Varvula: Here is a question I have for all of you…
Shiho: If you're going to do the dramatic pause thing, I'll taze you.
Varvula: R-Right…Now since we're at the Upper Yard warfare. I want to know who is your favorite character out of the group. Mine is Wyper.
Freddy: Why him?
Varvula: Because, he looks like a badass who's able to lift a bazooka over his head with a skinny body like him.
Peace: Well I like Luffy. He's so cool, brave and funny~! I bet he can beat Eneru~!
Gwen:...Jackal. He's a dog I've always wanted as a pet.
Peace: He's not a dog though, he's a demon.
Gwen: Exactly, I always wanted a demon as a pet.
Yang: …On that awkward note, I'm going to go with Chris Yukine.
Raven: Really? I always thought you like Erza, or Zoro, since they use swords.
Yang: Dude, she's able to wield almost any kind of weapon in her arsenal. Gatling Guns, sniper rifle, a missile launcher? That's like something I've always dreamt of having.
Shiho: I see, so you have a crush on Chris, what ever happened to your thing on Nami?
Yang: I never had a crush on Nami to begin with~! And I said I just like Chris because of her gear, nothing more.
Sanya:...I still need some time to think of my favorite.
Freddy: As do I.
Varvula: Don't worry, you guys have the end of the chapter to tell the readers your favorite.
Raven: Cue the theme song~!
Theme Song: Fatally by Kotoko
Chapter 31: Plotting For Gold Hunting.
Upon reuniting, the Straw Hats established a campground near the sacrificial altar. Everyone did their own thing to make the most of the situation. Either they talked amongst themselves or they rested after a stressful day.
"Stop swiping my food Luffy~!" Kirika childishly pouted.
"Hey~! You stole my food first~!" Luffy argued.
"That's because you stole it first~!"
"Only because you butted in line!"
"That's enough, you two!" Erza ordered the two. "I know that we're tired after the incident, but it's time to hear everyone's field reports."
"Well we should start first. We came across one of the Priests named Satori," Kuroko addressed. "He was using these white ball clouds called Surprise Balls which contained a variety of weapons, and monsters when provoked."
"What made the fight challenging, was the fact that he anticipated every move we made by using something called mantra," Minori added. "Once more, he had some sort of Dial under his right glove. It had enough power to even hurt Luffy."
"A Dial? That's interesting," George stated with his hand on his chin. "Connis did say that Dials are everyday items. But they may also be used in combat."
"One of the Priests appeared before us on the sacrificial altar," Chopper added. "He rode a bird that breathes fire."
"A bird that breathes fire?!" Natsu asked, looking interested.
"Yeah, he mentions something called the Ordeal of String," Index mentioned. "Which was how he managed to beat the Sky Knight."
Natsu then pouted while turning away. "Sounds like you guys had a great time fighting the Priests."
"WE DIDN'T~!" Usopp, and Charla comically exclaimed with shark teeth.
"We found out that the island we're on right now...is actually the missing part of Jaya," Nami announced, causing half of them to be shocked by the revelation of the island.
"WHAT!?" Hime exclaimed.
"P-Part of Jaya...?!" Lucy stuttered. "How's that possible!?"
"Remember Cricket's house?" Wannai mentioned. "Well, we saw the other half of it near the shoreline."
"Wait, so you're saying that the Upper Yard is actually the missing part of Jaya?!" Kuroko asked, surprised.
"That would also explain why the South Birds are more common in the Upper Yard," Touma added.
"Yeah, and they're larger too!" Chopper acknowledged. "Cynthia and the others rode on them back to the island."
Looking surprised, Misaka turned to Manatsu. "You guys rode on South Birds?!"
"Yeah, it was amazing!" Manatsu answered, grinning. "Eguchi said they use it to fly over to the shops for food."
"Who's Eguchi?" Megumi asked.
"He was a member of Luminous Tail," Cynthia answered.
"Luminous Tail…" Tsubasa mumbled, feeling guilty.
"Tsubasa?" Marie asked concerned.
"Before Shura showed up, a guy named Moses challenged Tsubasa to a duel…and lost to him," Laura explained seriously.
"Only due to Moses holding back his magic," Charla added. "While they were fighting, we'd assumed that he only used Ice God Slayer magic, but then he switched from ice to lighting and then flames God Slayer magic."
"H-He's able to use multiple elements of God Slayer magic?!" Lucy trembled in fear and shock.
"Flame God…" Natsu repeated, reminding him of Zancrow.
"Wait, there's magic that's strong enough to slay Gods as well!?" Usopp comically cried out.
"Not really," Levy replied. "God Slayer magic is a bit similar to Dragon Slayer magic. But they're able to eat Dragon Slayer elements easily. While Dragon Slayer's have to empty their magic in order to consume God Slayer magic."
"Yeah, I don't want to try that again," Cynthia groaned, recalling how she had to eat Zancrow's flames to beat him."
"During my fight…" Tsubasa announced. "He called himself the Ultimate God Slayer."
"Ultimate...So he's part of Crimson Blood?" Iona asked.
"I don't think so," Shervan thought out loud, getting everyone's attention. A few of them sweatdrop when they saw him wearing his white oni mask. "A-According to Dimanu, he and friends were the first refugees to escape from that organization alive."
"Seriously?!" Usopp gaped in shock. "If that's the case, then they have a much easier way to get to Skypiea!"
"They are an advanced organization," George informed. "They may have technology and acknowledge that it could be crucial in this day in age."
"No kidding, to think Crimson Blood were able to create a Dragon Slayer that can use Sea Prism Stone," Zoro added.
"S-Sea Prison Stone?!" Chopper gawked in horror.
"...If he has that kind of power, then he's able to fight against Logia type devil fruits no problem," Robin theorized.
"He's headstrong as well," Chris added. "He managed to push half our group back. Even the metal head was struggling with him."
Gajeel clicked his teeth, "The runt just caught me off guard that's all."
"Luckily, Honey's fist of love saved our asses," Tsuchimikado joked.
"Seriously!? You have to bring that thought back?!" Hime exclaimed.
"Well it's true isn't it," He said seriously. "That kid is a full time masochist. The moment Cure Honey punch him, he fell in lov-."
"Quite saying crap like that~!" Touma elbowed him in the stomach. "What kind of moron falls in love with someone who beats them up?!"
"Yeah~!" Hime added while socking the blond in the face. "Honey isn't a sadistic freak you jerk~!"
"G-Guys it's fine, really," Yuko assured the two. "I'm sure Tsuchimikado was just joking around."
"Yeah, well he tends to take the joke a bit too far," Touma grimaced.
"Like you building your harem?" Yuko playfully teased.
"Not you too," He groaned.
"Oh~! Oh~! Also..." Manatsu dramatically pointed to Awatsuki. "Maaya has devil fruit powers!"
...
…
... Awatsuki who sheepishly chuckled nervously as everyone minus Charla, Happy, Lily, Levy, Tsubasa, Manatsu, Hibiki, Robin, Cynthia, Jackal, and Shervan gasped in astonishment.
"Y-You're kidding?" Misaka exclaimed in shock. She turned to her. "Is that true Awatsuki?"
"Yes...but it was an accident," Awatsuki replied nervously.
"How do you accidentally eat a devil fruit?" Zoro questioned.
"The same way how you "accidentally" wander off in the wrong direction?" Chris retorted, causing Zoro to click his teeth in annoyance.
"Technically, she didn't eat it," Cynthia clarified. "Eguchi accidentally gave her a Devil Juice thinking it was medicine."
"Devil Juice? I reckoned that's how non-living materials can obtain devil fruit powers," Robin said.
