THE ORDEAL AND THE ADVENTURE PART 1
Sky Island Saga - Skypiea Arc - Episodes 160 - 162
"After a great adventure, Luffy and his crew finally reached the Sky Island of Skypiea. However, Nami's group was taken away by 'Heaven's Judgement,' and Luffy's group, on their way to God's Island to get them, encountered trap after trap… Meanwhile, Nami's group, which was taken to a sacrificial altar… And so, Zoro's group left Chopper behind and entered the forest…"
"Don't tell me they each lead to different places?" Sanji grumbled, glaring at them, reading the top. The first one on the far left read 'Swamp Ordeal', the second read 'Iron Ordeal', the third read 'String Ordeal', and the final one on the far right read 'Ball Ordeal'.
"Not likely. They should all lead to the same place," The redheaded woman argued.
"'Swamp Ordeal'..." Usopp read as they got closer. "'Iron Ordeal'... 'String Ordeal'… 'Ball Ordeal'..."
"Are we allowed to go in any one?!" Luffy laughed, pointing, not getting scared at all.
"Is God trying to play games with us or something?!" Sanji groaned, wanting to get to Robin and Nami faster.
"Four ordeals… Which do we choose?" Usopp asked the others as they got closer, needing to decide quickly, or it would be too late.
ONE PIECE - SKYPIEA ARC
ZORO'S GROUP
They roam the massive forest floor, climbing over the huge trunks that reach their waists. "Where is this God, anyway?" Zoro wonders, stopping to let Nami and Robin catch up as he leads the way through the dense trees.
"If he's a God, he might have already foreseen our actions long ago," Robin suggests calmly and deadlyly.
"Things'd be a lot faster if he came to us…" He ponders, resting his hand on the hilt of his favoured sword.
"I'd rather he not show up!" Nami argues, jumping down. "How many times do I have to tell you?! The God on this island is horrible!" She thinks about what she saw before on Upper Yard, the same burst of light raining down from the sky and obliterating everything it touched. "Oh, Lord… Please stay nice and peaceful…! Oh! And please let us find some treasure..," She prays.
"Is that what you care about?!" Zoro scoffs at the greedy woman and moves towards the riverbank. "Anyway, walking along the river won't get us anywhere… We should cross and check out the other side."
"Yes," Robin agrees, looking over at the other side of the ground.
"But how?" Nami wonders, moving closer. "Use a vine to swing across like before? Or do we climb a-." A piece of the ground tumbles away, making her lose her balance as she falls toward the river. A Sky Shark appears from the water, opening its mouth to swallow her as Zoro and Robin watch in horror, but the Swordsman acts quickly, kicking it away as he pushes Nami away. Robin grabs Nami, using her Devil Fruit, sprouting arms at the base of the tree, catching her before she collides with it.
"Damn!" The greenette groans. "They're here, too?!"
"F-Forget it! I am not crossing this river!" Nami rejects his idea, shaking her head and looking out at the Sky Shark-infested river with the one Zoro just kicked on the other side. "We'd pretty much be feeding ourselves to the Sky Sharks!"
"But there's no guarantee we can get across even if we keep walking along the river!" Zoro argues, wanting to explore some more.
"I said forget it!" She declares loudly, looking up at him as she sits on the ground, not moving till he agrees. "If you're gonna go, then you can go alone, Zoro!"
"If you're that scared, you shouldn't have come in the first place!" He snaps, growing frustrated, leaning over at her, both too stubborn to budge.
"Say… This ground…" Robin says after jumping down to get a closer look, having spotted something.
"What about it?" Nami asks her, watching the Archaeologist shift her hand through the soil.
"It's dirt," She answers simply, looking up at them.
"Of course it is. It's ground," The young Navigator reasons, not seeing what the older woman sees.
"This is a Sky Island," The raven-haired beauty reminds them.
"You're right. It isn't all fluffy…" Zoro agrees, thinking about it and remembering how it left when they first arrived and tests the hard ground.
"Eh?" Nami questions, looking at the ground closely. "Oh, right! Sky Islands are made of island cloud…" She rubs her hand against the dirt. "It feels like such a long time since I've touched dirt like this…!" She looks at it closely. "Why is this island different?"
"In any case, it's certain that this is an unusual Sky Island…" Robin reasons, looking around. "Looks like checking into it might be worth a lot…"
ONE PIECE - SKYPIEA ARC
LUFFY'S GROUP
They slowly approach the four entrances to the ordeals the Straw Hats will face. "So, what do we do?" Usopp asks the others, glancing over his shoulder.
"Alright!" Luffy decides instantly, pointing to the one on the far right. "Let's go with 'Ball'!"
"Why's that, Luf?" Dakota asks her Little Brother.
"It sounds fun!" He answers, making her giggle at his goofy response.
"That's your reason?! These are ordeals!" Usopp snaps at him. "They're not gonna be fun! No, but I agree with 'Ball'. It's the only one that doesn't sound too violent…" He stares at the other three entrances. "I mean, 'swamp' makes me think of…" He shudders, imagining himself sinking into a swamp.
"Sinking all alone?" Dakota questions, quirking an eyebrow at the cowardly Sniper.
"Yeah… I get the feeling that once you sink, there's no coming back up…" He shivers, looking at his lap.
"Then what about 'Iron'?" Luffy asks Usopp.
"Denied!" Usopp instantly shakes his head. "That sounds totally bad!"
"Then what about 'String'?" Dakota asks him.
"It sounds easy and not too bad at all, but…" He thinks about it. "High up!" He yells suddenly. "N-No! It's easy sound makes it seem suspicious!" He looks at the last ordeal and imagines a giant red ball chasing after them down a slope in the Milky Road. "It sounds round and soft, but it's the most likely to be a trick! We really need to think this over!"
"There's no time to be wishy-washy!" Sanji argues, knowing they don't have much time to stop and think it through as they approach the entrances. "We're already there, anyway!"
"Let's go with 'Ball'!" Luffy decides instantly, cheering happily.
"A-Alright!" Usopp stutters. "Guess I'll go with Luffy's hunch on this one!"
"Then it's decided," Dakota declares. "But don't let your guard down." She warns the boys.
"Agreed," Sanji nods. "We're on God's Island, 10,000 metres up in the air! Anything could happen here!"
"Let's go! Ball!" Luffy cheers, waving his arms, and Usopp reluctantly steers the Crow to the far right, heading for the 'Ball Ordeal' with his eyes closed.
ONE PIECE - SKYPIEA ARC
The Crow calmly enters the Ordeal tunnel with Usopp still steering, his eyes closed as the others calmly look around the dark canal. "Hey, now!" Sanji warns him. "Don't shut your eyes, driver!" Usopp slowly and reluctantly peels his eyes open, seeing the darkness.
"Even when they're open, it's pitch black!" Usopp cries.
