Sorry for not updating for long time,but here's the new chapter, enjoy:)
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Flashback
Luffy squatted down beside Kizaru, the latter having motioned the young Marine to follow him as he hid himself behind a wall. The Admiral watched as the man they were tailing moved down the corridor, unaware of their presence.
"Now, Luffy kun," Kizaru begun with a lopsided grin. "The key thing to know is the timing."
Luffy nodded his head, taking note of every one of Kizaru's movements as they shadowed their target through the corridor, making sure to keep themselves out of sight. The two of them moved deeper into the base until the man stopped in front of a wooden door, reaching for a bunch of keys he hung on his belt.
"Remember the plan Luffy kun?" Kizaru glanced at Luffy.
"Yes, uncle Borsalino," Luffy grinned, waiting for the man to unlock the door.
The moment the door started creaking open, there was a flash of light directed at his eyes that blinded the man momentarily, causing him to blink. The man turned in the direction of the flash, spotting the open window with the sun outside. Shrugging his shoulders, he entered the office before closing the door and walking to his desk.
Sighing, the man pulled out the chair before sitting down heavily on it, only to feel a deep sharp pain shoot up his backside. He yelled out in pain as he leapt out of his chair, causing a few of the thumbtacks to dislodge itself from his butt where it had been placed on the chair moments before he sat down.
"BORSALINO! LUFFY! STOP PUTTING THUMBTACKS ON MY CHAIR!" Sengoku roared as the two culprits ran giggling uncontrollably out of the room.
"Stop teaching him useless things Borsalino!" Sengoku shook a fist at them as they disappeared into the corridor, breaking out into laughter as they ran.
"Goddamn brats…" Sengoku sighed, knowing he would not be able to catch up to their speed, resigning himself as another victim to their numerous pranks.
The early morning fog dissipated against the ship sailing through the milky road, pushed along steadily by a crow shaped dial boat from behind. Usopp and Chopper busied themselves on board under Nami's supervision to keep the ship sailing steadily along the road. Pierre stayed in a corner, trying to be as less disruptive as possible.
"Do you think Luffy's alright?" Chopper asked while tightening a rope.
"Oh, he'll be fine! He's our future Admiral after all," Usopp laughed.
Nami scoffed, "A rather irresponsible one if you ask me. Just up and running off on his own and leaving his crew to fend for themselves. Least he could do was to send a message."
"Well… He was arrested after all…" Usopp shrugged.
"Then that city of gold better contain some gold for us to take for all the troubles he caused."
Usopp and Chopper sweat dropped at Nami's priorities. Before Usopp could respond to that, the distant sound of a horn could be heard approaching.
The three Straw Hats and one bird turned towards the sound to see a trail of cloud heading towards the front of their ship, forming a new milky road. Surfing on top of the new road was Pagaya riding on a large waver with Conis, their pet fox and a little girl at the back.
"Heso miss Nami!" Conis waved enthusiastically.
Nami gasped, "Co… Conis? What are you guys doing here?"
"We're here to help you!" Pagaya announced cheerfully, sliding his waver next to Merry. "I created a shortcut with my cloud dial, we can exit the forest with that path."
"Citizen of the blue sea! I will destroy you!" The little girl suddenly shouted, brandishing a stick at Nami.
"Who's this girl?" Usopp asked.
"We found Miss Aisa trying to get to Upper Yard with a broken waver, so we picked her up as we came here." Conis answered.
Nami raised an eyebrow, "What are you even trying to do here?"
Aisa lowered her stick, crestfallen, "I don't know… All these voices disappearing, I just had to do something!"
"Voices? You can use Observation haki?"
"Observation haki? What's that?"
Nami realised her mistake, "You can use mantra then?"
Aisa nodded, "ever since I was born."
"That's amazing!" Chopper exclaimed.
"I thought Luffy said you needed to train a long time to use it?" Usopp mused.
"There's nothing amazing about it! Always knowing when people die… It's scary!" Aisa cried. "Even now, there's voices disappearing as we speak!"
"Oh? This little girl has mantra, Kotori." A voice said.
"Indeed, Hatori, we have to kill her too!"
All of them turned to see two large men dancing on the railing. Both wore identical jumpsuits and sunglasses with a white sash tied around their waist.
Nami assembled her staff, Usopp aimed with his slingshot and Chopper transformed into his heavy form, standing protectively in front of the Skypieans.
"Ho ho hooo! We shall enact revenge for our elder brother Satori!"
"Kill these Blue Sea dwellers, then these Skypieans for betraying lord Enel!"
The two men laughed until they noticed the Straw Hats were gaping at what was behind them. Not considering the possibility of a farce, they turned to see the king of the sky hissing at them.
Deep within the forest, Gan Fall, Sanji, Zoro and Robin continued on their route towards where God's shrine was located, having to redirect Zoro every time he wandered off slowed them down substantially.
"Is it just me, or are the Shandians avoiding us?" Sanji asked, noting the few instances where they came across raiders who had deliberately ignored them and continued on their way.
"They probably learned that we're not on Enel's side or something," Zoro huffed.
Gan Fall sighed, "Unlikely… The Shandians are known for their high sense of pride and would still attack us for trespassing even if they knew our intentions."