"Hold on…inanimate objects can get devil fruit powers?" Misaka questioned.
"Yeah, we've fought against one in Alabasta," Usopp mentioned. "Mr. Four from baroque works had a gun that turns into a dog."
"Okay, I need to stop being surprised about anything in this world," Kuroko said dryly.
"So what kind of Devil Fruits do you have?" Luffy asked eagerly. "Can you poop meat out of your butt?!"
"Seriously, what's with you thinking about gross powers?!" Laura yelled in disgust.
"Her devil fruit has something to do with the moon according to what Yozura said," Cynthia recalled.
"You mean she can turn herself into a giant moon?!" Megumi wondered. Wannai imagined Awatsuki's body growing big and fat like the moon causing her to freak out a bit.
"No, you dumbass!" Jackal scoffed. "She said something about how the brat can turn herself into moonlight and phase through objects."
Wannai sighed a bit in relief while Gray commented on the demon. "It makes sense but sounds strange coming from you."
"Tsk, I'm not that dumb compared to the loser fireball," Jackal bragged.
"WHAT DID YAH CALL ME?!" Natsu exclaimed angrily with shark teeth.
"Now is not the time for a screaming match," Misaka scolded the two before turning to Awatsuki. "Awatsuki does it hurt when using your devil fruit ability?"
"No, although I did feel a bit light-headed when I used it for the first time," Awatsuki answered.
"Can you show us a bit of it?" Natsu eagerly asked.
Last Order joined in. "Yeah please show us! Misaka Misaka hyperactive said."
Awatsuki nodded as she lifted her arm. She closed her eyes and concentrated hard. She felt a tingle in her left arm, indicating that it works but to the others, nothing changed.
"Did it work?" Happy curiously asked.
"I don't know, I don't see anything different," Sango added unsurely. Index reaches out to touch her outstretched arm as it passes through Awatsuki's arm.
"AHH! SHE'S A GHOST!" Usopp hollered.
Chris immediately slammed her fist above the sniper's head. "Are you trying to get me death!?"
"So she can turn her body into moonlight?" Marie theorized.
"That's amazing Awatsuki!" Wendy said in awed.
Lovely nodded. "Yeah, I wish I had a cool Devil Fruit like yours!"
"Congratulations Awatsuki!" Wannai said with a smile on her face. "I'm so happy for you!"
"Really?" Awatsuki asked, surprised. "You don't think it's weird?"
"Only in a good way," Wannai nodded. "Devil Fruit or not you'll still be my best friend."
"If you two are done with your friendship crap," Jackal rudely interrupted. He then turned to Cynthia. "The brat has something to say."
Ignoring the insult, Cynthia continued. "Erza, do you know the person who's the leader of Luminous Tail? Because he mentions your name."
"...So you saw Simon too?" Erza finally confessed. This earned a gasped from Gray, Lucy, Happy and Juvia.
" S-Simon!?" Lucy exclaimed.
"H-He's alive!?" Gray added.
Natsu just stared at them with a dumbfounded expression on his face. "...Who?"
"You don't remember!?' Happy shouted in shock. "He was the guy who was at the Tower of Heaven. You know the one who died saving you and Erza from Jellal's magic?!"
Natsu pondered a few seconds before realizing it. "Oh...WAIT HE'S ALIVE!?"
'He was the one who saw him die at the tower of heaven,' Gray and Lucy sweatdropped.
"So Simon is the leader of Luminous Tail?" Happy asked.
"That may be, but I don't think Moses was ordered to attack me," Tsubasa recalled. "I think he did it on his own accord. He also reveals one of his colleagues being one responsible for cloning George and Accelerator."
"Which I single-handedly defeated," Hime proudly boasted with a grin.
Gajeel clicks his teeth looking annoyed. "The brat suddenly has an ego. I kinda want to peg her down a notch."
"You're just jealous that you couldn't beat the clone," Princess argued with a sly smirk.
"You know it pisses me off to hear a stupid replica of me was taken down by the little girl," Accelerator frown for a few seconds before smirking. "But making you two shit your pants in fear when I appeared was worth it."
"Ooh~! I would love to see that!" Kinoko said excitedly.
"SHUT UP!" Gajeel and Princess comically shouted at the two.
"Alright, everyone!" Usopp announced loudly, getting everyone's attention. "Thanks to all of the reports we've obtained, we've come up with a conclusion thanks to the data! Now it turns out that this island is the very El Dorado that the Monkey Mountain Allied Force were searching for!"
"Really?! No way~!" Luffy and Kirika exclaimed in shock.
"Nami just reported that earlier," Asuka sweatdropped.
"Chopper, did you want me to mash some more?" Wendy asked while grinding some medicine for the Sky Knight.
"Yes please," He answered. "Make it easy to swallow since his digestive system might've been hurt pretty bad."
"So we're finally going to find some gold huh?" Chris said grinning.
"Yup this is an adventure I've been waiting for!" Luffy nodded.
"The city of Eldorado! I can't wait to see what it's like!" Manatsu said excitedly, bouncing on her feet.
"Treasure! Treasure!" Index, and Last Order chanted.
"If our captain is interested then it makes things easier!" Nami grinned.
"Weren't you the one who wanted to leave?" Cynthia questioned the navigator.
"Don't," Touma told her while shaking his head. "It's not worth figuring out this crazy girl's mood swings."
"Um...did any of you just forget about the Shandian's warning?!" Usopp asked, trembling.
"As well as the fact that we're in the middle of a war between the Shandians, Eneru's forces, and Luminous Tail?!" Hime added.
"The Shandians and Eneru's forces maybe, but Luminous Tail...If Simon is their leader, we should consider them as allies, right Erza?" Lucy asked.
"I agree," Shervan nodded. "D-Dimanu didn't have any malice towards me and Shirabe, he just wanted to fight f-for fun."
"Still...if they challenge us then don't underestimate them," Erza ordered. "Luminous Tail may engage us in combat unless the Shandians or the Priests interfere."
"Dibs on the Sea Prism brat~!" Gajeel called out.
"We're making God angry though," Chopper shivered in fear.
"Well, he can be angry all he wants!" Kirika announced with a pout. "For what he made Connis and Pagaya do? It's personal!"
"Hell yeah~! We're taking him and his priests down!" Natsu declared.
"Aye!" Happy added.
Robin giggled at everyone's enthusiasm. "This is going to be fun."
"I wonder how many heads will roll tomorrow," Accelerator said with his craze grin.
"That's...a bit too morbid," Sango sweatdropped.
"When there's treasure in our path, it's normal for pirates to go after it," Sanji said.
"Plenty of enemies around us," Zoro grinned. "This is a game of survival."
"Yeah, we need to give it our all to survive!" Cynthia agreed.
"Then it's decided...! Tomorrow we're going to find that gold!" Luffy announced.
A huge explosion was heard as the conflict between the Shandians and the Priests continued on. Wyper had just blasted Gedatsu right in the face with his cannon launching him across the clearing, KO'd. Wyper turned to Ohms who was riding on top of Holly. The dog nimbly avoids the cannonballs being fired by the Shandians while Ohms lashes out his sword cutting every single warrior that charges right at him.
"Those two together are a problem," Laki said.
"We need to separate them!" Kamakiri declared.
"They're not the only ones you need to deal with~!" The Shandian quickly tense up when they heard an unpleasant voice. They looked up to find Shizuka and Kouta on top of the branches.
"Damn it, it's the witch and her monster slave," Genbo quickly aimed her cannon at the two. "GO BACK TO HELL WHERE YOU CAME FROM~!"
