This is the 28th chapter. Sorry, I've decided to change it to Rated T since it's just thought it would be better if I do that.
I don't own the series of One Piece.
To The Sacrificial Altar!
After a long and arduous adventure, Luffy and his crew finally reach the mystical island destination of Skypiea. However, Nami, Zoro, Robin, Chopper, Ventus, and Leon were carried off to face 'Heaven's Judgment', Luffy and his remaining crew set out to Upper Yard to rescue their friends. Fortunately, their new friend, Conis was there to show them the way.
Somewhere in Skypiea
While Luffy and his remaining crew are continuing to make their way to the Upper Yard, with Caius piloting the 'Crow', they're worried if Conis is alright with Gan Fall taking her to safety and away from the White Berets.
"I really hope Conis is alright." Usopp said, loking at the sky with serious look on his face. "You know she's going to have hell to pay when the White Berets catch up with her and it's our own stupid fault. She'd be okay if she hadn't helped us and I'm not sure she can trust that Sky Knight, he pretty much gives me the creeps."
"We don't have much of a choice but to trust him, Usopp. I'm sure she's in good hands." Caius told him, steering the wheel and keeping the 'Crow' steady.
"Yeah, he's kinda old and weird, but he doesn't seem like that bad of a guy." Luffy agrees.
"There's no other choice. I want to protect her, but it's not like we could've brought her along with us." Sanji added, disappointed while crossing his arms.
"Well then, she probably is in less danger without us." Usopp stated. "Sacrificial Altars, ordeals, and the sound of it, I wish I was the one flying off with the old geezer."
"Man, this piece of junk is slow." Luffy complains about the gondola.
"This thing is heavier than a waver after all. Besides, we can't got back, and we'll have to deal what we got." Caius pointed out.
"Yeah, I mean, what did you expect? It's gotta be several times heavier than a standard waver." Sanji adds with an agreement as they went into the water/cloud-like falls and into the cloud-lie river as the Reaper steers to the left, but it got them by a surprise when they saw the sight of their destination.
"Uh, guys! Where did that huge forest come?!" Usopp exclaims with a gasp.
"Is that the Upper Yard?" Sanji asks.
"It has to be." Caius answered.
"I don't remember this being on the map." Luffy said when Usopp pulls out the map.
"Wait! No, there is supposed to be a forest ahead, but I don't see any warning about how big it is." Usopp informed him. "This cannot be right."
"Who knows how old that map is, we know it can be traced back a couple of 100 years, but who's to say it hasn't been around longer." Sanji points out. "And the forest may have been a fraction of its size when that map was made."
"That's true." Usopp said since the chef made a valid point.
"All I know is I've gotta try to climb one of those trees!" Luffy stated with a big grin. "They're enormous!"
"Do that and it's off with your head." Caius said with a glare, leaning his scythe right next to Luffy's neck and scaring him.
Skypiea, Upper Yard
Once the fog is clear, they were able to see the entrance to the Upper Yard that has tribal stone statues, two standing torches with tribal shields, bull skulls, and crossed spears. It got Usopp scared and starting to have second thoughts about heading to the Upper Yard and rescuing his crew.
"Look, the entrance!" Luffy said.
"We can see that." Caius told him sternly with annoyance.
"Well, this is it, Usopp. If you're gonna chicken out, now's the time." Sanji suggested.
"Actually, if you don't mind, I was kinda thinking I like to go back." Usopp requested.
"Too late!" Luffy said quickly.
"THEN WHY DID YOU ASK ME?!" Usopp yelled when Luffy chuckled.
As they continued to sail inside of the Upper Yard, they noticed a number of ships being sliced in half and no other sailors managed to survive. It got Usopp both worried and scared at the same time with his dread look and his jaw dropped. Though, Luffy, Sanji, and Caius doesn't seem to mind while keeping a close eye on their surroundings, but a giant bird lands on a tree as it made a cawing sound, making Usopp flinched.
"W-What was that?!" Usopp whimpers.
"Would you calm down!" Luffy said.
