Chapter 15
The Word of God
"Look! I told you! Somebody was here before! It wasn't a dream after all! Someone fixed the Going Merry!"
Maxwell looked over Merry's handiwork from last night. The whole crew came back after breakfast and saying goodbye to the skywolves, and most of them were confused. The Going Merry was back in her original form. No sign of chicken-wear anywhere.
Her main mast was back on deck, covered in dubious amounts of sheetmetal. The holes in her haul were similarly patch-worked. There was no real pattern to the repairs, it was like the metal version of slapping on bandaids. Maxwell had to sweat-drop, realizing even some the nails and rivets were bent from being hammered in. If he had known the results would have looked like this, he would have sailed across to help.
Despite the amateur work though, Maxwell had to smile. The ship looked ready to sail, and rest of the Straw Hats were looking at it like it was some big mystery.
"Alright! Time to move out, you lazy bums!" Nami called out to all the crew, "Escape Team, finish up what we were doing last night! Explore Team, get ready for adventure!"
"Okay! I'll distribute the food!" "Luffy... That is the one task I will never assign to you."
Maxwell shook his head and silently chuckled. He just decided to move all the luggage off the bird boat. Magic help for that sort of work.
"I'm amazed you aren't asking more questions..." Maxwell was greeted by the armoured form of Gan Fall, "For your ship to have been repaired so quickly is a miracle... Unless you know something about it?" Pierre then cawed in assent with his master.
Maxwell glanced up back at the ship and smirked, "...I know something about it. The crew should too, but if they hadn't figured it out yet... Well that's their fault." Could he have told the crew? Sure, but Maxwell preferred to let them stew on it.
The sky knight raised an eyebrow towards the mage, but nodded anyways. He wasn't going to question the dealings of a sorcerer.
"Are you going to head off as well?" Maxwell asked the old man, "Between the whistle blown and Chopper giving you the leave, you don't really have a reason to stay here."
Gan Fall looked at the Going Merry as if looking at another problem, "...With two of Enel's priests defeated, there is a chance to end Enel's tyranny once and for all." The old knight started walking up the steps, "You lot will likely be caught up in the struggle... Call it an old man's intuition, but I think I'll stick around for a bit." Pierre then followed his master up the steps, hopping like birds do.
Maxwell didn't question him either. Besides, a chevalier sounded like a good ally against God right now.
"Gather up," said Nami. The crew had gathered up on the shore once the Going Merry was safely in the lake. Usopp and Chopper were responsible for getting her off the altar. It involved, a sky shark, live bait, and Usopp's new gadget, the grappling shot belt. The belt did have a name, but to Maxwell it just sounded like incoherent yelling.
"Look at the map," They were currently somewhere on the northeastern part of the island, "This is the Explore Team's route: A straight line to the south. In this 'right eye' place, there should be a ruin of some sort." The map depicted a pyramid like structure east to the cloud lagoon, "Watch out for enemies and bring the gold!"
"You're making it sound easier than it really is..." Usopp commented on Nami's instructions.
"Huh?" Luffy looks up from the map, "You keep saying 'gold this' and 'gold that,' but in the end, you're not going to get the gold yourself?"
"Duh. It's scary."
Maxwell had to deadpan at how nonchalantly she said that. Nami's avarice knew no bounds, "Anyway, at the same time, we will navigate the Merry through the island, which is very dangerous too. We will land on shore as close to the ruin as possible. Then the teams will meet at the shore and leave this sky island! Thereafter, we will be known as the richest pirates around and we can buy anything we want~!"
"YEAH!" The whole crew yelled in response.
"Look! The weather is nice today!" "That's 'cause we're on top of the clouds." "Let's all meet again on the eastern shore!"
"Alright!" Luffy called out, "LET'S GO!"
O O O
Usopp stood at the front of the ship, "Ah~ this is great. Our cruise is long along nicely. Although it is a bit slow... Hey guys! Can you speed this up?" Maxwell glared at him as he stood with his staff in hand.
