Disclaimer: Godzilla and One Piece are the sole properties of Toho Co. LTD and Eiichiro Oda respectively. KP360 claims no ownership of anything save for any OCs, abilities, and locations.
Skypiea Arc opening: Skyreach (Akame Ga Kill! Op. 1)
"So this is it, Upper Yard…"
They had come to associate Skypiea with clouds, considering this is so far up in the sky and all.
Rainforest and vegetation, not so much. If it weren't for the fact that around them were dark, mysterious clouds it wouldn't be farfetched to say that they're in a jungle of some sorts.
But here they were, dredged onto a stone platform, completely marooned.
"Ok, I know this may be hard for some of us, but from the looks of it, we're stuck." Gian explained "However, this platform doesn't seem to be that far from the clouds. If we push hard enough, we can get it there and sail away!"
That plan was quickly shattered when Chopper yelped and pointed towards the cloud cluster. The group quickly realized what a mistake that would've been, as multiple dorsal fins began circling around them.
"Sharks… why does it always have to be sharks…" Gian grumbled.
"Also, I do not wish to question your plan, but it has one flaw in it." Robin said, before pointing to the hull of the Going Merry.
"Oh no…" Nami whispered; the Merry had suffered damage, its entire bottom has been carved to pieces. Even if they had made it to the clouds the ship would simply sink.
"So we're stranded then?" Zoro shrugged.
"It would seem so, until those sharks somehow find a way to reach us and rip us apart." Robin stated.
"But those guards earlier said that we're supposed to be sent here to be dealt with by the Priests!" Nami reminded them "What if they get to us first?"
"And that's our predicament. Either we stay here and wait for the sharks to turn us into chum or stay here and wait for one of those priests to show up and smite us." Gian shrugged "Not the worst way to go to be honest."
"Don't be so negative!" Nami scolded.
Zoro scanned the forest around them. The platform they were on, some kind of alter similar to those used for sacrificial ceremonies he's heard about before, was isolated from the surrounding area. Looking more closely however, he could see a couple of vines hanging from the higher trees, just high enough and strong enough to swing to shore.
"Well, Luffy and the others might eventually come look for us. Meanwhile, it's best if we do something as well. To be fair, I'm kind of looking forward to meeting God…" the swordsman smirked.
"What are you suggesting?!" Nami shouted.
"We can't just stay here, so it's best if we go and look for a way out. If there isn't anything, then I'll come back to the ship. The rest of you stay here and guard the ship in case Luffy shows up."
"Are you crazy? God will punish you for such insolence!" having witnessed the massive bolt of lightning before, there was no way the orange haired navigator was going anywhere away from the Merry "I've seen what could happen to people here! This is dangerous!"
"Never believed in God before, don't think I'll start anytime soon."
"That's the spirit! Embrace Atheism!" Gian chuckled "Though there should be someone to go with you, after all if you do leave now you'll never find your way back."
"Well that would be-HEY!"
"So I'll go with Zoro in case he gets lost. Sounds like a good plan!" Gian continued.
"May I accompany you two on this?" Robin asked.
"Eh, why not? Just stay out of my way." Zoro responded.
"Why would you want to come with us though?" Gian asked "Never took you as the religious type."
Robin smiled softly before looking around, paying closer attention to the sacrificial altar and the forest.
"This place seems ancient, perhaps hundreds, even thousands of years old. That's always fun, it's worth taking a look around!"
Gian couldn't help but give a slight smile at that. Robin normally came across as a silent figure, not one to normally get into the shenanigans of the crew and generally a much more serious person hiding behind a mask. But it seems that even she has a passion of her own. It was just like when they discovered the wreck back down in Jaya; when it came to anything historical Robin would genuinely be interested.
"Seems like there's still more I'm learning about you every day." He thought.
"It may also be worthwhile to look for some jewels to repair the ship later on." The woman continued, a good point, considering how damaged the ship just became.
And it was the mentioning of treasures that Nami also wanted in on this. Chopper volunteered to stay on the ship and try to repair it. The swing over to the forested area wasn't too hard, save for Nami who had to get some assistance from the archeologist to get across.
"Alright, let's look around." Zoro motioned and everyone followed.
Later:
The more they stayed here, the more they realized that the forests of the Upper Yard held more than it seems…
"What's this…?" Robin wondered as she came upon a peculiar sight "Those ruins… why are they in a place like this?"
The rest of the group glanced over to see a few ornate stone remains, now covered in moss and vines. It's clear they have been here for quite a long time.
