Ch. 61- The Belly of the Beast
One Piece © Oda
Story and OCs © Me
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Okay... I know that I'm, like, 3 or 4 months late on this. I felt... I kinda hit a rough patch with this story. Hell, I honestly thought that I was wasting my time with everything that's been going on currently and I almost thought it wasn't worth it, anymore. Thankfully, a friend of mine helped to convince me that I should be able to see this through to the very end... and that's exactly what I plan to do, no matter how long it takes.
I just hope the next update doesn't take so long, but if it does... then that's life. Nothing I can do about it but just keep going.
Anyway, enjoy the chapter! Hope it was worth the wait. ^^
"Why does Big Brother like to fight so much?" Aika asked. "Fighting doesn't solve everything!"
"It's because your brother's a man," Nami began, "and men like to fight."
"Not all men," Usopp pointed out.
"But Big Brother wasn't even bothering anyone!" Aika argued. "Why was that Wiper guy trying to hurt him?!"
"I guess when you're fighting in a war for so long," Robin began, "you feel like everyone is your enemy." She then sighed. "I know that feeling all too well."
Soon, the battle began with Wiper firing a cannonball from his bazooka at Past Luffy, who used his Gum-Gum Balloon to bounce the artillery shell back at him. Of course, it missed the Shandorian guerilla and it ended up exploding behind him.
"Go ahead and shoot all you want!" Past Luffy shouted. "It won't do you any good since I'll just keep bouncin' 'em back! Rubber body and all that, y'know..."
"It's true," said Zoro. "With Luffy's rubber attacks, anything Wiper shoots at him will just be bounced back to him."
"Then what was the point?" asked Aika.
"...You have a point," Wiper concurred as he opened a hidden chamber on his bazooka. "I think it's time to mix things up a bit, don't you?"
"Hmm?" Past Luffy hummed, inquisitively as Wiper put something inside the chamber and closed it... and soon after, there was this ominous hissing sound, the kind that a gas burner would make when it was being lit. After that, instead of shooting out a cannonball, the bazooka shot out a blast of wind, and suddenly, Past Luffy grunted as he held his nose shut. "Ugh, man! What is that smell?! P.U.!"
"This weapon is called the Burn Bazooka," said Wiper. "Once I ignite the gas from this Breath Dial, the bazooka will shoot out a bluish-white flame that will burn down everything in its path!"
"Wait... what?!" Aika questioned as Past Luffy pretty much repeated the same thing, and before anyone realized what happened, a huge jet of this bluish-white flame just came blasting out of Wiper's Burn Bazooka, forcing everyone to shield their eyes from the harsh light. As they opened them, again, they gasped as they saw a huge hole that had been burned straight through a huge tree.
Thankfully, Past Luffy managed to get out of the way just in time... because if he hadn't, he would've been incinerated on the spot.
"...That was way too close," Usopp said.
"Tell me about it," Franky agreed. "If Luffy hadn't gotten outta there sooner-"
"AH! I don't even wanna think about it!" Chopper cried.
"Me, neither!" Blizzard agreed.
"Actually," Franky began, "I think that might give me some ideas!"
"You, too?" Usopp asked. "I was thinking the same thing!"
"Don't even start!" Nami yelled, causing them to flinch. Meanwhile, Past Luffy had managed to recover... but he noticed that Wiper had disappeared. However, his instincts being as sharp as ever, the Straw Hat Captain quickly pulled his head to avoid getting kicked by the Shandorian.
"GUM-GUM PISTOL!"
Past Luffy threw his fist forward in a stretching punch, but Wiper managed to block it using his foot and sent Past Luffy flying across a tree branch. He tried to hit him again, this time with a Gum-Gum Stamp, but every time, Wiper still managed to block his attacks...and by now, the Straw Hat Captain was beginning to get frustrated, and the Straw Hats could tell by how erratic his attacks were getting. It was then that Wiper tried to shoot him with his Burn Bazooka, once again, but just like before, Past Luffy managed to jump out of the way in time and lassoed his arm around a tree branch. As usual, Wiper wasn't far behind, having used the Jet Dials in his shoes to jump through the trees with ease, and that's when he aimed his Burn Bazooka at Past Luffy, who growled as he stretched his arms way back behind him.
