Summary:
The Straw Hat Pirates noticed some debris falling from the sky, at first they thought it was rain. Suddenly, the entire shipwreck falls from the sky, causing huge waves to rock the Going Merry after almost crashing into it. When the sea calms down, the crew tries to figure out how the ship could have fallen from the sky. Nami then notices her log pointing towards the sky and thinks it’s broken. Robin suggests that the log’s position is not broken, but merely registers an island with a strong magnetic pull, further suggesting that it must be heading towards Sky Island.
The Straw Hats are incredulous and enthusiastic. Robin explains that Sky Island isn’t exactly just an island in the sky, but rather an entire ocean. Luffy tells them to set their course for Sky Island, but Sanji points out that they can’t actually fly. Robin further admits that her knowledge of the island is based on word of mouth only, and that she has never actually seen it. Nami thinks the whole thing is made up and insists that their pose is just broken. Robin then states that instead of trying to fix something that isn’t broken, they should try to find a way to get to Sky Island. He goes on to say that in the Great Line, we must not question their stance no matter how crazy things get, stating that this is the most stable and unbreakable rule in the Great Line.
Robin continues to study the skull of one of the sailors from the ship that just fell from the sky while Luffy and Usopp examine the wreckage. After assembling the skull, Robin sees that it has been pierced through an ancient medical procedure called cratering, and deduces that the man must have been dead for at least 200 years. He further deduces that the ship must be St. Briss, a survey ship from South Blue.
Meanwhile, as the ship sinks, Luffy begins to drown. After being pulled out, he announces that he found the map of Skypiea in the rubble. Nami looks at the map and remains skeptical as it could be a fake treasure map, further pointing out that even if it was real, the map doesn’t show them how to get to Sky Island. In order to get more information on how to get to Sky Island, Nami suggests that they rescue the ship, which has now sunk to the bottom of the ocean. Sanji, Zoro, and Luffy volunteer to go using special barrels attached to the Merry designed by Usopp that allow them to breathe underwater.
As the trio descends to the wreck, a pirate ship arrives at the site where the ship sank. The ship’s captain introduces himself as Masira, the captain of the Masira Pirates, and declares that the sunken ship is now the property of the king of all Salvagers. He orders his crew to raise the ship. Masira notices the presence of the Straw Hats and warns them against stealing “his ship”, as he believes any ships that sink in the area are his property. The Straw Hats decide not to tell Masira that they have already sent a team to wreck the ship, and also decide not to stop him from raising the ship. Nami uses her charms to avoid suspicion from Masiro and he starts trying to impress her.
As Masira’s crew sets up a cradle to raise the sunken ship, they rise battered and unable to speak. However, Masira still doesn’t suspect The Slam Hats. Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji make their way underwater to the wreck and begin to explore, during which time Masira is able to build a cradle and begin raising the ship. St. The Briss begins to fill with air and rise, but the Masira Pirates begin to run into trouble caused by Luffy’s group. Masira decides to explore it himself and swims under it. He finds the trio inside and asks them what they were doing in his territory. Instead of answering, Luffy simply states that he (Masira) looks like a monkey, which Masira takes as a compliment, losing his aggression towards the group. As they exchange pleasantries, a giant turtle suddenly eats St. Briss and emerges next to the Going Merry.