Robin raised an eyebrow, "So why aren't they attacking us?"
"That is what I am curious about," Gan Fall scratched his chin.
As they entered a clearing, a dark skinned Shandian wearing a pair of sunglasses and sporting a mohawk stood with his back facing them. Right in front of him, a tall man with upwards pointing spiky hair stood with his arms crossed in a weird fashion.
"That's Gedatsu, another of Enel's priests... And the Shandian there is Kamakiri," Gan Fall supplied.
Kamakiri turned upon hearing voices, revealing a number of cuts and bruises all over his body.
"The ex-god huh… And the Blue Sea dwellers... "
As though finding nothing else of interest, he turned back to Gedatsu.
"MMMMMM! MMMMMM!" Gedatsu glared at the Straw Hats.
Sanji raised his only visible eyebrow, "What the hell's wrong with him?"
Zoro crossed his arms, "No idea, he's a mute or something?"
"Gedatsu sama, you can't talk while biting on your lip!" A Divine Soldier shouted from a distance away before disappearing back into the forest.
Gedatsu opened his mouth with his eyes wide in shock.
"He's an idiot," all the Straw Hats concluded simultaneously.
Robin pointed to a ruin a distance away, "that should be the entrance to the city. We're almost there."
As the group made their way past the two, Gedatsu moved suddenly, punching a fist towards Robin. His punch was intercepted with a kick by Sanji, preventing his fist from meeting its target.
"Oi, oi… What do you think you're doing trying to hit a lady?"
Gedatsu only glared at Sanji, not saying a word.
"Not talking huh?" Sanji lowered his leg as the other did the same with his fist.
"Gedatsu sama! They can't hear you if you only think about what you're saying! You need to speak!" The same Divine Soldier shouted before disappearing again.
Gedatsu revealed another shocked expression while everyone else looked at him incredulously.
"Go on ahead, I'll catch up later," Sanji puffed on his cigarette.
Robin led the way as Gan Fall and Zoro trailed behind her, not giving a second glance back. Sanji moved to stand beside Kamakiri, his eyes not leaving Gedatsu for even a moment.
"We were told not to fight you guys if we meet any of you," Kamakiri said without prompting.
"Why?"
"Wiper's orders… Apparently one of you wrecked quite the havoc among us."
"Luffy huh? Don't suppose you could tell me where he is?"
Kamakiri snorted, "Even if I knew I wouldn't tell you."
Without warning, the Shandian charged forward with his spear in hand. Gedatsu leaned back to avoid the spear thrust before trying to kick him, only to be blocked by the butt end of his spear.
Sanji stood still with his arms crossed as he watched the two fight for a while, both sides evenly matched as they traded blows with each other.
Kamakiri attempted another stab but the spear was deflected away by Gedatsu's palm. The priest attempted to elbow Kamakiri to which the Shandian avoided by jumping over him.
"Need some help?" Sanji offered.
Kamakiri dodged another one of Gedatsu's punches, "Not from you!"
Sanji shrugged and continued watching the fight in silence. He was only here to make sure Gedatsu did not pursue their group. It seemed like the fight would carry on forever until either side tired but Kamakiri suddenly sank into the ground when he lunged forward again.
"What? Swamp cloud!" Kamakiri cursed himself for falling into the trap.
"Jet Punch!"
Gedatsu's figure disappeared momentarily before reappearing behind Kamakiri with his fist outstretched. Kamakiri spurted out blood as the fist went straight to his head, smashing him into the ground as his lower body remains trapped in the swamp cloud.
The priest turned around once more with his fist aimed straight at Kamakiri.
"Jet-"
"Collier!"
Sanji kicked towards the priest's neck, kicking him away from the Shandian.
Gedatsu glared at the Marine, finally speaking properly, "Why would you help him?"
Sanji grinned, "The enemy of my enemy is my friend."
"I'm… not your… friend!" Kamakiri gritted his teeth.
"Shut up you half dead man, I'll take care of this," Sanji flicked his cigarette away.
"Jet punch!"
Sanji stepped to the side as the punch sailed past him. What was unfortunate for the priest was the place he chose to stop at was also where another of his swamp clouds were, gasping in shock as he begun to sink.
"You may be fast, but not as fast as my Rear Admiral," Sanji grinned as he somersaulted into the air. "Epaule shoot!"
The cook drove his leg into the priest's shoulder, sending him sinking into the swamp cloud and never to be seen again.
Sanji dusted his hands as he advanced on the Shandian, offering a hand to pull him up.
"I don't need… your help… Blue Sea dweller…" Kamakiri growled.
Sanji rolled his eyes as he pulled Kamakiri forcefully out of the swamp, "quit being stubborn, since we're all fighting the same guy, shouldn't we help each other?"
"You guys… know nothing…"
Sanji supported the wounded Shandian on his shoulder, moving towards where Robin's group had gone.
"If we don't know anything, then explain it to me, why are you all fighting this Enel?"
Kamakiri continued growling at him until finally sighing, deciding that maybe the Blue Sea visitors could grant them some form of aid in their coming fight with God.
Meanwhile, Zoro stepped on an obese man with wavy black hair that lay bleeding on the ground.
