"Ten thousand meters in the sky? Skypiea?"
Ethan Sugawa was stunned.
He had originally planned to visit Skypiea only after leaving Roger's crew to search for his treasure. But to his surprise, Roger was heading there now.
In the original storyline, Roger went to Skypiea after meeting Oden and left his inscription on the Poneglyph there.
"But Oden hasn't even set out yet, and he hasn't joined the Whitebeard Pirates either. Why would Roger be going to Skypiea now?"
A sudden thought crossed Ethan's mind. "Could it be that Roger visited Skypiea more than once?"
That seemed to be the only reasonable explanation.
Before he could think further, the pirate ship shook violently, and he quickly gripped the railing tightly to stabilize himself.
Once steady, he looked out the window.
The ship was being dragged upward by a towering pillar of water, rising rapidly toward the sky.
After several hours, the ship finally slowed and the violent ride came to a stop.
As calm returned, the crewmates stepped out from the cabins and gathered on the deck.
What met Ethan's eyes was a vast expanse of white. The entire sky and ground were blanketed in white clouds.
"So this is Skypiea."
Ethan sighed in admiration.
At that moment, Roger stood on the upper deck, raising his voice to the crew.
"Same as always! Everyone spread out and search for Poneglyphs! Remember do not harm the people of Skypiea."
"Yes, Captain!!"
The crew responded in unison and quickly disembarked, each heading off in a different direction to explore the island.
After adjusting his belongings, Ethan also left the ship alone, following the map's markings.
…
After walking for several minutes.
Ethan stopped by a large tree, activating his Observation Haki and sensing a presence behind him.
The corners of his mouth lifted slightly as he deliberately acted surprised.
"What's this… there's a treasure chest here? I wonder what treasure could be inside?"
Just as he finished speaking, a sharp voice sounded from behind.
"Where's the treasure?"
It was none other than Buggy the Clown, with his signature bright red nose and clownish outfit, flashing into view.
Ever since they left the ship, Buggy had been suspicious of Ethan. He noticed Ethan was moving with purpose, as if searching for something.
Buggy's keen nose had picked up the scent of treasure.
After tailing Ethan for just a few minutes, he believed he'd stumbled upon a valuable find.
He quickly blocked Ethan's path, greed gleaming in his eyes.
"I saw this treasure chest first, so obviously it belongs to me."
"Sure, sure, you can have it," Ethan said, surprisingly generous. To avoid further trouble, he turned serious and proposed, "I'll give you this one. But next time I find a treasure chest, it's mine. Deal?"
"Deal!" Buggy agreed after a brief pause.
Seeing they had come to an agreement, Buggy immediately shooed him away.
"This treasure's mine now. You can go."
"In that case, I won't spoil your fun."
Ethan smiled and continued walking into the depths of the forest.
Buggy waited until Ethan disappeared from sight before digging up the treasure chest in excitement.
Heart pounding, he flipped it open.
It was completely empty.
Only then did he realize he'd fallen for Ethan's trap.
Buggy gritted his teeth, glaring in the direction Ethan had gone.
"Ethan Sugawa! I won't let this go!!"
…
After shaking off Buggy, Ethan trekked deeper into the forest for another half hour, finally reaching the location marked on his map.
In front of him stood a structure resembling an Egyptian pyramid, seemingly abandoned for years. The surrounding walls were covered in creeping vines, some even penetrating the structure's interior, leaving the walls riddled with holes.
"There are no signs of treasure outside. It must be inside."
Without hesitation, Ethan stepped inside.
The first thing he saw was an ancient altar, its surrounding walls adorned with mysterious carvings.
After a brief examination, he quickly understood their meaning.
It was a mural depicting rituals for offering sacrifices to the gods, detailing how to hunt exotic beasts for the ceremony and the specific dance used in the ritual.
After committing the entire mural to memory, Ethan began searching for the treasure.
It didn't take long for him to find a treasure chest in the center of the altar.
Opening it, he found it packed with gold and treasure, which he estimated to be worth around 500 million Berries.
But what truly caught his eye was a magnificent golden bell.
Etched onto its surface were nine intricately carved divine dragons, exuding a powerful, almost lifelike aura.
Ethan could immediately sense the bell's uniqueness. He activated his Appraisal Eye, and information about the bell appeared before him.
[Golden Sacred Bell: Blessed by centuries of worship from the people of Skypiea and nourished by the blood of mighty beasts, this bell has awakened a unique power capable of manifesting the nine dragons carved upon its surface.]
"Nine dragons under my command?"
Ethan's eyes widened in shock.
"Is this real… or just a gimmick?"
Without hesitation, he picked up the bell and gave it a gentle shake. A deep, ancient chime echoed in his ears.
"ROAR!!!"
A deafening dragon's roar reverberated through the air.
Incredibly, nine divine dragons emerged from the bell's surface, coiling and circling above him, their majestic presence dominating the sky.
Ethan tried to control them, but no matter how he shook the bell, the dragons refused to obey.
He also discovered that the dragons lacked physical form his flying swords could pass right through them without resistance.
"This thing looks impressive, but it's totally useless."
He couldn't help but complain, a trace of disappointment on his face.
However, after thinking it over, he still packed the golden bell and the treasure into his storage.
"There's potential here. If I develop this properly, it could become a deadly weapon."
He silently formulated a plan.
The problem? The nine dragons couldn't be controlled.
Solution? He could give the bell a soul and create a Homies weapon.
A sentient Golden Sacred Bell would surely be able to control the nine dragons.
As for the issue of the dragons lacking physical form?
That could also be solved.
If he could make the bell consume a Logia or Paramecia Devil Fruit, the dragons could manifest as real, tangible beings.
Whether through elemental mastery or Paramecia's ability to transform surrounding matter, the dragons could become fully materialized.
"The problem is, I don't have enough soul energy right now to create a third Homies, and I also don't know the technique for making weapons consume Devil Fruits yet."
Ethan sighed inwardly. "That'll have to wait. For now, I should focus on getting stronger."
Having completed his mission on Skypiea, he prepared to return to the Oro Jackson with his newfound treasure.
But just as he reached the ship, he was blocked by Silvers Rayleigh.