Ch. 62- The Ringing of the Gold Bell
One Piece © Oda
Story and OCs © Me
"So that's Eneru, huh?" Aika asked as she looked up at Eneru in the memory. "He's... really scary. There's just this really bad feeling around him... like a thunderstorm that won't stop."
"I think that just goes to show how insane and evil he really is," said Zoro.
"Well, just watch," Nami said as she looked at Past Luffy, who was glaring at the self-proclaimed "God". "Luffy's gonna put a stop to this storm."
"How so?" Brook asked.
"Oh, just watch," Nami replied with a sly smirk.
"And just who do you think you're talking to, you Blue Sea Monkey?" asked Eneru with a look of disgust on his face. "You should know that you are speaking directly to God!"
"'God', huh?" Past Luffy asked with a sneer. "I don't see anything godly about you, buddy! What makes you God, anyway?!"
Hearing that caused Eneru to glare intensely at the Straw Hat Captain, who only glared right back in defiance.
"He got really mad," Aika pointed out.
"Yes," Robin agreed. "I think that's the first time anyone has ever questioned Eneru's status."
"It's because Eneru's been worshipped by everyone here for so long," Sanji began, "that he really believes that he's God."
"Man, and I thought Usopp had a big ego," Franky quipped.
"Excuse me," Usopp began, "but I don't EVER recall calling myself 'God'!"
"Well, your new name is 'God Usopp', now," Brook pointed out.
"That's true, Usopp!" Chopper added.
"STILL!" Usopp shouted.
"Luffy, be careful!" Past Nami cried. "He's got..." She suddenly trailed off as she saw Eneru glaring at her, causing her to gasp as she quickly covered her mouth.
"Were you really that scared of him?" asked Blizzard.
"No, it's more like I was trying to warn Luffy," said Nami, "but I later saw that there was no need."
"Why?" Aika asked.
"Just keep watching," Nami replied. "You'll see."
"Yahahaha!" Eneru laughed. "I can already hear it, now. The sound of the angels partying. They must have gotten word about the fate of Skypiea. Yahahaha!"
"What kind of nonsense is he blathering about, this time?" Franky asked.
"Conis had found out about Eneru's plan and went back to Angel Island to warn everybody," Robin answered. "That must have been when she told them, I guess."
"Good thing, too," Usopp added. "Had she not..." He shuddered. "I don't even wanna think about it!"
"Me, neither!" Chopper cried.
"I said... what makes you God, anyway?!" Past Luffy screamed, loudly, causing Eneru's grin to fall, his expression turning sour as the Straw Hat Captain sprinted up the oar before he stretched his arms and swung up to the upper deck of the ark. The self-proclaimed God seemed slightly surprised by seeing his Devil Fruit powers, but remained stoic for the most part.
Nami couldn't help snickering, remembering how he wouldn't have that expression for very long.
"I see," said Eneru. "You're no ordinary man, are you? Nonetheless, you're still a mere Paramecia type. You cannot hope to defeat me!"
Past Luffy let out a scream as he charged at Eneru with his fist reeled back while the latter began to charge up his lightning attacks.
"That's why... I am God! EL THOR!"
Then, in a flash, he hit Past Luffy directly, sending the whole memory into a screen of white, forcing the crew to shield their eyes from the blast. They could hear Past Nami screaming out their Captain's name... but as the light dissipated and everyone opened their eyes, they saw that Eneru had blown a huge hole in the cave wall... and yet, Past Luffy remained unharmed. He just stood there, sucking his lips into his teeth before he looked at the lightning-man, looking unimpressed.
"Wait a second," said Franky. "What just happened?! We clearly saw him get hit!"
"Yes! Shouldn't he have been..." Brook started, only for his eye sockets to widen. "Oh... wait a moment."
"There you go," Nami smirked.
"I don't know how you were able to dodge that," Eneru said while spinning his staff, "but this next attack won't miss! Six Million Volt... LIGHTNING DRAGON!"