The second Genbo fired his weapon, the duo split up to avoid it. Kouta arms morph into buffed lion paws and slam them both in the ground, sending a powerful shockwave that pushes the Shandians back a bit.
"HISSS~!" The newly grown, purple snake-like tail hissed at the warriors. It's body arch back, ready to lash out if any sudden movements.
"A snake tail?" Laki asked, stunned.
"I have never seen anything like it before, what kind of freak is he?" Kamakiri questioned.
Genbo fired another cannon towards Kouta, who quickly pounced at the cannon ball and used his paws to catch it. He then backflips and releases the cannon ball back towards Genbo, who quickly skidded to the side, to avoid it. The cannon exploded the second it came into contact with the tree, causing it to collapse. Ohms and Holly quickly split up to avoid being crushed by the tree.
"FIRE~!" Genbo ordered. The Shandians unleash their firearms at Holly. Despite taking a ton of hits, the massive dog didn't seem to be affected by the explosions. On the other side of the fallen tree, Ohms was just about to whistle his pet but stopped when he sensed three Shandians preparing an ambush in the bushes.
"Three attackers," Ohm mumbled. He grabbed his sword and swung it at his attackers. His sword extended like a whip towards the spot where the Shandians were going to be, knocking them all back.
Laki perched on a branch far away, firing multiple rounds from her rifle at Holly. Realizing her shots are ineffective, she leaped down to another branch to get the perfect shot.
"Where do you think you're going, dear?" Shizuka asked as she appeared right behind Laki. Before she could react, Shizuka kicked Laki in the back. Before she could hit the ground, the Shandian was tied up by one of Shizuka's finger whip. She then lifted Laki back up to her level, grinning. "We were just about to have some fun."
"Laki!" Genbo shouted.
Wyper called out to Braham up ahead. "Hey, can you get a shot at her?!"
"Not without hitting her," Braham answered.
"Damn her," Wyper gritted his teeth.
"You look so sad dangling there while all your hope drains away," Shizuka smirked. as she watched the dirt in Laki's backpack drain out. "Why waste your time gathering dirt? Don't worry I'll make you feel a whole lot bett-."
"Get away from her~!" A Shandian man yelled out while charging towards her with his spear.
"Don't get in my way, insect," Shizuka retorted coldly. With her left hand, her fingers form into long wavy brown whips, and lash out towards the Shandian. He tried to cut some of the whips, only for the one of the whips to slice through his spear, stunning him. Before he could react, he found himself quickly bombarded by the whips lashing out at him.
While Shizuka deals with the man, Laki activates her skis causing her to propel her forward and flip over onto the branch. She aims her rifle point-blank in Shizuka's face.
BANG~!
Shizuka's upper body flew back causing her to release Laki from her constriction. The two girls were free falling from the branch. However Laki didn't have time to react as Ohm's incoming sword flew towards her. Kamakiri dove in on his surfboard and tackled Laki just as Ohm's sword came down.
"NOW~!" Braham and Wyper fired their respective weapons at Ohm and Shizuka. Ohms countered it by swinging his sword while Shizuka wasn't so lucky as she was bombarded with attacks, causing her body to shatter in pieces. Ohm's blade flew through both of the Shandians' rounds and completely cleaved the branch that they were on. Luckily they managed to jump off it.
"Thanks, I owe you one Kamakiri," Laki said to him, but she froze in horror once she saw the wound he received. "Kamakiri!"
"NOO!" Genbo was horrified at the injuries to his comrade.
"Wyper! Kamakiri down!" Braham informed.
Ohm scoffed glaring at the two. "You were so close to victory, but you never even had a chance. Once night falls, I'll have an even greater advantage. You'll lose your sight, but I'll still see all your attac-."
Suddenly an explosion startled everyone. It was then followed by a whining sound coming out of Holly.
"Holly!" Ohm shouted angrily. He noticed a muscular man emerging out of the dust cloud.
"Sorry, but your pet is taking a dirt nap right now," Simon declared with a sly grin on his face. Behind him the dog collapsed on its back, unconscious.
"That's Luminous Tail's Leader," Laki sputtered. She remembered only getting a glimpse of the man a few days ago. "Simon Smelt."
"How dare you harm my pet Luminous scum!" Ohms growled and furiously lashed out his iron whip-like sword. In response, Simon raises his hands covered in hardened ore, causing the sword to bounce off.
"What?! He blocked the hit!" Genbo exclaimed.
"He's a paramecia type, just like the straw hat," Wyper theorized.
"Is that all you got for your Iron Ordeal?" Simon joked revealing that he had iron gauntlets covering his hands.
Simon then lunged at Ohm, who quickly formed an iron wall with his sword. That didn't stop Simon as he punched the wall, causing both the wall and his gauntlet to shatter in pieces.
"I heard that the people from Luminous Tail were powerful, but I never expected the leader to overpower Ohms that easily," Laki said in awe.
Ohms was startled by how easily he broke through. "He broke through my wall!?"
Simon roared as he pulled back his other fist, landing a punch into the Priest's gut. The force was enough to send Ohm's flying and crash into a tree.
"Damn it…" Ohm was still conscious from the hit, but felt winded from that punch.
"You need to retreat now!" Simon called out to Wyper. "You have a ton of wounded warriors. You won't stand a chance fighting against Eneru along with Kouta and Shizuka! Plus Shura and Gedatsu are still up and running!"
Wyper glared at Simon but knew that he couldn't push forward only to lose more warriors. He noticed Gedatsu waking up and Kouta punching one of the Shandians that tried to attack him.
"WE'RE MOVING OUT!" Wyper called out to his men. "GRAB OUR WOUNDED AND MEET BACK AT THE RENDEZVOUS POINT N-"
"Who said I'll let you run?"
Within seconds, multiple glass shards flew towards Laki and Kamakiri. Simon quickly got in front, and created a massive shield to block the shards from hitting them. The Shandians eyes widened when the shards then returned back forming into Shizuka.
"No way…" Laki blurted in shock. "I...I shot her at point blank, s-she should be dead!"
"Don't be harsh~!" Shizuka moaned. "My body is delicate and fragile, like glass."
"She has two devil fruit powers?" Laki asked, stunned.
"No, it's something much worse," Simon answered. "I'll explain later, for now we need to retreat."
Slowly recovering from the blow, Ohm angrily shouted. "YOU'RE NOT GETTING AWAY!"
"Ohms, wait..." Gedatsu called out weakly walking towards him.
"What do you want, you useless fool!?" Ohm snapped, annoyed.
"Calm down, baldy," Shizuka scolded, walking towards them, with Kouta lagging behind. "What's the situation?"
"The Almighty Eneru has summoned us," Hearing this Ohm, Shizuka and Kouta were quiet, knowing better not to disobey Eneru. He just watches as the Shandians and Simon bounced off through the forest.
Back at the camp, the Straw Hats were winding down after the reports. Sanji, and Touma were in charge of making the stew. Zoro, Accelerator, and Chopper went out to gather some food, as well as making sure Zoro didn't get lost.
Luffy was staring at the pot boiling with a bored expression on his face. He then started rolling around on the ground like a little child having a tantrum. "Man~! This is so boring!"
"You're not supposed to watch the water boil, idiot," Sanji reminded. "When the water's done filtering then put it in the flask. You want to have clean water for tomorrow don't you?"
"But it's still boring~!" Luffy whined.
Shirabe and Shervan who were an earshot away, sweatdropped while they watched their captain having a childish tantrum. "Luffy's really an...odd captain," Shervan quietly commented.
"Yeah, he is," Shirabe nodded in agreement.
"B-By the way…" He glanced towards her, nervously. "A-Are you d-doing alright?"
