A magic merchant infiltrating Fairy Tail

"Huh?! Someone's here?!"

Because the Hope and the Merry came from very close places, they quickly spotted each other.

"Ah!! It's the Rain God!!"

"It really is!! The Rain God!!!"

"Wow, amazing! To run into him here... could he really be a god?!"

Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper immediately recognized Killer standing at the front; that figure was exactly the same as the giant figure that had brought down a torrential rain in Alabasta a few days ago and stopped the war.

Generally speaking, Luffy has difficulty remembering other people's names and appearances. Even with relatively important people, he can only remember them by their distinctive features, such as the silver fox Fox with his "butt chin" and Marco with his "pineapple head"...

He can remember Kira now mainly because back in Alabasta, that enormous figure that spanned the entire country was, in his eyes, simply... Thai Pants!

Moreover, Killer appeared as the "Rain God," who stopped the war and saved Alabasta by bringing seven days of torrential rain. He was Vivi's great benefactor, so Luffy naturally remembered Killer as the "Rain God."

"That person... with those mages, must be one of their companions, right?"

Apart from the three thick-skinned individuals, the others were quite intelligent and quickly recognized Erza, Natsu, Gray, and others, thus understanding Kira's identity.

Thinking of this, Nami's eyes suddenly lit up: "So... could that seven-day-long torrential rain also be magic??"

As an outstanding navigator who discovered her talent at a young age, she was confident that she could accurately predict the weather based on data such as air temperature, humidity, and wind direction. However, the sudden, unpredictable, and continuous torrential rain that lasted for seven days in Alabasta was completely beyond her comprehension.

It's like you've finished high school math, but then suddenly you're told in college that you have to study advanced mathematics, probability theory, linear algebra, calculus, definite integrals, and indefinite integrals.

'If I could master weather magic, wouldn't sailing the Grand Line be much easier?'

Just as Nami was secretly plotting to learn some weather magic from Killer, Luffy had already boarded the Hope and greeted Natsuhabi—both were hospitable idiots who became good friends in a few words and agreed to adventure together on Skypiea.

Then Luffy, along with Chopper and Usopp, pestered Killer to transform into the Rain God again. Of course, Killer decisively refused, so the three of them lined up and hugged Killer's legs, shedding tears of disappointment.

After a brief exchange, Kira also learned about the Straw Hat crew's subsequent experiences in Alabasta.

In the original storyline, after the Straw Hat crew defeated Crocodile, they stayed in Alabasta for several days. During this time, the Navy fleet led by Smoker and Tina had surrounded the entire Alabasta. It was Mr. 2 who helped them take their ship away, thus preventing the Going Merry from being seized by the Navy. Later, when they went to go around the coast to pick up Vivi at East Port, it was also because Mr. 2 helped them distract the Navy that the group was able to escape danger.

However, now that Erza dismissed the Baroque Works members early on, Mr. 2 no longer has any role, and their relationship has faded considerably. Furthermore, the torrential rain that Kira created, which lasted for seven days throughout the Alabasta Kingdom and the surrounding seas, severely hampered the Navy's operations. Not only did they fail to find the Going Merry, but Luffy and his crew also managed to escape using the storm as cover.

The storm stopped the Marines, but it couldn't stop Nami... I really don't know what those Marines are good for!!

Aside from the absence of Robin, their experiences are almost identical to those in the original work: they encounter a ship that falls from the sky at sea, the magnetic force of the Log Pose is attracted to the Sky Island, they go to Jaya Island to learn about Noland and the Golden City, they beat up Bellamy, and finally ride the Sky Current to the White Sea.

"So, the Sky Island is even higher up??"

With Erza's explanation, Nami learned about the division between the White Sea and the White-White Sea, but then a new problem arose: "How are we going to get up there?"

Kira pointed in a direction: "There is a Cloud River Road over there that leads to the White Sea. The entry fee is 1 billion Irk per person... Irk is the currency of Sky Island, and the conversion rate with Berries is about 10000:10, which means the entry fee is 10 Berries per person."

Nami instantly became alert: "10 Berries each... that means we'll have to pay 60 Berries? I don't want to!!"

Kira's stingy demeanor made all the mages involuntarily look at him. Although they didn't say anything, it was as if they had said everything.

"Hey, hey, hey... why are you looking at me like that?" Kira knew exactly what these guys were thinking, and immediately frowned. "Whatever you're thinking right now, shut up!!"