"Say, there's other stuff like this, right?" Luffy asks, looking at his Sister.
"Like what?" Dakota questions, sitting on the wooden deck, leaning her back against the side.
"You know how there were four entrances? Maybe one of them was the right one, and the others were wrong?!" He reasons, but Dakota shakes her head.
"Eh?! What?! Don't say that now!" Usopp shouts at him, looking through the darkness at him. "What happens if we choose the wrong one?!"
"If it's the wrong one… Hmm…" The Captain ponders. "Maybe we'll fall off the Sky Island?"
"Don't be stupid!" He screams through the pitch-black tunnel. "We can't fall off! It's 10,000 metres to the Blue Sea, you know!"
"Well, you've set him off," Dakota rolls her eyes, spotting a light in the distance.
"You could reflect on your life multiple times on your way down! Even falling has its limits!" The Sniper keeps screaming.
"Quit bein' idiots!" Sanji scolds them, growing bored of them already. "That's obviously not gonna happen-."
ONE PIECE - SKYPIEA ARC
As Sanji says this, the Crow pops out the end of the dark tunnel and finds themselves sailing off a ledge of the Milky Road; there's a moment when all of them look in shock as they cling to the gondola. "YOU WERE SAYING!" Dakota screams as they fall towards some clouds, their hearts beating like loud drums in their ears.
"No!" Usopp cries loudly. You gotta be kidding me!" The group screams as they fall through the air but luckily land back on the Milky Road again with a massive splash. The splash makes a loud crash and startles the birds resting in the trees as they fly away.
"We're alive…" Sanji whizzes, trying to catch his breath from the screaming fit and near-death experience moments ago as they stream through the forest.
"I seriously thought we were gonna fall 10,000 metres…" Usopp whimpers, leaning against the seat in despair, tears running down his face.
"It's all because you said misleading stuff, Luffy!" The Love Cook shouts, kicking a laughing Luffy on the head.
"That was scary!" Luffy just laughs, not minding Sanji taking his anger out on his face. "I thought I was gonna die!"
"Please stop it," Dakota groans, wiping her hands over her face, trying to steady her racing heartbeat.
"Still, what is this place?" Sanji wonders calmly after lighting his cigarette and taking over, moving Usopp away from the chair so he can cry in peace.
"They're balls…" Luffy answers, looking around. Dakota moves her hand away from her eyes to see the forest full of white balls floating around. They are seemingly harmless, but she can sense something dangerous all around her, which is messing with her Haki.
"They're small 'island cloud' balls…" He muses, looking around them at the hundreds of balls floating around the forest.
"Awesome!" The rubber man chuckles. "It's like big snow! What a weird place! It's so neat!"
"The Milky Road leads above the trees…" Dakota comments, looking ahead and wanting to escape quickly before anything else happens.
"But what part of this is an ordeal?" Luffy wonders, calming down, looking at the balls as they pass.
"Who knows?" Sanji replies, keeping his eyes ahead. "It'd be great if there's nothing at all, but I doubt that's the case…"
"Maybe we got the right entrance?!" He exclaims, looking at the others. "I bet if we chose the wrong one, we'd be in trouble right about now!"
"Y-Yeah!" Usopp whimpers, moving from his cowering position. "You might be right!"
"Right?" The Captain agrees, looking at the cowardly Sniper.
"Idiots, don't let your guard down!" Dakota warns them. "We're already in trouble."
"Exactly," Sanji agrees with her. "Would you really let criminals get off free? Give things some thought! There might be traps like earlier… Stay sharp!"
"There is… We need to keep moving…" She warns them, feeling something moving towards them.
"I'm thirsty!" Luffy announces. "Let's have some tea!"
"Huh?" Usopp perks up. "Yes, let's! Open up the rice crackers in your bag!"
"Ooh, good idea!" He agrees, rummaging through his bag of treats and snacks.
"You guys!" Sanji growls, gritting his teeth at their naivety.
"C'mon, just one rice cracker!" The goofy raven-haired teen exclaims, wanting to relax after their deathly moment.
"Yeah! Let's eat, let's eat!" Usopp cheers, wanting to ignore what's happening around them.
"No!" Sanji snaps at them. "Listen! I'm gonna keep steering. You guys keep watch on both sides!" He orders the boys, making them grumble to themselves.
"It took us really high up at some point…!" He marvels, looking through the trees.
"Where the hell is it coming from?" Dakota mutters, staring around her, sensing something getting closer, but it keeps getting muddled with the other balls around them.
"But it's strange… There are four Priests, so I assumed each entrance led to one… like Dakota-chan suggested… but I guess not." Sanji ponders, glancing around, aware of the incoming Priest.
"Hey! Usopp! Pass!" Luffy yells, grabbing one of the balls, tapping it lightly and passing it to Usopp as they eat their rice crackers.
"Okay! I got it! Pass!" Usopp cheers through a mouthful of crackers, passing the ball back.
"I told you to keep watch!" Sanji snaps at the boys, and Dakota turns, feeling something change within the ball. She jumps towards them as a snake pops out from inside the ball, about to attack him.
"A snake!" He shrieks, ducking away from the fanged creature.
"I don't think so!" Dakota growls, kicking the ball and sending the snake flying through the trees and knocking into a few on its way, setting them off.
"That was a shock! Why…?!" Luffy grumbles, looking around, and Usopp suddenly shrieks, pointing at something ahead.
"Sanji! Look out! A cloud!" Usopp shrieks, making the Cook turn around to see a giant ball appear in front of them. "Kick it far away!"
"Dammit! Are all these floating things snake eggs?!" Sanji wonders, frowning and second-guessing himself, but he kicks it, feeling it give in too much and floating away before a bright light sets off.
"Noo!" Dakota shouts, turning around as the bomb sets off and explodes as she hits the deck, but the boys aren't as lucky. The smoke clears to the boys, all standing in shock from the explosion.
"This isn't good…" The boys grumble.
"What's the deal with these balls?!" Usopp shouts when a strange laugh sounds through the trees.
"There's no telling what will come out!" A voice says, making Dakota frown and glance around, trying to find the voice's owner. "These clouds are called 'surprise clouds'!" A ball comes closer to the gondola, spinning around.
"Surprise clouds?!" He repeats, looking around.
"Heso!"
"Who're you?!" The Sniper gasps, turning around to find the Priest sitting on a ball, though he looks like one himself. His round body, orange gloves, boots, and hat stand out from his white bodysuit and golden chain accessory down the middle.
"Thank you for choosing my 'Ball Ordeal'!" The Priest Satori of the Forest greets them with his funny little laugh.
"Who is this dumpling freak?" Sanji wonders, looking at the strange-looking Priest. "Don't tell me he's a Priest?!"
"I think he is," Dakota mutters, glancing at him funny as he dances on top of the large white ball floating near the Crow.
"You're the ball ordeal?! A ball?!" Luffy exclaims, watching them.