The crew had long decided Maxwell should be with the Escape Team. Sanji, Nami, and Usopp were all aboard too, with their knightly guest. Maxwell had always been their un-official helmsman when it came to sailing. The rest of the crew could operate the Going Merry any time they wanted. However, they didn't have the same responsiveness with the ship as Maxwell had with his magic.
That said they, they weren't relying on the wind or magic, "The current of the Milky Road is too rough, so we can only rely on the dial boat to push us along. There's nothing we can do, 'Captain Usopp.'" What Nami didn't mention was the risk of falling off the milky roads. Some of them floated in the air like bridges.
"Alright! Go Karasu-maru!" The bird headed boat was pushing them from the rudder, "By the way, Sanji, you need to be my bodyguard. This forest is too creepy."
"Shut up. I am a bodyguard exclusively for Nami."
"Okay..." Usopp then looked to Max, "Hey Maxwell, can you be my—?"
"Usopp, man up, we're all in the same boat here."
Gan Fall then spoke up from the place he was sitting, "If I may, I would like to tell you all a bit of history of this country..."
Both Usopp and Maxwell look at the old knight, "I was, until six years ago, the 'God' of this island..."
"Did you fall on your head, old man?" Maxwell elbowed Usopp in the stomach for that comment. It saved him a horse-bird from chomping down on his head.
"...The first appearance of this Upper Yard in Skypiea was like you said before, roughly 400 years ago. It is said that before the appearance of this island, Skypiea was a very peaceful sky island. They treasured the items from the Blue Sea that occasionally arrived in the sky via the Knock-Up Stream. All the vearth in sky islands appeared in that manner. However, for a piece of land as big as Upper Yard to appear in the sky was truly... a miracle. The People of the Sky automatically assumed that this land was a divine gift, a holy land from heaven. We were very happy."
Gan then sighed, "...But this island already had residents. So this started the war for the land. Those residents were called the Shandians." Everybody had circled around by now, listening to the tale.
"They're the raiders...?" asked Usopp.
"That is correct."
"So then those guys are part of the ancient civilization of Java?" Sanji suggested.
"Yes. They came to the sky along with the island."
Nami sat down, leaning against the rail, "And they were forced out of this place!?"
"That is so," the knight nodded, "The People of the Sky robbed them of their home out of selfish intentions..." His sight then turned downcast, "For 400 year the Shandians have been at war with the Citizens of the Sky. The Shandians are only trying to retrieve their homeland."
"That's... sad..." Nami rest her head on her hugged knees.
"So then it's all your fault!" Sanji and Usopp shouted. Maxwell whacked both of them with his staff, on their heads. Thus, avoiding another head chomping attempt by Pierre.
"That is correct. It is as you said..." Maxwell looked at Gan with surprise. Most men looked at their history as an accomplishment, rather than a mistake. Especially the ruling class.
"What about Enel?" Nami asked the old man, "Who's God Enel?"
Gan seemed to stare into space, recalling difficult times, "Six years ago, when I was still the God... He appeared out of nowhere, leading a powerful army. He gave the God's Militia and the Shandians a devastating defeat. Since then, he has been in control of Upper Yard... I heard that the God's Militia is held captive somewhere doing intense labor, but I do not know the details... But for the Shandians, it matters not who the God is. They simply continue ferociously trying to reclaim their home."
Sanji's curly brow furrowed, "If all they want is to retake their homeland, why did they attack us back when we first arrived in the sky?"
"That is because the aforementioned God's militia in captivity sometimes attempt to escape on ships. They're the Shandians' enemies, so the raiders attack them without mercy... They probably mistook you as some of the escapees."
"What? They tried to kill us just because of that?" Sanji looked mildly affronted at the reasoning. The Shandians appeared to be unrelenting when it comes to old grudges.
