Nine Minutes

by Diablo Snowblind

During the final fight with Crocodile, Luffy makes a mistake and ends up dead. His heart stops beating for over nine minutes, before he is finally resuscitated. Who knew what a difference those nine minutes would make?

13. The Ordeals

Chapter 13: The Ordeals

---

Disclaimer: Yep, I still don't own One Piece.

---

Previously:

Luffy and his crew land in Skypiea, were people are starting to move against the tyrannical 'God' Enel. The pirates are separated and forced to fight in the Ordeals; Nami and Vivi versus Priest Ohm in the Ordeal of Iron, Chopper and Zoro trying to escape the Ordeal of Swamp, Usopp and Sanji against Priest Satori in the Ordeal of Balls, while Luffy and Robin are being hunted by Priest Shura in the Ordeal of String.

Meanwhile, there are others entering Upper Yard…

---

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

The battleship floated low in the cloudbank as it crept sluggishly through the Sea Cloud. It hadn't been a good week for the marines. The battleship was a beast of steel and heavy artillery, and the Sea Cloud simply wasn't dense enough for it float properly. The ship had been damaged severely in the knock-up stream, and it had been sinking slowly ever since. Even after haphazard repairs and abandoning excess weight, the ship was still falling to pieces.

Smoker was at the front of the prow, his familiar position, staring out over the spotless sea of white-blue clouds. In the distance, a large lump of darkness was gradually coming into view. The frown on Smoker's face seemed darker than ever.

"How's the prisoner?" The captain asked finally, not turning to face the lieutenant approaching from behind him.

"Nervous," Tashigi admitted quietly. "But she's talking."

Smoker nodded. A lot of his men, Tashigi included, had been nervous to arrest the defenceless, wrinkly old woman standing at Heaven's Gate. The gatekeeper, Amazon, had seemed like the epitome of the innocent grandmother.

Still, Smoker hadn't been fooled. He had already been pre-warned about this place by the old 'Knight of the Sky' that had flown by, and when Amazon told them that they could pass without paying, every instinct the captain had flared up. Smoker recognised a scam when he saw one, and so he had ordered his men to arrest the old woman.

It didn't take much interrogation before the old woman told them everything. She confirmed everything that Gan Fall had said and more. There was a tyrannical overlord in Skypiea calling himself 'God', forcing everyone to worship him under pain of not just death, but immediate and widespread death. Smoker had never really been one for worshipping anything, but this man sounded closer to a demon than a god.

In this distance, the outline of an island floating in the sky came into view. Upper Yard, the forbidden holy land, Smoker remembered the old gatekeeper's warning. His scowl just deepened as he stared, his teeth chewing on his cigars.

"Are you sure about this, sir?" Tashigi asked finally, staring at the overgrown island. In the distance, a huge beanstalk pierced the sky

"Don't ask silly questions, Tashigi."

She bristled slightly. A lot of the marines were nervous - and she couldn't blame them. They had ended up ten thousand meters in the sky, in a legendary place where the World Government had no authority. The sky islands.

On the first day, a raider with a bull's mask and a bazooka had nearly destroyed the ship singlehandedly. Now, rumours had quickly spread through the marine soldiers that they were on their way to arrest God, and the mood had become tense.

"We're ten thousand meters away from the surface world," Tashigi pressed nervously. "We can't even get a signal on our transponder snails. There's no backup, and you're going to go arrest the man who rules this place. The Marines have no authority up here."

Smoker glanced at her darkly. "Justice has authority everywhere, with every step we take, Tashiigi."

From across the deck, lounging in the sun, Captain Hina sighed gently. "Don't bother arguing when he gets like this, Tashigi," she said sympathetically. "Hina learned long ago that you can't stop him when he starts to go on about 'Justice'."

Tashigi stared at her captain with her hands on her hips, frowning. Finally, she spoke quietly. "Are you sure this is actually about Justice, Captain?"

He didn't respond. Tashigi continued softly, "You don't think that you're able to capture the Straw Hats in time, do you?" Smoker twitched slightly, but didn't reply. "Instead, you need to do something big and bold to distract the higher-ups from that failure. What's the plan here - claim Skypiea for the World Government singlehandedly?"

It was a long time before the Captain answered. He took a deep breath of one of his cigars. He'd been smoking more of them than ever, lately. "Go inspect the cannon deck, Tashigi, make sure the powder's all dry and the barrels are oiled." Smoker ordered woodenly. "And do not question my orders again."

The command hung in the air, like a line that could not be crossed. Slowly, Tashigi nodded and started to walk away. Hina simply stared at Smoker suspiciously.

"You realise that there isn't any law up here, right?" Hina said quietly.

Smoker grunted, taking a deep breath of his cigar. "There is now."

The tribunal was less than a week away. A Vice Admiral was already on their way to apprehend Smoker and Tashigi. If they weren't present, on the Blue Sea, by then, they would be guilty of open defiance against an official command. If they didn't have Monkey D. Luffy by then, there would be no chance of surviving the tribunal. For the first time in his career, Smoker was left seriously doubting the methodology of Marine high command.

Despite everything, Smoker loved the Marines. He had dreamt of being a Marine Admiral ever since he was a child, and even underneath his rebellious attitude, that dream had never faded. Now, he was trapped between loyalty to the Marines and loyalty to his own subordinates. It was a conflict between Marine ideology and his personal morality. The internal debate felt almost like a conflict of interests, and it was slowly choking him.

Still, Smoker was a soldier. He needed something to do - he needed an enemy to fight.

The dark shadows of Upper Yard towered over the ship. The island was an enormous slab of dirt and soil floating on the clouds, loomed over by trees and roots that twisted into the sky. An ominous shiver passed through the ship as they approached.

"Prepare the anchor!" Smoker yelled loudly, casting any doubts to one side. "Arm up and ready a raiding party! I want a beachhead established by the next hour, and then we march up to this so-called 'God's Shrine!'"

At once, the crew launched into action. Every marine was shambling around the deck, frantically busy while carrying a rifle over their shoulder. Hina cast a cool glance over towards Smoker. "Last chance to back down," she muttered so quietly that no one else but he could hear it.

He didn't seem to respond. Instead, the captain turned to Tashigi. "Lieutenant!" He snapped. "I want you to lead the expedition party. Get ready."

Smoker glanced at Hina with irritation. The tall, pink-blond haired woman seemed completely unfazed. "Hina," Smoker muttered in a quieter, more polite tone of voice. "Please take your men and prepare the rear guard."

She nodded calmly; standing with her hands on her hips, waiting patiently.

"And make sure you bring the Seastone handcuffs and weapons," Smoker added.

"Alright," she replied softly. "Hina has one question though; what exactly are you intending to do about the Straw Hats?"

"First, I'll secure Upper Yard," Smoker grimaced. "From what I hear, this 'God' needs to be brought to justice more than anyone. I'll find the Straw Hats later. In fact, I suspect that they're already on this island."

"What makes you say that?"

Smoker raised an eyebrow. "You don't know those pirates very well, do you?" He could say with absolute certainty that wherever there was trouble, he would find Monkey D. Luffy at the centre of it.

Hina gave him a lingering glance as casually walked by and headed below deck, her hourglass figure swaying beautifully. As soon as she started to move, Fullbody and Jango started circling and dancing around her in appreciation. The captain never seemed to mind.

Smoker only grunted as he watched men frantically rushing around. Upper Yard was getting close now, and solid brick of earth dominating everything. Despite their desertion and casualties, the battleship still had nearly five hundred men on board. From what he heard, that was a formidable number of men up in this strange place.

"Justice has authority everywhere," Smoker repeated quietly, just as grapples were thrown and the battleship was soon anchored to the island.

Fifteen minutes later, the marines were already moving out. Cannons and artillery were heaved out, rolling down to bridges on to the island, while the men rushed by and started unpacking and preparing for battle, establishing defenses and setting up a beachhead. Smoker was taking no chances. As far as he was concerned, everyone on this island was a hostile, a fugitive from the law at best.

The captain stood at the head of the column. There were hundreds of men ready to storm Upper Yard and capture God, but he was still nervous. The forest was large, twisted and uninviting. Smoker really wished he still had his Seastone jitte, but he had made do with a heavy baton with half of pair of a Seastone handcuffs attached to the end. It was a clumsy, makeshift weapon, but it would do against a Devil fruit user.

Beneath the canopy of the trees, the heat was sweltering. Slowly, Smoker shrugged off his jacket, revealing a bare and chiselled chest as he surveyed the forest. His hands were twitching as he felt the aura of danger surround the place. After a few minutes, Smoker's ears started to twitch as he heard the faint sound of chewing emerge from the tree branches.

"Well, this is interesting." A vaguely amused but mostly bored voice murmured from above. "I've never had so many visitors before."

In an instant, Smoker's baton was ready in his hand. Above him, there was a tall, muscular man; bare-chested with loose, orange pants and a blue, flowing sash. He was somehow floating in midair, with no apparent effort. The man had ear lobes that stretched all the way down to his torso, with golden earrings, and four large Tomoe drums attached with a large ring to his back. He was staring at the small army behind Smoker with a light smile and an unconcerned expression, all the while chewing absentmindedly on an apple.

Smoker never heard him approach, and Smoker had good ears. That was worrying enough for Smoker to be cautious. "We are Marines of the World Government," Smoker replied firmly. "I am Captain Smoker, and currently in hot pursuit of known pirates."

