After McKinley's bold declaration that we would receive punishment, he retreated into the nearby trees, once again crawling on his stomach. As I watched him in bewilderment, Nami started panicking, no doubt fearing Enel's wrath.
"WE WERE TRICKED!", she screamed, face pale and sweat forming on her brow, "Didn't that old lady say, "you can still go", but once we did, it became illegal trespassing!? THIS IS A FRAUD, THEY CAN'T DO THIS!"
"YEAH!", Navirou shouted in agreement.
"That's true", Usopp mused in agreement, stroking his chin in thought, "however, even if she didn't let us past, we probably would've just forced our way through."
"SHUT UP!", Nami snapped, fear and anger taking over.
"Anyways, now things have become very complicated", Pagaya mused nervously, moving to stand several meters away next to Conis, "If you're Class-2 criminals, we can't help you."
"WHY DO YOU HAVE TO STAND SO FAR AWAY TO TALK!", Nami snapped.
"Calm down Nami!", I urged, gently grabbing her shoulder, "They're just as panicked as you are."
This seemed to calm her, if only a little. Still, I'd take what I could get.
"Oh well, it doesn't matter", Luffy dismissed, grinning from ear to ear, "we're already used to being chased by the authorities."
He then looked at Nami in confusion.
"Also, why did you come back?", he asked, head cocked slightly, "We were just about to go to 'the place no one should ever enter', for a big adventure- I mean to find you."
"You're a really bad liar", Nami grumbled, raising her right hand with four fingers pointing forward. She then started poking Luffy hard in the forehead, with enough force that it made his head shake.
"BIG ADVENTURE?! I already told you there are some really scary guys on that island!", Nami roared, rapidly jabbing Luffy in the head, "You're just saying that because you didn't see them yourself! I don't know if they're really gods, but their immense, illogical power is real! I will NEVER go to that island a second time!"
Once she was done with her rant, Luffy pouted and rubbed his forehead, which sported a large red welt.
"Fine! We'll go by ourselves, you stay here!", Luffy grumbled.
"NO! OUR PURSUERS ARE COMING! WE NEED TO LEAVE THIS COUNTRY, RIGHT NOW!", Nami yelled.
"LEAVE!?", Luffy shouted in disbelief, eyes wide, "QUIT TALKING CRAP! JUST THINK, WHICH IS MORE IMPORTANT, ADVENTURE OR YOUR LIFE?"
"What the hell kind of question is that!?", I snapped, roughly pulling his ear.
"Yeah! I've only got 9 lives ya know!", Navirou yelled, jumping on Luffy's head and tugging on his cheeks.
"My life!", Nami declared, "Followed by money!"
"Followed by me, right?", Sanji cooed, doing his weird love dance.
"Shut up!", Nami snapped, making the cook collapse with an over dramatic, tearful look.
"Oh, by the way...", Usopp piped up, addressing Conis and Pagaya, "While we were trying to reach sky island, we never thought about how we would get back! Is there a safe way for us to get back to the Blue Sea?!"
Conis looked down nervously, hands clasped tightly in front of her.
"With you current situation, a safe route is nonexistent", she explained, "But, there is a way to the Blue Sea. You must go back down to the White Sea, then head to the Far East, to a place called Cloud End."
"Cloud End?", Usopp repeated, puzzled.
"Yes! Although I don't think you should try to run", Conis warned, "The White Sea is a very big place."
"What do you mean?!", Usopp shouted, starting to freak out, "Are you saying we can't escape those guys!?"
"There's no way they can track us across such vast distances", I thought.
Despite Conis's suggestion, we decided it would be best to leave before those so-called 'priests' could find us. Chopper, Zoro and Nami returned to the ship to wait with Robin, while Usopp, Luffy, Sanji, Navirou and I returned to Conis's home to pack some supplies. Although Nami was displeased that Luffy still wanted to go to Upper Yard.
"Maybe that Enel guy's a devil fruit user?", Navirou pondered, sitting on my shoulder as we trekked back to Conis's home. Ratha and Skyforce followed behind.
"Sounds likely", I replied, "Given how afraid Conis and Pagaya were when they talked about him, it wouldn't surprise me if he was using a devil fruit to make people think he's a god."
"They don't seem very familiar with devil fruits up here", Navirou mused, "Maybe Nami's right, I think we should leave. This place has my fur standing on end."
"I don't like it either", I commented.
Once we reached Conis's house, Usopp and Sanji started gathering necessities. Pagaya gave Usopp some of his carpentry tools to fix the ship, while Sanji made cute, little bento boxes. Ratha and Skyforce were watching him like hawks, heads rested on the table as they waited for him to drop a few scraps for them. Sanji spotted the waiting wyverns and smiled softly, before tossing them a few shrimp. They quickly scarfed the little crustaceans down, their jaws easily shredding the thick, chitinous exoskeletons. They may have been the size of large polar bears, but their demeanor when not threatened was like that of a puppy.
The bentos themselves were very adorable, with several being arranged to look like flowers, animals, and angel wings. One of them was decorated to look like a Rathalos surrounded by clouds, with the red portions being made from red peppers, the 'blue' being made from nori, and the cream colored patches from fermented ginger. Even the fire looked impressive, being made of yellow peppers and pickled red cabbage.
Once Sanji was finished prepping the bentos, he wrapped them up with cloth squares, before handing one to Conis. It was artfully made, featuring brightly colored vegetables and seafood, as well as a pair of angel wings on top. Conis was amazed by Sanji's careful work, but Luffy seemed more or less unimpressed.