"Commander of the Divine Soldiers? All you were doing was rolling around like a giant meatball," Zoro spat, leaning his blade on his shoulder.
"You would do well not to underestimate them, Blue Sea swordsman, it may well be the last mistake you ever make," A muscular Shandian with his eyes shadowed by his hat admonished while twirling his twin pistols.
"Yeah, yeah no need you to remind me, birham."
"It's Braham, you fight quite impressively for someone who comes from the Blue Sea."
"Heh, you're not bad either for someone who's always up in the clouds."
The two exchange a knowing smirk before sheathing their weapons.
Braham glanced at Gan Fall, "So what is the ex-god doing with the Blue Sea dwellers?"
Gan Fall furrowed his brows, "Enel's reign of tyranny has to be stopped now, I won't let him continue his mistreatment of the people any longer."
"Big words from someone who lost to him all those years ago," Braham shrugged.
"If you guys are done, I've found the entrance," Robin announced, pointing towards one of the doors.
"You sure that leads to the hidden city?" Braham asked, his voice doubtful.
Robin turned with a slight smile, "You Shandians have been looking for it for years right? It's just up ahead."
"If you're lying to me…"
Robin shrugged, "I have no reason to lie."
The group followed the archaeologist through the entrance, revealing an ancient city before them. It was the city of gold… Without an ounce of the mentioned gold.
Zoro crossed his arms, unimpressed, "This is the city of gold? I do not see any gold."
"Mine tracks… They look new…" Robin pointed to a pair of tracks nearby.
"So this… This is what Enel has been making my followers do… Mining the gold out of the city…" Gan Fall frowned, his hand gripping tightly on his lance.
"This… This is…. The city…" Braham gasped, his body frozen in shock and awe.
The city that that they have been fighting to return to for years, generation after generation now stood before him in its splendour. Golden or not, it mattered not to him, all that was important to the Shandians was that it was there and within grasp.
They made their way to the city centre where a giant beanstalk stood piercing the sky. Robin frowned when she saw that but remained silent as the rest marvelled at their surroundings.
That was when Braham noticed the most important thing, "Where's the golden bell?"
"Golden bell? Was there supposed to be such a thing?" someone asked.
"Of course! That's the most important thing of all! It would all be meaningless if we got the city back without the bell!" Braham yelled.
"Ah… That would explain the sound they claimed to be the 'song of the island' they heard four hundred years ago."
"Yes, that's it that must mean-"
"The bell is higher up in the clouds," the voice finished.
The group turned to see the self proclaimed God seating on top of one of the buildings with a lazy smile.
"Enel!" Gan Fall and Braham yelled at the same time.
"Don't need to shout, I know my own name," Enel smirked. He jumped off the building he was sitting on, landing in front of them with a golden staff resting lazily on his shoulder.
"Now, before we begin, let's welcome the rest of the survivors, shall we?"
Before the rest could ask what he was talking about, he raised his hand to summon a column of lightning that struck the upper layer of clouds, sending the ruins and the people on it crashing down towards them.
"Lord Enel… Please warn me if you do something like that again…" A bald priest complained, pushing away the debris that had fallen on him.
"Oh? Ohm, you're still here huh? Yaaa ha ha ha ha!"
"Wiper! Are you ok?" Braham yelled, spotting his friend among the debris.
"I'm fine! Genbo's in there somewhere too! Get him out!"
The two Shandians started digging out the large sized man from among the wreckage.
"I'm still not done with you damn raiders yet! Holy! Attack!" Ohm charged forward with his sword raised, slashing his sword towards the Shandians.
"Oh? A swordsman?" Zoro grinned, just as the three Shandians leapt away from the whip blade.
Zoro slashed his blade at the priest, their blades colliding in a shower of sparks.
"The Blue Sea criminals… Why are you helping the Shandians?" Ohm grunted.
"This has nothing to do with it, I want to see how a swordsman of the sky fare against one of the seas."
Behind them, Holy kept the three Shandians at bay with his martial arts. The Shandians more irritated by the dog than threatened.
Ohm pushed the Marine away and lashed out his blade, slashing at Zoro's sides. Zoro flicked the sword in his left hand and deflected the blade away, taking the small chance to close the distance between them.
Ohm dodged the slash that came from below, retracting his blade to defend against another slash that came from above.
Zoro jumped back just as Ohm slashed his sword at where he had been moments before, opening up the distance between them. Zoro lunged towards him as Ohm extended his cloud sword to halt Zoro's charge. The Marine swordsman smirked as he ducked underneath the blade, successfully closing the distance with his swords in positions.
Ohm gritted his teeth as he tried to avoid the imminent attack, his sword extended too far to be of any use now. His eyes widened as he saw the attack that was about to come.
"You can't run from this! Hyakuhachi Pound Ho!"
Zoro swung out his swords and three compressed air projectiles crashed straight into Ohm's chest, sending the priest flying back and spurting out mouthfuls of blood as though he had been hit by a heavy cannonball. The priest crashed into the ground, sliding for a few meters before finally coming to a stop.
"How…" Ohm spluttered before falling into unconsciousness.
"Training," Zoro grinned proudly, sheathing his swords.
Flashback
A few days after setting off from Cocoyashi village, Merry was on a steady course towards Loguetown with a favourable wind blowing at its sails.