"It's not usually things like that are found, what could it be?" Zoro asked.
"That's what I'm trying to find out."
"Perhaps this place was previously home to another civilization" Gian mused "Before whatever lives here now took over?"
"That's quite possible, though how did they disappear?"
Nami suddenly perked up.
"Everyone, I think I just remembered something…" She realized "When I came here by accident before, I managed to get a look around. One thing I found I originally didn't give much thought to, but now I realized where we've seen it before! Come on!"
With that she led them through the forest, until they finally emerged in a clearing. Nothing was out of the ordinary here, save for a house that only had half of it, now also quite a relic.
"Strange… that kind of architecture isn't what's being used up here…" Robin frowned "It looks more like the ones down in the Grand Line…"
"That's exactly it! Look closely at it, what do you guys see?"
Gian narrowed his eyes… there is something familiar about that house. Where could he have seen it before?
Then it hit him.
"Wait… wasn't there a similar looking house down in Jaya, close to where Cricket-san lives?"
"Now I remember!" Zoro agreed "We did pass by a house that looked like it got cut in half on our way to the old man's place!"
"Yes! That's exactly it!" Nami confirmed "Now that I've gotten a good look at it, there's no doubt it's the exact same one!"
"But how could two of the same buildings be in different places?" Gian asked again.
"It's not how it's in different places, it's how it is brought up here." Robin said "Think back to something that Cricket-san told us, about the City of Gold. Didn't he tell us that no one has ever confirmed that it doesn't exist?"
"Where are you going with this?" Zoro questioned.
"People aren't able to disconfirm the theory only because all this time it's in a place that made it unable to be found in the first place."
"I'm not sure I'm following…" Gian chimed in.
"Think about it, the method we used to get up here. A waterspout that large and powerful could easily lift something heavy into the heavens. Our ship made it up here, what's the possibility of a city, or even part of an island?"
And realization set in for the group, as something big just revealed itself to them.
"I-I don't believe this! This is way too much of a stretch!" Gian whispered.
"Perhaps, but it is also the one that makes the most sense." Robin responded.
"So that means…"
"Yes, Cricket-san has been looking underwater for his City of Gold but could never find it. That's because it never was underwater. It has been up here in the sky all this time!"
Elsewhere:
"It would seem that Satori has been defeated… I no longer sense his consciousness in the Mantra. " a bald man with wings with a longsword commented.
"Those visitors from the Blue Sea, they are stronger than they appear… we will have to deal with them later, for now we must deal with these unwanted guests." Another winged warrior, wearing dark blue robes with dreadlocks, agreed. He prepared to face off against their enemies, but:
"Gedatsu… you are facing the wrong way…" the bald man scowled.
"Oh, how careless of me. Do me a favor and keep some of them busy for me, will you Ohm?" the other warrior, Gedatsu, turned around.
Before the two soldiers of God were another troop of winged people. They however, were dressed in much more old fashioned attire compared to the Skypieans the Straw Hats encountered earlier. Many had tattoos imprinted on their bodies, and they look like they were born for battle.
In fact, battle is what this area has seen for the past few hours. Multiple fighters on either side had been wounded or put out of commission. Neither is willing to budge however, and the conflict continues to escalate.
"We will take back what's ours, Priests of Enel!" the leader, a wild, savage looking warrior sporting a mohawk snarled at the two priests "You have plagued the Land of the Shandia for far too long!"
"Setting foot in God's Holy Land uninvited and threatening us?" Ohm grinned "You will soon learn the severity of your crimes, Berserker!"
"That won't be an issue of concern when I blow you to pieces!" the warrior hefted his bazooka onto his shoulders, ready to fire. Likewise, Ohm also raised his sword, the blade beginning to wave around.
But they never got to strike, as a massive gale quickly picked up around the area, forcing the warriors to brace themselves. The familiar sound of wing beats were soon heard, as the two priests of Enel grimaced.
"All this blood… spilled in the name of a few chunks of land… I will never understand you all…"
"Ryugetsu! Why did you interfere?" Gedatsu shouted, this time biting his bottom lip.
"Your senseless violence desecrate this area. I am here to put a stop to it." The flying warrior snorted, earning a look of anger from the berserker as well as two growls from the priests.
"I am not letting you take this fun away from us! Shura already beat us to the sacrifices, you are not-"
"Shura is now answering his call from Enel-sama…" Ryugestu spat "Preferably you two will do the same. Do not try to argue, you have never been able to best me in combat, need I remind you of that?"