"SO YOU LIKE BAZOOKAS, HUH?!" he roared.
"What is he doing?!" Nami questioned.
"Is he seriously take going to take that, head-on?!" Sanji asked.
"That idiot! What's he thinking?!" Zoro yelled.
Soon, Wiper fired his weapon, just as Past Luffy threw his own arms forward. However, he didn't have time to dodge the attack... for the memory ended up once again being engulfed in a blast of bluish-white light, forcing the Straw Hats to shield their eyes once more. After a few tense seconds, the light finally faded... and the Straw Hats could only see a devastated forest.
"W-where is he?" Aika asked, worriedly. "Where's Big Brother?"
"He must still be alive," said Kumi. "We're still seeing stuff!"
Suddenly, Past Luffy grunted as he sat up, revealing that he was indeed alive... but not totally unscathed. For one thing, it looked like his entire body was scorched, his vest was in tatters, and he had blood dripping out of his mouth and nose.
"Phew!" Chopper sighed in relief. "Thank goodness."
"Yes, he barely made it out of that," Robin agreed.
"Yeah," Usopp began, "but... look at Wiper. He doesn't look good, either."
The Straw Hats noticed Wiper standing in the distance... and they could see that he didn't escape their captain's attack unscathed, either. He had a large bruise on his stomach and blood was pouring from his mouth.
However... it looked like he still wasn't ready to give up, just yet.
"He can't keep fighting for much longer," Brook said. "If this goes on, he just might lose his life."
"Tell me about it," Nami said. "I hate it when people fight so senselessly like this."
"IS THAT IT?!" Wiper yelled, suddenly. "DON'T TELL ME YOU'RE GIVING UP NOW, STRAW HAT!"
Past Luffy scoffed as he prepared to pick himself up. "Don't worry about that. I still got energy to spare!"
Just as he was getting ready to charge back in, there was a loud crash... and suddenly, Past Luffy found himself in darkness.
"H-hey!" he shouted. "What's going on here?!"
Then, he screamed as he found himself tumbling backward, falling into a deep, dark hole... and then, after what seemed a while, something finally broke his fall.
"Ugh... damn," Past Luffy cursed as he sat up and looked around... and he found himself sitting in the middle of what looked like a dank, dark cave with rubble all around... no more like ruins. "W-where am I?"
At that moment, the memory faded to black.
"Wait, what just happened?" Sanji asked.
"How did Big Brother end up in that cave?!" asked Aika.
"Uh... that wasn't a cave he was in," said Nami.
"What do you mean?" Franky inquired.
"Yeah, it looks like a cave to me," said Blizzard.
"It's not," Nami replied.
"Well, if it wasn't a cave," Brook began, "then where did Luffy end up?"
"You know the giant snake from earlier?" Nami asked. "Well... it ate him."
A beat passed, and Franky, Blizzard, Brook, Aika, and Kumi all gaped.
"...I'm sorry... what?" Franky asked.
"I guess it makes sense," Sanji said. "How else did he find the City of Gold?"
"THE CITY OF GOLD WAS INSIDE THE SNAKE?!" Brook questioned in disbelief.
"I said the same thing, believe me," Nami replied. "It was a good thing I loved treasure so much, otherwise I wouldn't have set one foot inside that monster... and that wasn't the worst part!"
"What was the worst part?" asked Aika, worriedly.
"Luffy was trying to get out of the 'cave'," Nami began, "that he ended up causing a huge ruckus inside the snake's stomach, and that made the thing go crazy!"
"Wait a second," Zoro realized. "You mean that snake was rampaging all around because Luffy was giving it a bellyache, all this time?!"
