in the North Blue.
Unless absolutely necessary, he generally avoided conflict with other pirate crews.
This was the Grand Line, after all. Who knew what monsters might be on their ship? He wasn't a pirate who had only won. He had been taught a lesson by others before.
So, he wouldn't make a reckless decision like sailing closer.
Before long, the two ships met at the foot of the mountain.
"Foot of the mountain" was an exaggeration; they were still some distance from it.
A massive sea current lay between them.
Once their ship entered this current, they could ride it into the mountain's river channels and surge towards the heavens.
On the undulating sea, Sora stood at the bow of the ship, his head tilted, looking at the ship's bow on the other side of the current. The red glow in his eyes vanished.
He shook his head, raised his sake gourd, and took a long drink.
"Phew~"
He exhaled a puff of alcoholic breath, a hint of disappointment flashing across his face.
This person was clearly not the kind he was hoping to meet.
It made sense. The sea was so vast; how could one easily encounter a pirate crew that ventured out purely for the sake of adventure?
Looking up at the ever-approaching, colossal Sky Road ahead, Sora's right hand instinctively touched the hilt of his sword, Zankou.
Just as he was about to draw it, he seemed to reconsider, and his hand loosened its grip on the hilt.
Turning his gaze back to the enormous sailing ship on the other side, the corner of his mouth curved upwards, a playful smile appearing on his face.
"Truly commendable courage."
The giant ship on the other side, perhaps out of impatience, or for some other reason, suddenly changed course and plunged directly into the ascending sea current.
With a whoosh, it shot ahead of the Freedom, speeding towards the immense Sky Road.
"Sora, should we stop them?"
Beside Sora, Kuina watched the rapidly passing giant sailing ship, her gaze fixed on its bow, a cold glint in her eyes.
After being at sea for so long, she had encountered and defeated numerous pirates. Whether they were good or evil, as long as they couldn't conceal their aura, she could tell at a glance.
While her Kenbunshoku Haki couldn't sense things as clearly as Sora's, for mere fodders, they couldn't hide their presence from her, let alone escape her perception.
"No need!"
Sora waved his hand, leaned forward, and rested his hands on the railing, watching the receding giant sailing ship with a smile in his eyes. "Since they're so brave, let's see if they can truly ascend to the heavens and reach their desired destination!"
"After all, pursuing one's dreams is an inherent right of every individual. Whether they can reach the heavens alive is entirely up to their luck."
Of course, there was one thought left unsaid, one that everyone understood.
That is, even if they reached the heavens, whether they could escape from their hands would depend entirely on Sora's mood.
With that, he raised his sake gourd, took a drink, and then turned to A Tao, saying with a laugh, "A Tao, let's change course! Let's ride this Sky Road and head to the heavens as well!"
"Understood!"
A Tao straightened up, brought the cigarette clamped between his fingers to his lips, took a deep drag, then lowered his hand. With his thumb and index finger, he pinched the cigarette butt and flicked it into the sea with a "swish."
He exhaled the smoke from his lungs, then turned and briskly walked towards the helm room in the back.
The rest was up to him.
And, of course, with A Luo's coordination.
A Luo had somehow transformed into an ant-man with four arms and two horns on his forehead.
He took out a small Den Den Mushi from his pocket, nodded at Sora and the others, then pushed off the ground with his feet and "whooshed" up to the top of the giant mast in the center of the ship.
With his guidance, A Tao could steer the ship without any reservations.
Of course, their greatest safeguard was actually Sora, standing at the bow.
If they encountered any danger they couldn't avoid, Sora could simply control the ship and fly them up.
If it weren't for the desire to experience the thrill of the ascending sea current, they wouldn't need to go through so much trouble.
After all, they were here for an adventure. Having Sora directly control the ship to fly up would be fast and safe, but it would completely kill the sense of adventure and the joy of conquering the Sky Road. It would be meaningless.
It was the same as when they sailed past Reverse Mountain.
They all knew about Sora's abilities, yet they never asked him to control the ship, unless absolutely necessary. Only when Sora had to take control would they hand over the reins.
If Sora did everything, what would be left for them?
What would be the point of sailing then?
After all, the purpose of adventure wasn't just to reach the destination, but to experience all the interesting things encountered, heard, and felt along the way, wasn't it?
A Tao entered the helm room, sat down at the controls, adjusted his posture, placed his hands on the steering wheel, and looked up at the sky-piercing road ahead, a sharp glint in his eyes.
He exerted force with his hands and, without hesitation, turned the steering wheel to the right.
The Freedom, which had been rocking amidst the giant waves, immediately changed direction and headed towards the sea current in the center.
It was strange, really. The surrounding sea was turbulent, yet the sea current in the middle was as calm as a windless lake.
However, this lake was unlike ordinary lakes. Though calm, the water on its surface moved like vehicles on a highway, rushing towards the distant Sky Road at incredible speeds.
Bang!
Although the wind was favorable, the moment the bow of the Freedom entered the sea current, the powerful flow caused the hull to tilt incessantly.
But this ship was, after all, a masterpiece from the Carter Shipyard Company of Carter Island at its peak. If it couldn't handle such a current, Carter Shipyard wouldn't be so famous.
As the hull tilted, it forcefully plunged into the ascending sea current.
Then, under A Tao's skillful hand, the Freedom executed a drift, smoothly stabilizing its body. The hull, following the ascending sea current, shot forward like a bullet, at a speed far exceeding anything the Freedom could normally achieve, rapidly approaching the Sky Road.
Due to the immense speed, the sails became an impediment to the ship's progress, blowing backward against the wind.
A Tao glanced up at the reversed sails, removed his right hand from the steering wheel, and pressed a button beneath the wheel that controlled the sails.
He then picked up the small Den Den Mushi in front of the control panel and said into it.
"A Luo, retract the sails. We don't need them anymore."
"Understood!"
A Luo, on the mast, put the Den Den Mushi into his pocket, jumped onto a crossbar, retracted the sail, then jumped to the next mast and performed the same action, retracting the sail.
Indeed, the sails were no longer useful, as the sea current was incredibly fast.
If the sails were still deployed, the Freedom wouldn't be able to ascend the Sky Road!