Chapter 31 - Skypiea Pt 4 3/3

"Actually, it's a whip," I corrected. "Ohm called it an Eisen Whip. The hilt holds a very special Cloud Dial called an Eisen Dial. It acts like the Dials Satori used to produce his Ball Clouds, only instead of making island cloud, it makes clouds as solid as iron. His default form for it was a sword…" I grinned eagerly. "But he was able to manipulate it into a variety of shapes." My grin widened when Nami snapped her head around to stare at me in shock. "I know it might be a longshot, but considering your skillset—"

"How did he operate it?" Nami demanded, examining the hilt intently.

"Oh, I think I might know!" Conis offered, stepping up to her and pointing out a few hidden buttons and dials I hadn't noticed on the neck of the weapon's hilt. "See here? Unless I miss my guess, this whole device acts as a large control apparatus for the Dial. It's a little elaborate, but it doesn't seem to be too different from a traditional rig. Unless I'm mistaken…" She started pointing out controls one by one. "This one controls the pressure, this one regulates the humidity, this one the air flow—"

"Which one produces the cloud?" Nami cut in dully, her eyes and voice glazed over with an analytical haze that I'd only ever seen whenever she was drawing a map or watching the sky.

Conis glanced at Nami in surprise before hesitantly pointing out a button. "I… think you need to hold this one down? I'd suggest exercising caution, however, these kind of Dials tend to be very—"

Nami rammed her thumb into the button, causing a long blade of pure white to lance out from the hilt that forced Conis to jump back with a shocked yelp.

"SENSITIVE! Be careful, Nami!"

But Nami wasn't listening. She wasn't even looking at Conis. Rather, she was staring at the hilt she was holding up at eye level, watching the cloud shoot out of it in a steady stream, her face a mask of focus. Without even a moment's hesitation, she started pressing the whip's controls at random, causing the cloud to destabilize and lash out uncontrollably like some form of amorphous tentacle, varying wildly in size, shape and length.

However, the randomness of her movements didn't last long. Soon, her actions took on a tone of control and thought. Where the cloud was flailing randomly before, it started moving with much more… fluidity. And it was fluid in more ways than one. While at first the cloud had been smooth and seamless, it slowly started to thicken and flow. Bit by bit, the cloud expanded and puffed out so that it looked denser and… well, honestly, it even looked fluffier.

In no time at all, where once there was an uncontrollably flailing tentacle of cloud-matter was now an entirely natural-looking cloud, flowing from the hilt Nami was holding and drifting around her like some great watchful spirit.

"Woooah…" Luffy breathed in awe.

Conis, for her part, was utterly speechless. "H-how—?" she started to stammer out.

"Alright…" Nami muttered, not even looking up at the cloud as she watched her fingers fly over the controls. "Now that I've got the hang of this thing, let's see what it can really do…"

And where once Nami's fingers flew, now they danced. And the cloud danced with them, flowing around her to coalesce into a singular mass. The cloud surged and morphed for a moment before twisting into an almost perfect sphere, interrupted only by the line of clouds flowing back to the hilt. It held its shape for a moment before collapsing back into formless cloud and roiling into a three-dimensional model of a pyramid. It then repeated the process to form a cube, a star, and even a hollow dodecahedron. But the real clincher was the final form she created: a hand. While it might not have looked like an entirely natural hand, more a glove than anything, the real impressive part was how it moved, the fingers flexing and articulating with as much ease as though they were made of flesh and blood.

Nami stared at the hand in open-mouthed awe for a moment before slowly letting a rapturous grin grow on her face. "Oh, yes…" she purred eagerly. "I can definitely use this."

"Wooow," breathed the Dumbass Trio and the TDWS. Everyone else was just as shocked; Sanji wasn't even able to swoon nor Zoro able to scowl at the sheer mastery Nami had just managed.

"Well, now…" Robin muttered, the wonder evident in her voice.

"That was incredible, Nami!" Vivi gushed eagerly.

"Now that was epic," I whistled in awe.

"O-oh my, I'm sorry for staring, but this is simply uncanny!" Pagaya breathed. "Why, the only person I've ever seen operate a Cloud Dial with such precision was another Dial engineer from another Sky Island! Oh, I haven't heard from him for such a long time, he left to travel on the Blue Sea over twenty years a—!" The old man cut himself off suddenly, and he and I shared shocked looks. We then veeery slowly started leaning backwards, tilting our heads as we went.

"I DO NOT HAVE AMPUTATION SCARS!" Nami snarled irately.

We hastily snapped back upright.

"But my father does have a point!" Conis blurted, staring at the cloud in wonder. "I-I've never seen anyone handle a Dial with such ease! Ohm himself couldn't even do that, judging from when he fought Sanji!"

"Why do you think I gave that thing to Nami?" I asked rhetorically. "The cloud that thing makes might be made of iron, but it's still a cloud. Because it's a cloud, it's still a part of weather, and because it's part of weather? Well…" I trailed off with a vicious grin. "That just about makes it Nami's bitch."

"It's just all so obvious…" Nami giggled to herself as she reduced the cloud back to its natural-looking state, making it flow around her free hand. "It's like a real cloud, and I have all of the control I need at my… fingertips…" she trailed off for a moment before grinning eagerly. "A cloud…" In a flash, she snapped her hand to her side and whipped out a section of the Clima-Tact, spinning it between her fingers.

Soundbite took one look at the crackling static starting to coalesce around the rod before recoiling fearfully. "NONONONOWAIT!"

Too late. Satisfied with the charge, Nami held the metal rod in a reverse grip and rammed its tip into the cloud flow. The reaction was instantaneous: the cloud became as black as pitch, tongues of lightning forked through and around the form…

TH-THUMP!

And I jerked back fearfully when the whole of my body burned, phantom electrical burns raging throughout my body as I only barely managed to choke back a terrified yelp.

Nami hastily ripped the rod away with a stricken look and dropped the Eisen Whip's hilt, causing the clouds to snap back into the device. "C-Cross! I'm so sorry, that was so stupid of me and—!"

"Don't!" I interrupted, snapping my hand up in order to halt the apology. "Do not apologize for doing that, you hear me? It was an accident, you didn't mean it, it's fine."

"I…" Nami hesitated momentarily before grinding the heel of her palm into her forehead with a groan. "Ugh, I'm so embarrassed I forgot… well, at least I won't be using that again anytime soon—"

"No!" I snapped, crossing my arms in an X. "This is going to push you far above and beyond the 'one-man army' level of power, you're not foregoing that just because of my stupid phobia!"

