Chapter 49: Skypieans

As the crew came face to face with Heaven's Gate, Koa looked over and noticed that there was no one guarding the gate. Koa then yelled as he called out to the guardian of the gate when a woman with large wings behind her back. She then looked at the ship of Koa and counted how many there were for the toll payment.

"You have to pay 5,000,000,000 Extol before going inside. If you can't, then just turn around," the guardian said, as Koa's crew was shocked due to the amount of price they would have to pay just to go inside the island. They did not know how much an Extol was, but from the figures alone, they thought that it was equal to the Berries.

"Can we pay for an equal amount of goods? Like fruits or other things?" Koa then asked as the guardian nodded.

"Greenbull, give her fruits, the tangerines, apples, everything that could be produced in under a minute," Koa then directed towards Greenbull, who transformed his hands into different kinds of trees with each finger and started controlling them to bloom fruits in just seconds. All of them were almost perfectly ripe, and their quality was incredibly high, making them taste better than the ones that are sold in stores. As Greenbull was doing this, the guardian started filming what was happening as she wanted to inform their god about a figure that could resolve their shortage of food, as Greenbull could produce a lot of it without any problems.

After a minute of producing fruits, Greenbull managed to summon 1000 of each fruit that he made with his fingers, and Koa gave it to the guardian, who was speechless at how many fruits she was holding. Koa smiled at her as he gestured towards the gate to be opened, snapping the attention and focus of the guardian, and she immediately started opening the gate. Koa immediately ordered his crew to move forward.

As Koa's ship traveled and became out of sight, the guardian tried one of the fruits, which was an apple, and started eating it. The Guardian discovered that the apple's quality was higher than what they could produce, as she scrambled to inform his god immediately, carrying the recording snail with him as he left his post.

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Meanwhile, the crew was enjoying the breathtaking sights that Skypiea had to offer. Urf even attempted to swim, but due to the many unknown creatures lurking in the White Sea, Koa temporarily forbade it. As they continued onward, Koa spotted the Milky Road—a path made entirely of clouds that could lead to the Upper Yard, a place he hoped would serve as a hub for gathering information about Skypiea.

As they traveled along the Milky Road, the entire crew soaked in the experience. Even Kuzan was visibly enjoying himself, the awe and wonder of the legendary Skypiea hitting him like a gift he never expected. Greenbull was eager to explore the island's mysteries, Joichiro looked forward to cooking any wildlife he could find, and Jhin remained curious about the land he once dismissed as a mere myth told by liars. Urf, as usual, was simply enjoying the ride.

After several minutes, their ship left the Milky Road and entered the White-White Sea. Joichiro, ever the opportunist, decided to start fishing to see what kinds of creatures thrived in the cloud-filled waters while they continued sailing smoothly. Eventually, they reached their first destination on Sky Island—the so-called Angel Beach of Angel Island—and disembarked right away.

"Whoa, Boss, did you always know this island existed? Did you learn about it when you were with your previous crew?" Greenbull asked, his eyes sparkling like jewels as he touched the clouds beneath his feet.

"No, we never came here during my time with the Roger Pirates," Koa replied. "But I never doubted that this island existed. Every myth in this world is likely rooted in truth." He believed in Skypiea's existence not only because of his knowledge from the anime, but also because in the world of One Piece, myths and beliefs were often closely tied to reality—just like the Devil Fruits themselves.

Joichiro, still focused on fishing, got his first bite right after they docked. He reeled in a giant fish—one that looked nothing like the ones he normally handled. He immediately began cooking it to compare its taste and soon discovered that despite its unusual appearance, it tasted nearly identical to fish from the Blue Sea. He shared the cooked fish with the crew, wanting everyone to sample the flavors of Sky Island's unique wildlife.

"Captain, taste this. It looks so different from the usual fish we eat, but it tastes almost the same," Joichiro said to Koa, who took a bite. Greenbull, Kuzan, Jhin, and Urf followed suit and agreed with his assessment.

As they were eating, a distant figure appeared over the White Sea, riding what looked like a motorcycle, skimming effortlessly across the clouds and heading straight toward them. As the driver of the "motorcycle" approached, Koa and the others noticed a distinct difference between this person and the guardian they had seen earlier. When they first encountered the guardian, everyone except Koa assumed she was simply a Devil Fruit user—but now they saw another individual with wings on his back, albeit noticeably smaller than the guardian's.

"Heso!!!" the driver greeted as he sped toward them—without slowing down. As he got closer, he crashed his "motorcycle" straight into the group, shocking Koa's crew, who thought for sure that the driver had died in the crash. But amidst the rubble, the driver emerged, bloodied, yet conscious, and looked at them.

"Hey, are you guys okay?" the driver asked with a tone of genuine concern.

"Oi, oi, oi, you're not the one who should be asking that," Kuzan said, as they all approached to help him up. Koa then healed the man using his Dog Talisman, which shocked both Urf and Jhin, who had not yet seen Koa use this ability. The man was also stunned, as all of his current wounds—and even old injuries from previous crashes—were suddenly gone.

"Are you alright?" Koa asked, offering a hand to the man, which he gratefully took.

"My name is Maui D. Koa. This is my crew—Kuzan, Greenbull, Joichiro, Jhin, and Urf—and we're very interested in that motorcycle of yours. Can you tell us where we could buy one?" Koa said, introducing each crew member as they raised their hands in greeting.

"Ohhh, HESO! Thank you for your help. My name is Pagaya, and this is called a Waver, not a motorcycle. And of course, you can buy one from us—we sell them," the driver replied, introducing himself.

Koa immediately remembered who the man was. Pagaya—and his daughter—were the ones who welcomed the Straw Hat Pirates when they first visited this island.