Knock-Up Stream

Nami is furious, her face taking up the top panel as she screams, "WHAT DOES HE THINK HE'S DOING!? OH FOR GOODNESS' SAKE!" Below, the rest of the crew and the Saruyama Alliance are gathered outside Mont Blanc Cricket's house, waiting anxiously. Sanji, smoking a cigarette, remarks, "Uhh... I don't think he even made any calculations in the first place." Usopp agrees, "He probably never even took that into his calculations! He's such a simpleton!" Masira adds, "Yup. 100% likely." Cricket, sitting nearby, guesses, "I bet it's because of that heavy gold figurine slowing him down!" Robin checks the time and notes, "He's 46 minutes later than the time he promised to come back by! Does he WANT to miss the knock-up stream!?" Chopper panics, yelling, "It's already morning! MORNING!" In the bottom panels, Sanji cups his hands and shouts "HEEEYYYY!" into the forest. Zoro, looking annoyed, asks Nami, "Just what do you even want from him, woman..." Nami angrily declares, "IF HE LOST, I'D BEAT THE CRAP OUTTA HIM EVEN IF HE DID ARRIVE ON TIME!" Chopper looks worried, asking, "You don't think he was beaten, do you..."

Masira suddenly looks up with a wide smile, exclaiming, "It's him! Thank god he's back!" Shoujou stands beside him, looking in the same direction with relief. Luffy is seen running out of the forest, grinning broadly and shouting, "LOOK! I DID IT!" Usopp, looking stressed and exasperated, yells back, "HURRY UP, LUFFY! YOU'RE ALREADY LATE!" In the bottom panel, Luffy proudly holds up a large insect, declaring, "A HERCULES BEETLE!" The beetle sparkles in his hand, showing off his prized catch. Nami and Usopp are absolutely furious, their faces contorted in anger and disbelief as Nami screams at the top of her lungs, "JUST WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU DOING!?" The comedic timing highlights Luffy's misplaced priorities despite the urgent deadline.

The Going Merry is revealed, having undergone massive modifications by the Saruyama Alliance. It now sports large, bird-like wings on its sides and a reinforced hull, looking ready for flight. Luffy and Usopp stand before it, completely awestruck. Luffy throws his arms up and yells, "WHOAA! IT'S AWESOME! IT'S GOING MERRY'S 'FLYING MODEL!'" In the bottom panels, Zoro observes the ship and comments dryly, "Yeah, a pigeon's much better at flying than a rooster..." Robin, looking slightly concerned, says, "Personally, I'm getting uneasy just looking at that thing." Sanji yells angrily at Luffy and Usopp, "THAT'S NOT THE PROBLEM HERE, YOU BLOCKHEAD!" However, Luffy and Usopp are too excited to listen, their eyes shining like stars as they scream in unison, "RIGHT!? THAT LOOKS LIKE IT'S SOOOOOO GONNA FLY!"

Mont Blanc Cricket sits on the ground next to a large object covered by a tarp, smoking a cigarette with a bandage on his head. Luffy stands before him, smiling confidently, and calls out to the crew, "Time to set sail, boys! Are the preparations complete!?" The crew and the Saruyama Alliance cheer back enthusiastically, "UOHO!" and "AYE-AYE SIR!" The background shows the bustling activity of the crew getting ready. Luffy turns his attention back to Cricket, grinning widely, and says, "Right, thanks for fixing up the ship." Cricket, looking down with a serious and slightly gruff expression, replies, "You idiot... Or do you want to waste your only chance to go to the sky. Get on the ship, you ain't got much time left." The interaction highlights the mutual respect between the two after their shared efforts.

Luffy excitedly offers his prized catch to Cricket, exclaiming, "REALLY!? ARE YOU SURE!? MAN, YOU'RE SUCH A NICE GUY! I'll give you my hercules beetle!" Cricket declines the offer, saying, "Thank them, not me." Luffy turns to the cheering Saruyama Alliance in the background and yells, "Thanks a bunch, guys!" Masira and Shoujou are shown readying their ships. Masira calls out, "We'll go on ahead first so catch up!" Shoujou adds, "We're runnin' outta time! In any case, just get on the ship!" Luffy turns and runs toward the Going Merry, shouting, "Right!" Usopp urges him on from the ship, yelling, "Luffy! Hurry!" Cricket watches him go with a small, knowing smile, appreciating the young pirate's energy.

