(Enel POV)
"God Enel, the last of the contestants have arrived." The grovelling gnat reported, his entire body trembling in fear. It was good that he feared his betters but it was also terribly boring. Still, it's a problem that is easy to resolve: a quick wave of his hands clears the bug away.
Soon, he would be free of this place to take up his rightful place as the ruler of Fairy Vearth. But what god did not have followers? It was just his luck that he was stuck with useless bugs.
None of his attendants dared interrupt what they were doing, even as one of their own received his just punishment for daring to increase his god's boredom. At least the news was good, so Enel showed mercy by making it quick. Depending on how the games turned out, he may even spare a few of them and allow them the honor of continuing to exist in his service, but only if he doesn't find anything better before then.
Which is where the games came in. It would be a glorious death match to weed out the unworthy and leave only the most useful insects with which to breed future generations of attendants. It was the sad truth that while god was immortal, his servants were not. Enel briefly considered punishing them for it but decided against it…for now. They were doing an acceptable job fanning him and he did not wish to have it stop.
"Tell the priests that they may begin." he ordered and a number of divine messengers sped off to deliver his command. Of course, you couldn't have a proper death match without a bare minimum number of contestants, which was why he'd let those intruders live. They had beaten Satori, so they had to be better than the last bunch of infidels who had dared to trespass on holy ground, no? Those had failed against his priests, and thus been judged and found lacking.
One of the new intruders had witnessed his divine judgement, but he'd let her live. She was needed to bring her comrades to his arena and plus, she was a tasty looking morsel, far superior to his current stock.
It is god's prophecy that she shall be one of the chosen.
He should warn his priests that a new prophecy has been made. For god's wrath will have no mercy should any dare attempt to make god a liar.
Satori in particular may be overeager to avenge his prior loss, but Enel wasn't worried for even he would not dare to disobey a prophecy.
To all those who venture here, know that god is watching. Fight and die for god's amusement, praise him for your victories and pray for deliverance. You shall be heard. You shall be judged.
Judged, like this heretic before him, who had dared to claim godhood. How weak. How…pitiful. The world only needed one god. It had no room for another.
"El Thor."
(Bellamy POV)
In the ideal scenario my crew and I would all stick together. We were more familiar with each other's fighting styles and had arguably better teamwork than we would have with some random Shandian warrior. Additionally, it would give me more peace of mind if I could always see my crew to make sure they were safe.
Unfortunately, that didn't quite work out as planned.
Initially, I had been hoping to take the New Witch's Tongue and sail after the main battle group. Unfortunately, my ship was nowhere near fast enough to keep up, at least not over the relatively short distances involved and I did not want to be exploring the Upper Yard on our own with no backup.
Hence, each member of my crew got paired up with a Shandian warrior who would play chauffeur, but things would have been fine if this had been the extent of it. The problem arose, when our drivers refused to stick together and followed their own squad leaders instead, taking my crew with them.
"Hey Kamakiri, should we really be splitting up like this?" I have to fight against the wind to get my message across, but it gets across. "Wouldn't it be better to fight the priests one after the other?"
"The priests are stronger together." He replies, weaving through the trees at breakneck speeds. "Like this, we can isolate them and fight without having to constantly guard our backs against the other priests."
Makes sense, I suppose.
"Rivers, you doing alright?"
My sniper just gives me a thumbs up from where he is clinging to the back of his own driver, his smile shaky but determined.
I really hope my crew is going to be alright. There's no reason why they shouldn't be, right? The strawhats beat the priests while fighting Shandians in the original timeline. This time, the Bellamy pirates were added to the mix and Wyper wasn't hellbent on expelling all blue sea dwellers from the White White Sea, thanks to yours truly. The Shandians also didn't clash with the Strawhats this time because we were all too busy partying, so they should be able to work better together against a common enemy.
And if Enel shows up…I pat my bag to reassure myself that everything is still there. If Enel shows up, I'm going to give it my best shot. Something has to work.