"Quit dancin'!" Sanji snaps at the Priest of the Forest. "Who the hell are you?!"
"Wow, he seems dumber than I expected…" Usopp comments.
"Didn't Nami and the old guy say they were really strong?" Luffy questions, not thinking he's as strong as they were saying.
"He's playing us," Dakota sneers, looking at the dancing Priest, trying to lull them into a sense of security. "Hey! Dummy! Where are the rest of our crew?!"
"Do you mean the sacrifices?" Satori asks, waving his arms around gleefully. "If so, I wouldn't know. Even if they're left alone, they're going to die! Even if they manage to escape, they're still going to die!"
"Say what?!" Sanji growls, thinking of Nami and Robin.
"You should worry about yourselves," He warns them. "Just so you know, you'll, of course, need to beat me to continue ahead!" He jumps into the air, heading towards them.
"Okay! Here he comes, Luffy, Killer! Get 'im!" Usopp orders, hiding under the parasol.
"Alright! I'll shoot him down!" Luffy agrees, spinning his arm around. "Gum-Gum no…"
"Oh, you're going to stretch?" Satori asks, and Dakota hears him, knowing now that he definitely knows how to use Observation Haki. This makes Luffy falter, but he still goes for it.
"... Pistol!" He shouts, throwing his punch, but the Priest dodges out of the way and yells, pushing his hand into the Rubber Captain's face.
"Luffy!" Dakota shouts, but it's too late. A burst of energy comes from his palm, sending Luffy off the gondola and into a tree.
"No way!" Usopp gasps, watching him pin off the bark, denting the tree.
"Luffy!" Sanji and Dakota shout, watching him fall to the ground.
"Luffy?! Hey! You're alright, right?! Regular hits don't work on you!" He shouts down to him.
"Hit?" Satori questions, making the Sniper turn to look at him and see him standing beside him. "It's a bit different from a hit!"
"I'll show you different!" Sanji snaps, turning around and rushing to the Priest.
"An upper kick with the right foot…" He mutters, turning before the Love Cook can kick him, making him falter.
"Collier-! What?!" The Cook questions, kicking the air as the Priest jumps out of the way.
"Only the well-trained are given the power of 'Mantra'!" Satori smirks and Dakota groans, knowing the fight will be brutal, even more so now.
"Impossible! He predicted my movements?!" Sanji gasps but can't move fast enough as the strange round Priest raises his hand, using the same move against Luffy, sending him flying off the boat down to join Luffy on the ground.
"Sanji!" Usopp and Dakota shout, looking over the edge.
"It is different from a hit!" Satori explains, sneaking up on Usopp as he leans over the boat's edge. "Impact!" He sends Usopp off, too.
"Usopp!" Dakota yells, looking after him as he falls.
"The shock destroys the body from the inside!" He says and turns on Dakota.
"You try that on me. I will snap your hands off," The redheaded Assassin warns him, looking up at him and feeling her eyes turn golden.
"Strange…" The Priest mutters, looking at her.
"D-Dammit!" Luffy groans, getting up. "Sanji! Usopp!" He coughs and grabs his hat, putting it back atop his head.
"Yeah, I'm alright… But what the hell was that?!" Sanji grumbles, holding his arm, feeling the strain from the impact of the ground.
"No idea at all…! He's mysterious!" He growls, looking at the Priest as Satori and Dakota stare at each other on the Crow above them.
"My name is Satori!" The Priest introduces himself as he dances around, annoying Dakota further. "I am one of the Priests of the almighty God Eneru! I own the Vearth in this illusion Forest!"
"Good for you. I am Dakota, the Red Devil, and I kill Gods," Dakota replies with a sinister smirk.
"Illusion Forest?" Luffy asks, looking up at his Sister. He knows how she feels about 'Gods'. He knows how deep her hatred for people who call themselves 'Gods' goes.
"You will not touch almighty God Eneru, you lowly Blue Sea dweller!" Satori growls, glaring through his round, yellow-tinted glasses. "Yes! This forest!" He exclaims and moves to the pedal, but Dakota moves, pushing him away.
"Don't you touch that," Dakota snaps at him, moving to grab a dagger but remembers she doesn't have any on her. "Shit…" Satori lunges at her, smacking her with his hand.
"Impact!" He shouts, and the power from the dial in his palm sends her flying off the gondola onto the forest floor. "And…" The Ball Priest steps forward, pressing down on the pedal, making the Crow take off, and jumps away onto a floating ball. "...your boat will be lost in its illusion!"
"The boat is taking off!" Luffy exclaims, scrambling to his feet and running to check on Dakota as she lies on the ground, her arm at a strange angle.
"Your boat will now speed along this forest's Milky Road at random and eventually leave through this forest's only exit!" Satori explains, watching the four Pirates. Luffy holds Dakota to him, feeling her chest as she breathes, making him sigh with relief. "I'm sure you realise it, but losing a dial boat is the same as losing your way to the sacrificial altar. So you must find and board the boat before that happens. Of course, these countless surprise clouds, and I will not allow that. Welcome to the sacred ground of Upper Yard!" He dances atop the ball with his silly laugh. "This is the Illusion Forest Ball Ordeal, with a 10% survival rate!"
"10% survival rate?!" Usopp gasps, looking at the round Priest in shock.
"Great speech, really need to work on the 10% part, because it certainly won't be you that will survive," Dakota groans, getting up and breaking her arm back into place, making the others cringe at the loud popping sound.
ONE PIECE - SKYPIEA ARC
CHOPPER'S GROUP
Meanwhile, at the Going Merry atop the Sacrificial Altar, Chopper is screaming for the others as he panics, being left alone in a strange place to fix their ship. "Zoro! Nami! Robin!" Chopper keeps shouting into the forest with tears streaming down his face. "Don't leave me all alone! Please come back!" He hangs his head, growing evermore scared and alone. "Who'll save me if I'm suddenly attacked now?!" As if answering him, a bold Sky Shark leaps out of the water below with its mouth wide open to eat the tiny reindeer, making him scream as he rolls back away from the side. "This is all because Luffy wanted to go to the Sky Island…" He whimpers, shaking and remembers what Zoro said about the others coming for them. "Oh, yeah! Luffy and Ko are coming with the others!" He jumps up, feeling a sense of hope. "Oh! Then I just need to endure it until then! I just need to play it safe and wait for Luffy and the others! In the meantime, I'll fix the ship! Zoro did ask me to! Alright!" After his little panic attack, he returns to fix the ship and uses Heavy Point, happily humming to himself before starting the repairs.