Cricket clenches his fist tightly, a determined look on his face as he thinks back to the ridicule he's faced. He pats the tarp-covered object next to him and laughs heartily, "THE CITY OF GOLD IS JUST ANOTHER ONE OF NOLAND'S FANTASIES! HAHA HAHA!" The Saruyama Alliance members cheer enthusiastically, "UOHO! AYE-AYE SIR!" Shoujou roars, "SARUYAMA ALLIANCE!" Cricket then shouts orders to his men, "NO MATTER WHAT! PUT EVERY LAST OUNCE OF ENERGY YOU'VE GOT TO GET THEM UP IN THE SKY! DON'T GO SLIPPING UP NOW, Y'HEAR!?" On the Going Merry, the crew is ready. Luffy yells, "Alright, let's go! LEAP!" Sanji says, "Let's set sail!" Chopper cheers, "Woohoo!" and Sanji adds, "Aye-Aye, Nami!" as the ship prepares to depart on its grand journey.

Cricket calls out to Luffy as the ship begins to move, "Kid! This is good-bye for you and me now! There's one thing. I know for certain at least...!" Luffy turns to listen, his straw hat visible from behind. Cricket smiles broadly, his face full of conviction, and continues, "Whether it's the City of Gold, or Sky Island, There's never been a person who's proven they don't exist!" Luffy grins back, fully agreeing with the sentiment, and says, "Yup! Sure, people might laugh, calling it an absurd fantasy. But so what!?" In a large, dynamic bottom panel, Cricket throws his arms wide, his mouth open in a passionate roar as he declares, "ISN'T THAT FANTASY, PRECISELY WHAT MAKES IT ROMANTIC!?" The scene captures the shared dreamer spirit between the two characters.

On the deck of the Going Merry, Luffy, Nami, Sanji, and Zoro look back at Cricket. Luffy agrees enthusiastically, "Romantic, huh! That's right!" He laughs his signature "SHISHISHI!" Cricket smiles warmly and says, "Now don't you go falling out of the sky! Thanks... For getting back my gold...!" The Going Merry sails away, escorted by the Saruyama Alliance ships. Luffy waves from the back of the ship, yelling, "SEE YA, MISTER! Thanks for everything, Mr. Cricket! I'm sure the city of gold exists!" Cricket yells back, "DON'T PUSH YOURSELF TOO HARD, MISTER!" Luffy confidently replies, "NO NEED TO WORRY ABOUT ME!" The emotional farewell marks the beginning of their ascent to the sky.

The scene shifts to the open sea, where a large, sturdy raft flying a Jolly Roger with three skulls is sailing through the waves. A voice notes, "It's already morning." On the raft, a crew member asks, "Well, do you see anything?" Another crew member, sitting on the edge, replies, "No, I can't even see the shore's shadow yet. Are you sure they said they were going to Sky Island?" The bottom panel reveals the captain of the ship, Marshall D. Teach (Blackbeard), grinning menacingly with his missing teeth showing. He says, "Yeah, that's what they said, alright. Chasing them there'll be difficult. So we'll take care of 'em before they can get up there!" The ominous presence of the Blackbeard Pirates adds a layer of tension to the Straw Hats' journey.

The Going Merry and the Saruyama Alliance ships are sailing together. A voice announces, "Listen up! It's 7 in the morning right now! It'll be around 11 by the time we get to our destination." Masira's ship sails alongside the Merry. Someone explains, "Like our boss said, The knock-up stream changes location everytime. So we'll have to quickly search for its exact location as soon as we arrive there." On the Merry, Luffy is holding the South Bird. He says, "Now since we're a little behind schedule... Hey! Are you listening to my expl-" Luffy grabs the bird's head and turns it. "Look, look! It turned back around!" The bird's head snaps back to face south with a "BOOOINNG!" sound, making Luffy laugh at its strange behavior.

Usopp and Chopper are highly amused by the South Bird. Usopp laughs, "That sure is one weird bird. It really can't face any other direction than South! It's like a compass! Hahaha!" The bird squawks repeatedly, "Jooooee Jooooee Jooooee!" Sanji asks, "What did it say?" Zoro translates, "He said he'll face another direction to make trouble for us." Luffy laughs, "Ahahaha! Let him try!" They spin the bird around, yelling, "Oh! TURN! It's facing North!" But the bird immediately spins back around. Luffy and Usopp burst into laughter, "AHAHAHA HAHAHAHA! It can't rest unless it's facing South!" The bird looks annoyed. From the other ship, Masira yells, "HEY! HOW DARE YOU IGNORE OUR BOSS!" He then calms down, "Ah, it's fine, it's fine. Their ignoring me is giving my heart the jitters..." Suddenly, someone notices something and asks, "Huh? What is it?"

Luffy laughs carefree, "AHAHAHA! Panicking now ain't gonna solve anything. So let's take this easy, eh, guys!?" Sanji retorts, "Whose fault do you think it is that we're late?" On his ship, Shoujou agrees, "Well, he's got a point. We've still got a few hours left. So there's no point in staying nervous all the way through." Masira nods, "Ah, okay then... Alright boys, put just half of your spirit into it. And sail on!" The ships sail calmly across the sea. The crew relaxes, saying, "Aye... Aye... Ahh... Nice weather... we got... Ua... Ha..." However, Usopp looks nervous, sweating as he asks, "Is this really gonna be fine?" The calm before the storm is palpable as they continue their journey.