Luffy sat at its figurehead enjoying the wind blowing at his hair and cloak as he watched the waves roll by. Footsteps echoed on the deck as Zoro and Sanji stepped towards him, stopping a few feet away.
"Oi, Commodore," Sanji began, prompting the Marine officer to tilt his head towards them with a grin.
"Shishishi, what's up guys?"
"I'm going to just cut to the chase," Zoro scratched his head. "I heard how you managed to push back Mihawk back at the Baratie and we all know you underwent some form of training in the Marines. If you could… Could you train us?"
"Shishishi! Of course I can!" Luffy laughed, leaping off the figurehead to stand in front of them.
Not believing how easy it was to get him to agree, the two of them prepared to face off against their superior.
"Good, why not let's start things off with your serious side? We want to see how your real power looks like at least." Sanji grinned, tapping his shoe on the deck.
Luffy froze, "You… You sure you want that? Me being serious?"
Zoro tied his bandana on his head, "Yeah, or else this would be meaningless. Come at us seriously."
Luffy looked at them both in the eye before turning away from them, confusing the two. The Commodore shed his cloak and folded it neatly before placing it on the ground, making sure it stayed where it was before carefully depositing his hat on top of it.
He turned back to face his two crew members with his head lowered, eyes with a seriousness the two have not seen before.
The Commodore exhaled and both swordsman and cook shivered as though the temperature had dropped drastically.
"First lesson," Luffy whispered before disappearing from their sights.
After that incident, neither of them ever asked Luffy to show his serious side again.
Holy whined before it was blasted back into the forest by one of Genbo's iron cannonballs, effectively taking the dog out of the fight.
"Yaaa ha ha ha! Wonderful! My underlings were truly no watch for all of you!" Enel laughed, spreading his arms out like a prophet.
The self proclaimed god thrusted out his right palm towards them, wriggling his extended fingers, "however! I had predicted that there would only be five remaining survivors at the end… And right now there's more than five of you... Since God cannot be wrong, would you guys like to cut that number down by yourselves?"
The group glared collectively at Enel, all their weapons held ready at hand.
"Wiper!" Kamakiri yelled, limping his way towards the group while being supported by Sanji.
Wiper gaped at him in shock, "Kamakiri! What happened to you?!"
"Yaaa ha ha ha ha! Gedatsu proved to be too much of a match for him! You should thank the Blue Sea dweller for saving his life! Yaa ha ha ha!"
Gan Fall pointed his lance at his usurper, "What is your plan and what have you done to my followers Enel?!"
"Oh? Why to return everything to their rightful roots of course!" Enel smirked at the ex God.
"Return everything to their roots?" Robin echoed.
"That's right! To return to where I rightfully belong! A land of endless Vearth, Fairy Vearth! And to return you people back below the sky!"
"You… You can't!" Gan Fall gasped.
"Yaa ha ha ha! What do you mean I can't? I am God! I am doing what a God should do! Sending everyone back to their rightful places!"
"You want to destroy this entire country?!"
"That is the law of nature, after all!"
"Don't think so highly of yourself! Enel!"
Enel scratched his ear with a finger casually, "Yaa ha ha ha! Ex god Gan Fall, you were asking about your militia earlier weren't you?"
Gan Fall tightened his grip on his lance, "What have you done to them?"
"This morning, they finished the 'job' I had assigned to them… Your six hundred and fifty followers… Well, let's just say there isn't such a large group of people standing around on this island anymore!"
"AAAARRGGHHH!" Gan Fall yelled, lunging towards Enel with his lance aimed at his head.
Enel laughed as he tossed his staff into the air, sidestepping the enraged Gan Fall and positioning his hands above and below him with his index fingers pointed at his head.
"Thirty Million Volt Vari!"
Electricity was discharged between Enel's fingers, electrocuting Gan Fall who was in the pathway of the bolt.
"Old man!" Wiper gasped, watching Gan Fall's charred body fall forwards in horror.
"The lightning fruit… One of the invincible powers…" Robin murmured.
"Genbo! Kamakiri! Braham! Return to the village and warn everyone!" Wiper yelled, hefting his bazooka to point straight at Enel.
"What are you saying, Wiper?!" Kamakiri demanded, pushing Sanji off to limp towards his friend.
"Tell them to escape before Enel destroys everything! Get the Skypieans out as well!"
"The Skypieans? Why would we bother with them Wiper?" Genbo protested.
"Who we are matters not when we're all going to be destroyed! GO! NOW!" Wiper fired his burn bazooka at Enel, covering his friends' escape.
"I don't think so!" Enel laughed, dematerialising himself to avoid the projectile and appearing above the escaping Shandians.
Enel pointed his palm at the group as electricity began gathering around him.
"Party Table Kick Course!"
Sanji spun on his hands, kicking various pieces of debris towards the God and aiding the Shandians' escape.
Enel clucked his tongue as he was forced to avoid the debris, rematerializing himself in front of the group once more.
"Ya ha ha ha ha! No matter, it only makes it more interesting for me as the people are given a small sliver of hope before I take it away from them!" Enel laughed.
"This guy is insane…" Zoro muttered under his breath.