"One of the reasons why I became the Knight of the Sky was to help those escapees reach other sky islands safely. They are considered criminals, so they cannot stay in their homes, within Enel's sphere of influence," Gan explained.
Sanji huffed out a breath of smoke, "If what you said is true, then God Enel is nothing but a tyrant."
Usopp chops chops his hand at Sanji, "Hey, hey, hey, stop the blasphemy, you idiot! The Almighty 'God' sees all!" He then crouches and fearfully starts chewing his fingernails, "Could he have heard that just now?"
"Since when did you start to talk like a Skypiean citizen?" Sanji had waved away Usopp's gestures and looked at him annoyed.
"Tyranny...? No. It's much worse than that," Gan shook his head mournfully, "Nonetheless, Enel uses various excuses to turn travellers like yourselves into criminals and push the citizens of Skypiea to take part in capturing the travellers. Through this process, the citizens have developed 'An Awareness of Sin.'"
"What...!?" Maxwell eyes start to widen at the implications.
"When one feels that one has sinned by one's action, one becomes the most vulnerable. Enel knows this. He creates these 'lost lambs' and controls them... as if he really is an almighty god... He is powerful indeed..."
Maxwell wasn't sure what to say. He could make a few comparisons: Teveniter's use of slavery, the Chantry's bigoted leadership, the free-reigned Seekers. All of them had obvious flaws that could have made them dictators. But this? This was just fear.
"...When we first went to Angel Beach, I actually thought this was paradise..." Nami dragged a hand over her face, "This is absurd... The ancient golden city really has gone to an incredible place..."
"...Now that you mention it," Gan looked over at Nami, "The things that you were screaming about last night... That 'Gold' thing. What is that?"
...
...
...
Huh?
"You... You don't know about gold...?" Maxwell asked slowly.
"Yes. What exactly is it?"
Maxwell stumbled with his words, "Well... it's... er... Well you see—"
Nami practically teleported over to Max and covered his mouth, "Oh it's nothing! Just something we like to collect! It's a weird hobby really!" Nami smiled like it was something be concerned about—"
Maxwell pushed their navigator off himself, "Nami!" He gave her a glare and the woman had to pout, not the least bit remorseful, "...Gold is perhaps one of the precious luxury materials on the Blue Seas. It's a... shiny-yellow metal that can be made into various pieces of art and jewelry... Sweat Andraste. It's often coveted due it's sheen. How it nerved rusts, tarnishes or disintegrates, no matter how much time passes. It's... well suffice it to say, it's a precious metal." Nami glares at the crewmate at how little he did the metal justice.
Gan Fall just eyes him like he just did something suspicious, "...Huh."
Maxwell's eyes shifted around. The silence was so awkward...
"...Would you be so kind as to get a barrel and a hammer? I'd like to show you all something."
"Yeah! Sure! I'll... just do that!" Maxwell walked off, thankful for the excuse. He never thought he's ever had to explain such a thing in his life. It. Was. GOLD! MONEY! The stuff men have fought and died for! The thing thieves and criminals sought to claim! The thing that hung around a woman's neck when men weren't looking at their chests! "…Where did that thought come from?" The sky really is a strange place...
Maxwell brought up the barrel and Gan Fall placed a dial ontop of it, "When we first met, I presented myself to you as a mercenary, because the citizens of the Blue Sea are quite incapable of Sky Combat. Now watch closely."
Nami looked at the shell, "What is this thing for?"
"You will know soon enough. Now, try to break the shell." Max passed Sanji the sledge hammer. He wasn't sure what was going to happen with Gan's instructions.
Usopp frowned in concern, "Do it gently, Sanji! If you make a hole in the deck, I'll kill you!"
"Hit it as hard as you can." "DON'T SAY THAT JUST 'CAUSE THIS AIN'T YOUR SHIP!"
Sanji brought the hammer over his shoulder, "...Well, here I go," and leaned back to swing.
