Here is chapter 9, uploaded 11/18/17.

"Speech"

'Thoughts'

[Creature speech]

/Radio communication/

:Demonic Speech:

Disclaimer: See heading to chapter 1.

Chapter 9: Heaven's Judgment

The remaining White Berets were all crawling away, with everyone staring at them in confusion.

"Crawling again?" Zoro said as everyone gathered on the beach.

"Still, this is bad!" Nami said. "That old woman at the gate said that we could pass without paying the fee. Then we get up here and we're charged with illegal entry? That's fraud!"

"And we won't mention that we would've just gone past in the first place." Usopp added.

"Not helping!" Nami yelled before Pagaya said that since they were Class-2 criminals, they could no longer help them. "Why are you calling from all the way over there?" Nami yelled to him and Conis.

"We're used to being wanted, so it's no big deal." Luffy said.

"So, what do we do now?" Anna asked, causing Luffy and Nami to get into an argument about leaving and staying.

"How are we gonna get back down?" Vivi asked.

"She's right! We were so focused on getting up here, we never thought about how to get back down." Usopp said before turning to Pagaya and Conis. "Is there a safe way to get back down?"

"It's not really safe because of your situation, but there is a way." Conis said. "You'd have to go to the edge of the cloud, Cloud End."

"And how would we get there?" Elizabeth asked.

"You must take your ship and sail to the East of this cloud." Conis said. "But to do that, you must go back to the White Sea."

"So we can get back to our own sea? Yes!" Usopp said.

"Okay, but we're not leaving just yet." Luffy said.

"Well we can't stay here. We'll only cause trouble for Conis and her dad, so let's at least move the ship." Nami said. "Let's go."

"Right." Everyone said as they all began walking towards the ship.

"Oh yeah." Luffy said before turning around and running towards Pagaya.

"Lucifer!" Nami yelled.

"Hey, old man. Can we have that food back at your house?" Luffy asked.

"Sure. Help yourselves." Pagaya said.

"YES! Sanji, bento!" Luffy yelled.

"Fine." Sanji said as he began walking back.

"Bring me some back." Gin said.

"Hey, would it be alright if I bum some materials off of you?" Usopp asked.

"Go ahead." Pagaya said.

"Alright!" Usopp yelled.

"I left my painting at your house. Can I go get it?" Elizabeth asked.

"Of course." Pagaya said as the five of them began walking towards the house.

"What are you doing Vivi?" Anna asked as Vivi looked back at the beach.

"I hate those White Berets. Those laws were nothing but ridiculous, just like at Ruluka." Vivi said.

"On the ship!" Nami said as she began dragging Vivi to the ship by her arm. "Get on the ship before you do something stupid and bring God's wrath upon us!"

"That's funny. Usually we have to tell something like that to Luffy." Jones said with a laugh.

"I still think we should leave." Nami said.

"That's Luffy's decision. And you should know by now that he's not one to change his mind when it comes to an adventure." Zoro said as the rest of them began to climb up onto the ship. Zoro rested against one of the deck guns, Johnny and Yosaku were preparing the ship to sail, Nami was silently wondering what Luffy knew about this place, Anna was floating up towards the crow's nest, Carue and Vivi were looking out over the rail, Gin was looking for some booze to drink, Arlong and Jones decided to relax a bit, Chopper was sitting next to Vivi and Carue, and Robin was pulling up the rope ladder. She stopped however when she noticed Conis walking towards the ship.

"I have something I wish to tell you." She said. Robin lowered the rope ladder and let her on board while everyone but Zoro gathered around her. She then explained how to get back to the Blue Sea to them, and even offered to help them get there.

"Raise your anchor. I'll be back in a moment." Conis said as she began walking away on the beach. Most of them were now discussing what to do while Robin still looked at Conis.

"You noticed too?" Gin said as he stood next to her.

"Indeed. She was paler and sweating a bit." Robin said as Chopper hoisted up the anchor.

"Well, even if she wants to help us leave, Lucifer said we can't." Nami said.

"Weren't you the one who wanted to leave earlier?" Kuro asked.

"Yeah, but..." Nami said, her mind going back to what Luffy said about this island being doomed if they left. Her thoughts were cut when the ship began rocking.

Back at the house

Luffy was eating the food while Sanji tried to make special bentos for the women, Usopp was gathering supplies to use for the ship and other things, Elizabeth was making sure her painting wasn't ruined, and Nojiko was making sure Luffy controlled himself so he didn't eat all the leftovers.

