The next day everyone decided to walk around town for a bit to get some information on the island in the sky. Luffy, Chopper and Zoro stayed behind with Chase and Kari. Chopper talked with Kari while she ate breakfast, informing her not to push herself and that she should be better by tomorrow since she was showing signs of a speedy recovery. Once Chopper was done talking to Kari, Luffy began to talk with her for a while.

"Hey, Luffy, right?"

"Yeah." Luffy smiled.

"About joining your crew. I don't think Chase and I will." Luffy frowned. "I'm not sure though. My brother and I will talk later." Kari sighed and Luffy began to pout.

"But... Please?" Kari shook her head.

"You'll only make it worse by begging. I'm not entirely sure." The girl looked down to her empty plate of food. "... I just don't think it'll be very good for either of us." Luffy tilted his head.

"Why not?"

"It's because..." Kari gulped then looked to Luffy with a nervous smile and scratched the back of her head with her left hand. "I'm kinda scared of water..." Luffy blinked then snickered. "H-HEY! DON'T LAUGH! I CAN'T SWIM! I ALWAYS DROWN!"

"Ahah! Same here. I ate the gum-gum devil fruit so I sink like an anchor." Luffy smirked. "But I'm still gonna be king of the pirates!" Kari blinked then smiled lightly and laughed. "Hey! Wh-what's so funny?!"

"No-nothing! It's just, you remind me of someone. But I'm not sure who."

"I'm gonna be the best big brother ever! I'll help my sister when she needs me and I'll protect her no matter what!"

"Oh. Well, okay. So, just think about it." Kari nodded and the two continued to converse while Chopper looked through some medical books outside, Chase went hunting, and Zoro was resting in a tree near by. When Chase came back to the den he had caught a few decent sized birds for lunch. He cooked the birds and the few people there ate happily.

After lunch everyone was at the den Kari and Chase called home, talking about the island in the sky while Chase and Kari talked about joining their crew.

"Kari, I've seen how you act towards Luffy. He's kinda nice."

"For a human." Kari huffed with crossed arms.

Chase sighed. "True." He replied. "But I think it'd be good for you to get to know different humans. Because, like dragons, there are humans with different personalities. So, let's give them a chance, ok?" Kari glanced at Chase then to the floor. She closed her eyes and let out a sigh.

"... Alright. We'll join." Kari looked at Chase and giggled with a childish grin. Chase swayed his tail happily and nodded. The two then walked outside to tell the Straw hat crew about their decision.

"Hey Kari, Chase. What's up?" Luffy asked. The dragon exchanged looks with the girl then they both nodded in unison.

"My brother and I were talking about joining your crew and we came to a unanimous decision." Luffy went wide eyed and everyone looked at her, giving the girl their full attention. "We decided that it'd be fun to join your crew." Luffy jumped for joy as well as Usopp and Chopper. Nami huffed, not liking that such a young girl would join them, Nami thought their new shipmate would cause trouble and she already had her hands full with Luffy. Robin smiled, glad a new girl was joining the crew, despite her age. Sanji smirked while lighting his cigarette. Zoro just chuckled while leaning on a tree.

The day went on with Chopper and Chase caring for Kari and everyone else either sparing or gathering supplies for their voyage.

The next day came and the Straw hat crew was going to a home where a man named Montblanc Cricket, thanks to Robin. The crew soon saw a cut out of a castle, thinking it was a real castle, on the other side of the island. Kari blinked at the cut out then tilted her head out of curiosity while Luffy and Usopp gasped.

"A castle!!" Luffy called with a smile. Kari looked at Luffy with a confused expression.

"Castle?" She asked.

Robin walked up to explain. "Yes. It is a building that people who are royalty live, or if you just have the money to build one. Usually it's just for royal families." Kari gasped with wide eyes. The crew soon dropped anchor and went to investigate the castle. Usopp was the first to figure out that it was just a cut out.

"Uh, guys." He beckoned to the others and then showed them that it was just a facade. Kari frowned.

"Aw man." She stated then sat at the edge of the island with Chase and Chopper while Luffy knocked on the front door.

"Hey! Anyone home?!" Luffy called in the distance. Kari just stared off into the water, keeping a safe distance. She soon noticed a strange shape drifting towards the shore. It looked like a chestnut. Kari got onto her hands and knees and began to reach for the chestnut.