"LOOK, I THINK THEY'RE IN TROUBLE!", Usopp shouted, making us jump. He was pointing out the window to the Merry, and we rushed over to see what was wrong. To my horror, the ship was being dragged backwards, and the panicked screams of Nami and Chopper echoed loudly across the sea as they held onto the ship for dear life.
"AH! THE SHIP IS MOVING!", Luffy shouted, "Where are they going?! Ooh, they're moving backwards! Cool!"
"Not the time Luffy!", I scolded him.
"NO! They didn't set sail! Look under the ship!", Usopp urged, pointing to a large shadow beneath the Merry.
I stared wide-eyed as a monstrous lobster, many times larger and faster than the Speedy Shrimp, arose from the clouds. The creature's enormous body was covered in thick, interlocking plates of maroon-colored chiton, with black dots speckled irregularly on its claws and back. Its eyes were a dark gold, and the word 'GOD' was embossed on its head in orange.
"That's the White-White Sea's special: the Super Express Speedy Shrimp!", Pagaya gasped as he stared fearfully at the massive crustacean.
"I can't let it get away!", I shouted, quickly hopping on Skyforce. I held on tight as he and Ratha took flight, speeding after the giant lobster. The others attempted to call after me, but I was already too far out.
"Savage Fireball, Fire Breath!", I commanded once we were in range.
Ratha and Skyforce both launched massive orbs of fire right at the lobster's face, striking it right in the eyes. The lobster let out a rumbling hiss and thrashed, shaking the Going Merry, but refusing to let go. It then sped up, trying to outrun us.
"There's no escaping me!", I shouted, determined, "Skyforce, give him a taste of your Slime Stomp!"
Skyforce flew down towards the lobster, glowing green slime now oozing from the scales on his feet and wings. He struck the lobster in the face with his wing, leaving a puddle of slime right beneath its right eye. He then spun and kicked it right where the word 'GOD' was imprinted. This too, left a puddle of glowing green slime, which, upon making contact, started fizzling and changing color. The puddles changed from green, to yellow, then orange, and finally red, the whole time expanded slowly til they were almost 2 meters across. The lobster seemed confused by the glowing slime, but had no time to react before the puddles exploded violently. The lobster reared back, nearly letting go of the Merry. The explosions had snapped off one of its feelers, and the word 'GOD' was now covered by a layer of charred chiton.
"Now Ratha, finish him off! Infernal Breath!", I commanded.
Ratha positioned himself a few meters in front of the lobster and opened his mouth, red, orange and silver flames licking at the edges of his maw. The lobster seemed terrified, but before Ratha could attack, a sky eel burst through the clouds beneath us. I shouted for Ratha to evade, but the eel was already upon him. It slammed its head hard into Ratha's gut, launching him upwards and forcing his mouth shut. This caused the attack to rebound, the flames exploding in his mouth in a flurry of silver. He started falling, and I freaked out.
"Quickly Skyforce, CATCH HIM!", I pleaded.
Skyforce dove down, narrowly avoiding the eel's enormous jaws, and grabbed Ratha's saddle by the handlebar. He flapped his wings furiously to try and lift us out of the eel's range, but was not fast enough. The eel swung its tail with the force of a tidal wave, smacking Skyforce and I hard in the backs. The force caused my head to jerk back, but I was unable to scream as the wind was knocked out of my lungs. It was like being struck with a tree trunk moving at 80 miles per hour.
I was thrown from the saddle and, in the process, Navirou was thrown from my grasp. I hit the deck of the Going Merry back first, causing my head to slam violently against the hard, wooden floor, making it bounce from the force of the impact. My vision swam as black dots filled my field of view. I heard a loud thunk and several pained whimpers as Ratha and Skyforce hit the deck, but I was unable to go to them due to the pain racking my body. I could vaguely make out the horrified voices of my crew mates as my vision started to fade, but I passed out before they reached me.
...
"..."
"Oh dear"
"This isn't good"
"Quite the mess she's gotten into"
"This is the first time I've seen a broken femur. Looks pretty bad"
"Some guardian you've been Snow"
"Silence human!"
"Ughh, quit talking...", I groaned weakly.
"Hey, she's finally coming around!"
I felt a cool, furry snout press against my face, gently nudging me. The slight movement caused an immediate headache, worse than any migraine I'd had. I groaned louder, and tried to shove the snout away. Another shove to my cheek got me up, and as I sat up, I saw three flashes of colored light, one red, one yellow, and one green.
I rubbed my eyes, wincing at the pain this brought to my tender head. When my vision cleared I saw Snowsaber standing before me, ruby eyes filled with worry.
"Hey Snow", I grumbled, "Am I dead or something?"
Snowsaber huffed, blowing a puff of frost into my face.
"Somehow, no, you aren't dead, though by all logic you should be", Snowsaber huffed, before burying his snout in the crook of my neck, "I told you not to be so reckless."
"I had to try something", I retorted, stroking his mane, "That lobster kidnapped my friends!"
I tried to stand up, but was forced to stop when a sharp, burning pain shot through my leg. I gripped Snowsaber's mane and winced, trying my absolute hardest not to cry. I was trembling from the pain, the only comfort coming from the Oroshi Kirin's icy fur. From the corner of my eye I spotted a purple glow, and looked up through teary eyes to see a glowing purple figure. It was humanoid in shape, and took the form of a woman in a hooded cloak.