"Pretty much," Nami shrugged.
"That moron..." Zoro groaned as he slapped a hand against his face. "We're all out, risking our lives, and he's trapped in a snake's belly."
"To be fair," Nami began, "he didn't know until I ended up in there, too."
"Wait, what?" Sanji asked, and sure enough, as the memory returned, they saw Past Luffy with Past Nami, Gan Fall, Pierre, and a young Shandorian girl dressed in tribal clothing.
"Who's that?" Aika asked as she pointed at the girl.
"That's Aisa," said Nami. "She's one of the Shandorians."
"Hey, her name's kinda like my name!" Aika exclaimed.
"Yeah, the only difference is that your name has a 'K' in it and her name has an 'S'," said Kumi.
"She also has Observation Haki, just like you, Aika!" Chopper added. "She could hear pretty much everything!"
"Wow!" Aika exclaimed. "Just like me!"
"And there was also Daisy!" Chopper pointed out. "She could hear things, too!"
"Daisy?" Usopp asked.
"She's this girl from... from..." Chopper started, only to trail off. "Uh... from somewhere..."
"You don't remember?" Sanji asked.
"Well... I know a girl named Daisy," Chopper said. "And her family... and you guys were there, I know that!"
"Huh... how strange," Robin muttered. "For some reason, I seem to recall meeting a girl named Daisy, too, but I don't remember from where."
"Come to think of it, that name kinda rings a bell with me, too," Sanji added.
"And me," Zoro spoke up.
"Yeah, same here," Nami replied. "That's weird."
"Ugh... it's giving me a headache, trying to remember!" Usopp groaned as he held his head.
Meanwhile, Past Nami had just explained what had happened to Past Luffy after he asked how they all ended up in the "cave" with him. Of course, being so clueless, Past Luffy only thought that they had all been eaten by the snake and not just himself... that is, until Past Nami shouted that he had also been eaten and pointed at his half-digested clothing. As the realization finally hit, Past Luffy appropriately began to freak out and suggested getting out via the snake's... "exit hole", so to speak.
"Wait a minute," Aika said. "Was he trying to say that the snake should-"
"Don't you say it, missy!" Nami shouted.
"That is the logical explanation, though, isn't it?" asked Franky.
"Yeah, kinda makes sense to me," Zoro added.
"UGH!" Nami groaned. "WHY ARE YOU BOYS SO GROSS?!"
"Hey, not all of us are gross!" Usopp argued. "I would have never thought of something like that!"
"Anyway," said Past Nami, "the snake ended up eating because something provoked it... so we better get outta before... it happens..." She trailed off as the realization suddenly hit her, as well as Gan Fall and Aisa, who all gasped in horror.
"Wait a minute!" they all cried in shock.
"What?" Past Luffy asked. "What's the problem?"
"...Luffy?" Past Nami asked, her voice taking on this dangerous tone. "You wouldn't have happened to have been kicking and screaming around in here, would you?!"
"Oh, yeah!" Past Luffy replied with his usual dense attitude. "I tried to make an exit, but I just kept getting thrown around!" He laughed as he put a hand to his stomach, which started to growl loudly. "But it sure made me hungry. Hey, you wouldn't happen to have any food, would ya?"
"That idiot..." Sanji muttered.
"Why did I have to fall for such a moron?" Nami asked while her past counterpart proceeded to give her captain the walloping of a lifetime. Of course, that ended up making the snake go crazy, too, for the poor serpent began to thrash around, sending the group tossing and tumbling in all directions.
"...You know, Nami, part of the snake rampaging is kind of your fault, too," Zoro pointed out.
"Oh, don't you start!" Nami shouted.
"Who's scarier in this situation?" Chopper asked in a hushed voice. "Nami or the snake?"
"Is that even a question?" Blizzard whispered. "The answer is obviously Nami!"