"Hey, Chopper, mind helping me out getting this chestnut?"

"Sure." Chopper smiled then went into his beast form and held Kari out towards the chestnut. Kari tensed and yelped in shock.

"D-don't drop me!" Kari gulped.

Chopper nodded. "I won't." Kari sighed then grabbed the nut with both of her hands and held it tight. She began to pull but it would not budge.

"Chopper, pull me back!" Kari called and Chopper began to pull, but it still did not budge. Chase quickly joined in, nothing. The others soon noticed them and came to investigate.

"What's going on here?" Sanji asked.

"I found a chestnut and thought it'd be good for food, but I can't get it outta the water." Kari informed. Sanji sighed and joined in then Luffy joined, then Zoro. Nami just watched while Usopp repaired the Merry Go and Robin went off to look around.

Soon everyone who was trying to get the chestnut out of the water pulled it out to reveal that it was an unconscious man. Kari looked on in shock as well as Luffy.

"... He--he has a chestnut head..." Kari stammered in confusion. Everyone nodded while Chopper checked his health. The reindeer blinked a few times then told everyone to get him in the house, carefully.

After a while the man woke up and noticed all of the strange faces. He jolted to a sitting position then quickly got to his feet and attacked the unfamiliar people. Kari jumped out of the way with Chopper, Chase, Zoro, Sanji, and Usopp while Luffy blocked the hit and was sent skidding backwards.

The man growled. "So, you've come for my treasure, huh?" He asked angrily, reeling weak. Everyone stared in confusion.

"Huh?" Luffy spoke. "My crew mate found a chestnut in the water then we all tried to pull you up, but it turned out to be you."

"You were passed out so we thought we'd help." Chopper stated in his half beast form. The man blinked a few times then sighed.

"My apologies. I am Montblanc Cricket and you are." Everyone introduced themselves and told him the two that were not present.

Sanji then spoke up after all the introductions were done. "So,we heard that you knew how to get to the island in the sky. Mind telling us how." Cricket stared for a while then began to laugh.

"I don't even know if it exists myself!" He called, still laughing up a storm. After Cricket calmed down he sighed then spoke again. "Though, my ancestor may know a thing or two."

"Ancestor? Who's that?" Luffy asked, Kari began to listen intently. Cricket began to explain that his ancestor, Montblanc Noland, supposedly found the famed city of gold on this very island. He explained his past and his shame to the Straw hats. Eventually everyone heard noises from outside. Cricket sighed then two men with ape-like features walked in. One wearing an orange-yellow jumpsuit, headphones, and goggles while the other wore a black button up shirt that was too small for his body showing off his hairy torso, a green captain's coat with his arms in the sleeves, and a green captain's hat with his personal jolly roger on the front. He also wore a belt that has the kanji for forest engraved upon it. Cricket then explained the relationship he had with the two, named Masira and Shoujou respectively. After a while Luffy spoke up.

"Ok. But how do we get to the island in the sky?" He asked. Cricket looked Luffy dead center in his eyes then smirked. He took out an old log book and handed it to Luffy.

"Here. It's from Noland. There is evidences of an island in the sky were written there." He said. Everyone present gaspex happily and began to get excited.

"An island in the sky!" Kari giggled. Chase wagged his tail.

"Wow!!" Chopper stated with a large smile. Zoro chuckled with a wide smile. Sanji hummed in thought with a small smile, thinking about what could be up there. Usopp began to think the same while Luffy jumped for joy.

Cricket chuckled then looked at Masira and Shoujou. "Boys, we've got some work to do."

"What for?" Masira asked. Shoujou blinked

"Were getting the Straw hats to sky island." He said. The Straw hats grew even more happy upon hearing this.

After a few days the Merry Go was ready for flight and the crew even got a bird known as a South Bird that always pointed its beak south. Luffy had gotten into a fight with a guy named "Bellamy" the day before and everyone was on guard because of it.