"No, I'm foregoing it because I need to get this in a more convenient form," Nami replied, picking up the Whip's hilt and shoving both it and the sections of her Clima-Tact into Usopp's hands. "Boss, I need the Heat Dial. Usopp, you take that, a Water Dial, and a Thunder Dial and merge them with these, ASAP."

"Wha—? B-but I—" Usopp stammered.

"Oh, I should be able to help with that," Conis offered. "I'm not a fully trained Dial Engineer, but my father's given me some training, so I could at least try and help."

"Assuming you don't confuse the usage of a Milky Dial again, anyways."

"SU!"

"Eheheh, I'm sure you'll be a great help anyways, Conis," Usopp hedged uncomfortably before looking back at me. "Hey, Cross, could I borrow your baton, too? I… think I have a few ideas."

I blinked in surprise before shrugging and tossing the compressed tube to him. "Whatever sort of ideas you have, just make sure you pass them through me first."

"ONE TIME!" the longnose threw his hands up in exasperation.

"And Nami!" I jabbed my finger at her. "Even once you've got your new and improved weapon, I don't want you to so much as hesitate before sparking up some lightning around me, no matter what. As a matter of fact, I want you to make a point of doing it more often, make it your go-to option!"

"WHAT!?" Nami and Chopper belted out in unison, the doctor jumping up and down and waving his hooves frantically. "Cross, are you insane?! You're suffering from a trauma-induced phobia! If you force yourself to undergo it again and again—!"

"Then I'll get used to it pretty quickly, won't I?" I finished blandly.

Chopper stared at me in confusion for all of three seconds before tensing in realization. "You're talking about trying to employ systematic desensitization therapy…" He shook his head furiously. "But that takes time, and it has to be employed in a controlled environment! What you're proposing is a crude and ham-handed knock-off that could cause you serious psychological damage!"

"And what would your alternative be, our most wondrous doctor?" I questioned with a cocked eyebrow.

"Well…" Chopper tapped his chin in thought. "The usual treatment for PTSD involves a combination of psychotherapy and medication… I could make the proper dosages, and since we have enough Thunder Dials, I could probably set up some kind of a simulation. In a few months—"

"Considering the average day for our crew and the Grand Line's weather, I don't think we have time for extended therapy, Chopper," I cut in dryly. "Add in the fact that the cause of the phobia was transmitted the world over, and chances are that someone will try and exploit it for their benefit."

The doctor looked up at me with a scowl, but he ultimately sighed and shook his head. "… Fine, it looks like we'll have to do it your way. But you will be taking medications as soon as I've prepared them, doctor's orders."

"Fair enough," I nodded. Silence fell for a few moments before Usopp cleared his throat.

"Well, it looks like I'm going to be busy; with Cross' armor and baton, Nami's Clima-Tact, and my own arsenal, plus the ideas I have for Vivi and Carue, I've got work to do. But just to be sure I'm not surprised later, does anyone else have any suggestions for upgrades?"

Most of the crew shook their heads, but Boss gained a thoughtful expression as he took out his cargo hook, looking it over. "Hmm… the main issue I've had with my rope-dart over the years has been when I was fighting someone who managed to grab the rope. You think you could figure out a way to integrate a Heat Dial?"

Usopp processed that and cupped his chin. "Hmm… it'll be tricky, but I think I can manage it."

"Excellent," Boss growled sadistically, before turning to his students. "And the rest of you?"

"Pass, I'd prefer to get more used to what Conis brought onboard," Mikey grinned as he spun a (thankfully unloaded) pistol around his flipper.

"Show-off…" Raphey snorted before shrugging and patting her sais. "Personally, I'm fine with my weapons the way they are." Donny and Leo nodded in agreement.

"Alright, then, if that's everything, I'd better get started," Usopp said, turning to head towards the storage room, Conis and Su following.

"Uh, actually, one more thing," I said quickly, causing the sniper to look back at me. "Usopp, whatever plans you make for incorporating the Eisen Dial for Nami, wait until we're back on the Blue Sea to put them in action; clouds can't normally form down there like they can up here. There's some way to make it happen, but you'll have to figure it out."

Usopp frowned, but nodded. "Thanks for the heads-up, Cross. In that case, Conis, I'll call you once I've got the blueprints started."

He turned to head back inside…

"Hold it."

When all attention was turned back towards the shoreline, where a relatively familiar figure who I hadn't had the opportunity to meet in person until now was standing.

"C-Captain McKinley!" Conis instinctively snapped to attention. "W-what are you doing here?!"

The captain of the White Berets smiled as he strode across the gangplank towards Conis. "Come now, soldier, did you really expect to simply leave Skypiea without a proper farewell? And I'm not alone in that sentiment either."

Before anyone could ask what he meant, the unmistakable sound of Dial skates came from the shore. Two much more familiar figures jetted out from the branches of the trees, coming to a reasonably smooth stop on the deck of the ship.

"Laki? Wiper?" Conis asked. While the berserker kept a neutral look on his face, Laki smiled kindly.

"Leaving without saying goodbye, Conis?" the sniper-guerilla chuckled fondly. "I suppose you're not as well-mannered as you'd like to pretend, huh?"

"Ah, w-well I, uh…" Conis started to stammer out.

"ATTEEEEN-HUT!"

Until McKinley clicked his heels and barked at the top of his lungs, causing Conis to snap to attention without a second's hesitation… along with the TDWS.

Boss gave his students a dirty look before snapping his flippers… somehow… causing the younger dugongs to sag in relief. "Clearly I need to… refine my training," he groused. His tone of voice was enough to cause his students to stiffen in terror.

Meanwhile, Captain McKinley stepped up before Conis, towering imperiously over her. "Reserve Officer Conis," he barked in a firm and official tone. "I have known you for many years. Over that time, I have watched you grow, becoming stronger with each passing month. Your training in the art of Sky Warfare has made you a strong soldier, skilled with every ranged weapon our arsenal could yield. You are, at minimum, my equal in strength, and yet you maintain the gentle heart that you had from the day you first requested training. You are an example to us all. In light of this, and in recognition of your valor in helping both to evacuate Angel Island and to topple the tyrant Eneru, I am pleased to officially induct you into the ranks of the White Berets and promote you to the rank of Commander, as well as placing you in command of your own unit: the White Berets… Straw Hat division."

