Christmas Special
Freddy: Tiss the season to be jolly~!
Gwen: If you start singing, I'm going to destroy the tree.
Sanya: What is Yang doing?
Peace: He's trying to figure out what he getting for Christmas.
Sanya: With a weird looking stick.
Yang: It's not a stick, it's a metal detector.
Sanya: Metal detector?
Varvula: It used to stick Steel Types togethers. Like a Magneton.
Yang: Close Poke-nerd. It's a device that can attract and beep when it finds metal.
Gwen: And you think your gift is something made of metal?
Yang: Just to make sure that there's no sweaters.
Freddy: Just start the chapter.
Tsubasa, Index, Last Order, Lily, Happy and Charla couldn't comprehend what was going on here. Everyone minus Chopper and Levy are gone and there were two George's; one who lay unconscious and another cornering the frightened two.
"...What's going on here?!" Tsubasa demanded, getting "George's" attention. "Where is everyone!?"
Before Levy or Chopper could answer "George", extended his arms, summoning a wide oval-shaped portal below Chopper and Levy.
"G-George?! What are you doing?" Charla asked angrily.
"S-Someone help us~!" Levy called out. She struggled to get her legs out of the portal but it only made her sink in lower like quicksand. Chopper went in his beast form trying to pry off his leg but only led to the same fate as Levy.
"M.B.A.A.B.U!" Index chanted unnaturally.
After the nun chanted those words, Chopper and Levy found themselves slowly being lifted out of the portal. Chopper got out first and then pulled Levy out. Once she was out, the portal vanished and then reappeared below him. "George" glared at Index and was about to launch towards her, but felt their feet vanishing into the portal.
"What did you just do?" Lilly asked, a bit shocked.
"I'll explain later, right now you need to finish him off!" Index ordered. "I...I don't know how long the portal will hold him!"
Tsubasa quickly transformed into her gear form. She and Lily nodded to each other as they both took out their swords and charged at the imposter. In unison the two blades made contact landing a diagonal slash on the Imposter's chest. No sound came out of his mouth as he collapsed onto his back motionless, before disappearing in a puff of smoke.
"What was that?" Happy asked, startled.
"We have no clue," Levy responded, looking quite shaken while Chopper began to check if George had any major injuries. "He appeared out of nowhere and struck his arm into George's chest. Once he was down, he then summoned portals underneath the rest of us. Gajeel was able to shove me and Chopper out of the way before vanishing."
"I see…" Tsubasa said, slowly understanding. She then glanced at Chopper who was with George. "What about George? How is he feeling?"
"It looks like he lost consciousness due to shortness of breath," Chopper replied. "Other than that no major injuries."
"Oh, thank goodness," Levy sighed in relief. "I was worried when I saw the imposter thrust his arm through his chest.
"This doesn't make any sense," Charla informed puzzled. "If they did so much to keep us on the boat to the Kami's punishment, why did they split us up?"
"That is a strange behavior," Tsubasa agreed with her arm crossed and thinking.
"Whatever the reason is...I think we shouldn't underestimate this Eneru person," Index warned.
Chapter 23: Betrayals
Back at Pagaya's house, the remaining six gawked in shock as their ship disappeared from view.
"...Why…" Sanji was the first one to speak, looking shocked. "...Why a t-shirt?"
"Let it go already~!" Kirika comically exclaimed.
"Hey, Luffy!" Usopp turned to his captain. "This is bad! What should we do!?"
Luffy pondered a bit before answering. "Where are they going?"
"Um…" Pagaya began earning multiple stares towards him. Kuroko's was more vicious with a black aura surrounding her. "...They were taken by the Super-Express Lobster. They transport offerings for God to the Sacrificial Altar in the northeastern part of the Upper Yard."
"S-Sacrificials?!" Kuroko stuttered in horror. "You mean that Sissy, Wannai, Awatsuki and the rest will be sacrificed by your God Eneru~!?"
"That bastard~!" Sanji growled. "I don't care if he's a God or not, I'm not gonna let them hurt the girls!"
"What about the guys!?" Usopp dope slapped him.
"P-Please wait!" Pagaya called out frightened while Suu ran into the covers. " I'm sorry, but that's not the case!"
"What do you mean?" Minori asked.
"After criminals receive the Heavenly Judgement, they receive two forms of punishment," He explained. "One is the Sacrifices and the other is the Ordeal. Your friends are currently hostages."
"Y-You mean that...the six of us are the ones being judged?" Kirika asked in disbelief.
"Correct," Pagaya responded. "But I'm afraid that I don't have a map to show you where to find that altar."
"You mean this map?" Usopp asked as he took out the map they got from the Blue Sea.
"Oh this map is old, but the shape of the island seems similar," Pagaya said.
Kuroko noticed Connis looking a bit pale. "Are you okay Connis?"
"Y-Yes!" Connis nodded, forcing a smile. "But…"
"Don't worry~!" Kirika stated with a grin. "Shirabe and the others can handle whatever comes their way desu~!"
"How can you be so sure?" Usopp asked quietly.
Pagaya pointed to the bottom right on the map. "This is where you are right now, and the altar is in the upper left direction northeast. There's only one way to get there; you will have to travel on the Milky Road Stream that leaves this island, by using a Dial Boat through the forest where the Priests await you…"
"Hey old guy," Usopp said. "Instead of taking the trouble to go through the middle of the island, all we have to do is go around the island by boat right?"
"Yeah, that's where the Lobster went too. That seems like a simpler solution," Kuroko added.
"Well, even if you can go ashore nearby, you can't get to the altar on foot," Pagaya replied. "The biggest difference between this map and the current Upper Yard is the Milky Roads that are stretched all around the island."
"The Cloud Canals you mentioned huh?" Sanji guessed.
"Yes, I heard that there are several hundred Milky Roads, in different sizes, over Upper Yard," Pagaya explained.
"I see…" Luffy said, scratching his nose.
"I guess for me it's no problem," Kuroko stated. "However, it seems that entering the island by boat and taking the Milky Way is our only option."