"The green one here. No, maybe the red one." Sanji said before he noticed Conis walk in. "Ah! Conis-chan~! I made you a bento!"

"It's amazing! It looks more like art than food!" Conis said with a smile. Sanji then got close as he began to explain the name of the bento before Luffy opened his mouth.

"It all tastes the same once you eat it." Luffy said. Sanji then began yelling at Luffy about the food, making Conis giggle and Nojiko smiled.

"Something's wrong with the ship!" Usopp yelled. All the Straw Hats gathered to see the Iowa sailing backwards, a massive shadow beneath the waves.

On the Ship

The whole ship was being rocked by the waves as everyone began stumbling on board.

"What's going on here?!" Zoro yelled as he woke up with alarms blaring.

"The waves picked up! The ship's moving on it's own!" Gin said as they started moving backwards.

"Something's under the water!" Anna said as she quickly floated down to the deck.

"She's right. Something has us." Robin said as she peered over the edge. Just then, a giant shrimp with the word 'GOD' on it appeared below them as it swiftly carried them away.

"What is that thing?!" Johnny asked.

"It's huge!" Yosaku added while Chopper cried.

"Another skyfish or something?" Arlong asked.

"Whatever it is, it's dragging us away!" Vivi yelled while Carue began freaking out.

"Everybody jump ship! I'll stop this thing!" Zoro said.

"I advise against that." Robin said. "Look." Everyone looked where she was and saw giant skyfish following them. "Even if we stop this thing, those skyfish and many more will just appear."

"Hmph. So we're at God's mercy huh?" Zoro said. "Fine. Let's see where this thing goes."

At the house

"That's the Super Express Speed Shrimp!" Pagaya said. "It's a servant of God Enel!"

"God Enel's?!" Nojiko asked before Sanji gasped in horror. His face turned blue as he stared out at sea.

"Nami-san...why?"

"What? What happened to my sister?!" Nojiko asked.

"Why is she...wearing a T-shirt?!" Sanji cried.

"ARE YOU FOR REAL?!" Nojiko yelled while slapping him.

"LUCCCCIIIIIFFFFEEEERRRR! USSSSOOOOPP! ELLIIIIZZZAAAABBBEEEETTTHHH! NOJIKOOOOO! SANNJIIIII!" Came Nami's yell from the ship as the ship got farther away before completely out of sight.

"Why? Why a T-shirt?" Sanji asked again.

"STOP THINKING ABOUT MY SISTER'S BODY AND FOCUS!" Nojiko yelled while slapping him again.

"Where'd they go?" Elizabeth asked.

"Where?!" Usopp shouted before realizing that they didn't know. "Where did they go?" Everyone turned to Conis and Pagaya for an answer.

"Whatever the Super Express Speed takes becomes an offering to God." Pagaya explained. "Meaning that your friends are being taken to Upper Yard. To the Sacrificial Altar!"

"Sacrificial?!" Nojiko gasped.

"You mean that the women and morons?"

"Morons?" Usopp said while slapping Sanji.

"Will be sacrificed?! That bastard! DON'T FUCK WITH ME!" Sanji yelled.

"I am not gonna sit around and let my sister and friends be sacrificed!" Nojiko said.

"Please wait!" Pagaya said, hoping to calm them down. "There's more to it. There are two types of punishment in Heaven's Judgement. There are your friends who are being taken to the Sacrificial Altar, which now places them in God Enel's hands. The second part goes to you five, in which you must face the Ordeals of the Priests."

"What does all that mean?" Nojiko asked.

"If I had a map." Pagaya said.

"Wait. I've got one with me right here." Usopp said as he took out the old map they had.

"It's old, but the shape of the land is the same." Pagaya said.

"You okay, Conis-chan?" Sanji asked.

"Yes. But your friends..." She said.

"Don't worry. I know them. They'll be alright." Luffy said with a grin. Pagaya then went on to explain where the Altar was, about the Priests, the Ordeals, the Milky Roads, and so on.

"In other words, to get our friends and ship back, we gotta walk through the front door, right?" Sanji summed up.

"Precisely. You five must face the frightening power of the Priests of Upper Yard." Pagaya said.

"So we just gotta kick the asses of those Priests, right?" Luffy said before laughing. "That'll be easy! Alright guys, LET'S GO!"