"When Luffy and the others find out I'm handling the ship fine alone…" He laughs, distracted and hits his fingers, making him yelp in pain and drop the hammer, which rolls down the steps all the way to the bottom. "The hammer!" He croaks, cradling his injured hand and looking over his shoulder at the fallen tool. "I -," He stutters, returning to his little form, looking at the top of the stairs, "- I have to go get it…" He struggles, seeing the fin of one of the Sky Sharks swimming close by. "But…"
ONE PIECE - SKYPIEA ARC
LUFFY'S GROUP
In the Illusion Forest, the Crow floats away from the Pirates as Satori teases them, dancing around doing his silly laugh. "You'd better hurry before the boat goes deeper into the Illusion Forest!" Satori warns them.
"Hey! We gotta go after the boat before we lose sight of it!" Usopp tells them, growing panicked. "If we lose it in this forest, finding it again'll be tough!" He runs off, heading for the boat.
"Wait, Usopp!" Sanji calls after him. "The same is true if we get separated!" He turns, looking at the siblings as they stare at the Ball Priest. "Luffy! Dakota-chan! What about you two?!"
"You guys stop the boat!" Luffy orders them, cracking his knuckles.
"We're gonna take care of the ball boy!" Dakota agrees, cracking her neck and feeling the knots loosen.
"In your dreams! I'm filled with good fortune and pride!" Satori chuckles, dancing around.
"I guess we do need someone to stop that potbelly freak!" Sanji agrees, looking at them and wanting to help. "Don't do anything reckless! He's got some weird powers! We'll come back once we stop the boat!"
"Right!" The siblings nod, getting ready for a fight with the Ball Priest.
"Hold it right there, Ball!" Luffy shouts, swinging his arm around.
"Grab a branch…" Satori laughs, watching Luffy grab a branch above, reeling himself up.
"Gum-Gum no…" He shouts, and Dakota holds her hands apart.
"I haven't done this in a while…" Dakota mutters, closing her eyes.
"The same as before," Satori muses, smirking as he watches the rubber boy.
"... Pistol!" Luffy shouts, stretching his arm out to punch the Priest, who quickly moves out of the way and grabs his out-stretched arm, surprising the Pirate Captain.
"Akuma-Akuma no Demon Form: Asmodeus!" Dakota exclaims, feeling a purple energy form in between her hands. She claps her hands together before spreading them apart, revealing a Katana with a black blade and hilt. Satori grins at the shocked look on Luffy's face as he pulls at the stretched arm, swinging him around a few times and knocking him into a tree, then lets him go, allowing him to wrap his legs around a branch.
"What's wrong? I thought you were going to take care of me?" Satori teases with a massive smirk as he looks at the dangling Luffy.
"I said we will… and we will!" Luffy snaps, stretching his arm to another branch. "I won't miss this time! Gum-Gum no…"
"A fake punch, followed by a kick…" He muses, looking at the boy as Luffy moves closer, swinging his leg, trying to knock Satori off the ball.
"... Whip!" The Rubber Captain shouts, moving away. "Again!" He kicks down, trying to hit the annoying Priest. "Gum-Gum no…" He jumps down, heading as Dakota jumps up, her hair turning white, pale horns sprouting from her head, and golden chains dangling from her forehead and around the horns. Satori, too, focused on Luffy, using his Impact Dial, hitting him in the stomach and causing blood to spill from his mouth. Dakota slashes at Satori's back as he holds Luffy over his head.
"Ahh!" Satori shouts, dropping Luffy onto the forest floor. Dakota lands on a branch, looking at the angry Priest, who glares at her. "You evil little girl!" He growls, glaring at her as he feels his back bleed and jumps towards her. He holds up his hand and uses the dial repeatedly, making her hit her back against the tree.
Sanji and Usopp run ahead, leaving Dakota and Luffy to deal with Satori. "Where is it?!" Usopp exclaims, glancing around for the gondola. "Where'd the Crow go?! We gotta catch the boat, quick!" He stops, huffing as he looks at the Milky Road's different paths. "Dammit! Can't see from down here!" The Sniper looks at a tree, getting an idea. "Alright!
"Watch yourself, Dakota-chan, Luffy! These Priests are no ordinary people!" Sanji prays as he runs with Usopp, trying to find the boat. "Let's find the boat ASAP and get the hell outta here!"
Dakota groans as she peels herself out of the tree, and Luffy gets up from the ground as Satori watches them. "How stubborn," Satori chuckles. "Don't be in such a rush! Stay for a while!" Dakota watches, standing on a branch as the Priest dances around, not seeming bothered by the two siblings trying to take him down. "Now then, where are the other two? I won't let a single one escape!" He looks around and spots Sanji running along the forest floor. "Here we go!"
"Hey!" Sanji shouts, running along the ground as Usopp sits on a tree branch, looking through his goggles to get a better vantage point. "You see it, Usopp?!" Usopp looks around the Milky Road when he spots it.
"Found it!" Usopp yells back.
"Gimme directions!" He snaps, wanting to get to the boat as quickly as possible.
"Straight ahead!" The Sniper answers, pointing and directing the blond Cook. "Climb up the tree after the next one! You can jump onto it from the branches!"
"Got it!" The Love Cook nods, running for the tree ahead of him and begins climbing as Satori appears behind him.
"Yikes! It's him! What's he up to?!" Usopp mutters, growing nervous at his sudden appearance and worried for Luffy and Dakota when Satori jumps, kicking a ball towards Sanji. "Look out, Sanji! There's a ball headed your way!"
"What?!" Sanji grunts, looking over his shoulder. "What's Luffy and Dakota-chan doing?!" The ball comes in fast as Satori smirks, watching, and suddenly, the ball pinballs to the side, hitting another and moving away.
"Surprise Billiard!" Satori exclaims, and the ball slowly moves towards Usopp, who looks at it in shock.
"Usopp!" He shouts for the Sniper, who jumps away from the branch, trying to hide from the ball.
"He was aiming for me!" Usopp cries, looking at the ball as it comes closer, and his nose pokes at it. "It's gonna explode!" And out pops a flower. "'Pop'?!"
"A dud…" Satori mutters, watching Usopp fall to the ground with a thud.
"Idiot!" Sanji snaps at him as Satori dances in victory.
Luffy gets up, coughing some blood before spitting it out. He looks over to see Dakota in a dent not far from him in the tree. "Sis!" He shouts, rushing to her side as she groans, falling from the dent onto her hands and knees.
"I'm…going…to… kill…him!" Dakota growls, her hair turning a paler white, and she gets to her feet, looking at her brother. "Run," She tells him, planning to get Luffy riled up enough to work on instinct alone.
"Got it!" He agrees, running towards Satori once he spots the annoying Priest. "Why, you…!" He shouts, alerting the round man, who turns to look at him. "Gum-Gum no… Gatling!" Luffy throws multiple punches, hitting some of the balls and throwing them everywhere.
"Stop, Luffy! Don't hit those balls randomly!" Sanji warns him, making the rubber Captain stop and watch as the balls pinball rapidly around him in random directions.