"Yeah, take it easy." Sanji adds calmly.
"Open your eyes! Don't you notice anything strange?!" Usopp protests. "Look at all these shipwrecks!"
"It is a forest." Luffy shrugs, not worried about the sound they just heard or the sliced-up ships.
"He's right." Sanji agrees.
"No, I think Usopp is on to something." Caius told them, earned their attention. "And sometimes logic isn't going to help us anymore since we're here in Skypiea."
"He's right! None of this make any sense!" Usopp agrees in panic. "Besides, they didn't run a ground, they were sliced in half!"
'And this forest lingers in death, something doesn't feel right.' Caius mentally thought when they heard the sound from the forest again.
"Did you hear that?" Usopp asks.
"The ones are full on noises, relax." Luffy states with a grin.
"I heard that!" Sanji said quickly, notices the noise.
"Same here!" Caius agrees. "And it's coming right at us!"
"AHHHH! Full speed ahead! All ahead full!" Usopp cried out as he and Sanji were paddling as fast as possible.
"Huh? What's going on?" Luffy asks in confusion at their reaction.
"Just get out there and help them paddle!" Caius shouted with white eyes and shark-like teeth, but a big pendulum swings down. Luckily, they're able to jump the gondola away with their skin of their teeth, avoiding getting sliced in half and causes it to slice the shipwreck.
"A sickle monster!" Luffy exclaims with his face pale and Usopp dropped his jaw with bloodshot eyes and shark-like teeth.
"That was a pendulum!" Caius corrects him.
"Hang on tight! Here comes another one!" Usopp warned them when the mechanisms are heard and the sounds of the number of pendulums are heard.
"No, not just one." Sanji corrects as the pendulums are getting closer.
"PADDLE LIKE CRAZY!?" Luffy yelled in panic.
And no sooner than later, the Straw Hats started to paddle with all their might while Caius kept on holding the wheel, steering it to dodge the number of pendulums.
"WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?!" Sanji demanded.
"WATCH WHERE YOU'RE GOING!?" Usopp yelled in teary eyes.
"EVERYTHING IS A DEATH TRAP!" Caius shouted. "We'll never make it to the Sacrificial Altar at this rate!"
"This isn't good!" Luffy said, rushing to the back. "Gum-Gum"
"What are you doing?! It's in front of us!" Usopp demanded when he noticed a pendulum in front of them.
"I know! Just hang on!" Luffy shouts. "Bazooka"
Luffy used his Devil fruit power to shoot their gondola in the air, narrowly avoiding the pendulum.
"Dodged it!" Luffy said with a chuckle.
"Whoa, that was close!" Usopp stated as they landed on the cloud-like river.
"Too close for comfort." Caius points out, continued to sail when the sound was heard and the gears are shifting.
"Great, there's more?" Sanji asked in annoyance.
Almost on cue, wooden spears started to rain down on them which they were able to dodge them when one spear stabs the gondola.
"Spears! Are you kidding me?!" Usopp exclaims, turns to the wooden spear.
"Usopp, take the wheel!" Caius ordered, rushing to help them.
Usopp then takes over, frantically trying to avoid them with the best of his steering ability, but the wooden spears wouldn't stop coming.
"Usopp, right!"
"No, left!"
"Which one?!" Usopp demanded.
"Just dodge them!" Caius shouts as he and Sanji blocks the wooden spears, but it keeps raining on them.
"They won't stop!" Sanji shouted.
"One of them is bound to hit us eventually!" Usopp adds when Luffy grabs two of them while planting his feet on the gondola, twisting his body around tightly.
"Alright guys, get ready! Gum-Gum: Pinwheel" Luffy then spins his body around rapidly, blocking the wooden spears.
And soon enough, they managed to make it out of the wooden spear assault.
"That was close." Sanji said with a sigh.
"I hope that's all over with, I can't take anymore scarce." Usopp whimpers, continued to sail the sound was heard for the third time. "Oh, now what?!"
A razor boomerang then appeared. The group managed to avoid it and it causes Usopp to scream.