Sanji, Usopp, Nojiko, and Elizabeth had gathered their things and had on new clothes before running after Luffy, who had gone ahead of them towards the beach.

"Oi, Luffy!" Sanji yelled to get him to stop as they all met up with him.

"What's up guys?" Luffy asked.

"Where are you going?" Nojiko asked. "We're supposed to be heading for Upper Yard, not the beach."

"I know." Luffy said. "Don't worry. We'll get there."

"And how are we going to do that when you run off in random directions?" Sanji asked.

"It wasn't random. We needed to be here." Luffy stated.

"What do you mean?" Elizabeth asked.

"I can't say." Luffy said. "Enel's listening."

"He can hear us?" Usopp asked before panicking. "Then he really is God if he can hear us!"

"Everyone." All the Straw Hats looked up to see Conis at the top of the steps looking down at them. "My father sent me here to guide you all to Upper Yard."

"Really? Pagaya did that? That was nice." Usopp said with a smile.

"At least we won't be walking around in circles." Elizabeth said as she munched on a rice cracker.

"Ah~! Being guided by an angel like Conis-chan is nothing but happiness!" Sanji said with hearts in his eyes. The only ones who didn't share in their enthusiasm were Luffy, Nojiko, and Conis herself.

"Well, since you came here, sure." Luffy said with a smile before they all followed her back up the stairs, with Captain McKinley watching from the cover of the clouds with his men.

"Upper Yard is very dangerous." Conis told them.

"It looks more fun than dangerous, plus this could be some training for some." Luffy laughed.

"You could die." Conis said in worry.

"Death will come one day, but that doesn't affect me since I am the devil." Luffy said.

"I'd prefer that we don't die today." Nojiko said.

"We won't. We still have a lot of adventures and stuff ahead of us after this place." Luffy said with a laugh. Conis looked back at them all as they ascended the staircase while McKinley and his men watched.

"They're heading for the wharf." One of them said.

"Should we be following them in that case?" Asked another.

"Quiet!" McKinley barked. "All the other Blue Sea dwellers who have come before were all the same. They spoke of going on grand adventures, but turned tail at the last minute when faced with death." The group soon found themselves on Lovely Street, the sole Shopping District of Angel Island, and were fascinated as they walked on.

"Hey, are they all avoiding us?" Usopp asked when he noticed the locals glaring at them while moving out of the way of their path.

"Word about us being criminals must've gotten around." Sanji said.

"Don't worry about it." Luffy said as they walked on before they came to statue in the middle of the street.

"What is this thing?" Nojiko asked as they stared at the sculptor.

"Is this art?" Elizabeth asked.

"This is Vearth. It represents the eternal yearnings of everyone up here." Conis explained with a smile.

"Vearth?"

"Yearnings?"

"It may sound strange to Blue Sea dwellers." Conis said before walking along. "The wharf is this way." The group followed her to the wharf, with McKinley crawling on the ground out of sight as he followed them. They arrived at the wharf where they saw many gondolas with different sized dials on them.

"Hey, these look pretty amazing." Nojiko said as she looked at all the boats. Conis explained the various types of boats and dials attached to them before showing them the one they were to use.

"Presenting the Little Crow!" She said as she stood next to a small boat with two onboard dials, a black crow figurehead at the front.

"A crow? That's not a water fowl." Sanji stated as they all stared at it.

"I used it before I was good enough to use the waver." Conis explained. "I hope you use it well."

"Hmmm." Luffy said as he stared at the boat.

"I-Is something wrong?" Conis asked, her nervous tone betraying her.

'I knew it.' McKinley thought as he spied on them. 'All talk until they get to the end, then they turn chicken and run.'

"Nothing's wrong. I just really want to use that one." Luffy said as he pointed at the bigger gondola he liked.

"He was just being selfish?!" McKinley whispered harshly.

"Oh, you don't like the Little Crow?" Conis asked with a nervous smile while Sanji began to kick at Luffy's face and demand he apologize to Conis for being an ungrateful asshole, but Luffy either dodged or blocked..

"It's no problem." Conis said as she lead them to the gate and pointed out at it. "All you have to do is take your ship through gate No. 2. You'll...you'll be able to get to your friends that way." She finished while looking down.

"Alright then." Luffy said as he walked towards the boat.

"Hey, Conis." Nojiko suddenly spoke up, gaining their attention.

'Uh oh.' Luffy thought, having an idea as to where this was heading.

"Y-Yes?" Conis asked, her eyes still to the ground.