"Who are you?", I asked, my voice cracking.
"Let me help her, Snowsaber", the woman said, and I recognized her voice as the one I heard back at the temple.
"I... I know you!", I gasped.
The woman giggled softly, before extending a hand out to touch my injure leg. It was strange, as I couldn't actually feel a person's touch, but instead I felt a gentle warmth, like being wrapped in a fur blanket. This acted like an anesthetic, numbing my left leg from my knee to my hip. Once she finished, the woman stood up and started to walk away.
"WAIT!", I called after her, "Who are you? Are you a rider like me?"
The woman giggled again, before bringing a finger to her lips.
"You'll know in time", she replied cryptically, before vanishing.
Once she was gone, Snowsaber turned back to me.
"You should get going too", he advised, "Your friends are worried about you."
Suddenly, I could hear the voices of Zoro, Nami, Chopper and Robin all around me. It was faint, but I could tell they were trying to wake me up. Snowsaber vanished in a cloud of snowflakes, and everything went black again.
...
"Saurus!"
"Hey Saurus! Come on!"
"Wake up damnit!"
"DON'T DIE SAURUS!"
"She's not dead!"
"Ughh...", I groaned, weakly lifting my hand to rub my eyes.
"See, told you she wasn't dead", Zoro said.
"You ain't getting rid of me that easily, Mossy Samurai", I grumbled, grinning weakly.
"Tch, she's fine, see?", Zoro grumbled, ruffling my hair.
"Ow, hey, easy", I whined, swatting his hand away as I sat up.
"YOU'RE ALIVE!", Nami, Chopper and Navirou exclaimed happily, all glomping me. I flailed my arms and tried to break free. Zoro pried them off, thankfully, giving me room to breathe. I rested a hand on my left thigh, and was surprised to find it wrapped tightly with thick bandages. It was splinted as well, meaning I had likely broken or fractured my femur.
"Are you alright partner?", I asked Navirou, concerned after remembering him being torn from my grasp.
"Skyforce caught me before I landed", Navirou explained, "But he was hurt pretty badly, and Ratha was knocked out."
Just then, the wounded Azure Rathalos came bounding into the room, jumping onto the bed before licking my face repeatedly. Despite his injuries, his tail wagged excitedly; no doubt he was as excited that I was alive as the others. Ratha wasn't with him, meaning he had indeed been knocked unconscious, and therefore been dismissed by the kinship stone.
"Okay boy, down, OW! Careful!", I scolded Skyforce, managing to shove him off. Once he was off I reached into my pouch and pulled out two potions, tossing one to Navirou and Skyforce, and promptly downing the other. Though the healing effects weren't as potent as I would've liked, it did help ease the pain and reduce the throbbing in my head, back and left leg. Taking another look in my pouch, I could see I was running low on potions, with only 3 left, and barely enough herbs to make more.
"Damnit", I grumbled, "I knew I should've collected more herbs back on that island."
With a huff I clipped the pouch back onto my belt, before trying to stand up. As soon as I did, my left leg gave out. Zoro caught me before I fell, as the others looked on with great concern. I could feel the broken halves of my femur shift slightly, tearing a pained cry from my lips.
"Careful!", Chopper cried out, "I just splinted your leg, you should try to stay off it!"
"Maybe it would be best if you stayed here on the ship", Nami suggested.
"And wait for Enel's priests to get me? No thanks", I hissed.
Carefully, I moved away from Zoro, with Skyforce right there to catch me. I slipped on my Deviljho armor again and strapped my hammer to my back.
"Umm, if you're going to move around, maybe you should just ride Skyforce for now?", Chopper advised, "At least give your leg a chance to heal."
It took just one more near fall when I tried walking to get me to agree. I carefully sat myself in the saddle, injured leg resting in the stirrups. There was still some pain, even with the potion I took, but it was greatly decreased. Once I was situated, I had Skyforce follow the others outside to assess our whereabouts.
When we reached the upper deck, I saw that the ship was no longer in the water, but instead on top of a massive pedestal, almost like a ceremonial altar. The sides had intricate carvings near the bottom, and angry-looking stone faces near the top. There was a staircase leading down into a lake of clouds, which surrounded us on all sides with no clear way across. Across the lake was nothing but jungle as far as the eye could see, with gigantic trees that dwarfed those found on Insect Island. Two giant torches provided an extra source of light on the altar, but felt redundant due to the numerous sunbeams that pierced the forest canopy.
"What is this place?", I murmured.
A loud splash caught my attention, and I looked up wide-eyed upon realizing Zoro had jumped in. We ran to the edge, and to my horror I could see several large shadows moving in the waters below. One of the shadows grew larger, before bursting through the clouds. The creature that emerged was a large, dark-blue shark with black tiger stripes going down its elongated body. The ends of its fins were tipped with flattened circles, and its rectangular mouth was full of serrated teeth the size of my hand.
I gasped upon seeing Zoro in front of the sharks mouth, having been sent airborne by the shark breaching. Zoro has all three swords in front of him, using their bladed edges to hold the shark's mouth back.
"There he is!", Chopper shouted, "He's losing to that sky shark!"
In less than a second, the duo crashed back into the lake, sending up a spray of white foam. As the shark's tail fin vanished beneath the waves, Nami and Chopper began to freak out.
"Ah, he's not coming up!", Nami screamed, "Did he get eaten?!"
"GYA! ZORO'S BEEN EATEN!", Chopper shrieked, tears pouring from his eyes almost comically.