"It's gone!" Luffy said with his jaw dropped.
"Not yet!" Sanji told him when they noticed a boomerang coming after them and showing of no return to its owner.
"It's coming back!?" Usopp yelled with panic.
"Move it!" Sanji adds.
"Dodge!" Luffy shouts.
Upper Yard, Sacrificial Altar
Meanwhile, the rest of the Straw Hat pirates are at the Sacrificial Altar after the giant lobster dragged their ship to the Upper Yard. Also, they're currently found themselves in the altar in the middle of the White-White Sea.
"I can't believe that overgrown crustacean just dropped us out in the middle of nowhere!" Zoro said, gritting his teeth.
"Does anybody know where we are?" Chopper asks, standing on the railings.
"From what I can tell, we're somewhere in the middle of the Upper Yard." Leon answered, pondered.
"Hmm, this seems to be some sort of altar for sacrifices." Robin points out.
"Rather, this is the sacrificial altar." Leon said.
"Altar? Wait, sacrifices?!" Nami exclaims, wearing a light yellow shirt with maroon trousers and orange high-heeled sandals.
"Nami, what's a sacrifice?" Chopper questions, turns to the navigator.
"You know, like an offering to the Gods." Nami told him with a shrug.
"Oh, is that all?" Chopper said surprisingly. "I thought it meant being boiled alive in a big stew or something..."
And with that, Chopper imagines himself being boiled in the pot alive with a scream in panic.
"Actually, you're right on the mark." Leon points out, making him snapped out of his thought.
"But regardless of the method, the thing being offered is generally someone's life." Robin adds, wo now wears a yellow sleeveless shirt and purple pants reaching to her calves with a simple belt around her waist, white ornament on her left arm, and purple high-heeled shoes.
"Are you trying to tell me we're all gonna die here?!" Chopper yelled in panic with budging eyes and shark-like teeth.
However, the shock caused the reindeer to lose his balance on the rail and tumbled down the stairs.
"Chopper!" Nami cried out.
"Damn it!" Zoro and Ventus cursed in annoyance as they jumped off of the ship to catch Chopper, who kept tumbling down the stairs and heading straight towards the clouds. Luckily, Robin used her Devil fruit Power to grab hold of him before he fell into the clouds. As she did so, however, something was swimming over him. That something was a sky-shark merged out of the clouds and attempting to chomp Chopper, which both Ventus and Zoro intervened just in a nick of time.
"Oh no! What's that?!" Nami asks with a gasp, widen her eyes in dread.
"A shark in the sky, a sky-shark?" Robin guessed, crossed her arms when Chopper ran back to the ship.
"Zoro! Ventus!" Chopper shouts with worry.
"Piercing Talon" Ventus then throws his lance right at the sky-shark in the head, killing him as he and Zoro merged into the clouds. "You alright, Chopper?"
"Yeah, thanks!" Chopper answered from the distance as Ventus dives down to pull his lance out.
"But you guys need to get out of the clouds, more might be coming soon!" Leon suggested.
Skypiea, Upper Yard
Meanwhile, Luffy and his crew are still having trouble avoiding the razor boomerang which causes Luffy, Usopp, and Sanji to panic a bit. Caius however, remained calm while observing the boomerang.
"DAMMIT, DAMMIT, DAMMIT!" Usopp said frantically with shark-like teeth, steering the wheel and able to dodge it. "It missed us!"
Unfortunately, the razor boomerang is coming after them again.
"GAAAAH! NOT AGAIN!?" Usopp yelled in panic which they're able to dodge it again, but only to witness that it cuts through some trees like a hot knife to butter. "I'm sick of this place! We're never gonna make it outta here! I'm going back! I don't care what you say!"
"No, you're not!" Luffy grumbled.
"You two need to calm down!" Caius shouted, which his patience is slowly starting to grow thin because of Usopp's constant shouting and complaining.
"Shut up! I'm Captain of the Crow!" Usopp snapped.
"Since when?!" Luffy demanded.
"Since now!" Usopp answered.