Soon, a huge serpentine dragon made entirely of a giant lightning bolt appeared and lunged at Past Luffy, who was once again struck by the attack... but once again, as the light from the attack disappeared, it showed that he was still standing without a single scratch on him. By now, Eneru was getting impatient, so he finally decided to take this "fight" up close and personal... by rushing up to the rubber boy and putting his hand up to his chest, right over his heart.
"One Hundred Million Volt... VARI!"
Once again, he struck the Straw Hat Captain with a powerful electric shock... but once again, Past Luffy remained completely unharmed. In fact, his body was actually starting to glow!
"Wait! Of course!" Aika exclaimed. "The reason why Eneru's attacks aren't working... is because Big Brother's body is made of rubber!"
"Bingo!" Nami said.
"So basically," Sanji began, "Eneru's pretty much met his natural enemy!"
"Ohhhhh, this is gonna be FUN," Zoro smirked.
By now, Past Luffy was the one who was getting annoyed, for he gave Eneru a furious glare.
"I've had enough of you! GET OFF!"
With that, he pushed Eneru off of him like he was nothing more than a tiny little bug that was giving him an irritating bite. Past Nami, Aisa, and Pierre were all shocked by this turn of events... but none of them were more shocked than Eneru. His jaw was gaping open, his eyes bugged out of his skull, and snot was dripping out of his nose.
Seeing that look on his face caused the Straw Hats to laugh.
"Oh, man, if only I had a camera!" Franky exclaimed.
"That's actually an improvement, if you ask me!" Zoro added.
"YOHOHOHOHO- HACK-HACK-HORF!" Brook laughed so hard, he started to cough.
Past Luffy roared as he charged at his foe, who shook his head as he tried to concentrate... but it was too late.
Before he could react in time, Past Luffy slammed his bare foot right into Eneru's solar plexus, causing him to cough up blood and spit.
"YES!" Usopp and Chopper cheered. "HE GOT HIM!"
"That's the Luffy we know and love!" Kumi added.
"Rubber acts like a conductor for electricity," said Nami. "Since Luffy's body is made of rubber, Eneru's attacks won't work on him... at least, not the lightning ones."
"But he still had tricks up his sleeve, didn't he?" asked Zoro.
"Yeah," Nami said. "As much as I wanted it to be over, this fight was only getting started."
As soon as she said this, there was a powerful boom of thunder and the crack of a lightning bolt... and soon, the Straw Hats found themselves staring up at a darkened sky. Storm clouds rumbled ominously overhead and several lightning bolts came shooting down from above. The sounds made Chopper, Blizzard, Aika, and Kumi cry out in fright as they quickly covered their sensitive ears.
"What the...?" Franky whispered. "What's happening here?!"
"I don't like it!" Aika cried. "It's scary!"
As the storm continued to rage... that's when Brook noticed a huge crater nearby.
"W... wait a minute," he said. "Isn't that where...?!"
"Yes," Robin whispered, grimly. "That's where Angel Island once stood... Eneru completely obliterated it."
"He created a massive thunderhead in the clouds," Nami added, "and then dropped it right on the island... and he was going to do the same thing to Upper Yard, too."
"He WHAT?!" Franky questioned. "But... what about that girl, Conis?! Didn't she warn everybody?!"
"She may have warned them," Robin began, "but we don't know if everyone made it off the island, safely."
"...That bastard...!" Zoro hissed as he grit his teeth in anger. "This is just lower than low!"
"Believe me," Nami began, "I couldn't stand him, either."
"I don't understand!" Blizzard cried. "Shouldn't Luffy have beaten Eneru by now?! What happened?!"
"Eneru tricked him," Nami answered. "Even if his lightning attacks didn't work on Luffy, that didn't mean he couldn't fight back. He could still predict his moves, and even though Luffy managed to have an advantage for a little while, Eneru attached a giant ball of gold to his wrist... and he fell off the Ark."
"So... Big Brother lost?!" Aika asked, worriedly.
