~Third~

"Hey pops we caught one of those birds!"Luffy called as the Strawhats made it back to Crickets house only to see it in ruins, the old man and the two monkeys bloody and beaten up "Pops what happened?"Luffy asked "Masira"Usopp said "Shoujou"Sanji said noticing the monkey floating in the sea "What the? What happened here?"Nami asked.

"I've got a better question who did this?"Sanji asked as he dragged Shoujou back to shore "Ah! The Going Merry what happened to her? Who did this? When i find out they're gonna be sorry they ever laid a finger on her! The savages! Damn it!"Usopp yelled seeing the bow on the Merry was completely torn off.

"Sorry kid"Cricket said "You're alive! Don't try to move just take it easy"Luffy told the old man "I'm really sorry about this we did everything we could to stop them but it wasn't enough, he made us look pretty pathetic gotta get moving though ships not gonna patch itself up"Cricket said sitting up.

"Hold on pops wait, tell us what happened first, who did this to you?"Luffy asked "Calm down it's okay don't worry about it, it doesn't matter anymore did you have any luck finding?"Cricket cut himself off noticing Zoro was holding the south bird they had caught "Look at that you got yourself a south bird nice job"Cricket said before coughing a bit "They're hard to get"he said a bit strained.

"Luffy! Cricket's gold it's all gone!"Nami called from the house having gone to check it "That's stuff it's junk just forget it, doesn't matter your dream is more important"Cricket said waving it off "Forget it! How can you say that? Think about what it took to get that gold ten years of diving into the ocean subjecting your body to all the pressures of the deep come on you can't just" Usopp was cut off.

"Shut up"Cricket said "I'm serious that gold and what happens to it is our problem got it? You're ships in no shape to make it to the knock up stream we can get the Saruyama alliance crew here and they'll have it fixed by morning you'll still be able to set sail tomorrow"Cricket said as Zoro and Nicole went to have a look at something she had spotted.

"Listen everything will be alright we will send you to the sky i promise that"Cricket said "Hey Luffy"Zoro called and pointed out the mark Nicole had spotted drawn on the back of the castle facade "That's Bellamy's mark"Nami said "You want any help?"Zoro asked "I'll handle this one alone"Luffy said "Luffy don't be silly we don't have time for this we have to set sail in three hours"Nami said.

"If i follow the coast will that take me all the way back to Mock Town?"Luffy asked Robin ignoring Nami "Yes i believe it will"Robin said, Luffy started walking off "Hey where are you going? Don't be an idiot you can't possibly take on this Bellamy guy on all by yourself"Cricket said before Nicole offered him her sword still in its sheath and everything "If you wanna stop him use this" she said "Line thief"Zoro muttered from next to her "Kid don't do it"Cricket said "I'll be back by morning guys"Luffy said before running off.

~skip~

The Strawhats plus the Saruyama alliance crew were fixing the merry "Why didn't you go with Luffy?"Nami asked Zoro as him and Nicole were fixing the mast "Why? What's with you? Fight, don't fight, do this, don't do that, just make up your mind already"Zoro said "You're scared cause that guy beat you the first time around"Nami said.

"Luffy said he didn't need any help besides those were different circumstances"Nicole said "Yeah refusing to fight doesn't mean that we were scared when there's no reason to fight the only way to win is to stand down"Zoro said "Or walk away"Nicole added.

~skip~

Morning had come the Going Merry was fixed and now the Strawhats were waiting for "Where the heck is that rubbery bug eyed idiot? This is just like him, didn't we all agree to be here over 45 minutes ago? We're gonna miss the current, ugh i'm sure the genius didn't even stop to consider how the gold would way him down why does he always insist on making everything ten times harder?"Nami asked as she complained about their missing captain.

"The only schedule Luffy's concerned with is his own"Usopp said "Yeah he's got a point there" Sanji said "You don't think someone in town beat him up do you?"Chopper asked "What do you mean that guy Bellamy?"Usopp asked "Well if Bellamy didn't beat him up you better believe i will"Nami said.

"Oh is that right tough girl?"Zoro asked "Hey!"they heard a call in the distance as Luffy was running back to his crew "I did it you guys!"he yelled "Luffy hurry we're already behind schedule!"Sanji yelled over to him "Look! It's a Hercules took me forever to find it!"Luffy yelled holding up a Hercules beetle.

"You're kidding me!"Nami yelled "Are you crazy?!"Usopp asked "Wow that's awesome!"Luffy said noticing the Merry was outfitted to look like a chicken, even though chickens can't really fly "Introducing the Going Merry flying edition"Usopp said "It can fly?!"Luffy asked sparkles in his eyes "I know they build it just for us"Usopp said pointing over to the monkey crew.

"Morons"Sanji muttered "Something about it makes me feel uneasy"Nami said "Well for once i agree with you chickens don't even know how to fly, they should of made it a pigeon"Zoro said "Well without the red crest it could look more like a pigeon"Nicole said "What does that have to do with anything?!"Nami yelled at them.

"It's time to set sail come on if you're with me let me hear it!"Usopp said and the monkeys cheered with him, Luffy handed the gold back to Cricket as the others boarded the ship "What are you waiting for get on board unless you're planning on missing your chance to the sky like a fool"Cricket said "Thanks for the ship"Luffy said "Thank them they build it"Cricket said pointing over to the monkey crews "Yeah thanks for the ship you guys! You can have my Hercules!"Luffy yelled over to them.