The man just took a large bite out of the apple, rubbing his jaw thoughtfully. "How curious… it's funny to see little insects that think they're important."

"… And you are?" Smoker growled.

The man smirked widely, but his eyes were still bored. "God."

"I see," the Captain nodded. Around him, the marines were already taking formation. Dozens of rifles were pointed upwards at the intruder, and instantly Tashigi and Hina were at his side. Smoker cracked his neck and flexed his shoulders. "Then you're under arrest!"

"Yaaa ha ha ha ha ha!" Enel laughed loudly. There was a golden staff in his hand, swinging idly, but otherwise he didn't look concerned. There was a large crack as the cannons were loaded and pointed up at him.

"And on what charges?" Enel asked curiously, in the same voice one would use to humour a toddler.

"Pissing me off!" Smoker snarled. "I'll deal with anything more than that when you're in custody."

Enel was giggling now. Around him, more and more marines were readying for battle. There was a sea of rifles pointed up towards him. "You are outnumbered five hundred to one," Smoker warned.

"Four hundred and seventy-two," Enel corrected idly, still lounging on the tree branch.

Smoker's frown deepened. Next to him, Hina nodded in preparation. They had the Seastone weapons ready. "This is your last chance!" Smoker yelled. "Surrender or we will open fire."

"How arrogant… !" Enel exclaimed mockingly, but his eyes started to look a bit annoyed. "Who are you to challenge God?"

"I am the law." Smoker's voice was bloodthirsty.

That caused Enel to practically fall over in a fit of laughter. The apple dropped to the ground slowly. "No…" Enel muttered darkly. "I am the only law here."

Without warning, the air started to crackle with power. Smoker barely had time flinch before suddenly a stream of blindingly bright light burst from Enel's fingertips. The sound of God's laughter was deafening.

The ground seemed to explode in heat and light, disintegrating everything in its path. Smoker darted right, while Hina and Tashigi went left. Dozens of bullets skittered into the air, but Enel had already disappeared.

"You dare to confront me?" Enel was suddenly standing right behind Smoker, whispering in his ear. The Captain turned around and tried to attack, but there were already several bursts of lightning shooting from his fingertips.

Smoker's body disintegrated into smoke instinctively, and the lightning flew through him harmlessly. Enel's eyes widened in surprise slightly, and Smoker brought down the Seastone baton onto Enel's head. Enel blocked the baton with his golden staff easily, before shooting another, even brighter, burst of power at the Captain. Again, it phased through the smoke easily.

"How interesting…" Enel mused, but suddenly he didn't look so amused.

Smoker attacked with another lunge, yet Enel was blocking before Smoker even started moving. More bullets flew through Enel harmlessly, while the marines recovered their formation.

"He's a Logia!" Smoker ordered loudly. "Take cover and stick to the formation. Seastone bullets and weapons only!"

A dark glance flashed through Enel's face. "Imprudence!"

Another hail of bullets dashed through the air. This time, Enel never dared to let them phase through him. Instead, he idly dodged to the side, using his Mantra to avoid every attack. There was a burst as several Seastone nets fired towards him, yet in a flash of lightning he disappeared from sight.

"Captain!" Tashigi shouted, bursting to his side with her sword in one hand and a pair of Seastone cuffs in the other. Around them, the air was crackling with electricity.

"Get out of here, Tashigi!" Smoker bellowed. "This guy is dangerous!"

"The first sensible thing you've said all day, mortal," Enel muttered, reappearing in the tree branches again. "But it's too late now."

With a wave of his hand, the air seemed to split open. Suddenly, a blinding arc of electricity burst from his body, cutting through the ground like a hot knife through butter. Smoker screamed in shock as his men were swallowed by the bursting light. The glowing arc swung around the ground leaving a path of devastation, burning through the cannons and destroying their supplies.

Enel never stopped there. He was laughing as he pulled his arms upwards, and the streaming lightning flashed towards the battleship. The metal hull burned red for half a second before it was split like paper. The wood burst into flames but the lightning just shredded everything in its path. Marines dived overboard for cover, but then the next moment the whole battleship exploded into debris and turned to ash.

"You bastard!" Smoker yelled angrily. The smell of burning flesh was sickening. The captain's body turned to smoke and then he was shooting upwards in a plume of white, flinging his baton around.

"You defy God, and you don't expect punishment? Arrogance." Enel muttered. His eyes flashed and then Smoker's baton exploded into smouldering metal. The explosion never hurt the captain, yet the Seastone burnt into cinders. Smoker snarled and lashed out with his fist instead, but smoke phased uselessly through lightning.

Below, Hina was already rallying the rest of her men. Whatever Seastone weaponry they had was being rapidly readied. Enel flashed Smoker a mocking grin before he disappeared into electricity, reappearing right next to Captain Hina.

She reacted quickly. At once, her leg flashed upwards and transformed into iron manacles, yet it phased through Enel body. "You think just because you have a Devil fruit that you are my equal?" Enel said dispassionately. "Allow me to show you the power of a God…"

Casually, he flicked out a finger. The air exploded and Hina collapsed to the ground before she could even scream. Her body was burnt and smouldering.

Tashigi was next. She attacked first with the Seastone handcuffs, before following it up with a vicious lunge. Enel only needed to glance at her, and then the lightning sent her flying.

Around him, the air started to crackle before the ground detonated with brilliant white light. The marines were running helplessly for cover as the electricity swallowed them.

In an instant, the only thing that was left was blackened earth and flaming trees. Within a minute, Enel had transformed the beach into a warzone. No, it was a massacre.

The battleship was slowly sinking in the ocean. The ship had been completely and utterly destroyed, transformed to into cinder and eradicated, all with a flicker of Enel's hand. Smoker could see marines swimming ashore, and others running for cover, but otherwise Smoker was the only one still standing.

"How dare you?!" Smoker raged, firing a fist in a plume of smoke. Enel never even bothered dodging, but instead simply unleashed another wave of lightning that phased harmlessly through Smoker's body.

"I am God," Enel replied simply, completely unconcerned again. "It is my divine right to kill anyone I see fit."

Smoker could only growl as he launched another wave of furious but futile attacks. The smoke swirled around him, trying to wrap itself around Enel's flickering body.

"I see…" Enel murmured. "So you are 'Smoke', then?"

Smoker's attack never paused. A tendril of smoke tried to pick up a Seastone weapon, but Enel just blasted it out of his hand.

"Not all Logias are created equal," Enel continued, even as the white cloud of smoke swirled around him. "There is an order of superiority in everything."

The air started to crackle again, burning as millions of volts were pumped out of Enel's body.

"'Smoke' could never defeat 'Thunder'!" The God yelled, just as the air started to glow red hot with power.

A sphere of light swallowed Smoker's dematerialised body. So much power was unleashed that the air itself started to hiss and ignite. Every particle around Enel burst and detonated from the ionising voltage. The ground obliterated into nothing, the world was filled with a voltaic scream. Not even the smoke stood a chance. Smoker couldn't even scream - his whole body felt like it was on fire.

Smoker was sent helplessly firing through the air. His smoke transformation was gone, and instead a body of flesh and blood skidded across the ground before crashing painfully into a tree. His skin felt like it had been torched. His nerves were screaming like they were on fire, and his limbs weren't responding.

Enel was suddenly standing over him, pressing his golden staff against Smoker's throat. The captain tried to dematerialise, but couldn't.

"Don't bother," Enel said dismissively, but he was panting slightly from exertion. "Your smoke form has been disintegrated. Even Logias have their limits, especially inferior abilities like yours."

A hoarse cry erupted from Smoker's throat as the golden staff pushed further. Smoker could barely breathe. Enel slowly crouched next to him, his arrogance replaced with the idle, thoughtful curiosity of a predator.

"Still…" Enel mused. "Tell me… are there many Logias such as yourself in the Blue Sea?"

Smoker managed to gasp roughly, "Yes. Hundreds."

Enel's faint smile faded. He didn't look amused anymore. "How interesting…"

Finally, Smoker collapsed into unconsciousness from lack of air. Enel kept the staff pressed against his throat for a while, staring around at the wrecked Marine encampment. Enel was well within his rights to kill them all. They had intruded on his Holy Land, and defied the will of God.

Still, there was something that held him back. Enel remembered how miserable he had been for last two weeks…

"Four hundred and seventy two…" Enel pondered thoughtfully. Through his Mantra, he could feel that most of the marines were still alive. Three hundred and ninety six, precisely. Injured and stranded, but still breathing.

A slow smile crept over Enel's face. He carefully released the pressure from the staff, and Smoker gasped for air but still couldn't move. Enel was already walking away.

"Oh, this is going to be fun," Enel muttered, before disappearing in a flash of lightning.

---

The light darted across the sky. The next second, Enel reappeared on God's shrine, walking happily through the buildings.

"God Almighty," Gode bowed devotedly. "How may I serve?"

They were all staring at Enel now. There was something about his bright smile that made them all uneasy. Enel snatched up an apple from one of the fruit baskets, biting through it with a loud crunch.

"Today is a good day!" Enel exclaimed happily. "Let us count!"

The bearded servant looked confused, but didn't to interrupt. Enel was leaning back on his throne, counting on his fingers.

"I count four priests, and forty-eight Enforcers," Enel mused. "There are twenty-seven Shandorians invading from the South, and Three hundred and ninety six soldiers from the Blue Sea, though I'm not sure how many will still be able fight…"

" Three hundred and ninety six?" Gode gasped in shock, but Enel never seemed to hear him.