"How do we fight lightning?" Sanji mused, tossing his cigarette aside.
"You don't," Robin answered for him.
"Yaa ha ha ha! That's right! That's the despair I wanted to see! That's what mortals should feel when you defy God!"
He disappears with a burst of static before appearing in front of Sanji and Zoro.
"Fifty Million Volt Vari!"
Lightning was discharged through his hands which were pointed straight towards the two Marines. Robin could do nothing but watch as the two men screamed in pain with fifty million volts of electricity running through their body before collapsing on the ground on their knees.
"Oh? Still conscious? That's a surprise, Blue Sea dwellers are interesting, ya ha ha ha!"
Both men pushed themselves up on unstable feet, glaring at Enel.
Wiper rushed towards Enel from behind, grabbing onto him with his legs and his right palm at where his heart was.
"Eh? Committing suicide Wiper?" Enel turned his head to smirk at him.
"Have you heard of Seastone Enel?!" Wiper roared, clutching his Seastone laden skates closer against Enel's body.
Enel's eyes widened as he felt his strength leave him, his body becoming weaker and weaker.
"Wait… Wiper, your body can't take it you know? To use that is-"
"REJECT!"
A loud boom was heard as the reject dial delivered its payload against Enel's back, blasting the Shandian backwards and Enel forwards at the same time. Enel's unconscious form skidded on the ground before stopping a few feet away, face down.
The Shandian warrior clutched his limp right arm as he looked over Enel's unmoving body, fighting against the pain that threatened to rob him of his consciousness.
"Did… he do it?" Sanji wheezed, clutching his chest in pain.
"We still need to find out how he plans to destroy the country… Is it some sort of machine?" Robin announced.
Before anyone could voice their opinion, a burst of electricity sprung forth from Enel's body. Moments later, Enel stood up while wiping a trickle of blood from the side of his mouth with the back of his hand, smirking at the rest.
"He restarted his own heart?" Zoro groaned.
"Didn't I tell you that only despair awaits those that defy God?"
Wiper fell to his knees as Enel advanced upon him with a wicked grin on his face. Before he could do whatever he had planned to do on the Shandian, the self proclaimed God stopped in his tracks suddenly, turning to look at a part of the forest with irritation.
A giant snake crashed out of the forest, hissing loudly and turning its sights to Enel the moment it saw him. It reared its head menacingly, baring its fangs in its display of power.
"LUFFY?!" The Straw Hats shouted the moment they saw who was riding on top of it.
"Stop hurting my friends you jerk," Luffy announced with his arms crossed on top of the giant snake.
Flashback
Hatori and Kotori gaped at the giant snake currently hissing menacingly at them.
"Oh hey guys! Need some help with them?" Luffy waved enthusiastically from a top the snake's head.
"LUFFY?!" The Straw Hats on the boat yelled.
"Hey, I heard you two saying something about hurting my friends," Luffy glared at the twins in disapproval.
"What… What's going on Hatori?"
"I… I don't know Kotori…"
"Nola! Do it!" Luffy commanded, pointing an accusatory finger at the two.
"Tsulalala!"
The twins only had time to blink before the snake's tail whipped forth from beneath it, smacking them across the chest and sending them flying and screaming into the sky, disappearing from view.
"That'll teach you!" Luffy waved an angry fist at them.
"Luffy, how… What… How?" Nami stuttered while still in shock. The other three Skypieans and bird were faring no better either.
"The… The king of the sky… is obeying him…" Aisa looked at Luffy with awe.
"Oh, you asking about Nola?" Luffy grinned, pointing at the snake that could easily snap up their entire ship in one bite.
"Nola?" Usopp echoed.
"Yeah! I found him sleeping in the forest so I woke him up to get him to guide me to Enel! But we got lost and found you guys instead!"
"What… Why did you name him Nola?" Usopp decided to ask the simple questions first.
"Tsulalalala!"
"He said he was named after Montblanc Noland…" Chopper gulped, translating the snake's words.
"Hey Nami! Think you could guide me to where Enel is? I don't know how to get to the uhhh… God's Shrine or whatever!" Luffy grinned.
Nami pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration, "you know what, I don't care anymore… I can guide you there, just… Whatever…"
Luffy laughed as he jumped on to the ship to pick her up.
"Wait! Take me with you!" Aisa suddenly shouted, rushing up to Luffy.
"Who's this?" Luffy pointed a finger at Aisa.
"No one important," Nami waved a dismissive hand at her.
"Hey! I'm a Shandian warrior!" Aisa protested, banging her fist at Nami's sides.
"Oh, you're looking for the other Shandians right?" Luffy grinned. "I saw a few of them running through the forest!"
"Yes! Take me to them!" Aisa yelled.
Nami sighed, "What are you even planning to do?"
"I don't know! I must at least go to them! There's so many of them disappearing... I have to at least save a few of them..." Aisa cried, tears beginning to form at her eyes.
"Grab my hand then," Luffy grinned, reaching out his hand to her, his other hand already held on to Nami's tightly.
Aisa looked up at the Straw Hat, confused.
"You want to protect your people right? Then let's go!"
"That guy… Is Enel isn't it…" Nami peered from behind Luffy while wearing his straw hat.
"Nami swaaan! Sanji immediately leapt to his feet.