"If he was, the cloud would've turned red by now", Robin said calmly.
"DON'T SAY SUCH SCARY THINGS ROBIN!", Chopper wailed.
The duo's crying was ceased when another loud splash was heard, and we were left gobsmacked upon seeing Zoro punching the shark as he emerged from the water.
"GET OUT OF MY WAY!", he roared, his punch shattering the shark's jaw and killing it instantly.
The shark's limp body created several large waves upon hitting the water, leaving us slack-jawed as Zoro climbed back onto the altar. He wasn't even injured, just a little irritated as though a mosquito had bitten him.
"Let it be known: don't mess with the Moss", I thought, gulping as he strode over to the ship.
"Damn!", he cursed, panting slightly, "Looks like we won't be able to swim to shore. Where the hell are we anyways?"
"All we know for certain is that this lake is somewhere in Upper Yard", Robin replied, "This appears to be some sort of sacrificial altar."
"There's a bunch more sky sharks!", Chopper shrieked, watching in horror and disgust as the other sky sharks dragged their dead brethren below to eat him.
"Looks like that shrimp brought us to one hell of a dangerous place", Zoro commented, slipping off his shirt and wringing the water out. I couldn't help but notice the massive scar adorning his well toned chest and abs. The scar stretched from his right hip, all the way up to his left shoulder. It was obviously done by some sort of blade, given how clean the cut was.
"You're a swordsman, yet you used your bare fists to kill a shark", Nami remarked.
"Still think it was a bit overkill...", I mumbled sheepishly.
"Zoro's so strong!", Chopper squealed excitedly, starry-eyed.
"I wonder if heaven's judgement is to let us starve here?", Robin pondered, hands rested on her hips.
"Is that something God would normally do?", Zoro asked.
"I don't know, I've never met him", Robin replied.
"I would think he'd smite us with lightning, or burn us alive", I added, "You know, something dramatic?"
"Maybe show off for his followers?", Robin commented.
"Seems like a godly thing to do", I said with a shrug.
"Well, with the ship's bottom in this state, we can't put it in the water", Nami said, sighing, "Anyway, please try to repair it somehow, Chopper."
"Ehh? Me?!", Chopper said confused, before nodding affirmatively, "Understood."
Nami nodded back.
"Do your best to repair it", she said, before turning to Zoro, "So what are you going to do?"
"I'm going to reach the shore and explore the forest", Zoro responded, pulling his blue tank top back on, "We can use this place as our gathering point. Luffy and the others will come looking for us for sure."
"Shouldn't you take someone with you? Ya know, so you don't get lost?", I questioned, knowing damn well he'd get lost if we left him alone.
"Isn't there an old saying, "If you're lost, stay where you are?"", Zoro countered.
"If anyone needs to stay put, it's you!", Nami snapped at him.
"God's on this island, right?", Zoro said, completely ignoring Nami's comment, "I want to go meet him."
"WHAT?! WHY WOULD YOU WANT TO GO MEET SOMEONE SCARY LIKE THAT?!", Nami yelled.
"I dunno, that depends on him", Zoro said smugly, grinning cockily as he cracked his neck.
"Zoro's more arrogant than God", Chopper commented, taken aback by Zoro's boldness.
"DON'T YOU KNOW THERE ARE ALSO PRIESTS HERE?! YOU MUSTN'T ANGER GOD!", Nami attempted to reason with Zoro, "THIS IS JUST COMMON SENSE!"
"Sorry, but I never pray to God", Zoro declared, grinning confidently with no fear of Enel.
I sighed and gently hit my head against the saddle's handlebar. He was going to either get himself lost, killed, or both.
"Wow!", Chopper gasped, eyes sparkling as he stared at Zoro like he was a hero.
"Oh God! I have nothing to do with him!", Nami prayed in an attempt to gain Enel's mercy.
"I don't even believe in God, so why should I care?", Zoro said, scratching his head as he turned away. He then noticed a long vine partially coiled around an overhanging branch.
"That vine looks long enough. We could use that to cross", Zoro suggested.
"Ah, that's not a bad idea", Robin mused, "Would you mind if I tagged along."
"Fine, but don't get in my way", Zoro reluctantly agreed.
"Wait! Robin's going too?", Nami interrupted.
"Take a look around", Robin said, gesturing to the altar the ship sat upon, "This altar is at least 1000 years old. Seeing such historical remains, it makes me quite excited. Additionally, if we find any gems or treasures, we can sell them to get the ship repaired."
At hearing the mention of money and treasure, Nami perked right up.
"I'm going too", Nami declared, raising her hand to volunteer.
"Huh?! But didn't you say it was scary?!", Chopper yelped, obviously not wanting to be left alone.
"We're exploring history!", Nami squealed with delight, eyes sparkling at the thought of finding valuable treasures.
I attempted to follow Zoro, but he stopped me.
"No, you're staying here Saurus", he ordered firmly.
"I already told you I'm going!", I argued, "I'm not staying cooped up in a bed when there's enemies all around us!"
I had Skyforce stand up more, bringing me two heads higher than Zoro. This didn't intimidate him in the slightest.
"I'm serious, Saurus", Zoro growled, "You're staying on the ship until we get back. We won't be gone long anyways. At least if someone does attack, Chopper won't be by himself."
I stared him dead in the eye, steel-blue meeting deep amber in a clash of wills. I had to admit, Zoro was certainly an intimidating man, especially this close. Those dark amber orbs pierced my very soul, daring me to argue against him. It was harsh and oppressive, like staring down an angry Monoblos. In the end, I yielded, backing off with a huff. It felt as though a supernatural force was crushing my body.