"And then there are eight pirates in Ordeals right now. Also, I can feel three mercenaries approaching Angel Island…" Enel added up the numbers with his fingers. "Hmm… Still not enough."

He snapped his fingers at Gode. "I've got it!" Enel smirked. "We still have the prisoners from the old God's Enforcers, right?"

"Yes, your holiness," Gode replied quickly, bowing his head. Enel had kept the defeated army of Skypiea as prisoners for the last six years, forcing them to work on his ship. Now, Maxim was complete and the prisoners were wasting away in their cells.

"Good," Enel nodded. "I want you to release them all. Give them a good meal and a weapon, and then let them loose into the forest."

"But your—!"

Gode knew all the shades and variations of Enel's expressions, and he realized in an instant that this smile of Enel's smile was not one which would tolerate any argument. Gode gulped, heart trembling as he realized how close he had just come to death, and nodded his head. "It will be done, your holiness."

"That adds another thirty men," Enel said approvingly. "Hopefully that'll convince Gan Fall and whatever pathetic forces he can muster to take part too. Also, sent word to Angel Island. I want the White Berets in Upper Yard too. I suppose that'll have to do."

Despite himself, the confusion of Gode's face was clear. "Why?" The bearded man muttered with confusion.

"Because I am a God," Enel laughed loudly. "And God demands sacrifice!"

He leant back even further on his throne, until he was staring straight upwards at the sky. Enel took a large gulp out of the apple. "I've just had a really good idea for a game!"

---

Conis stood quietly in her house, staring at the upturned dinner table and the food that stained the carpet. She knew that she needed to clean up, but she couldn't. Instead, Conis just stood completely still and quiet. The tears had long since dried, but the pain never faded. The bad thoughts oozing around in her head were crippling.

Her sky fox Su rubbed comfortingly against Conis' leg, but not even the sweet fox could help against the despair inside. Her father had left for some reason, but Conis didn't care. Every time she closed her eyes, she remembered the smiles of the people she just sentenced to death…

Outside, Conis heard shouts and scream echo across Angel Island. Something was happening across Skypiea and the citizens were in panic, but Conis never had the motivation to go find out what.

The house seemed to shake as thunderous footsteps approached. Slowly, Conis looked upwards, just to see a large shadow of extremely obese man block out the sun. For the second time in one morning, Yama, commander of God's Enforcers, stood in her doorway. The young girl met the fat man's beady eyes, but didn't say anything.

"Your name is Conis, correct?" Yama said finally in a dull voice, his triple chin wobbling as he spoke. He had to squeeze to fit through the door. "I've heard a lot about you recently."

After a few seconds, Conis found her voice. "Excuse me?" She muttered weakly.

"Your devotion to Almighty God Enel has been noticed," Yama drawled. "You have sent an impressive number of heretics to him over the years for Judgement. I have come to reward you for your loyalty."

Reward? Conis thought dumbly. The very idea of being praised for what she did was revolting. Still, Yama continued slowly.

"You have been invited to God's Shrine, in the Holy Land," Yama explained solemnly. "You have the privilege of serving God Enel in person, and living in his presence with the other devotees."

Conis never responded for a long time. Yama's dark eyes narrowed. "Serving God Almighty is a great honour," Yama added, in a tone that said very clearly that there was no choice here.

After a couple of seconds, Conis nodded. Her body was too numb to feel anything. In a way, it was good that this happened. After all those that she had condemned to death, it was only fitting that she faced the same death in Upper Yard.

God will see the heresy in my mind, and execute me for it, Conis thought emotionlessly as she walked towards Yama. It's what I deserve.

The beefy man watched her suspiciously as he led her out the door. Conis only paused to push Su inside and shut the door firmly. The sky fox whined and scratched at the door, but Conis just walked away. Conis never wanted Su following where she was heading.

---

On the other side of Angel Island, a Waver roared through the calm Sea Clouds. McKinley crashed into the beach roughly, before darting upwards to the meeting place with panic.

"There's news from Upper Yard!" The captain shouted loudly as he scrambled up the beach. "The White Berets have all been summoned to Upper Yard, and -"

He stopped as he saw Gan Fall sitting cross-legged on the ground, in full armour. Pagaya was by his side, attaching Dials into a gauntlet, while Pierre, in horse form, was scratching at the ground impatiently.

There were heavy shadows over the old man's eyes, and the scowl on his face was one of a man preparing for war. Over Gan Fall's back hung a large, bulky backpack that seemed to dwarf the scrawny old man. Gan Fall was no longer wearing his dark blue cloak, but instead had the huge backpack that was fastened securely on to his shoulders.

"What's in the bag?" McKinley asked dumbly. Pagaya was carefully adjusting Gan Fall's Impact Dial, not paying a second glance to the Captain.

"Insurance," Gan Fall replied, without explaining anything more. He locked eyes with McKinley. "Tell me, what is Enel doing now?"

McKinley gulped. "The White Berets have been called into Upper Yard," the Captain explained. "I will have to return shortly to avoid suspicion. Also, there are rumours that Enel has released all of the prisoners.

Gan Fall bristled. Gan Fall had spent the last six years trying to smuggle his old Enforcers out of Enel's concentration camp. If Enel had released them all now, it could only mean…

"Enel is trying to draw me out," Gan Fall decided solemnly. "And if I want to save my men, I cannot refuse."

His face was dark as he mused to himself. "Perhaps this is for the best. It is a confrontation that should have happened long ago…" Gan Fall turned to Pagaya. "Ready my weapons, and then I must go to Upper Yard."

"There's more news," McKinley continued, casting a nervous glance to Paguya. "Commander Yama was in town. Apparently he sailed away on the pirate's ship, but he took your daughter with him. Conis left for Upper Yard."

Pagaya didn't visibly respond. The Dial mechanic's face was as impassive as always. Gan Fall sighed. "That is troubling," Gan Fall admitted uneasily. "Let us not be too hasty. This requires careful deliberation and…"

His voice trailed off as the sound of a Waver blared into life. Both McKinley and Gan Fall turned in shock, just to see Pagaya bursting off into the distance, the Waver skirting full-speed over the cloud. Pagaya left without so much as an apology, shooting directly towards Upper Yard.

There was a bazooka hanging across Pagaya's back.

---

The Ordeal of Swamp…

"God dammit!" Zoro cursed as his foot slipped into the swamp. The sticky cloud enveloped his shoe. "I will kill you God! I will kill you for putting me through this!"

"But I told you to walk in a straight line!" Chopper screamed frantically. "All you had to do was follow me in a straight line! How could you get lost in a straight line?!"

"Shut up!" Zoro snapped angrily, trying to pull himself out. "Straight lines are hard!"

"No they're not!" Chopper shrieked in a high-pitched voice. "What are you even saying?! They're straight!"

A vein on Zoro's head bulged as he tried to yank his foot out of the swamp. The swamp was made out of a thick cloud, as sticky as paste and so lightweight it practically floated on the air. The swamp cloud seemed to ooze out of the darkness. It took Chopper's help to try and pull him out, and even then his foot was only released when Zoro's shoe slipped off. There was a sickening ooze as the shoe was swallowed by the swampy cloud.

Zoro gritted his teeth with frustration. The Ordeal was already wearing him down. The swamp was dark and foggy, filled with swamp cloud, tall trees and twisting roots. It was like the swamp was moving around him every step he took. It was so eerily creepy that whatever little direction Zoro had was completely swallowed.

And then there were the animals crawling around him. In the last half an hour, Zoro had already faced enormous snakes as big as horses, vicious sky sharks swimming around the bogs, and huge, flat crocodiles lurking in the fog. They all seemed to attack from behind, and Zoro's patience had already been lost somewhere in the darkness.

Chopper stared at Zoro incredulously. If it wasn't for the doctor, Zoro would have already been dead ten times over. Chopper took the lead, cautiously scouting out every path, never going out of sight of the swordsman, and taking extreme care with every step. Somehow, between Zoro's stubbornness and obliviousness, he had already walked into the swamp three different times, leaving a frantic Chopper to try and pull Zoro out each time.

"How can you get so lost?" Chopper begged with despair. "Just follow me. That's all you have to do. Just don't wander off, and follow me."

"I get it already," Zoro growled, walking off with annoyance.

"You're going the wrong way!" Chopper screeched loudly. Zoro stopped suddenly, just as large python lunged out at him from behind. Zoro barely managed to catch the snake's jaws just before it bit in with poisonous fangs, but then he lost his footing and tumbled backwards into the darkness.

Chopper squealed, already transforming into his Heavy Point to try and pull Zoro out. The cloud was so soft that the suction just pulled Zoro in deeper. It took five panicked minutes before Chopper heaved the gasping Zoro out, and another few minutes to unwrap the python constricting his body.

By the time he was done, both Zoro and Chopper collapsed, out of breath. Around them, the swamp seemed to stir. Up above, hidden by the gloom, there was a weird chirping that sounded almost mocking.

"Are you doing this on purpose?" Chopper gasped eventually, trembling slightly. The Ordeal of Swamp was scary enough. Trying to escape it with Zoro was nothing short of nerve wrecking. "How can you not even follow a simple direction?"

"Shut up," Zoro snarled, not meeting Chopper's eyes. If anything, he seemed a little embarrassed.

There was a moment's quiet.

Finally, Chopper asked, "Do you want to hold my hand?"