"What the-?! What the-?! What the-?!" He stutters, looking around as he floats in the air, and Dakota sneaks closer, keeping her mind blank so Satori can't read her while he's distracted.
"Oh, no! Too late!" Usopp cries in horror.
"Look out! They're coming from all directions!" Sanji shouts, watching the others and wondering where Dakota is.
"You people are fun!" Satori chuckles, jumping onto his feet and leaping from ball to ball up away from the flying random balls below. Sanji leaps away as balls come towards him; one has spears pop out, and another crab claws.
"Spears! Crab!" The Cook shouts as he dodges them, and below on the ground, Usopp nervously steps, but he's not safe as four of the balls come hurling towards him.
"Four at once!" Usopp shrieks, ducking when the balls hit the tree behind him in a row, sticking together; he looks at it as a pink bird pops out, calling, then another, a blue, then a yellow and finally a green. "What the-? Another dud? Or should I say, I hit the jackpot?" The four birds, one bigger than the other, sing off-key. "I freaked out for nothing!" He looks at them. "Huh? You want me to sing, too? Okay! Listen in awe to the one known as the Singing Pirate! Here goes!" He turns, clears his throat and opens his mouth to sing when the smaller pink bird rings a bell. "Hey! I haven't sung yet!" He blinks, and suddenly, the birds surround him, and he looks in shock at them as they begin slapping him violently.
"Damn," Dakota mutters, climbing a tree, trying to avoid the balls as everyone is distracted, and she heads for Satori, wanting to get through this ordeal and get back to Zoro and the others.
"Oww! Hot! Oww!" Luffy shouts, running as his ass is on fire from one of the balls that are set off, throwing balls of flame everywhere. "Water! Water! Water! Oww! Hot! Oww! Oww!" He jumps down, seeing the Milky Road below, not caring about the Sky Fish Creature swimming. "River!" He falls, but the creature spots the rubber boy and opens its mouth, biting down on Luffy. "Oww!" He cries, jumping into the air as the Sky Fish smokes at the mouth in shock. The Captain falls back towards the Milky Road, falling into it and out the bottom. "I went through!"
"Luffy! Don't fall into the river below!" Sanji shouts, spotting him. "There might not be a bottom!"
"Eh?!" Luffy looks around for something and stretches his arm, grabbing a vine attached to a branch and pulling himself up too high. "Yikes!" He panics and swings down with a cry and leaps from vine to vine, starting to enjoy himself.
"Are you stupid?!" He shouts at his Captain, watching him swing around.
"Usopp Hammer! Usopp Hammer! Usopp Hammer! Rubber Band! Usopp Hammer!" Usopp fights back, attacking the birds to the ground after his slapping assault, a little bruised and stands breathing heavily, wiping some sweat away.
"Yahoo!" Luffy exclaims, gaining Usopp's attention. He turns around and looks at his Captain as he swings around above. "Yahoo!" He laughs.
"Oh! I didn't think of that! Now I can finally try it out!" He muses, watching the carefree Captain, and opens his man-bag, grabbing something from it.
"Got any ideas, Usopp?!" Sanji asks, leaning down and looking around, wondering where Dakota lurks.
"I sure do! I'm known as the greatest Pirate inventor!" The Sniper replies, standing on a branch. "I'll show ya my latest weapon! Usopp Aa-aa-aa!"
"Uhh, what?" He questions, looking at him.
"Just watch!" Usopp assures him and uses his goggles to find the Crow, spotting it not too far away, sailing peacefully along the Milky Road. "There it is! On the river straight ahead!" He pulls them up. "I can make it! Set up!" He presses a button on his new belt, releasing a rope with a grappling hook that swings around a large branch. Usopp grips the rope, pulling it as it tightens around the thick branch. The Ball Priest watches, keeping an eye on the Captain and nervously awaiting the former Assassin's reappearance.
"What is he up to?" Satori mutters, watching the Sniper as he pulls on the rope, testing its strength.
"Alright! Now it's just a straight line to the Crow!" The Sniper beams, not seeing the flaw in his plan. "If it goes any further in, we won't be able to get it! I can't let this chance go!"
"Wow, not too shabby! Watch out for the balls!" Sanji warns him.
"I ain't gonna screw up!" Usopp assures him. "You can call me King of the Jungle!"
"I thought that was someone named George?" Dakota mutters, landing on a branch above them. She watches them from the shadows as she tries moving closer to Satori, but he does not notice her.
"Here goes!" He shouts, stepping back. "Usopp Aa-aa-aa!" He jumps from the branch and swings through the trees. "Alright! Go!" He swings closer to the Crow.
"Yes! Perfect! Get on board and stop the boat!" Sanji declares, watching, but it goes wrong. Usopp doesn't have any way to detach from the grappling hook, so he swings back away from the Crow. Usopp struggles fruitlessly as he swings upwards, and everyone watches. "What're you doing?! Get on already!"
"Yeah…about that…" He mutters. "I forgot that the rope is attached to the belt, so I can't get down…!"
"Moron!" Dakota growls, throwing her sword across the forest as the Crow slides further away; the blade slices through the rope, and Usopp falls onto the small deck of the Crow with a loud thud.
"Crap! Crap! Crap!" The coward groans, trying to get up, but his back cracks a little from the harsh and sudden landing.
"Yahoo!" Luffy beams, swinging from above. "Hey, Usopp! You seem to be havin' fun, too!"
"I need a word with you two," Sanji growls, glaring at Luffy, but he is glad Usopp was able to land on the Crow. However, it seems the landing wasn't as soft as they were hoping. Sanji pulls the Rubber Boy down from the vine and beats him before taking a long-needed drag from his cigarette. "Got it? I'll forget what just happened, so do as I say!"
"Yes! I'm sorry!" The Captain mumbles through his swollen lips.
"Forget about the boat and Usopp for right now," He tells him. "All three of us are gonna attack him at once! I don't care if he is a priest; if we all attack at once, we should be able to find a way to beat him!"
"Beat me?!" Satori exclaims, making Sanji and Luffy jump alert after hearing his voice. They look around and try to find the Priest.
"Where'd he go?!" Luffy wonders, looking around.
"Luffy, Sanji!" Dakota shouts, seeing Satori come spinning towards the boys and landing behind the Cook, who turns to see Satori moving towards him.
"Impact!" Satori shouts, thrusting his arm at Sanji's chest and sending him backwards into the root of a tree.
"Sanji!" The three crewmates shout in horror at their friend, seeing blood leaking from his mouth as he falls to the ground.
"Life is suffering…" He remarks, laughing, and he turns to Luffy. "Now, for the other three!"
ONE PIECE - SKYPIEA ARC
ZORO'S GROUP
Robin leads the way through the dense forest, unaware that someone is nearby, knowing the forest of Upper Yard better than anyone so young. Robin moves along with Nami and Zoro, the Swordsman behind the two girls, keeping guard. Robin hops onto a large tree root and helps Nami up, joining her. "Thanks!" Nami gasps, looking around as Zoro joins them. The little girl notices the presence of the three Blue Sea dwellers and quickly rushes off, but it doesn't go unnoticed. "Hey, did something move over there?"