"...Fine", I huffed, jerking my head to the side to avoid staring into his soul-piercing eyes again.
"Good, now go rest until we get back", Zoro commanded, ruffling my hair as he patted my head roughly.
As he pulled down the vine, I repeated my earlier thought: don't mess with the Moss. Once he pulled the vine down, he cleared his throat, before shoving off the platform and doing his best impression of a bellowing Rajang. The vine swung over the lake, with several sharks waiting below, before bringing Zoro safely to the opposite shoreline. Once he landed, he swung the vine back to our side, where Robin grabbed it and used it to safely cross. She sent the vine back to Nami, who grabbed it apprehensively.
"This looks pretty high", she gulped nervously, looking down at the lake where the sharks were waiting.
"It's probably 50 meters high. If you fall, you'll die", Robin called out.
"Don't say things like that!", Nami yelled at her.
Nami then took a deep breath, gripped the vine tightly, and swung across. She shrieked with fright, the speed of the swing taking her completely by surprise. Just before she hit a tree, Robin created several arms that safely caught her. Nami sighed and slumped down to her knees, breathing heavily from the adrenaline rush.
"Well then, we're leaving the ship to you two, Chopper and Saurus!", Zoro called back to us.
"Be safe you guys!", Navirou, "Don't let those priest guys get you!"
"We will! Take care!", Robin called back.
"We'll be back soon!", Nami assured us.
"Okay! Don't worry about us! Come back safely!", Chopper called out to them.
Once they were out of sight, Chopper set to work on the ship. I tried to help, but he echoed Zoro's words and said I needed to rest my leg.
"Zoro and Robin are with Nami, so she'll be safe", Chopper mused, "I didn't go because I was afraid. It's so cool to be brave like that. I want to be as brave as them one day."
"If Navirou can do it, so can you", I assured him.
"Yeah, I used to be pretty skittish before I met Saurus", Navirou admitted sheepishly, scratching the back of his head, "When I met her, I went on all kinds of scary adventures, and learned to be brave just like her."
"Wow, really!?", Chopper asked, eyes sparkling excitedly, "Maybe I can go on those kinds of adventures one day! Maybe I'll even be able to defeat a monster like you guys!"
"Maybe one day", I said, smiling softly.
Suddenly, I felt a sudden chill rush through my body, making me freeze up. A cold sweat broke out across my skin as my hair stood on end. I saw Chopper start to back away, eyes wide with fright as he slowly reached for the whistle given to us by Gan Fall. Skyforce jerked around violently, bringing me face to face with a strange man riding a giant bird.
"What's this? I only get to kill 2 sacrifices?", the man growled, displeased he would be unable to shed more blood.
The man was tall, around 6'4, and wore padded orange pants and a jacket with brown striped sleeves. Much of his tan face, sporting a wiry mustache, was obscured by an aviator's hat and goggles, and his hands and feet were protected by thick leather gloves and boots. In his right hand he held a massive steel javelin, which looked capable of piercing the thickest of armor. He also sported a pair of downward facing wings that grew from his back. The bird he rode upon was cloaked in dark purple feathers, with a red mane surrounding its neck. Its face resembled a skull, and its piercing, yellow eyes lacked visible pupils.
The man turned his gaze to Skyforce, who flared his wings and hissed at the giant bird before us. The bird let out a blood-curdling shriek and flared its own wings in retaliation. I told Navirou to go hide, knowing things were about to get ugly. He refused, instead going to stand by Chopper in case his help was needed.
"Amazon never told us about a dragon", the man said, before smirking evilly, "If I bring back your head, the others will have no choice but to accept that I'm the strongest."
Eye narrowed my eyes and grit my teeth.
"Over my dead body", I growled.
Before I could do anything, Chopper grabbed the whistle and blew it with all his might, the ear-splitting sound catching our attention. The man sneered and gave the bird a shove in the side. The bird opened its beak and unleashed a stream of fire, aiming it right for Chopper. Skyforce reacted quickly, scooping up the reindeer just before the flames made contact. Unfortunately, this allowed the flames to hit the ship, setting the deck ablaze.
"NO! THE MERRY!", Chopper shrieked, shifting to heavy point and yanking himself free from Skyforce's grasp. He landed on the burning deck with a thud, and immediately started trying to put out the fire.
I turned to our attacker with a furious snarl, and gave Skyforce a nudge to get him airborne.
"You're gonna pay!", I roared, giving Skyforce's sides a kick to get him going.
Skyforce lunged for our attacker, mouth open with flames licking at the edges of his maw. The man and bird quickly evaded, flying up over our heads. The bird cawed and unleashed another blast of fire, this time aiming for us. Skyforce crossed his wings in front of him, shielding me from the worst of the flames as they bared down upon us. The force shoved us back onto the burning deck, nearly shoving us into the mast.
"Damn!", I hissed, the heat of the flames intensifying, "This guy's no joke. His bird has some serious firepower."
I gripped the handlebar of the saddle tightly. Skyforce gave a hard shove and forcefully opened his wings, dispersing the flames around us.
"Flame Fang!", I ordered, this time pointing at the bird.
Skyforce roared and flew up, flames cloaking his fangs before hardening into jagged, fiery edges. The bird tried to back up, but Skyforce quickly seized it by the neck, clamping down hard. The flames around his teeth exploded outward violently, forcing a pained squawk from the bird, and a surprised yelp from its rider. Skyforce released the bird when the flames subsided, letting it free fall for several feet before righting itself.