Zoro's face seemed to contort with a complicated mixture of expressions. The swordsman glanced side to side, making sure that a blonde chef was nowhere in view. He didn't think he could ever live it down if anyone found out…

After several seconds, Zoro relented. "Alright," he mumbled under his breath, holding out his hand unwillingly. Chopper smiled eagerly, and grabbed tightly hold of Zoro with a smooth hoof before pulling him up.

Chopper kept on staring at the swordsman like a strict parent eyeing up a disrespectful child. The small doctor kept a tight hold of Zoro's hand with both hooves, forcing Zoro to walk slumped over. Chopper seemed much more relaxed.

Zoro just let himself get pulled away moodily. He was already filing this experience under 'Events which will not ever be remembered'.

---

The Ordeal of Iron…

With a tremendous crash, a whip of solid iron cloud smashed through the ground. The ruins exploded in a hail of rubble and stone, just as Nami dived for cover. The iron cloud seemed to twist like a snake after her, writhing in mid-air and snapping towards her. Nami barely managed to roll out the way, and then skip out of the way some more as the ground erupted in a barbed trap.

"There are traps everywhere!" Nami shouted loudly, while the blade twisted after her again. Ohm stood on the ruins, expertly slashing the large pommel backwards and forward while the stream of cloud flickered at his command. Even at this distance, Nami could barely avoid Ohm's attacks. It was like the priest knew exactly which way she was going to dodge.

"Find somewhere to hide!" Vivi shouted back, gathering the sand in the palm of her hand. Her other hand touched gingerly to the centre of her chest, right above her breasts, feeling the hole that was quickly filling up with sand. It was the first time she'd had her Logia intangibility tested like that. She knew that she was capable of dematerialising around attacks, but it was a completely different experience to look down and see straight through her body. If there had been time for it, Vivi would be thoroughly freaking out right now.

Vivi launched a hail of sand, every grain chopping through air like a buzzsaw. Ohm was reacting even before she launched the attack, drawing up his cloud sword and forming an iron wall in front of him. The sand cut a large gouge into the cloud, but didn't pierce through.

"That power of yours is annoying," Ohm commented with irritation. He flicked his wrist and the iron wall disappeared, instantly reforming into an iron whip that slashed towards Vivi. The princess managed to block the first strike with her sand, yet the second took her completely off-guard, slamming through the right side of her body.

There wasn't any pain, just a phantom numbness. Vivi blinked and then suddenly she was missing her right arm and leg, but the severed body parts had already dematerialised into sand. Suddenly, she was missing half of her limbs and she tumbled to the ground, but the sand was already reforming her body. The sensation of her bones and nerves rematerializing was beyond weird.

The cloud blade slashed down again, and Vivi rolled on instinct. The iron smashed the ground open, Vivi narrowly got out the way. Her light blue hair rolled freely behind her, only for the tips to be sliced off by the sword. Vivi gasped in shock, but her hair was being reformed from sand too. Even her clothes appeared completely intact.

"You're going to be a stubborn one to kill," Ohm muttered, pointing the pommel at Vivi. He twisted the handle expertly, and in an instant the cloud shot out like a spear. Vivi tried to run, but Ohm pre-empted her movements. In under a second, there were three holes pierced through her body, and sand pouring out of her wounds.

Vivi was gasping deeply from shock, but there wasn't even any pain. She tried to lash out again with waves of sand, but Ohm dodged them all easily. Grunting furiously, Vivi summoned a sandstorm around her, obscuring everything with spinning orange sand, only to lash out with a wide blade of sand. Even when he couldn't see anything, Ohm easily dodged the attack, and replied with a vicious onslaught of his own.

She had never imagined what a Logia power was like before. Crocodile had made using the Sand Sand fruit look easy, but it wasn't. Vivi could feel the sand churning inside of her as she drew on it more and more. It was vicious, nasty and extremely powerful. It was a power that wanted to consume everything. Trying to harness it was like trying to restrain a sandstorm.

Vivi threw out another blade of sand, but this was barely half the size of the others. Her body was trembling trying to control the power, while the sand started to churn wildly. Vivi's heart pounded furiously, but it wasn't working. It was like an ocean of sand was trying to force its way through her, and it was tearing her apart trying to control it. Beneath her feet, the earth was transforming into pure sand, yet Vivi couldn't control it anymore.

Vivi tried to push more and more power out of her, but it was uncontrollable. She had never thought of the strain a Logia power would put on the user.

The image of scarred, smirking face with a cigar flashed in front of her eyes. Crocodile would have been able to beat this man…

A tremble of fear shivered down Vivi's back. She could feel herself losing control of her sand. The storm surrounding her roared like an escaped beast, grinding the ruins around her into sand. Ohm merely raised an eyebrow as he pointed the pommel at her again. The iron cloud snapped towards her and pierced her stomach in a flash of white.

This time, Vivi felt the pain. The wound was pouring sand, but this time the sand was mixed with blood. Vivi's eyes widened with shock as she felt the wound to the right of her bellybutton. This time, it cut through her purple shirt. It should have been a fatal blow, but the sand had absorbed most of it and left only a flesh wound.

"But you can be hurt," Ohm muttered dispassionately. "God's Judgement cannot be avoided."

Nami was shouting at her with concern. Vivi could barely hear her over the sound of her pound heartbeat. I can't control my powers, Vivi realised with dread. Ohm spun his weapon towards her again, and Vivi ran with pure instinct. The sandstorm disappeared.

"Vivi!" Nami screamed. "Come on! You can do this!"

Nami pulled out her Clima-Tact, and clutched her sword tightly with her other hand. Ohm seemed to be amusing himself with Vivi, but the priest was still avoiding her attacks. It was like he could sense anything they threw at him.

Nami was just about to try again, when suddenly she wondered where his dog had disappeared to. The huge animal had been by the priest's side at the start, but then disappeared in the sandstorm. The navigator paused, and then a bloodthirsty growl erupted from behind.

"Holy," Ohm ordered lazily, not even glancing towards her. "Kill."

If it wasn't for Nami's sharp reflexes, the snapping jaws would have bitten her in half. In an instant, the enormous dog Holy was in front of her, smashing through the rubble while Nami was barely able to dodge. Nami jumped backwards and thrust her sword forward, instinctively dropping into the pose the Zoro had taught her.

Holy was relentless. The animal was larger than a horse, yet it stood upright on its hind legs and thrust its paws downwards in a karate chop. There wasn't time for Nami to be surprised, but the blows were so fast and powerful that they pulverised the ground beneath her.

"You taught the dog kung fu?" Nami shouted with shock, just as the dog launched an upper cut that nearly took her head off.

"It's actually karate," Ohm stated unhelpfully, not even pausing as he attacked Vivi.

"Like I care!" Nami growled, swinging her Clima-Tact around with one hand. The attacks were lightning fast, yet Nami managed to sidestep, keeping close to Holy's huge bulk. Almost serenely, she could hear Zoro's instructions in her ear. When facing a larger foe, stay up close. Make their reach a disadvantage. Nami had never thought that she would use them against a dog.

Nami slashed out with her blade towards Holy's stomach. The dog was fast enough to dodge, striking outwards with a roundhouse kick. Nami rolled underneath the leg, pulling up behind the animal. Against a stronger enemy, take the advantage quickly. Control the position, get behind them, and attack from behind. Force them to go on the defensive.

Her blade cut a shallow wound against Holy's back, but the beast never seemed to react. Between its fur and thick hide, it was only a scratch. Still, Nami pressed onwards with her blade. At the same time, her Clima-Tact spun around, throwing out bubbles that surrounded her as she danced around the dog.

Holy struck downwards, but Nami was already moving. Sharp claws clipped lightly across her shoulder, yet Nami recovered quickly. She thrust her Clima-Tact upwards into Holy's jaw, causing the dog to yelp as the electric bubbles burst from the tip. Nami darted forward, slashing her sword across Holy's shoulder. The dog barked in pain and lashed out, and Nami triggered the clockwork birds from the Clima-Tact and pulled backwards. The wires wrapped around the dog's snout, and Nami slammed Holy's head into the ground. When fighting with dual weapons, make sure you use both of them equally.

"I'm not weak!" Nami roared, swinging both weapons back around. Holy recovered quickly, but it was too late. Nami was already in control of the climate, and suddenly the animal was surround by half a dozen mirages, all of them swinging their weapons. When fighting a dumber opponent, exploit that . Wait - that was one of Nami's.

The dog could only squeal with shock as the heavy Clima-Tact edge slammed against its snout, while Nami leapt over its body and onto its back. Both hands were on her short blade as she thrust backwards, the metal cutting through flesh. Holy whimpered slightly before dropping to the ground.

"Holy!" Ohm shouted angrily, turning to face her for the first time. "How dare you! That's my dog!"

Nami stuck out her tongue mockingly, but that disappeared as soon as Ohm launched a furious lash of his weapon. Nami dodged, skirting over several traps without pausing. On the other side of the ruins, Vivi was staring at her hands, struggling to use her ability.

"Vivi!" Nami shouted urgently, just as the whip nearly decapitated her. "Come on! We can take him together!"

The princess gulped before launching forward. A wave of sand launched from her fingertips. Ohm moved his sword to block, but Nami was already charging from the other side, sword and staff in hand. Ohm never even glanced at her as he hit her in the stomach with a lightning-fast kick.