"He didn't lose," Zoro answered. "He just wasn't prepared for that."
"Where were the rest of you?" asked Franky.
"We were still injured from Eneru's attack on us," Robin answered.
"Sanji and I managed to save Nami from Eneru," Usopp began, "but we both got a real bad shock... literally!"
"...I'm... I'm really sorry," Nami said, guiltily as she remembered that both Usopp and Sanji were already heavily injured and only got hurt worse after they tried to help her.
"It's all right, Nami," Sanji replied. "Besides... you know us Straw Hats aren't easy to kill."
Nami chuckled a bit at that, feeling reassured. "Thanks..."
"But hey," Kumi said as she looked around. "Where's Luffy, though? This is his memory, right?"
"Look, there he is!" Chopper exclaimed as he pointed off to the left... and that's where they saw Past Luffy and Past Nami, the former's right wrist trapped in a giant ball of gold while the latter hopped onto the waver.
"Luffy, let's go!" she urged. "We gotta get outta here! Get on the waver, hurry!"
"...No," Past Luffy said in a very serious tone.
"What?!" Past Nami questioned. "Luffy, everybody's already headed for the ship! We gotta hurry and catch up to them!"
"I don't think it would matter," said the present-day Nami. "There were storm clouds everywhere... Eneru would have struck, no matter how far we ran."
"So basically," Franky began, "everyone was screwed."
"Exactly," Sanji replied.
"Unless Eneru was defeated," Zoro added.
"I can't do that, Nami!" Past Luffy spoke up. "I can't run away! Not now!"
"W-why not?!" Past Nami asked. "What are you trying to say here?!"
"Even though you're not in trouble, anymore," said Past Luffy, "I still have some unfinished business here!"
"What?!" Past Nami practically squawked in disbelief. "What kind of unfinished business?! You're not trying to get revenge on Eneru, are you?!"
"...The Golden Bell," Past Luffy said. "It's been here in the sky, all along."
"Who cares about the Golden Bell?!" asked Past Nami. "It doesn't matter anymore! Saving ourselves comes first! Do you see this storm?! Even if lightning doesn't work on you, Luffy, Eneru still has enough power to destroy everything else! If it's gold you want, you've got a ton of it stuck to your arm! Just give up on the Golden Bell! Please!" Her eyes softened with worry as she looked down. "I... I don't wanna see you get killed...!"
The Straw Hats all looked at Nami, who gripped her arm sadly. At first, it may have sounded like she just wanted to save herself... but when it came right down to it, she truly cared for Luffy and the others. They realized now that more than anything, this was the fear of losing her crew talking for her, so they couldn't really blame her for the way she felt.
"...I'm not gonna die, Nami," Past Luffy spoke, causing Past Nami to look up at him.
"Luffy, please!" she pleaded. "Just give up! We have to-"
"You saw it, too, didn't you?!" asked Past Luffy, causing her to gasp. "The City of Gold... it was real, all along!"
"...Wha...?" Past Nami whispered in surprise.
"...It was never a lie," said Past Luffy... as images of Cricket appeared, talking about how he wanted to prove something against his distant ancestor. "Diamond-Head Pops' ancestor... he wasn't lying! So I gotta let him and those monkeys know... that the City of Gold was here in the sky!" He then looked up toward the huge clouds above him. "If I ring that bell, then he should be able to hear it, right?! If I don't, he and those monkeys will just keep wasting their time searching the ocean floor until they die!"
"...Luffy...!" Past Nami whispered in awe.
"...I see, now," said Brook. "It was never about the treasure, was it?"
"No," Zoro answered. "Luffy knew how much finding the City of Gold meant to Old Man Cricket. That's why he was so hellbent on ringing that bell."
"So that Mr. Cricket could hear it," Chopper added. "All this time, he was really doing it for him."
"Aww, jeez...!" Franky wept. "Just when I thought he couldn't be any greater... Luffy really makes me proud!"