The bird let out an enraged shriek and unleashed another blast of fire, which Skyforce narrowly dodged. Unfortunately, the blast kept going until it hit the ship, setting the mast ablaze.
"STOP!", Chopper cried, pleading with the man to cease his assault on the Merry.
While I was distracted by this, the man leapt off his bird and struck me with his javelin, the end of the spear heating up upon impact. I cried out as the heat seeped through my armor, burning the skin of my shoulder where the javelin hit. The shift in momentum shoved Skyforce back down, leaving him hovering only a foot or so above the burning Going Merry. The bird then attacked with another blast of fire, this time giving us no chance to block it. We were slammed into the ship by the force of the bird's attack, and I cried out in pain when I was thrown from the saddle, my injured leg hitting the wood hard.
"STOP! I BEG OF YOU, STOP!", Chopper cried, grabbing the burning mast with his bare hands. He gritted his teeth in pain as he tore off the burning mast, tossing it into the lake to try and stop the fire from spreading.
The man leapt from the bird's back, landing on the deck and staring us down with an emotionless face. His goggles were now pulled up, revealing cold golden eyes.
"Please... stop... don't hurt my friends", Chopper pleaded, voice raspy as he panted, blood trickling down the right side of his face, "I'm supposed to protect the ship... like I promised I would."
"What should we do, Fuza?", the man asked his bird, tilting his head with a sneer. The bird, Fuza, let out a raucous caw, a small puff of smoke of flames escaping his open maw. The creature was obviously just as cruel as its master.
I slowly stood up, leaning on Skyforce to retain my balance. Navirou was standing protectively in front of Chopper, snarling threateningly despite his shaking legs.
"First you tell me not to attack your friends, then you tell me not to destroy your ship, then you say you don't want to die. You've put me in a difficult situation", the man growled, staring down at us like we were mere filth, "You selfish animal... you really piss me off!"
The man lunged at Chopper and Navirou, heated javelin primed to gore and burn.
"If you want to live, then why are you so weak?!", the man roared, aiming his javelin for Chopper's head. Chopper grabbed Navirou and quickly leapt aside, narrowly avoiding being skewered. Instead, the lance pierced the wooden rail behind Chopper, burning a hole through it and setting it on fire.
"Stop! That lance burns stuff!", Chopper cried, trying in vain to put out the fire. He then turned and swung a punch at the man, only for him to avoid it by a wide margin.
"You want to live without any sacrifice?", the man questioned rhetorically, "For someone to live, another must die. That's how the world works."
The man hopped up onto the upper railing, his bird standing behind him. I glared up at them, cursing my injured leg for preventing me from fighting properly. The man glared down at us, studying us as though we were prey. Fuza seemed to smirk, as if anticipating a potential meal.
"Did you know this is the sacrificial altar?", the man questioned.
"Ah... yes! They said-", Chopper began, before the man cut him off.
"Right now your friends are risking their lives trying to reach this place", the man explained, "On this island, each of the four priests control a territory. When a target enters one of our territories, no priests other than the corresponding one may attack them."
"So he IS one of Enel's priests!", I thought, eyes widening momentarily before narrowing again.
"This altar, however, is not part of those territories", the priest continued, "Let's call it the free area, shall we? It's for after the people being tested are dead."
"So then, if Luffy comes here and saves us, we can all escape together?!", Chopper inquired hopefully.
"Yeah, that's it. If you can escape from this free area", the man confirmed, "Or at least, those are the original rules. In special cases, those rules are changed."
"Special?", Chopper questioned.
"Correct, for example: three of the sacrifices used those vines to escape", the priest stated, jabbing his thumb in the direction of the vines Zoro had found.
"Eh, that's a special situation?", Chopper questioned, realizing that Zoro's plan had put us in more danger.
"Idiot marimo!", I thought, "Him running off to challenge this supposed 'God' just landed us in even more trouble!"
"For their crime of running away, someone else must pay with their life", the priest declared, "As a sacrifice! This is how the world is designed! When they return, they will also be punished in order to atone for their mistakes."
The priest then grabbed his javelin and hopped onto Fuza. The bird lunged at us, his rider aiming his javelin right as us.
"YOU MUST ALSO GIVE YOUR LIVES TO GOD!", he declared, ready to strike us down.
I quickly hopped onto Skyforce and nudged him with my knee, getting him to take off.
"TO HELL WITH YOUR GOD!", I roared, "THOUSAND BLADES!"
Skyforce's spikes and claws glowed and extended, their razor sharp edges glinting in the light. He intercepted Fuza with a sharp kick, dragging his claws across the bird's face. This knocked the bird off balance, leaving it open to another kick from Skyforce. The wyvern's claws ripped into the bird's side, creating ten slashes with each strike. Skyforce then front flipped midair, slamming his spiked, bladed tail down onto both Fuza and his rider. The attack caused a flurry of vicious slices to rip at their flesh, pulling pained cries from their lips and forcing them back. Skyforce ended the attack with a flap of his wings, sending blades of air at the opposing duo. Fuza's rider steered the bird out of range, leaving the blades to slice apart several nearby trees.
"After them!", I ordered, pulling on the handlebar to make Skyforce turn.