"You've been trembling since we left your house. Why is that?" Nojiko asked. Conis gasped as the people around them looked at them all, a nervous gleam in their eyes.

"Now that I think about it, you look a little pale." Usopp added.

'Not good.' Luffy thought as he eyed the sky above them. If he stepped in now, the others would get suspicious and might say something that'll be heard by Enel.

"Aww~" Sanji laughed with a big dumb smile. "Conis-chan is worried about me!"

"I'm sure she's worried about all of us, but what about you and your father?" Nojiko asked. "We're criminals, yet you're both still helping us. Won't that make you both criminals as well?" Conis continued to tremble and stare at the ground as she began to break out in a cold sweat.

"This is a trap, isn't it?" Elizabeth bluntly asked, making Conis flinch and everyone else around them tense up at her words.

"Come now," Sanji said with a smile. "As if a sweet innocent flower like Conis-chan would do something so horrible." His smile fell when Conis fell to her knees, tears in her eyes.

"Was I that obvious?" Conis asked in a choked up voice.

"HEY! STOP THAT! DON'T TELL THEM ANYTHING!" McKinley shouted before ducking out of sight again.

"This is indeed...a trap!" Conis sobbed. "And the one who called the Super Express Speed Shrimp...was also me!" Now the people around them were panicking, yelling at her to stop talking, and that it was her duty to lead them here.

'Don't tell me that they're all in on this.' Sanji thought as he eyed everyone.

"When we find a criminal in Skypeia, we must escort them! Or else we'll be killed! That's our duty!" Conis sobbed as they all stared down at her, a stern look on their faces.

"So, you were forced to do this?" Nojiko asked, to which Conis nodded with her hand covering her mouth.

"THEN WHY SAY ANYTHING AT ALL?!" The Straw Hats all shouted, making her look up at them in shock and confusion.

"Now your life is in danger!" Luffy yelled as he kneeled down in front of her before his haki picked up on Enel's power approaching. "EVERYBODY! RUN AWAY!" He yelled as the sky above them shined with an intense light.

"The Judgement's coming!" Shouted some of the locals as they fled, while Luffy summoned his scythe. Everyone watched in fascination as he blocked a massive beam of energy that shot out of the sky. Another beam shot out of the sky straight towards Conis, who was being carried away by Luffy. Luffy looked around before he spotted a blur of polka dot heading towards him before the beam struck the ground, shaking the entire area around them with a deafening roar before it slowly vanished, leaving a bottomless pit where it struck moments ago. Nojiko, Elizabeth, Usopp, and Sanji all stood up and looked around to see the whole area had been obscured by kicked up clouds before calling out for Luffy and Conis.

"Your friends are safe!" Everyone turned to see Gan Fall and Pierre appear, with Luffy and Conis safely appearing in a cloud of black mist.

"It's the weird old knight!" Usopp shouted.

"Weird? I am the Knight of the Sky!" Said Gan Fall.

"And Conis?" Sanji asked.

"I will take care of her. Enel's power cannot reach her while she's with me!" He said before giving them a hard look. "You've seen the true nature of this place! How will you proceed?"

"Simple. We go and get our friends back!" Luffy said with a serious grin on his face.

"I see," Gan Fall said before flying away. "I wish you good luck on your endeavor!" They all watched him fly off before they began to pack their things onto the Little Crow.

"Okay guys. See ya when you get back!" Usopp said before Sanji pulled him into the boat.

"They're going? Without a shred of hesitation?" McKinley whispered in awe as they set sail down the Milky Road towards Upper Yard.

Meanwhile

The rest of the Straw Hats and the Iowa were now resting on top of the Sacrificial Altar, which was surrounded on all sides by Sea Cloud.

"That lobster just up and left us here." Gin said as everyone began looking around.

"Can you see anything up there?" Arlong shouted to Anna, who was floating high up above the trees thanks to her powers. Anna slowly floated back down until she was back on deck with everyone.

"Nope. Just more forest and those strange rivers made of cloud." She said with a shake of her head.

"Where exactly are we?" Zoro asked out loud.

"This appears to be a Sacrificial Altar." Robin explained.

"What is that?" Chopper asked as he sat on the railing.

"It's where lives are offered to God." Robin explained. Chopper sighed in relief as he had been thinking he'd be boiled alive, only for Robin to explain that they were still going to be killed.