Still no sign of any priests though. Where are they?
"Which priests did you guys say we were hunting down?" I ask, but I get my answer before Kamakiri can respond.
"Oh, you're not hunting anybody." Fuza descends upon the clearing, its large purple wings spread out to display their full wingspan and an iridescent red mane, both of which are attached to a glaring white head. "I will be hunting you, for you are but prey which has foolishly entered my hunting grounds."
And standing upon his mount is the master of the great bird of prey.
"I welcome you to my Ordeal of String."
Shura.
(Lily POV)
"Drats, we lost the captain! Oy shithead, what do we do?" This was not the plan. Stupid, fucking idiots couldn't manage driving together. And even after the captain specifically asked this Wyper guy to group the whole crew together.
"Nothing we can do about it now, Lily. The captain is going to be fine." It wasn't the captain she was worried about and Sarquiss knew it. Her shithead deflected her glare with a lazy wave.
"I'm being serious, shithead!"
"Relax, darling. These guys aren't weak," he says, gesturing to the three dozen heavily armed warriors around them. "and the enemy is probably going to be alone. What's he going to do when we rain bullets down on him from all sides?"
What he said sounded all nice and tidy, but the way none of the Shandians voiced their agreement put Lily on edge. If she wasn't mistaken, these guys had fought the priests before, which also meant that they should know what to expect. As they were going to be allies, it was only fair that information be shared equally.
"Laki, what are we rushing into?" Lily asked her partner.
"The one whose territory we're about to enter is called Satori." Laki replied, her hands tightening around her rifle. "He mainly uses giant ball clouds, which he can manipulate at will using his strings. Once he's maneuvered his opponents into place, he'll release the contents of any balls nearby, which can range from being harmless to deadly."
"Balls, what a riot!" Sarquiss sneers but it's a fake sneer. If he were really contemptuous of his opponent, Sarquiss's eyes would be smiling, not narrowed in concentration nor would he be nervously pawing at his namesake. No, Sarquiss is tense, perhaps even more so than Lily.
"Do not underestimate Satori. He may commonly act like a clown but make no mistake. He is one of Enel's four priests for a reason."
Lily knew the type. Those who hid behind smiles and silly behavior, but wielded daggers in the night. Nobles who would order the deaths of entire cities and attend their niece's birthday party. She hated them.
"From what Aisa told us, Satori was defeated just yesterday. Thus, there's no guarantee that he will stick to his usual routine." At Laki's signal, the troupe begins to slow down, carefully scanning the trees for signs of the enemy. "If anything, he will be more dangerous than normal."
"Ho, ho hoooo! Why thank you for your kind introduction!" a voice called out.
Laki did not hesitate.
"Scatter!"
On her order the Shandians disperse, seeking out more defensible positions amongst the trees and boulders. At the same time, previously unseen white masses began to fill the clearing, emerging from between the roots and descending from the dense foliage. More and more, barely leaving any room to maneuver and certainly no route to escape.
"Welcome to my new and improved Ordeal of Balls!" declares the round being. "You'll be the first ones to try it and I promise, you're in for a treat!"
Lily clenches and unclenches her fists, warming herself up for the fight. Next to her, Sarquiss is getting ready too, his breathing slightly erratic.
"The survival rate…is ZERO!"
(Ross POV)
"Why am I paired up with you?" Hewitt asked, But Ross had a better question. Why was Ross paired up with him? Of all the people who could have ended up in his group, it had to be this guy.
"Shut up and just concentrate! We're in enemy territory if you didn't know!" Ross dearly would have liked some more back up. Even if the captain were unavailable, would Sarquiss or Lily have been too much to ask? Instead, Ross got a bunch of fodder, a fatso and Hewitt. It's a sad day when Hewitt is your best bet for survival.
"Oh, come off it! The enemy isn't even here. Instead, he's going to be sitting nice and pretty in his little area, ain't that right Genbo?" The man just grunts. Ross honestly can't remember hearing him speak, despite having been seated next to him at last night's party. They had been locked in an unofficial eating competition, both of them inhaling food by the platter. In the end Ross had come out on top but it had been a close thing. But through it all, Genbo had not said a word.