Eventually, they ended up falling downwards, but thankfully, they were caught by Past Luffy after he used his Gum-Gum Balloon to cushion their landing. Soon after, the snake's stomach finally settled... for the time being, at least. As Past Luffy pushed a boulder off of him, he commented on how this "cave" was getting annoying, to which Past Nami had to remind him that they were inside the snake's belly, and as the Straw Hat Captain looked around, he shrieked in horror upon finding an old rotted skeleton, mistaking it for the corpse of his navigator, who promptly bopped him over the head when he tried to "wake" the skeleton up.
"DOES THAT REALLY LOOK ANYTHING LIKE ME?!" Nami questioned.
"Well... it does seem to have your skeletal structure," Robin noted.
"And it is the same height as you!" Brook added.
"Why do I bother?" Nami asked as she slapped her hand over her face.
During this time, Gan Fall was holding Aisa close to his chest, apparently having saved her from the fall. However, the Shandorian girl demanded that he release her, then she grabbed his lance and pointed it at his neck.
"What is she doing?!" Aika asked in shock.
"Yeah, he just saved her life!" Franky added. "Talk about ingratitude!"
"He's our enemy!" Aisa shouted as she threateningly pointed the lance at Gan Fall. "He's responsible for our home getting taken away from us... so now, I'm gonna take his head!"
"She's gonna what?!" Chopper questioned.
"Why would she want to do that?!" Brook asked. "It wouldn't change anything!"
Robin simply stood there in silence, already knowing the answer. Meanwhile, in the memory, Past Nami tried to talk Aisa out of killing Gan Fall, who just sat calmly... almost as if he expected this to happen, and all the while, Past Luffy just sat nearby with that blank look on his face, the one he'd always have when analyzing a situation and figuring out whether or not to step in.
"I don't understand," said Past Nami. "How is taking the head of the Sky Knight going to fix anything?"
"He's not just a knight!" Aisa shouted. "He was the leader of the Skypieans before Eneru showed up! The Skypieans are the ones who drove us Shandorians out of our homeland!"
"But that was 400 years ago!" Past Nami cried. "There's no way the Sky Knight had anything to do with what happened!"
"Yeah, he's old, but not THAT old!" Kumi added as she watched the situation unfold.
"If he were 400 years old, he'd be a mummy!" Blizzard added.
"If taking my head would be enough to satisfy you and your people, I'd gladly sacrifice it," Gan Fall stated with no hesitation, whatsoever, causing the Straw Hats, save for Nami, to be caught off guard by how readily he was willing to let himself be killed, and it even surprised Aisa. As he raised his head, though, he revealed that his expression was blank... save for the emotions of sadness and regret in his eyes.
"Unfortunately," he continued, "taking just my head would not be enough. The level of hostility between Shandorians hasn't changed for 400 years, and with good reason. Our ancestors took away your homeland... and it must have been a terrible thing to go through... and I don't think I can ever find a way to apologize for that. Time alone will not heal this great wound you suffer."
"...Damn," Franky cursed in disbelief. "That's just... terrible."
"I can't say he's not wrong," said Sanji. "Things like war and suffering... the wounds they leave, both physically and emotionally, don't heal so quickly."
"Especially if the war has lasted for 400 years," Robin pointed out.
"And it's especially hard when you can't forgive your enemies," Zoro added.
"In the end," Nami began, "the Skypieans ended up losing their home, as well... Eneru destroyed it in one attack. We don't even know what happened to them after we left."
"I just hope they learned to get along," Usopp chimed in with Chopper nodding his head in agreement.
"...Some wounds... don't heal with time...?" Aika asked as she put her hand over her heart.
"What is it, Aika?" Kumi inquired.
"...I just wonder," Aika began, "how long has Big Brother been hurting... and how deep are his scars?"
The Straw Hats all looked at each other, worriedly, remembering why they had come here in the first place.
