Upper Yard, Rope Trial Zone
Sanji wandered through the trial area, following the Cloud River's path, grumbling as he moved along.
"Where's this so-called priest? I've been here forever, and I've already gone through countless cigarettes without seeing a single soul!"
He finished yet another cigarette, flicking it aside, a sly grin appearing on his face.
"Gotcha, you bastard."
Sanji glanced up, spotting a man sitting quietly in the distance with a large bird beside him.
Stopping about ten meters away, Sanji stared the man down. "You the so-called priest?"
"Yes," the man replied calmly, "I am Shura, the one responsible for the Rope Trial. The survival rate is a mere 3%."
"And after today, it'll be even lower," Shura added, a sinister smirk creeping onto his face.
"You sure are confident, mustache," Sanji said, lighting another cigarette. He exhaled smoke as he eyed Shura.
"Oh, you people from the Blue Sea are all just scrawny weaklings, hardly worth the effort. Once I'm done with you, I'll deal with your friends, one by one!"
"Hold on, hold on!" Sanji raised his hand dismissively. "No need to worry about that. You won't beat me, so whatever comes next won't matter."
"Is that so?" Shura chuckled darkly, grabbing his weapon and charging at Sanji.
Sanji responded immediately, dashing toward Shura, but after just a few steps, his expression shifted to horror—his body suddenly wouldn't move.
"What the hell?"
"Hahaha... These are the fine threads of the Rope Clouds spread throughout this trial zone," Shura explained gleefully. "One or two strands are harmless, but by now, you're entangled in countless threads. You can't move at all. Just die already!"
Shura grinned maliciously as he aimed his weapon at Sanji, preparing to strike.
Sanji frowned. Things were definitely not looking good.
Meanwhile, at the Ball Trial
"Hey! Are these balls made of clouds? So cool!" Luffy shouted excitedly as he arrived at the Ball Trial, staring up at the clusters of cloud-like spheres in the sky.
"Let's check it out!"
Without hesitation, Luffy reached out toward one of the cloud balls. But just as his hand touched it, something jumped out—a snake! It lunged, biting his arm.
"(#°Д°)!"
Luffy's eyes bulged in shock, and he yanked his arm away, barely dodging the snake's attack.
"Whoa! That was close!"
"So these are snake eggs?" he muttered.
"No, these balls can contain anything," a voice said suddenly.
Luffy looked up, confused, as a rotund figure appeared before him.
"Ball guy?" Luffy tilted his head.
"Oh, how rude! I am Satori, the priest in charge of the Ball Trial. You fools from the Blue Sea dare to intrude here, so be prepared to die!"
"Rubber... Pistol!"
Before Satori could say more, Luffy threw a punch at him. But Satori easily dodged the attack, looking at Luffy smugly.
"A sneak attack? Not very honorable," he said. "I control the Mantra, the heart's voice. I can predict your every move, so it's impossible for you to land a hit on me."
"Is that so?"
Luffy grinned. "Then how about... a Rubber Machine Gun?"
"I told you, you'll never—"
Before Satori could finish his sentence, a torrent of punches rained down on him, faster than he could comprehend. His face paled in fear.
"No, no, no!"
Even though Satori could sense Luffy's movements, his body wasn't fast enough to dodge them. Luffy's power had grown tremendously, far beyond what it once was.
"Bang! Bang!"
A flurry of blows landed on Satori, one after another. His yellow glasses shattered, and his round body bloated further from the impact. Before he could react, he was sent flying like a cannonball, crashing through trees until he finally hit the ground, motionless.
"Huh, what a weak priest," Luffy said, unimpressed. "Kai was right. Even if they have Observation Haki, it's useless if their bodies can't keep up."
Luffy dusted himself off and began strolling down the Cloud River, humming a tune.
"To the altar of living sacrifices~ So much fun~ Pineapples are tasty~ My head is so warm~ Stupid, stupid~~~"
"..."
Back at the Rope Trial, Sanji calmly exhaled a puff of smoke and smirked. "I wonder what this fire-breathing bird tastes like."
At his feet, the defeated priest Shura lay sprawled out, his body covered in injuries. He stared up at Sanji with a mix of fear and disbelief.
"How are you Blue Sea people so strong?" Shura groaned.
"Huh," Sanji blew out another cloud of smoke. "It's just me. There's this green-haired guy in my crew who's super weak—wouldn't want to admit it to anyone."
"Alright, I'm done chatting. Time to send you flying."
Sanji lifted his leg, preparing to strike. Shura's eyes went wide, and he cried out in panic, "No, no, wait!"
Wham!
With a swift kick, Sanji sent Shura soaring into the air.
"Wonder how Miss Nami and Miss Robin are doing..."
Meanwhile, the so-called "weak green-haired guy" Sanji mentioned was having a different sort of conversation.
"Hey, are you still conscious?" Zoro squatted down, gently patting the unconscious Ohm's face with the back of his sword. "Tell me which way the Cloud River is."
Ohm, barely clinging to consciousness, pointed weakly in a direction before passing out completely.
"That way? Thanks, dog man."
Zoro stood, sheathing his sword, and casually walked off in the direction Ohm had indicated.
If Ohm had been awake, he might've thought, You're surprisingly polite...
After all, when Zoro had attacked earlier, it was like being struck by the Grim Reaper himself. That was why Ohm had shown Zoro the way—he was terrified of what might happen if he didn't cooperate.
Life in Skypiea sure wasn't easy.
With that, the battles of Luffy, Sanji, and Zoro came to a close, and they all began heading toward the altar of living sacrifices.
The only unresolved battle lay in the area where two "brave" warriors were still nervously awaiting their fate...
-------------------------------
Power Stones would be appreciated if you liked the story.