"Aisa? What… What are you doing here?" Wiper muttered, spotting the little girl that clung to Luffy's other side.
"Yaaa ha ha ha ha! You surprise me yet again Blue Sea dwellers! To tame even the king of the sky!"
"Tsulalalala!"
"We're all not happy with you, you earlobe freak! I'm here to stop you in the name of Justice!" Luffy yelled, cracking his knuckles.
"Justice eh? You can't judge God!" Enel laughed, disappearing in a shower of sparks.
"Zoro! Sanji!" Nami yelled, spotting Enel appearing behind them and grabbing onto their arms.
"One Hundred Million Volt Vari!"
The two men screamed again and this time, collapsed into unconsciousness.
"Enel!" Wiper roared, charging towards the god.
Enel swung his staff in an arc and broke Wiper's skates into pieces before hitting him across the face with the other end of his staff.
The self proclaimed God laughed maniacally as he stepped on the fallen Shandian, "Where's your Justice now? This is God's judgement!"
Luffy leapt off Nola, descending with Aisa and Nami in his arms.
"Mr. Rear Admiral! He ate the lightning fruit, be careful!" Robin warned, before turning back to see Enel reaching a hand towards her.
"Noisy girl…" Enel grabbed her wrist.
"Soru"
Luffy appeared in front of Enel, wrenching his hand away from Robin.
"You've done enough damage already you fake god."
"Yaa ha ha ha! What are you going to do? Punch me?"
Luffy punched Enel in the face, sending him flying backwards and crashing into one of the buildings and throwing up a cloud of dust.
Everyone who was conscious stared at Luffy in shock.
"He… punched Enel?" Wiper gasped, wide eyed in shock.
The dust cloud settled to reveal a still stunned Enel sitting among the debris, his eyes popping out of his sockets as he stared at Luffy.
"Soru"
Luffy appeared in front of Enel, lifting the man by the neck, "God? You're what my Grandpa would call a snot nosed brat!"
The Rear Admiral punched Enel in the gut, sending him airborne.
"Geppo"
Luffy reappeared in front of Enel, kicking him across the face and sending him back down into the ground.
Enel finally recovered from his shock and dematerialised himself before hitting the ground, landing on his feet a few meters away.
"How are you able to hit lightning?!" Enel demanded.
Luffy remained in the air, kicking the air beneath him to stay airborne and looking down at the enraged man pointing his golden staff at him.
"Haki," Luffy said simply.
"What the hell is haki?!" Enel roared, banging on one of the drums on his back with his staff.
"Kiten!"
A giant wolf shaped thunderbolt rushed towards Luffy, seemingly engulfing the Marine before he could react.
"Luffy!" Nami cried, watching him get swallowed by the lightning.
"Take that you Blue Sea-" Enel was punched away from the back before he could finish his words.
Without waiting for him to recover, Luffy rushed forward and delivered a flurry of strikes to Enel's airborne form.
"Kari!"
A loud boom of a thunderclap was heard as Luffy was blasted away from Enel.
"El Thor!"
A large column of lightning descended upon Luffy, scorching the land beneath him and filling the air with the smell of ozone. The lightning soon dissipated to reveal an unimpressed Luffy standing beside the crater with his arms crossed.
Enel appeared before him, his arm outstretched towards the Marine, "One Hundred Million Volt Vari!"
Luffy disappeared from in front of him before he could discharge his lightning, reappearing a distance away.
Enel gaped at the Marine, "how are you faster than lightning?!"
"You're slower than light," Luffy said simply.
Enel roared in rage as he blinked in front of Luffy, swinging his staff at him. Luffy ducked underneath the swing before punching his fist forward, sending Enel crashing into the ruins again.
"He's completely dominating Enel…" Robin gasped, wondering just how strong the boy actually was.
"He's… Stronger than god…" Aisa stared at Luffy in awe.
Nami's body was trembling, "I don't even know what's going on anymore…"
Enel pushed himself out of the debris, spitting out the blood in his mouth, "You think you won?"
He glared at the Marine, leaning on his golden staff for support, "No matter how strong you are, it wouldn't matter after I sink this entire country down to the sea!"
With a yell, he disappears from view with a spark of electricity.
"Nami, Robin, take care of Sanji, Zoro and the strange knight! I'm going after him!" Luffy ordered.
Before he could leave, Wiper stood before him, barring his way, "Why is an outsider like you fighting a fight that's not yours?"
Luffy grinned up at him, "I'm a Marine, I fight to protect everyone."
Wiper furrowed his brows, his pride was not content that someone unrelated was actually succeeding what they could not achieve all these years.
"You people aren't even from here! You're just an outsider! Why do you poke your noses into other people's business?!"
"I'm not an outsider," Luffy crossed his arms.
"What?"
Luffy gestured to the city around him, "This is the city of gold right? A friend of mine has been searching this city for a long time to clear his ancestor's name. I need to fight to protect it for him."
"His… Ancestor?" Wiper's eyes widened in realization. "It can't be… Your friend… What's his name?!"
"Hmmm? I think it was Montblanc Cricket."
Wiper gulped, "then was his ancestor… Montblanc Noland?"