McKinley maintained his stern expression for a moment longer before allowing himself a warm smile as he removed and unfolded a beret from his pocket and held it out to the angel.

Conis stared at the hat, stunned, before swallowing and shakily taking the beret in her hands and situating it on her head. It hid her antenna-like hairstyle for a moment until they poked through holes in the hat that I suspect hadn't been present a few hours ago. "I-I accept this promotion with the utmost dignity," she stammered out, tears shining in her eyes. "A-and I vow that I will put forth my best effort to maintain the integrity and valor of the White Berets from this point onwards, Captain."

McKinley grinned before snapping into that peculiar salute, legs together and left hand behind the head, index and little fingers raised. "HESO!"

Conis mirrored the action immediately, a tearful smile on her face. "HESO!"

"HESO!" came an echo from behind us. I turned to see that the Dumbass Trio, Sanji, Vivi, Carue (inasmuch as he could), and the dugongs had taken up the same salute, including Boss.

A slight bumping against my neck prompted me to look at Soundbite, who had an eyestalk cocked. I stared at him for a second before shrugging with a sigh. "Oh, what the heck…" I snapped into the pose as well. "HESO!"

"Heh," McKinley chuckled as he relaxed. "You've got good friends at your back, soldier. I hope your training and experience serves you well. Good luck, Commander Conis." And with that, the Captain strode back up the gangplank.

Laki was the next to come forward, still smiling at Conis. "Conis… I know we haven't known each other for long." She scratched her neck with a sheepish chuckle. "Honestly, I wish things had been different; it seems like you could have been the sister I never had. Well," she snickered to herself. "The relatively-same-aged sister, anyways. But, that's not how life works. Instead, you're going straight back to fighting with a heck of an arsenal at your back. So, from one gun-wielder to another…" She dug her hand into the ammo pouch at her side and removed a pair of goggles, which she then held out to Conis.

"My goggles," she explained as Conis accepted the headwear and looked them over. "They've served me well over the years, but I don't think I'll have any more use for them in the future. The lenses are tinted in order to help deal with muzzle fla—" Her explanation was cut off by Conis catching her in a surprise hug, arms wrapped around her neck. Laki stood still for a moment before chuckling sadly and returning the hug, giving Conis a comforting pat on the back.

"Try not to get yourself killed down there, alright?" she breathed tearily.

"No promises," Conis chuckled back. "You know how crazy this crew tends to be."

"Don't worry, I'll keep her safe," Su piped up as she examined her own paw before tilting her head thoughtfully. "Well, unless it's funny, of course."

Laki out and out laughed when Conis slumped in her arms in defeat. "Of course! I wouldn't expect anything less!"

The two hugged for a bit longer until they extricated themselves from one another's arms, Laki giving Conis a final pat on the shoulder before turning back and walking back up the ramp, during which Conis took the opportunity to slip the goggles on and situate them around her neck.

Finally, Wiper stepped forward, his expression still neutral. If the way she stiffened was any indication, Conis was still a little nervous around the man, despite being on good enough terms with him that they could pass as friends. I noticed as he approached that he was carrying a small box in one hand, about the size of a decent novel.

"I know I'm not really your friend like those two, and I can't do polite worth shit, so I'll try and keep this brief," he bluntly stated. "With Eneru gone and my ancestors' wishes fulfilled, the worst battles of my life are behind me now. But if even half of what Cross said is accurate, you'll need all the strength you can get…" He trailed off slightly before sighing in defeat. "And… besides that, I owe this crew more than I can ever repay. So, I'll give you my strongest weapon to add to your arsenal."

He opened the box and removed its contents: a shell identical to an Impact Dial, except for the fact that it was midnight black, so that the holes and shell were almost indistinguishable. Conis gasped.

"Is that—?"

"My Reject Dial. With the capabilities that this crew has shown already, I have no doubt that you'll be able to make use of it effectively."

"I… I don't know what to say… thank you, Wiper," Conis whispered, taking the Dial reverently. The berserker managed to crack a sincere smile.

"Good luck." He made to head back as well…

"Hey, Wiper, hang on a second!"

Before turning back as I moved over to him. I lowered my voice as I spoke the next words… and geeze, I was making a lot of investments today. "It goes without saying that we want you to keep that pillar safe for us. But if a certain…" I coughed into my fist in order to mask my chuckle. "'Spring-heeled dickweasel' shows up here, tell him that he can have it as a loan from us." I weathered the flat look he gave me. "Assuming you get into a fight with everyone who comes up here, and we both know you will—"

"Of course," Wiper flatly confirmed.

"Then you'll understand what I mean when you meet him."

The Shandian rolled his eyes before nodding. "Alright, 'spring-heeled dickweasel,' got it," he muttered. And with that, he moved back to the shore.

"ARE YOU NUTS?!" Soundbite hissed in my ears.

"Yes. Your point?" I replied calmly.

The snail opened his mouth to respond, and then closed it, shrugging. "Another long con and high-stakes gamble?" he reasoned, audibly enough that the rest of the crew could hear.

"Exactly," I said as I looked back at them, which served to satisfy most of the crew.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Su piped up.

Most of them.

"I'll tell you later. For now," I said, grinning as I turned to my captain. "The day is quickly coming to an end, so with all of our earnings stored up, what say head towards our next adventure?"

"Right! Set sail!" Luffy yelled.

"Hold it!"

All attention snapped upwards, where a pair of familiar birds soared towards us before landing on Zoro and Sanji's shoulders.

"You're not staying with the Shandians?" Sanji asked.

"I don't think so," Terry said, still unusually calm. "Now that we know what really happened, and we know that Shandora is still safe, we don't have any reason to stay."

"Perhaps someday we shall return to Jaya to tell the rest of our fellows what happened… but for the time being, it would be an utter disservice to deprive you of my glorious physique," Isaiah said with a pose.

"OR MY POWER!" Terry said, back to the way we knew him.

"Yeah, right," Soundbite snickered. "THEY JUST realized that their game means JACK WITH HOW BIG the other birds ARE!"

"SHUT UP!" both of them screeched, which only made Soundbite and the rest of us laugh harder.

"Alright, now we set sail!" Luffy cheered.

"HOLD IT!" Soundbite yelled.

"WHAT NOW?" shouted most of the crew, myself included.