"Even if we do turn around, there's no guarantee we'll survive the trip back." Sanji points out. "Damn!"
Just as he said that, the razor boomerang spun back to them once more Usopp shouted and quickly dodges it.
"Doesn't that thing ever quit!?" Usopp shouted.
"It can't stop something that big!" Caius retorted as he decided to take action, readied his scythe. "Infernal Slice"
Once Caius channeled his dark flames with his scythe, swings it and sliced the razor boomerang in half as it then falls down into the clouds.
"Nice hit!" Luffy commented with a grin.
"But this is bad! Now it's too late to go back! I can't even see the entrance anymore!" Usopp whimpered.
"Then stay here." Luffy suggested.
"I'll die, you idiot!" Usopp snapped.
"Then stop complaining!" Caius shouts in annoyance.
"But you'll probably did though." Sanji casually added when a big lamprey appeared, mouth wide open to devour the boat and the passengers.
Usopp screamed in fear while Sanji took action and gave it a kick to the neck, knocking the lamprey out and into the clouds.
"Was that...a big snake?!" Luffy guessed.
"Look like a giant lamprey, a sky-lamprey I guess." Sanji answered. "One that big will do more than just suck a little blood."
"Neatest forest ever, huh!" Luffy said, impressed after what had occurred to them.
"Nest forest, my butt! If this is our so-called ordeal, then I quit!" Usopp shouted with a glare.
"We've only entered the entrance to the Upper Yard, it's too late to turn back. Thus, it's too early for the ordeal." Caius pointed out.
"And we've got to keep moving." Sanji adds, agreeing to the Reaper. "We can't spend any more time in this Milky Road than necessary. Otherwise, we're asking for a certain death."
Upper Yard, Sacrificial Altar
After Ventus grab hold Zoro and flying back on the ship, they turned and noticed a pack of sky-shark emerging, swimming around in between the Sacrificial Altar and a dead sky-shark.
"Something tells me swimming out of here is out of the question." Ventus stated with a serious look. "And with the blood spreading, they'll be coming for the dead one."
"If that's possible, no one would call it the Sacrificial Altar." Leon points out.
"Whatever happen to not killing anyone, Ventus?" Nami questions, criticizing him. "I thought we agreed about this."
"Give him a break, spoiled princess!" Leon snapped, defending the young Dragoon.
"What was that?!"
"You heard me!"
Chopper then turned, watching the sky-sharks swarming about.
"But what are we gonna do?" Chopper asks with worry. "How are we gonna get out?!"-
"I'm not sure." Zoro answered casually as he and Robin jump off the ship and into the altar, wringing his white shirt. "But if that first one was an indication, then we're not gonna have much luck fighting them off."
"We've got to do something." Robin points out. "We can't stay here forever."
"But getting to shore is out of options with all this going on." Leon adds.
"Leaving us here was that lobsters idea of a joke, it's not very funny." Zoro scoffs in annoyance.
"Perhaps this is the 'Heaven's Judgment' we've been hearing so much about." Robin stated.
"I doubt that it's Heaven's Judgment." Leon told her, turns to Robin. "Then again, who knows what Eneru has in store for us."
"So, you think this God would try something a littler flashier, you know?" Zoro stated when Nami tossed a blue sleeveless shirt at his head.
"Couldn't say, never met the guy." Robin shrugs when Zoro pulls the shirt out of his head, then check the Going Merry's condition.
"I'm not sure what this solution is, but we definitely can't set sail with a hole looking like this." Zoro points out, then turns to Chopper. "Hey Chopper, try to figure out a way to fix the ship."
"Me?! Okay!" Chopper responded.
"Why should he fix it? Are you going somewhere?" Nami asks as Zoro puts on the blue shirt with goggles on his head.
"I'm going to find a way into the forest. We should probably make this as a base of operations." Zoro explains. "You guys can keep a lookout, I'm sure Luffy and the others are heading this way. Like they say, 'If you get lost, you should stay where you are', right?"