"Wait—! Do you have to swing so hard—!?" Sanji brought the hammer down onto the shell. Yet, neither the shell or the barrel were affected.
Usopp sighed in relief, "Phew... I to you gently, but not that gently... You didn't even damage the barrel..."
Sanji rubbed his jawline as he looked down at the shell, "Strange... I swung as hard as I could. I thought it'd break into pieces... It's as if this dial absorbed all the impact somehow..."
"Eh?" Maxwell, Usopp, and Nami look at it strangely.
"Now aim the open side of the dial at the barrel... And press the part you're facing..."
Sanji took the shell and carefully pressed it against the barrel, kneeling down while doing so. None of them really knew why Gan was having them do this but—
*BOOM!* "KYAAH!" "GYAAAH!" "SWEAT ANDRASTE!"
When Sanji pressed the dial, the barrel exploded into pieces. It even had enough force to fling Sanji into the railing. The dial merely fell from were it had exploded, totally intact.
"...What you saw was an Impact Dial. It absorbs and stores energy from impacts to be released later. They are usually fixed to the palm under a glove or a bandage. A direct hit is enough to kill a normal person." Maxwell 'loved' how Gan Fall said 'normal.'
Sanji sat up from the deck, "Eh Usopp, doesn't that remind you of something...?"
Usopp came out of his hiding place from the sudden explosion, "...Yeah... That meatball priest was using the same thing..."
"According to legends, there existed even more powerful dials on the sky islands. For example, the now extinct 'Reject Dial' had a power 10 times stronger that and impact dial. However, it is also said that the dial was so strong that it could kill the user. It was a double-edged sword, therefore, it was rarely used."
"What a dangerous dial... It might as well be a weapon!" "Speaking of which, WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME EARLIER!? IT SCARED THE HECK OUT OF ME!"
Nami ignored the guy's comments, "I thought that dials were just like everyday accessories..."
Gan nodded, "That is still true—However, any tool that benefits man... can also harm man. It is a up to the user's intentions." Maxwell understood that lesson all to well. It was one of the reasons mages were taken into the Circles in the first place.
"Dials are very useful, that's true... But they can also be devastating in battles." The knight looked over at Maxwell, "For example, the heat dial, used for cooking, when equipped on a lance, a super heated 'fire lance' is created. The same goes for a flame dial, that stores flames. If equipped in a bird's mouth, a rare and powerful fire-breathing bird is born."
"So that's how they were able to use fire so much...!" Maxwell nodded, understanding what the knight was saying, "...And Sky Combat includes the use of these dials, doesn't it?"
"Correct. The citizens of the Blue Seas, who are not aware of the different types of dials, nor about the artificial clouds, don't stand a chance against warriors perfectly trained to them."
"Wait a minute," said Sanji. The cook had just finished cleaning up the remains of the barrel, "What about that mind reading Mantra?"
Gan's face began to harden, "...As I do not know how to use Mantra myself, it's quite hard for me to explain it. It is said to be a power of perception. Every human would emit a kind of voice inside their body." Maxwell's eyes narrowed. It seemed like his theory was starting to become more affirmed.
"A voice?" Sanji asked.
"Yes. One can predict a person's next move by listening to it. With training, it seems the range of Mantra can be increased... The priests are then able to hear everything that happens on Upper Yard. Enel can extend the range further to cover every sound in this entire country. It's a terrifying power! I do not know the logic behind that power either..."
"...Perhaps it's a collaboration of powers?" Salem spoke up from Maxwell's hip, "Mantra can evidently be taught, but perhaps it is being enhance by whatever else this Enel uses. The man can attack with lightning can he not? A Devil Fruit, perhaps?"
"You... You have a talking book?" Gan looked at the grimoire in surprise.
"And a skull, and a sword hilt! He really is magical~" Usopp pointed out. Maxwell gave him the stink-eye for the jibe.