"I'M HEARING one heartbeat too many. SOMEONE ELSE is onboard," he said sotto voce, which dissolved the lingering anger. The snail concentrated a bit more before jabbing an eyestalk at the storage room. I gestured to Lassoo, who padded alongside me as I walked through the door, taking in the area. Another glance at Soundbite led me to a barrel… not big enough for a normal person to fit inside. I put the pieces together with a wry chuckle before turning around and waving to Zoro. The swordsman in question approached and grabbed the barrel, and as we left the room, he tossed it with no great regard at the growing crowd of Shandians, Skypieans, and Enforcers—Eneru's rampage and Gedatsu and Ohm's callousness having swayed around a dozen of them enough that they had escaped exile—gathering on the shore to see us off.

"HEADS UP, nascent rat INFESTATION HEADING your way!" Soundbite called out. The largest of the Shandians, Genbo, caught the barrel without thinking and was about to toss it into the water when the top suddenly shot off.

"GET-EM-OFF-GET-EM-OFF-GET-EM-OFF!" Aisa shrieked in panic as she leapt out of the barrel and started flailing her arms in a panic as she ran around in a circle.

"Get what off?" I asked her innocently. "We said we were getting rid of a rat and that's what we just did!"

Aisa promptly froze as she processed those words before snarling and shaking her fists at me. "YOU TWO-TIMING SON OF A—!"

"Aisa."

The young Shandian froze mid-fist-shake, cold sweat coalescing on her brow as she slooowly turned around to stare up at Wiper, Kamakiri and, most important of all, Laki as the three of them all glared down at her. Aisa was frozen for a moment before she tried to bolt for the Merry, but she hadn't even made it a step when Laki grabbed the back of her shirt and hoisted her into the air, heedless of her kicking and flailing.

"LEMME GO, LEMME GO!" the young oracle shrieked, pinwheeling her arms childishly. "I LISTENED TO WHAT CROSS SAID ABOUT THE BLUE SEA AND IT SOUNDS AWESOME! I WANNA BE A PIRATE AND GO ON ADVENTURES TOO!"

Vivi gave me a sidelong look. "What are you, Patient Zero for a new mutation of the madness Roger already let loose?"

"Hey, don't blame me!" I protested as I pointed at Luffy. "He's the one who infected me, I just happen to be more contagious is all, both intentionally and otherwise."

"Shishishi! I'm convectious!" Luffy snickered.

"That is neither a good thing nor the right word, Luffy," Nami deadpanned.

Back on the shore, Laki was entirely unaffected by Aisa's protests. "Aisa, you are thirteen years old. Even if you weren't practically my younger sister, I'd still stop you! You are not going and that's final!"

"But Conis' father is letting her go!" Aisa whined petulantly.

"Conis is twenty-three and she's packing enough heat for a full squad of warriors," Wiper drawled in a flat tone. "You, meanwhile, are underage and have little to no experience with combat."

"ONLY BECAUSE YOU NEVER LET ME DO ANYTHING!" she spat venomously. Aisa appeared to wind up for another outburst before pausing contemplatively. She then promptly switched tracks by waving desperately at our ship. "HEY, I LOVE ADVENTURE AND WANNA SEE THE SEAS TOO! CAN I COME WITH YOU?"

"SU—GAH!" Luffy was interrupted by half of our crew dogpiling him. I observed the skirmish for a second before shooting a grin at the coast and holding my hand up to my ear like a phone.

"Sorry—ktch—must be a—ktch—ad connection—ktch—try again some other time!"

"WE'RE NOT USING SNAILS, YOU BASTARD!"

"Sorry, can't hear you, going through a tunnel!" I called back before spinning my finger in the air and glancing desperately at the rest of the crew. "Go go go!"

I swear, you could hear the non-existent rubber burning we got out of there so fast. But the last words we heard as we sailed away were spoken with all the conviction of one of our dreams: "YOU WON'T STOP ME FOREVER! SOMEDAY, I'LL BECOME ONE OF THE STRAW HAT PIRATES, I PROMISE IT! I PROMISE!"

I watched Upper Yard start to shrink in the distance before sighing and slapping a hand to my face. "Well, that tears it. Call me crazy, but even if it takes months, maybe years, we officially have not seen the last of Aisa."

"THEN YOU'D better be able to fight off THOSE THREE AT ONCE WHEN THAT DAY COMES!" Soundbite crowed. It didn't sound that loud, but I had no doubt that it had reached its intended recipient.

"Joy…"

From there, it was about as calm and casual a journey as we could get from the White-White Sea back to the White Sea, and down to Cloud End, with Pagaya sailing alongside us in order to guide us to the very end. Once the gateway of clouds appeared in the distance, I surreptitiously caught Conis and Su's attention and made a shushing motion, which they thankfully nodded at, albeit Conis only doing so after Su whispered something to her.

All too soon, we'd arrived: Cloud End. It was a supremely literal name for the location, for while the true drop was obscured by the architecture, it was clear to see that past this point, the mighty Cumulo Regalis came to an end.

"So, this is the way out, huh?" Nami whistled appreciatively.

"I don't wanna gooo…" Luffy whined as he laid on his special seat, pouting childishly at the gate both due to our imminent departure and the… manual veto we'd put him through earlier.

"I know the sentiment all too well, captain," Boss shook his head with a sigh as he held a fist before his face. "But truly, to leave behind a paradise as we set out on the path for our next adventure… while it is not a Man's Romance, no…" He shot his fist into the air. "IT IS INDEED A STEP TOWARDS OUR NEXT ONE!"

"GO, BOSS, GO!"

"To think we actually sailed in the sky!" Vivi giggled jubilantly as she hugged Carue. "Can you believe that we actually did all of this?!"

"Bawewy, and da onwy weason I do is becawse I still smeww wike I should be sahved with owange sauce!" Carue snickered.

"Well, this is it…" Su whistled appreciatively as she eyed the gate.

"I know that I'll miss it…" Conis gazed backwards longingly for a moment before clenching her fists before her chest, her eyes blazing with determination. "But at least I know that it will make our return one day all the more sweet, right, Su?"

"Right!"

Meanwhile, Pagaya parked his boat on a nearby pier and started running down the Island Cloud in order to keep up. "I'm sorry to say that this is as far as I can follow you! Thank you so much for all you've done, and please stay safe no matter what!"

"Goodbye, Father!" Conis waved eagerly at her dad, joyful tears glistening in her eyes. "I'll miss you, and I'll try and speak on the SBS as often as I can! I'll give Mother your best if I see her! Take care!"