Ohm and Gedatsu were visibly displeased, but seeing as Enel himself ordered their appearance, they relented.
"And why has Enel-sama not called for you?" Ohm questioned one last time.
"He has… I will join you shortly, after I've settled the matter here."
"So you are trying to punish these savages in place of us!" Gedatsu shouted.
"I do not indulge myself in such acts of hubris, now leave this place!" the winged warrior thundered, his eyes flashing dangerously. Giving him one last glare of contempt, the two priests left for God's Altar. Ryugetsu sighed before landing.
"His followers are the same as he is… so out of touch…"
"What business do you have standing against us, God's Bird?!" one of the Shandians, a spear wielding man with red goggles, shouted.
"I dislike the violence you've all brought upon this land. Blood shed for an island like this." Ryugetsu mumbled "It would be best if you all leave, there must be no more violence today."
"You speak of violence… yet you serve that abomination you call a God?!" the berserker snarled "How dare you even presume the level of our fight?! I will burn you from this forest!"
Ryugetsu's eyes began to glow a dull shade of blue "I will ask you one last time, Wiper the Berserker…do not threaten this forest with bloodshed anymore!"
"NEVER!" the warrior, now known as Wiper, immediately fired off a volley of fireballs from the large rocket launcher from his shoulders. The burning shots seared towards the winged Bird of God, igniting once they impacted.
"Know this… I did not wish for it to be this way." Wiper's eyes widened as he swiftly whirled around, but not quick enough. A vicious kick to the side of his head sent him flying into a nearby tree. Ryugetsu only sighed, his robes slightly singed by the flames, before drawing his golden Kusarigama out.
More Shandian warriors rushed him, weapons drawn and shooting. But they soon found out that they are completely outmatched. Every strike they throw, every bullet they shoot, it would seem as if their opponent wasn't even at the place they were aiming.
Ryugetsu was like a phantom, flitting around his opponents and avoiding everything with bursts of speed, delivering kicks and wrapping limbs around with the ball and chain portion of his weapon to throw people off balance. Surprising, the blade portion of his weapon went unused; no blood was being shed anymore.
"H-how… how are you so fast?" a Shandia woman, Laki, winced as she held her side.
"Will you now leave this place?" the acolyte sniffed "I am not even using my Mantra for this. You are merely witnessing my natural speed."
Laki raised her rifle tentatively as Ryugetsu drew closer, until a few more explosion rocked the tree behind her. Wiper had gotten back up and was now charging furiously at him, hovering on his jet ski and growling. Ryugetsu snarled before leaping up with a flap of his wings. With a sweep of his arm, the Kusarigama wrapped around the bazooka and wrenched it from the Shandian Berserker's grip.
"I said… no violence upon this place…"
"I won't hear a single word from you!" Wiper roared "You have no idea how much we've bled for this day! This place was once our home, and for hundreds of years my ancestors have been trying to get it back from the Skypieans. Even as your God claimed it for himself!" Wiper was absolutely livid, even most of the warriors have not seen him like this before.
"You have no right to say anything! Not when you serve a madman like Enel! You preach non-violence to us, but the next moment you'll be bent over and kissing his boots like the lowly dog you-"
He didn't finish, as a sudden boom in the air caused Wiper to slam hard into the forest floor. Eyes widened in horror as Ryugetsu, his wings clapped together, began to change right before their eyes.
"Do not… associate me with Enel…" Ryugetsu's arms were becoming much more leathery and tanned, while talons sprouted from his hands and feet. His head became more tapered, with a beak jutting out from his lips as his wings unfurled to new sizes "I AM NOTHING LIKE HIM!"
The next thing Wiper did was upchuck blood as Ryugetsu's knee drove into his stomach, before being grasped by the neck and thrown at astounding speeds into a group of Shandian Warriors.
"No!" the goggle wearing Shandian warrior from before shouted before charging at the transformed warrior, spear outstretched to impale him. Kamakiri was one of the strongest warriors in the tribe, but even he wasn't able to land a hit on the flying acolyte earlier. Desperation to save his comrade was what drove his spear forwards.
But if he wasn't able to hit him before, he certainly wasn't able to now. More so, the minute Ryugetsu moved, it was as if a miniature sonic boom was left in his wake, Kamakiri too was knocked away, clutching his ears.
Wiper struggled to get up, only for Ryugetsu to plant his foot down hard on the berserker's chest. He glared hatefully at the transformed acolyte, not that the winged warrior paid any attention to him.