"Nuisance!" Ohm muttered as Nami went flying backwards. "I may not be able to kill you easily…" Ohm motioned at Vivi, before turning to point her blade at Nami. "But I can relieve her from this mortal coil straight away!"

"Nami!" Vivi shouted, running forward. She triggered a dozen traps, but never even cared as the barbed wire cut through her body. Instinctively, Vivi's entire shape disintegrated into a cloud of sand.

Nami never had time to dodge as a fork of iron cloud formed from Ohm's sword and thrust towards her. It came so close that she could feel it brush lightly against her forehead. In an instant, the cloud of sand swallowed her and pulled her away. Vivi reformed just as the fork shattered through the earth behind them, and the princess was carrying Nami in her arms.

Vivi was staring at her with shock. Nami could only clutch the princess tightly, trembling dangerously. Vivi arms were surprisingly strong. A light trickle of blood poured from the centre of Nami's head.

"Are you alright?" Vivi asked. She was so close that she could feel every tremor of Nami's slender body.

Before Nami could respond, Ohm was already raising his weapon at them. A sharp spear lunged from the pommel, and Vivi had no time to dodge. There wasn't even conscious thought involved. The air was split as sickening squelch as iron cloud burst into solid flesh and blood.

"VIVI!" Nami screamed so loudly that birds erupted from a nearby forest. Nami could only stare at the iron spear that was stabbing into Vivi's back, near her shoulder. The wound was pouring with blood. Vivi slumped to the ground, dropping Nami, while Ohm merely redrew his weapon and grunted with satisfaction.

"But how…?" Nami gasped with shock. Vivi was struggling for breath. Without hesitation, Nami ripped off her shirt to bandage up the wound. It was deep, and painful. "You could have phased through it! Why didn't you phase through it…?"

The realisation hit her a second later. The tears were pouring out of her eyes. "If you had phased through…" Nami gulped. "It would have hit me…?"

Vivi blinked several times. "It's nothing," she murmured weakly, flinching as Nami gently tried to stop the blood. Vivi was crying too.

Nami stifled a sob, hugging Vivi tightly. "But why?" She muttered feebly.

"You're my friend…" Vivi gasped struggling to move. Her shoulder was burning with agony. "And I couldn't-"

"Why do you struggle so much?" Ohm drawled from behind him, preaching solemnly. "I offer you freedom from the burdens of life. You should be thankful for the—"

"Shut up!" Nami snapped furiously at Ohm, still holding Vivi tightly. The priest only scoffed, slowly walking towards them.

Gently, Nami pulled Vivi to her feet, staring at her apologetically. Nami gulped. "Come on." She was panting heavily. "We can beat him together," Nami repeated urgently.

Vivi nodded slowly, unwillingly pulling away from Nami. Nami straightened up, spinning her sword and Clima-Tact together. Vivi cradled her shoulder gingerly, but she was still ready to fight The two girls stood side by side. Vivi shrugged her ruined shirt off, while Nami rolled her shoulders in anticipation. Both girls were left in their bikinis and short pants, but neither seemed to mind.

I'm tired of being weak, Vivi thought angrily, spinning the sand around. "Let's do this!"

Ohm lashed out at both of them with a fan of iron, but Vivi pushed Nami out the way and dematerialised through the attack. The sand writhed around her, but suddenly it was so much easier to control with Nami by her side.

"I need hot air!" Nami shouted, spinning her Clima-Tact. Vivi nodded in understanding before extending her right hand. The air flickered as the moisture was absorbed away. The grass turned yellow before disintegrating into dust.

Nami brow curled as she expertly manipulated the weather. Her Clima-Tact flashed, spinning the air currents around her until a microclimate generated. Nami could practically see the air flow, and feel the pressure building. "Ready?" Nami asked, pulling the Clima-Tact backwards.

"Ready!" Vivi shouted. At the same time, Vivi summoned a huge burst of sand from her fingertips while Nami unleashed the Clima-Tact. Ohm was already preparing his defence, but the sand and wind meshed together and intensified.

"Sand Hurricane! " Nami and Vivi shouted in union. Suddenly, there was a huge explosion of pressure, and tonnes of sand cut towards Ohm behind a gale-force gust of wind.

Ohm shaped his blade into a wall of iron in an instant, but the pressure couldn't be stopped. The iron shuddered for half a second before collapsing underneath the sand. Ohm's eyes widened in shock, and then he leapt to the side to avoid the attack. The hurricane carved through the ground, devastating the ruins.

So he can't see the future, Nami realised with satisfaction. The priest had been pre-empting their every move, but he had been cut off-guard this time. He was reading their intentions and knew when they were about to attack, but couldn't tell how they would attack.

With a grunt of frustration, Ohm pushed the debris of his body. His sunglasses were broken and his body was scraped, but otherwise he seemed unharmed.

"How dare you?" Ohm growled, but Vivi gave him no chance to recover. In an instant, she launched an onslaught of sand blades. Ohm blocked every attack, yet it seemed like he was a bit slower than normal. Was his concentration failing? Nami wondered, diving in for the attack.

"I am God's Chosen!" Ohm shouted angrily. "I will deliver Judgement on all infidels!"

"Well, I know the weakness of that weapon of yours," Nami smirked, running up close, readying the Clima-Tact. Ohm took no chances, and shaped the iron cloud into a protective dome. As expected.

"That sword is conductive!" Nami screamed victoriously, spinning the clouds from her Clima-Tact until they were pitch black and sparked with power. The lightning flowed straight through her staff and collided with the iron dome. Her vision was blocked, but Nami still heard the exclamation of pain as the electricity flowed straight through the sword pommel.

Her victory was short-lived. Slowly, the iron dome reshaped into a blade and Ohm emerged, slightly scorched but very angry. "Fools," Ohm spat. "Did you really think that lightning of that level would work against me?"

Nami barely had time to dodge as his blade flashed towards her. Vivi was by her side in a blur of sand, pulling her away as the onslaught continued relentlessly.

"This is the Ordeal of Iron!" Ohm bellowed. "Zero percent survival rate! I am the judgement for all your sins, and you will give penance!"

The girls dodged another furious attack. The priest was a monster and refused to go down easily. "Do you have another plan?" Vivi asked nervously. She was still losing blood from her injuries, and her movements were become sluggish.

Nami hesitated, just as a fan of iron cloud nearly took her arms off. Ohm launched a spear of iron, forcing Nami to block the attack with her sword. The metal blade nearly snapped under the pressure, and Nami fell to the ground.

"You will not escape—!" Ohm started, but was interrupted by an impact from behind. His Mantra was so disrupted he never even felt the presence approach. Suddenly, a heavy object collided into his back, and sent the priest flying headfirst into the ground.

The priest recovered like a beast. "You!" He growled at the figure skating across the air towards, carrying a huge, smoking bazooka over his shoulder. "Wiper!"

"Yep," Wiper smirked, flexing his muscled shoulders, and chewing on a cigarillo. His left arm was covered in white bandages but otherwise he was bare-chested. The raider carried a huge bazooka over his left shoulder and a thick wooden shield in his right hand. His skates hissed with air, causing him to hover to the ground. "Me."

Instantly, Wiper's skates powered up and he glided at Ohm quickly, wielding his huge bazooka like a club. The priest blocked, but then the bazooka exploded in white-blue flames. Ohm dodged, but suddenly it looked like the priest was a disadvantage.

The two began to dance in a blur of motion. Wiper flashed around him, firing off his bazooka in furious blasts while Ohms blade dodged after him.

"Who's that?" Vivi asked with shock at the sudden intrusion. From the nearby forest, there were more raiders with masks skating across the air, all wielding weapons.

"Maybe they're friendly?" Nami asked hopefully, watching the raider and the priest flash around each other with breakneck speed. Ohm was incredibly fast and strong, but Wiper matched him every step of the way.

"Kill them all!" Wiper roared at the other raiders. Ohm merely growled, extending his sword to lash at multiple targets, but otherwise starting to retreat. "We retake our homeland today! Anyone standing on our land dies!"

"Nope!" Nami shouted quickly, already pulling Vivi up and starting to run. The raiders gave chase, their battle cries filling the air. "Definitely not friendly!"

"Surround this priest!" Wiper ordered from behind him, his men falling into the battle. "I want his head on a stake!"

In seconds, the ruins exploded into battle. Nami and Vivi never even turned around as they fled. Ohm stared furiously at his escaping prey, but he couldn't pause against Wiper's onslaught. His normally calm body was shaking with rage.

The Ordeal of Iron had just had its very first escapees. The probability of survival was up to two percent. His perfect record was ruined.

"I will not let you leave here alive!" Ohm shouted at the fleeing girls, lashing out against Wiper with a whip of iron. "I will hunt you down! You will face penance!"

---

The Ordeal of Balls…

With a huge shockwave, Sanji's limp body fell backwards to the ground. The sound of Satori's laughter rang across the forest.

"Sanji!" Usopp shouted with panic. Next to him, Carue gave a loud squawk.

Trembling, the chef pulled himself up to his feet again. His suit was tattered and ruined, and his body was bruised and filthy. Sanji's teeth gritted as he stood up yet again.

Satori never stopped dancing. The fat man bobbed up and down, floating on the balls of cloud across the forest, while Sanji fought for his life.

"Come on!" Usopp shouted loading up his slingshot and providing cover fire. "Get him!"

Satori danced around the projectiles with surprising grace. Sanji growled as he leapt upwards, swinging his leg around so fast it blurred. The priest idly extended his hand, just as the black foot collided.