"I will!" Pagaya confirmed proudly. "Now, hurry up and draw the sails, and hold on tight! You're in for something of a ride!"

"You heard the man!" Usopp crowed as he clambered up the rigging. "Let's get ready, it sounds like we're going to be going fast!"

Luffy's morose expression promptly vanished as he glanced at our navigator. "Nami?"

Nami smirked as she held up her Log Pose for all of us to see. "The needle's pointing downwards, captain. We have our heading!"

"Alright!" Luffy whooped as he leapt to his feet, pounding his fists eagerly. "That means that once we get down there, our next adventure begins! Come on! It's time for us to go home!" He shot his fist into the air. "BACK TO THE BLUE SEAS!"

And just like that, we reached the very edge of the Milky Road that heralded our return to the familiar and the end of this saga.

"Here we go…" Conis breathed as she gripped the Merry's railing.

As I eyed the the sheer slope, knowing what was coming up next, my body reacted. My stomach blazed, my blood raced…

"Pff…"

And really, did you expect me to do anything else but laugh?

The noise hit the rest of the crew like a gunshot, causing them to snap their gazes to me in horror.

"Oh, no…" Vivi breathed numbly.

Lassoo snorted in a bored manner… before tensing and snapping his head forwards as he sniffed at the air. "Wait a second…"

"They know something we don't!" Chopper deduced with a wail.

Before anyone could say anything, the Merry tipped over the edge of the slide and started barrelling down the Road, gravity dragging us down at breakneck speeds.

"HANG ONTO YOUR EVERYTHING!" Soundbite hollered.

"Pffff…" I let slip as I felt the wind nip at me, pumping my adrenaline even harder.

"YIPE!" Lassoo yipped as he scrambled over to a rope from the Merry's rigging and sank his teeth into it.

Usopp, meanwhile, grabbed my shoulders and started shaking me furiously. "WHAT'S ABOUT TO HAPPEN, YOU LUNATIC, WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!?"

"Here it comes, here it comes!" Su repeated eagerly.

"I never dreamed I'd actually be able to experience this for myself!" Conis giggled.

"PFFFFFFFF!"

"Conis, Su, dear sweet angels both!" Sanji cried out in a simultaneously heartfelt and panicked tone of voice. "I beg of you, grace us humble mortals with an answer! What's coming!?"

Conis blinked as she was drawn out of her euphoria before smiling beatifically at Sanji. "Why, the drop, of course."

And not a moment later, we hit the curve, and silence reigned as the Merry leapt into the void.

What happened next… well, really now, do I have to spell it out for you?

In the face of us all floating from our nascent freefall, in the face of the great nothingness laid out far below us, in the face of everyone's faces…

"PFFFFHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAA!"

Was there any other option available but for me to roar at the top of my lungs with laughter? And I certainly wasn't alone, either!"

"BAAAAAANZAAAAAAAAIIII!" Soundbite whooped and hollered.

"Wheeeee!" Conis squealed childishly, her arms raised above her head like she was on a roller-coaster.

"TSEEHEEHEEHEEHEEEEEE! I FEEL ALIIIIIIVE!" Su cackled as she spun in circles in the free-fall.

Fifteen exhilarating free-falling seconds later, however, found us beginning a casual descent, suspended by an enormous octopus balloon. Most of the crew was relieved. I, on the other hand…

"PFHAHAHAHAHAHA! YOU SHOULD HAVE SEEN YOUR FACES!" I laughed.

"Now I get why you kept pulling this off two days ago, Cross: it really is fun!" Su cackled, rolling on the deck.

"I… I have to admit, that was funny," Conis said, giggling behind her hand.

"CROSS, YOU SON OF A—!" Sanji began, before melting at seeing Conis laughing.

"Huh. HAS ANYONE actually FINISHED THAT?" Soundbite questioned curiously.

"I'm pleased to say that they haven't!" I said cheerfully.

"I'll change that right now if you don't fucking apologize for making me think we were falling to our deaths!" Nami screeched, one second away from punching me. I opened my mouth to retort before a sobering realization hit me.

"Now that you mention it, I do owe someone an apology," I admitted sheepishly, moving to the front of the ship and patting the metal brace that supported our (I swear it's true) still-sweating figurehead. "Sorry for the scare, Merry, I just wanted to have some fun, is all. Don't worry, we won't let anything like that happen to you on our way to the next island, no matter what."

A solemn silence reigned on the deck as I felt everyone agree from the bottom of their hearts. Even the groaning of the deck sounded appreciative.

I then proceeded to ruin the moment by grinning impishly. "You've gotta admit, though, that was funny, huh?"

KLONK!

"OW!" I yelped, clutching my skull in agony. "The hell—!?"

Usopp held up the pulley that had clocked me with a grin. "Looks like she didn't think so!"

"But that admittedly was," Robin chuckled.

"PREACH IT, sista!" Soundbite chortled.

"The ship is alive?" Conis and Su asked in unison.

"Trust me, this isn't even the weirdest part of our crew," Vivi reassured them.

Conis stared blankly at her for a second before grinning in a slightly demented manner. "I am so excited and so terrified!"

I grumbled at the laughter of the crew for a moment before sighing morosely. "Alright, alright, I'll be a good sport and admit I deserved that. And I'll even still share the advice I was going to give out anyways." I pointed at our captain. "Luffy, as fun as I'm sure it would be, please don't climb up on the octopus and bounce on it." I held up a hand to forestall his whining before it could start. "It'll make the air go out of it faster, and I know you don't want to make the Merry suffer a belly flop when we just talked about how hard the journey's been on her."

Luffy's disappointment evaporated, and he nodded firmly.

"As for you, Usopp," I nodded at the sniper. "Without anything bothering the octopus, we should reach the bottom gently, no problem. Still, if you could use a Jet Dial or two every so often to top it off with air, it definitely wouldn't hurt."

Usopp nodded with just as much firmness.

"Right. Well, with that said, there's not much to do but relax and enjoy the view until we reach the bottom. So, I think I'll take this opportunity to wrap up this part of our story for the rest of the world," I said, pulling out the transceiver. I stopped, however, as that beautiful sound echoed from above us, and I smiled. "Hey, Soundbite, any chance of you being able to replicate that?"

The snail, with an expression of utmost solemnity on his face, shook his head. "Not in a million years," he breathed reverently.

I nodded. But still, to make sure that that bell stayed safe… the rest of the world didn't need to know that.