"Do you even know who we're supposed to be fighting?" he asked no-one in particular, hoping that someone would answer. Information gathering was important as it increased one's chances of survival, but he really wasn't good at it. That was more Mani's thing not his.
"The name is Gedatsu, probably the weirdest of the bunch." Another Shandian answers, scating a bit closer to Ross. "Of the four priests, his Ordeal of Swamp is known to have the highest rate of survival."
Well, that was good news at least. "What is the Ordeal of Swamp?"
"Gedatsu has trapped his territory by spreading swamp cloud everywhere. Once you step in one, you'll sink into it with no way of escaping on your own. The only chance you have is if a comrade pulls you out."
"So it's like quicksand."
"I…don't know what this quicksand is, but if the more you struggle the worse it gets, then they are probably very similar."
That was bloody fantastic, wasn't it?
"Gedatsu himself is known to navigate his swamp using milky dials, which is why we're all equipped similarly."
So you are prepared and equipped accordingly, but what about him? What was he supposed to do? Sink?
"Another thing to watch out for is how Gedatsu will throw swamp cloud at you. As long as you don't get hit by it you'll be fine, but ortherwise it will envelop you and cut off your ability to breathe. It's a bad way to go."
"What do you mean?" Damnit Hewitt, use your two brain cells for once. Its freaking obvious.
"Cause you're going to suffocate, you idiot! Same as when you get sucked into a swamp head first." See, the Shandian is nodding too.
"Wha…you think you're so much smarter than me don't you? I'll stuff one of Muret's encyclopedias down your throat, you know-it-all!" Seriously does Hewitt not have any sense of self-preservation? "Maybe then you'll say something useful."
The shandian seems shocked at the graphic threat but for Ross, it's just another Tuesday morning. Normally Ross wouldn't dream of refusing a challenge but right now? This is so not the time.
Hewitt slightly wilts when Ross doesn't reply as he usually does, a small crack forming in his mask. He's nervous too, Ross realizes, that's why he's seeking something familiar, almost like a lifeline. If it's that, Ross can comply.
"Oh, big words Hewitt." He throws back. It's not a bad idea to be honest, Ross reflects as he falls into a familiar routine. "Do you even know what an encyclopedia is?"
That does feel marginally better and apparently Hewitt agrees, going by the slightest hint of a smile which briefly graces his face. However, before they can keep bantering, Genbo's grunt stopping them short.
In the middle of an open space stands a tall man, with his hair styled in the oddest manner Ross has ever seen, painstakingly braided into a row of upward-pointing tufts with rasta-styled dreadlocks stretching from ear to ear.
But what stands out the most is how intensely the man is glaring at them, his eyes near popping out of their sockets due to how much the man is straining. All while his lower lip is stuck in his mouth. He's not alone either, as a bunch of goats are standing a little ways behind him. Goats, who were wearing white robes with baggy white pants, white togas bound around their waist level and red collars with a golden ring at the front. But...why…goats? Maybe weird men were required to have odd subordinates?
Apparently, their boss' eccentricities are nothing new to these goats.
"Lord Gedatsu, if you don't talk, the enemy can't hear you!"
What…?
"How careless!"
He's not for real, is he?
(Mani POV)
"So where are we going?" Ever since splitting off from the main group, the Shandians had become really tense.
"Our job is to prevent the divine soldiers from reinforcing any of the four priests." Braham replies. "Which is why we're striking at their main barracks."
Braham sure looks nice, just look at those tasty, tasty muscles and he's the strong silent type too. Maybe she'll keep him when they leave.
"Wow, that sounds like an important job. You must be very skilled for Wyper to entrust such a mission to you." she chirps at him. It was a universal truth that no man could resist a compliment, especially if it was delivered by a sexy woman like her. The fluttering eyelashes are just the cherry on top.