'Shouldn't that apply to you too!' Nami mentally retorted in annoyance as Robin was looking at the ancient writing on the altar in which the young Dragoon noticed, joining in the observation.
"Zoro, if you wanna go to the forest, well I guess that's okay with me, but you haven't really told us what for?" Chopper told him with a question.
"There's supposed to be some kinda God on this island, want to meet him." Zoro replied.
"Wait! That's a terrible idea!" Nami told him. "I mean, what are you gonna do when you actually find him?!"
"I dunno. Depends if he behaves himself." Zoro said with a smirk.
"Zoro, you're the bravest person I know." Chopper comments.
"And what about his priests?! You gonna beat them up, too?! Hello! The last thing we need is you pissing off a God, it's kinda not smart!" Nami scolds with a tick mark on her head as Zoro turns to her.
"By the time I'm done with him...this God's gonna bow before me." Zoro told her which Chopper was in awe and Nami just face-planted at those words with a groan, turns away. "I don't believe in him anyway, what do I care about pissing him off."
Nami is now praying to God in teary eyes, causing Leon to sweat drop at that. Both Robin and Ventus continued to look at the ancient writing at the altar.
Skypiea, Upper Yard
While back at the Milky Road, Luffy and his crew continued to sail their way which Usopp is getting pretty annoyed at that since there weren't any more traps.
"Come on, can't this little cruise be over already?" Usopp questions.
"I don't think so, cause these traps are meant for testing us if we survive all of them or not." Caius told him. "The actual ordeal are up ahead and the priests are waiting for us on the island."
"So, you're telling me none of what we through has anything to do with our actual ordeal?" Usopp questions, turns to the Reaper.
"I don't know, I kinda doubt it. Especially considering the magnitude of that attack back at the docks." Sanji told him. "I couldn't tell you how it all works, but it's serious power. Take even one hit and you're a goner. This Eneru shouldn't be taken lightly, that's for sure and I get the distinct feeling he's watching us even now."
"That's weird. So, you think he's in that town?" Luffy questions, confused.
"I'm guessing he must've been to attack us accurately as he did." Sanji guessed.
"Not necessarily, this is a God we're talking about. I bet he see us from a thousand miles away." Usopp states. "Heck, he's probably watching us right now."
"Yeah, since when did you become such a devoted follower?" Sanji inquires, annoyed. "You're not even from around here."
"You're missing the point completely!" Usopp retorted. "People say, 'God is great!', right? I was taught to show respect to those with power. You don't have to mean it, it self-preservation."
"Fine, but you realize that not every God in the world is great?" Sanji points out with a smirk. "Like the God of Poverty? Or the God of Pestilence?"
"Oh what do you know!?" Luffy and Usopp retorted in annoyance as Caius sighed.
"Or the God of Lust?" Caius said, earned a tick mark from the chef. "We'll continue the debate later, if we were to survive that thing."
And as just said that, the sky-lamprey appeared out of nowhere and lunged towards the Straw Hats as Usopp screams in panic.
"NOT ANOTHER ONE!?" Usopp screams in panic with teary and bloodshot eyes, and shark-like teeth.
Upper Yard, Sacrificial Altar
Meanwhile, Zoro noticed the vine looped around the tree branch high above them which he thought of a way to get to the surface.
"That vine looks pretty sturdy." Zoro said.
"Ah, excellent idea." Robin agrees as she, Ventus, and Leon came around to join them. "Mind if I tag along, swordsman?"
"I like to come as well, just to see what we're dealing with." Leon adds.
"Sure, long as you promise not to slow me down." Zoro accepted when Nami ran next to the railings, looking at her crew.
"Wait a minute! Where do you think you're going?!" Nami demands as Robin turns to the ancient writing.
"Look at this." Robin suggested which it got their attention. "At least 1,000 years have passed since this altar was built."
"1,000 years?!" Nami and Chopper exclaims in amazement.
"The sense of history here is amazing, it gives me chills." Robin stated with calm, yet eagerness. "You feel it?"
Though, both Nami and Chopper doesn't seem to follow while Ventus and Leon noticed it, sensing Robin's anticipation.