"I'm fine really," She replied with a nod. "I endure much more attacks than just getting punched by a dragon slayer."
"I-I'm s-so glad that you're alright..." He said, looking relieved. "If anything bad happened to you because of me…"
Noticing him trailing off, Shirabe narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously. "Are you blaming yourself again?"
"U-Um w-well," Shervan spluttered nervously.
"Listen," She instantly grabbed his head, forcing him to face her. "It's not your fault for what happened during that fight. It was me who attempted to save you and I underestimated him, so don't blame yourself, got it?"
"Y-Yes~! S-Sorry for b-blaming myself," Shervan blurted out, causing Shirabe to pout. "I-I mea-"
"Look Shirabe~!" Out of nowhere, Kirika roughly shoved Shervan off of the log, causing him to faceplant on the ground. She revealed the Impact Dial she swiped from Satori. "This is the weird dial that the Sphere guy used on us~!"
"K-Kirika…" Shirabe said, a bit startled by her sudden appearance.
"Ah~!" Kirika quickly noticed Shervan slowly sitting up. "Sorry~! Sorry~!" She sheepishly laughed. "I didn't know you were there~! Honestly~!"
'That doesn't sound very convincing,' Shirabe thought with a sweatdrop.
"I-it's alright, it's my fault for being too close t-to your fr-friend," Shervan replied nervously. "I-I g-go see if T-Touma n-n-ne-."
"WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU TRYING TO DO TO MY FUTURE HUSBAND~!?" A furious Kinoko comically drop kicked Shirabe in the back, knocking her off the log.
"Don't think I didn't see you trying to force kiss him like that, midget~!" Kinoko barked. She then glared at Kirika. "And you, couldn't you have done a much less violent approach to separate them?!"
"I don't want to hear that coming from someone who just kicked my friend~!" Kirika barked back while waving her arms in comical rage.
While the two girls were arguing, Shirabe and Shervan found themselves in an awkward compromised position. The boy lay on his back with Shirabe's face on the lower part of his stomach. They stayed like this for a few seconds, until their faces turned red in embarrassment.
"S-Sorry~!" Shirabe flustered, quickly getting off of Shervan, and turned away from him.
"I-It's alright r-really!" Shervan answered quietly, while turning away from her. "I-it's my f-fault~! I-I should've m-moved out of the way!"
Kirika and Kinoko were too busy arguing to notice two certain silhouettes hovering over them, until it was too late. One of the figures grabbed Kirika by the ear, pinching it tightly, while the other one gripped Kinoko by the head.
"M-Marie it hurts~!" Kirika flailed her arms comically.
"Well maybe you'll learn not to abandon me in the middle of the dangerous forest," Marie declared with an angry smirk.
"You better not be using Shervan as your scapegoat from your duties," George warned while lifting Kinoko up.
"O-Of course not!" Kinoko stuttered nervously. "I-I was just taking a break~!"
"...I need to talk to you about something important for tomorrow," George ordered. "You can talk to Shervan later."
"No~!" Kinoko whined while being dragged away. Kirika suffered the same fate with Marie.
Meanwhile, Sango was awed in amazement at Erza's Lightning Empress armor she changed into with her requip magic. "Wow~! You have such cute and amazing outfits Erza~!"
"Thank you Sango. This armor helps me go toe to toe against lightning users, as well as produce lightning magic," Erza explained.
"So you have armor for every element?" Tsuchimikado asked joining in.
"Not all elements, only fire, water, and electricity," She answered. "I have other kinds of armor that increase my mobility, defense, or offense."
"I see," Tsuchimikado nodded slowly and then smirked. "So that means there's armor that has super bunny girl powers."
Erza turned to him looking shocked and blushing, while Sango just blinked confused. "H-How did you know about that?"
"I was right," Tsuchimikado teased. "I guess even the mighty Titania can have a kink of bunny gi-"
BANG!
BONG!
BONK!
With her head steaming red, Erza stomped off leaving the spy on the ground with multiple bumps on his head.
"S-So scary~!" Sango comically cried out.
"Sanji~! We got some food here~!" Chopper announced, as he along with Zoro and Accelerator, returned back to the campsite.
"Great! Let's see the hull," Sanji said, walking over to them.
"We've got some walnuts, bananas, aloe, and garlic!" Chopper said, showing them to Sanji.
"Also some rats and frogs," Zoro said, revealing some small animals in his hands.
"And a tiger that tried to eat me," Accelerator replied pointing to a dead tiger behind him.
"Holy crap that's huge!" Misaka exclaimed in shock.
"Nicely done," Sanji replied pointing to the pot. "Chop the small stuff up and throw it in the stew."
"H-Hold on! You're putting some freaky ingredients in there!" Hime complained.
"Oh silly me," Sanji answered bashfully. "I forgot...Nami hates garlic."
"THE GARLIC'S THE ONLY GOOD THING!" Hime comically barked with shark teeth.
"I never actually tried frog legs before," Wannai said looking excited.
"Me too, I wonder how they'll taste," Awatsuki added.
"I tried a cane toad once," Ray answered. "It tastes like chicken, but it's slimmer and chewier! And they make you feel sick."
"You ate a cane toad?!" Touma blurted out at the boy.
"Yeah...I thought I was gonna die," Ray said sheepishly. "Good thing I barf up all the poison!"
"Seriously, what's with guys and eating everything they come across?" Lucy sighed.
"Well in this situation they need to be resourceful," Ray reminded casually. "I mean I didn't have any money. So I decided to hunt for anything I can come across. Rabbits, lizards, bears."
"Boys would eat the craziest things," Laura sighed dryly.
"Ooh, that's beautiful," Megumi complimented while observing what Robin found.
"Is that a gem?!" Nami asked eagerly.
"It might appear to be a gem, but it isn't," Robin replied, revealing it to the two. "It's rock salt."
"Rock salt, where did you get that?" Chris asked.
"I found it on the lakeshore," Robin responded. "It may come in handy."
"You bet it is~!" Sanji announced. "Salt rock may be essential for survival. Without it, my food will taste bad~!"
"I'm going to use half of the garlic, and aloe to make a disinfected ointment," Chopper said.
"Ointment?" Cynthia repeated.
Chopper nodded. "An antiseptic burning ointment to heal the Sky Knight's burns."
"Do you need frogs?" Zoro asked.
"Or a tiger?" Accelerator asked.
"No thanks," Chopper replied.
"What kind of ointment uses a tiger?" Cynthia asked, a bit disgusted.
"Hey Zoro, I need your help!" Sanji called out.
A few minutes later, the swordsman grunted as he took a stone from the pot using his own sword. "My sword is not made for this!"
"Shut up," Sanji shot back. "Obey the chief or starve. That's your choice!"
"You should say kiss the chief or starve," Chris joked.
"SHUT UP!" Zoro and Sanji barked at her with shark teeth.
"Oh, I never tried eating a rock before," Luffy eagerly said. "Are they tasty?"
"It's not for eating," Sanji replied. "The stone heat boils the stew from the inside out. Trust me, you'll need a lot of nutrients to survive this place."
"Smells really good!" Luffy sniffed after he lifted the lid. Sanji slammed his heel above his captain's head.
"Keep your hands off!" Sanji yelled.
"But I'm hungry!" Luffy whined.
"Weren't you just scarfing two sky sharks earlier?" Asuka asked.
"Make that three," Megumi pouted angrily. "He took mine under my nose"
"Those were just appetizers," Luffy bluntly remarked.
"How were those appetizers!?" Megumi exclaimed.
"I swear he's like an endless black hole with that rubber stomach of his," Nami deadpanned.
"Hey, has anyone seen Usopp?" Touma asked, looking around.