"By the way, I should warn you about man-eating fish swimming in the canal," Pagaya stated
"M-Man-eating fish?!" Usopp hiccupped in fear.
"They've really covered all their bases," Sanji replied. "It's like they're messaging us that 'if you want our friends and ship back we just have to come in the front.'"
"And face those Priests," Minori added.
"So this is our ordeal," Usopp confirmed as he stared off into the Distance. "And...Heavenly Judgement?"
"Yes, in the Upper Yard there are four Priests who are strong beyond imagination await you…" Pagaya warned.
"Oh, sounds like a piece of cake," Luffy declared.
"Yeah, all we gotta do is beat those Priests up, desu~!" Kirika agreed.
"You two make it sound so easy," Usopp sweatdropped at the two.
Luffy laughed with a confident smirk on his face. "Finally some action! This is becoming fun~!"
"It's not supposed to be fun~!" Kuroko scolded.
"Please be careful. Those four Priests aren't pushovers," Pagaya pleaded. "However the most dangerous being, is God Eneru himself!"
"..." Touma groaned. He slowly opened his eyes to find himself staring at tall trees. He slowly turned his head to the right only to reveal some grass.
'What happened?' He thought to himself. 'The last thing I remembered was an imposter trapping all of us in portals. My right hand wasn't able to work on dispelling the portal...I wonder why?"
"What's going on…?" Asuka asked beside Touma, regaining consciousness. Gradually, he stood up and saw that he and Asuka weren't alone. Megumi, Ray, Nami, Wannai, Natsu, and Iona were slowly waking up and looking around, stunned by how tall the trees were. Nami's eyes widened in horror while the rest were a bit puzzled.
"Where are we?" Iona asked as she got to her feet, but wobbled a bit.
"...Man, my head hurts," Natsu groaned, rubbing the back of his head. "Where the hell are we?"
"It looks like we're in a forest," Ray answered bluntly while glancing at his surroundings. "But these trees aren't like the ones back on Angel Beach."
"We have to find the others and get out of this place," Nami said frighteningly.
"I don't get why they separate us though," Ray said, a bit unsure. "It wouldn't make sense to keep us on the ship and then split us up."
"We'll worry about that later," Asuka said as she stood up. "Right now we need to find the others and the Going Merry."
"If we find that George poser, I'm gonna kick his ass!" Natsu announced.
"I hope the others are okay," Wannai stated worriedly. She felt a bit uncomfortable being separated from Awatsuki and the other students from Academy City. Especially when they're in a different world and stepping on Eneru's territory.
Speaking of her friend, Awatsuki was leaning on a broken stone that was half buried in some clouds. She stirred a bit and slowly opened her eyes.
Only to be greeted by a tall strange man standing in front of her a meter away.
Awatsuki jumped at the sight of his sudden appearance. As he gazed at her, he was like a predator trying to corner his prey. The man did not blink a single time, and he bit his upper lip tightly.
'Are these one of the priests Nami was talking about?' She thought, feeling a bit rattled by the man.
"Mmmmm!" The man muffled loudly. Awatsuki tilted her head not knowing how to respond. "Mmmmmm~Hmmmmm~!"
"Um..." Awatsuki wasn't sure how to react to his actions.
Suddenly the man's eyes widened in shock and his mouth hung open. "Oh~! How careless!"
"..." Awatsuki just sat there with a sweatdropped pour in the back of her head. The man cleared his throat and tried again.
'You must be one of the 46 trespassers,' He thought in his head. 'My name is Gedatsu: one of the four Priests of the Kami Eneru.'
"...
…
…"
Awatsuki could see his lips moving but wasn't saying anything. "Excuse me, mister...I can't hear what you're saying."
Realizing again, the man known as Gedatsu's eyes widened in realization again. "H-How careless~!"
Awatsuki facefaulted by the man's stupidity as he then started over again. "My name is Gedatsu: one of the four Priests of the Kami Eneru and I Command the Upper Yard Ordeal of the Swamp."
"Swamp?" Awatsuki repeated. She realized that she was surrounded by clouds similar to the beach.
"You came into my domain in a portal, which would be surprising if I hadn't been dealing with Luminous Tail scum," Gedatsu scolded. "At first I was leaning on executing you...however It would be uncivilized to not explain the situation you're in."
Awatsuki shuddered at his words. She felt somewhat powerless. Although she had an esper ability called Float Dial, it was only Level 3, not as powerful as Misaka and Kuroko, and she didn't know if magic or Devil Fruit were also high class abilities.
Before the Level 3 esper could speak, she noticed his arms extending up in the air. White clouds puffed out from his sleeves combining into a purple ball of cloud. "I'll make this quick and painless, Swamp Cloud Burger!"
Awatsuki could tell that getting touched by the cloud would be dangerous. She quickly uses her buoyancy ability with her feet, causing her to leap several feet in the air, similar to a Pretty Cure's mobility. The purple cloud hit the broken stone wall which covered it completely.
'Good thing my Float Dial was able to save me,' Awatsuki thought while still in the air. 'I need to get out of here. He seems way out of my league with my abilitie-.'
"So you're an esper?" Awatsuki gasped in horror when she saw the swamp Priest quickly beside her. Awatsuki didn't see the streams of clouds coming from his feet like they're rocket boots. "I won't be fooled by your tricks."
'H-how did he get up here so fast?' She thought, but was interrupted when Gedatsu's leg connected into her stomach, feeling all the wind coming out of her strength alone launches Awatsuki into a nearby tree, crashing into its side and falling unconscious to the ground.
Gedatsu landed in front of her, staring at the motionless esper. "Well, that was a letdown. Still, though, the Blue Sea Dwellers shouldn't be underes-."
He quickly brought his forearms above his head as a figure appeared from above, delivering an ax kick. Despite blocking the hit on time, Gedatsu still grunted trying to push the figure off. Before the priest could even react, a trail of dark-purple substances engulfed his fist and slammed it into the priest's stomach. It wasn't enough to knock him out but sent him flying a few feet away. The figure landed on his feet and turned to the Awatsuki who still hadn't moved. The figure carrying her bridal style leaped up onto branches.
