83. Tom Is Missing? God Enel!

Ten thousand meters above the sky.

Nami and the rest have bounced back from the lengthy high-altitude trip, and though there's no panic, a hint of uncertainty creeps in.

"Captain Al, where exactly are we headed?" Nami inquires.

Nearly 20 minutes of airborne travel have passed, yet there's no indication of descent.

Could it be we are aiming for the heavens?

As if confirming Nami's suspicion, Al extended his index finger, pointing towards the clouds, and gave a slight nod.

Carina was the first to express her disbelief with a loud exclamation, "Captain Al, you're not kidding, are you?"

Before anyone could respond, another bout of violent shaking reignited everyone's nerves!

The Black Pearl, suspended in mid-air for about one to two seconds, suddenly plunged downwards with a sharp descent.

The sudden weightlessness caused everyone present to break out in a cold sweat, desperately seeking something to anchor themselves.

Just as Nami and the others managed to stabilize themselves, the next moment...

Merlin waved his magic wand, and directly beneath the Black Pearl, a massive balloon materialized out of thin air.

The deafening sound of the balloon bursting.

Immediately after, the powerful waves from the balloon's explosion propelled the Black Pearl skyward once more, until it pierced through the clouds!

As soon as they breached the clouds, Merlin waved his wand again, casting Tom under Hypnosis as Al had instructed earlier.

Under Merlin's spell, Tom collapsed onto the deck, falling into a deep slumber in less than a second.

Shortly after, a thought bubble appeared above Tom's head.

Accompanied by a fitting background music.

In the illustration, Tom dons a Superman suit, soaring high above the sky!

The crimson moon cast Tom's towering shadow against the building's wall.

Downstairs, a chorus of voices echoed, chanting Supertom's name.

Just as Supertom basked in the thrill of the crowd's cheers, a pair of large hands materialized from thin air and snatched Supertom.

On the deck, amidst the shocked gazes of Al and the others, Merlin reached out and plucked Supertom from the bubble.

Gently cradling the diminutive Supertom in his hand, Merlin lowered him to the ground. Then, he affectionately patted Supertom on the head and said:

"Supertom, we need your assistance immediately."

"Take a look at this ship. Can you transport it to this location?" Merlin asked, presenting the nautical chart sketched by Al to Supertom.

Meeting Merlin's hopeful gaze, Supertom lifted his head, confidently thumping his chest, and replied, "No problem, little mouse. Leave it to me."

With determination, Supertom swiftly flew beneath the boat without a moment's hesitation.

Grasping the vessel effortlessly with one hand, Supertom let out a triumphant shout.

"Hey, folks! Supertom is taking off! Please fasten your seat belts!"

Before Nami and the others could fully recover from the previous shock, Supertom's voice echoed.

The scene unfolded before them like a fast-moving train journey seen through a window, swiftly passing from view!

This speed is almost akin to the speed of light. If Merlin did not cast a protective barrier on the Black Pearl using magic, it would surely disintegrate instantly!

Observing the protective shield above their heads emitting a faint golden glow, and the scenery whizzing past within their line of sight, Nami and the others couldn't help but exhale a sigh of relief, gradually releasing the objects they clung onto tightly.

"Captain Al, we..." Carina began to speak, but Al pointed towards the sky island coming into view and interrupted:

"Here we are, prepared for battle."

"Ba...?" 

"Captain Al, what battle? Against whom? What's our objective?" Nami pressed, her tone filled with uncertainty.

Facing Nami's persistent questioning, Al shrugged, a hint of anticipation on his face.

"It's obvious, isn't it? We're here to fight. Why else would I have brought us here?"

Carina, who had lagged behind in understanding, followed Al's gesture, her gaze landing on the floating island ahead.

Not caring about the impending battle, Nami's pupils dilated as she covered her mouth in disbelief.

"There are islands in the sky?" she exclaimed, her voice filled with incredulity.

Robin, witnessing Nami's reaction, couldn't help but be momentarily stunned, her heart rippling with layers of surprise.

Vivi, preoccupied with the recent events, paid little attention to these revelations as Karoo had fainted.

Spike, fixating on a white cloud resembling a bone nearby, drooled onto the deck in anticipation.

If it weren't for Muscles restraining him, Spike would have likely leaped down without hesitation.

As the Black Pearl reached the sky above Sky Island, Tom gradually stirred from his slumber due to the commotion of the crowd.

