This is the 33rd chapter. I don't own the series of One Piece.
Light the Fire of Shandora!
After stepping foot on the Upper Yards lost forest, Luffy, Sanji, Usopp, and Caius brave the random and vicious Ordeal of Spheres, unleashed by the priest, Satori. On the other side of the island, the Sky Knight, Gan Fall, and Ventus defeated the priest, Shura.
Skypiea, Shandorian Village
At the village, the Shandorian warriors were gathered inside of the tent after learning of Gan Fall returned to the Upper Yard. Aisa quietly cracks open the tent, overhearing the discussion.
"So, Gan Fall the former God made his way to the Upper Yard alone." Wyper said with a serious glare. "This will not sit well with Eneru."
"You think Gan Fall is trying to take back what he lost?" Kamakiri questions.
"No way!" A fat Shandorian named Genbo remarked. "That old fart has never had the guts to try before, why would he now?"
Genbo is a fat, bald Shandorian with a hat that resembles a chef's hat, but with dark yellow and white stripes on it. He wears a grass skirt, and has a large belt with a big buckle hanging from his left shoulder. His arms are covered by some sort of spotted, similar to that of a giraffe, fur-lined gloves reaching up from his neck, covering even shoulders. He also has a standard pair of Shandorian wings on his back.
The Shandorians can only stay silent since Genbo made some valid point about Gan Fall, who fought against Shura with a little help from Ventus and won. Then, Aisa's Mantra shows her vision of Sanji and Caius defeated Satori, causing her to shriek in panic while stumbled inside of the tent which gotten the Shandorians attention. Aisa looked up and saw Wyper with an angry scowl, causing her to panic and quickly hid Raki from behind.
"What's the matter, Aisa?" Raki inquires, glances over her shoulder at her.
"Two voices...They're gone!" Aisa answered.
"What did you say?" Raki asks again, widen her eyes which it got Wyper's attention.
"Your 'Mantra'?" Wyper adds, earned the Shandorians attention.
"Yes." Aisa replied with a nod. "It just happened."
Wyper started to scowl with a growl, making Aisa flinch.
"You're saying that you heard two voices and then they disappeared suddenly? You need to be honest with me." Wyper told her. "Is this true?"
Aisa can only respond by nodding to him with whimper as Raki turns to him.
"I assume that's yes." Raki said. "We should believe her. Ever since she was born, she's been able to use her ability of 'Mantra' to sense people. Even those who are far away from her, there's no mistaking, her gifts. You sure you don't hear them? They're not there anymore?"
"Yeah, I think it stopped." Aisa answered. "But...it's seem like our foes fighting the priests and they..."
"Killed each other?" Kamakiri guessed.
"Nicely done, old man." Genbo said with a smirk.
"There only two left now." Braham adds.
"Which is good for us." Wyper states as he stands up, walks a few steps out of the tent. "I guess Heaven's actually answered our prayers! It's time for us to crush those priests once and for all!"
"Yeah!" Genbo agrees as Wyper turns to them.
"On your feet! We're launching a full-scale attack on the Upper Yard!" Wyper ordered as his tribe except Raki and Aisa left the tent. "And someone go find that monk!? I want her meet up with us!"
While Aisa watches her tribe leaving to find a monk, Raki stands up and glances over to her.
"Wyper still makes you nervous, doesn't he? You have to grow up sooner or later." Raki points out, shoves Aisa and walks away, much to her annoyance. "I better go fetch Sareena. Knowing her, she's probably out somewhere in the Upper Yard consider she's an outsider."
Aisa knows that she's right, but she still considers Sareena a friend after her tribe rescued the monk who wandered around in Skypiea taking down the priests with her martial prowess. She even come with her to the Upper Yard to collect Verth and discover something ancient.
"Raki! Wait! Please!" Aisa called her, earned her attention.
"What is it?" Raki asks.
"It wasn't only Gan Fall who defeated that priest! There are others on that side on the islands and they're the ones that did it!" Aisa told her.
"Other people? You mean the ones who entered Skypiea from the Blue Sea?" Raki questions.
"I don't know who, but they're really scary to me!" Aisa answered. "So...be careful."
"I'll try." Raki replied with a sighed, seeing how Aisa is worried. "Now be a good girl and hand over your bag."
"Wyper, heard you're looking for me." The voice of Sareena said, approaching him with a serious look on her face.