-o-

On a Marine battleship thousands of meters beneath the Straw Hat Pirates, and several dozens of miles away on top of that, one of the cofounders of MI4 chewed on her tenth cigarette of the day.

Jeremiah Cross' track record for accuracy had been astonishing, but she was simply unable to believe him when he disparaged Vergo like that. She had served alongside the man for so long, and he showed nothing but decency. She was certain that, if only this once, Cross was wrong. And then T-Bone made his vow, and all of that certainty shattered as Cross' words rang in her mind:

'You know as well as I do that nothing I've told you so far has been wrong.'

All she had to go against that was her own experience, and it seemed that for the second time that month, her worldview had been forced into a higher focus. First the Marine Corps as a whole, and now Vergo… was she just incompetent at being able to see the truth of something, past the surface?

"Captain Hina!"

A pair of familiar voices wrenched her out of those thoughts, and she scowled at the two men. "I said not to disturb me unless strictly necessary."

"I think this qualifies, Captain: we've spotted the Barto Club! Should we pursue?" Fullbody asked.

Hina processed that, calling to mind the reputation that 'Black Bart' Bartolomeo had been gathering for himself; his bounty would break 100 million before long if not stopped. Her expression hardened; taking down an infamous pirate like that would help to blow off some steam.

"Full speed after them, fire as soon as we're in range," she ordered quietly.

"Yes, Captain!" they responded before running out. Hina made to follow before pausing, actually considering that idiotic but admittedly formidable duo: A former pirate who nearly razed a village, and a formerly famous Marine who accepted a full demotion to absolve his crimes. Opposite sides of the law, and yet they had become best friends. And they watched each other's backs every day, fully trusting each other. Up until now, she hadn't batted an eyelash at their sob story, simply accepting their strength in her fleet and ignoring them whenever it wasn't pertinent for her to pay attention to them. But…

Hina bit out a tsk as she kneaded the bridge of her nose. No, no, she couldn't afford to doubt them like that. She might have been wrong about Vergo, but so had the rest of the Marines. She couldn't be blamed for not catching him sooner. Fullbody and Jango were both egotistical and somewhat narcissistic morons, but that didn't change the fact that they had good hearts, that they tried.

Hina paused as she considered that point. They had good hearts. What if… what if she reversed the assumption? If there were Marines like Vergo who seemed perfect, to the point of being able to fake being decent all while utterly evil inside… then out there, amidst all those vile pirates on the high seas, the ones who—unlike the Strawhats—depicted themselves to be as utterly ignoble as the Marines claimed… could there quite possibly be some who had some measure of good within themselves?

Her reflections continued in a similar vein until they came within firing distance of the ship. But despite the fact that the effectiveness of her spears lay in the fact that no ship could deflect them… the ship was deflecting them. No, it wasn't just deflecting them, it was slapping them away, full-stop with translucent barriers of energy. Barriers that slowly morphed into the form of… well, now, that was just juvenile.

"He's taunting us," Fullbody snarled, attempting to obliterate the ship through his spyglass.

"The Barrier-Barrier Fruit," Hina growled, gritting her teeth as she yanked the slack out of her gloves. "Come up alongside them. Hina wants to deal with them personally."

"Aye, Captain. FULL SPEED AHEAD, BRING US UP ALONGSIDE THEM!" Jango repeated to the rest of the crew.

The Barto Club made no effort to get away from them. In fact, they even had the gall to drop anchor and wait for them. And as the two ships came up alongside each other, several figures leapt and one animal flew over the gap between vessels. All present, even Hina, gawked at the sight.

"Hehahahaha! Captain 'Black Cage' Hina! Taking you down should be a nice boost on our reputation!" Bartolomeo cackled, his arms crossed over his chest and his fingers crossed over each other. Behind him was a veritable array of forces: half were merely commonplace everyday thugs that had followed him onto the battleship's deck, but the other half… the other half were an issue.

Half of the force was composed of a few individuals who stood out for how nonchalant and comfortable they seemed, as well as the aura of danger they all seemed to exude. Of these, there were three whom she recognized enough to elicit an aggravated scowl.

"Well, isn't this convenient? Hina doesn't know what hole you three crawled out of, but she's glad that you did. You three got away from me once, but it won't happen this time."

"Kyahahaha! Oh, Hina, you really think you have a chance of catching us again? There's a reason we joined up with this guy instead of laying low for the rest of our lives like the other escapees," Miss Valentine threw her head back and cackled eagerly.

"Laying low for the rest of our lives…" Mr. 5 droned contemplatively before shrugging. "Well, I for one would have been all for it, if it weren't for Jeremiah Cross essentially turning the kingdom we were trying to lay low in into a whole new kind of war zone, and one where we could barely show our faces, at that. So, when Bartolomeo came along, we decided to make a fresh start."

"After all, the last time we underestimated a rookie that was on the fast track to infamy, we paid dearly for it. So we chose to follow a winner this time," Miss Goldenweek said tonelessly, swirling her paintbrush over her palette in preparation.

"You'll regret that choice after this. Because unfortunately for you all…" the Captain hissed as she slammed her fist into her palm. "Hina is currently pissed,"

"Bring it on!" Bartolomeo cackled, lolling his tongue out.

Both pirates and Marines surged forward to attack—

"Don don don don!"

Before all movement froze, and all attention snapped towards the nearest Transponder Snail. As it let out another "Don don don don!", Hina looked back at Bartolomeo, who was staring at her neutrally. Then he smiled, chuckled, scratched the back of his head sheepishly and blushed, of all things.

"Heheh… uh, any chance we can call a truce?" he requested in a hopeful tone. Hina stared at him, along with his companions, before ultimately sighing and extending a hand.

"Until the SBS is over," she agreed in a neutral tone.

Bartolomeo grinned (or leered, it was hard to tell with a face like that), shaking her hand with distinctly un-crossed fingers before snapping his attention to the snail, which one of the Marines duly picked up. Any lingering tension between the factions promptly melted away upon hearing the sound on the other end: a beautiful harp melody. Lawbreakers and law-keepers alike milled about the deck as the music continued for another minute or so, before finally, the familiar voice of Jeremiah Cross came through.

"Now, that's a pleasant way to wait. Well! Hello, loyal viewers, and—"

"Welcome back to the SBS," came a familiar voice.

"Welcome—really, Conis? REALLY?!" Cross groused.

"What? But earlier you said—?"

