~Third~

The Going Merry and her crew busted through the clouds but instead of falling back down through the clouds the ship landed on it, the whole crew was coughing and out of breath except Luffy and Nicole "What the what just happened to us? Everyone alright?"Zoro asked "Hey guys look out there what is that?"Luffy asked, all around them there was nothing but white clouds yet they were somehow floating on top of them as if it were a sea.

"What in the world?"Sanji asked "It's solid white!"Luffy said "They're clouds!"Chopper said "But how? Why aren't we falling?"Nami asked "Clouds float boats float same thing"Luffy said "No it's not"Zoro, Chopper, Sanji and Nicole told him.

Usopp was down for the count "Oh no Usopp! He's not breathing!"Chopper said "Someone do something mouth to mouth!"Luffy said, Usopp woke up just then "He's alive!"Chopper and Luffy cheered "I am?"Usopp asked before screaming as he saw nothing bu white around them "Then where are we? What's with all these clouds? They're everywhere!"he yelled.

"Basically it's an ocean in the sky"Nami said "No way seriously?"Usopp asked, Nami checked her log pose "But look the log pose is still pointing up"she said "Seems we still have some way to go up then"Nicole said "Wait you mean we have to travel even higher?"Chopper asked "That's what the log pose says at least"Robin said.

Usopp jumped into the cloud going for a swim "Hey uh he's not coming back up"Zoro said "You know if he swims too far he just might fall out of the cloud"Nicole said "Say what?"Sanji asked "Idiot! Did that fool just fall through the cloud?!"Zoro asked "Usopp!"Luffy said stretching his arm out to fish the sniper out of the cloud and with Robin using her powers to actually see where the long nose had went they caught him just as he was falling.

Luffy had some trouble pulling up Usopp and when he did the sniper didn't come out alone luring out all manner of sky creatures, Zoro and Sanji dealt with them though but it was a lot harder then it should have been and the boys were out of breath after the fact.

"This air it's so thin it's hard to breath"Zoro said "Then maybe you shouldn't pant like that, just take it slow"Nicole told him "What do you make of this? It's the strangest creature i've seen i'm not even sure it's a fish"Sanji said "That octopus thing was more like a big balloon"Luffy said "Yeah except balloons don't have teeth"Zoro said "But how can there be fish up here in the clouds?"Nami asked.

"You said it best yourself basically it's an ocean in the sky"Robin said "So what's this big snake thing?"Chopper asked "I don't know a flat fish?"Luffy asked "But it wasn't flat until Sanji kicked it"Chopper said, Usopp woke up and tossed out a fish from his pants.

"Hold on do you know what this is? I think it's one of the sky fish Noland described in his log, it sounded pretty fantastic at the time but now that i see it looks like these creatures have somehow evolved to survive up here in the clouds" Robin said looking at the fish "They evolved? You mean they turned all flat and ballooned and stuff?"Zoro asked "Interesting"Nicole muttered jotting down notes in her notebook.

"To make themselves even lighter the buoyancy up here must be several times weaker here then the ocean below"Robin said as Luffy grabbed the fish out of her hands probably to eat it "And they grew scale like feathers and those weird carnivore like mouths"Nami said, Nicole hummed nodding along as she was studying the big fish now that the small one was turned into a dish by Sanji.

Then Chopper saw something in the distance that freaked him out "Say what's wrong Chopper?" Sanji asked the reindeer "What's the deal you see something out there?"the cook asked "Yeah a ship it was there but then it split"Chopper said "Split? What do you mean Chopper?"Nicole asked walking over but Chopper was still freaking out about whatever he saw.

Then someone approached their ship "There's a guy running around out there"Sanji said as the guy jumped up "Hey stop what do you want?"Sanji asked "To destroy you!"the guy said "Oh is that all?"Sanji asked "He's mine"Zoro said "Who is what's going on?"Luffy asked as the kicked Sanji sending his crashing to the cabin as he jumped on board.

Zoro went to attack but was too slow and also got kicked, Luffy got kicked next, Nicole sliced at the guy which he barely dodged jumping high into the sky and taking aim just as it seemed they were about to blow up another mystery person appeared stopping the guy and sending them flying before landing on the ships railing.

"Oh great now who's this guy?"Nami asked, Nicole got ready to fight just in case "Miss you may call me the sky knight"the sky knight said, Nicole stayed on guard however watching him like a hawk "What's going on here who the heck was that guy? And you could you be any more worthless that was pathetic three to one"Nami said turning to the monster trio sitting on the deck catching their breaths.

