Now Heading Towards the Blue Sea!! Memories of an Interwoven Finale

Still sprinting from what they mistook for a cannon, the crew never collect the gift the islanders meant to give, though Aisa points out she at least managed her thanks. Back at Upper Yard, Wyper insists that the flame of Shandora will never go out even now that the Shandia have discharged their ancient task. The chief asks Gan Fall to govern the now-unified people, and after first refusing because his role as Sky Knight remains, Gan Fall gives way once the chief points out that a warrior no longer suits a land at peace, which instead wants a leader who is gentle and fair. The Vearth, the chief insists, belongs to everyone above, and as the whole crowd calls for him to rule, he accepts.

With Pagaya, Conis, and Su riding alongside on the waver, the Straw Hats glide toward Cloud End to begin their descent. They drop down the Milky Road, and Conis calls up an octopus balloon that catches the Going Merry and cushions the fall. As the heroes slip away, the Skypieans toll the golden bell to show them they will always be welcome to return. Far below on Jaya, Cricket calls off the hunt for the golden city now that its place in the sky is confirmed, thanks the alliance for believing in him, and hints he simply means to chase a new dream with them.

Partway down, the crew squabble over how to spend the Shandora gold until Nami reminds them they must land in one piece first. An air current pushes the ship off course, and with the octopus clamped onto it they cannot work the sails. Bored, Luffy bounds across the shrinking creature like a trampoline despite Sanji's protests, and it loses its air, dropping the Merry into free fall. Usopp fastens breath dials to the hull to slow the plunge, but the balloon empties completely and the ship smashes onto the sea, somehow holding together. Sirens then blare and spotlights lock onto the Merry.

This caps both the Skypiea Arc and the Sky Island Saga. It adapts chapters 302 and 303 and debuts Cloud End, Navarone Island, and G-8. Funimation's edited dub aired its final television broadcast with this entry, screening in Australia, after which the studio began redubbing the series from scratch for DVD. It was also the last to carry Tsuki to Taiyo as its ending theme, and at twenty-two chapters behind the manga, it marked the anime's closest approach to the source.