With the burst of Tom's snot bubble, Supertom beneath the boat instantly dissipated into a cloud of white mist.

"Meow?" Tom yawned, tilting his head as he glanced at the people around him with a puzzled expression, a bold question mark suddenly appearing beside his head.

"Spike, I'm entrusting you with a very challenging task!" Al declared, placing a hand on Spike's shoulder and retrieving a urea bag from behind with a serious demeanor.

"Spike, take this and knock Tom, by any means necessary!"

With that command, Al placed the bag of urine into Spike's hand and pushed him towards Tom.

Observing Al's encouragement to bully Tom, Spike immediately broke into an evil grin.

"Tom, don't blame me for this. I really don't want to bully you," Spike stated with faux remorse.

With lightning speed, Spike approached Tom and attempted to dunk him into the urine bag, tears streaming from his eyes.

However, just as Spike was about to carry out his plan, he suddenly froze in place.

Sensing trouble, Spike nervously swallowed and prodded around with his feet.

"What...!" Spike's panicked cry echoed through the air in the next moment!

Spike hurled the urea-filled bag containing Tom away, and as a consequence, both Tom and the bag were flung from his grasp.

Beneath Spike, the Black Pearl plummeted rapidly, carrying Al and the rest.

In a moment of panic, Nami and Carina squeezed their eyes shut, clinging to Al's arm tightly, screaming in terror.

Al found himself engulfed by waves, struggling to breathe amidst the chaos.

"N-Nami, Carina, let go of me..." Al gasped, his words barely audible over the din.

Before Al could finish speaking, the panicked cries of Carina and Nami echoed in his ears.

"No, I don't want to!!!" Carina's voice trembled with fear.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Nami's scream pierced the chaos.

Carina's situation was even more dire than Al's.

Vivi tightly hugged Karoo's neck, her face turning red as if she were about to suffocate.

Observing their reaction, Robin couldn't help but laugh before shifting her gaze to Muscles, who was holding her hand.

Despite the continued freefall at high speed, Robin didn't sense an immediate crisis. Instead, she felt a keen curiosity about the method Muscles would employ to ensure a safe landing.

Unaware of Robin's musings, Muscles couldn't help but think to himself, "At this height, I can't fall to my death!"

With nobody available to safeguard the boat, Merlin spread his hands helplessly and waved his wand.

As the moment of impact approached, Robin observed Muscles' lack of reaction and couldn't help but feel a surge of panic.

With just a few meters left to the ground, Robin squeezed her eyes shut tightly.

"Cien Fleur: Wing (Hundred Flower)," Robin uttered calmly.

Suddenly, a pair of wings sprouted behind Robin and Al, lifting them up just in time.

Though it lasted only a second, it significantly slowed their descent speed. 

Al seized this opportunity and utilized Soru, adjusting their landing direction towards a nearby white cloud.

A soft sound was heard as Al and the others landed on the cloud, only to be promptly thrown off again, eventually landing in a white ocean.

Fortunately, both Carina and Robin were adept at handling such situations.

It took Al a short while to rescue them and bring them to shore.

As all the crew disembarked, the Black Pearl descended slowly onto the surface of the white sea under Merlin's magic.

Just as everyone began to feel a sense of relief, preparing to sit down and catch their breath, Carina suddenly cried out, "Where are Tom and Spike?"

With those words, the tension that had just begun to ease in everyone's hearts tightened once again.

A terrible thought struck Al's mind!

The White White Sea here isn't actually deep. Usopp once swam for a bit and then touched the bottom!

If that's the case...

Could it be that Tom and Spike...

With this realization, Al hastily instructed Nami to ring the bell, consumed with worry!

Of course, Al's concern wasn't solely about whether Spike and Tom would survive the fall from such a height.

Instead, he was worried about the chaos that would ensue in Blue Sea after the two of them were separated from him!

Even though Tom and Spike possessed formidable, seemingly immortal bodies, if they were to fall directly into Marine Headquarters, it would spell trouble!

It's important to note that Tom only becomes stronger when he's certain his opponents are weaker. Faced with a group of sailors or even an Admiral, Tom and Spike would likely surrender without a fight!

As Nami rang the bell, Spike, who had been falling towards Blue Sea, suddenly appeared atop Nami's head.

Fortunately, Carina had the foresight to erect a barrier above Nami's head, which shielded her from Spike's overwhelming pressure.

Spike, feeling relieved of the weightlessness, slowly opened his eyes. Upon seeing Al for the first time, he immediately rushed forward.

