"Urouge, let's go. Let's leave this place—leave Skypiea—and head down to the Blue Sea."
The anger on Salman's face slowly dissolved into melancholy. He turned to his friend and spoke with quiet conviction.
"I know you've always yearned for the world below. Even when we were kids, just finding a pebble from the Blue Sea was like holding a sacred relic to you. Your dream has always been to see that vast, endless ocean with your own eyes, hasn't it?"
"Come on, Urouge." Salman looked at him firmly. "Go to the Blue Sea and live your dream. You're already an outcast monk, expelled from the Sky Temple. There's nothing holding you back now."
For the first time in a long while, the ever-present smile on Urouge's face faded. He tilted his head slightly but remained silent.
Salman let out a long sigh, released his grip on Urouge's shoulder, and sat down beside him in silence. One lay down, the other sat—neither speaking another word.
Eventually, Salman rose to his feet. After adjusting his tattered monk robes, he looked down at Urouge one last time and left without saying anything.
Once he was gone, Urouge slowly sat up again. That familiar, unreadable smile returned to his face.
"You two seem close."
A relaxed voice broke the silence as Portgas D. Ace approached, casually sitting beside him.
He unslung a wine gourd from his belt and offered it. "Here—this is sake from the Blue Sea. Want a sip?"
Urouge gave Ace a curious look. "You're from the Blue Sea?"
But he didn't refuse. He accepted the bottle, opened it, and took a sip.
"…Strong stuff," he muttered, a bit surprised. "Much stronger than anything we have up here. So… this is the taste of the Blue Sea?"
"Yeah," Ace chuckled. "It's not bad, right?"
Urouge gazed at the distant clouds, his smile now touched with longing. "It's… a taste worth chasing."
He handed the gourd back and looked at Ace with genuine curiosity.
"Tell me more. What's the Blue Sea like?"
Ace thought for a moment, then spoke slowly.
"Well, the Blue Sea includes four great oceans—East Blue, West Blue, South Blue, and North Blue—along with the Grand Line that runs between them. Each sea has its own wonders, but the most thrilling place is the Grand Line. That's where adventurers, pirates, revolutionaries, and marines from all over the world converge."
"Some fight for justice. Others chase freedom, or power, or their dreams. No matter the reason, everyone sails those dangerous seas to carve their place in the world."
"The Grand Line…" Urouge echoed, his eyes brightening.
Ace continued, "I recently broke into the second half of the Grand Line—the New World. It's a place where only the strongest can survive. I thought I was ready, but I quickly realized… I was still weak. That's why I came up here—to train."
"New World, huh?" Urouge didn't doubt a word of it. He nodded slowly, then extended his hand. "I'm Urouge. And you are…?"
"Portgas D. Ace," he said, shaking Urouge's hand with a grin. "But just call me Ace."
"…Ace. Got it."
Urouge stood, brushing himself off. "Thanks for the drink. And for sharing your stories. Maybe we'll meet again."
As Urouge walked away, Ace watched him thoughtfully.
"You long for the Blue Sea," he murmured, "yet you stay here—an outcast monk, quietly enduring mockery and exile. There must be something, or someone, anchoring you to this place."
Among the Eleven Supernovas later dubbed the "Worst Generation," Ace had always found Urouge—the "Mad Monk"—a bit different. Compared to the liars, thieves, backstabbers, and spies among the others, Urouge had seemed… genuine.
He had also heard rumors that Urouge once inflicted a defeat on the tyrant Enel, the former god of Skypiea. That alone made Ace wonder—just what power was hidden in the Sky Temple?
"Zhenkong Temple, huh… I'm getting more and more interested in this place," Ace muttered before heading off in another direction.
---
Skypiea's layout was simple. At its center stood the Sky Temple—the so-called "Holy Land." Surrounding it were the town zones where ordinary citizens lived, the port area for sea clouds travel, and the Exile Zone at the island's edge.
The Exile Zone was a barren wasteland, its only features being a few crude structures built with cloud stone. It was where monks who had broken temple vows were cast out to live in disgrace.
---
Back in the exile settlement, Urouge returned with blood still smeared across his face. A group of fellow monks rushed up to him.
"Brother Urouge! Are you alright?"
"It's nothing," he said, brushing them off. "Just a scratch. Has the food been distributed?"
"Yeah, everyone's had their share. They were really happy," one answered.
There were hundreds of monks living in exile—young, strong men like Urouge, and older monks who had once served faithfully before being discarded by the temple.
Though the temple offered shelter to the elderly, most chose to live among their fellow outcasts.
Urouge approached an old, bearded monk resting on a cloud-made bench.
The monk smiled, seeing his expression.
"You look happy today, Urouge."
"I met someone," Urouge said simply. "A man from the Blue Sea. He gave me wine, and… he told me about his world. I want to see it for myself."
The old monk chuckled, stroking his beard. "Sounds like you took a liking to this man."
"I did," Urouge admitted. "I don't know why… but I feel like our fates are intertwined."
The old monk let out a wheezy laugh.
"Then tell me, Urouge… what is your dream?"
Urouge looked to the skies above, clouds parting to reveal a glimpse of the endless blue horizon far below.
He smiled, the kind of smile that hides sorrow, strength, and yearning all at once.
---
To Be Continued…
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