The wyvern turned on a dime and flew after Fuza, easily keeping pace with the giant bird. The priest, upon seeing us hot on his tail, had Fuza dive down towards the lake at a steep angle. We followed suit, Skyforce tucking his wings against his sides to increase his speed. Just as we were in range, Fuza suddenly jerked up, soaring over our heads. Skyforce was unable to open his wings fast enough, and was forced to stop altogether to avoid diving into the shark-infested lake.
Fuza took this opportunity to fly down and grab Skyforce's tail with his talons, yanking us up and dragging us through the air. I gritted my teeth and held on tightly to the handlebar, while Skyforce thrashed wildly in Fuza's grasp. The bird held strong, letting out a mocking squawk. The priest steered the bird towards the altar, intending to slam us into the hard stone just before landing.
"Oh no you don't!", I growled, "Use your claws, Sky!"
Skyforce ceased his thrashing and, using the momentum Fuza was creating, swung his body around. He sunk his venomous talons into Fuza's unprotected stomach, making Fuza screech in pain as the venom burned his skin. This forced him to loosen his grip on the wyvern's tail, and with a flick of his tail, Skyforce was free. Just before they passed us, Skyforce brought his spiked tail down onto Fuza's back as payback.
Fuza, now getting angry, turned and struck Skyforce with his wing, knocking us back a bit. The bird then unleashed another torrent of flames upon us, the force of the attack slamming us into a tree. I cried out as my injured leg was pinned between the trunk and Skyforce's back, making the halves of my broken femur grind against each other. Skyforce pushed off the tree with his powerful legs, flapping his wings furiously. Smoke streamed from his nostrils in large puffs with every breath, and he glared hatefully at the smug-looking Fuza. I glared up at the priest and his bird.
"Spread Blaze Breath!", I commanded.
Skyforce reared his head back before unleashing a massive stream of orange and yellow flames. Fuza countered with his own fire breath, the two attacks colliding in a power struggle. Eventually they cancelled each other out, resulting in an explosion that sent fire and sparks raining down upon the lake and altar.
"Not bad, for a Blue Sea dweller", the priest remarked almost mockingly.
"I'll admit you and your damn bird are pretty strong", I commented, "Still, you're becoming a pain in my ass! Skyforce, Fire Breath!"
Skyforce shot a medium sized ball of red and orange flames at Fuza, who made no move to avoid it.
"Send it back, Fuza!", the priest ordered.
Fuza smirked and spun around, hitting the fireball back with his wing. The fireball struck a wide-eyed Skyforce dead in the face, making him fall several meters as he let out a pained roar. Fuza then dove down, sinking his talons deep into Skyforce's shoulders. This left him unable to thrash as much, leaving us both at their nonexistent mercy. Fuza then flew up high, about 50 meters, before diving straight down. Skyforce cried out in pain as they plummeted towards the ground, Fuza's talons causing blood to stream from his shoulders and wings.
"SAURUS!", I heard Navirou and Chopper cry out, helplessly watching.
Right before Fuza reached the Altar, he forced Skyforce and I down beneath him, trapping me in the saddle with no way to escape. He then slammed us hard into the solid stone, knocking the air from our lungs upon impact. We couldn't even scream, only let out faint, pained squeaks. This was only made worse when Fuza dug his claws into my back, with only my armor keeping me from being torn to shreds by the giant claws. This kept Skyforce and I pinned to the ground, leaving us open to an attack.
The priest smirked down at us and raised his javelin, aiming to kill both of us in one strike. I closed my eyes as he brought his javelin down, holding Skyforce tightly as I expected the worst.
Then, just when I thought all was lost, I heard a loud CLANG, like metal hitting metal. Daring to look, I opened my eyes to see Gan Fall and Pierre standing over us, the knight's lance protecting us from the priest's burning javelin. We were all left stunned by his sudden arrival, but internally I was thanking every deity under the sun for bringing him to us.
"Thank you for waiting", he greeted, meeting the priest's surprised look with a determined, stony glare.
"Hmm, quite the rare guest", the priest remarked, smirking deviously.
The two then flew up on their respective birds, and I took the chance to allow air to enter my lungs once again. I slid off Skyforce's back, wincing slightly when I bump my injured leg, and stared up at the airborne combatants. Despite his comical appearance, Pierre was an impressive flyer, easily matching Fuza.
"A strong opponent, I see. He is well trained Pierre, we must fight harder!", Gan Fall declared, earning an agreeing squawk from Pierre.
"An old man like you is useless!", the priest insulted the knight, "Let's just play with him, Fuza!"
The two birds then dove at each other, their riders readying their lances for an aerial joust.
"YELL ALL YOU LIKE!", Gan Fall goaded his opponent.
"THIS ISLAND DOESN'T NEED TWO GODS!", the priest declared angrily.
"Two gods?", I thought, watching in confusion, "I thought Enel was the only god up here?"
Upon meeting, the two warriors clashed lances, Gan Fall using his lower position to push away from and under Fuza. As Pierre dove beneath Fuza, Gan Fall vanished, leaving the priest befuddled when the spotted bird emerged from beneath him, riderless. When the priest turned around, Gan Fall was upon him, leaving the priest no time to draw his weapon again. Gan Fall shoved his palm firmly against the priest's chest, which, from what I could see, triggered some sort of explosion. The force of the blast shoved the priest off of Fuza's back, sending him plummeting towards the cloud lake below. Fuza quickly dove down, catching his master on his back, and seizing his lance in his beak.
As I watched them fight, I noticed Skyforce was watching them intently, specifically Gan Fall and Pierre's fighting style. I smiled softly upon realizing this.