Spike hugged Al tightly, recounting how terrifying the ordeal had been with snot and tears.

However, Al was currently too preoccupied to listen to Spike's chatter, as Tom's whereabouts remained unknown.

"Spike, you can share your experience later. Let me ask you first, where is Tom? Didn't he fall with you?" Al inquired urgently.

After pondering for a moment, Spike shook his head and replied, "No."

"No? Are you certain?" Al pressed, his concern mounting.

Observing Spike's thoughtful expression, Nami and the others suddenly grew anxious, rushing towards the White Sea, prepared to dive down in search of Tom.

"Stop!" Al commanded firmly, halting their frantic actions.

"This sea area isn't deep. If Tom really fell, he should still be at an altitude of 10,000 meters."

Upon hearing Al's words, Nami and Vivi felt their minds go blank, staggering and collapsing onto the white sea.

Observing Carina and Robin, who were still unconscious, Al frowned, attempting to piece together the events that had just transpired in his mind.

At this moment, Al's brain functioned like a high-precision computer, each frame flashing through his mind like a movie.

"Damn, it's all a blur..." Al gritted his teeth, cold sweat breaking out on his forehead.

Just then, several Sky Islanders, sporting wings and white berets, crawled towards them.

As the group of peculiar Sky Islanders approached Al and the others, they raised their weapons, appearing vigilant.

"Who are you people?" Nami questioned suspiciously, eyes widening as she murmured, "Angels?"

Before another word could be spoken, a Sky Islander with a collar resembling a curved ladder stepped forward from the crowd.

"We're not angels, we're White Berets, the guards tasked with protecting this island!" the Sky Islander clarified.

"Have you folks from Blue sea paid the entry fee?" he questioned.

Before Nami could reply, Spike hastily shook his head, earning a stern rebuke from Nami.

Observing that some hadn't paid the fee, the Sky Islander, donning the white beanie, adopted a serious demeanor and declared, "If you haven't paid the entry fee, then you've entered the country illegally, and I'll have to take you all in!"

As the White Berets spoke, they brandished their weapons one by one, appearing poised to make arrests.

Observing this, Nami and Vivi exchanged glances and simultaneously drew their weapons.

Meanwhile, Spike and Muscles maintained an indifferent demeanor, seemingly unfazed and casually snacking.

Al, who had been deep in thought, finally felt a breakthrough as he was about to discern Tom's flight path.

However, his concentration was abruptly shattered by the commotion of several individuals.

Al slowly opened his eyes, his frown deepening into an impatient scowl.

Swiftly and efficiently, he incapacitated all of them, not allowing them a chance to react.

After dealing with the situation, Al clapped his hands, returning the baseball bat to his backpack, and resumed his contemplation.

However, at that moment, the individual with the ladder-like collar managed to prop himself up with trembling arms, his voice trembling with anger as he spoke:

"You dare to lay a hand on us! God will hear of this, and you'll regret it!" the individual with the ladder-like collar exclaimed angrily.

"Then go ahead and summon your goddamn god, Enel, and get the hell out of here!"

"Old man, if you spout nonsense again and disrupt my train of thought, don't blame me for tossing you off Sky Island!" 

With Al's outburst, the members of the incapacitated White Berets trembled involuntarily, as if they had heard something dreadful.

Under the astonished gaze of Nami and the others, the White Berets quickly retreated into the distance, trembling.

"You dare to utter blasphemy against the gods, you're as good as dead, kid!" 

"God?" Nami and Vivi exchanged puzzled glances, their faces filled with doubt.

Suddenly, at that moment, a ring emitting terrifying voltage materialized in the sky!

Upon witnessing the scene, Al swiftly drew the western sword from behind, cursing furiously.

"Why does someone have to interfere every time I try to trace Tom's flight path!" Al's angry exclamation reverberated.

"Enel, show yourself!" Al's voice thundered, startling the group of White Berets into a hasty retreat.

Meanwhile, the residents of Sky Island couldn't help but tremble upon hearing Al's furious outburst.

Enel, who heard Al's wrathful voice through the Mantra, immediately adopted a stern expression and retorted coldly.

"In that case, we'll send you all to your doom!" 

As his words echoed, the rings above Al's head began to condense a menacing pressure of thunder.

The sound of crackling electricity intensified, sending shivers down Nami's spine.

----------

Read chapters in advance in Patr*on: patr*on.com/Cosmic_Kaminari