The mages then sheepishly averted their gazes, but some, like Happy and Natsu, were slow to react, and thus received Kira's 'Love Bag' as a reward.

"Speaking of which, you have 20 people, so that means you need 200 million Berries?"

“No, we don’t need money!” Kira shook his head, a faint smile playing on his lips.

Are you kidding me?! That's 200 million Berries, not 200 Berries!!

Two million Berries is almost equivalent to the reward for a ten-year mission. So far, the total treasure he has plundered from Arlong Park and Baroque Works is less than one billion. How could he possibly be willing to spend such a huge sum of money?!

Nami's ears twitched, and she immediately asked, "Huh?! Why don't you have to pay an entry fee?? Does that mean you have something to do with Skypiea??"

She had already secretly decided that as soon as Kira said "yes," she would immediately step forward and ask him to take her along, even if it meant sacrificing her looks and letting him touch her hand.

Hmm... I've really sacrificed a lot for this pirate crew!

"No, that's not it. We just don't take the Cloud River Path!"

Nami's eyes lit up; she never hesitated to take any cost-saving option: "Could it be that there are other ways to get up there?"

If there's a free passage, she'll squeeze in even if it's crowded... Of course, if it's dangerous, then forget it.

"Of course!"

Kira chuckled, pointed upwards with his long, slender index finger, and said, "We're planning to fly up there!!"

"Fly...?!" Luffy and his crew were all dumbfounded.

They then realized that the Hope, which Kira and the others were aboard, was different from the Going Merry. It wasn't anchored on the surface of the White Sea, but rather suspended in mid-air above it. Moreover, they had come aboard the Sky Current, but they hadn't seen Kira and his group along the way. In other words, this metal box was indeed capable of flight.

"Wait...wait a minute!! Could it be that you flew up here before?!"

Usopp was completely stunned. "Are you kidding me?! This is 7 meters in the air! How could any ship possibly fly this far?! Not to mention there's such a thick expanse of air sea below..."

Kira puffed out his chest proudly, spread his hands, and said smugly, "I'm really sorry, long-nosed brother, the advancement of magical technology far exceeds your imagination! The Hope is not a ship, but an airship, and flight is its basic function!"

hiss--!

Usopp gasped, his gaze towards the Hope filled with envy, his mind already drifting into daydreams: 'If only Merry could have flight capabilities too…'

"Magic technology?!"

"A flying ship?!"

"So cool!!" ×2

Luffy and Chopper exclaimed in surprise again, their eyes now shining brightly.

"Brother Kira, look how destined we are, can you take us flying with you?" Nami leaned close to Kira and kept throwing him flirtatious glances, practically writing "honey trap" on her face.

Take me flying?? That's not a good idea...

There are still so many people watching here!

Kira licked his lips, gritted his teeth, and resolutely refused, "No way! There's a vast expanse of airspace above, and your ship doesn't have any protective shields; you simply can't cross it!"

"Besides, not paying the entry fee is a Level 11 crime on Sky Island, which will be punished by the Sky Island administrators. If you get caught, you'll have to pay ten times the amount! Do you really want to pay 600 million Berries??"

"The... are the administrators of the sky island... very strong?"

Kira didn't mince words, stating directly, "A Logia-type Devil Fruit user, the Rumble-Rumble Fruit user, can unleash infinite electricity. Don't you think that's powerful?"

"Logia type... is it the same ability as Smoker and Crocodile? And it's lightning..."

"Then let's forget about it..."

Not only Nami, but Zoro, Sanji, and the others were stunned, immediately abandoning their plan to sneak across the border. However, they still looked at Killer and the others with a hint of confusion: "But, Brother Killer, aren't you afraid??"

Kira scoffed and said dismissively, "What's there to be afraid of with mere lightning? We're mages from Fairy Tail! Besides, look at this!"

To everyone's bewilderment, Kira pulled a hard stone from his personal storage space.

"What is this?!" Luffy curiously pointed at it, and instantly collapsed to the ground.

"Hai Lou Shi?!!"

Nami recognized the item in Killer's hand at a glance and couldn't help but exclaim in surprise. Zoro, Sanji, and the others also tensed up immediately. They had already seen this kind of thing during the Rain Banquet and knew that it had a restraining effect on Devil Fruit users. Crocodile had built a Seastone cage.