"You wanna fight just like them, don't you?", I asked.
Skyforce growled and nodded.
By now, the combatants were too far away to hear, but I was still able to watch their battle. Fuza and his rider recovered quickly, turning sharply to face the charging Pierre head on. Both riders again clashed lances, their movement speed increased greatly. Both combatants showed incredible agility, leaping from their birds to strike with their lances, then landing on their birds again in mere seconds.
"I can't even see their movements! So strong!", Chopper gasped, only able to see blurs of color as they moved at such high speeds.
The two fighters made another lunge, their lances clashing with a loud CLANG. After a few seconds of each side failing to get the upper hand, the lances slid past each other, each dragging their sharpened points along the other's length. The resulting sound was an ear splitting screech of metal grinding against metal. The two fighters then flew past each other, coming to a stop about 5 meters apart.
Now that they were closer, I could see clearly that Gan Fall and Pierre were struggling, their movements becoming sluggish. The priest took quick notice of this, making him bolder.
"Ehhh, reached your limit?", he taunted Gan Fall, "Wahahaha, how does it feel, Gan Fall?!"
"Why you!", Gan Fall hissed, breathing heavily, "What have you done to me, villain?!"
"There's no need to answer a dying man", the priest taunted, cackling as he readied his javelin.
He then lunged at Gan Fall, thrusting his burning lance forward and stabbing him through the chest. We watched in horror as the javelin punched through Gan Fall's armor like a hot knife through butter, going all the way through and jutting out of his back. The force of the blow knocked him off Pierre's back, leaving him unable to fight back.
"BEHOLD THE AMAZING TRIAL OF STRING!", the priest declared, sending Gan Fall plummeting towards the cloudy waters below.
As he fell, the knight called out to us one more time.
"In Upper Yard, beware the trials of the four priests!", he called out, coughing up blood, "Make me a promise! In memory of those defeated, DEFEAT GOD ENEL! Oh youngsters from far away!"
"GAN FALL!"
...
Velocidrome Ecology...
In a large, flourishing meadow, a migrating herd of Aptonoth have stopped to feed. The crested herbivores are enjoying a brief moment of peace, unaware danger lurks nearby. Atop a nearby ridge, hidden in the long grass, is a male Velocidrome, with three Velociprey flanking him. These small predators are members of the non-avian Bird Wyverns, a supergroup containing them and their relatives, such as the Gendrome, as well as the Great Jaggi and its relatives. The Velocidrome and its relatives are categorized by their large, raptorial talons, large eyes, and slender, lean-muscled bodies. They also walk more upright than those related to the Jaggi.
Though lacking the venom sacks of its close cousins, the Velocidrome makes up for it with its higher intelligence, rivaled in the Bird Wyvern world only by the Great Jaggi and Yian Garuga. This intelligence is about to be put to the test for this hunt. The male raises his head, his bright crest signaling to pack members on the other side of the field. On the other side, another Velocidrome, another male, raises his head, followed by at least 7 Velociprey. This is the male's secret weapon: a coalition between two Velocidrome packs. Such behavior is only ever observed again in the Giadrome species. By combining two packs into one, they can better patrol and defend territory, as well as more successfully bring down prey.
The other Velocidrome signals back, and the two groups begin closing in on the herd. Despite their bright blue coloring, their stripes help them blend in better when in forests, or in this case, among thick, tall grass.
Once he is close enough, the male and his pack make their move. They spring from their hiding spots and give chase, spooking the Aptonoth and sending them stampeding. The other pack follows from the shadows, staying out of sight until the first group singles out their target. The male's target of choice: an old bull Aptonoth, no longer in his prime and suffering from Wyverian Arthritis: a disease that affects older reptilian monsters. Because of this, he is unable to keep up with the herd, falling behind as they run.
The Velocidrome seizes this opportunity and cuts him off from the herd, driving him towards a cluster of trees and shrubs on the other end of the meadow. The other pack is hidden there amongst the thickets, waiting to pounce on the weary herbivore. The first pack leads him towards the ambush, snapping at his heels and flanks. Once he reaches the thicket, the remaining wyverns pounce, employing the use of their lethal hind claws. Like the Gendrome, their killing claws are actually modified dew claws, a trait that survived into the modern era, while the more primitive, 3 claws raptors perished. This killing claw functions better for two reasons: it is more easily kept off the ground, preventing dulling, and it has a better anchor point, which reduces the chance of the claw being broken of torn out during a struggle.
The Velocidrome and Velociprey tear into the herbivore, their claws leaving massive gashes in the herbivore's sides. The bull thrashes to try and crush his attackers, but his weak joints make this difficult, giving the raptors ample time to bring him down. Once he is weakened, the two dromes grab onto his neck and forelimbs, forcing him to the ground. Once pinned, the pack starts eating him alive, shoving their narrow snouts into the now open stomach cavity to feed on his innards. This is a good meal for them, and will be enough to keep them fed for several days.
...
Next Time...
Gan Fall and Saurus have been defeated by the priest, Shura, but Luffy, Sanji and Usopp manage to seize a victory...
Saurus, having tasted bitter defeat once again, must harden her resolve...
Now, however, the city of gold is closer than ever, and our heroes and ready to find it...
A Great War is beginning in the world above the clouds, and our heroes must be prepared to fight for their lives!
Next Time on Monster Hunter: Open Ocean...
Secrets of the Upper Yard. Find the Legendary Gold, Strawhats!