"WHAT?! BUT I DON'T WANNA DIE!" Chopper shouted hysterically before losing his balance and falling down the stone steps towards the sea cloud, only stopping when two of Robin's arms sprouted at the bottom step to catch him.

"Nice catch, Big Sis!" Johnny and Yosaku said with their thumbs up while Zoro ran down to get Chopper, only to stop a Skyshark from eating him and sinking with it.

"What happened to him?!" Vivi asked in worry as everyone stared down at the water, and some soldiers pointing guns at the water. They watched the water for awhile before they began to fear the worse.

"He's...not coming back up." Chopper whimpered.

"Did he...get eaten?" Nami whispered in horror.

"AHHHHH!" Chopper screamed in horror. "ZORO GOT EATEN!"

"If he did, then the water would be red by now." Robin said calmly.

"DON'T SAY SUCH MORBID THINGS ROBIN!" Nami shouted at her.

"Not wise." Robin said as she made more arms grow to stop Johnny and Yosaku from jumping in the water after Zoro. They kept watch before the skyshark jumped out, with Zoro holding it's mouth open with his swords.

"There he is!" Gin shouted before they sunk again.

"I guess Zoro's met his match." Jones said with a frown.

"GET OFF ME!" Zoro roared as he punched the skyshark into the air, and the soldiers shooting the skyshark.

"He's okay." Anna said in relief as Zoro walked back up to them.

"You're a swordsman, yet you punched it." Nami said as Zoro took off his wet shirt.

"SHUT IT!" Zoro snapped at her as they all tried to figure out what they were to do next.

"Well, I'm gonna go check out the island." Zoro said as he pulled on a dark blue shirt.

"I'll go with you." Johnny said.

"Me too." Yosaku added.

"I'm coming along." Chris said jumping off the ship.

"Don't slow me down." Zoro said.

"Mind if I join you?" Robin asked with a smile.

"Why do you want to go?" Nami asked as they all looked at her.

"Look at this wall." She said. "This was made 1,000 years ago. A historical marvel like this excites me. Other such items like jewel shards may be found on this island as well."

"I'm coming too!" Nami said with a smile.

"Why are you going?! I thought you didn't want to be here in the first place! And you shouldn't be moving around so much!" Chopper yelled.

"We're going to dig up some history!" Nami said with a big smile, her eyes in the shape of beli symbols.

"I'll go with you guys too." Anna said as she jumped off the ship.

"You too?!" Chopper said in panic. At this rate, everyone was going to leave.

"I feel like a little bit of exploring." Gin added.

"I'm with you there." Jones nodded. He, Arlong, Kuro, Kaya, and Merry.

Vivi and Carue decided to go with Jones's group.

"Alright." Zoro said before clearing his throat and swinging to land. "aaaaAAAAaaaaaAAAAaaaaa!" He yelled.

"What was that?" Nami asked as she stared with a deadpan look on her face. "A call of bravery or something?"

"You obviously don't understand the call of a man." Johnny stated, with Yosaku nodding next to him.

"Call of a man?" Anna asked before shaking her head with a chuckle. "Morons. My turn." Anna said as she swung over, using her lighter body to keep from hitting the ground too hard. "Easy."

"Me next!" Johnny yelled as he grabbed the vine and swung. "AAAAaaaaAAAAaaaaCRAP!" He yelled as he slid down the vine as it neared land, falling onto the ground hard before groaning. "Ow." He muttered as Robin easily swung over and landed next to them.

"Are you okay?" Robin asked with a smile.

"I'm good!" Johnny said as he instantly stood up, trying to act like it didn't hurt.

"AAAAaaaAAAAaaaAAAAA!" Yosaku yelled as he swung over before smacking into Johnny, causing them both to roll on the ground in pain. "Sorry." He moaned.

"You're next Nami!" Anna yelled as the vine swung back to Nami.

"Right." She whispered as she nervously looked at the water, where a few skysharks began eating the one the soldiers shot.

"If you fall, you'll die." Robin yelled calmly.

"NOT HELPING!" Nami yelled at her.

"Come on!" Gin yelled up to her. "Do I gotta push you or something?"

"No! I'm going!" Nami yelled before taking a deep breath and swinging towards land. "FAST! TOO FAST!" Nami yelled in panic as she was heading for a tree, but was stopped thanks to Robin catching her in many arms. "Thanks." She said as she sat in the dirt.

"You're welcome." Robin said.

"AAAaaaAAAA is what you should've done." Zoro told her.