Much to her initial surprise, Braham remains completely unflustered. There's no way a normal man could resist her charms! He had to be a womaniser! The absolute cad. Actually, no wait. There's the smile. She fucking knew she was irresistible! Chocolate for the win!
"I am the greatest warrior of the tribe." Braham boasts, thumping his chest with his fist. Humble too. She liked it.
"That's amazing" Mani answers, clasping her hands together. "I feel so safe with you around."
"That's only natural." he acknowledges.
Now, to drive the nail into the coffin.
"You'll protect me, won't you?" Mani's eyes are wide and moist, accentuating her lower lip, curved into the slightest smile to add some mystery. Her voice intentionally set to be more cute than sex to provoke that manly protective instinct. The smile Braham shoots her way from the front is brilliant.
"You can rely on me! As long as I'm around, nothing can touch you."
Hook, line and…
"Impact!" "Axe!"
"Braham!?" Mani needs a moment to reconcile what she just saw with her reality. What happened to her big and tough protector? Why was he lying crumpled beneath a tree, bleeding from a long wound down his side?
And why was she seeing two ball shaped goats?
"Ho, ho hooo!" "Ho, ho hooo!"
"Hear ye, you foolish sinners." "The message of god Enel!"
"None shall pass beyond this point!" "And none shall leave."
"For daring to disturb god's own peace,"
"Your punishment is death!"
"I am Hotori!" "And I am Kotori!"
"Welcome to the new Ordeal of Twins!"
(Eddy POV)
The assault group had broken up just perfectly, forcing Muret and him together onto the same speeder and having her hug him from behind was almost like a dream come true. Now he just had to show Muret how awesome he was during the battle and prove he could protect her. That would score him a shit load of brownie points for sure.
Plus, he may not be in the same group as his captain, but Wyper isn't a bad second choice. There was no way Eddy could be in any real danger with the strongest warrior of the tribe and his chosen warriors positioned around him. Everything was just perfect. All the glory, none of the risk.
He even had a new sword, one he picked up from the local dial-smith which Eddy can't wait to try out.
"Everyone keep sharp! This is our greatest chance to take down Enel and reclaim our home!" Cheers greet Wyper's declaration. "'We're going for Enel himself. Onwards, to god's shrine!"
Oi, that wasn't the plan! What happened to nice, easy, safe battles? What if Muret got hurt?
He can feel Muret trembling behind him and it breaks his heart. He wanted to impress her, not scare her. And now, he can't even turn back to bring her to safety. Even if they don't get lost, they've come too far now and it's going to be even more dangerous to travel back on their lonesome. The captain was supposed to face off against Enel! Not Eddy! Eddy doesn't have a devil fruit! What does he do? What can he do?
"Don't worry Muret, I'll keep you safe!" He wishes he could say that. But he can't. And Eddy hates it. Hates being weak. Hates being unreliable. Hates being plain old Eddy.
Suddenly, it has never been quite so clear how utterly irrelevant Eddy is in the grand scheme of things. He swears, that if he gets out of this alive, he'll never skip a day of training ever again.
"If they want to touch you, they'll have to go through me." Someday, he'll be able to say it with the fullest confidence, but sadly that day is not today.
Today, Eddy prays to every deity he can think of, "Anybody but Enel. Anything but Enel!"
As the column bursts into the ruins of a lost city, Wyper pulls up short. It's soon evident why.
"Welcome intruders, to the Ordeal of Iron." That's a big dog. "Your prayers shall be granted."
The baldy slowly stands up and points his sword their way.
"You shall be granted...death."
"LET THE ORDEAL, BEGIN!"
I am well aware that Kotori & Hotori aren't priests and don't have their own Ordeal. However, in this timeline, Satori didn't stay KO (which I always found odd, cause Gan Fall was ready to fight the next day). But he did lose some standing with Enel, who decided to give the two brothers a chance to impress him (at least that's what he told them).
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Until next time!