Yet there was no impact. Sanji's foot hit against Satori's palm with a faint thud, but without any force. Satori's laughter increased as he slammed his open hand into Sanji's face.

There was another huge shockwave. Sanji's eyes rolled before he collapsed down again. This time, he didn't get up.

"One down!" Satori chuckled, turning to face Usopp. "And one to go!"

The sniper gulped with dread, reloading and firing of a salvo of projectiles with lightning speed. Satori dodged them all easily, spinning through the air as he bounced across the balls of clouds. He had a striped cane in his hand, which he used to push the balls of cloud towards Usopp.

Carue quickly pulled Usopp onto his back and started to run quickly. Usopp sat backwards across the duck's back, still shooting at the priest. The balls of cloud bounced around him, unleashing everything from explosions, to spears, to weird animals. Carue dodged frantically around them, powerful legs pounding of the ground as he ran in fear.

"Ho, ho hoooo!" Satori laughed, using his cane to bat the balls towards Usopp expertly. "You have already lost! The ship has left the Lost Forest! There is no escape for you now!"

Usopp never responded. The priest was toying with him now, seeing how far they would go. Usopp's hand flickered across his slingshot, firing faster and faster, until finally he grabbed nothing but air.

"Damn it," Usopp cursed with dread, feeling his empty pockets. "I'm out of ammo…"

"What a shame," Satori chided in a singsong voice, dropping out of the air towards him. Carue squawking and reversed direction, but Satori was already spinning a large ball towards them. The ball of cloud flew towards them with pinpoint precision, before exploding in a cloud of dust.

The eruption took Carue to the ground, and sent the duck flying against a tree. Usopp was sent skidding across the ground painfully, his body smoking slightly.

"Looks like I'm going to win!" Satori chuckled. The priest was on the ground now, walking towards Usopp with a bright smile. "No one else has killed their prey yet!"

With a groan, Usopp pulled himself up. He had his hammer in his hand. "Don't underestimate me!" The sharpshooter screamed. "I am Captain Usopp! The brave warrior of the sea!"

"Oh, really?" Satori muttered doubtfully. With a burst of speed, the priest appeared in front of Usopp, and slammed his hand into his face. The air exploded, and Usopp flew backwards from impact, coughing blood.

"That other guy was much stronger than you are," Satori commented. His palm was smoking, and he was massaging his wrists from the recoil.

With a gasp, Usopp staggered upwards. "I told you not underestimate me!" Usopp growled angrily. He lost his hammer, so he was forced to raise his fists instead. "I am the brave warrior of the sea!"

"Ho, ho hoooo!" Satori cheered, bounding upwards into the air. His cane waved, and the balls of cloud started to move around him. "Then let's see how you like my strongest attack! I love using this!"

The clouds started to connect together, spinning into a large chain around Satori. One cloud, larger than the others, had a dragon head mask attached and rolled to the front of the queue. The priest did it all swiftly, simply spinning as the balls took shape.

"The end is near!" Satori sung, while Usopp struggled to even stand up. "Rest in peace! I am a God's priest, you could never have won! Behold the surprising illusion - the Orb Dragon!"

Satori spun his cane over his head, and then the series of balls shot downwards. The gaping mouth of dragon's head roared towards Usopp. "The Orb Dragon is made of surprise clouds that contain bombs and blades! As soon as the head collides, it's all over! The chain reaction causes a humongous explosion!"

Usopp couldn't even run as the Orb Dragon avalanched onto him. Satori just kept on laughing, hovering on the floating orbs.

The explosion was so loud it caused the ground to shudder. It gouged a crater in the middle of the forest, spitting blades and weapons across every surface. The ground was scolded black while a small mushroom cloud of dust broke around him. Satori looked vaguely disappointed.

"What an unbelievable idiot… !" Satori muttered. "Talking big when he was almost dead. Oh well, at least I've won…"

There was a shallow gasp as the blackened earth started to shift. Satori's eyes nearly burst out as Usopp crawled out of the debris.

"I told you…" Usopp murmured weakly, barely managing to breath. His body was scorched. "… I'm the brave warrior of the sea…"

The priest was quiet for a while, but then his laugher rang out through the forest, louder and clearer than ever. "I think you're a liar!" Satori mocked, dancing on the floating orbs.

Usopp managed a smirk. Every bone in his body felt broken. "Oh, you have no idea."

With delicate grace, Satori step of the cloud. His heavy body cannonballed downwards like a stone, and crashed into Usopp with a furious thud. Usopp screamed with agony as Satori landed on top of him, and then the priest grabbed pressed his palm into the back of Usopp's head. "Let's finish this!" Satori mocked, slamming Usopp's face into the ground.

Without warning, there was a shrill shriek that split the sky. A shape dropped downwards, a large metal lance in hand. Satori barely managed to jump backwards before the lance skewed the ground.

"You bastard!" Satori cursed angrily, his smile disappearing for the first time. "This doesn't concern you!"

"Oh, but it does," the figure muttered, raising the visor on his heavy metal helm. Gan Fall stared at Satori darkly. "I am the Knight of the Sky. Anything that happens in Skypiea is my concern."

Usopp glanced weakly up at the armoured figure standing over him. The old man wore thick metal armour that seemed almost too big for him, and he had a large, overfilled backpack fastened securely over his shoulders.

The knight was riding a large animal with the general shape of a horse, except it was bright pink with red polka dots, and large white wings extending from its shoulders. That's it, Usopp thought eventually, I've gone insane.

Gan Fall heaved up Usopp's limp body and slung him over the back of the weird animal. Vaguely, Usopp realised that Sanji was already lying next him.

"You have no right to enter Upper Yard!" Satori was bobbing angrily while the Gan Fall kept his lance pointed at the priest at all times.

"Do you wish to stop me?" Gan Fall threatened darkly. "I am aware just how to combat Mantra users like you."

Satori shot forward and slammed his cane down on Gan Fall, only to be blocked by the lance. Satori brought down his palm, but it was met by Gan Fall's gauntlet. The two shockwaves cancelled each other out.

"Let's go, Pierre!" Gan Fall ordered and the Pegasus started flapping. Satori leapt across the orbs to give chase, smashing the balls towards him, but Pierre dodged them agilely. Gan Fall dived into pick up the unconscious body of Carue, causing Pierre to flap furiously with all the added weight.

"Flying!?" Satori yelled angrily. His cane flickered, firing balls towards Gan Fall furiously, yet Pierre dodged them all. "That's cheating!"

"Hmph! Yell all you like!" Gan Fall snorted, shooting straight upwards and out of the Lost Forest while Usopp hung on for dear life. "I will be facing your 'God' soon enough."

---

The Ordeal of String…

Shura flickered across the trees with breakneck speed. On the back of the giant bird Fuza, the priest was an orange blur through the trees. Still, Luffy somehow managed to keep pace.

"You are an annoying little runt!" Shura growled angrily, diving down at Luffy from above. His javelin was glowing red hot.

Luffy narrowly managed to avoid the blow, darting backwards as the javelin scorched through the earth. The bird Fuza twisted after him, gushes of fire exploding from its mouth. The flames caught the edge of Luffy's vest, but he ripped it off without a second thought.

The pirate launched himself at Shura, spinning his arm around in a powerful blow. Shura dodged it effortlessly, before lashing out with his javelin. The burning edge cut across Luffy's side, yet he forced himself forward furiously. Shura ducked under Luffy's roundhouse kick, and slammed his elbow into Luffy's stomach and threw him to the ground.

He's predicting my attacks, Luffy thought angrily, just as Shura slammed his hand in front of his face in mid-air. Something clicked, and a shockwave of pressure erupted from his palm. Luffy took the blow like a champion, but the impact still caused him to cough up blood.

Luffy collided roughly with the earth, and then he felt something click beneath him. He rolled, just as the ground exploded in a shower of debris.

"Ha! You're one unlucky brat!" Shura laughed while Fuza spun around. "That's the third mine you've triggered so far."

Luffy only growled, shaking off his injuries and pulled himself up. The Sky Rider swooped in for another attack. Opposite the clearing, Robin took position with her arms crossed. Shura only smirked.

Two arms sprouted from Shura's shoulders and went for his throat, yet the priest was ready for them. Luffy shouted in shock at Robin, but she was too late. As soon as the arms appeared, Shura placed his hands on to both of them tightly and triggered something in his gloves.

"Double impact!" He shouted loudly, just as the air exploded.

Robin screamed in pain. Luffy was by her side in a heartbeat, cradling her hands with concern. Nasty bruises were quickly forming across her skin, and her wrists could have been broken for all he knew.

Any damage that happens to her sprouted hands is reflected on her. She puts herself in danger each time she uses her powers, Luffy realised, and this guy knows every time an attack is coming.

Shura was already taking advantage of the distraction. He spun around and dived down with his javelin, straight for Robin's exposed back. Luffy jumped between them, slamming a kick at the bird while Shura spun around. Luffy clung tightly to the bird's wing, and the whole world spun as Fuza spiralled with dizzying speed.

"Luffy!" Robin shouted with panic, wincing as she crossed her injured arms again.

"No!" Luffy screamed instantly. "Don't use your powers anymore. I'll handle him!"

If anything, Shura looked vaguely amused with the suggestion. "You'll handle me?" He muttered, easily keeping his grip as Fuza spun in the air. "That woman has a weird power. You, on the other hand, are absolutely nothing special."