"If I see that imposter, I'm going to rip his throat out," Accelerator growled. He along with Gray, Yuko, and Marie were walking through the forest trying to follow one of the Milky Ways.
"No one wants to see that," Gray sweatdropped. "Still though, I wonder who separated us. They're clearly not working for God who's in charge of this place."
"Maybe they were trying to save us?" Yuko guessed.
"Pretty odd way of saving us. But at least we don't have to deal with the Heavenly Judgment," Gray admitted.
"I wonder what Nami saw here was true though," Marie speculated out loud. "If there is a God on this island that is powerful…"
"That doesn't matter," Accelerator proclaimed. "If he ever laid a finger on the brat, I'll kill him. The rest of you can die for all I care."
'Tsuchimikado is right, he really is a tsundere,' Marie thought with a sweatdrop.
"Gee you're so caring," Gray said sarcastically while rolling his eyes.
"By the way, there's something that I want to ask you about, magical brat," Accelerator gestured to Yuko with a suspicious glance. "Why were you backing up the damn hero when he stopped Scarlet from killing the demon dog?"
"We have names you know," Gray declared with a sweatdrop.
"Well I agree with him," Yuko answered. "I may not have been there to notice what he did. But, I don't discriminate against my enemies when they're down. Not all of them are born evil."
"She's right," Marie nodded in agreement. "Shirabe, Kirika and I were once like that. We did some things that we aren't proud of and yet Hibiki and the others still think of us as friends."
"So, you weren't doing it because you have feelings for the hero?" Accelerator bluntly asks, causing Marie and Gray to face fault.
"No," Yuko answered. "I admit, he's very handsome, kind and brave. But I only like him as a friend."
"A friend huh, I wonder how long that will last," Accelerator chuckled.
"What, you believe that Touma is trying to create a harem?" Gray asked dumbfounded.
"Trying? Hah~! That dumb hero doesn't even know that so many girls like him," Accelerator declared mockingly. "Back in Academy City I saw him with Third and Fifth rate clinging onto his arms while walking down the street."
"Fifth? Just how many Level 5's Touma come across?" Marie asked bewildered.
"Who knows," Accelerator replied nonchalantly. "I was hoping that magical brat could bypass his thick brain since they're so similar."
"How so?" Marie asked while Yuko was a bit confused.
"The way she talks and acts. She's like the female counterpart to the fucken hero," Accelerator spat out. "Only, you're less of an idiot and I don't have an urge to kill you."
"Uh...thank you?" Yuko sweatdropped looking confused.
"So this is the Upper Yard Nami's been paranoid about, huh?" Gajeel scoffed at the surroundings. He got stuck with Princess, Coral, Misaka and Chris who was in her gear. "Doesn't seem threatening to me."
"Yeah, so far there's nothing jumping out at us. Other than the large ass trees," Chris replied looking around.
"You know, it's been a long time since I walked through a forest," Misaka commented. "It feels a bit nice to be out of the city for a while."
"What? Academy City creates fake forests for your students?" Gajeel teased.
"It's not like that!" Misaka snapped, annoyed before calming down. "It's just rare for students like us to go outside of Academy City. I mean everything there focuses on high advance technology, that they never show forests without being in a virtual world."
"Virtual world?" Sango asked, "It's that highly advanced?"
"Pretty much," Misaka replied. "But even as advanced Academy City is, it still has its problems and secrets."
'Secrets, you mean the Level 6 experiment?' Hime thought, recalling what Last Order mentioned in Jaya.
"DUCK!" Chris shouted to the others, who looked confused at first, but quickly ducked their heads. Before any of them could ask why, a giant boulder flew in the air over their heads and crashed nearby into a tree.
"Is everyone okay?" Misaka called out.
"I will be once I pummeled whoever threw that rock," Gajeel declared as he stood up. All of them turned towards the direction where the rock was thrown. Misaka shivered in fear and horror when she saw the figure.
Which was Accelerator.
"Do you smell anyone Cynthia?" Summer asked. She along with Cure Summer and Hibiki were wandering through the forest hoping to come across the others.
"No," Cynthia called out. "This island must be really huge. It would be hard to find any familiar scent."
"I wonder if the person who created George wanted to save us from punishment," Hibiki thought as they walked.
"If that were the case, they wouldn't have had to harm George," Cynthia frowned. "I just hope Wendy and the others are oka-"
A series of explosions suddenly rang in their ears, causing them to tense up. They notice a visible dust cloud can be seen not far from where the noise was coming from.
"That sounds like a fight going on over there!" Hibiki declared as she immediately raced towards the area with Summer and Cynthia tagging along. Hopefully their friends were involved in a scuffle. However, once they got there, they spotted three people they'd never recognized.
One was a boy with light brown hair and wore a white shirt. He lay on his stomach with his body smoking from burnt marks.
Towering before him were two girls. One looked much older with long dark purple hair and wore red glasses covering her eyes. The second girl looks about the same age as Cynthia. She has pink hair tied in a medium length ponytail tied behind her back. Her eyes were green and looked dull and empty.
"Look how pathetic you look," The older girl mocked bluntly. "Did you really think you could beat us without any powers?"
"Shut up," The boy growled as he slowly stood up. "You think you're safe just because you've sided with Eneru?"
"We're just following the winning side," She responded with no hint of amusement in her voice. "Besides, what kind of person am I to join forces with filthy males who ratted me out?"
"Whatever," He mocked. "You, the Priests and Eneru are nothing but scammers and killers! Doing for the grace of Eneru? That's total bullsh-."
"How dare you call my sister a killer?" The young girl spoke with a cold demeanor. "You'll pay with your life."
"Calm down Koura," The girl ordered sharply, without turning her head. "After your leader's death, you should've just given up. What, do you think you guys have a chance to beat us now that God is on my side?"
"First of all, Eneru is no God! He's just a guy who ate a F% Devil Fruit!" The boy snapped, while aiming his sword. "Secondly, don't think you're safe just because you join forces with him!"
"So the God powers Nami saw was actually a guy with Devil Fruit powers?" Summer repeated.