"Yeah," Blizzard grinned. "He makes us ALL proud... he always has."
"...Wow...!" Aika whispered, amazed at her older half-brother's unyielding compassion for others.
"That's why," Past Luffy continued to speak, "I can't let Eneru take it! A bell that big... has to be really loud so that anyone could hear it, no matter where they are! SO I'M GONNA RING THAT GOLDEN BELL, NO MATTER WHAT!"
At that moment, the memory shifted... this time showing Past Luffy and Past Nami staring up at a giant black ball of thunder, which was booming loudly.
"W-w-what is that?!" asked Aika in fright.
"That was what destroyed Angel Island!" Usopp answered. "And now, he's gonna use it to destroy all of Skypiea!"
"That thing's freakin' huge!" Franky shouted.
"No shit!" Blizzard cursed. "If that thing dropped, then everyone and everything would be toast!"
"Not if Luffy stopped him in time!" Nami said... and speaking of whom, her past self was standing with Past Luffy, again, and they were also bearing witness to the giant thunderhead that had formed.
"That's even bigger than the last one!" Past Luffy shouted. "That bastard!"
"He's planning to destroy everything," said Past Nami. "That must mean that Eneru found the Golden Bell! Eneru said that he heard voices right below us, so that means that the others must not have gotten to the ship, yet... I just hope they got our message."
"...Nami?" asked Past Luffy. "You're not gonna run away, this time?"
Past Nami was silent for a moment before she looked over at her captain.
"You wanna ring that bell, right, Luffy?" she asked.
"Of course, I do!" Past Luffy answered without a moment's hesitation.
"Well... get on," said Past Nami as she gestured behind her.
"What?" Past Luffy asked.
"Luffy, I know you're not deaf!" Past Nami shouted. "Just get on! We don't have any time to waste!"
"But... why?" asked Past Luffy.
"Because if I left the waver with you," Past Nami began, "you'll just crash the thing! I'm gonna give you a lift back up the Ark!"
"...Nami...!" Past Luffy whispered in surprise.
"So... promise me that you'll keep me safe," said Past Nami. "Okay?" She looked into his eyes... her own brown ones showing a slight hint of fear, and yet also bearing unwavering trust.
"...Okay!" Past Luffy nodded. "I promise, I'll protect you, Nami! Just leave it to me!"
"We've only got one shot at this," said Past Nami. "So let's go!"
"What were you talking about, Miss Nami?" Brook asked.
"I sent everybody else a message," said Nami. "I told them to knock down Giant Jack."
"Giant Jack?" Franky repeated.
"It was a giant twisted beanstalk," replied Robin. "We had to knock it down so that Luffy and Nami could use it to climb back up to Eneru's ship."
"But we had to make sure it fell in the right direction," Zoro added. "Otherwise, we may as well of kissed our lives goodbye."
"And that stalk was extremely tough, too!" Usopp added. "It took all of us working together to bring that thing down!"
"So basically," Sanji began, "Luffy and Nami were our last hope."
"Really?" Aika asked as she looked up at Nami, who trembled a bit.
"Everyone was depending on us," she said. "That was why the situation was so dire." She closed her eyes. "I was actually afraid... I honestly thought that there was a chance we would fail... and yet... I still felt hopeful." She smiled warmly. "Because... I had Luffy with me. He reminded me that even when the odds were against us, we still managed to overcome them... and hearing his determination to ring the Golden Bell made my resolve stronger."
The Straw Hats all gave knowing smiles... but those smiles soon fell as they heard a loud creak, and as they looked up, they soon saw the giant vine beginning to topple over!
"THIS IS IT!" Past Nami called. "LUFFY, GET ON, NOW!"
"RIGHT!" Past Luffy shouted as he jumped onto the waver with Past Nami, wrapping his arm around her waist. "GUN IT, NAMI!"
"I've never really ridden this thing at full throttle before," Past Nami said. "I might end up losing control of it... but I'll sure as hell try!"