"THAT WOULDN'T HAVE HELPED!" Nami snapped.

Soon everyone is gone and it is just the crew of the Iowa.

"Dallas are they all gone?" Thomas asks without looking up from some charts and reports.

"Yes sir. They are gone." Dallas says lowering some binoculars.

"Good. Is the Wave Engine ready?" Thomas asks turning to Nick.

"Yes sir. We are at 200%." Nick says looking at a monitor.

"Alright. Engage the Wave Engine. Iowa, take off." Thomas orders. As he does blasts of thrust comes from four engines at the bow, two on the keel and one on either side two feet from the anchor that make the bow rise as air comes from the rear of the ship and the ship rises into the air with a light smoke trail coming from the engines. The Iowa hovers about a hundred feet off the ground.

"All right where is the Admiral?" Thomas asks.

"Sir, Admiral is leaving Angel Beach." Dallas says.

"Alright, well lets at least move the ship more into Upper Yard and lets engage the cloaker." Thomas says.

"Yes sir." The crew says. The Iowa then flies off into a northern heading and shimmers as it turns invisible. "Okay this should be a good spot." Thomas says five minutes later. The Iowa slows down and slowly descends into the trees and hovers three hundred feet off the ground.

"What now sir?" Judy Hopps asks.

"Now we just wait and keep an eye for anything suspicious. Admiral has his radio with him." Thomas says.

"As you command sir." Hopps says with a salute(1).

Zoro's group

Zoro, Nami, Robin, Johnny, Yosaku, Chris, Chopper, and Anna were traveling by foot near the river, with Zoro in the lead.

"So, where's God?" He asked.

"Being God, he's probably already watching us." Robin said.

"Wish he'd just save us the trouble and show himself." Zoro said while resting his hand on his swords.

"I'm fine with him staying where ever he is." Nami snapped. "None of you saw what I did!" Memories of the beam of light came to her mind before she dropped to her knees and began praying. "Oh, Merciful God! Please have mercy on our souls!"

"We're not getting anywhere just walking along the river." Said Zoro as he stood at the edge looking at the other side. "Let's cross the river and check things out on the other side."

"Good idea." Robin said as everyone began to gather near the edge.

"But how are we gonna cross it?" Nami asked.

"I can get over easily." Anna said with a smile.

"That doesn't answer my question." Nami muttered while glancing at her before the ground gave way under her foot, causing her to lose balance and fall towards the river. She flailed as a skyshark came up to eat her before it was kicked away by Zoro while he threw Nami away, with Robin sprouting arms to catch her.

"Nice catch!" Johnny said as he and Yosaku applauded.

"You okay Nami?" Anna asked in worry.

"I refuse to cross that river!" She yelled. "I'm not gonna risk getting eaten by those skysharks!"

"Come on, Big Sis. What's an adventure without risks?" Yosaku asked.

"No means No!" Nami yelled at him. "If you guys want to go and get eaten, be my guest!"

"You should've just stayed on the ship if you were scared!" Zoro snapped.

"Hey," Robin said, interrupting their argument. "The ground."

"What about the ground?" Anna asked as Robin held some of the ground with her hand.

"It's soil." She said. The others soon realized that they were standing on ground, and not on cloud.

"She's got a point. It's not fluffy like before." Zoro said as he tapped the ground with his heel.

"How's that possible?" Anna asked. "Isn't Sky Island made of Island Cloud?"

"It appears that there are many mysteries on this island." Robin said as they all looked around. "Definitely worth investigating."

Luffy's group

Luffy, Usopp, Elizabeth, Sanji, and Nojiko were sailing down the Milky Road, their trip having taken a deadly turn as wooden spikes and giant blades started to try and kill them.

"TURN LEFT!"

"NO! TURN RIGHT!"

"JUST PADDLE THE SHIP!" Usopp, Elizabeth, and Nojiko were steering and paddling while Sanji and Luffy deflected any projectile that got too close before a flying blade came at them.

"LUFFY! DO SOMETHING!" Usopp shrieked.

"Right!" Luffy said as he imbued his arms with haki and destroyed the blade. The others sighed in relief as they continued to sail their ship down the Milky Road before coming up to a giant statue of a head with a hand over it's mouth, it's four fingers each leading down a different path.

"What is that thing?" Nojiko asked as Usopp read the words that were etched above the paths aloud.

"Ordeal of Swamp. Ordeal of Iron. Ordeal of String. Ordeal of Balls." He read.