"Looks like it," Cynthia whispered. "I wonder what kind of devil fruit would make her so frightened?"
"As long as I have her by my side, I have nothing to fear," The woman declared confidentiality, glancing at Koura. "Also you think the Blue Sea Dwellers would form an alliance with you morons after that stunt you pulled on their ship?"
"I don't give a damn if they join us or not," The boy seethed angrily. "Simon just wanted them to be safe from Kami's punishment! I don't know why, but he has a friend he recognized and wants them to be safe...and I trust his judgment!"
The reveal of the one responsible for separating them from the ship, startling the three girls. "So it wasn't the Priest that split us up?" Summer asked bewildered.
"It seems to be the case, but I'm still confused," Hibiki said with her hands on her head.
"Me too," Cynthia sighed, also a bit puzzled. "Even so, it looks like those two are working for this Eneru God, and the kid is being ganged on two to one. Let's give him some backup."
"You three, hiding behind the bush over~!" The girl called out without even turning her head. "It's not nice to eavesdrop in our conversation~!"
"Wait, she knew we were here?" Hibiki asked, startled.
"Koura, go deal with them," The woman ordered.
"Yes, big sis," Koura replied. With quick speed, the pink haired girl rushed towards the three with lightning speed, and leaped in the air.
"Look out~!" Hibiki yelled. She and Hibiki jumped to safety, after Koura's crash landed on the bush. However, Cure Summer wasn't lucky as she found herself tumbling back in between the boy and the girl.
"My you look adorable," The girls said admiring Cure Summer, who quickly got on her feet.
"You are one sick bastard, you know that?" The boy declared with venom in his voice.
"Whatever do you mean?" The girl innocently asked. "Is it wrong for me to show my affection to my young sibling? She's like the sister I ever wanted."
"Cut the crap Shizuka," The boy snapped while wielding his sword. "You know damn well what you've done to Kouta! And I'll break him out of it, once I have your head."
"Yeah~!" Cure Summer declared with determination. It took her a second for her to realize. "Wait, did you say...him?"
Shervan and Shirabe were wandering alone in the Upper Yard after they were separated from the others. Shirabe was skating across the ground in her Symphogear armor.
"I have never seen trees this tall before," Shirabe remarked.
"Yeah..." Shervan said while observing the ground curiously.
"Is there something wrong?" Shirabe asked, noticing him looking down.
"Oh~!" Shervan yelped startled a bit. "I'm just wondering why t-this island has d-dirt!"
"Dirt?" Shirabe repeated a bit confused.
"Remember when w-we c-came to A-Angel beach?" Shervan recalled nervously. "Th-there was no dirt on the c-cloudy beach."
"You're right," Shirabe realized with a surprise expression. "Ever since we came up to Skypiea, I never realized it lacked dirt."
"Yeah, it feels kind of strange…" Shervan said and trailed off in his thoughts.
While skating on the ground, Shirabe glanced at him with concern. Her mind went back to the incident back in the Blue Sea involving Shoujou. When he woke up, Shervan told her, Touma and Cynthia that he only remembered passing out from the noise and waking up in the Sick Bay. Before they could tell him, they heard the sound of Cricket firing his gun at Sanji.
'This is the second time it happened,' Shirabe pondered, recalling the fight against Naru. 'He didn't sound like he was trying to hide anything like before. Is it due to his powers? Having Devil Fruit and a Lacrima inside him must've caused something to happen to him...But what?'
"S-Shirabe?" Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard Shervan calling her name.
"Y-Yes?" Shirabe quickly turned to meet his eyes.
"I-I j-just w-w-want to say..." Shervan paused looking flustered. "S-Should I say it? W-what if she thinks I'm a sick pervert like Gray? Maybe I shouldn't tell her. B-But i-if I don't t-then she'll thi-"
"If you're going to monologue in your head, you have to be a lot quieter than that," Shirabe interrupted with a sweatdrop.
"AH~!" Shervan yelped before frantically flailing his arms. "I'm so sorry~! I didn't mean to say that out loud~! I was so deep in thought th-tha-."
"Calm down," Shirabe said with a firm expression. "Take a few slow, deep breaths and try again. But this time without stuttering."
"R-Right," Shervan followed Shirabe's orders, calming himself down a bit before facing her, "I just want to say...I think, you're really cool Shirabe."
"..." Shirabe just blinked at him with a dull look. After a moment, she realized what he was saying and her cheek turned red. "W-What?!"
"I never got the chance to say it due to all that was going on. But, back at the resort, when you took down those androids with your yo-yo and b-blocked Naru's nuclear attack with those big buzzsaws. You were so cool in that armor," He expressed nervously, his cheeks turning bright red.
'He thinks I'm cool? I could understand why he thinks that since I'm from another world. But to be called that...' Shirabe mentally cried out in her head. She cleared her throat and tried to hide her tainted cheeks. "...I-I appreciate the compliment, but I don't think I'm quite that cool by myself," She modestly replied. "When I'm with Kirika, we're both much stronger. Our gears work well together."
"Just like with Cynthia and Wendy?" Shervan asked with his eyes sparkling, like a child.
"S-Somewhat yes," Shirabe replied, startled by his enthusiasm. "Symphogears are able to sync in harmony with other gear users to get stronger."
"Oh, so you can sync with the others beside Kirika?" He asked.
"Yes, but I only sync with Tsubasa once," She replied, recalling her battle against Pretalo, back in her world. "I mostly sync with Kiri-chan since we've been with ea-!"
Shirabe stopped herself when she heard someone behind them. She quickly turned behind but before she could react, a dark iron pillar plowed right into her stomach.
"GAH~!" Shirabe gasped as all the wind left her lungs. Her body was thrown across the clearing.
"SHIRABE~!" Shervan wasted no time flying after her with his lower body made wind. He caught up to her and snagged her before she fell off the clearing. Shervan then flew on the ground. "Shirabe~! Are you alright!?"
Shirabe coughed a bit before answering. "I'm alright thanks...You can let me go now."
"Oh, sorry," He quickly places her down gently.