"Dunno," Zoro replies, climbing up the root to join them.
"Say, did you see anything, Robin?" She asks the newer crewmate.
"No, nothing at all…" Robin replies, shrugging.
"You sure it wasn't just a monkey?" Zoro questions, jumping down and walking towards the girls.
"A monkey? I guess so…" Nami agrees hesitantly.
"Say. Do you think we should check out the other shore after all?" Robin suggests, looking at the Swordsman and Navigator.
"No way!" She exclaims, gaining the girl's attention. "What if we get attacked by sharks again?!"
"Geez! You're hopeless…" Zoro groans, shaking his head, and the girl looks at them from above before quickly running away, not wanting to get caught in Upper Yard by anyone.
ONE PIECE - SKYPIEA ARC
CHOPPER'S GROUP
Chopper pokes his head out from the top of the altar, looking at the mallet at the bottom step. Below that is the sea filled with sky sharks swarming around. "I can't get near it like this… I promised Zoro I would fix the ship… Alright! I'll do my best, too!" He encourages himself and slides down the side of the steps towards the bottom step. "Just don't let them notice you! Gently… Gently… Gently… Gently…" Once he gets to the bottom step, he cautiously approaches the fallen mallet and finally picks it up. "I did it! Now I can fix the ship!" Feeling overjoyed with himself, he cheers when a bird cries, spooking the poor blue-nosed reindeer. He stops himself from screaming, not wanting to alert the Sky Sharks, and nervously looks around behind him. However, so far, there isn't anything until a Sky Shark fin appears, heading towards him.
The Sky Shark dives towards Chopper, who jumps out of the way, landing on top of the fish, which wiggles around, trying to toss the reindeer off, but it doesn't work as the Sky Shark flings Chopper up into the air, and luckily he lands on the deck of the Going Merry. Chopper stands, trying to catch his breath in fright and looks at the One Whistle hanging from the mast. "The whistle…!" Chopper exclaims, looking at it with hope and tears in his eyes, but he remembers what Gan Fall told them and what Nami made them promise. Chopper hangs the One Whistle around his neck, feeling better with it so close. "A-All right! Good thing this was here! Now if anything happens, the Sky Knight will come save me! But with the whistle is a last resort!" He reminds himself and jumps onto the side, fired up with confidence. "All right! I'm going to work hard and watch over the ship!" He shouts, unaware of something drawing closer. A large purple and red bird approaches the altar with a man aboard, and Chopper finally notices them. "What's that?" He hops down and races towards the altar's edge for a better look. The bird rises, and Chopper looks in horror as he sees the stranger.
"Huh? You're the only sacrifice I get to kill?" The man questions and Choppe hastily grabs the One Whistle, blowing heavily for help.
ONE PIECE - SKYPIEA ARC
ZORO'S GROUP
Robin looks around, noticing something strange on the ground. "Cobblestones…" She looks around, seeing Nami sitting as Zoro stands, looking around for anything that may jump out and attack them. "We might find more clues if we follow these…" She realises that suddenly, a whistle sounds through the forest.
"Say, what do you think that sound was?" Nami asks, jumping down and looking at the others.
"Dunno. Stay right there," Zoro warns them, holding his sword and clicking it open. Nami looks at Zoro and sees the serious look on his and Robin's faces. Suddenly, a Sky Crocodile lunges out of a Milky Road above at Nami, but Robin and Zoro notice the Swordsman punching it away as Robin uses her arms to hold the mouth closed. "I'm sick of you things!" Robin releases it as the Crocodile falls into the river in front of them with a big splash.
"What an unlucky day," Robin remarks casually.
"You gotta be careful," He tells the Navigator, who looks at the Swordsman.
"T-Thanks…" Nami mutters, her heart still beating loudly from her almost death.
ONE PIECE - SKYPIEA ARC
LUFFY'S GROUP
Satori jumps up, kicking a ball, which smacks into two more, and they head for Luffy, who isn't fast enough to avoid them. "Luffy!" Dakota shouts as the balls hit her baby brother and cause an explosion that sends him to the ground. Satori sits on another ball, grinning as Dakota jumps down from her hiding spot, abandoning her plan to kill Satori. She catches Luffy holding him tightly and looks at him with worry, brushing his hair from his face. "You're a dead man," She growls, her eyes flashing gold again as a tsunami of Haki waves out from her. Satori looks at her, feeling the power and death rolling towards him with such hatred and anger as Dakota glares at the Priest, who feels sweat falling down his back from fear as he looks into her eyes that flash gold.
ONE PIECE - SKYPIEA ARC
GAN FALL'S GROUP
Far away from Upper Yard, out of God Eneru's reach, Gan Fall tends to his garden, with Pagaya sitting on the deck and Conis playing her harp. "What do you think? Don't they look amazing?" Gan Fall asks, looking at his two guests.
"Huh?" Pagaya asks, not paying attention as he thinks about the Blue Sea Dwellers that helped them.
"This year's pumpkins are very good," He replies, making the man look at him.
"Yes… I don't know what to say to express my gratitude. I'm sorry. Now I am staying with you, as well," The man tells him, feeling guilty for everything that has happened today.
"If they decide that your daughter let those Straw Hat fellows escape, they'll consider you an accomplice. So you'll be in danger as well," The Knight reminds Pagaya, watering his pumpkins. "This time is on the house… Eneru's Mantra does not reach this far," Gan Fall assures him. How are things on Angel Island?"
"Yes?" Pagaya questions, not understanding the question.
"I'm referring to crops. How are this year's crops coming?" Gan Fall asks him, looking at the man.
"Yes, I hear they're coming along quite well," He informs him, though he doesn't pay much attention to such things as he enjoys making or fixing things.
"Is that right? I'm glad to hear that," the Knight replies. This is juice made from the pumpkins that I grew in my field." He gestures to three cups of pumpkin juice on Pagaya's side. "It tastes good."
"Yes. I'm sorry. Thank you," The engineer replies, taking one and another for his daughter. "Conis, have some, too." The blond woman sighs, stopping her playing.
"Young lady, are you aware that there are those called Pirates in the Blue Sea?" Gan Fall asks her.
"No," Conis replies, looking at him.
"They are criminals who travel on the Blue Sea," He informs her. "Their ships all fly a black flag with a skull on it, although each Pirate's flag is different." Conis remembers when she met the Straw Hat's skull and crossbones on their ship with a straw hat like Luffy. "Those Straw Hat fellows are probably Pirates, too."
"My word!" Pagaya exclaims. "Are you saying that they were already criminals?!"