"He's at the shore preparing to swim across the altar," Juvia replied.
"You're kidding right?" Zoro doubted. "He doesn't have a problem with the giant sharks?"
As soon as he said that, Usopp came back nervously sweating but hid it with a proud look. "I've decided to do it tomorrow! The ship will still be broken. Let's eat!"
"What a moron," Touma and Zoro mentally said.
"Alright everyone, dinner's ready!" Sanji announced. He handed off four special bowls with heart-shaped carrots to Chopper and Sango. "One is for you Sango and the three are for the ladies. I'll have some more for the other ladies later."
"Sure," Chopper and Sango nodded. They gave special dishes to Nami, Robin, Erza, and Kinoko.
"Alright, if anyone could listen while they eat," Nami called out. "We'll explain how we'll handle this tomorrow~!"
After Sango handed the dishes to Robin and Nami, she got the next dishes to Lucy and Index.
"This looks tasty, Sanji~!" Lucy exclaimed after taking a spoonful.
"Thank you, Sanji~!" Index said she began scarfing down her bowl.
Shervan's face paled up when he oddly got the special soup with heart-shaped carrots from Chopper. 'This might give me the wrong impression...'
A sudden idea pops out of his head. 'W-wait~! Maybe I can give it to...C-Cynthia!…'
He glanced at her who was sitting next to Wendy. However, he was saddened when Wendy offered her the same soup he was eating. This caused his crush to give her a bright smile, which made him blush even more.
Shervan felt a pit of jealousy to form in his stomach, but he tried to shake it off. 'I shouldn't be thinking that way! They have known each other for a long time...I don't want to ruin their friendship because of me.'
He then glanced at Shirabe talking with Kirika. 'S-Should I give this to Shirabe? I-I mean she's t-t-the only one I-I'm comfortable t-talking to. I-I just hope she's n-not a-angry about w-what happened…'
Before he settled on his decision, Shervan was already walking over to the two. "U-Um, I believe th-this is for you, S-Shirabe."
"O-Oh~!" Shirabe was still shaken by the incident earlier. "T-Th-"
"Thank you~!" Kirika snagged the soup from his hand, and began to scarf the entire bowl. The two stared at her with sweatdrops pour down their heads.
"Kirika," Shirabe pouted a bit.
"...I-I'll ask Sanji t-to get you another b-bowl," Shervan said, turning away.
"...Thank you," Shirabe nodded, smiling at him.
"Mmhm~!" Kirika pouted jealousy. "I won't give her up so easily~!"
"...What are you talking about?" Shirabe asked, confused.
"What the hell?!" Gajeel questioned observing the soup. "Why is mine filled with carrots heart-shaped?!"
Sanji had veins popping above his head. "It wasn't made for you, tin can!"
"Um, Sanji…" Sango called out. While Sanji was getting angry at Gajeel, he didn't notice that he was giving soup continuously to Luffy.
"Keep it coming Sanji, it's really good," Luffy exclaimed.
"THAT'S NOT FOR YOU IDIOT!" Sanji yelled as he lashed the pan down on Luffy's head.
"You jerk!" Luffy shouted, pouting a bit. "I was paying you a compliment!"
"If you are all done with your comical relief," Iona scolded. "I believe we're going to discuss how we're going to find the gold tomorrow."
"Right, let's review," Nami declared. "Noland discovered the City of Gold four hundred years ago. However, after leaving the island and returning with his King, he found that the gold ruins had vanished. Luckily, we now know what happened to these ruins. The gold didn't sink into the ocean like the story said but was instead shot up here into the sky by the Knock-Up Stream just like we were."
"Still it's hard to believe that a whole island could've done it," Kuroko bregrudgily said "But judging by the evidence, it's the only thing that makes sense."
"You're right," Robin agreed. "I believe it has something to do with the odd composition of the island clouds up here. The trees and the wildlife, something about this environment dramatically increases growth rates which explains why a society here could have been swallowed up by these emerging forces."
"So why were those South Birds so concerned about the old man anyway?" Misaka wondered.
"According to what Eguchi said. The South Birds kept referring to the Sky Knight as God," Charla answered.
"H-He's a GOD?!" Manatsu, Megumi, Hibiki, and Luffy exclaimed in shock.
"So all we have to do is beat the crap out of that old guy then our job will be done!?" Natsu asked, pointing to the Gan Fall. Pierre squawked and covered his partner with his wings.
"No, you idiot!" Usopp exclaimed.
"How did you get that out of what she was saying!?" Lucy added.
"Besides we're here to find the gold, not to dethrone a super-powerful God," Nami reminded him.
"Which brings us to our second topic," George announced as he and Kinoko returned. "Does anyone remember what Noland told us about the City of Gold?"
"Oh, I know!" Luffy called out. "It's a city of gold!"
"Thank you for answering captain dumbass!" Gajeel comically snapped.
"I think he mentions something about South Birds and a giant gold bell," Sanji recalled. "Of course, there could be a lot more."
"The last thing he wrote in the log before died was something odd," George responded. "It says the City of Gold is in the skull's right eye."
"Skull's right eye?" Gray pondered.
"That's it!" Nami announced figuring the puzzle out. She obtained two maps and spread them out of the others to see. "If you take the map of Jaya and match it up to Sky Island, which we established to be the missing part of Jaya...then this is what the island of Jaya would've looked like four hundred years ago!"
They all stared down at the two combined maps, revealing the skull skull-shaped
"Neat~! It's the skull!" Luffy exclaimed.
"Right now, we're at the edge of the forest surrounding the clearing where the altar is located," Iona said while scanning the map. She pointed at a circular clearing. "That's the Skull's left eye."
"Which means the clearing here is the skull's right eye," Minori added.
"Okay, but where is the skull's right eye?" Gray questioned.
"I'm thinking right here," Nami answered as she pointed to a small structure in the middle of the right clearing. "It's the one structure that is actually inside the eye. And no one's found it yet because of all the people who tried, we're the ones who have both maps."
"It kind of makes sense," Zoro remarked.
"HIDDEN TREASURE!" Luffy and Natsu shouted.
"TREASURE!" Chopper, Last Order and Manatsu cheered.
Back in Luminous Tail's hideout, in a certain area known as the training room. Dimanu and Jayden were engaged in a fierce hand-to-hand struggle while the others; Eguchi, Todd, Terra, Akita, and Yozura, were watching from the side lines.
Jayden landed a fierce haymaker to Dimanu's jaws. He recovered from the blow to land a solid punch to his guts, causing the boy to slide back.
"Do those two really need to do this now?" Todd questioned.
"They told me that this was their final match of the day," Akita answered.
Jayden and Dimanu continued exchanging blows in rapid speed until Dimanu overpowered him with his own uppercut. Luckily Jayden backflipped onto his feet rubbing his chin.
"What's the matter? Can't take an uppercut?" Dimanu taunted.
"I have just about enough of your cocky attitude," Jayden snarled with a crazed grin. His hands were covered in dark-purple crystal shards. "Time to get serious."
Dimanu's fists glowed, turning into prism stone covered gauntlets. "Oh? So you were just holding back?"
'They're getting serious,' Terra signed language to the others. The two lunged at each other, with their fist pulled back.
"Prism Stone Dragon: Meteor Mash!"
"Venom Demon Knuckle!"
"Enough!" Moses demanded while his fists slammed above both of the boy's heads, instantly knocking them out. "Honestly, this is no time for training. Simon has a plan to overthrow Eneru and he needs all of us 100% compatible."
"Y-You should probably have said that first before hitting them," Akita sweatdropped.
'Where were you, Moses?' Terra questioned in sign language.