"DON'T SWEAT THE DETAILS!" Past Luffy shouted. "JUST GO!"
"YOU GOT IT!" Past Nami replied before she revved up the Jet Dial, and like a gunshot, they practically blasted off at full speed, even while Past Luffy was dragging the giant ball of gold behind them!
"Wow!" Aika exclaimed. "So fast!"
"Even with that giant golden ball!" Kumi added. "That's amazing!"
"It's a miracle I was still able to control it, too!" Nami pointed out as she watched her past self and her captain ride up Giant Jack as it was falling, even as Eneru tried to shoot them down with lightning bolts.
"Oh, man!" Usopp cringed. "Even though I know what happens, it still makes me nervous!"
"What the hell was he doing?!" asked Sanji.
"He was trying to keep me and Luffy from getting closer!" Nami answered. "Eneru wasn't even trying to fight Luffy, anymore! He knew that if Luffy got close to him, again, he'd lose! That's why he was trying to stop us!"
"So in other words, he was afraid," Zoro said, "but you know what happens when someone gets afraid."
"They start to lose rational thought," Robin added. "They become desperate... and that's what starts their downfall."
"So you're saying that Eneru's already lost, huh?" Franky grinned. "In that case, it's gonna feel SUPER great to see that guy get slugged!"
Robin heaved a quiet sigh as she hung her head silently, almost as if she were in mourning.
"Is something the matter?" Brook asked in concern.
"Well... you know how Robin's a history buff," said Zoro. "When she saw the ruins getting destroyed..."
"...Oh, I see," Brook replied.
"Those were some beautiful pieces of history," Robin spoke. "It's a shame that they were destroyed so recklessly."
At that moment, as Giant Jack began to fall, at first, it didn't seem like Past Luffy and Past Nami were going to make it... but then, to everyone's amazement, they managed to reach the top and soared through the air toward the Ark Maxim!
"THEY DID IT!" Aika cheered.
"YES!" Blizzard shouted. "YOU GUYS HAVE GOT THIS!"
"HERE I COME, ENERUUUUUUU~!" Past Luffy roared. "GIMME THAT BEEEEEEEEELL!"
By now, Eneru was beyond irritated with them.
"I'VE HAD MORE THAN ENOUGH OF YOU!" he shouted. "EVEN YOU CAN'T DO ANYTHING AGAINST THIS! NOW DISAPPEAR, ALONG WITH THIS COUNTRY!" He then held his hand out to the giant thunderhead. "RAIGO!"
Soon, the giant ball of wind and thunder began to slowly descend... threatening to swallow everything in an explosive blast of lightning. Past Nami gaped in horror as she saw it drop... but then, to her surprise, Past Luffy stood up with his knees bent.
"Thanks, Nami!" he said. "I'll take it from here!"
"Wait, what?!" asked Past Nami, but before she could get an answer from him, the Straw Hat Captain suddenly jumped off the waver, sending her down due to the rebound... and to everyone's disbelief, he was heading inside the thunderhead, putting the memory in total darkness!
"WHAT IN THE HELL IS HE DOING?!" asked Franky.
"IS HE OUT OF HIS MIND?!" Blizzard questioned. "EVEN LUFFY CAN'T HANDLE ALL OF THAT!"
"BIG BROTHER, NO!" Aika screamed in horror.
"Don't worry!" Nami said. "This is actually where that golden ball comes in handy!"
"How so?!" Brook asked... but he soon got his answer as he heard a familiar voice from within the darkness.
"GUUUUUM... GUUUUUUUUUM... FIREWORKS... GOLDEN BATOOOOOON!"
All of a sudden, lightning flashed and crackled in different directions, almost as if the thunderhead was exploding from within.
"What's he doing in there?!" Sanji asked while he covered his ears.
"The golden ball is like a natural conductor!" Nami replied. "Luffy's trying to discharge the thunderhead before Eneru could drop it!"
"Did he know that?!" Brook asked.
"I don't know!" Nami replied. "But at least it worked!"
