After the battle ended, a lot of things happened. The war briefly continued but ended shortly after Gan Fall stepped in. Apparently, the reason Waipa and Luffy were fighting was because Waipa almost killed Gan Fall. A lot of mediating happened, and the people agreed to give back the land and start anew, building a strong relationship. Luffy learned about the bell from Robin, and with the help of Lucas, it was brought down and rung for all to hear, including those below the clouds. Lucas stripped Eneru's ship of all its gold, and a feast was held soon after. The celebration lasted two days, with everyone happy.
On the third day, while everyone was still sleeping, Luffy secretly called the others to steal the gold inside the snake's belly. Robin studied the ancient writing with the elder of Cyandora as they were moving the bell. Not only did she decipher it, but she also got a clue regarding the poneglyphs. All in all, what followed was similar to what happened in the main story. And now, as the sun rose, the Merry was setting its course to Cloud's End.
Arriving there, Conis and her father made their last farewells to the Straw Hats as the ship sailed until... Right as the name implied, the clouds really ended there.
"Ahhhhhhhhh!" the Straw Hats screamed as the Merry suddenly fell from the clouds.
"Why does it always have to be like this?" Usopp ranted as the Merry fell.
Lucas turned into Gravattack, curled into a ball, and held the ship using his gravity power. But not long after, an octopus held the Merry, acting like a balloon, leading to a steady descent.
"My heart isn't cut out for this," Usopp said, trembling.
"That... should have been anticipated," Sanji muttered as their descent became steady.
The crew breathed a collective sigh of relief as the octopus guided them gently down, marking the end of their sky-bound adventure and the beginning of their next journey.
After hours had passed during their steady descent, the Straw Hats were relaxing, each doing their own thing. Nami was in her room, busy with her maps, Sanji was cooking, and Zoro was training. Suddenly, the Merry began to fall at a greater speed. Those inside rushed to see what was going on and saw the octopus shrinking faster and faster.
"Lucas, quick..." Nami began, turning around to check if he was there.
"Actually..." Chopper presented her with a letter stating that Lucas would be gone for a while. Nami immediately grew angry, but her anger was quenched as the Merry landed on the sea with a shaking crash, stirring the calm waters. The waves settled, and the Merry caught wind, starting to set sail again. After getting their bearings and testing out the waver, they focused on some pressing matters—money. For the first time, the Straw Hats were well-off financially. They discussed how to spend their money, with the Merry's repairs being the top priority.
Their good talks were disrupted when a huge wave popped up, sending them into a panic as they tried to get away from it. Apparently, this was caused by sea monkeys, which drove the Straw Hats until they found themselves on a strange island with flat land and oddly tall trees. Maybe this was what Eneru had been thinking about. The Merry set sail again along with the return of someone who received a cold gaze from Nami.
"Yo!" Lucas came back, wearing a change of clothes. He was now dressed in an outfit similar to Yunxiang from "Legendary Star General" at the end of chapter 241—a white suit, but Lucas's was black and red.
"Nice outfit," Usopp remarked.
"Thanks, I'm proud of it," Lucas replied with a hint of smugness.
"So, where have you been this entire time?" Nami asked, her veins slightly popping on her head. She knew where he was but was angry because he wasn't there when the ship fell.
"I thought I told Chopper where..." Lucas began. Nami sighed, letting it go since he did notify them.
"Nice clothes. Must've been expensive," Zoro said as he came out from inside the Merry.
"Wait, you didn't use some of the treasure, did you?" Usopp asked suspiciously, causing Nami to tense up.
"What! Of course not. I used those fluffy clouds to make some really comfy furniture and stuff and sold it off at Lilian's town. And besides, I make my own clothes," Lucas explained. By this point, Luffy and Chopper were long gone, exploring the island.
"Anyway, about the treasure..." Lucas began.
"Forget it. I'll be docking your portion as punishment for your absence," Nami declared.
"Somehow, I get the feeling she's just mad I didn't share the money I made from selling the cloud furniture," Lucas muttered under his breath. The others stayed silent but agreed with Lucas in their minds.
"I mean... I was going to say you shouldn't include me..." Lucas added. He wanted to share the gold he got from Eneru, which stumped Nami. She wondered why as she accepted with a happy heart, claiming his portion for herself.
"You sure about that?" Zoro leaned in.
"Actually, I... Nevermind, you'll see when the time comes," Lucas said.
Around this time, a big ship came and set anchor, blocking the Merry. Creepy, mask-wearing guys stepped out, but they looked more like lame weirdos as they snickered.
"What's this about?" Zoro asked, crossing his arms. The other Straw Hats stood in battle-ready stances as the other pirates approached.
"We are the Foxy Pirates. We came here because our captain saw your ship and wanted to take the opportunity to challenge your captain to a Davy Back Fight," one of the pirates said.
"We're good... Oh wait, you're not..." Lucas replied.
"Huh, what! What's the matter?" Nami asked. Usopp immediately pulled Nami, and they ran to find Luffy.
"This is not good. We have to get to Luffy before..." Usopp began, but a loud bang sounded from the distance. Usopp fell to his knees, not wanting to believe it.
"It would be cool if we could fight using our ships like in Pirates of the Caribbean," Lucas remarked as the Foxy Pirates snickered. Usopp explained what the Davy Back Fight was.
"So we might end up losing our friends, huh," Zoro remarked with a smile. "Sounds fun," he added, which made Usopp feel even more helpless.
"You guys don't get it, do you?" Nami said, but their wallowing didn't change a thing.
With Luffy and Chopper back, along with a new friend, the Foxy Pirates took the liberty of preparing the stage for the fight. They moved swiftly, setting up stalls and benches to sit and enjoy the show, while the Straw Hats accustomed themselves to the events that would be taking place.
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