A few shots from a rifle peppered against his back, causing Ryugetsu to pause, before giving an exasperated snarl and sending a gust of wind in the direction, knocking Laki off her jet ski. The Shandian woman crashed to the ground, causing a small pouch to fall out and spill its contents; a pocket of dirt…
Wiper was freed from the grasp of the acolyte by a flaming blade as Kamakiri struck back. The berserker wasted no time in firing more flaming shots towards the flying warrior. The two of them together seemed to be fighting Ryugetsu into a standstill, with neither side seemingly having any edge.
A few distances away, Laki groaned as she got up groggily. She gasped as she saw the spilled contents of the small pouch, despite what it seems it held great importance to her. As she scurried to pick it up, this action was picked up by the adrenaline filled Ryugestsu, thinking that it was a surprise attack. Hurling the Kusarigama will blinding speed, only to realize too late that it was the sickle portion rather than the ball and chain that whistled towards the warrior.
Laki could only watch as the blade drew closer to her head.
*THUNK
"K-Kamakiri…"
It took all his speed to intercept the weapon, but Kamakiri managed to reach her. The cost was that the blade was now sticking into his chest, narrowly missing his heart. The shock was enough to shake everyone from fighting. Ryugestu was wide-eyed as he hastily removed the sickle.
"We're retreating! Everybody retreat!" Wiper barked. The long battles throughout the day had already been taking their toll, but now one of their strongest have been wounded as well. They had no chances left.
Laki was still shell-shocked by the move, before guilt began to take over. She had jeopardized the plan with one simple mistake. Vaguely she could make out the footsteps of their attacker approaching her, but she was in no mood to fight anymore.
"Woman… why were you gathering Vearth in the middle of a battle?"
Laki ignored the question; she wouldn't expect him to know what her people has gone through. Instead she only continued to gather the soil.
"You have no idea… what we've been through…" she hissed "You have no idea… what we've lost! And what it's like to lose what is ours!"
Ryugestu closed his eyes for a bit, before transforming back and letting out a dejected sigh.
"You'd be surprised…"
He then turned as he spread his wings again, preparing to fly.
"Leave now. For what it's worth, I did not mean to spill the blood of your comrade, but it's too late for that now."
But Laki wasn't finished and shouted one last thing towards him.
"Why… Why are you serving Enel? This isn't what the God Bird is supposed to represent! Aisa said that you've-"
"I do not know of what your interpretation of the title of God Bird is supposed to offer, nor do I care what this Aisa has to think of me." Ryugetsu didn't look back "But know this, Enel is not my God, he never has been, and he never will be."
Then with a flap of his wings, he ascended back to the skies, leaving the warriors on the ground looking dumbfounded upwards.
Some distances away, Ryugetsu stopped before landing on another branch. Crouching down, he let out an exhausted sigh.
"Dammit… I lost my temper and went overboard…" he growled, angry at himself "Can't they see I'm trying to stop more lives from being taken? Enel has already destroyed so many lives, all I'm trying to do is keep everyone out of trouble..."
"That however, is getting more and more difficult by the day…"
Meanwhile, later that evening:
"And everything adds up! The theory is correct!" Nami beamed as she presented her findings, and there was much wonder to be held. The combined map of both Skypiea and Jaya showed one single island formation, which confirmed their idea of the Upper Yard once being a part of Jaya.
Everyone has gotten back to the ship at this point, and even Luffy, Sanji and Usopp has found them. Back together again, everybody has plenty of information to share.
"And Noland's City of Gold, it's somewhere up here too!" Gian grinned.
"Within the Skull's Right Eye, the gold can be found…" Robin recited "From the looks of it, that would be the right eye of the island. The City of Gold must be located there!"
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go get that gold!" Luffy declared.
"Hold it hot shot, it's nighttime right now. Sanji already told us you guys managed to beat someone called Satori, but Chopper here got attacked by another priest, Shura or something like that." Gian reminded him.
"Yeah, and Shura managed to damage the ship. If it wasn't for the Knight coming to save me I would've been done for…" Chopper mumbled "I'm sorry… I didn't mean for the ship to get any more damaged…"
The Merry was now also missing its mast, it was a surprise that she could even hold herself together at this stage. According to Chopper, many of Shura's attacks had hit the ship, and also wounded Gan Fall, who was lying unconscious on the ship as of right now.
"Don't worry about it, Chopper. Both of you mentioned the priests have the ability to call forth these phenomenon through Dials, we'll have to prepare for that. You also mentioned that the Priests are able to use something called Mantra, which allows them to sense whatever move their enemies will make, thus knowing how to counter them… This could be complicated." Gian replied again.