"Therefore, I regret my helplessness in this situation," said Gan Fall, remorsefully. "If it is at all possible, I would like to apologize to the Shandorians who have spent the last 400 years, fighting to regain their homes... I would like to apologize to every... last... one of them..." He slowly looked up to Aisa with a sorrowful expression. "I truly am sorry."
By now, Franky, Usopp, Brook, and Chopper were all in comical tears.
"Gan Fall~!" Chopper sobbed.
"What a gallant man!" Brook wailed.
"I can't believe he's been carrying such a burden!" Franky bawled. "I ain't cryin', you jerks!"
"I can't believe we used to give him such a hard time!" Usopp added. "I'm so sorry~!"
"Enough, already!" Sanji shouted. "Sheesh!"
Meanwhile, Aisa stood there, her face now marred with anger and confusion. They knew that even if she wanted to, she more than likely couldn't bring herself to kill Gan Fall because even though she was angry, she was still a child, and therefore, she had never actually killed someone before. It was the same thing with Ace and Sabo back when they were kids, attempting to kill Luffy but unable to do so.
"Listen to him," said Past Nami as she put a hand on Aisa's shoulder. "He's been trying so hard to make sure that everyone's been getting along. He wants the Skypieans and the Shandorians to live peacefully in the sky... so you should-"
"We'll NEVER be able to live peacefully!" Aisa rebuked. "Not with the bad guys!"
"But they're not bad guys!" Chopper exclaimed. "Not all of them, at least!"
"The Skypieans think of them the same way," Zoro countered.
"In times of war, the lines between good and evil are often blurred," Brook added, somberly.
"You can say that again, Brook," Robin added.
"But Aisa," Past Nami spoke, "that's just it. They're not bad people. What's bad is that people can't live together peacefully because of their race... isn't that right?"
"That's also true," said Sanji. "I mean... some people still can't coexist with the Fishmen because they don't even see them as equal."
"Tell me about it," Usopp muttered.
By now, Aisa was in tears, clearly struggling with what to do. Then, she let out an anguished scream as she prepared to land the killing blow on Gan Fall, who had his head down and his eyes closed, accepting his fate... but then, all of a sudden, Past Luffy stood in front of her, holding his hand out to stop her.
"W-what are you doing?!" Aisa questioned.
"He was apologizing," Past Luffy replied with his back turned to her. "Probably not the best time to kill a man."
"Phew...!" Aika sighed in relief while Aisa looked down at the lance... and the horror of what she was about to do soon dawned on her as her eyes went wide. Before long, she finally fell to her knees and broke down, and soon after, the memory faded to black.
"Man... that Gan Fall is such a stand-up guy," said Sanji.
"He was trying his best to bring everyone together," Nami replied. "The war was getting tiring for him just as much as it was for everyone else on Skypiea."
"I'm glad that in the end, everyone ended up coming together," Usopp added. "I just hope everyone learned to get along after that."
"I'm sure they did," Robin reassured with a smile.
"So, what happened after that?" Brook asked.
"Well, Gan Fall and I managed to get out of the snake," said Nami, "but Luffy, Aisa, and Pierre weren't so lucky. Luffy grabbed onto the Jet Dial of the waver and he ended up falling back into the snake's belly."
"Ugh... that idiot," Sanji groaned.
"So how'd he get out?" Usopp asked. "I mean he got outta there, eventually, right?"
"I'm not sure how he got out," Nami replied, "but I'm glad he got out when he did." She then sighed. "Things really went to hell in a handbasket."
"What do you mean?" Franky asked. "What happened?"
Before Nami could answer him, the memories returned, this time showing Past Luffy, Pierre, and Aisa finally out of the snake's belly... and for some reason, the snake was lying unconscious behind them, and even more disturbing was the fact that it looked it had been charred.
"What... what happened to the snake?" Aika asked, worriedly.
"Yeah, it's out cold!" Blizzard added.
"You'll see," Nami whispered, uncomfortably.