"You seem pretty excited about this." Leon said, earned her attention. "Guess being an archeologist, you would be intrigued by new historical discoveries. I wouldn't mind seeing what you discovered."
Robin couldn't help but smile at the Gunbreaker's interest in history.
"Still, a place as ancient as this is sure to be filled with all kinds of relics." Robin said, turns to her crew. "Imagine all of the valuables we can discover. Just think, the possibilities are endless."
At the sound of a certain word, Nami perked up with the idea of treasure.
"In that case, I'll join you!" Nami cried out.
"NAMI! I THOUGHT YOU WERE TOO SCARED!?" Chopper exclaimed with budging eyes and shark-like teeth as Nami turned to him with 'B' bills in her eyes.
"It's for history." Nami said.
'Yeah, sure it is!' Chopper and Ventus mentally thought with a sweat drop.
Within moments, everyone but Chopper and Ventus went up to the crow's nest of the ship, where they would have a good start-off point. Robin uses her Devil fruit power to pull one end of the vine down to them.
"That work for you?" Robin asks when Zoro caught it.
"It's perfect." Zoro answered.
Zoro cleared his throat, preparing himself for some unknown reason. Nami was confused, while Leon wondered if he's gonna do what he thought he was doing. Sure enough, just as Zoro took off swinging, making a call that a man of the jungle would make.
"It's official, he's lost his mind." Nami said in bewilderment as Leon placed a hand in his face, shook his head.
Zoro landed on the ground on the other side as the vine came back to the remaining tree. Robin took it and swing over with ease, thankfully the sky-sharks were close to the dead shark, landing neatly on the other side.
"She made it!" Chopper said in amazement.
"She made it look easy, though." Ventus stated as Leon caught the vine.
"Why don't you go next?" Leon offered, extends it to her.
"Why? You caught it!" Nami responded. "Are you scared?"
"Says the girl shaking her legs when seeing the other two swing." Leon remarked in a deadpan look.
"Wha-?! My legs aren't shaking!" Nami snapped, but took the vine from him. "Fine, I'll go next! Just to prove I'm not scared!"
"Looks easy enough." Nami muttered, climbing onto the railing of the crow's next, pulling on the vine to make sure it was tight. "This is higher up than I thought..."
"Be careful!" Robin warns her casually. "If you fall, you'll most certainly die."
"THAT'S SUPPOSED TO BE YOUR IDEA OF A JOKE!" Nami exclaimed with a shout.
"Come on, it shouldn't be that hard to get there." Leon said with a smirk.
"YOU AREN'T HELPING, EITHER!?" Nami yelled with white eyes and shark-like teeth.
Then, they noticed the sky-sharks were eating a dead one.
"So much for that one." Leon said with a cringe, then turns to Nami. "Well, aren't you gonna go or not?"
"If I fall, I'm dead!" Nami barked.
"Just shut up and get going!" Leon remarked, hoisting himself up onto the railing and shoves Nami from behind, forcing her into the swing.
Nami panicked as she descended towards the sky sharks, then noticed she's gonna crash into the tree ahead on the other side.
"HELP ME! IT'S TOO FAST! I'M GONNA CRASH!" Nami screamed, but was stopped by Robin 's multiple hands, saving her.
"Look at that, you're not gutless." Robin stated as Nami lands on the ground with a heavy pant.
But as soon as she recovered, she turned angrily at the crow's nest and Leon swing.
"COULDN'T YOU HAVE WAITED FOR ME TO BE READY?!" Nami yelled with a tick mark, white eyes, and shark-like teeth as Leon lands next to her. "YOU DIDN'T HAVE TO SHOVE ME LIKE THAT!"
"Stop whining, at least you made it and didn't become shark food." Leon remarked as Zoro let out a jungle man yell again.
"Is what you should've done." Zoro told her, crossed his arms.
"THAT HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH IT!?" Nami snapped, turns to the swordsman and then to the Gunbreaker. "Next time, warn me before you can do that."