"There's also those guerilla guys, the Shandia, we've encountered, and they don't seem very friendly." Sanji piped up "Their leader said he'd kill us if we get in their way."
"So, with God, God's Bird, God's Priests, God's Army, a group of guerillas, and whatever else is in this jungle, that's at least six things trying to kills us in this place. And our job is to get a bunch of gold…" Gian thought "Well, seem simple enough, it can't be harder than whatever else we've faced before."
"Luffy! This place is too dangerous!" Usopp whined "We're never going to get that gold!"
"There are a lot of elements to consider, but we can do this! My gold depends on us, so I've thought up a plan!" As long as money of any sort is involved, there's nothing Nami cannot do!
"Tomorrow we'll form two teams, team one goes for the gold, while team two will escort the ship down river and wait for us!" Nami beamed "Luffy, Gian, Zoro, Chopper and Robin will be team one. Sanji-kun, Usopp and I will be team two!"
"Of course… the witch is making us get her money…" Zoro snorted, only for Nami to cuff him.
"I will make sure you are safe this whole time, Nami-swannn!" Sanji cheered.
Gian chuckled "Well, what's a little life without being on the high road? We'll have to make a more detailed plan tomorrow."
"YOSH! We've had some good luck! Let's have a party!" Luffy cheered.
And thus everybody pitched in gathering firewood for a big bonfire. However, not everyone was for the idea.
"A large fire could attract unwanted attention" Robin stated "Best not to raise one."
"Whaaattt? But that's no fun!" Luffy whined
"Luffy, Robin's had a hard life up to now, she wouldn't understand why we're doing this!" Usopp reminded him.
"What am I to understand?" Robin addressed sharply, causing the liar to shut up.
"Robin is right! The Priests are still out there! Not to mention those guerilla guys and who knows what!" Nami snapped.
"But we can't have a camping party without a campfire!"
"Ok… don't want to play Devil's Advocate here. But I don't think it's gonna be that bad." Gian sighed "From the way Sanji described it the guerillas have their hands full and will probably prefer their own business. Meanwhile, the fire's light can also help us see the Priests coming. We'll be ready for them this way."
"I agree, and not to mention, most animals are afraid of fire." Sanji added.
"Then what are those?!"
A group of glowing red eyes alerted the crew, making them tense up and ready for conflict. They revealed themselves to be wolves, white furry ones similar to regular wolves. The pack leader growled softly, but did nothing.
"Hold on…" Chopper noticed something, and as the wolf barked again he smiled "It's ok! They just want to party with us!"
"Alright! This is going to be so much fun!"
And the party commenced, and much merriment was had. Robin was off in the distance, a small smile playing on her lips.
It's been only a few days since she's joined this crew, but it feels like she's been here for much longer.
She's no stranger to the idea of a pirate crew, having sought out sanctuary in multiple of them. But never once had she felt comradeship with any of them. In the past she has one goal: survive and find information on the Rio Poneglyph. Those other crews helped protect her so she could continue her research in peace. She wasn't above leaving them if things were not in her favor.
Her relationship with Crocodile had been the same, as had anybody else who's come into contact with her.
So what is it with this one that made her feel differently?
From the very beginning, the Straw Hats have been different from every other pirate crew she's encountered in both mannerism and ideals. They seem like a group of honest people, reliable to say the least. A group that, by all regards, would've never survived in the Grand Line for this long. But they had defied anything and everything thrown their way.
Robin couldn't name it, but the longer she stays with them, she couldn't help but feel a sense of longing. She can't place it, but she feels that she likes being around them.
And she'd be glad of their company, and for once she'd genuinely be a good nakama.
This certainly would come to be a problem for the time she'd have to leave them, but that won't be an issue.
Would it?
Some slight cursing jolted her from her thoughts, as she glanced over to see Gian having a slight tug of war with one of the smaller wolf puppies over a piece of steak. Even she couldn't help but stifle a small laugh at that.
'Beast Warrior' Gian never ceases to amuse her.
"It's alright! It's not like I wanted to eat it anyway…" the Kaiju-Zoan user grumbled as the wolf became the apparent victor of that little event. The canine seemed happy enough after eating before curling up in his lap for a nap. Gian smiled softly as he sifted his fingers through its fur.
"Giving in?" she asked.
"What choice do I have?" Gian scoffed "If I won there would've been another one coming at me later. That's pack mentality for you." he then noticed that the two of them were away from the others, who were still having a good time.
"You don't enjoy the party?"