Sareena is a tall woman with a black hair that falls down to her waist and is tied into a ponytail with a red ribbon. She also has red eyes. She has an athletic build with a slender but toned physique, and visible abdominals. She wore a white sleeveless shirt that exposes her midriff, a mini skirt with a belt, red gloves, red boots, black socks, and black sleeves extended her elbows.
"And where were you?!" Wyper demanded.
"Upper Yard, where else would I be!" Sareena retorted. "I was out watching the entire fight where those pirates fighting Satori, but I remembered that Reaper from anywhere."
"A Reaper?" Wyper repeated.
"Yes, and he's deadly and powerful, well-known for his scythe and dark magic." Sareena replied. "Leon is a gunbreaker. But to let you guys know, I know Caius and Leon because I was there, fighting against the Garlean Empire. And here I am in Skypiea, by accident, helping out fighting those priests and waiting for Eneru to show up."
"That may be true, but Gan Fall and the Blue Sea Dwellers have killed two priests and that's good for us!" Wyper told her. "We want you to join us and launch a full-scale attack with us!"
That got Sareena froze a bit, remembered of her time fighting against the Garlean Empire with the resistance and losing friends after being overrun. She even then remembered of being separated and in Skypiea for only six months, fighting against the Shandorians and the priests. She then scowled at Wyper.
"Do you honestly think I would join...just so I would get to see your tribe get killed by Eneru and his priests! You're much more foolish for putting your tribe in a suicide war!" Sareena snapped. "Your tribe will die and all of this will be for nothing!?"
Wyper can only give her scowl and his tribe notice the reaction of him and Sareena, who isn't fazed, which both of them are glaring each other.
"Are you saying that we should do nothing after Eneru just did?" Wyper questions.
"I'm not saying anything! I'm saying what you're doing is foolish and it's bad enough that I get to live that experience if that happens again!" Sareena remarked. "I've lost my comrades after Garlean Empire overrun us, and I don't want to lose it again! But since you're the leader of your tribe and if that's what you want, then leave me out of it! I want no part of this!"
And with that, Sareena then left the village without looking back, leaving the Shandorians stunned and Wyper very mad that the monk left. Even though, she had experience during her years of fighting against the Garlean Empire and lost her comrades. Wyper spits the cigarette out of his mouth while Raki and Aisa could only watch the monk leaving the village, feeling bad for her.
Upper Yard
After the fight was over, Sanji, Luffy, and Caius were looking down at the dead priest that's a bloody mess and headless because of the Reaper.
"He could have shut up any sooner." Sanji said. "Not the worse being humiliated by a guy who looks like that."
"At least he had some need tricks, like predicting our moves before we even knew them." Luffy pants.
"True, but his move has flaws and limits." Caius states with a sigh. "Especially to those who are too arrogant to admit."
"Hey, guys!" The voice of Usopp called them, earned their attention when they saw him running for the 'Crow'. "Luffy, Sanji, Caius, I found the boat, but you gotta move! I'm serious! If we don't get to it right now, we're going to be stuck on this stinkin' island!"
"I guess Usopp's okay." Sanji said.
"He's yelling something about the boat." Luffy points out as Usopp continued running through the jungle to chase after the boat.
"Kick it into gear! The boat stuck and we gotta get it out, so we can get on it no!" Usopp shouts, but notices a Voidsent slashing the vines and the boat lands on the cloud river. "Get up here! You just hold on to my body!"
"Your what?" Luffy asks, confused when he, Sanji, and Caius were catching up with Usopp.
"Here goes! Usopp AAAaaaAAAaaaAAAaaa" Usopp then fires the grappling hook from his belt and it's attached to the 'Crow'. "Now that's what I call marksmanship!"
"Usopp! You're my Hero!" Luffy exclaims when he and Sanji accidentally hit Usopp at the back, making him grunt in pain.
"Do you try to kill all your heroes like that?!" Usopp complains.
"I don't think so." Luffy answered simply.
"You threw my back out, you jerk!" Usopp remarked as he cracks his back, groans.
"You fixed it!" Luffy said.
"I can do anything!" Usopp told him with a grunt.
"I'm surprised you pulled this off." Sanji said with a smile.
"Yeah? Well, no more underestimating me!" Usopp said with a smirk, felt a pull from the rope as they noticed the 'Crow' is sailing further, starting to struggle.