The bird thrust its wings forward and slowed down. That was all the opportunity Luffy needed to jump onto its back and launch an uppercut at Shura. The priest idly absorbed the blow with the palm of his hand, and then easily sidestepped the following kick. Luffy growled, and then tackled at Shura with his whole body. The priest simply dug his heels into Fuza, and the bird dived and Luffy went falling to the ground.

"You will never beat me in the sky," Shura mocked, turning around for the attack. "And the ground is mined. It's time you saw the real terror of the Ordeal of String."

Luffy never even hit the ground. His body stopped, suspended in mid-air. He tried to thrash, but suddenly his limbs weren't moving. It took him a few seconds to realise why.

"String?" He exclaimed, seeing the tiny, nearly invisible threads that entangled his whole body. They were tiny and barely visible in the shadows, yet there were enough of them that his limbs felt too heavy to move.

"String cloud," Shura explained, just as Fuza dived in again. "You've been entangling yourself in them for a while now. This is the Ordeal of String, and you have lost!"

The priest jumped off the bird's back, plunging at Luffy with his javelin. The pirate couldn't dodge it, and the burning javelin bit into his shoulder. Involuntarily, a harsh scream burst from Luffy's throat. Shura was on top of him, the extra weight causing the strings to snap, while he forced the javelin in deeper.

Despite the pain, somewhere in the distance, Luffy could hear Robin shouting his name in shock. That alone gave him all the strength he needed to press onwards.

Luffy grabbed a hold of Shura tightly. The priest scoffed, and then pressed his hand into Luffy's chest. Something triggered, and the shockwave felt like it pulverised his internal organs. Still, Luffy never stopped thrashing.

He was breaking through the string now, toppling to the ground, keeping tight a hold of Shura even as the priest skewered him with his javelin. "Why won't you just die already?" The priest growled, and then Fuza caught them in mid-air.

The Sky Rider jumped back on his mount, while Luffy ended up in the bird's talons. The air blurred around him as Fuza accelerated with a flap of powerful wings. The next thing he knew, Luffy was being slammed into a tree trunk by the giant bird, before falling to the ground. As he bounced of the earth, he landed on another mine.

Fuza dropped to the ground, while Shura scratched his head as while the smoke cloud cleared. Somehow, Luffy was still standing, and staggering towards the priest slowly.

"Ok - you can take a beating, I'll give you that much," the priest conceded, staring at Luffy with faint bemusement. "You fight like a zombie. Is that the only thing you can do; stand up after a beat down? You're basically a human punching bag."

Luffy's heart was pounding like a sledgehammer in his chest. "Oh no," he snarled. "You've never seen what I can do."

He darted forward again. Shura scoffed while Fuza flew off the ground in a huge flap of wings. The huge bird screeched, opening its beak while the flames burst from its throat. This time, Luffy didn't even dodge. The fire scorched his skin, but Luffy just charged through. He couldn't feel the pain anymore.

The next second, Luffy's hand rammed inside the bird's mouth. It's sharp beak bit into his shoulder. Its beady eyes practically popped out as Luffy arm slammed down its fiery throat, but his singed fingers wrapped around the object inside its huge mouth. Luffy had recognised it before. Fuza couldn't really breathe fire; the bird just had a Flame Dial embedded in mouth.

With a crack, the shell snapped open in his grip and all the fire it contained exploded outwards. Luffy snatched his arm away, and then screamed with effort as he slammed Fuza's beak shut. The huge bird barely had time to squeal as the explosion erupted inside of his body. Smoke trailed from its nostrils as it slumped to the ground.

"Fuza!" Shura exclaimed with shock, staring at Luffy. "You bastard!"

Luffy's arm was scorched and his shoulder was bleeding, but he darted forward regardless. "Let's how well you do on the ground," Luffy muttered darkly.

The priest was forced on to the defensive under Luffy's onslaught, yet none of the punches came close. Shura avoided them all before Luffy even through them. "I will kill you for what you did to my bird!" The priest promised. "But nothing's changed! You still can't even touch me!"

His fists slammed against nothing but air. Shura drew his javelin, but Luffy was attacking so furiously there was no chance for counterattack. Instead, the pair just danced across the ground. Luffy was relentless, Shura was unhittable.

"It's useless!" The Sky Rider muttered with frustration. "You can't escape my Mantra!"

With a wordless scream of fury, Luffy charged forward. His fist collided with the Impact Dial in Shura's glove, and then the Sky Rider released the power straight back at him. Luffy's body skidded across the earth, while Shura just massaged his shoulder lightly from the recoil.

"You seem insistent on making me annoyed," Shura muttered coldly. "Haven't you realised the futility of your actions yet? I am one of God's priests. Going against me is defying God's will."

Luffy glared at him. His eyes burnt. The blood was pounding through his body like burning fire. "You hurt my friend," Luffy gasped, dragging himself up again. "Nothing can save you now."

Shura merely scoffed as Luffy charged again. Luffy drew back his arm for another blow, and Shura knew instantly where it was coming. Left uppercut, the priest thought smugly, sidestepping to the right as Luffy slammed forward.

He only had time to blink as suddenly Luffy's arm twisted around his body to the right, straight towards Shura's face.

That's impossible, the Sky Rider thought in shock, just before Luffy's knuckles collided with his nose and everything went black.

When he regained his senses, Shura was lying on the floor blood pouring from his nose, while Luffy charged in for another attack. It was impossible - Mantra could never be wrong. Unless…

Did he just predict my prediction? Shura thought stupidly, while Luffy grabbed tight a hold of his collar.

"Try avoiding this one." Luffy kept tight a hold of Shura's collar as he drew back his other hand and slammed it forward. The Sky Rider's helmet flew off as he fought to stay conscious.

"You bastard…" Shura growled, recovering enough to kicking his foot into Luffy's stomach before lashing out with his javelin. "Die already!"

The red hot javelin burnt past Luffy's face. He didn't even hesitate as he gripped the burning metal and pulled the handle out of Shura's grip. Shura never had time to duck before Luffy rammed the handle straight into his face.

Luffy kept his grip on Shura's collar, holding the priest so closely that he never stood a chance of avoiding his attacks. Shura screamed with rage, before thrusting his hand forward.

"Impact!" He screamed loudly, just as the air exploded with pressure. The force hit Luffy straight on the chest and caused him to stagger, but his grip was like iron.

"Damn you!" Shura screamed, attacking again. "Impact!"

"Impact!" The air exploded again. Luffy still never let go.

"Impact!" Luffy nearly collapsed, but his will was unbreakable.

"IMPACT!" Shura attacked with both hands. Around him, the ground was pulverised. Luffy could barely feel it.

There was a moment's silence. Luffy's breath was shallow. Shura tried to activate the Dials again. "Impact?" He muttered weakly, but nothing happened.

"You're all out of impacts." Luffy's expression was predatory as he drew back his fist. "I'm not."

The first blow nearly shattered Shura's skull. The second was just as powerful. Luffy kept tight a hold of the priest with one hand, and pounded him straight in the face with the other. By the tenth blow, Shura collapsed into a limp puddle at the pirate's feet.

Behind him, the giant bird Fuza tried to stagger upwards. It barely managed to stand up before slender legs sprouted around it, and dozens of feet wrapped around its wings.

Nico Robin stood calmly next to the bird. Her hands were still tender, so she used her legs this time. "Mr Captain has some issues to work out with the Sky Rider over there. Please stay out of it," she said gently, constricting her knees around the bird. Fuza collapsed to back to the ground with a crack.

Luffy stood over Shura's limp body, holding the priest up by his throat. "Tell me right now," Luffy snarled. "Where are my friends?"

"You can't do this…" Shura muttered through a mouthful of broken teeth. "I am God's priest…"

Luffy's eyes were practically burning as he tightened his grip. "Really? Well, I'm feeling pretty heretical right now."

Shura screamed in pain. Despite the agony, the hatred filled him. Even if he couldn't kill him, Shura would ensure that Luffy died. "The beanstalk!" Shura gasped, pointing towards towering Giant Jack in the distance. "They're all at the beanstalk!"

It was a lie, but how would Luffy ever know? The priest would deliver the infidels to God himself, and Enel would kill them.

Luffy relaxed his grip, but only slightly. The pirate paused for half a second, and glanced back at Robin, who was watching quietly. Luffy took a deep, calming breath, and then dropped Shura to the ground.

"If you ever threaten anybody I care about again," Luffy promised coldly. "I will kill you."

The priest was left a shivering wreck on the ground. Luffy walked back towards Robin quietly.

"Are you alright?" She asked gently.

A bright smile spilt Luffy's face. He didn't seem at all concerned about his injuries. "I'm fine," he said cheerfully, before his expression filled with concern. "What about you? Are your hands alright?"

Robin looked amused. "They're fine, Mr Captain."

He nodded, starting to walk away from the Ordeal of Strings. "Watch out for the mines. I'll go first. Let's see if we can reach the beanstalk and meet up with everyone by nightfall."

The archaeologist's eyes lingered on him for a long time. "Does it ever get tiring…" Robin asked quietly. "… to care so much about everyone else?"

The question surprised Luffy. "Never," he said firmly, grinning like a child. Robin stared at him for a while, but then she started to smile too. Luffy made her smile a lot.

Just as they started to leave, the ground started to rumble. Around them, there was thunderous crack as trees were demolished under the weight of a huge animal. Luffy stopped and turned, while a huge shadow blocked out the sun.

