Chapter 29: Heaven's Gate
Jaya Island, a lawless island, a paradise for pirates in the Grand Line.
The Knock-Up Stream was a common sight for the residents of Jaya Island, something only newcomers, fresh-faced pirates, would be curious about. Unlucky pirates would occasionally be smashed to pieces by a sudden Knock-Up Stream and buried in the sea. No one with a shred of self-preservation dared to charge into one.
But today, they witnessed just that.
The residents of Jaya Island watched from afar as the massive Knock-Up Stream soared towards the heavens, persisting for a long time, a truly magnificent spectacle. Nature's power was truly awe-inspiring. However, even the most beautiful things lose their novelty after repeated exposure. Today's stream, however, was different. A pirate ship was riding the Knock-Up Stream, flying towards the sky.
It was shocking! But no one believed they could survive...
The crew of the Donquixote Pirates, currently ascending with the stream, were also deeply shaken by the scene. The ship was getting farther and farther from the sea surface. Looking down, the Navy ships looked like tiny ants.
"We're really flying!"
"We're in the air!"
"So exciting! It's like a dream!!"
Everyone was incredibly excited. Flying had always been a human dream, and today, they were essentially fulfilling it. Doflamingo was also thrilled, immersed in the joyful atmosphere.
The ship steadily followed the stream, ascending higher and higher, the scenery constantly receding.
"So this is the feeling of adventure? It's really exhilarating! No wonder everyone in this world wants to go out to sea."
Doflamingo gripped the ship's railing tightly. His eyes, hidden behind his sunglasses, couldn't betray his excitement.
Since arriving in this world, apart from the luxurious and extravagant life he'd enjoyed as a Celestial Dragon in his childhood, he had lived in a hellish existence. Even after he'd finally escaped that hell, he couldn't relax, because the weak were always at risk of falling back into the swamp of hell. So, his days were filled with monotonous and tedious training. Looking back, Doflamingo's life had been quite dull.
The sea was truly everyone's dream. No wonder so many people rushed headlong into her embrace.
Although Doflamingo had seen this scene in the anime and manga, he hadn't held much expectation, and thus, hadn't reacted strongly. But now, experiencing it firsthand, he felt an unprecedented emotion, something he'd never felt before. At this moment, Doflamingo's feelings were complex. Who would have thought he would experience something so magical?
For an outsider, this had previously only been a fantasy, a luxury. But now, things were different...
This world had allowed Doflamingo to experience this beauty.
At this moment, Doflamingo simply leaned against the ship, ignoring the others, taking in the surrounding scenery. He felt an unprecedented sense of relaxation.
Beautiful things have a way of lifting one's spirits. This feeling was truly wonderful!
The powerful air currents billowed the sails, whoosh, whoosh, carrying Doflamingo and his crew towards the end of their dream.
"Everyone, be careful! We're approaching the cumuloregalis clouds! Hold on tight!" Cricket's voice broke the atmosphere on the ship.
The clouds made intimate contact with their faces. The intense pressure made it hard to breathe. With a bang, the ship finally broke through the clouds and entered the White Sea, landing heavily on the cloud surface.
The Donquixote Pirates had completely disappeared. Only the Knock-Up Stream continued to erupt. The Navy, no longer watching, began to depart.
On the ship, everyone gasped for air. The intense feeling of suffocation had caught them off guard. After a while, the recovered crew looked out at the world outside the ship. It was a vast expanse of white, like snow, incredibly beautiful.
"Is this the White Sea?"
"So beautiful. The blue sea below, the white sea above."
Doflamingo also looked around. The clouds flowed like ocean waves. It was a vast expanse of white, and he couldn't see anything else, except for something that seemed to be moving in front of the ship.
"Roar!"
A sudden noise startled everyone. A giant flounder swiftly approached the ship.
Indeed, whether it was the Blue Sea or the White Sea, these creatures were inevitable. Doflamingo was very curious about how they survived in this vast, cloudy sea.
"Half-Moon Funeral!"
A powerful wave of sword energy sliced the flounder in two, preventing it from causing any trouble.
"Doffy, where are we? This place seems dangerous," Diamante asked, full of doubt. For Diamante, who felt uncertain about the surroundings, the solution was to ask the Young Master. The Young Master could handle anything.
"This should be the White Sea, 7,000 meters above the Blue Sea. Above this is the White-White Sea, at 10,000 meters," Doflamingo recalled.
Everyone was shocked to hear this. There was another sea even higher up. But today's experiences were certainly a highlight of their lives.
Surveying the surroundings, Doflamingo remembered that there should be a waterfall here. Beneath that waterfall cloud was Heaven's Gate.
Indeed, after careful observation, he finally spotted the waterfall cloud, confirming that they were indeed in the area where Monkey D. Luffy would be in about twenty years.
"Head towards that waterfall cloud!" Doflamingo couldn't hide his excitement. Lady Luck was still on his side.
The ship sailed towards the waterfall cloud. Soon after, they finally arrived beneath the waterfall cloud, in front of Heaven's Gate.
"So this is Heaven's Gate? It's truly magnificent."
"As expected of Heaven's Gate, the scenery is unique."
Doflamingo looked at everything before him, his previously calm heart now burning with passion.
Heaven's Gate stood before the flowing waterfall cloud, imposing and grand. The ship slowly sailed towards the entrance.
Suddenly, an old woman emerged from the gate. She had a pair of small wings on her back, resembling an angel, which piqued everyone's interest.
This old woman, however, showed no interest in them. She simply performed her duties, taking pictures of them with her camera, click, click, click, like a crazed fan.
"I am Amazon, the gatekeeper of Heaven's Gate. Are you here for sightseeing or war?" Amazon asked in a businesslike manner.
"We'd like to visit Skypiea. Skypiea should be behind this gate, right?" Doflamingo said calmly.
"If you wish to go to the upper level, you must first pay the entrance fee to Heaven. It's 1 billion Extol per person. That's the law," Amazon stated without any emotional inflection, like an emotionless robot.
"What? 1 billion Extol? That's robbery!"
Everyone was shocked by Amazon's words. This was blatant extortion!
Doflamingo had already known about this, so he wasn't surprised. He'd even suspected that this rule had only appeared after Enel's arrival, but now it seemed it had existed before. Still, being extorted like this made Doflamingo a little unhappy.
"Fuffuffuffu, I've never heard of having to pay to go somewhere, let alone anyone daring to charge me," Doflamingo laughed loudly, his arrogance overflowing.
Hearing Doflamingo's words, everyone agreed. Their Young Master was indeed domineering. Moreover, they were pirates! Charging them money was like pulling teeth from a tiger.
"Alright, I understand your intentions," Amazon said, unfazed.
Suddenly, a creature emerged from the bottom of the White Sea. Two large shrimp claws clamped onto the ship. The sudden event startled everyone, and they thought Amazon was behind it, refusing to let them pass. Diamante prepared to kill the giant shrimp.
"Wait, Diamante," Doflamingo stopped him.
"This is a White Sea specialty, the Super Express Shrimp," Amazon explained.
With a whoosh, with the Super Express Shrimp's assistance, the ship sped away like a rocket.
On the circling sky path, a Super Express Shrimp carried the pirate ship, invincible in the sky.
"Heaven's Gate Gatekeeper Amazon reporting to the Almighty God and the priests. A group of illegal immigrants has invaded God's Land. Please administer divine punishment," Amazon said with an uncanny smile.