"It isn't often I get to experience such things."
"Ahh, right because… right."
"Also, there's a lot to think about." Robin replied.
"Nervous about tomorrow?" Gian inquired.
"One of those things, yes."
"I get you, there's so much against us up here." Gian sighed "It'll be easier down where we belong, but this is a whole different ball park. They do things differently up here. Not to mention, there's still the chance that Ryugetsu could be a problem… even if he did save us…"
"It's strange… Captain-san doesn't seemed bothered at all." Robin noted "Something like this is pretty serious, but it doesn't seem like he's worried."
"I'm sure he is, Luffy's just handling it in his own way: approaching it with no fear or hesitation." Gian smiled "It's sometimes better that way it think. It's weird, he's such a kid sometimes, but you'd learn some pretty valuable things from him."
His eyes suddenly lit up.
"Do you want to pet this one?" Gian beamed as he lifted the napping wolf pup.
"Oh… I've handled a few animals before, but never a wolf."
"I always found mammals to be rather understanding." Gian told her "Lizards on the other hand…"
"I've think I've heard this story already." Robin smiled.
"Well, it's true. Old bastards bitten me more times than I've gotten sick."
Robin touch managed to arouse the slumbering wolf pup awake, and the little animal gave her hand a tentative lick, making them both smile.
A noise from beside them made them realize Gan Fall was awake now. The old knight smiled in amusement at the scene.
"You've even tamed the sky wolves…"
"More like, they came to us." Gian replied.
Gan Fall nodded as he sat down beside them.
"I've caused a lot of trouble for you guys. I never thought you'd be brought here."
"We're alive, aren't we? Besides, if it weren't for you Chopper and the ship wouldn't be here."
Luffy then noticed the knight is awake.
"Oi! Old man! Come and party with us!"
"My my, I wouldn't imagine anybody else making this much noise in the domain of Enel." Gan Fall chuckled.
"Are Conis-chan and Pagaya-san safe?" Sanji asked.
"They are. I've moved them to my home, and Enel cannot detect them there."
Gan Fall's features them became serious.
"I overheard you guys talking about Jaya… I wasn't expecting that you know the history of the land."
"It took us a bit of time to piece it together." Zoro told him.
"I see, be it Jaya, Upper Yard, this land has seen some turmoil for a long time. We call it something else: the Holy Land, do you know why?"
"It is because of this." And Gan Fall scooped up some soil from the ground.
"Some dirt?" Gian asked.
"Things like this are commonplace for those who live in the Blue Sea, but to us up here, they happen due to the Knock Up Stream bringing them to us. We call it Vearth, and it is sacred to all who comes upon it."
"Island Clouds like the ones we live on can sustain plant life, but cannot birth it." The knight continued "Thus, the obtaining of an amount of Vearth of such a high amount has resulted in much conflict."
Gan Fall sighed "This land once belonged to the Shandia, those so-called guerillas you spoke of. They have much reason to be hostile towards anybody."
As the crew continued to listen to the tales, they couldn't help but think this whole ordeal is going to get much, much more complicated.
Meanwhile:
"And that's how Ryugetsu stole our glory!" Gedetsu snapped.
"Wow, you guys are pathetic" a winged man wearing aviator clothing laughed "It just goes to show that out of all the Priests, I'm the most powerful. With Satori already lost consciousness, I'm now Enel-sama's third in command after that Bird!"
"Watch it Shura!" Ohm growled "Don't think killing a few criminals make you anything."
"Those criminals also included the Knight of the Sky!" Shura shot back "You've haven't even done anything close to that!"
"Enough! All of your bickering will make Enel-sama displeased!" a large rotund winged warrior bellowed.
"Do not pay them any mind, Yama." Ryugestu floated in "Imbeciles like them are happy with just the smallest fraction of success. It's sickening to watch."
"Ryugestu-dono." The large man bowed.
"Watch your mouth Ryugetsu!" Gedetsu shouted "You aren't even a Priest!"
"And I have no intention to be one."
Before Gedetsu can shout back a rebuttal, a massive crack of lightning slammed around them, causing all of the priests to yelp. Ryugestu looked up stoically, however.
"E-Enel-sama!" "Enel-sama…"
"My subordinates, I take that your hunts have been successful?" there are few words that could describe Enel. He was a tall individual with a bandanna wrapped around his head and a golden staff in his hand. A massive ring of drums were imbedded into his back, each crackling with electricity. He had an arrogant expression, as if he knew his power, and he had great reason to be.