Shura was left too weak to move, staring upwards as the monster of a beast towered over them. "Oh no…" The priest gasped weakly, the dread clearly visible in his eyes. "Not that—"

That was the last thing the priest managed to say before he was swallowed whole by colossal jaws. Luffy was already running, practically dragged Robin behind him. Humongous yellow eyes watched them go before giving chase instinctively.

"Holy—!" Luffy screamed in shock, just as the monstrous python lunged after them, accelerating faster than should have been possible with its colossal mass. Its scaly body was bigger than a skyscraper, yet it struck with frighteningly fast speed.

There was nothing but a blur of huge fangs. Robin held on to him tightly as a ladder of feet appeared from the tree trunks and yanked them upwards. The python writhed around and slammed venomous fangs into the tree trunk, but Luffy and Robin were already fleeing for their lives. The goliath snake's teeth caught into the thick wood, leaving it to wriggle almost comically while trying to free itself.

Perhaps that was the reason why Luffy and Robin were giggling like fools as they ran away, clutching each other's hand tightly.

---

The Ordeal of Swamp…

Five hours later, Chopper burst through brambles and climbed out of the fog. The reindeer was slightly dirty and his fur was shaggy, but otherwise he was completely unharmed.

"Yeah!" Chopper shouted happily, pulling his partner out. "We've made it!"

With a grumble, Zoro staggered out. The swordsman was absolutely wrecked. His clothes were shredded, he was missing a shoe, and he was caked in mud and filth. There were teeth marks across Zoro's body, and his body was itching from hundreds of insects' bites. He didn't even have the energy to complain about it anymore.

"Phew!" Chopper sighed, keeping tight a hold of Zoro's hand. "I'm glad that's over with."

Zoro cleared his throat and spoke quietly. "Do you remember what we talked about?" Zoro muttered. "You are not to mention this to anyone. Especially not to the shitty cook."

The doctor didn't seem to hear him. Instead, Chopper stood on top of a small rock, looking around at where to go next. They were out of the ditch of a swamp, but they were still in a thick, overgrown forest. Zoro just sighed.

"We've got to meet up with the others," Chopper mused, looking around slowly. "Hmm… I wonder where they're at."

Zoro stomped forward. The swamp had sucked away all his motivation. "Let's just get this over with," he muttered.

"Hey!" Chopper chided disapprovingly, holding out a hoof. "Where do you think you're going?"

The swordsman stopped, slumped his shoulders and then turned back to take hold Chopper's hoof. The doctor smiled happily and started to walk onwards, chattering happily about the curiosities of the island. Zoro just followed miserably.

The forest seemed to go on forever. It was overgrown and filled with huge animals, but Chopper seemed completely at ease so long as he was holding on to Zoro. It took them half an hour to exit the forest, emerging in to a clearing where they could stare out at the setting sun.

"We'll head south," Chopper decided finally. "Let's see if we can get back to Angel Island. Phew, this was a hard day."

Zoro didn't respond. Then, the reindeer's nose wrinkled as he sniffed the air. "Wait… I smell someone coming."

The swordsman instantly perked up. Chopper looked nervous. "There are lots of people coming from that direction!" Chopper shouted with panic.

The sound of heavy footsteps spread through the forests. Both pirates recognised the sound. An evil grin started to spread across Zoro's face.

"Marines…" Zoro muttered happily.

"Marines!" Chopper squealed with fear, pulling Zoro's hand. The swordsman never budged. "We've got to get out of here."

"You go on ahead," Zoro ordered, yank away his hand away. His swords unsheathed with sharp click. "I'll make sure they don't follow."

"But—!"

"We're out of that swamp now. Go find the others." Zoro grin was practically demonic. "It's time for me to do what I'm good at."

Chopper hesitated, but suddenly Zoro seemed like he didn't need any help. The swordsman looked happier than he'd been all day. The sound of the marines thundered closer.

"Go." Zoro's voice left absolutely no room for argument. With a panicked squeal, Chopper transformed into his Walk Point and galloped away.

Seconds later, the marine squadron burst out of trees. There were about three dozen of them. They were all carrying rifles and looked nervous. Zoro was standing in the middle of the clearing, waiting for them with his hands in his pockets and a smile on his face.

"'Pirate Hunter' Zoro!" The leader exclaimed, brandishing his weapon.

"Evening," Zoro nodded in greeting. In a flash, all three swords were flickering in the sun, and Zoro charged forward. "I've been having a bad day!"

The sound of gunfire spread echoed around the forest for a while. It didn't last long.

A few minutes later, Zoro sighed with relief he was wiped the blood off his sword. There were three dozen bodies littered around him, all with looks of intense fear and shock plastered across their faces. A few were groaning weakly, but none were standing up. I really needed that, Zoro thought thankfully, feeling the tension ease off his shoulders.

There were more footsteps emerging from the trees, this time more urgent. They must have heard the gunshots. Zoro just smirked and placed his sword back in his mouth, spinning the other two idly.

The marines stomped into the clearing, staring with panic at their defeated comrades. "You monster!" One of them screamed, despite his trembling weapon.

"That's right," Zoro growled. He stepped forward, and the crowd of them stepped backwards like a herd of frightened gazelles. "And it looks like you're the next meal!"

"What's going on there?" The new voice was firm and strong, and it made Zoro's heart jumped. "Report!"

Tashigi broke through towards the clearing. Her sword was in hand as she slashed the brambles out the way. As soon as Tashigi and Zoro made eye contact, everything halted.

"You!" Tashigi exclaimed, thrusting her blade forward.

A range of emotions flashed across Zoro's face. He tried to say something, but all that came out was a wordless groan. Her… !

"What did you do to my scouting party?" The lieutenant demanded angrily. The rest of the marines filed in behind her, rifles ready but otherwise happy to let Tashigi go first.

Zoro frowned sheepishly. "Oh, they're all fine, I used the back of my blade only," he muttered dismissively, shifting uncomfortably. "I don't like killing weaklings."

Tashigi approached cautiously, sword in hand. It was a long time before she spoke. "You're under arrest," she said finally, with only a flicker of doubt in her eyes.

"Not this again…" Zoro groaned with despair, looking at Tashigi almost pleadingly. The marines were starting to flank him, all rifles aimed at him. "Couldn't you just…?"

Tashigi didn't respond. Zoro's expression was painful. The memories of the last time they fought were all too vivid.

For a while, Zoro held his swords tightly, but didn't raise them. "Argh…" Zoro moaned with uncertainty, debating it to himself. He kicked the ground with anger as the internal debate raised. "This is… Why can't you… but…"

He locked eyes with Tashigi uncomfortably. He really, really wanted to just fight his way out, but at the same time he knew he couldn't. This wasn't a problem he could fight. Zoro hated problems he couldn't fight. After a few moments of uncertainty, Zoro sighed in defeat.

"Fine," he muttered in quiet resignation, sheathing all three of his blades. With a pained glance, Zoro lifted his hands above his head. "You got me."

Nobody moved. Tashigi was staring at him with an unreadable expression. Zoro groaned and raised his voice, focused completely on Tashigi. "I surrender!"

---

On Angel Island, things were panicked as the sun started to set over the horizon. The White Berets had left, and the rumours of events in Upper Yard had drifted down to them. No one knew what was happening, but they were all scared.

As dusk fell, Beret, Isaac and Marcus walked down through Lovely Street, staring at the winged Skypieans as if they were surrounded by aliens. The Skypieans were too frantic to pay the Devil fruit hunters much attention. For a long time, the group just stood and watched.

The Skypieans were all ridiculously innocent. They never had any weapons, or military might, or even any will to fight. Despites years of living under a tyrannical God, their nature had hardly changed. The inhabitants of Angel Island were absolutely no threat to anyone.

After fifteen minutes, Marcus finally spoke up. "Hey, Isaac?" He asked curiously. Marcus' fingers were twitching slightly.

The slender man replied cautiously. "Yes?"

"Do you know how you said that I could kill everyone?"

Isaac's voice was nervous. Berrit took a step backwards. "Yes?"

"Is it ok if I start right now?"

The slender man straightened his glasses and sighed deeply. "If you must," Isaac muttered in resignation.

That was when Marcus started laughing. Both Isaac and Berrit turned their heads in distaste, while the air around them started to glow. The angels started to notice the trio, and then they started to run. They weren't fast enough.

The sound of bloodcurdling screams reverberated across Angel Island as night fell on Skypiea.

---

A few comments on Logia powers: Logia does not equal immortal, even though a lot of Logia users make the mistake of disagreeing. A Logia can flicker between an elemental form and a physical body, which allows them to absorb most attacks. However, there are still weaknesses. Only experienced Logia users can be truly 'invulnerable' to physical attacks, but even then there is still Seastone, Haki, and whatever elemental weaknesses they might have.

Vivi is still a novice with her abilities, and she loses control during the fight, and so she then starts taking damage.

Smoker's power simply isn't as powerful as Enel's. Enel saturated the air with electricity until even the smoke particles were vaporised. Smoker's elemental form was too badly damaged, leaving him vulnerable in his physical body.

Also, yes, Luffy got beat up again this chapter. Without his Devil fruit he is weaker than he was in canon, so he's forced to rely on brute stamina and determination in his battles. Still, he's learning a whole new fighting style from scratch, and he'll get there…

Next time: Night falls…