"I was scanning the area for intruders," Moses answered. "It seems as though the straw hats aren't the only raiders on the Upper Yard."
"More invaders?" Yozura repeated.
"Affirmative," Moses nodded. "While scanning the area, I've felt five unknown voices throughout the Upper Yard. Two of them just appeared with their own motives so we shouldn't worry about them. However...the remaining three aren't ones we should take lightly. They're none other than the Ultimate Elites."
Hearing that, caused everyone in the room to fall to silence. Dimanu quickly sat up and chuckled. "So...they've managed to find me..."
"H-How thought?" Akita asked, frightened.
"Probability by using some of their advanced technology," Jayden replied. "But don't worry, I'll protect you from them Akita."
"Eh?! You only protect your sister? Siscon," Dimanu teased.
"Do you want to die?" Jayden snarled.
"Great, just what we needed," Todd groaned. "I bet Shizuka called them here just for our pain."
"I only saw one of the Ultimate's abilities," Dimanu commented. "If they send her after me...then we're as good as dead."
'You mean the Ultimate Assassin?' Terra clarified.
"Yup," Dimanu nodded as he turned to Moses. "Can you tell us who the three are?"
"I can't even identify the two intruders, how do you expect me to figure the remaining three?" Moses grimaced with a sweatdrop.
"By the way, has anyone seen Eguchi?" Jayden asked. "I still have to pound some common sense in his skull."
"Oh I took care of that," Moses answered. "I heard from Simon about a certain incident involving a girl drinking the devil juice and gave a suitable punishment."
"Come on Moses, this isn't funny~!" Eguchi nervously laughed as he found himself in black ice. He was surrounded by a ton of sky insects.
Back in the Shandian's camp, the warriors were tending injuries during the fight and were rested. Wyper was in a bitter mood after that fight.
"Wyper," Genbo called out, while resting against a tree.
"How serious are Kamakiri's injuries?" Wyper asked.
"Well, he's tending to him right now," Genbo replied. "He's back there."
"Is he going to make it?" Wyper questioned.
"See for yourself," Genbo answered. Wyper noticed Kamakiri injured his arm.
"I didn't expect him to be defeated like that," Wyper confessed.
"I-I'm sorry," Laki suddenly announced. "It was my fault he was dying because of me."
Wyper glared at Laki. He marched at her and snatched the Aisa's bag from Laki's hands.
"Is this what was so distracting you in battle, Laki?" Wyper demanded angrily. "Are you here to sabotage us? Get in our way and slow us down?"
"No, I'm not," Laki answered. "I feel awful for Kamakiri."
"We're fighting the Priests," Wyper reminded her. "We can't afford to be off-task at all if we plan to make it to God's shrine!"
"I know that apologies won't fix anything, but…" Laki remarked. She stared at the bag Wyper had. "So give this back to me now! This is Aisa's bag!"
Laki grabbed the bag and attempted to pull it away from Wyper grip which was firm. "I promise to gather some for Asia! Please give it back!"
"Would you stop!?" Wyper growled, tugging it back.
"You two seem to fight like a married couple," Simon chuckled as he came out of the tent. The two glared at him causing his chuckling to slow down. "Anyway, I treated Kamakiri wounds the best I could. It's not perfect but..."
As Simon said that, Kamakiri walked out of the tent. His body was heavily covered in bandages, but he was still able to stand. Laki and Wyper stared at him a bit surprised, ignoring the Vearth which dropped into the clouds.
"Kamakiri!" Laki said worriedly. "You shouldn't be standing right now!"
"I can still fight," Kamakiri reassured. He then turned to Wyper. "Wyper, you're right about this being our best time to strike. With one of the Priests gone it makes it easier, however…"
The bandages man turned to Simon. "You might want to hear this guy out. Because...he makes a convincing statement."
Kamakiri walked off with Laki following behind. This was leaving the two leaders alone. The relationship between Luminous Tail and Shandians was unknown to Wyper. He knew their group saved his comrades countless times, yet they have the strength to defeat the Priests and possibly Eneru yet they instead aid his soldiers. He never asked him to treat one of his soldiers, and yet he didn't stop him.
"So what do you want from us?" Wyper questioned suspiciously.
"Don't worry, I'm not here to cause a commotion," Simon said, noticing the leader's glare. "I'm offering a chance to form an alliance with you."
"Man~! What you call a gourmet meal~!" Luffy sighed looking satisfied. Everyone had just finished their meals and they were content. Chopper, Sango and Touma offered to carry everyone's bowls to the pot.
"Hey, do you think it will be sunny again?" Wendy asked, looking up at the dark sky.
"Yeah, I mean the weather still changes while we're up here, right?" Cynthia added.
Usopp was poking the firepit with a stick. "I think since we're above the clouds, the weather might be sunny I guess."
"We should put out the fire if we don't need it," Robin suggested.
"Why Misaka Misaka ask?" Last Order asked.
"It's a safety precaution," Erza answered. "We don't want our enemies having the advantage against us while we're sleeping."
"Hump, what a rookie move," Luffy scolded. This caused Cynthia, Robin, Wendy, and Erza to be surprised by his sudden remark. "You heard that Usopp? She wants us to douse the fire. What are we gonna do?"
"Don't be too hard on her," Usopp replied. "It's not her fault. She has never been exposed to this kind of living before."
"...What are you two talking about?" Robin asked, a bit confused.
The two boys turned her and then immediately threw themselves down at her feet. They began pounding on the ground while crying, making Robin even more confused.
"You're always supposed to have a campfire when you're camping~!" Luffy cried out. "That's what makes it camping~~!"
"T-That's your reason!?" Cynthia exclaimed in comical disbelief.
"Yeah!" Usopp added. "It's a force of the flames fighting through all this wilderness! It reminds us that we're human!"
"Uh...I don't think that's what makes us human," Wendy sweatdropped.
"It's never-ending with those idiots," Nami muttered.
"But you gotta admit, a camp without a campfire is like Gray without stripping," Ray nonchalantly stated.
"Why did you use that kind of metaphor?" Marie asked with a deadpan look.
"Yeah, I don't do it all the time!" Gray added also annoyed.
"...Where are your pants?" Touma questioned noticing Gray was in his boxers.
"Seriously!?" Gray comically exclaimed.
"Would you lay off the sob stories!?" Iona scolded Luffy and Usopp. "You know how dangerous this island can be, we shouldn't let our enemies have the advantage!"
"Don't care," Luffy answered instantly.
"You're really fearless aren't you?" Cynthia questioned whether to compliment his courageous nature or not.
"She's right though," Nami agreed with Iona. "We're in the middle of a war between the Priests protecting their Gods, the guerrilla forming a coup, and a rebel group doing hell knows what! And if it wasn't worse, there are some bloodthirsty monsters waiting around every corner!"
"NOT MONSTERS!" Chopper shrieked.
"Sky Island is scary. Sky Island is scary," Usopp chanted, terrified.
"Nami broke Usopp," Shirabe commented.
"Hey, Luffy~! Is this big enough?!" Zoro called out. He along with Natsu, Sanji, Tsuchimikado, and Hibiki were behind a large stack of logs that stood six feet tall.
"T-That big!" Wendy and Cynthia exclaimed in awe.
"This is just like our annual bonfire back at Academy City," Tsuchimikado said.
"CAN YOU IDIOTS THINK FOR ONE SECOND!?" Nami comically yelled with shark teeth.
"Don't worry Nami," Natsu said, pumping his fist together while smirking. "I'll pound any monster that tries to attack us."
"That and wild animals are afraid of fire," Sanji added. Right after he said that, yellow glowing eyes emerged out of the darkness, getting everyone's attention.