"WHOO-HOO!" Past Luffy cheered. "WE'RE FINALLY OUT! FREE AT LAAAAAAAAST!"
Behind him, Past Aisa panted, looking thoroughly freaked out, along with Pierre, who looked exhausted, and it was soon revealed that they were standing in the middle of some huge, ancient ruins.
"Whoa, check it out!" Past Luffy exclaimed as he looked around. "This place is huge! Where are we, anyway?! Are these some kind of ruins?! This must be where the Gold Bell is supposed to be!"
"Could it be...?" Aisa asked. "Is this... our homeland?"
"Huh?" Past Luffy muttered. "Your homeland?"
"This is the home of the Shandorians?" asked Brook.
"Yes," Robin replied. "This is where they live, originally, before they were chased out by the Skypieans."
"So... this is where the City of Gold was thought to be?" Brook asked.
"That's right," Robin replied, "until... well, you'll see, soon enough."
As Past Luffy kept surveying his surroundings, he gasped as he spotted a nearby crater.
"Whoa, look at that huge hole over there!" he exclaimed... but then, as he squinted his eyes, his excited expression slowly turned to one of dread. "...Oh, no... no, no, no way!" Without warning, he jumped down from the ruins and ran to the crater as fast as he could... and the moment he got there, his worst fears were confirmed: Past Zoro, Past Chopper, Past Robin, Gan Fall, and Wiper were all lying on the ground, unconscious and their bodies badly burned.
"What the hell?!" Franky questioned.
"AAH!" Aika shrieked.
"W-WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU GUYS?!" Kumi asked.
"...Eneru happened, that's what," Zoro answered with his head hanging in shame.
"Wait, Eneru did that?!" Brook asked. "Why?!"
"It was all part of his sick game, that's why," Nami said with narrowing eyes. "Like I said, Eneru only saw us as his little playthings... he believes that as 'god', he decides who lives and who dies."
Blizzard growled viciously, his fur bristling with fury. "That bastard...! He's seriously that depraved?!"
"Hey! Hey, Zoro!" Past Luffy cried as he shook Past Zoro, hoping to get him to wake up. "What the hell happened?! How come everyone's knocked out?! How could this happen while you were here?!"
Zoro felt his heart clench at that. He felt rather ashamed, he had to admit that. He already felt bad enough during that time when he found Chopper's near-dead body near the ruins after he was attacked by Ohm, not to mention what happened to Robin after she got shocked through the head. Whenever Luffy wasn't around, Zoro was usually the one who had to pick up the slack and protect everybody... and yet, Eneru overpowered him with his Devil Fruit abilities.
He couldn't help but feel that he had let Luffy down.
"Dammit..." the swordsman cursed, silently. "I'm sorry, Luffy."
"Hey," Past Luffy said as he looked around. "Nami... where's Nami?! Where'd she go?!"
"NO! WIPER!" cried Aisa as she ran over to Wiper... who, out of everyone, had to be the worst-looking of all. His body was charred so black, he almost didn't seem recognizable... and all the while, Aisa couldn't help but sob over his unconscious form.
"It's that bazooka guy!" Past Luffy exclaimed. "Someone as strong as him... how did he get taken out?!"
"...Eneru...!" Aisa whimpered. "It has to be! He's the only one capable of doing this!"
"Eneru?" Past Luffy asked as he squat down to her height level. "You mean the God of this place?"
"When we were inside the snake's belly, my Mantra wasn't working," Aisa replied, "so I don't really know what happened here...!"
"Urrgh... C... Captain..."
"Huh?" Past Luffy muttered as he glanced back and saw Past Robin trembling. "Robin?!" He then went over to her side and put his hand on her shoulder. "Robin, what happened?! Talk to me!"
"...I... I'm sorry..." Past Robin whispered. "Miss Navigator... she was taken...!"
"Hey, don't push yourself!" Past Luffy said as he held her, gently. "So that God guy took her?! Where'd they go?!"