At that moment, the Straw Hats could hear their captain's voice, once again, roaring out over the chaos.
"YOU WITH YOUR STUPID THUNDER AND LIGHTNING! MY FRIENDS AND I MADE IT ALL THE WAY HERE TO THE SKY ISLAND, AND YOU HAD TO RUIN THE NICE WEATHER, YOU LIGHTNING FREAK!"
"...Somehow, I'm not surprised he's upset about that," Blizzard quipped, but then, to his and everyone's amazement... the thunderhead began to crack!
"Look! It's working!" Chopper exclaimed.
"GO, BIG BROTHER, GO!" Aika cheered. "YOU CAN DO IT!"
"COME ON, LUFFY!" Usopp shouted.
"SHOW THAT LIGHTNING FAKER WHO'S BOSS!" yelled Kumi.
"CLEAR THE SKYYYYYYYYYYYY~!" Past Luffy screamed... and soon, the darkness was gone, revealing the bright, sunny sky!
"YEAH!" Franky hollered. "SUPER~!"
"He did it!" Brook exclaimed.
"It's not over yet!" Zoro answered. "He's gotta take out Eneru, or else this will just start all over again!"
Soon, Past Luffy twisted his arm around as he aimed straight for Eneru, who had a look of horror on his face.
"Here I come, Eneru!" the rubber boy declared. "I'm gonna ring you along with that bell!"
"You... you insolent Blue Sea Ape!" Eneru yelled in fury. "THAT DOES IT!" Soon, he coated himself in a burst of lightning... and soon after, a giant being made of electricity appeared in front of Past Luffy.
"TWO HUNDRED MILLION VOLT: AMARU!"
"HOLY HELL!" Usopp cried in terror. "WHAT IS THAT THING?!"
"IT'S HUGE!" Chopper screamed.
"Ring the bell, you say?!" Eneru asked. "Do you really think that ringing the bell will bring an end to the fighting?! You must be one of those superstitious fools who believe in that old legend! I AM THE ALMIGHTY GOD, ENERU! YOU'RE NOTHING BUT A MERE PARAMECIA!" With that, he thrust a bolt of lightning at Past Luffy... but once again, it had no effect on him.
"I TOLD YOU THAT WON'T WORK ON ME!" Past Luffy yelled. "'God' this and 'God' that! YOU'RE ANNOYING IS WHAT YOU ARE!"
"Thank you!" Zoro exclaimed.
"WHAT KIND OF GOD DESTROYS EVERYTHING AND SAVES NOTHING?!" Past Luffy yelled before he kicked Eneru across the face, and that actually made blood spurt from his lightning god's form! "YOU BIG FAKE!"
However, Past Luffy suddenly grunted in pain and coughed up blood as well... because what he didn't realize was that Eneru saw this coming and stabbed him in the back with one of his tridents!
"Oh, no!" Aika cried. "Big Brother!"
"That cheater!" Kumi yelled. "Stabbing him in the back is a coward's move!"
"He really isn't a god at all!" Blizzard added while Past Luffy struggled to get free.
"Try as you might," Eneru said, "but if you actually get free, you'll only fall back down to earth, again! You did well, climbing all this way, but this is the end for you, as well as this country! I will be able to make another Raigo and destroy this land!"
Past Luffy grunted as he tried to get free... and remembered the crying faces of Conis and Aisa.
"It's the duty of every citizen...! Please forgive me!"
"Luffy... is Skypiea... going to disappear?!"
'No... no, it won't! I WON'T LET IT!'
Soon, Past Luffy managed to wrench himself free... but in doing so, he began to fall!
"AAAAAH!" Usopp screamed.
"NO! LUFFY!" Brook cried.
"Wait! It's okay!" Nami called. "Just keep watching!"
"YAHAHAHA!" Eneru laughed. "So you choose to fall, do you?!"
"LUFFY!" Past Nami cried in horror... until she saw his hand grab onto the cloud she was sitting on.