"I'm guessing that those lead to one of the four Priests that we have to fight then." Sanji summed up.

"So they're giving us the choice of who we face first?" Elizabeth asked.

"Yep." Luffy said with a smile.

"But which one do we take?" Usopp asked as his mind began to think of what they might face in each door. From drowning in a swamp, to being crushed by giant iron blocks, maybe dangling by a string high above the ground, or giant balls rolling over them.

"Either way, we have to pick one." Sanji said.

"Balls!" Luffy yelled.

"You sure?" Usopp asked.

"He's the captain, so it's an order." Nojiko said.

"You heard the lady. Balls." Sanji said.

"Alright." Usopp said as he steered the ship down the path to the Ordeal of Balls.

"I can't see anything." Elizabeth said as Usopp shook with his eyes shut.

"Hey, you're piloting this thing. Don't close your eyes." Sanji said with a smirk. Usopp carefully opened his eyes before he started yelling that it didn't make a difference since it was dark before Luffy starting laughing.

"What's so funny?" Nojiko asked.

"This could be like a game and that we might've picked the wrong door." Luffy said.

"WHAT?! WHY DIDN'T YOU SAY ANYTHING?!" Usopp yelled.

"And? How would this be like a game?" Elizabeth asked.

"If we picked the wrong door, we'd fall off of Sky Island!" Luffy laughed.

"FORGET THAT! JOKE OR NO JOKE, THAT'S NOT SOMETHING I WANNA GO THROUGH! WE'RE 10,000 METERS IN THE AIR!" Usopp yelled.

"Did you mean for it to be a joke?" Nojiko asked.

"No. I am actually serious." Luffy laughed.

"Alright, enough of that," Sanji said as light shown at the end of the tunnel. "We're not gonna fa-" His words died on his tongue as they exited the tunnel and were now hanging comically in the air. The Milky Road had taken a nosedive and disappeared beneath the clouds right below them. Luffy grinned while the others had different looks of shock and horror on their faces before they finally started to fall, with Usopp screaming out, "THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENING!" Luckily, they fell right back onto the Milky Road below the cloud with a loud crash before sailing onwards.

"Are we...alive?" Elizabeth asked as she fearfully looked around.

"I weally thought...we were fawing back to da bwue sea..." Usopp squeaked out as tears and snot ran down his pale face.

"YOU HAD TO SAY SOMETHING THAT STUPID!" Sanji yelled as he and Nojiko kicked and punched Luffy.

"THAT WAS FUN! I WANNA DO IT AGAIN!" Luffy laughed.

"WE DON'T!" Nojiko yelled before taking a deep breath to calm herself. "Anymore surprises you wanna tell us about?"

"No. The Ordeal will have enough of those." Luffy said as they sailed on. After awhile, they came across a strange sight. Giant white orbs were floating everywhere around them.

"Is this the ordeal?" Usopp asked.

"Doesn't look like much." Sanji said.

"Looks can be deceiving." Nojiko said as Elizabeth carefully reached out and gently poked an orb, making it float away.

"So, are one of those Priests supposed to be here?" She asked, making Usopp look around in worry.

"If he is, where is he?" Sanji asked.

"He's here." Luffy said. "And he's not someone to take lightly."

"Ho! Ho-Hoooo!" Everyone jumped and began to look around the area. "I'm so glad you chose my Ordeal." They all looked up to see a big fat man with long red hair and glasses with a wide brim yellow hat on his head, white body suit, and yellow shoes and gloves sitting on top of white orb. "Heso."

"That's a Priest?" Elizabeth asked with a tilt of her head.

"He looks more like a dumpling." Nojiko said.

"Hey! Where are Nami and the others?!" Sanji yelled.

"The sacrifices? Who knows? They won't live long anyway. If they stay where they are, they'll die. If they leave, they'll still die. Ho-Ho-Hoooo!" Said the man as he began to dance.

"Why is he dancing?" Usopp asked as a white orb came near them.

"Watch out!" Luffy yelled as Usopp looked at it, his nose poking into it. No sooner did that happen did it explode, engulfing them in smoke before it cleared.

"Do you like it?" The man asked. "They're called Surprise Clouds! You never know what's gonna pop out of them! Ho-Hooo!"

"If anything's happened to my sister or friends, I'll kill you myself!" Nojiko yelled as she waved the smoke away.

"I think you should be more worried about yourself. If you wanna continue onward, you'll have to defeat me first." Said the round man before jumping off his cloud towards them.