"W-we would've if Ryugestu hadn't-"
"Of course, I've sensed it. Why did you not kill them, Ryugestu?"
"They've seen the might of God's forces, they won't be so foolish to repeat their mistakes." Ryugestu drone out.
It made him want to throw up just talking to him.
"You're still so hesitant… it's a waste of the power bestowed upon you…" Enel sighed "No matter, they won't be something I can't handle. Your focus, should be on the visitors from the Blue Sea."
"Enel-sama, I have already-"
"You thought you did, but they're still there" Enel drawled "And their next target will be the Gold. Likewise, the Shandians are also coming back. There's about to be a lot of chaos down there."
"Which is why, tomorrow, all the laws I've set in place will be removed. You three can do whatever you wish. You may participate as well, Ryugestu."
"Participate?" That does not sound good. Ryugestu frowned.
"E-Enel-sama! To what do we owe this honor to?" Shura grinned.
Enel sneered "My arkship, the Maxim, is almost complete. It will finally be time to leave this place behind, and go to the dream land of Fairy Vearth!"
"Oh…" Ryugestu grimaced "This is not good… this really isn't good…"
Meanwhile:
"Do you know what you've caused, Laki?!" Wiper furiously shouted as he ripped the bag of dirt from her grasp.
"Because of your loss of focus, our attack has been ruined!" he continued "Because of your loss of focus, Kamakiri has been wounded!"
"I take responsibility for everything…" Laki whispered.
"It's this things' fault! You've ignored the safety of a fellow warrior just for a few pieces of Vearth!" the berserker prepared to crush it.
"NO! Please! I was getting it for Aisa! She wanted-"
"Her desire had cost us an entire operation!"
"Wiper, enough!" the goggle wearing warrior staggered up.
"I can still fight… the wound isn't deep…"
"This isn't-"
"I'm serious, this wound is nothing." Kamakiri assured him.
"…Very well. But please be careful tomorrow." Wiper nodded, before turning to Laki "We will continue our battle tomorrow. When we get our land back, there will be no need to worship such small pieces of dirt."
"Wiper, we've had a heavy blow dealt to us, perhaps we should-" Laki proposed.
"No, I will not accept help from the same people that have driven our ancestors out of their homeland." Wiper snarled "Regardless what Gan Fall's affiliations with Enel are, he's to be considered hostile. The same goes for those that came from the Blue Sea."
"She has a point." A Shandian Warrior named Braham spoke "Even with Satori defeated, the other three priests are still powerful in their own right. That's not even mentioning God' Bird. He single-handedly faced off against a whole bunch of us today without even breaking a sweat!"
"There has been no better time to strike back against Enel, not even God's Bird can stop us!" Wiper shouted "Tomorrow we will use new tactics, bring the God Bird down if we have to-"
"The God Bird is not a bad person!" a small voice squeaked.
"Aisa, no!" Laki whispered "This place isn't for you!"
"I know the God Bird isn't trying to harm us! He's just having his own-"
"He struck against our family, Aisa" Wiper spat "He's just as much of a monster as the rest of them are!"
"But he saved me once!" the little girl cried out. Aisa was a young girl, barely in her teens with short auburn hair and a white cap "And the stories that-"
"And they are just stories, nothing more!" Wiper cut her off "Those tales that our past generations have given us, those stories of how a massive winged beast swooped down to purge the land of those vicious insects, are all but tales! That dog out there is not the God Bird, and he is our enemy!" and there was no room left for any arguments.
Aisa bit back tears as she ran out of the camp. Laki sighed before chasing after her.
"You shouldn't have spoken like that, this is a very serious time." The woman gently chided.
"I know… but he's wrong! I know the God Bird isn't bad! He doesn't want to be with God! I sensed it the day he saved me while I was gathering Vearth!" the small Shandian girl was adamant.
"You were shocked that day, it couldn't have been-" even she couldn't understand Ryugestu's actions. An acolyte that never took a life the day he arrived with the rest of God's Army. He is an enemy, and he should be treated as such, but why couldn't she feel any hostility?
"But I sensed it! With my Mantra! I sensed his yearning to be free!" Aisa responded "He's trapped with God, and he's wants to get out. I just know it!"
"… I hope you're right, Aisa."
However, tragedy would strike in a different form. Away from the camp, one lone Shandian scout was patrolling. Their location was out of Enel's reach, but there could be other threats about, especially at the edge of the forests of Upper Yard. The scout was just about done and prepared to head back. He had an attack to prepare for tomorrow.
Only he would never make it. It was on his way back did he see it.
