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Arthur was bold, but cautious. He had considered that newcomers to Sky Island might not adapt well to the clouds. But he wasn't overly concerned.
He was certain he was currently on either Angel Island or Birka.
Upper Yard, was once part of Jaya. It held a resource coveted by the Skypieans—Soil!
It was currently occupied by the God of Skypiea, Gan Fall—Outsiders were forbidden.
Since he wasn't standing on solid ground, he figured he must be on Angel Island, Birka, or a nearby island cloud.
Arthur walked for about fifteen minutes. The scenery finally changed. A unique, hexagonal building appeared amidst the white clouds. He squinted, trying to focus his blurry vision. He vaguely recalled what this place was!
It was Heaven's Gate—the entry point to Skypiea.
"So, I'm not actually in Skypiea yet? I'm still on the White Sea at 23,000 feet? Do I have to take that circular cloud road to Angel Island?"
As he got closer, Arthur frowned, looking at the path leading higher.
He had thought he was already on Angel Island. Now, it seemed he was one step short.
Arthur shook his head and continued forward, walking on the soft cloud. He suddenly stopped. A primal instinct warned him. He felt like he was being watched.
Inside the hexagonal Heaven's Gate, there was a tunnel, a few dozen feet long. Near the tunnel's edge, a door to a room suddenly opened. An old woman stepped out, about half Arthur's height.
The old woman's face was wrinkled, like a dried plum. She was quite ugly. She wore pink clothes and had a pair of small, white wings on her back - a true Skypiean.
She was holding a Sky Island-made Vision Dial camera—snapping pictures of Arthur.
Arthur's vision was still blurry. He couldn't see who it was from this distance. But he had a guess.
"I am the gatekeeper of Heaven's Gate, Amazon. Are you here to sightsee? To enter Skypiea, you must pay one billion Extol!" The short, prune-faced old woman, Amazon, said expressionlessly.
She wasn't as old as she would be in twenty years. But her voice was still raspy.
"One billion Extol?" Arthur frowned—He subconsciously touched the translucent blue gemstone hanging on his chest.
When he was eight, stranded on Jaya, he'd already thought about the future. He knew about Skypiea's currency, Extol. 10,000 Extol equaled 1 Beli. It was cheap.
But how could he get in without any money?
He had once considered using this gemstone, a family heirloom of the Seabury family. Now he'd changed his mind.
He vaguely remembered a Seabury family member saying something when they gave it to him. They said it was the key to the family's treasure vault.
What good stuff could a small-time family have? Gold and jewels? Arthur didn't care for those. In this world, the most important thing was strength. With strength came freedom and everything else.
But he wouldn't just hand over this gemstone.
He wanted to live as he pleased. If they asked for it, he wouldn't give it!
Arthur smiled nonchalantly, walking closer to Amazon. He casually asked, "Where is Birka in relation to Angel Island? Can you tell me?"
His smile was bright. With his tall frame and handsome face, he was quite charming.
"Birka? That sounds familiar. I think it's southeast of Angel Island. I can't quite remember... If you go to Angel Island, you'll find out." Amazon thought for a moment, then replied.
"Thank you. Then, goodbye!" Arthur got the answer he expected. He turned, walking onto the cloud in the center of Heaven's Gate. He knew he needed a creature called an Express Shrimp to get to Skypiea.
These creatures were incredibly fast. They would save him a lot of time.
"Those who don't pay the toll cannot enter Skypiea. That's illegal entry!"
Amazon was annoyed. Arthur was just leaving. She took out a weapon made from an Impact Dial and attacked him.
Twenty years later, Amazon would be too lazy to argue under Enel's rule. But it wasn't twenty years later yet.
Impact Dials were another Skypiean specialty. They had incredible abilities, releasing a powerful impact. The force was comparable to Arthur's strongest punch.
Arthur had already turned his back. He couldn't see what was happening behind him. But he clearly felt the danger approaching.
In that instant, his body seemed to move on its own. Instinct made him dodge to the side, completely avoiding the attack, which was as strong as a 30-million-Beli pirate's.
"What was that? Just now—"
A strong gust of wind brushed past his ear, ruffling his hair—Arthur was stunned.
His reflexes shouldn't have been fast enough to dodge that surprise attack. But somehow, his body had reacted beyond his normal capabilities. It was as if he had grown an eye on the back of his head, as if he had "seen" the incoming attack.
"Could it be Observation Haki?" He was overjoyed. He hadn't expected his—Haki to awaken without any formal training.
It was well known that innate Observation Haki was stronger than trained Observation Haki.
In the world of pirates, there were many masters of Observation Haki. The closest to him was a little girl named Aisa on Sky Island. She was a Shandian. She had awakened Observation Haki at birth and could hear the voices of the dying. However, she was not yet born.
The Fish-Man Island's Queen Otohime's Observation Haki could sense the emotions in people's hearts. Was that any different from mind-reading?
Charlotte Linlin's son, the future 1-billion-plus bounty Charlotte Katakuri, had trained his Observation Haki to such an extent that he could foresee the near future.
Fujitora was blind, but his Observation Haki was formidable. he could sense the movements of distant meteors and pull them down for attacks. Maybe his Devil Fruit amplified it, but his Observation Haki was still formidable.
Many people thought Enel was a top-tier Observation Haki user. But in reality, if Enel didn't have the amplification from his Rumble-Rumble Fruit's electrical waves, his Observation Haki might not have been that strong.
Hearing the conversations of everyone on Sky Island was a power granted by the electrical waves. That made his Observation Haki seem incredibly powerful.