"You saved us thanks a lot"Chopper said to the sky knight bowing in gratitude "Just doing my duty this ones on the house"the sky knight said "What gives? I feel so weak"Sanji said "Yeah i could barely move"Luffy said "It must be because of the thin air, however you don't seem bothered at all miss Hawkeye"Robin said.

"Let's just say i would train for months on end in the highest peaks the world had to offer" Nicole said "You must be blue sea people"the sky knight said walking up the stairs "Blue sea people what's that? And who are you?"Nami asked "As i said i am the sky knight and blue sea people is what we call those who live below the clouds, i'm assuming you've traveled here from the blue sea"sky knight said.

"Yeah that's right"Luffy said "Then that explains it, you've reached the white sea seven thousand meters in the air, the white white sea where i'm assuming you're heading is still further up about ten thousand meters, ordinary blue sea people can't possibly endure it here"the sky knight said as the monster trio was starting to get used to the thin air.

"That's just not possible"sky knight said "Well those guys are anything but ordinary i'm surprised it took them this long to get used to it"Nicole muttered "So mister knight why was that guy running around in the clouds attacking people?"Chopper asked "Now now not so fast no doubt you have many questions but first we have matters of business to discuss"the sky knight said.

"Business?"Nami asked "You see i am a solder for hire the white seas can be quite dangerous there are gorillas lurking about like the one you just faced who would like nothing more then to turn you into food for the sky fish but if you purchase a five million extol one whistle i'll protect you"the sky knight said.

"What are you talking about?"Luffy asked tilting his head "Now listen that price is quite reasonable i can't afford to lower it a single extol more i have to ear a living too"the sky knight said "Yeah but what the heck is an extol and what's this whistle thing or whatever"Sanji said "You don't know? You came here from the summit of high west didn't you? Surely you must have passed an island or two?"the sky knight asked.

"Nicole you've been on clouds before what's he talking about?"Nami asked "I have no idea, i don't remember anything about extols"Nicole said "Hey wait you're saying there was another way we could of gotten up here where we would have passed an island or two?"Nami asked turning to the sky knight.

"What? Don't tell me you traveled by way of"the knight was cut off "We rode up on the knock up stream"Robin said "My word that monstrous current? So there are still souls in the world brave enough to make the attempt"the sky knight said "I knew it that we risked our lives for nothing" Nami cried before shaking Luffy angrily "Are you happy? We all should have been killed! If we just asked around a little more we found have found a safer way to get up here!"she yelled at the rubber boy.

"Did you lose any of your crew?"the sky knight asked "No we all made it"Luffy said "Then you can consider yourself fortunate, had you taken a different route one or two of you would have survived the journey but the rest of you would have perished that's the gamble by way of the knock up stream either everyone survives or everyone dies those are the only two possible out comes not many are willing to accept that sort of all or nothing risk especially these days if nothing else i see now that you're navigators of exceptional bravery and skill"the sky knight said.

Usopp stood up and said lying trough his long nose "Yeah well i hate to take all the credit but see when things got scary and these were all screaming for their mommies i was the one who stood up and said"Nami pinched Usopp's cheek "Nothing at all"Usopp finished "Thought so"Nami said.

"This is the one whistle it is yours to use as you see fit should you find yourselves in danger you have but to blow it and i will come to your aid as i said normally i would charge you five million extol but for today please accept this as my gift to you"the sky knight said "But wait we still don't know your name!"Nami called to him "I am Gan Fall and this is my partner Pierre"Gan Fall said.

"Despite appearances Pierre is no ordinary bird, long ago he ate of a horse horse fruit and gained it's powers"Gan Fall said as the bird was transforming "What what powers?"Sanji asked "He is able to transform into a horse with wings namely"Gan Fall trailed off "Oh wow a Pegasus" Nami said getting sparkles around her "Yes a pegasus"Gan Fall said although this pegasus didn't look anything like the majestic winged horse of myths and legends.

"Wow that's something"the strawhats muttered in disappointment sweatdropping at the weird pegasus "May luck be with you brave warriors!"Gan Fall yelled as he flew? rode? off with Pierre the "pegasus"

"Am i the only one who finds that bizarre?"Sanji asked "No, you are not"Nicole said "I don't get it was there even a reason for it to transform?"Nami asked "Good question"the others muttered "In the end he really didn't tell us anything did he?"Robin asked "No, nothing actually"Usopp said "Well back to square one i guess"Sanji said.

"Yeah where are we supposed to go from here?"Zoro asked "I know let's call the old man back and ask him"Luffy said picking up the whistle and going to blow it when Usopp and Nami stopped him "Don't even think about it Luffy! You don't blow that whistle to ask for directions it's supposed to be for emergencies only!"Nami yelled at him "Yeah what if that gorilla guy comes back and attacks us again? You wanna get blown up?"Usopp asked.