"Whoa...What are you doing?!" Sanji exclaims.
"I'm not doing anything! The rope is tightening!" Usopp shouts. "Hold on!"
And with that, Usopp, Luffy, Sanji, and Caius are being launched towards the boat, but in a painful way when they're getting hit from tree to the other. After they made it on the boat, Usopp's head is hanged from the 'Crow' and in the cloud river. It also left them all bruised up.
"(That hurt so bad)!" Usopp groans with his mouth full of cloud river.
"I will never let you forget this..." Sanji snarls as he kicks Usopp at the back.
"One of us would've gotten the boat." Caius points out, using magic to form a barrier while restoring their health.
"You know...I could've stretch my arm and grab the boat." Luffy groans in pain.
"(Look, we're on the boat and out of the forest! That's all that matters!)" Usopp retorted.
Upper Yard, Sacrificial Altar
Back at the Sacrificial Altar, Ventus and Gan Fall are now watching over the jungle and the cloudy river after killing the number of sky-sharks. Chopper and Pierre are resting in the makeshift tent which the young Dragoon was able to put something together.
"Do you think your friends find something peculiar?" Gan Fall inquires.
"Maybe, but we won't know until they find out what they've learn." Ventus answered, glances over his shoulder and looked at Chopper. "Even after the fight against Shura, learning about you as former God, Eneru, Shandorians, the Sky Island. This is something that doesn't even add up, and yet, we have no answers because of it. This island is made of dirt instead of clouds, and we've been on this island since Eneru called the giant lobster dragged us here. We need to know about why the Shandorians and the Skypiens started the war, and how is the island made of dirt."
"That's what I've been asking myself about it, and no answers from Wyper and his tribe." The voice of Sareena said, earned their attention when she approaches them. "But I will tell you what they're planning."
Upper Yard
At the Ordeal of Swamp, a priest named Gedatsu is sitting at the top of the ruin, crossing his arms while using his 'Mantra' to find out what happen to his fellow priests.
"Satori has fallen, losing control over his 'Mantra', only shows that he's inexperience with it. Shura has fallen as well, losing control and letting his rage get the better of him, only shows he's also inexperience." Gedatsu muttered. "It seems the intruders this time are from the Blue Sea, but they behave strangely. The sacrifices are now moving around freely as well. However, if we leave them alone, they won't find their way off of this island. More importantly..."
But before he could even finish his sentence, Gedatsu closed his lower lip which it's rather stuck.
At the Ordeal of Iron, both Ohm and Holy are waiting for the Straw Hats to arrive here so they can fight them.
"Do you hear the voice of a sorrowful warrior, Holy?" Ohm asks his dog, which he barks in reply. "It doesn't matter how many times we walk this road, things always end the same. Should've defeated Gan Fall, but the Ordeal of Spheres and the Ordeal of String were broken, that's where luck will end for our new challengers. For them to attempt to see God is insolence at its greatest and their punishment at my hands would have things a bit unsettled this evening in the Upper Yard. No one here gets out alive."
While outside of the Upper Yard, the Wyper and his tribe are heading their way to the island with their weapons ready and launching a full-scale attack against Eneru and his priests.
"All of you, listen up! Today, we catch Upper Yard at her most vulnerable!" Wyper said to his tribe. "This is the opportunity of a lifetime! We move full-speed ahead and don't stop until we reach Gods Shrine! And do not fear Eneru! The great warrior Calgara is our one and only savior, only to him are we true! Braham!"
"Ready!" Braham said with a smirk, readied his guns.
"Kamakiri!"
Kamakri smirks, twirling his spear.
"Genbo!"
Genbo growls with his bazooka ready.
"Raki!"
"Right!" Raki replied.
"Be careful! We spilt up here!" Wyper said, placing his shield on his back and aims his bazooka, firing at the Upper Yard. "We vowed to a great warrior Calgara to light the fire of Shandora!"
His tribe roared with a cheer when the explosion was heard which it got both Gedatsu and Ohm's attention.
'So, the Shandorians come for a fight!' Gedatsu and Ohm mentally thought, getting ready to fight against the Shandorians.
While inside of the Upper Yard, Zoro, Robin, Nami, and Leon were walking through the jungle, heading towards something the navigator found. As they continued to walk through the jungle, an explosion was heard coming from a distance.
"Uh...guys..." Nami said, slightly frightened of that sound.