"NAMI! GET OUT OF THE WAY!" Past Luffy called... his arm stretching from the weight of the golden ball still attached to his wrist!
"WHAT?!" Eneru questioned.
"DON'T UNDERESTIMATE, EARLOBES!" Past Luffy shouted. "GUM-GUM... ROCKEEEEEET!"
With that, he sent himself flying right back to the Ark, again, pulling the golden ball behind him!
"He's... he's gonna do it!" Franky exclaimed.
"HE'S GONNA HIT HIM!" Usopp shouted as the Straw Hat Captain reeled back his twisted arm, which had the golden ball still attached to his wrist!
"GUUUUUUUM... GUUUUUUUUUM..."
"You're going to try the same trick, again?!" Eneru asked.
"I'll keep doing it until I ring the bell!" Past Luffy declared.
"YAHAHAHAHAHA!" Eneru laughed as he crossed his tridents. "Come at me, then! I'll take you on as many times as I want! This time, I'll skewer you right through the heart!"
"GOLDEEEEEEN RIFLLLLLEEEEEEE~!"
With that, he shot the golden bell right toward Eneru, who gasped at the realization that due to its weight, it also gave Past Luffy's arm more momentum... and thus, it was too fast for him to block. Before Eneru could do anything to stop it, he was struck by the giant ball of gold and Past Luffy's punch, which sent him flying... right toward the Golden Belfry!
"LET IT RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING!"
And it did... with a giant, clangorous BONG!
The sheer force of Eneru crashing into it caused the bell and the ball of gold to shatter... but the sound resonated through the air!
"...Wow...!" Aika whispered. "What a beautiful sound...!"
"It is, isn't it?" asked Chopper.
"Normally, I hate loud noises," Blizzard said, "but this? This is really something special."
"Now that's sure to wake someone up," Kumi agreed.
"What a SUPER ring!" Franky exclaimed.
"It is rather beautiful, isn't it?" Robin asked with an amazed smile.
"Yohohohoho!" Brook laughed. "That's loud enough to wake the dead! And I'm already dead."
"There's no way that Old Man Cricket didn't hear that bell," said Sanji with a confident smirk. "Not with a ring that loud."
"Heh," Zoro grinned. "That's Luffy for ya... just as loud as that bell."
"I still don't know what he was thinking," Nami said with a proud smile, "but... I'm just glad that he did it."
"HEY, POPS! SARUYAMA BROTHERS! DO YOU HEAR IT?!" Past Luffy yelled as he began to fall. "THE CITY OF GOLD... IT WAS IN THE SKY, ALL ALOOOOOONG!"
Soon, Past Luffy landed on the cloud with Past Nami, who gasped as she caught him before she gently laid him down with his head on her lap.
"Luffy... are you okay?" she asked.
"...Nami?" Past Luffy asked, panting heavily with exhaustion. "I... I did it... I rang the bell."
"Yeah... you did it," Past Nami smiled.
"...Do you think... that Diamond Head Pops heard it?" asked Past Luffy, causing Past Nami to chuckle.
"...Yeah... I think he did," she said.
"...Shishishi!" Past Luffy laughed. "Yeah... I think he did, too."
With that, the memory faded to black... but even, the Golden Bell continued to ring.
TO BE CONTINUED...
Next time on One Piece: The Fire Within!
Aika: So that now we've seen Sky Island, what's next?
Nami: We did end up in a Marine Base for a while, but I don't think that's relevant.
Usopp: So I guess after that is... oh, boy...
Brook: What? What comes next?
Zoro: Let's just say that something really intense happened on the next island we went to.
?: Well, well... I never thought I'd see you here.
Past Robin: *gasps in horror* No way...! It can't be!
Next time: Aokiji's Threat
Phew! Man, this took a while... but at least I'm finally through with this arc. I think this is one I struggled with most of all because Luffy wasn't around for most of it, but at least I got this one out of the way.
Now I can get to one of the arcs I was looking forward to!
Review, please!