A large hole in the ground, big enough for a man to fit inside.
Against his better judgement he went inside to take a look. And as the darkness enveloped him, even his small torch couldn't light it up completely, and there was only silence.
Then the skittering came.
The scout began to panic, but in the dim light he couldn't find his way out. The skittering grew closer, they sounded like claws ticking on a window.
Then he saw it, the entrance to the hole, and he bolted towards the entrance. It was then that he dropped his torch, as the flames hit the ground, he got a glimpse of his pursuer.
An insect, a dog-sized, nymph-like insect, with large bulbous eyes and sharp mandibles.
Oh, and the better word would be Insects. For there were a swarm of them.
And as the scout screamed, the creatures pounced on him, dragging him into the ground and into the abyss.
He would never be found, and he would only be the first victim.
For these insects have waited a long time to return to the surface. Driven underground by their hated predators, the vicious flying beasts now unknown to most civilizations, they had retreated down here.
They had been there when the Upper Yard was launched into the sky, and they have been here now. Waiting, biding their time.
This one lone warrior has not enough biomass energy to fuel their Queen, not nearly enough. They will have to gather more.
But they are patient, and soon they will strike.
And once their Queen rises, they will once again dominate the land and skies.
A/N: and wow! Another chapter in the Arc! I hope you like more of Ryugestu! He'll be much more of a role than Mr. 0.5 was, at least I hope!
Just a heads up. I have a potential job coming up next week. It is a full time one, and that means I'll be working and making money soon. What this also means is that my writing time will be cut into, and there may be less updates for the rest of August, maybe even September. However, if I chip enough time, we should get enough done next chapter and move onto our first major Kaiju fight this arc, which is coming up fast!
In the meantime, thank you for your continued support of this story! We hope to see you all again soon!
Responses to reviews:
To Guest:
Yeah, the first few arcs are a bit dry, I won't deny that. If you lasted this long, then congrats, I guess? I mean, I feel that once the action picks up, it stays fresh.
But the idea of Devil Fruits are that they aren't instantly mastered over time, it takes lots of training for them to be fully effective. Hell, it took Luffy many years just to not punch himself with the Gomu Gomu no mi, and took an additional 2 years to develop Gear 4. It's the same with Gian and his Kaiju-Zoan. He isn't going to learn how to use it very well in the beginning, and it took Triton showing him how to do it was he able to even pull off a transformation effectively for even a while. And after that, it still took him about 8 years to learn how to stay conscious while in a Full Transformation. Gian may be grown up, but he's still learning things even now, and will continue to learn as the story progresses.
To Kakusei:
What can I say? I love me some New Gods.
G: And I do like using Darkseid in Injustice 2.
Trust me, Biollante won't have much beef with the Straw Hats. Spacegodzilla and Destoroyah however, they are going to be problems.
To tamagat:
In the beginning he could only keep it up for about 2 minutes (anime time of course!) by the time we first see it in action during Arlong Park, his limit is 10 minutes. It will continue to rise until he feels natural with it.
To Girlbook:
Soon, very soon! And I hope you now know what it is!
To pokemonking0924:
There just isn't hiding things from you, is there?
G: He knows… he knows all!
Oh, trust me. Gian won't be pleased.
To SolanaLeonhart:
There's a good reason for Ryugetsu's attitude against Enel, you'll see soon enough.
R: I'm readin ahead as we speak, I'll get back to you on that!
To Lelouch-strife:
Stuff like that takes time to develop! But there's some fluff this chapter!
G: I legit haven't taken her to dinner yet. We literally had no time.
To TsundereCharuru18
G: I have never been more blessed *throws a post card.
…What was in that?
G: A gift card for ITunes, I don't have anything else.
Broke ass boy…
To JayH120:
G Do not worry, such moments towards the opposite sex cannot be avoided in awkward situations.
That did not come out right…
G: Yeah… that was pretty bad… this won't drive a wedge between us won't it?
… For your sake, you better hope not.
G: ahhh
Well, I'm glad this story is making people look into Godzilla a lot more! There's actually quite a lot of interesting (and not so interesting) monsters out there! More will be joining us!
To kaiju judgement:
Kong will eventually play a role, but Gamera is still on the table. Kong's repetition will actually be important for another existing OC you've seen in an earlier chapter.
But Anguirus and Rodan will definitely appear, and if you haven't guessed it by now, Rodan is closer than you think!
And that's all this time! We'll see you again soon!
Leave a review for some sweet, sweet Doggos.
G: Borks for all!
R: And Bamboozles!