"Well…" He chuckles. "It is probably true that they do not live by the rules of the Blue Sea. In any society, there are always those who don't blend in. Right now, how are you any different?" He questions, making the two Angel Island Residents gasp. "Who can say for certain that society is right and that those who don't blend in are wrong? Sometimes it's not so clear-cut. To put it in extreme terms, a 'Hero' in wartime is simply a killer if he lives in a different time. I also have a Pirate friend. He came here when I was still God over twenty years ago. He was quite the big-hearted and pleasant fellow." The two animals happily sleep as Gan Fall tells his story. "I hated to say goodbye. Right now, though it doesn't look it at first glance, Skypiea is a land of endless battles." He dunks his watering can into the water barrel, filling it again. "A land where battles between those of us from the Sky and Shandians, also known as Guerrillas, rage continuously. The Shandians are still challenging Eneru."
"Your attempt to coexist with the Shandians when you were God offered hope that the several-hundred-year war would end in peace," Pagaya remarks, looking at the former God of Sky Island.
"Yes… I was very close to succeeding, but my status as God was taken away by Eneru. I'm sorry. Everything went down the drain because of that," Gan Fall replies, focusing on watering his plants.
"Wh-What're you saying?!" He exclaims, sputtering in disbelief at his sincere apology. "There's no need to apologise."
"In Skypiea, there is this legend passed down from long ago," The Knight tells them. "Long ago, on the day that Upper Yard, the sacred ground, was born, the island's beautiful singing voice enveloped Skypiea. That's when the battle between the Shandians and those from the Sky began…as if that voice was a cue. So, when we hear the 'island's singing voice,' the legend says that this battle will end."
"The island's singing voice?" Conis repeats in wonder.
"That's right," Gan Fall replies. "The sacred ground will sing again…someday, for sure." He smiles with hope. Suddenly, a ringing whistle cuts through the air, unheard by the humans, but Pierre jumps, flapping his wings manically, alerting the Sky Knight, who drops his watering can in the barrel.
"What's the matter?" Pagaya asks, getting up as he watches the Sky Knight grab his helmet and lance.
"Please look after this place. I've got a job," He announces, racing towards his ride. "Let's go, Pierre!" He jumps as the giant bird swoops underneath and catches Gan Fall, and they speed away towards the Sacrificial Altar on the Upper Yard. Conis walks down, joining her father with a sigh as she watches Gan Fall disappear, and Pagaya moves towards the old sky waver and begins fixing them. Su jumps onto the deck by the cups of pumpkin juice, sniffing them curiously, and Conis smiles at her Sky Fox, joining them for a refreshing drink.
"Father, what tasty pumpkin juice this is!" Conis declares, smiling.
"Yes… I'm really glad…that you can enjoy it," Pagaya replies, fixing the waver as Conis sits on the deck, petting Su happily.
ONE PIECE - SKYPIEA ARC
CHOPPER'S GROUP
At the Sacrificial Altar, Chopper's wheezing blows on the whistle as he looks at the Priest, who glares at him with deadly intent. "Now, offer your life to God Eneru!" Shura demands, raising his lance at the tiny reindeer before thrusting it at his feet, but Chopper jumps away with a silent shriek. Shura moves the lance tip across the stone, which sets it alight and spookes the blue-nosed reindeer.
"Fire…!" Chopper questions in shock as he looks at it.
"Why do you struggle?" He snaps. "There's no way that you can escape death! Die gracefully!" His bird raises his head and opens its mouth with a funnel of flames aimed at the tiny reindeer, who screams and ducks out of the way. The fire spread onto the ship, landing on the side.
"The ship is…!" The Doctor shouts in horror.
"Hmph! So he's gonna get big…" The Priest muses, looking at the blue-nosed reindeer as he grows larger and jumps onto the side. Chopper rips the ropes from the fire, making the mast tilt from the sudden loss of security.
"Darn it! Come on!" Chopper shouts, stamping his feet on the fire to stop it from spreading.
"Hey, hey! Why do you care when there won't be anyone to get on board?!" Shura wonders. "You and your friends cannot escape death."
"Who the hell are you?! Stop it! Don't harm them!" He snaps at the Priest, who lunges at him, but the reindeer grows small again, dodging the sudden attack.
"Then…offer your life instead!" The Priest declares angrily and kicks Chopper across the deck into the mast, denting it with his tiny body.
"No!" The blue-nosed reindeer shouts as Shura thrusts another funnel of flames, setting the mast on fire. Chopper looks in horror as the fire grows bigger and hotter. "Stop it!" He grows big again. "Stop it!" He waves his arms around as if that will stop the flames. "Don't harm the ship! Just don't harm the ship!" Shura scoffs as he watches Chopper. "Dammit!" Chopper grabs the mast by the mast, rips it up, and swings it overboard into the water below the altar. "You bastard!" He snaps at Shura, who stands on the side, looking at the beaten ship's Doctor. "You bastard! Stop it already! I-I'm in charge of this ship! They asked me to look after it."
"Well, what should we do, Fuza?" Looking at his fire-breathing bird, Shura wonders, who responds with sputtering fire. "He says not to harm his friends. He says not to damage the ship. He says he doesn't want to die. What a dilemma." He raises his goggles. "Such a damned selfish animal! He really irks me!"
ONE PIECE - SKYPIEA ARC
ZORO'S GROUP
Robin, Nami and Zoro come across a fallen tree and use it as a bridge to the other side of the island. "Hey, Nami! Get a move on!" Zoro complains, seeing the timid walk the ginger woman before him as they cross the Sky Shark-infested waters.
"Shut up! Don't talk to me right now!" Nami snaps at him, trying to concentrate. "What'll you do if I fall?" She jinxes herself as a Sky Shark suddenly shoots out from the water below, spooking the Navigator, who loses her footing. Nami slips from the tree as Zoro glares at the large Sky Fish, unleashing his sword and slicing the beast before sheathing his sword.
"Hey! Are you all right?!" Zoro asks Nami, seeing Robin save her again. She uses her Devil Fruit abilities to make arms sprout from the bottom of the fallen tree and hold the girl's ankle as she dangles upside down.
"Yeah…" Nami replies, dazed. "...somehow…" Robin helps the girl up as she climbs up the side behind them. "My apologies…for troubling you so often." She apologises to Robin more than Zoro.
"No problem," Robin replies, not looking at her as she notices something below at the base of a tree on the other side.
"What's wrong? Did you see God or something?" Zoro asks her, stepping behind Nami. She slides down to join Robin as they cross the tree.
"No…a well," She answers, surprising them.
"A well?" Nami questions, moving towards her, and Robin leads the way down the tree's roots down to the ground.
ONE PIECE - SKYPIEA ARC
CHOPPER'S GROUP
"The ship…your friends…and yourself… You don't want to lose any of those?" Shura questions, glaring at the reindeer before lunging towards him and thrusting his lance at the railing, but Chopper dodges out of the way. "If you want to live so much, then why are you so weak?!"
