Free Heart

Ch 76 - I am in Paradise

"An island! It's a sky island!" Luffy cheered.

Emmy lifted her head from her crouched position on the main deck. They had braced for impact after being launched into the air by a gigantic crustacean that had carried them right up a winding waterfall towards the higher sky ocean plane they were now sailing on.

As she stood up, she could feel the corners of a whistle in her apron pocket rub against her leg. They had been given that by a curious but kind man named Gan Fall, who called himself the Sky Knight. He had beaten back a masked guerilla with a bazooka that had tried to blow them up with a big bazooka. The whistle was for them to use if they ever needed his help again and it was only to be used in an emergency.

All of this had occurred within a matter of hours so at this point, Emmy wasn't sure what counted as an emergency anymore. It seemed anything could happen on the sky island.

Merry-san, are you okay? Did that lobster hurt you?, Emmy asked as she watched the crustacean release his claws from Merry's broken wings and retreat down into the clouds.

I'm fine. Thank you for your concern, Little Miss. That was fun.

Emmy giggled. I'm glad you enjoyed it.

"Emmy! Come look!" Luffy shouted from the masthead.

When she reached her captain's side, Emmy's eyes widened at the sight before them. It was indeed an island in the sky. A long dense forest of tall trees lined against the bottom level of the clouds. Above them, there were traces of roofs and towers poking out from the white, fluffy mounds. Long, marble-like staircases curved in and around the clouds that linked the different layers of cloud together.

"Wow, I can't believe we're actually here..." Nami said wondrously.

They docked the ship near the base of the trees. They couldn't get right to the edge, since the clouds beneath them got thicker and denser. When Luffy jumped off the ship and right into the clouds, he found that he was submerged only up to his ankles. "Ah! It's safe," he said with a grin and then held his arms out, "C'mon, Emmy! Let's go! This is just like a beach!"

"Oh! If that's the case, come on, Prude," Nami said excitedly. She linked her arm with the first mate's and dragged her towards the women's quarters, "Let's go change into something more appropriate. You too, Robin!"

"Eh?" It took the historian a beat but then she smiled and nodded at the navigator, "Sure. Why not?"

"What?! Emmy doesn't need to change," Luffy pouted from below.

"LUFFY! Don't get in the way if the ladies want to change into bikinis then let them!" Sanji roared. He leapt over the ship and he threw his arms in the air when he landed, "Bikinis! Bonsai!"

Emmy's face turned a dark red at the thought wearing a bikini as she entered Nami and Robin's room. "I don't have a swimsuit though. I can just take off my stockings and shoes."

"Don't worry, Prude," Nami said with a wink and she opened her wardrobe to reveal a vast collection of different styles of swimwear, "I got you covered."

By the time Emmy was ready for the beach with not only her swimsuit on but also the southbird perched on her shoulder, everyone had disembarked and was exploring the beach. Nami was swimming leisurely in the clouds with only a red, string bikini top and some yellow shorts on while the swordsman was doing some quick laps fully clothed. Chopper was trying to build a cloud castle. Sanji was picking some flowers and Robin was lounging in a chair and reading a book with a purple halter bikini and a red sarong tied around her waist. Usopp was shouting up at Luffy, who was perched high on a tree holding some type of flattened gourd.