#103 - Chapter 103 Al Jackson
Two years later.
Skypiea, God's Island 'Apayado'.
In the sky, thunderstorms raged like roaring beasts, ready to tear apart the tranquil air at any moment.
Lightning flashed and thunder rumbled among the clouds, like ten million silver snakes dancing wildly; it was a fearsome scene, but also the stage for Jin-An and Enel's sparring.
The battle had already ended, Jin-An stood above the shattered clouds, holding the defeated 'God'—Enel—in his hand.
His figure was incredibly divine against the backdrop of the thunderstorm, like a God of War from Skypiea, come to inspect his subordinate territory.
The people of Skypiea gathered at the edge of the island, looking up high.
Among them, there were children with wide, curious eyes, elders gripping their canes with trembling hands, and guards with glimmers in their eyes.
Their expressions were complex, with both worry for Enel and admiration for Jin-An.
High in the sky, Jin-An firmly grasped Enel in his hand and slowly descended.
He needed to come to Skypiea every so often to train with this guy.
But since he had made a promise, he naturally needed to fulfill it.
As he slowly flew down the Sky Path step by step, the surrounding lightning seemed to lose its power, only making a few symbolic noises.
Everyone on Skypiea's breathing fluctuated with Jin-An's movements.
When Enel's body, possessing the power of a thunder god, was firmly held by Jin-An, his powerful arms hanging down limply, every living being on Skypiea couldn't hide their shock.
The moment Enel was carried through the dark clouds, past the thunderstorms, and landed on the island, the suppressed excitement in the hearts of all Skypiea residents finally erupted into enthusiastic cheers.
"Lord Enel!"
"Lord Jin-An!!!"
After two years of contact, they all knew what kind of person Jin-An was.
And the person he held in his hand was their respected new God.
The new God implemented the concept of peaceful governance, managing Skypiea in an orderly manner.
The people of Skypiea felt genuinely happy to have such a God.
They all knew that the new God was Jin-An's disciple, and they couldn't be more thrilled to have such two powerful guardians.
Their eyes followed Jin-An's footsteps closely.
He was not only the master of Skypiea's guardian god, but also a hero in their hearts; Skypiea had prospered again because of these two people.
The sky was still thundering, but Jin-An's steps were as firm as a rock; every step he took was steady and powerful, and then he put Enel in his hand on the ground.
Enel patted the dust off his body and tidied up his appearance:
"Master, I am also the Thunder God of Skypiea, can't you save me some face..."
"Don't worry about it, they've seen everything, just relax," Jin-An said to Enel as he walked ahead, turning a deaf ear to his words.
In the past two years, the Skypieans and Shandians had seen Enel in different states; this wasn't the first time this had happened, so there was no need to put on a show.
"Lord Jin-An... Lord Enel..."
"Gan Fall, long time no see..." Jin-An greeted the old man who came up to him warmly.
Enel had resolved the disputes on Skypiea a year ago, and Gan Fall had taken the initiative to abdicate because he admired the other party's ideals.
In the past few years, he had been assisting Enel in handling Skypiea's affairs.
"Hahaha, it has indeed been a long time," Gan Fall stroked his beard. "You only come to Skypiea every few months, and Lord Thunder God has been talking about you in our ears."
"Where is it so exaggerated?" Enel argued, blushing.
"Skypiea is originally managed by you, of course I, a Blue Sea person, put the focus down below," Jin-An was now a little disgusted with Skypiea, and it was troublesome to come up every once in a while.
"It's all thanks to you two adults that our lives here are getting better and better," Gan Fall said with a smile.
"......"
Skypiea's sky was blue and clear, and the sunlight scattered through the soft clouds onto the wide square. Jin-An and the Skypiea residents were sitting together, exchanging their experiences and insights.
The Skypieans were full of curiosity about Jin-An's experiences, constantly asking about what happened in the Blue Sea.
In this harmonious atmosphere, a sudden tremor broke the peace, like a roar from the sky, piercing the earth and shocking everyone's hearts.
The tremor was so strong that everyone couldn't help but stop talking, and the birds on Skypiea were also disturbed and scattered everywhere.
Almost at the same moment, everyone's eyes turned to the vast horizon.
There, was the place where the Knock Up Stream collided with Skypiea.
The Skypiea residents showed joy, and for a time, the atmosphere in the square changed from shock to jubilation.
"The Knock Up Stream is here!"
"With such a strong tremor, the scale of this Knock Up Stream must be very large!"
On this island suspended in the sky, the Knock Up Stream is not only a natural phenomenon, it is also a symbol of life and hope.
Every time the Knock Up Stream arrives, it will bring resources and food from the Blue Sea to this isolated world, providing the island residents with survival guarantees and resource updates.
Seeing this scene, Jin-An couldn't help but be infected by the joy of the Skypieans and their expectations for the Knock Up Stream.
He saw that, without exception, everyone, whether old or young, was filled with anticipation and excitement.
Parents led their children, warriors held hands with beauties, like a grand festival, people rushed towards the direction of the Knock Up Stream, wanting to witness this moment with their own eyes.
With the movement of the crowd, Jin-An was also taken to the edge of the island.
There, the scenery of the sea and sky was unobstructed, and the magnificent sight of the Knock Up Stream was even more exciting.
The Knock Up Stream was like a huge blue waterfall, going against the current and straight into the sky, and finally connecting with Skypiea, as if it were the most magnificent bridge between heaven and earth.
Wherever the Knock Up Stream went, the Skypieans collected the valuable resources that came with the Knock Up Stream from the periphery.
The Skypieans were so excited that they danced with joy when they received the gifts that came with the Knock Up Stream.
In this leisurely atmosphere, a keen Skypiea resident suddenly stood up, his eyes sharply looking into the tumbling Knock Up Stream.
His scream cut through the air, "Something is riding the rising sea current up!"
The voice was wrapped in doubt and disbelief.
Instantly, all the noise stopped abruptly, and the crowd's attention was firmly attracted by that abrupt sound.
Their eyes quickly turned to the direction the man was pointing—the huge rising sea current.
The crowd widened their eyes and looked, first seeing only a small red dot.
But as time went by, that red dot began to get bigger and bigger, clearer and clearer, until it was so big that everyone understood that it was not a hallucination, nor was it some strange sight on the sea.
Between the rolling waves, a ship with bright red sails was rapidly going against the current from the turbulent sea current, cutting through the waves.
Like a carp swimming in the blue sky, wanting to leap over the dragon gate.
The Skypiea residents were extremely shocked, because in their memory, no one had ever dared to ride the rising sea current so boldly to directly impact Skypiea.
This scene was like the heroic feat of a hero in mythology, and the people on that ship would undoubtedly become the talk of the Skypieans in their leisure time.
Everyone's eyes were full of curiosity, surprise, and even awe, and everyone was guessing what kind of character this ship would bring.
Just as everyone was holding their breath and staring, with a roar, the ship finally broke free from the shackles of the sea current in full view, and docked smoothly on the shore of Skypiea.
"This ship is..." Jin-An fixed his eyes and looked, "The Oro Jackson!"
...