"Yeah! He has his ancestor's diary too! He's been trying to find the city of gold under the sea all these years!"
"Under the sea… That's where he thought the city was?"
"Yeah! I need to tell him that the city is up here by ringing the bell! Do you know where it is?"
Wiper gaped as he scanned the surrounding, realising that the bell was nowhere to be found amongst the ruins. He started to panic, thinking Enel might have destroyed the bell or melted it down for its gold.
"Mr. Rear Admiral," Robin called out, pointing to where the giant beanstalk was jutting out from. "We had come to the conclusion that the beanstalk is at where the bell was supposed to be, so if anything, the bell should be higher up in the sky."
"Oh! I see! Thanks Robin! Shishishi!"
"Guys… What's that thing?" Nami asked, pointing towards the sky.
Everyone looked up to see a giant ark ascending towards the sky, black clouds spewing forth from one of its towers and forming storm clouds in the sky. Several lightning bolts struck down upon the land, one of it striking within the city on Angel Island.
"Enel…" Luffy frowned. "I need to get up there."
Wiper grabbed Luffy's hand before he could run, "Will you ring it? The Bell? Ring it so that Noland's descendent can hear it and know we're up here?"
Luffy noted that the Shandian's hands were trembling, he looked at the warrior in the eye and gave him a reassuring smile.
"I'll ring it, definitely."
Wiper let go of Luffy's hand as the Marine ran off towards Nola.
"Luffy, what are you planning?" Nami asked, watching him jump back on top of the snake.
"Nola, help me get up there!"
"Tsulalalala!" Nola acknowledged before slithering towards the giant beanstalk and coiling itself around it, ascending at a speed that would not lose to the ark.
Enel glared down at the climbing duo with hatred, "insolent mortals! When will you ever learn?!"
He raised his hand and a column of lightning struck Nola, shocking both the snake and its rider.
Luffy gritted his teeth as he prepared to jump up, not wanting to put Nola in any more danger. Nola had other ideas as it gave a loud hiss before redoubling its efforts to ascend the beanstalk.
"Nola?" Luffy asked, wondering why it was not stopping.
"Tsulalalala!"
"Ha, I see, you want to protect the city too huh? It was where you and your friends were happy…" Luffy grinned.
The Rear Admiral braced himself as another lightning struck just short of them, leaving a charred impact on the beanstalk.
"I'll kick that guy's ass for everyone," Luffy grinned.
"Go back to where you belong!" Enel roared, his hand guiding a thunderbolt to strike at the beanstalk, collapsing the top part of it to prevent Nola from going further.
Nola hissed in frustration but Luffy just patted its head, "It's alright, I can take it from here."
Luffy glared upwards and leapt into the air, chasing after the ark with Geppo.
"A mortal trying to ascend to reach God?!" Enel mocked, pointing his palm towards him.
Several lightning bolts converged upon Luffy's figure, missing him by inches as he dodged them midair.
"Freestyle Armament: Geppo!"
Luffy jumped once more to reach the ark, boarding it with a furious Enel glaring at him.
"HOW DARE YOU! YOU ARE JUST A MAN!" Enel roared, swinging his arm to launch another lightning bolt at him.
Luffy front flipped to avoid it, landing right in front of Enel and grinned, "So are you."
The Marine punched the man in the abdomen, sending him crashing back into the ark's wall.
Enel leapt back out into the sky, face contorted with rage.
"Two Hundred Million Volt Amaru!"
His body became a pure mass of electrical energy, expanding in size comparable to the huge ark.
"You are just an impudent monkey from the Blue Seas! How dare you try to ruin God's plan!"
Enel punched his arm forward, his arm changing into a column of lightning that stretched towards Luffy. The Marine dodged it at the last second, jumping up to meet the lightning man.
"God this, god that… What kind of God doesn't protect anything?!" Luffy yelled, his whole skin turning black.
"You're just a normal human!" Enel swung another fist at him.
"Freestyle Armament: Geppo!"
Luffy jumped once more to reach the torso of Enel, both of his fist straight in front of him and aiming at the giant target.
"Freestyle Armament: ROKUOGAN!"
A huge shockwave blasted out from Luffy's fists as they impacted against Enel, sending him flying backwards. His giant form quickly reverted back to his original human form as he lost consciousness, flying through the walls of the ark and straight into a cloud. His unconscious form smashed against the golden bell hidden behind the cloud, sending a loud ring that reverberated throughout the sky.
The momentum was carried to the bell as it fell off the cloud, dropping back down to Upper Yard as it continued ringing all the way down, captivating all those within range of its melodious chimes.
"He… did it… He rang it…" Wiper cried. "Can you hear it, descendant of Noland? We're up here! Your ancestor never lied!"
"He defeated Enel…" Gan fall muttered, having recovered consciousness moments before.
The Skypieans who had been evacuating with the Shandians all stopped in their tracks, looking up towards the sky as the storm clouds scattered with the bell's chimes, revealing skies clearer than they remembered.
Everyone of them cheered and hugged one another, their races and differences forgotten like the wind.
Luffy collapsed on the ark, breathing heavily, "Ahhhhh… so tired! I want meat!"
The ark slowly descended after losing its power, landing near the beanstalk with a soft thump. Nami immediately climbed up onto the ark, finding an exhausted Luffy still sprawled on the deck. She rushed up to him and pulled him into a tight hug.