"Stop it!" Chopper shouts, seeing the lance tip smoking. "That spear burns things!" The tip ignites, sparking flames, and Shura jumps away, satisfied with his work. Chopper races toward the fire, trying to pat them out with no luck. "Stop it! Dammit!" He finally can stop the flames from spreading and extinguish them before spinning around, going to punch the Priest, who notices, his eye twitching in annoyance. "You creep!" Shura jumps away from the punch, surprising the blue-nosed reindeer. "Wha…?!"
"Are you trying to live…without sacrificing anything?" Shura questions angrily, glancing over his shoulder at the ship Doctor.
"What is this guy?" Chopper wonders, looking at him. "It's as if he can predict my moves."
"For someone to live, another must die," He remarks. "That's how life is." Chopper gulps in fear as he looks at the String Priest. "Did you know that this is a sacrificial altar?"
"Y-Yeah! I heard something like that," The Doctor replies.
"It's true. The rest of your group is desperately trying to get here," The Priest informs him. "There are four separate areas that we, the Priests, govern. The rule is that when the targets are in one area, the other Priests aren't supposed to do anything to the targets. But this sacrificial altar doesn't belong to any of those areas. In other words, it's a free area. So it doesn't matter who strikes the ones at the altar. But it should be after those who're receiving the ordeal in some area die."
"What?! Then, Luffy, Ko, and the others are…?!" Chopper exclaims, feeling some hope spark.
"Don't freak out. My coming here doesn't mean your friends' death…unfortunately… I came here for a different reason," Shura explains.
"What?! A different reason…?" He questions. "Ah, but does that mean we can also get out of here if Luffy, Ko, and the others come to rescue us?!"
"Yeah, that's right…" The Priest confirms reluctantly, though he doesn't see the other group making it to the sacrificial altar. "...if you can get out of this free area."
"What…?" The Ship's Doctor mutters.
"But, hold that thought. The reason I came here is because, although those are the normal judgement rules, when there's an exceptional situation the rules change a little," Shura explains.
"Exceptional…" Chopper mutters, looking at him.
"Yes. For example, when three of the sacrifices escaped to the forest over there without permission using vines…" He adds, pointing to the vines above their heads.
"I see…that's an exceptio…" The blue-nosed reindeer realises and remembers Zoro with horror, as it was his idea, and he left him to take the punishment. "He's the culprit!"
ONE PIECE - SKYPIEA ARC
ZORO'S GROUP
Robin leads Zoro and Nami to the well she noticed earlier. "What's with her, wandering off on her own?" He complains. "What a selfish woman!" He cringes as he walks behind Nami.
"I don't think I could take being called selfish by you," Nami grumbles.
"Huh?!" Zoro snaps, glaring at her.
"Because of you, I feel that I've gone through so many hardships that I wouldn't have had to." She retorts, making him grimace and think about Dakota, but he hopes she doesn't feel the same way.
"Err…really?" He mutters.
ONE PIECE - SKYPIEA ARC
CHOPPER'S GROUP
Chopper gapes in utter horror at Zoro and the others, leaving him in a dangerous situation all because of them. "Someone has to die to atone for the others' crimes of escaping," Shura informs him. "Sacrifice is a fact of life. Especially if they are to come back, in order that they can more deeply realise their own fault when they see their friend's death…" He grabs his lance and swings it around to intimidate the reindeer. "...offer your life…to God!" He jumps from the top deck towards Chopper.
"No!" Chopper shouts, swinging his fist to punch the Priest, who jabs his lance into the Doctor's shoulder, piercing him and a small flame flickers as he falls to the deck. Shura lands in a crouch as he looks at Chopper before grabbing the Ship's Doctor by the throat and readying his lance.
"Die!" The String Priest mutters. Chopper looks at it in fear, wishing someone, anyone, would save him. Shura hisses as he senses Gan Fall approaching with great speed and soon appears over his shoulder on Pierre. Shura quickly turns as Gan Fall falls towards him, his lance raised, and the two Sky Islanders clash. Chopper watches, happy to get some help finally.
"Sorry to have kept you waiting!" Gan Fall says.
"Sky Knight!" Chopper yells as he watches the two clashing together.
"Hmph! Looks like a surprise guest showed up!" Shura muses, smirking at the former God. Gan Fall jumps, landing on Pierre, beginning an aerial fight as Shura jumps onto Fuza, following him. "Gan Fall!"
"Sky Knight!" He shouts gleefully as he watches them circling the sky.
"He is quite good. He is a worthy opponent," Gan Fall remarks, watching Shura. "Let's get rough with him, Pierre." The bird squawks in agreement.
"What's that old previous God doing here?!" Shura growls, glaring at the Sky Knight. "Shall we play with him a little Fuza?!" The bird shrieks in agreement.
"Just keep barking!" He shouts, swinging around to face the Priest.
"We don't need two Gods on this island!" The Priest sneers and clashes, making sparks as their lances hit each other. Shura volts back from the force, and Pierre zooms down, skimming along the water's surface before lifting up with a trail behind him as he passes an over-excited Chopper.
"Go!" Chopper cheers for the Sky Knight. Shura and Gan Fall fly next to each other when the Priest tries swinging his lance at the Sky Knight, who easily jumps away. Shura gulps as he looks around, sensing what Gan Fall is about to do and turns his head to see the former God behind him. Gan Fall raises his arm, and Shura looks at him in shock and swipes his lance across, only scratching the older man's. Shura looks at him in shock as Gan Fall moves towards him calmly and places his hand on the Priest's chest; there's a moment of terror on his face. Gan Fall uses the Impact Dial in his gauntlet, and Shura flies back from the force and falls. "Sky…Knight…!" Chopper cheers as he watches Fuza try to catch his falling rider, and the same goes for Pierre catching Gan Fall.
"We need to give him one more push Pierre. Let's go!" Gan Fall declares as they move towards the injured Priest.
"Son of a bitch!" Shura growls, holding his stomach in pain, blood dripping from his mouth. "You probably came here knowing this, but… you're already a criminal! Ahh, I'll show you what I do to aggravating fools like you!" He pulls his goggles down, shields his eyes and stands on Fuza's back. "String Ordeal!"
ONE PIECE - SKYPIEA ARC
LUFFY'S GROUP
Dakota's Conqueror's Haki continues to roll off in waves, making Satori gulp as he feels the deadly intent coming his way. Luffy gains consciousness, struggling to move in his big Sister's iron grip. "You're still alive?" Satori exclaims in disbelief, seeing the Straw Hat Captain moving and coughing from the earlier attack. "Impressive indeed! Well, then, as a reward, I'll give you my prized finishing blow!" He shouts, fighting through his fear of the devilish redhead. "Surprise Ball! Ball Dragon!" He rises on a large ball with a rope and a mask attached to another ball.