"Well well well," A voice announced. The two looked up to find a boy with blue spiky hair landed in front of them. "So you must be the Delta Sky Dragon I heard so much about back in Crimson Blood."
"Wh-Who are you?" Shervan asked on high alert.
"AH~!" The boy placed his fist on his palm realizing. "I forgot you hadn't heard of me. Well, why don't I demonstrate it to you~!"
The boy charged towards Shirabe with his fist pulled back. Shervan quickly shoved Shirabe out of the way as he was in the direct path of his fist. He morphs his body into wind, hoping it would phase through his body.
He didn't expect the boy's fist to land a direct hit on his right cheek.
Shervan gritted his teeth in pain as he was launched back and slammed into a tree. 'He was able to hit me when I was turning into wind? How is that possible?'
"Shervan~!" Shirabe quickly got up once she noticed the boy managed to hit Shervan in his logia form. She glared at the boy, and began to sing her song. She flung both of her yo-yos up in the air, locked together forming into a large pink glowing buzzsaw. She then flung it downward towards the boy; Beta Style: Giant Saw Judgement!
"Well this is interesting," The boy replied as he raised his arms up in a cross form, forming a magic circle above him. The boy's arm was coated with dark gray scales. Once the buzzsaw was close from above, he grabbed it with his two hands, slowly stopping it from spinning.
Shervan, who was slowly recovering from the blow, noticed the boy stopping the buzzsaw attack. Once the buzzsaw stopped spinning, the boy opened his mouth and ripped a bite out of the buzzsaw like it was paper stunning the two of them. 'He is eating Shirabe's buzz saw? Just like how Gajeel eats the fork.'
"Man this is delicious~!" The boy claimed happily. "Thanks for the extra boost, yo-yo girl. Here you can have the rest~!"
The boy lifted the buzzsaw and tossed it back at Shirabe, who didn't have time to move out of the way. Shervan flew by her and snatched her away from the path of the buzzsaw as it crashed into the ground.
"Are you alright?" Shervan asked .
"That should be my line," Shirabe answered, snapping back from her daze. "You were the one who got punched."
"So now that you saw what I can do, now do you recognize me?!" The boy asked with a wide grin on his face.
"No s-sorry," Shervan answered.
"YOU DON'T REMEMBER~!?" The boy exclaimed in comical shock.
"How can anyone remember after they attacked them?" Shirabe questioned with a deadpan look.
"Oh, well whatever~!" The boy exclaimed. "Well figured as much. You can't really remember the first person to escape Crimson Blood's main base of operation."
Hearing the name made Shervan and Shirabe tense up a bit. "Y-You're a prisoner too?" Shervan asked.
"Not just a prisoner," He laughed. "I'm just like you~!"
"Just like me?" Shervan repeated oddly.
"Yup, you are now looking at the Sea Prison Stone Dragon Slayer: Dimanu Heim!" He announced.
A young girl with short blond hair was getting some herbs alone in the forest. Until she noticed a certain demon unconscious and tied up. Curiously she sneaked down towards it, slowly. Once she was close to it, she was about to touch him.
"Touch me and I'll kill you,"
"!" The girl flinched, frightened by his voice, but didn't waiver. She took some grass and gently put it on his back where the wound was.
"GAH!" Jackal grunted in pain. "Didn't I tell you to get away from me?!"
"S-Sorry, but I saw that you were injured and I couldn't just ignore you, P-please don't kill me~!" The girl pleaded.
Jackal stared at her and scoffed. "Even If I wanted to, I can't. These dumb sea prison stones are locking my powers."
"Oh…" The girl observed him for a bit.
"What is it?" Jackal asked.
"...Are you a demon?"
"What's it to yah?"
"Well...I thought I was the only demon in the world,"
"Wait, wha-"
"HEY Akito!" The girl flinched as she and Jackal turned to a teen in his 17's. He was carrying a certain blue haired girl on his shoulder.
"Jayden?" The girl known as Akito jumped frightened.
"There you are, geez," Jayden sighed. "You know you shouldn't go running around in this place. Especially when the Priests are out and about!"
"Sorry Jayden," Akito bowed. She then noticed the girl she was carrying. "W-Who is she?"
"She's one of the Blue Sea trespassers," He responded. "Gedatsu was this close to killing her, but I stopped him. It seems you found another one as well."
"Not only that, but he's a demon just like me, "Akito said excitedly.
"...Sorry, Akito, I know you don't want to be the only demon alive, but Devil Fruits don't mean you're a demon. Although it also doesn't mean that they're normal too since when was being normal a good thing?"
"This moron is already on my nerves," Jackal deadpanned.
"Tell ya what we'll bring him back to our HQ!" Jayden suggested. "Since he's held by the sea prison Cuffs we can use him as a hostage!"
"Do I look like a bargaining trip!?" Jackal snapped. Jayden didn't respond as he grabbed the chain and yanked Jackal over his other shoulder like a bag. "And quit ignoring me!"
After discussion with Pagaya and Connis about challenging the Priest in the Upper Yard, Luffy left the house and went to Angel Beach. He was carrying a big orange backpack filled with food.
"Hey~! Luffy~!" Usopp called after him. He along with Sanji, Kuroko, Kirika and Minori were after him also carrying backpacks. "Will you wait a minute Luffy?!"
"Yeah what is it?" Luffy asked.
"What do you mean?" Kuroko asked, annoyed. "You just stood up and left all of a sudden?"
"You heard Nami," Luffy recalled. "If we stay, we'll cause more trouble for Connis and his dad."
"Okay, then so where are we going then?" Sanji asked.
"What do you think? The Sacrificial Altar," Luffy answered.
"And how are you planning to get there?" Kuroko questioned.
"Hm…" Luffy pondered for a minute.
"YOU HAVE TO THINK ABOUT IT?" Kuroko and Sanji snapped.
Luffy pointed down the stairs towards Angel Beach. "There we go! We just swipe one of those boats out there and head towards the Milky Road. Easy."
"Easy, huh?" Kuroko crossed her arms. "Do you see any boats out there?"