"A talking book. How interesting..." Everyone sprung to their feet and looked to the prow. There was a new voice on the ship, God Enel was here, "Perhaps it could serve for my bible. The woman's pretty enough... Perhaps she can become an altar girl with it?"
"Why you dirty son of a—!" *TZZZ—CRACK!*
Sanji had lunged to kick Enel. However, before he could even get close, Sanji was suddenly flash fried with blue lightning. His body was smoking and burnt.
"SANJI!" The three crewmates hurried to his side, kneeing down beside him. That attack snapped Maxwell out of any headache he might have had. Sanji had just been flash fried and unconscious! Maxwell immediately started casting healing magic. What in the Maker was that!? He never imagined someone could take down Sanji so quickly! Usopp was talking erraticly, trying to coax Sanji to wake up.
"Yehahahahaha!" Maxwell looked up and glared as he heard the god laughing, "What an idiot. Attacking me was not a good idea... Amusing. Even when I didn't come here to kill you."
"Then why are you here!?" demanded Gan Fall. He had his lance out and stood ready to thrust.
"Yehah—Such a cold greeting!" Enel smirked, "Especially since we haven't seen each other in 6 years, Former God Gan Fall."
Maxwell's Trevelyan temper bubbled inside him. He desperately wanted to strike back at Enel. However, Maxwell had to put a lid on that for now. He had to focus on healing Sanji. The bastard didn't even care he nearly killed Sanji, for all his intentions.
"THAT BASTARD! HE... HE KILLED SANJI! ...THERE'S NOTHING! HIS HEART ISN'T EVEN BEATING—!" "Usopp! Shut up and let me work! He's not dead!" "...MAX, YOU REALLY CAN BRING BACK THE DEAD!" "USOPP!"
Gan eyed away from the crewmates and turned his full attention to Enel. The tyrant was revelling in the terror he inflicted, "Enel!"
"You needn't be so resentful. We haven't seen each other in so a long. Why wouldn't you be happy about it? Well, Gan Fall?" Gan merely glared as the self-proclaimed god laughed.
Usopp then got up and held up his dukes, "H-Hey, you bastard!" He was shivering like a leaf.
"Usopp, what are you doing!?" "What did you do to Sanji!? J-J-J-Just try something else! My 8000 subordinates will have you surrounded in a heartbeat. But... If you run away now, I-I'll let you live. How about that?"
Enel looked at Usopp with a bored face and disappeared in a blue crackle, "He... Ran away?"
"USOPP!" Maxwell watched as Usopp barely turned to see Enel right in front of him. Enel touched Usopp's forehead, and the sniper was suddenly electrocuted like Sanji.
The mage sprung up to swing his staff at the would be god. He missed Enel, but Maxwell anticipated this, activating his own electric aura, the Static Charge. It was a passive spell, but it was good in a fight. Just in time too, Enel was about to poke him with lightning.
The aura rebuffed Enel and his electric touch, slightly making his eyes open. Maxwell took this chance, summoning a glyph for Energy Barrage. Arcane bolts flared in Enel's face, but they too missed. Enel had disappeared into lightning just before they fired off. Maxwell kept his eyes out for the God of Skypiea not taking any chances.
"Interesting," Maxwell spun around, swinging those magical missiles with his staff. Enel stood on Merry's figurehead with his own golden staff. He batted away the magic as they came at him, "You do intend have some control over lightning," Enel then suddenly appeared behind him with his staff against Maxwell's spine.
"But your skill is amateur, compared to mine. 10,000,000 volt, Vari."
"AAAGGGHHH!" Pain erupted from Maxwell's back as electricity surged into him. Thousands of thousands of volts coursed through the mage's body. It overwhelmed any resistance his magic afforded him. He could feel it all. The heat of Enel's amperage. His muscles spasming from the current. It was frying his skin, burning his hair, wringing it his voice raw. The sensations all happened so fast, he didn't know how long it lasted.
Maxwell barely realized he was falling over as he finally succumbed to unconsciousness.