"HEEHEEHEEhoohoohoohahaha!"

"SOUNDBITE!"

Bartolomeo roared with laughter, and most of the other pirates and Marines listening chuckled as well.

"I swear, SOMEDAY I will manage to start this thing again!"

"Sure, when the OCTOPUS SHOGUNATE learns to FLY!" Soundbite chortled.

"…Well, stranger things have happened, so I'm still hopeful," Cross finally sighed in a tone of voice that said he actually wasn't. "Anyways, first things first: I am pleased to announce that as of a few hours ago, we, the Strawhat Pirates, have officially recruited a couple of new crewmates, one of which is the harpist responsible for the beautiful music you just heard. You may remember them from my broadcast yesterday that was… shall we say, derailed?"

"Understatement," chorused several listeners, pirate and Marine alike, all looking rather green.

"But yes," came the female voice again. "Once again, I'm Conis, and as of now, I am the gunner of the Straw Hat Pirates."

"And I'm Su, a cloud fox! I'm coming along too because Conis needs me beside her to have half a chance of not firing a bazooka backwards again!" came another feminine voice.

"STOP BRINGING UP MY MISTAKES, SU!" Conis cried indignantly.

"And why would I do that?" the fox responded in a tone of honest confusion.

"HA! Glad you're ON BOARD, FURBALL! TWO annoying talking animals ARE BETTER THAN ONE!"

"Hey, watch it, slimeball. You're annoying. I am a superior being of grace, beauty… and snark."

"Those two together on one ship…" Miss Goldenweek started slowly.

"With the ability to speak to the world…" Miss Valentine queasily grit out.

"Whenever they so choose?!" Fullbody and Jango finished incredulously.

Mr. 5 dug a flask out of his coat and raised it in a salute. "Here's to you, sanity. I'm glad I managed to keep you around for so long." And with that, he started draining the bottle.

"Alright, if you two are finished, it's time we wrapped up the tale of Skypiea, and the city of gold. Unfortunately, the lost city is now merely a city. You see, Eneru managed to find his way there, and he stripped every bit of gold away to build his flying ship, the Ark Maxim. As you heard from Wiper yesterday, he used that power to destroy both Angel Island and the Shandians' home; only Luffy's immunity to lightning saved us all from being killed. But alas, though Eneru lost, he was not out for long; the last I saw, his Ark was sailing even higher than we were… straight towards the moon. Will he get there? Will anyone ever see him again? Maybe, maybe not, but the fact remains that the gold is gone."

"… He's a literal lunatic," Bartolomeo said, jaw dropped in astonishment.

THWAP!

"OW!" Bartolomeo yelped, glaring daggers at Hina as he held the side of his head she'd cuffed. "What the hell happened to the truce, bitch!?"

"In all fairness, Captain," Goldenweek cut in as she munched down on a ricecracker. "You deserved it."

"…tsk…"

"The only significant piece of gold that he never managed to get was the great golden bell that you all heard ringing out yesterday. Luffy managed to ring it, but circumstances led to it falling into the cloud sea afterwards; all that remains of its ring now are the Tone Dials that recorded it, and Soundbite's abilities. And as for what few scraps of gold apart from that that escaped from Eneru's notice? Well… three guesses who they belong to now."

"And the NAMI rejoiced," Soundbite chuckled.

CRASH!

Hina's attention snapped back to the pirates, where the ostrich-sized feathery dragon—which she still couldn't believe—was pressing one pirate to the ground who'd had his sword drawn. The girl on its back had her arms crossed and was glowering darkly.

"Do you not know the meaning of the word 'truce?!'" she snapped.

"Thank you, Apis, Lindy," Bartolomeo sighed, shaking his head in what was clearly disappointment. "Gin, can you take care of him?"

"On it, Captain," the insomniac-looking man said, hoisting the man over his back before jumping back towards their ship. Hina watched him for a second before pausing as a creeping suspicion entered her mind. Without even turning her head, the Marine Captain swung her arm behind her, and was sadly not disappointed when she caught her own idiot duo as they made to rush Bartolomeo, binding them together for what had to be the third time that month.

She glared silent daggers down at them for a second before the sound of snickering snapped her attention back to Bartolomeo, who was leering down at the pair. "You ever wish you could just pump the missing graymatter into them?"

Hina stared at him for a second before chuckling in agreement. "Only every other day." She started to turn back to the snail when a thought occurred to her. Acting on instinct, she dug her emergency flask out of her coat and held it out to Bartolomeo. "Scotch?"

The pirate blinked in surprise before smirking and accepting the flask. "Sure thing!" He then waved at Miss Valentine. "HEY, TINA, HEAD BACK TO THE CANNIBAL AND WHIP UP A BUFFET FOR US AND OUR NEW PALS! AND MAKE IT MORE THAN JUST CHOCOLATE THIS TIME!"

"STOP CALLING ME TINA, YOU SHARK-TOOTHED ASSHOLE!" Valentine shot back, though she still leapt back to their ship.

"You let her get away with calling you that?" Hina asked mildly.

"Meh," Bartolomeo shrugged indifferently. "I piss them all off, they insult me, it evens out. And what about you?" He jabbed a thumb over at the smirking transponder snail. "Straight-laced Marine like you likes the SBS?"

Hina made to answer, then paused as a thought came to her, one that built off of her earlier contemplations. Slowly, she nodded in agreement. "Yes… yes, Hina does. It's an interesting story, actually."

-o-

In a dingy, rundown apartment, a Transponder Snail partially cowered in its own shell as it was forced to relay the global show. It had been glad to do so several times before, but those times, it hadn't been speaking to a hostile audience.

"But, though the gold is gone, Eneru's tyranny is over. Skypieans and Shandians have come together on the remaining island, and have begun working towards a new society of peace. With the war over, what more could they ask?"

BLAM!

The Snail suppressed a whimper as its eyestalks went ramrod still, unwilling to allow them to quiver even an inch lest they come into the line of fire yet again, rather than allowing the projectile to pass between them as it had done this time.

On the opposite side of the room, a huge, menacing vulture stared at the point of impact for a second before snorting and redirecting her gaze to the pistol she held in her talons. She used her wing to fiddle with the weapon's sights for a moment before laying it on the bed next to the rest of the arsenal she had laid out and picked out yet another gun, which she started disassembling, intently analyzing every piece as she went.

The Transponder Snail shivered fearfully as it continued to speak.