Luffy paused for a minute before pondering again. "Hmm…"
"JUST STOP TRYING TO THINK!" Sanji and Kuroko comically yelled.
"Even if we do have a boat, it wouldn't do much good," Usopp admitted. "Nami still has that old map so we don't even have that to go by."
"What we need is more information," Minori suggested.
"But where are we going to find any information desu~?" Kirika asked, confused.
"Excuse me!" The others turned to reveal Connis.
"Miss Conis!" Sanji happily. "You came all this way for a goodbye kiss!"
"Stupid ape," Kuroko mumbled.
"Well actually I'm here because of my father," Connis answered. "He wants to help you find your way to the Sacrificial Altar.
"R-Really?" Kirika asked, a bit shocked but glad as well.
Connis nodded. "I can accompany you as far as the Angel Island Docks. We should be able to find you a suitable boat you can use."
"Well at least someone plans ahead, unlike a certain scatterbrain," Usopp stated.
"Yeah, right," Luffy nodded.
"I MEANT YOU!" Usopp comically snapped.
"You're going to be our escort Connis?" Sanji happily said with hearts for eyes. "Great, we will be delighted to have you escort us, right Luffy?"
"..."
"Luffy?" Minori turned to her captain and noticed him silently staring at Connis who flinched a bit. 'Why is he staring at Connis?'
"Of course we would~!" Luffy answered suddenly. "Lead the way Lady!"
"You have manners of a pig," Kuroko scoffed. Connis giggled a bit as she led the six pirates up the stairs."
Little did they know that Mckinley was hiding in the brush beside the stairs. "There's no way I'll let you escape! I'm going to send all of you to the Upper Yard to receive Heavenly judgment!"
"What's that?" Luffy asked, pointing to the town in the distance.
"Oh that's Lovely Street," Connis replied. "If you want a closer look then you're in luck. We actually have to head through it to reach the docks."
Connis led the six towards Lovely Town while Mckinley was still scanning them while on top of the cloud.
"Captain, aren't they already headed for the Upper Yard?" One White Beret man questioned.
"Idiots~!" Mckinley scolded quietly. "All Blue Sea people are the same. They talk about adventure and excitement, but when they face danger they cowardly run for their lives!"
"This is exciting, huh?" Luffy asked his crewmates. "Upper Yard here we come~!"
"You realize there's a chance you'll all be killed up there right?" Connis pointed out.
"Well everyone's gotta go sometimes," Luffy replied.
"So you're not worried?"
Luffy grinned. "Why would I be wo-"
Connis eyes widened as Kuroko teleported behind Luffy and kicked him in the back of his head causing him to land face first. However, the assault didn't stop there as Sanji and Usopp began comically stomping on their captain.
"YOU IDIOT!" Usopp yelled.
"WHAT IS YOUR PROBLEM?" Sanji snapped. "HAVE SOME COMMON SENSE~!"
"WE ARE IN SERIOUS TROUBLE~!" Kuroko joined in with the two boys. "THINK ABOUT SOMEBODY OTHER THAN YOURSELF AND STOP LAUGHING LIKE A MONKEY!"
Minori, Kirika and Connis sweatdropped by their antiques.
The group were able to reach Lovely Street. Kirika, Minori, Sanji, Kuroko, Usopp, and Luffy were amazed by the town.
"Whoa, this place is great!" Luffy stated amazed
"Lovely Street is the center of commerce on this island," Connis explained. "It's designed to have fully utilized the characteristics of the Island Cloud. They sold just about everything here."
"WOW~!" Kirika exclaimed as she stared up at the buildings that were on small clouds floating over the streets. It looks like the only way up was to climb a ladder. "They even have floating stores!"
"I guess it must take a special kind of cloud to build those right?" Kuroko asked.
"Y-yeah," Connis hesitated.
Kuroko noticed the residents on Lovely Street staring at them with death glares. Everyone had white wings on their shoulders and two round antennae coming out of their head that matched their head color. They look a bit cautious of the group.
"It's them…" A guy whispered to another, while still staring at the group.
"Uh guys, I noticed everyone is avoiding us," Usopp whispered.
"I guess word about us being criminals spread quickly," Kuroko said. "I don't blame them for not wanting to get involved."
"Ah let them be," Luffy said. "That means we've got the downtown all to ourselves!"
"Uuuhh…" Sanji sulked, noticing the girls glaring at him. "All these gorgeous angels are avoiding me."
"Probably for the best," Kuroko mumbled.
"They sure have a lot of weird stuff for sale," Kirika commented while scanning a food stall with Luffy. There were variations of different and funny looking sky fruits and vegetables on display.
Luffy poked a large bulb set on a pedestal, causing it to open showing a pink flower. "Wow! This is so cool! Aw too bad I don't have any money."
"Maybe you can trade it for treasure if we can get any, desu," Kirika said.
"Great idea," Luffy glanced at a timid looking merchant. "Hey, mister, do you take treasure?"
The merchant frantically shook his head. Kirika got Luffy's attention. "Hey, Luffy check this out!"
The blonde girl pointed to a rope hanging in front of them. Curiously the two gave a rope a tug and suddenly pulled them up through the floor of one of the floating shops. "WHOOOOA!"
Kirika and Luffy glanced around the shop and noticed a wide variety of Dials everywhere. "So this must be a dial store~!"
"D-DEATH~!" Kirika gawked in awe at the large dials on display. "T-These dials are so huge~!"
"Whoa~! You're right~!" Luffy said excitedly. " Imagine if we put these babies on the Going Merry~!"
"Then we will be the fastest ship in the Grand Lines~!" Kirika concluded.
"There you two are," Kuroko teleports behind the two of them. "We don't have time for all this fooling around! Sissy and the others are in danger of having sacrificed~ and worse...that barbarian ape is with her!"
Before the two could say anything, Kuroko teleported the two out of the shop and with the others. "You worry too much Kuroko," Luffy said. "They're fine! Don't forget that Zoro and the others are with them!"
"Like we could really trust moss-head and the other male morons to keep them safe," Sanji complained. " And considering everything that's happened lately, Touma might've been harassing the girls about now."
