"Godland, Skypiea?" Bonney read the signboard that was placed on the side of the Snake Way and then grinned at Sin. "You will feel right at home here."
"I can sense a lot of signatures. There are a lot of people on the Island." Robin said, right before the Crab pushed them out on the second Cloud Sea, and they came across a sight that took their breath away.
What lay before them was a city straight out of some dream.
"Angel Island." Nami excitedly read the signboard and then stared at the long and high bridge that was disappearing into the clouds. "There are people on the bridge! And they are using weird machines to travel up."
"Show me..." Just as Vivi spoke her words, the clouds rumbled angrily, and so loudly that it nearly made their hearts stop. "Sin!" The Princess complained, but when she looked at her cousin, she found him gravely staring at the dark clouds in the sky, which were drizzling and constantly flashing due to lightning.
"Why would you do that? You scared everyone..."
"It was not Sin." Robin cut her off and then frowned as she looked at her brother, having sensed that he was unsettled for some reason.
"There's someone here who is as strong as me, if not more." His words baffled them, but when they heard his next words, they nearly froze. "And that person is controlling the lightning in the sky. Be mindful of your words too, because he has sensed our presence, and he will be able to listen to what you say."
"What?" Nojiko was in sheer disbelief at his words, but Sin did not answer her and smiled as he picked up Nami and Vivi and then rushed to Angel Beach.
"We can't anchor the ship here, Captain," Bepo told Robin as soon as they arrived at the beach and found that the sea cloud was quite shallow there.
"Use the ropes."
"Aye!" Bepo, Vigaro, and Bart got straight to work as they picked up the rope and tied them to the hooks before tying the other end to the trees on the beach.
"The atmosphere here is a little grim," Yamato, who had been grinning ear to ear a while ago, was now seriously looking g around, and it was the same for everyone else.
"Do you want to drink something delicious?" Robin distracted their minds as she spotted the Cloud Watermelons, and then picked two up before she instructed them on how to open them.
Bonney, as much as she wanted to eat and drink the juice, decided to look for a few for herself, and when Lily and Hiyori tasted them, they had sparkles in their eyes and emptied the two huge fruits in seconds.
"I want more!" Lily excitedly rushed towards the trees but stopped when Robin grabbed her hand and whispered something in her ears.
"Don't use your powers here."
The Giantess understandably nodded to her, knowing that someone was listening to them, and then continued her search for some more fruits.
Sin, on the other hand, was showing Nami and Vivi a pavilion on the beach where two very soft couches were placed.
"How are they so soft and comfy?" The girls had never lain on anything as comfortable as these couches before.
"Because these are clouds." He said, catching them by surprise. "Remember those bouncy hills? They were man-made too, and just like these. And these things have been cut out of Island Clouds."
"So, this is the Island Cloud." Nami smiled and then tried to bounce on the couch, and soon the two girls were busy experimenting with the cloud furniture.
Nojiko joined them as well, and Pascia and Kuina, who had decided to take a look around, soon returned with a middle-aged man with small white wings on his back and two hair antennae on his head.
"Captain!" Kuina smiled at him and then glanced at the man. "This Pagaya. He's an engineer and can create the machines you saw earlier." She told Nami, who excitedly shot up on her feet.
"What are they called?"
"Those were Wavers, Young Lady." The man gently told her and then glanced around their crew and the ship. "If you are interested, I can show them to you. I have a shop too where I sell them."
"Awesome!"
"Please, come." He invited them, and they all followed him as he led them inside the Residential District where his home and shop were.
"Why is everyone so apprehensive of us?" Bonney frowned.
"Skypiea was thrown into a war six months ago, and the God who used to rule and protect us fell. We have a new God now, and he's quite... strict..." Pagaya obviously wanted to use some other words but held them back.
"What's his name?"
"God Enel. The old God was called Gan Fall." He informed them.
"And where did Enel come from?"
"God Enel came from Birka." Pagaya said, and Sin stopped in his tracks as soon as he heard those words.
Everyone else turned to look at him too, and seeing the frown on his face, they furrowed their brows.
However, soon, a battalion approached them and then surrounded them.
"Trespassers! You are under arrest for illegally crossing the Heaven's Gate." A tall and muscular man stepped forward, angrily looking at them. "Either pay ten times the toll or come with us right now."
Pagaya had gone pale in fright as soon as he heard that they had illegally crossed Heaven's Gate, and the Blackstar Crew frowned at the Officer.