"Alright, so maybe that's kind of meaningless coming from us, who are sailing away from this mess with a small fortune harvested from the innards of a gigantic amphibious Sea King serpent. And no, I'm not making that up. But despite that, well… As much of a shame that it is that the bell is lost, at least it will forever be remembered, and the war's now over. Now, the people of the sky can look forward to a future of peace and prosperity!"

A squelching noise from another corner of the room caught the snail's attention, and against its better judgement, it chose to glance that way. The gastropod immediately regretted that decision, as it was then forced to fight against its own gag reflex with all its power.

The otter situated in the corner of the room shared none of the snail's disgust. In fact, it seemed to show no emotions at all save for grim determination as it grit its teeth and plunged a needle and thread into and out of its own flesh, over and over and over again, methodically sewing up a vicious-looking gash that was open in its arm.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the otter's stitching had fully spanned the wound, and without even a second of pause it gripped the thread in its teeth and yanked, pulling the gash shut before snapping the thread and tying it off. With its gruesome surgery completed, the otter didn't miss a beat as it withdrew a pair of vicious-looking knives from where they were embedded in the wall and started scraping them against one another, sharpening them simultaneously in a rapid-fire flurry of steel.

"So, that's the end of that chapter in our journey; as of now, we're slowly making our way back down to the blue sea… and I have to say, this sunset looks amazing. While we admire it, I think now would be a good time to introduce a new segment on the SBS: Sky Life with Conis and Su. For all of those dreamers or naysayers listening, take a listen to what the sky islands are like."

"Heso, everyone. I suppose the best place to start would be with that word…"

The snail glanced out the window longingly, staring out at the city laid out before it. As it stared, it found itself growing curious.

If the city looked beautiful from down here, what did it look like from the peak of the gigantic fountain that crowned it?

-o-

"Why am I not surprised?" Crocus chuckled wryly, listening to the Straw Hats' new gunner as she spoke about the science behind the White Sea and the White-White Sea. "Roger took the mother, and now Straw Hat takes the daughter. It looks like he may just be the one Roger was waiting for after all."

"—And so, with the added density, the White Sea is capable of supporting both ships and wildlife. Sky sharks can be a danger, but they're as much a delicacy for those who can actually hunt them."

"REPRE—Dot dot dot dot!—SENT! Oh, A CALLER! Go for the SBS!"

A soft tapping noise followed.

"GASTRO-BLUR in effect, go ahead!"

"I'm just wondering, isn't the air thinner up there? I mean, if it's that high above the ground…" came a voice, blurred identically to the mystery crewmate's.

"Oh, yes, it's much thinner," Conis replied casually. "But we've grown used to it, and anyone who comes here can grow used to it as well. It takes anywhere from about fifteen minutes to over a day, depending on your constitution, but it's not hard once you've adapted."

"I see, sort of like climbing a mountain… but in that case, what's going to happen to you if you're heading to a much higher concentration of air?"

The silence that followed that question was deafening, though it was quickly filled by the sound of two pairs of feet dashing across wood and two voices screaming out "CHOPPER!" desperately.

Things were quiet again for a second until Su spoke up. "Did… did they just leave us here?"

"Humans are not THE CALMEST OF species… HOW YOU FEELIN', BY THE WAY?"

"Eh… can't complain, really. A bit heady maybe? Eh, we'll see. For now, though… HA! They've left us alone with a connection to the world! Wanna try setting a world record for annoying the most people at once?"

"DO I!? LET'S BEGIN!"

"Alright! Now, to start… ah…"

Crocus chuckled as the silence returned tenfold.

"…you got anything?"

"Nada."

"That's what I was afraid of. This is harder than it looks…"

"Why do you think we keep them around?"

"Fair point… damn it, we need a distraction!"

"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, THE MUSICAL STYLINGS OF MISTER CONWAY TWITTY!"

"…was that a reference?"

"Damn straight!"

Crocus chuckled as the music began, absently considering that Florida must have a lot of musicians. But he still couldn't fight down a smirk as he thought back to when they had left Upper Yard, and their new crewmate had to get her sea legs. He hoped that doctor of theirs knew what he was doing. Oxygen poisoning was not fun, even if it was hilarious to watch.

Still, there were going to be quite a few saps who were in for the surprise of their lives. Nothing like watching a thin, attractive young woman punching out men three times her size and muscle mass.

-o-

"Okay, I think you're good," Chopper said as he packed away his instruments. "The slower descent is letting your body adapt much more easily. As long as you don't have any big shocks within the next few hours, you shouldn't have any problems."

"Oh, thank goodness," Conis sighed. "Those pamphlets you had about oxygen poisoning were…"

"Alarming?" I ventured. "Panic-inducing? Terrifying beyond all rational thought?"

"… One of those."

I nodded. "Alright, let's get back to the SBS… and hope that Soundbite and Su haven't driven the world completely insane over the past ten minutes."

Thankfully, they hadn't, nor had they chosen some completely tasteless dreck for filler music. I honestly hadn't thought they'd had it in them.

"Alright, loyal viewers, with the hopes that Soundbite and Su, who are currently looking entirely too innocent," I gave the pair a pointed glare, which got them both whistling in a manner that only heightened my suspicions. "Haven't done too much—though the viewcount suggests that they haven't, thankfully…" I looked around into the darkness surrounding us, grinning as I felt the (relatively) natural waves of the Grand Line rocking us back and forth. "Anyways, I'm glad to announce that we're finally back down to the grand blue ocean. Now, the question is, where have we—"

I cut myself off as my eyes adjusted to the dark and I took in our surroundings. Part of me was curious about how nobody had seen this coming, but most of me was fighting the urge to swear at the top of my lungs. I only partially succeeded.

"Oh, fuck me," I summarized flatly before tensing as I realized that I had to end the show now. "Ah, viewers, I'm really sorry to cut you all off like this, but something's come up aaaaaand I'm-gonna-have-to-call-you-back-BYE!" And with that I hastily rammed the transceiver down in its cradle.

Not a moment too soon, because a moment later we were lit up like a Christmas tree and the screams of over a dozen sirens echoed around us.

"Cross?" Nami drew out in an apprehension-filled tone of voice.

"Ladies and gentlemen," I announced grimly. "Welcome to the island of Navarone, a.k.a… the impregnable and inescapable Marine Base G-8."

Cross-Brain AN: Significance of the Transponder number? See if you can figure it out; we'll say it in our next broadcast.