"You did it Luffy! You did it!"
"Huh? Yeah I guess, Enel is-"
"You brought all the gold back! We can disassemble the ship and get all the gold back!" Nami yelled happily, before running off to inspect the ark.
Luffy could only chuckle weakly as he watched his navigator fuss over how much gold the ship contained.
The war between the Shandians and Skypieans was officially over after Enel's defeat. The Shandians recovered the Golden Bell with Luffy's help and Robin discovered the secret behind the poneglyph, shocked that the former pirate king had known how to read and write the ancient script.
She told the Shandian chief that the poneglyph has already served its purpose, prompting the chief to break down in tears, glad that his people could finally stop fighting once and for all.
The Shandians, Skypieans and Straw Hats partied the days away, first having a dance party on Upper Yard before moving to Angel Island to have a feast. Gan Fall was reinstated as God of the country and the militia were found to be mostly hurt but thankfully all alive, returning safely to their families. Gan Fall's first decree was to allow the Shandians back into their homeland and relations between the two had never been better.
Pagaya had used a spare jet dial from the ark to build a waver as a gift to the Straw Hats, although only Nami managed to ride it, much to her delight. Realising the Straw Hats' interest in dials, many Skypieans offered a wide variety of dials to the Straw Hats as thanks for saving their country, welcoming them as guests to their homes.
The crew had decided to use the ark to transport Merry and the huge amount of gold that the Shandians and Skypieans had offered them back to the Blue Sea. With the help of the rescued militia, Luffy acquired the blueprints to Enel's ark, sharing it with his crew to learn how to operate it to a certain extent. They would still have to disassemble the ark eventually to get the gold that Enel had used to build it, but that would be after they had returned to their own seas. The mechanics of Angel Island thus worked together to repair the ark and attach the Straw Hat's ship securely to it, ensuring that their saviours could return back to their sea safely.
Even Nola had its own gift for them as well, spitting out a huge pile of gold it had eaten and unceremoniously dumping a golden crown on Luffy's head before nuzzling him affectionately.
And too soon, it was time for farewells as the citizens of Sky Island gathered to see off their heroes. Merry was attached behind the ark as it sailed towards Cloud's End, where the ark's jet dials will ensure a slow and safe descent back down to the Blue Sea.
"Come back and visit some time! We'll definitely welcome you!"
"We'll ring the bell for you guys!"
"Be careful on your way down!"
"We'll miss you!"
Almost everyone from Skypiea had turned up to bid their heroes farewell. The Straw Hats stood on the ark, waving back to their sky friends.
"Yeah! We'll come back again and eat sky food again!" Luffy yelled enthusiastically.
"They still have a lot of rebuilding to do, but I guess it's a start," Zoro smirked, remembering the drinks he shared with Braham.
"Ahhhh~~ I'll definitely come back my angels!" Sanji waved to a group of Skypiean girls.
"All this gold~~ We're rich!" Nami laughed, rubbing her face on a gold plate while surrounded by piles of gold on the deck.
"I would still like to explore their history when next given the chance," Robin mused, recalling the ruins she had spent the days inspecting with the local historians.
"There's also a lot of interesting plants in Upper Yard! I'm sure there's also unexplored areas with rare medicinal plants in there!" Chopper's eyes sparkled.
"So many dials! Usopp's arsenal is going to expand so much!" Usopp grinned, looking through the huge bag of dials he obtained.
"Farewell! And come back to visit! Heso!" The crowd yelled just as the ark reached the end of the cloud, beginning its descent with Merry trailing behind.
"It was fun," Chopper sighed, watching the cloud moving further and further away.
"Aside from the sacrifice and trial part, yeah it was a fun trip," Usopp grinned, laying down on top of a pile of gold.
"You could say it was a rather shocking experience," Sanji chuckled, leaning against the railing.
"He he he… A really enriching one!" Nami laughed, still inspecting the gold.
"So where to next, Luffy?" Zoro looked to their Read Admiral.
"Shishishi! Who knows? We'll go where our log post takes us!" Luffy grinned.
Robin stood at the side, enjoying the calm atmosphere.
Soon, the ark touched down on familiar seas, the waves crashing against the ark as though to welcome the Straw Hats back.
"I wonder where we can go to sell all these gold?" Nami asked, her body now laden with an excessive amount of gold jewellery.
"And what are we going to do about this ark?" Sanji gestured.
"I guess we can just keep the ark for now, no harm using it since that lightning guy's not here anymore," Zoro shrugged.
"Hey guys, I see a Marine battleship straight ahead!" Usopp shouted, pointing at a rapidly approaching ship.
Luffy jumped up excitedly, leaning against the prow, "AH! I know that ship! It's…"
Luffy cut his words short as he spun around quickly, just as a man with long earlobes materialised in front of him to stab his golden spear through Luffy's chest, piercing through the Marine's torso.
"Max Two Hundred Million Volt Vari!"
Screams echoed the deck as lightning was discharged, the smell of burnt flesh filling the air.
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And cut. so that is it for this chapter hope you guys enjoyed and see you in the next chapter.bye
chapter 28:Taken By Storm