"I... I don't know," replied Past Robin. "Captain... please, listen to me... at this rate, if nothing's done, Skypiea will be destroyed...!"
"Wait, what?!" Past Luffy questioned.
"You mean... my village, too?!" asked Aisa.
"Wait... destroy Skypiea?!" Franky asked in shock.
"Eneru believed that people living in the sky was strange," said Robin. "He was going to destroy Skypiea and return Upper Yard to the Blue Sea."
"Why in the world would he ever do a thing like that?!" Brook asked.
"Also, isn't Skypiea his home, too?!" asked Aika. "Why would he wanna destroy it?!"
"Something about 'restoring the natural order'," said Robin. "Clearly, he was insane."
"Insane?!" Usopp repeated. "Try utterly psycho!"
"It goes further than that," Nami added. "He also took the gold in Upper Yard and made up this little 'Survival Game' so he could see who he could take with him to someplace called 'Fairy Vearth'!"
"Fairy... what?" Franky repeated. "Okay, now I'm more confused than ever!"
"Me, too!" Brook cried.
"Hey, don't expect me to know, I'm just a dog!" Blizzard added.
"Me, too!" Kumi chimed in.
"Eneru is going after the Gold Bell," Past Robin replied. "Captain, please... you have to go after him."
"...So Eneru's going to wherever the Gold Bell is, huh?" asked Past Luffy.
"Yes," replied Past Robin. "If you just go looking in random places, you'll miss him... and it'll be too late."
"It's okay," Aisa spoke up, suddenly. "...I hear... two voices coming from somewhere on the island... it's gotta be Nami and Eneru!"
"...Then take me to them," Past Luffy replied with darkening eyes. "Now!"
The memory shifted, this time showing Past Luffy running as fast as he could while Pierre, who was in his winged horse form, galloped alongside him with Aisa on his back.
"Luffy! There!" Aisa called as she pointed wildly to the left at a cave in a rock face. "That hole to your left, right there!"
"Are you sure?!" Past Luffy asked.
"Positive!" replied Aisa as they sped inside the tunnel... and as they emerged, they found themselves within a large chamber, where they saw a gigantic ship, bigger than a whole fleet of Marine battleships, with the whole hull being made entirely of wood and large oars on the sides... but what stood out the most was the golden face on top of it.
"What... is that?!" Franky asked in disbelief.
"Eneru's ship," Nami replied.
"And... that golden statue?" Brook inquired.
"That's what he did with the gold he took," Nami answered, almost grumpily. "What a waste, if you ask me."
"Hey, look!" Usopp exclaimed as he pointed up at the ship... where they saw the very man who was the cause of all the problems going on: Eneru, the self-proclaimed "God" of Skypiea.
"Is that... Eneru?" Brook asked in disbelief.
"Those are... really long earlobes," said Aika.
"Yeah, tell me about it," Sanji agreed.
"How truly irritating," Eneru snarled. "I hate it when my predictions turn out wrong! There's one more left!"
That's when Past Luffy took in a deep breath before yelling out at the top of his lungs...
"HEEEEEEEY! ARE YOU THE ONE THEY CALL ENERUUUUUU?!"
At that moment, Past Nami appeared over the edge of the ship, tears of joy and relief forming in her eyes.
"LUFFYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!" she screamed, happily, while Past Luffy glared up at Eneru with great disdain.
"If you mess with friends of mine," he said, "then you mess with ME!"
TO BE CONTINUED...
Next time on One Piece: The Fire Within!
Past Luffy: So you're Eneru, huh?! You don't look like a god to me!
Aika: What's Big Brother gonna do against him?!
Nami: Oh, you'll see... and you're gonna love it.
*A while later*
Past Luffy: If I just ring that bell... then Diamond-Head Pops will have to hear it, right?!
Past Nami: Luffy...!
Next Time: The Ringing of the Gold Bell
Review, please!