Suddenly, a dark shadow falls over the ships. Masira looks up in shock, sweating profusely. "Night's falling... from the Southwest! IT'S THE EMPEROR-NIMBUS!" Shoujou looks through his binoculars and yells, "BOSS! THIS IS BAD! WHY, WHAT IS IT!?" A caption reads "3 hours later". The sky is now covered in massive, dark, swirling clouds. Voices panic, "ALREADY? WHAT TIME IS IT!? IT'S ONLY 10! IT'S HERE MUCH SOONER THAN WE THOUGHT! THIS IS BAD... SHOUJOU! YOU THINK THEY CAN STILL MAKE IT!?" Masira shouts orders to his crew, "UTAN DIVERS! DIVE AT ONCE AND FIND WHERE THE STREAM IS FORMING!" Shoujou looks up at the sky, muttering, "UOHO! So that's the emperor-nimbus..." The sudden change in weather signals the imminent arrival of the Knock-Up Stream.

On the Going Merry, Nami looks up at the dark sky in alarm. "WHAT'S GOING ON!? The emperornimbus cloud's here much sooner than they thought! And we still don't know where the knock-up stream will be!" On his ship, Shoujou uses his sonar equipment, calling out readings. "Echo detected! Large ocean currents at 12 o'clock! Unidentified large animal at 9 o'clock! Most likely a sea king! Waves crashing against the ocean currents detected at 10 o'clock! Likely to be a giant whirlpool!" Hearing this, Masira yells, "THAT'S THE PLACE! TURN THE SHIP FOR 10 O'CLOCK! THAT WHIRLPOOL IS OUR SIGN! WE HAVE TO CATCH UP TO IT!" The crew scrambles to follow the directions as the situation becomes increasingly chaotic.

The sea suddenly becomes incredibly rough, tossing the ships around violently. Zoro struggles to keep his balance, yelling, "AGHHH!" Luffy holds onto his hat, shouting, "WHA!?" Usopp panics, "GAHHH! WE'RE GONNA SINK!" The Going Merry is shown riding massive waves. Voices yell, "THE WAVES GOT HUGE ALL OF A SUDDEN! IT'S THE TREMOR BEFORE THE BLAST! BE CAREFUL!" Robin turns to Nami and asks, "Ms. Navigator! Where's the log pose pointing!?" Nami looks at the log pose on her wrist, her eyes widening in shock. "What!? It's pointing straight up!" The realization that their destination is directly above them sets in as the ocean churns around them.

A massive whirlpool begins to form in the ocean, its swirling waters creating a terrifying spectacle. A voice announces, "THE WINDS ARE PERFECT! THEY'RE DIRECTING THE EMPERORNIMBUS RIGHT ABOVE THE WHIRLPOOL'S EYE!" Shoujou grins, "LOOKS LIKE WE GUESSED RIGHT THIS TIME, BRO!" Masira agrees, "YEAH, YOU SHOULD! AND THE BLAST SEEMS TO BE JUST THE RIGHT SIZE!" Luffy looks around confused, yelling, "WE CAN MAKE IT!? WHAT WHIRLPOOL!? I DON'T SEE A WHIRLPOOL ANYWHERE!" Masira calls out to them, "I'LL TAKE YOU TO THE WHIRLPOOL!" Nami looks surprised, "Huh!?" Luffy asks, "THEN WHAT!? WHAT WE DO AFTER THEN!?" The tension mounts as they approach the center of the phenomenon.

A spectacular double-page spread reveals the sheer scale of the giant whirlpool, its swirling waters creating a massive depression in the ocean. The Going Merry looks tiny as it approaches the edge. A voice instructs, "JUST FOLLOW THE CURRENTS ALL THE WAY TO THE CENTER WITHOUT RESISTING!" Luffy yells in disbelief, "THE CENTER OF THE WHIRLPOOL!?" Chopper is crying in terror, "I NEVER HEARD ANYTHING ABOUT GETTING SWALLOWED UP BY A GIANT WHIRLPOOL!" Sanji, ever the gentleman, declares, "NAMI! ROBIN! DON'T WORRY, I'LL PROTECT YOU TWO!" Robin smiles calmly, remarking, "Interesting. I've never seen a whirlpool of this size before." Zoro looks at Usopp, who is curled up and chanting "TURNBACKTURNBACKTURNBACK..." in a panic. Zoro sighs, "Give it up, Usopp... We've already got one crew member gung-ho about all this." Luffy, standing at the front of the ship, throws his arms wide and yells excitedly, "LET'S GO!"

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