One Piece Overview: The Sky Island Saga

Overview: The Sky Island Saga

After the Straw Hats finish the Alabasta Saga, they hear rumors about a mysterious “island in the sky” that most people dismiss as nonsense. But a strange clue leads them to a world above the clouds. This saga touches on faith vs. doubt, hidden treasures, and an ancient battle between “heavenly” residents and native warriors.

Arc 12: Jaya

(Chapters 218–236)

My Experience

Right after the intense events in Alabasta, I wondered, “What else can One Piece do to surprise me?” Then I saw the Straw Hats arrive on Jaya, a tropical island full of rough pirates, bounty hunters, and especially Bellamy. It was very different from the big war I saw before. Instead, there was a lot of cynicism toward Luffy’s dream about a “Sky Island.”

Key Events

1. Meeting Bellamy

   • The crew heads to Mock Town, where pirates create a harsh atmosphere. Bellamy the Hyena, who ate the Spring-Spring Fruit, mocks Luffy for believing in crazy ideas like sky islands or legendary treasures.

   • Bellamy claims this “new age” is about money and power, not dreams.

2. Mont Blanc Cricket

   • Near Mock Town, the crew meets Mont Blanc Cricket, a descendant of “Liar Noland.”

   • Cricket searches for proof that his ancestor wasn’t lying. Noland once claimed there was a city of gold that vanished. Many people think it was all made up.

   • Cricket takes Luffy’s hopes about a Sky Island seriously, which helped me see the big theme of “belief vs. disbelief.”

3. Knock Up Stream

   • Cricket has a theory about the “Knock Up Stream,” a giant column of water that shoots up to the sky. The Straw Hats might use it to travel upward.

   • They fix the Going Merry with help from Masira and Shoujou, who are salvage-diver brothers, and then wait for the right moment.

4. Bellamy vs. Luffy

   • Bellamy steals Cricket’s gold. Luffy goes back to get it.

   • Bellamy brags about his power. At first, Luffy doesn’t fight back. But then he knocks Bellamy out with one punch, which really felt satisfying. It shows Luffy can be patient yet also very strong.

Fun Facts

• Bellamy’s name comes from the real pirate Samuel Bellamy. Oda often uses real pirate names as inspiration.

• Mont Blanc Noland was inspired by stories of explorers who came back with “unbelievable” tales and were called liars.

For me, Jaya was like a “warm-up” before the real sky adventure. It reminded me that Luffy’s strength isn’t just about punching—he also strongly believes in dreams that others call impossible.

Arc 13: Skypiea

(Chapters 237–302)

Overall Feel and My Impression

Using the Knock Up Stream, the Straw Hats are launched into the air, and they find a real island in the sky. I was amazed because One Piece suddenly mixed pirate themes with a heavenly place full of cloud-like seas, angel-like people, and surprising “cloud-technology.” But this beautiful place is ruled by a “god” called Enel, who leads through fear—this becomes the arc’s main conflict.

1. Arriving in Skypiea

• The crew discovers that Sky Island is real. The “White Sea” (a sea of white clouds) serves as the ground.

• They meet the White Berets (the sky patrol) and various strange cloud creatures. There are strict laws, and “God” (Enel) is at the top.

• I loved the “Dials”—shells that store energy or sound and act like a special technology.

2. The Clash with the Shandia

• Skypiea is home to the Skypieans, but the Shandia (native warriors) fight to reclaim their holy land, the Upper Yard. Long ago, this piece of land rose up into the sky.

• The Shandia want their land back and see Enel as a tyrant who terrorizes them and the Skypieans.

• Wyper, a fierce Shandia fighter, really stuck with me. He’s tough and uses a “Reject Dial” that can harm both his enemy and himself.

3. Enel (Eneru), the Self-Proclaimed God

• Enel ate the Goro Goro no Mi (Lightning Logia), making him almost untouchable. He can become lightning and strike anywhere.

• He rules Skypiea with harsh “ordeals” handled by his priests (Satori, Gedatsu, Shura, Ohm). These trials are random and deadly.