"Yeah, yeah." Leon said in annoyance, waving his hand dismissively as he joins Robin and noticed the size of the trees.
"This forest is even bigger than I thought." Robin said.
"Okay, Chopper! Ventus! You're in charge of the ship!" Zoro called out.
"We're counting on you!" Robin added.
"We'll be back soon!" Nami said, waved at them when her personality takes a full 180 again.
"Keep an eye on this place!" Leon shouts.
"Bye! Everyone be careful! Don't take too long, okay!" Chopper cried out.
"Just get back here soon!" Ventus ordered as Zoro, Robin, Nami, and Leon took off into the jungle, disappeared into the view.
"I guess Nami will be alright since she's with Robin, Zoro, and Leon." Chopper said.
"Knowing Nami, she'll get the wrong idea about it." Ventus told him, sighed. "Still, we better hope Luffy and the others are coming. That's one of the reasons why I stayed behind."
"You're really worried about them, are you?" Chopper asks, turns to him.
"Not really, I mean they can take care of themselves, except for Usopp and Nami since they're useless when it comes to fighting." Ventus points out. "But this is Eneru and the priests we're talking about, and knowing them, they won't go down that easily."
Chopper nodded with an understanding since he knew his crew too well, then looked to the area the other four vanished.
"Our friends are so brave and adventurous. I'm too scared to go, but maybe someday if I'm really lucky, I can be brave like them too." Chopper said, walked down the steps and grabbed the toolbox. "Oh well, if I can't be brave, I can least make myself useful. If something does happen, you'll be there to protect me, Ventus."
"Normally, yeah, but there are times when we run from a fight." Ventus told him, earned his attention. "And I could use an extra hand if it became too much for me, considering of what we're going to face."
"But I'm gonna be working on the ship and I have to work very hard on it." Chopper said.
"I know, but if someone ever arrives to fight, we need to be ready for a fight." Ventus said with a serious look on his face.
Skypiea, Upper Yard
Meanwhile, Usopp screamed and the sky-lamprey was about to lunge at the Straw Hats.
"SKY-LAMPREY!?" Usopp yelled.
"Hey, what do you think? Would that thing taste good with salt and pepper?" Luffy asks.
"Never thought I'd say it, but I don't think now is the time for trading recipes." Sanji told him as Luffy cursed in disappointment.
"Then Gum-Gum: Pistol" Luffy then pulls his arm back, stretched right at the lamprey, punches it as it got knocked out of the tree branch and fell into the clouds.
"I hate Sky Islands, they're scary!" Usopp whimpers in dread and horror.
"Wanna get out here-"
"WHAT KIND OF A QUESTION IS THAT?! YOU WANT ME TO DIE!?" Usopp snapped, turns to Sanji with white eyes and shark-like teeth. "I'M ALLOWED TO BE SCARED! CUT ME SOME SLACK!"
Though, Caius isn't amused of his antics or his cowardice and Luffy couldn't but chuckle, stopped when he noticed a statue ahead.
"Hey look, there's a giant head blocking our way!" Luffy called out, points at the statue.
"Not quite, it's a statue." Sanji corrects him.
"Oh, right, but it looks like a total dead end." Luffy stated.
"No, look, there's four entrances!" Usopp points out which apparently, there were four entrances.
"Of course, and how much you wanna bet all four of them lead to a different places?" Sanji rhetorically questions with a serious look.
"'Ordeal of Swamp', 'Ordeal of Iron', 'Ordeal of String', and 'Ordeal of Spheres'." Usopp reads out loud.
"You think we can get to take our pick?" Luffy asks with a grin, excited.
"Is it me or none of these things really sound like much of an ordeal?" Sanji questions as they continued to sail close to the entrances.
"It's not you, Sanji, these ordeals aren't as what we all think. Each of these entrances can be deadly if we choose either one." Caius told him.
"Uh, I don't know guys, which one do we choose?" Usopp questions as they began choosing which ordeals are they gonna take, which they need to choose quickly because their friends are about to be in danger and time isn't on their side.
That's it for the 28th chapter.