"I tell you what for now let's just keep moving"Zoro said "Hey! Look over there you guys!"n Chopper yelled spotting something "Hmm? What is that?"Robin asked getting a look "Some kind of cloud"Chopper said "It looks more like a waterfall"Robin said "To me it looks like a way further up"Nicole said.

"Okay that settles it we go that way"Zoro said and the Going Merry set sail once more heading towards the cloud waterfall thing, "Hey hold up stop the boat here!"Nami called as they came to the base of the cloud waterfall thing "Hmm looks like the way's blocked"Robin said "What do we do?"Chopper asked "Those big clouds look like they're floating on top of the ocean sorta like icebergs"Sanji said.

"So what they're cloud bergs?"Usopp asked "Well there's obviously something different about them"Nami said "You don't suppose we could cut them?"Zoro asked Nicole "Hmm, i don't know i don't think i've tried cutting cloud before"Nicole said "Maybe i can grab a piece"Luffy said and stretched over but his punch bounced off the rubber boy got all excited and jumped over and started bouncing on the cloud.

"Hey look i'm not sinking! It's so fluffy and bouncy! It's great come on you guys gotta try this! Come on it's fun!"Luffy yelled bouncing around, Usopp and Chopped joined him and the kids started to play around "Hmm well we obviously can't sail through these clouds so we have to find a way to get around them somehow"Nami muttered.

"Hey you guys! See if you can spot a route the ship can take!"Nami yelled over to the kids "Yeah, right!"Luffy yelled back, the kids came back on the ship Usopp said he spotted a gate under the cloud waterfall thing "So there's a man made structure in the middle of the clouds?"Sanji said "At this rate i'm not sure anything we find up here would surprise me"Robin said.

"You know i once read i a book that people that have died must pass through a gate to reach heaven, maybe we really are dead"Nicole muttered "You just had to say that didn't you?!"Usopp yelled at her, anyway the ship reached the bottom of the cloud waterfall thing and just as Usopp had said there was a gate.

"Yep that's a gate alright"Sanji said "And look that weird cloud we saw really is some kind of waterfall it's coming down on top of those cloud bergs"Nami said "Hold on am i reading this right? Heaven's gate? What's that all about? Sounds like a place you go when you die"Usopp said reading the sign on the gate.

"Yeah? Well now that you mention it maybe we are dead you ever think about that huh?"Zoro asked "You know that would go a long way to explain this weird place"Sanji said "Personally i imagined all of this to be a little different"Nicole said "But i don't wanna be dead!"Chopper yelled, Luffy laughed "Who cares we're here right? Wherever this gate goes i'm going"Luffy said.

"Will you get serious?!"Nami yelled and bonked their heads "What was that for?"Zoro asked "If you're making a joke it's not funny"Nami said "So why'd you hit me too?"Chopper asked "Wait over there, there's somebody coming out"Usopp said pointing over to it.

"Look she's got wings!"Chopper said "Wow that's what sky people look like? She's so wrinkly" Luffy said "Uhm hello!"Nami said in greeting as she couldn't think of anything else "I am Amazon the heaven's gate inspector, state your business, sightseeing? Warmongering? Other?" the old woman asked.

"I guess it's kinda like sightseeing"Nami said "We wanna go to the sky islands, they're past this gate right?"Luffy asked "Can we say all of the above?"Zoro asked "It makes little difference but if you wish to proceed you must first pay the entrance fee of one billion extol per person that is the law"the old woman said.

"What? One billion?!"Usopp asked "They're really big on these extol things around here"Sanji muttered "I can't even count that high i wonder how much is that in berries?"Usopp wondered out loud "It's got to be a lot i mean a billion anything, it sounds expensive"Chopper said "A billion per person which makes eight billion total"Robin said.

"Something's fishy here, eight billion just to go through a stupid gate? I think the old bag is trying to scam us"Usopp said "Listen about the money what if you know we don't have it?"Nami asked the old woman "You may still pass"she said "What? Seriously?"Usopp asked "The choice is yours i certainly won't try to stop you"the old woman said "Huh?"the crew asked.

"My job description does not actually require me to guard the gate i'm merely here to ask your intentions"the old woman said "So that settles it we wanna go to the sky islands"Luffy said "But we don't have the money so we can pay you"Usopp said "Very well, the eight of you then?"the old woman asked.

"Yeah except we still need you to tell us how to get there"Luffy said then a couple of pincers grabbed the side of their ship "What the heck is that?!"Luffy asked "The white seas famous express lobster"the old woman said before the lobster took off taking the Going Merry up the cloud waterfall thing.