• Enel’s main goal is “Fairy Vearth”—to destroy Skypiea and head to “endless earth” above the clouds. He’s one of the most self-absorbed villains I’d seen so far in One Piece.

4. The Major Battle in the Upper Yard

• The Straw Hats are split up across the Upper Yard, each facing a priest. I found the fight with Satori especially funny yet dangerous because of his weird surprise “balls.”

• Chopper fights Gedatsu, Zoro battles Ohm, and Robin studies the island’s ancient ruins, discovering more about the Poneglyphs.

• There’s also a multi-sided battle going on: Enel vs. the Shandia vs. the Skypieans vs. the Straw Hats. It’s chaotic, but in a fun way.

5. The City of Gold and the Bell

• Over time, it becomes clear that Jaya was once a full island, and part of it was blasted into the sky by the Knock Up Stream. That piece contained the legendary “City of Gold” that Mont Blanc Noland talked about.

• Robin finds a Poneglyph in the ruins and learns about the past and a message from Gol D. Roger, hinting at the series’ deeper mysteries.

• The “Golden Bell” is a crucial treasure for the Shandia. By ringing it, they honor their ancestors and prove their city still exists.

6. Luffy vs. Enel

• Enel plans to wipe out Skypiea by using his flying ark “Maxim” to create deadly clouds.

• But Luffy is rubber—lightning doesn’t affect him! That’s a brilliant twist: how do you beat a lightning god? With rubber, of course!

• They fight high up, and Luffy is determined to ring the bell for both Wyper’s sake and Mont Blanc Cricket’s dream. He finally smashes Enel’s giant gold bell with a huge punch, causing a loud ring that echoes throughout Skypiea and down to Jaya below.

7. The Aftermath and Freedom

• With Enel defeated, Skypiea is free. The Shandia and Skypieans make peace. The clouds slowly recover from all the damage.

• The Straw Hats celebrate with a big feast. They take some gold (though the manga/anime can be unclear about how much). Eventually, they descend to the Blue Sea again.

• It ends with a big feeling of closure: that bell sound is heard even by Mont Blanc Cricket on Jaya, proving Noland was telling the truth.

Fun Facts

• Enel was inspired by thunder gods from different mythologies, and his design also shows influences from Southeast Asian art.

• Skypiea mixes religious references—angel wings, a “god” figure, and even some Buddhist-like elements in the priests.

• Aisa, the small Shandia girl with “Mantra” (Observation Haki), is an early example of Haki. But at that time, it wasn’t called Haki yet.

How I Felt at the End of Skypiea

When I reached the final pages and that bell rang out, I had a big smile on my face. It was such a touching ending. The moment Luffy strikes the bell so that Cricket can hear it back on Jaya felt like a perfect reward for all that effort. I was also very intrigued by the series’ larger storyline: the Poneglyphs, Gol D. Roger, and the “Void Century.”

Sky Island showed me that Eiichiro Oda’s imagination has almost no limits. He blended pirate adventures with a sky kingdom, “Dial” technology, and a war that had a bit of a religious tone plus a story of native people wanting their land back. The humor never died (with funny cloud vehicles, Usopp’s freak-outs, Sanji’s flirting), but Enel’s threat felt very real.

Conclusion: Why the Sky Island Saga is Special

• A Completely New Concept: One Piece went from dinosaur islands in Little Garden to clouds and angels, proving the story can go anywhere.

• Deeper Lore: The tie-in with Mont Blanc Noland, a Poneglyph left by Gol D. Roger, and Shandia’s legends all expand the One Piece world.

• First “Godlike” Villain: Enel views himself as a genuine god. The rubber-vs.-lightning matchup was both funny and thematically satisfying (no one is unbeatable).

• Symbolism and Emotion: The bell that rings across the world, proving Noland’s innocence, and freeing a whole land from tyranny—it’s both epic and moving.

For me, the Sky Island Saga confirmed that each One Piece arc can feel totally different while keeping the core ideas of friendship, adventure, and humor. The exploration, plus Luffy’s grand fight against Enel, are high points I recommend reading in detail. After Skypiea, I was excited to see which new places Luffy and his crew would discover next—and I realized that One Piece from here on out is truly a journey into the unknown, full of fantasy.