"We are White Berets, the God's Guards who maintain order in Skypiea." The man said. "My name is McKinley, and we have the evidence against you."
Bonney raised her brows when she looked at the pictures, and she recalled that the Old Woman named Amazon was holding a camera in her hand.
"She's fast," The pink-head grinned. "10 times? That's laughable. Besides, we don't have Exotols on us."
"You are under arrest then." The man grinned at them, but a single glare from Robin froze the entire battalion in their steps.
"Get lost. Or I will kill you." Sin whispered, and all the men gulped in fear as they heard his words clearly enough.
"You..." McKinley wanted to say something but stopped as chills ran up his spine.
"We are not here to cause trouble, so don't force us," Bonney told him, and the Captain of White Berets frowned before he turned around to leave with his force.
"This is bad. He will report to the Priests..." Pagaya worriedly said.
"They are Birkans too?" Sin curiously asked.
"Yes," The man nodded his head. "God Enel... he destroyed Birka and then came to Skypiea to overthrow Gan Fall... The Four Priests are very strong, and they are second only to the God..."
"He destroyed Birka?" He frowned.
"Yes. Everyone who refused to follow him was killed, and he utterly destroyed the Island too, leaving no trace of it." Pagaya worriedly said. "Please, don't mind McKinley. He is not a bad person, but he will do anything to not let the tragedy of Birka repeat on Skypiea."
Sin then turned to look at his crew, and he could see the dread on their faces.
"Maybe we can pay them in gold..." Nojiko said and looked up when Sin gently placed his hand on her head.
"Have some faith in your Captain," He smiled, and seeing his smile, all of their spirits immediately rose.
"Let's beat this God up." Yamato grinned, and Pagaya nearly fainted at her bold words.
Sin, Robin, and Bonney grinned at her words and then looked at the Skypiean.
"Is there a restaurant nearby that might accept gold? Or a place where we can exchange gold for Exotols?"
"Yes!" The man thought that they were going to pay the toll with the exchanged Exotols, and immediately informed them of a place on the Lovely Street where they could exchange their gold.
"I will be more than welcome to host you for lunch, Blue Sea Dwellers."
"You will run out of your rations if you host us, Sir," Hiyori warned him with a smile.
"I will be fine!" Pagaya assured them, but seeing the grins on their faces, his heart sank a little.
A short while later, the crew arrived at Pagaya's residence, and there they met his 14-year-old daughter, Conis, who was extremely good at playing harp and introduced the crew to Dials which were an integral part of the lives of people who live on Sky Islands.
Robin then asked the man to give them more details on Enel and his Priests. She also asked him to tell them how Skypiea had been faring since the fall of their former God, and the man answered all her questions to the best of his knowledge.
He also informed them about the history of Skypiea and the Holy Land that appeared out of nowhere 400 years ago.
Later, as the lunch was being prepared, he showed them his workshop and showroom where he sold his Wavers.
Whilst the rest of the Crew stayed at Pagaya's residence for lunch, with Lily, and Bepo keeping an eye on them, Sin, Robin, Yamato, Bonney, Augur, and Kuina went to Angel Beach, next to where their Ship was anchored
They all patiently waited for a good half an hour before their Captain opened his eyes, having scouted the entirety of Skypiea, and seeing the frown on his face, they knew that things were serious.
"The Priests are not weak. They know Mantra and even Ren." He said. "They were just now fighting against a group of Shandian Guerrillas, whom they soundly defeated."
"Mantra? Ren?" Kuina confusedly looked at him, and Yamato was the same.
"Mantra is what the Sky People call Observation Haki. And Ren is the Inner Flow, Ryou, or as we call it, the Armament Haki." Bonney informed them before looking at Sin. "How strong are the Priests?"
"Strong enough to make things hard for you."
"Is that so?" She grinned, but both Augur and Kuina were more serious than ever now.
"There's also the Captain of the Divine Guards, Yama, who is weaker than the Priests, but still decently strong." He informed them and then glanced at them one by one.
"I will stay back," Robin, understanding his plan without him needing to voice it, nodded her head.
"Alright." He said and then stood up. "The four of you, and Lily, will deal with the Priests and the Divine Guards. I will take care of Enel."
Taking off Emna and Nidai Kitetsu, he entrusted them to his sister and even handed over the Seven Star Sword to her.
This confused most of them, but Robin understood that Enel was strong enough to make her brother go all out.
"Skypiea will have a new God tomorrow." He grinned and did not mask his words with his Haki, allowing Enel to hear him.
And in response, the clouds loudly rumbled again.