"Time to set sail!"Luffy said jumping on board the Going Merry "You heard him shove off!"Nami said and the Going Merry set sail.

~skip~

The cumilo origalis showed up a full hour earlier then expected so the monkey crews scrambled around trying to find a current, they found one with remarkable speed and the group set sail towards it, the waves were going crazy sending their ships rocking.

"Hey navigator what does the log pose say?!"Robin called to her "It's pointing straight at those clouds!"Nami yelled back "Then we're in the right spot! Sky island is right above us!"Nicole yelled "The wind directions are perfect the clouds are aligning exactly at the center of the whirlpool"Nami said.

"What whirlpool? I haven't seen anything"Luffy said, the monkeys lead the Going Merry to the inner edge of the whirlpool and told them to sail to the center of it "But i don't wanna get sucked in!"Usopp yelled "I don't remember signing up for all this!"Nami yelled "Don't worry i'll make sure nothing happens to you!"Sanji said grabbing her and holding her tight causing her to blush.

"I've never seen one quite this big before"Robin said "You and me both"Nicole said "This is bad i change my mind i wanna go back!"Usopp yelled "Sorry Usopp too late for that you know who is already excited"Zoro said "Let's go to the sky!"Luffy laughed excitedly.

The coward trio freaked out as they saw even a huge sea king get sucked into the whirlpool and stand no chance against it, it was too late to turn back as the Going Merry started to get sucked in "Don't be so unreasonable Luffy let's go back while we still have time! Don't you understand the sky island is just a bunch of make belief? It's not worth us getting killed"Usopp said.

"It's all make belief? Is that what you think?"Luffy asked "Usopp's right i think this is a really bad idea"Nami said "It maybe a stupid dream but i have to try it could be our greatest adventure" Luffy said practically sparkling with excitement "No it's too late"Usopp and Nami cried "Don't cry Nami, just hold on tight to me and i promise to protect you"Sanji told her with a grin.

"Hey love cook instead of flirting you might wanna take a look"Zoro said as the whirlpool sucked them in, but once they reached the center the sea was in a dead calm, the whirlpool was just gone, Nicole started growing a bad feeling, she could sense what was going to happen and she didn't like it one bit already grabbing onto the nearest thing which happened to be Zoro.

"What's going on?"Luffy asked "Wait i, i don't get it where'd it go?"Usopp asked "I feel it, it's starting"Nicole said "The whirlpool sunk under the surface"Nami said "You don't mean"Usopp trailed off.

"Hold it right there!"they heard a yell from the distance "Hey uh Zoro look there"Luffy said as a ship? more like a big raft was approaching them "Well well if it isn't Strawhat Luffy!"the fat man from Mock Town yelled over to them "I've come all this way to collect your one hundred million beri bounty! So don't be shy!"the fat man yelled as the raft approached.

"Hundred million what are you talking about?!"Luffy yelled over "Don't play dumb with me kid! It says right here! Monkey D. Luffy wanted for a hundred million and for pirate hunter Zoro sixty million beri and Nicole "She Wolf" Mihawk fifty eight million!"the fat man yelled.

"It's true he's got a different poster for each of you, hey Zoro, Nicole congratulations on your new bounty!"Usopp said getting a closer look with the binoculars "It looks like your bounties went way up after the Alabasta incident but a hundred million?"Nami asked "This is great hear that?! My bounty went up big time!"Luffy said with a grin.

"Sixty millions not too bad either"Zoro grinned "I guess fifty eight isn't a bad starting point but i would have expected mine to skyrocket if the marines know who my father is"Nicole muttered with a smirk, at least she had a bounty "It's not a good thing!"Nami yelled at them.

The sea started to rise up, the knock up stream was getting ready to explode "Everyone hold on or get inside!"Sanji said as the Strawhat crew scrambled to get a hold of something, Luffy wrapped himself around the mast with his rubber powers with Robin and Chopper holding onto the mast as well, Sanji had grabbed the starboard side railing holding on tight to it and Nami who was clinging onto dear life on the railing, Zoro and Nicole had grabbed the port side railing and Usopp was glued to the cabin door.

The knock up stream exploded just seconds after sending the Going Merry high into the sky "What's happening?!"Usopp asked freaking out "We're sailing up a huge pillar of water!"Sanji said "This is awesome!"Luffy yelled a big grin on his face "How are we doing this?!"Usopp asked "Alright i can't believe it's finally happening! Let's go to Skypiea!"Luffy said.

"Hold on it's not gonna be that easy look"Sanji said "Oh what now?!"Usopp asked "What's wrong did we forget about something?!"Luffy asked "How about a little thing called gravity?!" Nicole yelled "The hull's starting to float!"Sanji said "Huh?"Nami asked "If we don't stop it we're gonna fall into the ocean!"Sanji said.

"What do you expect us to do about it we're having a hard enough time just holding on as it is or haven't you noticed?!"Usopp asked "Oh no what is that?!"Chopper yelled as the sea king from before came flying down past them "See it's only a matter of time before the same thing happens to the Merry"Sanji said.

"I know but what can we do? We don't have a lot of options when it comes to mother nature we're at her mercy"Zoro said "I guess we hold on and hope for the best"Sanji said as some junk and rubble started flying down on them.

"Spread the sails right now! Sure it's a pillar of water but it's still a part of the sea it's a rising current, the wind current below is caused by geothermal heat causing a steam explosion it might be packaged differently but it's still wind and water trust me i'm a navigator aren't i?" Nami said and the crew got to work.

The Merry started to lift off but instead of falling down it started to fly up.