While getting ready, Kari and Chase said that they would fly on their own next to the ship incase anything happened. With that said and done everyone set off. Chase and Kari were on the ship while they went towards the Knock up stream. The crew prepared for take off until they heard cannons fire in the distance. Kari shivered and stuck close to Chase. Thankfully the canon balls missed. Everyone turned towards the shots and saw a larger ship with a jolly roger that had three scowling skulls: one looking left, one looking forward, and one looking right. Behind them the skulls were cross intersected sets of bones, in addition to the classic two. On the main ship was a man that was missing a few teeth with some other teeth broken, a pronounced crooked nose, long, thick, woolly black hair fell down the back of his neck, underneath a black bandana, and a small scruffy black beard that grew around his jawline. He wore an open buttoned white shirt that revealed his large, hairy chest his sleeves were rolled up, green trousers with black line patterns, a yellow sash around his waist and classic black swashbuckler boots complete with large bronze buckles.

"MONKEY D. LUFFY!" He called. Luffy looked and tilted his head then recognized the man from when he got lost going back to Kari's den, he somehow went back into town. The man showed two wanted posters, one for Luffy and the other for Zoro. Before anything else could happen the Knock up stream blew the ship sky high and destroyed the other ships. Kari got on Chase and they flew to the ship's right, making sure to catch anyone incase they fell.

Once everyone was safe they got a quick look around. Kari and Chase landed on the deck while everyone else was collecting themselves. Kari looked around the deck and internally sighed, no one fell off that she did not notice. Soon everyone was on their feet and looking around. Chopper was the first to notice the sea of clouds, Kari was next, then Luffy not long later everyone was dumbfounded by the strange sight. They were on the clouds!

"Whoa!" Luffy gasped in amazement.

"It's like a giant ocean made of clouds." Kari said with wide eyes. Soon Usopp got an idea.

"If it's like an ocean... Then," Usopp stood on the railing, showing his chest. "I shall swim in it." Luffy, Chopper and Kari cheered him on happily. Usopp then jumped into the sea of clouds without hesitation. Kari, Luffy and Chopper leaned over the edge and watched in envy.

"That must be fun." Chopper sighed.

"Wish I could swim like that." Luffy grumbled.

Kari nodded. "Lucky." She huffed. Chase rolled his eyes. After a while of waiting for Usopp to surface, the dragon realized something.

"Uh, if we're in the sky... Then doesn't that mean this sea has no bottom?" Everyone jolted in shock.

"USOPP!" Everyone called. Chase quickly took action and jumped overboard, tucking in his wings to reduce air resistance. Kari wanted to join Chase but the dragon told her to stay behind. Soon Chase broke through the clouds and saw Usopp, out cold, to his left. The dragon huffed and turned towards him and flew at a downward angle to catch Usopp in his jaws like a lion cub.

"Usopp, you idiot." Chase thought upon catching the teen. "Well... Whatever, now we know. So thanks, I guess. Now I can be on guard if someone falls. I hope not though." Chase flew back to the Merry Go and gently put Usopp down. Chopper rushed up and checked on his crew mate.

"He's okay!" He said and everyone sighed. Once everyone was ready the crew set sail only for Chopper, who was on look out, to shout in horror.

"AAAHHH!!"

"What is it, Chopper?" Zoro asked in slight annoyance. Chopper began flailing.

"I--I SAW A SHIP OVER THERE AND A SMALLER SHIP OVER THERE AND I THOUGHT IT WAS COOL BUT THEN THE BIGGER SHIP BLEW UP AND THE OTHER SHIP IS HEADING TOWARDS US!!" Chopper yelled out quickly. Everyone was confused. Kari blinked and shrugged.

"Chopper, you're probably seeing things cuz of how thin the air is. It's not uncommon to get light headed." Chase stated. "I'm used to the thin air because of my huge lungs so I can breath easily while flying." Kari nodded.

"I'm kinda used to it as well because I'd fly with Chase all the time. Well, he'd carry me." The girl informed. That was when a shadow appeared around Kari. The girl turned around to see a man in a mask wearing what looked like native clothing and holding a bazooka-like weapon and a shield. Kari went wide eyed and Chase growled then shot a fireball at the man. The masked man dodged quickly and grumbled then aimed his weapon at the girl and her dragon, only to have Zoro jump up and swing his swords and Sanji jump up and kick his shield. Both were sent flying back onto the Merry Go, breathless. Kari gulped and looked to Chase, who nodded. Kari then took a fighting stance and let out a sigh, keeping focused while her symbols began to glow a bright silver, even through her clothing. The two were about to fight the masked man until they saw what looked like a pegasus with a knight riding on the back. The knight attacked the masked man, who turned and ran away. Kari sighed and relaxed her stance and the glowing stopped. Nami and Robin stared at Kari, wondering what she was capable of.

