As the ship was dragged higher and higher, it became increasingly difficult for the crew to pull it. The rising altitude made it harder to breathe, and their strength began to wane.
Seeing this, Bartley and the others were about to step in to help.
But Rosinante stopped them.
"Treat this as a kind of training. We've only reached 5,000 meters so far. The real difficulties lie ahead. That's when your turn comes. For now, let them work together and pool their strength—they're too disorganized," Rosinante said calmly.
"Yes, sir!" At his words, Bins and the others immediately stepped forward to command the teams. They were in charge of the squad divisions' training, so this task fell perfectly within their expertise.
"First squad, follow my lead. Pull together on my count! One, two, three—pull!"
"One, two, three—pull!" With unified shouts, the ship finally moved again under their combined effort.
"Where exactly are we now?" Rosinante asked.
"We've probably already left the New World," Burs replied. "We're flying through the sky after all—our speed is far greater than sailing across the sea." Bas had once been part of the Sky Pirates and was experienced in such matters.
"What's that?" As they ascended another thousand meters, reaching over 6,000 meters in height, a thick sea of clouds blocked their way.
"That's Emperor Cumulus. Above it is the White Sea. Captains, step forward and cut it open!" Rosinante barked.
"Yes, sir!" The division captains, who had been itching for action, stepped forward eagerly.
"Split it open for me!" Jack bellowed. With a swing of his scythe-like arms, a massive slash tore through the cloud sea, opening a path through the White Sea.
"The clouds are open! Charge through that gap!" someone shouted.
The fleet surged forward, dragged by the crew, heading straight into the opening in the clouds—but the clouds soon began to close up again.
"Hohahaha! Open!" Burs laughed as he followed up with a mighty axe swing. The closing clouds were once again cleaved apart.
In this way, the division captains took turns clearing the path. After a grueling and exhausting climb, they finally broke through the cloud layer and reached the White Sea at 7,000 meters.
Reaching the White Sea brought a collective sigh of relief. Ships could sail across this sea, and with the upward current, the fleet swiftly reached the higher White-White Sea.
"Look over there! What's that?" After adjusting to the air pressure of the White-White Sea, the crew caught sight of a magnificent, dazzling cluster of buildings ahead.
"Sky Island! That's a Sky Island!" the crew shouted in excitement.
"A Sky Island? We should still be a fair distance from Jaya," Bas said in confusion.
"This must be another Sky Island. Good timing—let's go in and resupply," Rosinante said casually.
"I doubt the locals are going to be very welcoming," Jack said coolly.
Several fast-moving, sail-less ships were heading their way at high speed.
"This is the sacred land of Birka. Outsiders are not welcome here—especially those without wings. Leave immediately or face the punishment of the God," barked a uniformed officer from one of the ships.
"So this is Birka, huh…" Rosinante muttered in realization.
The moment he heard "Birka," Rosinante remembered it from the original story—it was Enel's homeland! The Sky Island that Enel later destroyed.
"Leave immediately! Leave now!" the temple guards of Birka kept shouting at Rosinante and his crew.
"So noisy!" Jack growled, then swung his scythe. A powerful slash ripped through one of the Waver speedboats, splintering it and sending its riders flying.
"You blasphemers dare attack the God's guard?! Attack! Execute them in the name of the divine! All glory to our God!" The so-called Divine Guard charged toward Rosinante's fleet.
Arrows rained down from the Divine Guard's bows, but they didn't aim directly for the crew—instead, the arrows created bridges of cloud. More warriors mounted ice-blade-type Wavers and sprinted along these cloud bridges to engage in close combat.
The strange and unique attack methods of Sky Island stunned the pirates of the Gray Kingdom, catching them off guard. Many were quickly wounded or taken out!
"Idiots…" Jack said coldly.
"Go! Since we've clashed, wipe them out completely. This Sky Island will become part of the Gray Kingdom. I want to see our pirate flag flying over their divine temple!" Rosinante ordered.
"I've been waiting for this!" Raelmann said excitedly.
"First squad, with me!"
"Second squad, attack!"
Though the Sky Islanders had many wondrous dials as weapons, they couldn't stand against the brutal assault of the Gray Kingdom once Jack and the others joined the fray. They crumbled quickly under the overwhelming force, and the pirates stormed into Birka.
"Who are you people?! Why have you invaded Birka?! This is sacred land! All who dare trespass shall suffer divine punishment!" A stunningly cold and regal woman stepped forth and shouted.
Rosinante called her an "angel" not just for her beauty, but because she truly looked like one.
Sky Islanders typically had small decorative wings that served as symbols of their heritage.
But this cold, elegant woman was different—her wings were magnificent, like those of a real angel.
"A Devil Fruit user?" Jack and the others murmured, eyeing the unusual wings with suspicion.
"Wings like an angel's… could it be the Angel Fruit?" Rosinante muttered, intrigued.
"How dare you disrespect Lord God!" a high priest bellowed and charged at Rosinante.
He could tell Rosinante was the leader of the group. Following the tactic of capturing the king to end the war, he lunged straight at Rosinante.
"You think we'd let you go after our king so easily?" Bins appeared in a flash, intercepting the priest mid-charge.
The priest didn't seem surprised at all, as if he'd expected someone to intervene. He didn't stop; instead, he grinned viciously.
"Impact Dial!" From his gloved palm, a blast of powerful shock energy erupted, aiming to blast both Bins and Rosinante away.
Bang! Just as he was about to hit them, a sudden force erupted from his side.
Unbeknownst to him, a black hole had opened beneath his raised armpit. A shockwave surged out of it—one he knew all too well.
It was the very same energy his own Impact Dial had just fired.