"I just hope the ship hasn't sustained any more damage," Usopp said. "I mean she's had more than her fair share of abuse lately."
"Huh? What's that in the middle of the street?" Minori asked Connis while pointing to a strange statue in a black case.
"That's a weird face," Luffy commented. "Is that supposed to be a seal?"
"Nope that's definitely a wolf," Kirika nodded.
"It looks like a figure made out of mud," Sanji remarked. "Knowing this place, I bet it's a kind of religious statue."
"Oh you're both morons," Usopp scolded them. "This is art I can tell."
"That's art desu?" Kirika asked awkwardly.
"Oh, this is Vearth," Connis informed. "You might say it represents the eternal yearnings of the people in the sky.
"Vearth, huh?" Kuroko questioned.
"Really?" Luffy asked. "You guys pray to that thing? That's pretty crazy."
Connis laughed softly. "Well, I guess it would be difficult for someone from the Blue Sea to understand." She glanced to the side and quickly changed the subject. "Oh! We're almost to the docks~ Right this way!"
"Aww we're leaving town already," Luffy and Kirika whined.
"Already?" Usopp repeated. "We never planned on stopping here in the first place!"
"I know…" Luffy grumbled. "But I don't see why we couldn't just stick around a bit longer."
While the others were following Connis, they didn't know that McKinley was creeping behind them, sneakily.
Connis led the six straw hats along the Angel Island Docks that lined the side of the harbor and had a large assortment of colorful Gondola-style boats tied to it.
"Whoa!" Kirika announced, amazed. "Look at these cool boats!"
"Yes, you'll notice that there are boats of all different shapes and sizes anchored in this harbor," Connis pointed out. "From luxurious hotel ships where you can spend the night to sleeker models that are made for speed and loaded up with giant Dials. If you look over there you can see even more types."
"Hey! This one looks perfect!" Luffy pointed out a huge Gondola that looks like a fancy hotel ship with a bull figurehead. "I always wanted a Gondola! We'll take it~! Come on, let's take it out for a spin!"
"We have to rescue our friends first, you idiot!" Kuroko snapped.
"I agree, besides with that kind of ship...I think that will attract too much attention to us," Minori stated.
"Actually, your boat is right over here," Connis informed them as they continued down the docks.
"Great!" Sanji said admiring Connis.
Luffy cheered looking excited. "Is it even awesomer than the gondola?!"
They still failed to notice Captain Mckinley as he crawled on the side of one of the large gondolas.
"Presenting the Little Crow!" Connis announced.
The six stared past Connis, however in disappointment. The Crow was a small back boat with an odd looking bird for a figurehead. It had a steering wheel and two seats up in front as well as an opened space in the back. It also has a small round red and white striped umbrella stuck out in the middle of the boat.
"...You're kidding me right?" Luffy gawked in disbelief.
"This looks like someone poorly photoshopped this," Kuroko sweatdropped.
"It looks so weird desu," Kirika muttered disappointed.
"I only learned to ride a Waver recently," Connis explained. "Before then I used the Little Crow to get around. It's not as fast as a Waiver of course but it has two Breath Dials and is quite reliable. Please feel free to use it."
"I'm not going on that," Luffy stated bluntly.
"Me neither," Kirika said bluntly as well. Everyone, including nearby civilians, stared in shock at the two.
"Aha," Mckinley snickered. "I knew they finally showed their true colors! No one in their right mind doesn't value their own lives!"
"I'm not going…" Luffy continued as he pointed to the fancy bull one. "Unless I can take that."
"Me too desu~!" Kirika nodded stubbornly.
"They're not scared! They're selfish~!" Mckinley stated in shock.
"...You don't like it?" Connis turned back with a nervous smile. "I'm sorry but I'm afraid those are for rent I don't have that ki-"
"THE ONLY THING SORRY IS THIS GUY!" Sanji snapped as he furiously yet comically smashed his foot repeatedly down on his captain. "YOU UNGRATEFUL SHITHEAD! GIVE CONNIS A SINCERE APOLOGY YOU SHITTY EXCUSE FOR A MAN!"
Kirika didn't escape punishment either as Kuroko touched her back causing her to teleport the blond upside down landing on her head, unconscious. "And you don't just agree with him like that~!"
After a few minutes of pummeling, Kirika and Luffy bowed at Connis. While Kirika only had a lump on her head, Luffy was much more injured with a swollen lip, puffy cheeks and a bigger lump on top of his head. "We're Fworry…" The two mumbled.
"It's okay," Connis smiled nervously. While she led them to the dock, Luffy noticed something was off with her. "Your exit is Gate #2. It leads right to the Milky Road and that will take you all the way to the Upper Yard. Just...just follow it and you'll be fine."
"Thank you very much Connis," Kuroko nodded.
"Hey, Connis…" Luffy suddenly announced.
"Yes?" She turned to him.
"You've been trembling ever since we left," Luffy stated. "Is everything okay?"
This got everyone, especially Connis, off guard by his question. Kuroko spoke first. "What do you mean Luffy?"
Mckinley groaned. "Can't hear...what are they talking about?"
"Is...is it that noticeable?" Connis asked.
"Yeah," Luffy answered. "It's like you're scared of something."
"No, wait…" Mckinley growled. "She wouldn't."
"Oh don't you get it she's worried about us!" Sanji gushed. "Miss Connis, that is so sweet of you my dear."
"Now that you mention it," Usopp added. "Are you and Pagaya going to be alright? I mean everyone in town is avoiding us like the plague, but you're leading us here, lending us your boat, and giving us direction...is helping going to get you in trouble?"
Connis suddenly began to emit tears rolling down her cheeks. Minori comforts her. "Connis don't cry. You're going to be fine, okay?"
"You should've told us you were scared," Luffy added. "We could've just come here on our own…"
"No it's not...what you think," Connis stammered in fear.
"She wouldn't dare," One bystander whispered.
"Don't you get it?" Connis asked. "After everything I told you how terrifying the Upper Yard is, I still lead you here. I even got you a boat and told you what route to take? Don't you find it odd? Don't you know what's going on here?"