Since Erza had explained that they had defeated Crocodile but he had escaped, and that Kira had later brought rain to stop the war and save Alabasta, they had always naively assumed that Kira and his group were just kind-hearted passersby and had not suspected Kira of Crocodile's disappearance.

"That's right, it's Seastone, which I stole from Crocodile!!"

Chapter 881 The New God of Apayado

Baibaihai is a natural sea formed by the condensation of the Cumulus clouds 10,000 meters above Qinghai.

Compared to the White Sea, the clouds here are more distinct in density, basically consisting of only two types: sea clouds and island clouds. Naturally, there are no fluffy, soft clouds over the sea.

The Hope came up from a good position, right near Apayato, which is half of Gaya Island that was brought here by the surging ocean currents 400 years ago.

After Kira opened the ceiling of the Hope, the first thing he saw was a huge island with towering trees on it.

The trunks of these trees are so thick that several people can encircle them, and their height is comparable to the stone pillars of castles and palaces. Their roots intertwine like pythons lying on the ground waiting to strike, and their branches and leaves are lush and crisscross, blocking out the sun. Further away, roughly in the center of the island, a huge vine can be seen reaching into the clouds.

"Oh?! How lucky!!"

After sighing, Kira thought about it for a moment and suddenly realized that it wasn't necessarily him who was so lucky.

Since both Apayado and Luffy's crew were brought ashore by the Sky Current, their arrival points on Sky Island wouldn't be too far apart. I just came up directly from where Luffy and the others entered the White Sea, so it's perfectly reasonable that I encountered Apayado as soon as I entered the White Sea.

"Well, whether it's luck or it's all reasonable, at least we've reached our destination. Coming directly here saves us the time of searching for the island... I just wonder how far this place is from the gold mine?"

Kira remembered that Enel had collected all that gold to use for shipbuilding.

Due to the unique climate and materials of the Sky Island, the trees, birds, and other flora and fauna on this half of the island have been magnified dozens or even hundreds of times. Even if it were to be taken back to Qinghai, it would no longer be able to connect with the other half of Gaya Island.

For the same reason, those historical sites, including Golden Village, were buried under the vast forest, rarely seeing the light of day. Only inanimate objects such as stones, land, and gold were not magnified.

Kira remembers that 'gigantic growth' is one of the hidden main themes throughout the comics, and this theme may very well involve the truth of this world.

This information was foreshadowed from the moment they entered the Grand Line and was repeatedly mentioned after they entered the New World. It included the following: 'The giant whale-like island-eating beast of Little Garden', 'Elbaf, the homeland of the giants', 'Gigantified Jaya Island', 'The giant trees—the precious tree Adam and the sun tree Eve', 'The giant kingdom whose history was erased', 'Sea Kings and giant Sea Kings', 'Caesar's experiments on human gigantification', 'The giant creature Zunesha', 'The giant carp of Wano Country'...

Kira had always thought that the 'Giant Kingdom' meant that the kingdom was very large and powerful, but the more he looked at it, the more he felt that the 'giant' here should mean that the kingdom possessed the technology to make creatures gigantic.

As we all know, elephants do not live in the sea, so the most direct manifestation of this technology is almost certainly that of the elephant owner who has lived for an unknown amount of time and has been on the move for an unknown amount of time!

Kira stared blankly at Jaya Island before him, his mind racing, but he couldn't figure it out. In the end, he could only shake his head and put it out of his mind.

Right now, finding gold is still the most important thing!

beep beep...

Just as Kira was about to take Erza and the others ashore to search for treasure, the Hope's control panel suddenly rang.

"Huh? What happened??" Gray and the others were taken aback and all looked at Kira.

The voice sounded familiar. Kira raised an eyebrow and remotely raised the control panel from the second floor. He walked over and saw that the signal detector on it was flashing red.

"It seems there's more than one guild member on the island!"

Kira examined the signal receiver for a while and found that it hadn't worked before because some substance in the air was blocking the transmission of the magic signal.

"What did you say?! This is too much of a coincidence..."

"Luckily, we were moved to an island. If we had been in the open sea...it would have been terrifying!!"

Erza and the others felt a wave of fear, then realized that if one of their companions had been transported to this world while in the sea or in the air, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

Kira waved his hand and reassured him, "You don't need to worry about that. I used magic to analyze the magic on that spatial passage and found that the locations they were transported to were all safe areas where humans could stand and there was no need to worry about environmental issues. So there's no need to worry about them being teleported to the deep sea, underground, or high in the sky."