"Hello there!" The knight greeted. Kari waved with a neutral expression. The knight landed on the ship and his pegasus turned into a bird. Everyone looked at him in confusion.

"Who're you?" Nami asked. The knight crossed his arms.

"I am the sky knight." He replied. Kari narrowed her eyes in an unamused manner.

"What kinda name is that?" She thought with a sigh. The knight sat down and looked at everyone then the four collapsed members of the crew, Usopp was still cringing about his fall.

"Looks like you people are from the blue sea." He stated.

"Blue sea?" Kari and Nami asked in unison.

The sky knight nodded. "Yes, it's what people up here call those who live below the clouds. I'm amazed that the girl and--." The knight fell silent upon seeing Kari and Chase. "Girl, is that a dragon?" He asked. Kari nodded.

"Yeah, he's my big brother." Kari explained bluntly. The sky knight stared in amazement then bowed to his knees towards Kari and Chase in a respectful manner for a while then rose to his feet. Everyone stared in confusion.

"You were raised by dragons?" Kari nodded. "No wonder you can stand such thin air." Kari giggled.

"Yeah, it's no big deal really." The girl shrugged. "How do you know about dragons anyway?"

"Well, they used to live up here a long time ago. I've only heard stories, to think that they were real." Chase nudged Kari.

"Better get used to this sis. All humans will react in similar ways when they see us." He chuckled, joking about people bowing to then. Kari shrugged and rolled her eyes. The sky knight went on to explain that there was another way to get on the white sea and that the way they took was an all or nothing risk. He also explained that the island was right over them and they were pretty close to the entrance. The knight was so impressed at their bravery that he gave them a whistle which, if sounded, would summon him in their time of need. The crew parted ways with the knight, named Gan Fall, and headed for what looked like a waterfall made of clouds.

----------

Below the clouds on the island of Alabasta, two members of the marines looked around, both were in casual clothing. They noticed that everything was different compared last time they came, which was about a year ago.

"Hey, Min. You hear what those people said?" The boy asked. The boy was about eighteen years old and had shiny silver, eyes that were a nice wolf like shape and a bright sapphire blue. His hair was in a messy style with a longer group of hair to the right of his right eye that went down to about nose length. On his forehead is a pure white "x" shape that resembled a scar but he was born with it. His nose was celestial and his body build was a little more muscular than average, but not much. He wore a loose fitting gray t-shirt with black sleeves with the words "Stronger than steel" on the front written in pale blue, dark blue jeans, a black bandanna around his right thigh, a dog tag with a thin yet durable chain that had his symbol carved into it, and short black hiking boots. On his right bicep is a tattoo of the Marine symbol in black.

The girl next to him nodded. "Yes, I heard them, Kitearo." She was about the same age as the boy and had midnight black hair with velvet brown highlights. Her hair was smooth and went to her shoulders, her nose was short with a dull point and loosely resembled a carrot, piercing green eyes that are shaped similar to horizontal ovals, though not by much. Her body was very curvaceous and average in width around the torso with muscles mainly around her hips and legs, though she did have muscles on her arms. She wore an emerald green v neck with a rabbit-head shape on her chest area in a bright blue color, black sandals with short heels, and dark blue leggings.

"They said something about the Straw hat pirates coming this way." Kitearo sighed while Min just nodded.

"It appears so. If we came a bit earlier we could have captured them." Min said, but Kitearo shook his head. "No? Why's that?"

"I don't intend on capturing them. I know I'm not strong enough. Neither of us are. I just want to know what it is they're capable of. If I see that then I might be able to understand why their captain has a 100,000,00 Beri bounty and the swordsman has a 60,000,000 Beri bounty. They haven't been a crew for long and they only have a few members yet they still have set a name for themselves. Just uttering their crew name sparks conversation." Kitearo sighed.

"Well, they are pretty strong." Min huffed. The two sat down and ordered some food and relaxed.

"So, you think we should request to go after them?" Kitearo asked. Min looked at her partner in confusion.

"I thought you--"

"If I defeat these pirates then I'll be strong enough. I know it." Kitearo cut Min off. The girl sighed. The two contacted headquarters and were told to head back, which they did.