'Does this have something to do with the conversation you had with your dad? Back at the house?' Kuroko asked herself.
Flashback
Kuroko was just about to follow Luffy, Sanji Usopp, Kirika and Minori until she overheard something between Connis and Pagaya.
"But why?" Connis asked her father. "We shouldn't do this. They're not like the others. Besides, there's no need to guide them. They're already headed for the Upper Yard."
"Connis, if that were truly so I wouldn't have to burden you with this task," Pagaya replied sadly. "But we must face facts. You've seen how Blue Sea Dwellers act when they come here. These six are probably no different. Once the initial excitement wears off the reality of their situation, they get scared and begin to value their lives over their dreams and adventure. That's why we must lead them to the Milky Road's end. All the way to the Upper Yard."
Kuroko silently but quickly teleports towards the other but still thinking about the conversation.
"Connis...please forgive me," Pagaya sobbed as he sat in his dark house, his head down. "Please forgive me... But it's every citizen's duty. You know what happens if we don't follow Eneru's will."
Connis dropped to her knees and started crying. "You need to run away, please! I'm sorry you guys!"
The six starred in silences while they heard the civilians and Mckinly panicking in the background.
"NO NO STOP!"
'WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!"
"SHUT UP BEFORE YOU ANGER HIM!"
"I was the one who called the Super Express Lobster!" Connis confessed. "It's all my fault~!"
"You mean that thing that took the girls and the others away?" Sanji demanded in disbelief. "That was you, Connis?!"
"I'm so sorry~! I went to your friends and lied about the current that leads to Cloud End," Connis sobbed. "As soon as they raised the anchor that was the signal that summoned the Almighty Eneru's Super Express Lobster."
"But why would you do something like that?!" Kirika asked, bewildered.
"It has something to do with the conversation you had with your father right?" Kuroko asked, causing Connis to flinch. "Excuse me for eavesdropping, but it seems that you have no choice in the matter. If civilians know someone's a criminal, they have to bring them into custody. In this case, Connis and Pagaya have to bring us to the Upper Yard or else they would be punished!"
"Punished?!" Kirika exclaimed. "What kind of punishment?"
"Death," Connis choked, earning eyes widened from the six and more anger from the civilians.
"STOP IT~! DON'T YOU KNOW WHAT YOU'RE SAYING?!" A woman yelled. "THAT'S BLASPHEMY AGAINST GOD~!"
Connis ignored them and continued. "This is our Civic Responsibility. The duty of every citizen!"
"STOP THAT GIRL!"
"If we don't bring them to the Upper Yard, then the penalty is death!" Connis sobbed louder.
"IDIOT! YOU'RE GOING TO BRING THE WRATH DOWN UPON US ALL!"
"SOMEONE STOP HER!"
"That's crazy~!" Usopp shouted in shock.
"I know…" Connis whimpered a bit. "I'm sorry I should've told you sooner…"
"Wait a sec," Luffy replied. "You're saying they forced you to lead us all here?" Connis nodded. "If that's the case…"
"THEN WHY DID YOU TELL US AT ALL!" Luffy, Sanji, and Usopp yelled.
"What?" Connis stares at them in shock. Normally she would expect them to get angry at her for leading their friends into danger, but they care for her and Pagaya's safety. Kirika, Kuroko and Minori were also weren't expecting the three pirates to be concerned about her safety.
"ARE YOU NUTS!?" Luffy exclaimed. "NOW YOUR LIFE IS IN DANGER!"
"It's all over…We're too late…!"
"Get away from the girl! The Judgement is coming!"
Almost all the Skypian citizens quickly fled as fast as possible...however one person was walking towards the seven with right arm scratching the back of his head.
"Honestly…" Kaito scoffed. "You guys judge us for caring about our lives and shit, and then there you go running away while one of your friends gets the penalty."
Connis, Luffy, Usopp, Kuroko, Minori, Kirika and Sanji witness a bright light appear up in the clouds overhead and grew in size until it was bathed in the light. Luffy grabbed Connis and ran as fast as he could as he noticed an enormous surge of electricity shot down from the clouds.
At the same time, Kaito leaped into the air towards the pillars of light. The man clenched his fist emitting a dark purple aura. "I don't care if you're a God or not...I'M NOT GONNA LET YOU USE THESE PEOPLE AS YOUR FUCKIN PUNCHING BAGS!"
To some amazement, everyone watched as Kaito punched the surge of electricity stopping it from coming down on them.
"ATOMIC BLACK HOLE!" The surge of electricity was slowly engulfing his right fist like a vacuum. The other couldn't see what was going on due to the brightness of the light. Kaito grunted from the sparks but continued holding on.
"RAGHHH!" Kaito roared. The sheer force of the electricity pulled him back, but he continued to absorb it. After one last push, the pillar of light disappeared from sight. Once the lights went out, everyone noticed Kaito as he fell to the ground.
"...D-Did that boy just stop that attack?" Kuroko questioned. Before anyone could answer, Luffy, Connis and the falling Kaito were quickly engulfed by another massive pillar of electricity.
Yang: Do we have to do this?
Freddy: Just for the holiday spirit, and you get to think up your own lyrics.
Yang:...Fine. Cue the music~!
Song: twelve days of Christmas.
Freddy: ~On the seven day of Christmas my true love get to me~!
Seven ~Creepy Jump Scares~!
Gwen: ~Six Ghosts of Christmas.
Yang: ~FIVE GOLDEN NUGGETS~!
Freddy/Gwen:...Really?
Yang: Hey, you try thinking of better lyrics on the spot!
Peace: ~Four Megatrons~!
Raven: ~Three Cockpits~!
Sanya: ~Two Chain Chomps~!
Varvula: ~A ticket to Canada's WonderLANNND~!
Freddy:...Okay hearing it out loud, it's awful.
Varvula/Gwen/Peace: No kidding sherlock.
Yang: Next Chapter: Aloha Accelerator.
Peace: I hope you all have a happy holiday~!
Varvula: Merry Christmas, or Kwanza, or Chupocobra~!
Gwen: Chupocobra isn't a holiday moron.