"They're surrounding all of us!" Wendy quickly got up.
"You guys couldn't stay one minute without causing problems," Kuroko sighed.
"It's not like we wanted to lure it!" Nami snapped.
"Good," Gajeel cracked his knuckles smirking. "We have some dummies to practice on for tomorrow."
"Grrr," Emerging out of the pack was an alpha tough-looking wolf with white fur and a scar on his right eye. He then began to snarl out in a rhythm that confused the others minus Chopper.
"You jerks are being so loud that you're scaring our prey~!" Chopper translated copying the dog's emotion. "Why don't you dumb-ass humans go to hell!?"
"WHO'S THE DUMBASS?!" Natsu, Gajeel, Luffy, and Sanji yelled at Chopper.
"He was translating the wolf you dopes!" Lucy comically snapped while dope slapping them.
"Growff! Rowwrr Ruff Rarhhh!" The wolf growled.
"You rotten two-leggers better not be trying to muscle into our domain and take what doesn't belong to you!" Chopper continued to translate.
"No, we're not like that!" Wendy reassured them. "We were brought here against our will!"
"This is our forest!" Chopper translates through the wolf. "You think you can just come in and start building fires?!"
"Who said this is your for-?" Natsu argued only to be backhanded with incredible force by Erza.
"Every part of this forest belongs to us!" Chopper continued to translate through the wolf. "The land, the trees and the ai-"
BONK~!
Natsu, Chopper, Megumi, and Gajeel flinched as Nami stood over the alpha wolf, who was holding the lump on his head in pain.
"NOTHING KEEPING ME FROM THAT TREASURE!" Nami roared angrily.
"...The wolf wasn't even talking about gold," Cynthia mumbled with a sweatdropped.
"Grrr!" Hearing their leader in trouble, the other wolves emerged from the shadows surrounding them.
"Great, things went from bad to worse again!" Usopp shrieked.
"I-I'm too young to be eaten!" Index cried out.
"Me neither~!" Happy added.
"D-Do something, you guys!" Nami announced.
"You're the one who knocked him out~!" Natsu and Gajeel exclaimed with shark teeth.
"Growlll~!" The Alpha wolf howled causing the other wolves to obediently step back.
"Stand down boys~!" Chopper translated. "We may have the massive numbers but they got the raw power, it ain't worth it!"
"R-Raw power," Hime sweatdropped.
The wolf gave Nami a smirking grin. "Girl, you pack one mean punch there. Gotta say you're my kind of angry~!"
"So, this is what a happy ending looks like?" Lilly questioned as Nami and the Alpha wolf smirked at each other.
"At least the others didn't mercilessly beat them as they did with those weird crawling guys," Megumi said.
"You want us to team up with you?!" Wyper questioned, glaring at Simon. "Do you mock our Great Calgara with your achievements in defeating the Priests?"
"That is not my intention," Simon replied calmly. "My comrades and I are Level 1 Criminals who have been in a stalemate with the Priests since Shizuka and Kouta joined them. Also, the Blue Sea-Dwellers are a tremendous threat."
Wyper scowled annoyingly. "If they know what's good for them, those intruders better hightailed out of here."
"You fought them earlier today, correct?" Simon suddenly asked. Wyper acknowledged him by clicking his teeth annoyingly. "...Then you should know what they're capable of."
Wyper frowned, not wanting to admit it, but couldn't help it. He recalled witnessing some of their abilities during his scuffle with them on their ship. He was able to overpower them with ease due to his mantra and combat skills however he would be lying if didn't acknowledge the lack of air that slowed them down.
"If we join forces, we'll have the advantage against our enemies," Simon continued. "Two of my teammates can aid with support, and the element of surprise. While the others are capable of handling the Blue Sea Dwellers and Priests. We'll develop a route so you can defeat Eneru and reclaim the shrine."
"..." At first, Wyper stood up scowling angrily. Simon can tell that the Shandian leader was suspicious of him and his allies that have been aiding his soldiers in the shadows. However, Wyper knew that Shizuka and Kouta were making the war against Eneru and his forces very difficult with their unknown abilities.
After thinking for a while of Simon's offer, Wyper had come up with a decision. "Very well, I accept the terms. However, If your comrades try anything to object to our goal…"
Wyper glared dangerously at Simon. "...Then I will not hesitate to end their lives."
"...I understand," Simon nodded, unphased by Wyper's glare. "I'll take full responsibility if my comrades interfere."
After Nami somehow got respect from the alpha wolf, straw hats, and the wolf pack began their campfire bond party. Natsu, Sanji, Luffy, Chopper, Usopp, Happy, Megumi, Hime, Manatsu, Last Order, and Ray were dancing with the wolves around the campfire. The others were enjoying it in their own way.
"COME ABOARD~! COME ABOARD~!" Usopp chanted while banging on drums. "IT'S THE FESTIVAL OF THE GOLD HUNT~!"
"HOWWWL~!" Luffy, Natsu, and Megumi howled along with the wolves.
"Everyone seems really hyped about the expedition huh?" Misaka said observing the dance while leaning on a tree.
"Yeah," Touma nodded, smiling. "It's nice to at least loosen up after a whole day trying to survive."
Misaka glanced at Touma, blushing a bit. She slowly sat down scooting closer to him.
"Hey is something wrong, zapper?" Touma asked, noticing.
"No, nothing~!" Misaka answered quickly. "And how many times did I tell you, idiot, it's Misaka~!"
"R-Right sorry," Touma apologized. "Anyway, I was wondering how you're holding up? Being outside of Academy City, into a new world full of pirates with powers. It feels like it's some kind of dream, something out of a manga."
"Yeah, it does doesn't it," Misaka nodded while looking up. "Awatsuki obtaining devil fruit power, fighting a clone Accelerator, and the power of this God Eneru...It's so insane and unbelievable if it were Academy City standards."
"I guess when you're outside of the city, you see things differently," Touma added.
"So I'm guessing that when you're outside of Academy City, you're fighting magicians?" Misaka questioned.
"It's not like I wanted magicians to come after me and Index!" Touma argued.
"Yeah yeah, just because of your dumb luck," Misaka joked laughing a little. "Since we're on the same crew, you better not go off handling everything on your own from now on."
"That goes the same to you too," Touma said with a deadpan look.
"I-I can handle myself, idiot," Misaka pouted blushing.
"She Looves him~!" Laura and Happy chanted from behind the tree, causing the two to blush.
Do you wonder why Kuroko doesn't drop kicking Touma in the head? That's because she was drunk and busy having a heated argument with Kinoko.
"Sissy is way cuter than your barbaric Ray~!" Kuroko retorted.
"No way~!" Kinoko argued. "Ray's more powerful and could beat your sissy in no time~!"
Kuroko mocked. "You must be blind as a bat sissy can take him down no problem."
Kinoko slammed her forehead at her angrily. "You wanna say that again pigtail freak?!"
"I'll say it as many times as I want, you childish barbarian!" Kuroko insulted back.
"Honestly, Kinoko could act such a pain sometimes," George scolded while sitting with Wannai, Awatsuki, Gray, and Minori.
"Yeah, Kuroko can be a handful at times," Wannai nervously laughed.
"I think the feud with Natsu and Gray is spreading with the others," Minori suggested.
"Hey, we don't fight each other all the time~!" Gray replied.
"GRAY~!" Juvia appeared out of nowhere hugging Gray. Her cheeks were red looking drunk "Please be mine~!"
"J-Juvia?!" Gray exclaimed comically startled and blushing too.
"Wow~! This is delicious~!" Nami remarked after tasting a purple drink.