"Here he comes!" Usopp yelled while hiding behind the mast. "Thrash him, Luffy!"

Luffy summoned his Nodachi and sent a slash at the man.

"Oh? You're going to slash at me." Said the man with a smile. The round man easily dodged before throwing his hand at Luffy's face. He lifted his other arm up to his face just as the man sent Luffy flying off the boat and into a tree.

"What?!" Sanji yelled as they looked at Luffy, who was shaking his head before glaring up at him.

"How'd he do that with a weak punch?!" Usopp asked in disbelief.

"Well, this isn't exactly a punch." Said the man.

"Bastard! Collier-" Sanji yelled.

"An upper kick using the right foot." Said the man as he moved to dodge.

"SHOOT! What?" Sanji said as his kick was dodged.

"The ability granted to those who practice the art...Mantra!" Said the man.

'Crap! He can predict my moves!' Sanji thought before he was blasted to the ground.

"SANJI!" Usopp yelled while Nojiko and Elizabeth stared at the man.

"You...!" Nojiko growled before reaching for her weapons.

"A shot aimed for my head, and a slash to my chest." Said the man before he dodged her pistol and knife, then blasted her away.

"No way!" Usopp whimpered. "How's he hitting them all?"

"It's not a normal hit. Impact!" Said the man before blasting Usopp away. "The shockwave attacks your body from the inside.

"C-c-colors Trap!" Elizabeth stuttered.

"Sadness Blue." Finished the man as he dodged Elizabeth's paint and blasted her away, leaving all five of them on the ground.

"You guys alright?" Luffy asked.

"Ow." Elizabeth whimpered as they all started to get up.

"He predicted...everything." Nojiko groaned.

"He apparently has Observation Haki." Luffy said as he placed his hat on his head.

"My name is Satori, and I'm one of the Priests who serve under our almighty God, Enel." Said Satori as he danced on their boat. "I control the Vearth of the Lost Forest."

"Lost Forest?" Usopp wheezed out.

"Yes. That is the name of this forest." Said Satori before he pushed the pedal on their boat, making it speed down the Milky Road. "And what's lost is your ship."

"HEY!" Usopp yelled as they watched their ship sail on.

"The ship shall sail onward down the Milky Road all the way to the only exit." Satori explained. "And to lose your ship means to lose the only way to the Sacrificial Altar. You have to board your ship before then to get out of here. But I highly doubt you'll be able to do so with all these Surprise Clouds and I blocking your path. Welcome to the forbidden holy land, Upper Yard! Ho! Ho-Hooo! The probability of surviving the Lost Forest is 10%. The Ordeal of Balls!"

"Only 10%?!" Usopp asked with a gulp.

"Don't worry," Luffy said with a grin as he looked at his friends. "We'll all survive and get back to our friends."

"Only if you do the fighting." Elizabeth said. "None of us have Haki, so we can't touch the guy."

"Observation Haki can be bypassed if the user loses concentration." Luffy said, remembering his teachings.

"I think I understand." Sanji said as he lit a cigarette. "So you're saying that if we somehow surprise him, he won't be able to predict our attacks."

"Yep. And if you're fast enough, it won't matter if he can see it coming since he can't dodge it." Luffy explained.

"That's great and all, but what about the-"

"Stopped it!" Luffy called from the boat. Everyone, including Satori, looked up at Luffy as he grinned from the boat.

"Huh?" Said Satori as he looked at where he was to where he used to be. "How did you...?" Luffy only smirked while Satori's thoughts raced. 'I didn't even see him move! A teleportation power of some sort?'

"Well, we don't have to worry about the ship." Nojiko said as they all looked up at Satori.

"Now all we have to do is take out fat boy and we can leave." Sanji said after exhaling some smoke.

ElderH: Aaand as always, leave reviews, except flames, don't bother because I will just ignore them.

Nami: So when is the next update?

ElderH: Should be in two weeks, but with christmas approaching updates will be late.

Straw Hats: Whaaaat?!

Jones: Why?

ElderH: Well my job will be taking up a lot of my time. I work for UPS and our christmas hours start next week, so going from 5 AM in the morning to starting at 12 Am and getting off after 12 Pm and occasionally driving I will be busy.

Luffy: So you will update when you can then.

ElderH: Yes Lucifer, that is what I am saying.

Thomas: Well then, I guess till next time readers.

Elderh: Thanks Thomas.