"Who would've thought that wolves can make good alcohol~!" Chris smirked a bit drunk, glaring at Zoro and two wolves. "You boys ready for round 2?"
"Bring it on~!" Zoro smirked while the wolves barked.
"Chris is being wild desu," Kirika stated, glancing at her.
"I wonder if Chris becomes a totally different person when she's drunk," Tsuchikmikado thought out loud.
"What do you mean?" Shirabe asked.
"You know how, a kind and gentle senpai, turns into a violent sadistic beast~! Especially when she and her lover ar-"
BANG~!
BONK~!
The blond boy was yet again, out like a light by the hands of Tsubasa and Asuka. "Please refrain from giving those two any ideas." Tsubasa scolded.
While holding a drink, Shervan was watching everyone enjoying themselves around the bond fire while sitting alone on the log. He was busy thinking about what Dimanu said. 'There are seven others just like me...'
"Shervan~!" Shervan was startled to find Cynthia close to him. To his shock, she was slowly ditzy and hiccuping a lot. "You okay buddy~?!"
"Y-Yeah I'm fine~!" He answered a bit flustered. "I-I thought you were hanging out with Wendy."
"Wendy? Oh, she's out for the moment~!" She gestured to her Sky Maidan friend lying on her back with swirls for eyes in the distance. With Charla by her side who was also drunk.
"T-The room is spinning," Wendy mumbled.
"I told you that you shouldn't be having alcohol~!" Charla scolded but hiccupped a bit.
"So why aren't you drinking?" Cynthia asked, closing the distance between each other.
"Well um...~!" Shervan stuttered, turning away, trying to hide his reddening face by how close she was. "...I'm not that good with um…"
"Come on~! Drink~!" Cynthia exclaimed, shoving the drink down Shervan's mouths. "You need to cut loose sometime~!"
The moment he swallowed the alcohol, the boy then found himself puking behind a tree. Cynthia slowly turned towards him, giggling a bit. "Wow~! You aren't an alcoholic, aren't you?!"
"Y-Yeah…" Shervan groaned from behind the tree. "It...always happens when I...drink alcohol…Urp!"
"Everyone's really thrilled for tomorrow aren't they," Yuko said, admiring everyone having a good time.
"It feels kind of cautious to do this, despite being on enemy turf," Marie said, frowning.
"I agree it may be uneasy," Erza added calmly, sipping her drink. "However, it's better to be in high spirits to show our enemies that we aren't scared."
"Um, by any chance are you…" Sango looked down to find Jackal being used as a footstool for Erza's feet.
"What?" Erza questioned.
"N-Nothing~!" Sango answered hesitantly.
"What do you mean nothing?!" Jackal exclaimed with shark teeth. "This bitch is clearly dru-GYHAH~!" Jackal cried comically when the scarlet woman put more pressure down on his back.
"I'm surprised you all are founding well with the cloud wolves," Gan Fall replied, getting Erza, Robin, Sango, Yuko, and Marie's attention. "I know of no one else would hold a festival around Eneru's land."
"It's good to see that you're alive," Robin acknowledged.
"I'm sorry for being a burden to you all," Gan Fall replied.
"Nonsense," Erza said with a smile. "You saved our friends and kept the Going Merry from being burnt down."
"I was only doing my duty," Gan Fall said.
"There's plenty of stew left if you like some," Yuko offered.
"Thank you, but no, not right now," Gan Fall kindly declined as he sat down between Yuko and Robin.
"HEY~!" Luffy called out. "THANKS FOR ALL THE HELP SKY KNIGHT!"
"YEAH THANKS~!" Manatsu added.
"COME ON AND DANCE WITH US~!" Hibiki chimed in.
"YEAH DANCE WITH US SKY KNIGHT~!" Chopper announced.
"Chopper's drunk as well," Yuko nervously said.
Luffy laughed but was caught off guard when a drunkard sky wolf landed on top of him followed by Sanji. "By the way, is Miss Connis alright?!"
"Very much so," He replied. "She along with her father are sheltered in my house."
"Great, I was worried that she'd never see me again!" Sanji sighed in relief.
"How about you and have a one-on-one fight later~!" Natsu said while on top of Sanji.
Another cloud wolf jumped on Natsu's back, followed by Usopp. "Well, I'm happy that both of them are safe and sound. Let's celebrate by tossing Chopper~!"
"Why me?!" Chopper exclaimed. Before he knew it, Sanji and Usopp were tossing the reindeer in the air and caught him on the way down.
Gan Fall witnessed the straw hat pirates having a good time with wolves which made him smile. He never in his life has experienced celebration around the Upper Yard. A thought then came up to the Sky Knight's head. "Pardon my eavesdropping, but I heard your earlier discussion about this Island being known as long ago, Jaya."
"Yes, that's correct," Robin said.
"The ground of the Upper Yard reminds you of the Blue Sea World doesn't it," Gan Fall commented.
"It does," Erza admitted. "When Nami explained how the island got up here, it sounded reasonable."
"Impossible, but reasonable," Marie added.
"You're lucky," Gan Fall scooped up a handful of dirt. "This stuff you're standing on doesn't exist in the Sky. Island clouds are able to support plant life, but it can't generate on its own. Soil and greenery are both foreign to our way of life here. Our people dub the name Vearth. Those living here hold it sacred."
"Man that was tasty," Kaito said leaning back on the tree stump.
"Yeah, Gonta is so filled up," Gonta chuckled, patting his stomach. "Thank you, Maki."
"..." The girl herself ignored him and was busy chewing the meat. She was too deep into the thought of the encounter.
"Still though, things have gotten more complicated ever since he showed up," Kaito commented. "Not only we have to deal with a war tomorrow between the Shandian/ Luminous Tail Alliance, the Blue sea dwellers, and the Eneru's force, but a NOVAH general...Things are going to escalate with that thing around."
"Right, Gonta can't forget what one of them did to that family," Gonta said clenching his fist in anger. "Gonta...wasn't strong enough to save their son, and…"
"Whatever he's planning shouldn't interfere with our main objective of catching the Octadic Slayers," Maki stated. "Once we have their source of magic...then we can use it to stop NOVAH once and for all."
Freddy: Interesting, NOVAH was mentioned in Izumi's Portal Combat story but in this one too. Izumi really wants these two stories to be related.
Shiho: Enough about that, for my favorite character I would go with Dimanu. He has no filter on what he says to people, and a Sea Prism Dragon Slayer makes him intriguing to read about.
Raven: For me it's either Robin or Kinoko. This Robin I would like as a leader rather than our weak charging one in TTG, and Kinoko is an extremal pervert genius~!
Yang: Extremal Pervert, yes. Genius…get back to me on that one.
Freddy: I for one am wondering how Tsuchimikado is able to endure so many beatdowns? He has a surprisingly strong durability.
Yang: In simple terms, the blond boy is his favorite.
Sanya:...Kouta…
Varvula: Kouta? Oh you are referring to Shizuka's young brother right?
Sanya: I just think that he's misunderstood…I don't like Shizuka…
Yang: Tell me about it, she's like an older version of Shiho who turns into a sadistics yuri perv.
Raven: Hey, come on, Shiho isn't that bad. I mean sure she can be scary at times with her mind reading powers, but she won't hunt down women.
Shiho: Why are you guys talking about me like I'm not here?!
Peace: Next Chapter: Enter Eneru: Survival Games.
Sanya: If she does turn that way, then I'll have no choice but to blast her with my Fliegerhammer.
Freddy: I don't think that's necessary, Sanya. I suggest we tie Shiho up and lock her up in the white room we have.
Shiho: Quit ignoring me~!