"That sounded like an explosion." Zoro stated.
"I thought I heard something earlier, but this one seems bigger." Robin pointed out.
"You don't think the others are in trouble, do you?" Leon asks.
"Well, either way, have to keep moving." Nami said, trying to balance herself when Zoro jumps to a higher tree branch.
"Are you in some kind of hurry, Nami?" Zoro questions, turned to her.
"You've been acting odd for some time." Robin points out.
"No doubt. What was it that you see earlier?" Leon asks.
"Please tell me it wasn't God." Zoro adds.
"It wasn't!" Nami retorted. "If I explained to you, you still wouldn't under-"
Before she could finish her sentence, she slipped on some moss from a tree she's crossing and almost fell, had she not caught herself as she pants quickly.
"This is so stupid! Why can't just stay on my feet?!" Nami complains.
"Maybe it's because of the sandals that isn't suitable for climbing!" Leon shouts with sarcasm.
"Yeah right!" Nami retorted.
"You said we should go this way. Something about being faster." Robin told her with a smirk.
"Enough with the mystery, Nami, spit it out!" Zoro demanded. "Tell us what you saw!"
"Quit ordering me around and just do what I say! We have to get to the seashore!" Nami shouts back, tried to stand back up, but lost her balance and went back to her knees, then she turns to them with a tick mark on her head. "Would one of you please help me!?"
"Complaining at one time, ordering to the other. Make up your mind, woman!" Leon shouts. "And another thing, you're the leader, try help yourself for once and take the lead instead of being at the back!"
"Shut up!" Nami snapped in annoyance.
"The seashore?" Robin asks, breaks up the argument.
"Yes, it's the only way we can get close enough to check this thing out." Nami said as Zoro grabs hold of the vine and swings again, letting out a Tarzan yell which causes Leon to sweat drop. "Cause to be honest, I won't believe what I saw until I see it up close."
"Me too." Robin said, bring his and Nami's attention to her as she uses her Devil Fruit power to bring multiple arm limbs down to the navigator. "It's been bothering me for a while now."
She then pulls Nami up to the tree branch.
"...But I still can't prove anything yet. Of course, a theory is still a theory until proven, but if what I dreamed up turns out to be true, it would be interesting." Robin continued, tossing Nami to the same branch she's on. "Very interesting...The one thing I've always wanted in life, doesn't seem so far out of reach anymore."
Robin even remembered of her time in Alabasta, witnessing the fight of Crocodile against Ventus, Ace, and Luffy.
"Although, it's only a theory." Robin said, causing both Nami and Leon to look at her in confusion and slight curiosity as to what the theory may be.
Upper Yard, Sacrificial Altar
Back at the Sacrificial Altar, Sareena gave them an explanation about the Shandorian's plan. It got Gan Fall widen his eyes in shock while Ventus can only scowl and Chopper dropped his jaws in dread, after learning about the Shandorians launching a full-scale attack on Eneru and his priests at the Upper Yard.
"They're on the move right now?" Ventus asks.
"Yes, the Shandorians are foolish enough to go after Eneru and his priests. There's no reason tried to stop them once their dead set on fighting and going all out." Sareena points out. "Coming from me, it's no different when I was fighting against the Garlean Empire years ago."
"Wait, hold on! You fought the Garlean Empire?" Ventus asks in shock.
"Yep, I'm one of the resistance, fought against them and I'm the best fighter of Ala Mhigo." Sareena said with confident smirk. "Same goes for Leon, haven't seen him ever since our base is overrun and gone separated."
"Well, Leon is with our crew, and searching for answers about the island." Chopper explains. "But...how did you know about Leon?"
"Oh, Leon is a friend of mine since he joined 5 years ago." Sareena told the reindeer. "We've been fighting against the Garlean Empire, helping our people in need, and send word to help us take them down. But apparently, we've been overrun and many of my comrades were killed while some were scattered somewhere, hiding and waiting for someone to help us. Leon left first to find help and I gone second, same as him, but it didn't go well when the Knock-up Stream got me here and the Shandorians took me to their village."
"And how long have you been here?" Ventus inquires.
"7 months." Sareena answered. "They were able to patch me up after I told them what happened, and Wyper...you already get the ideas of what I've told you about him."
Ventus, Chopper, and Gan Fall understands what the fighter told them, felt bad for her because of the fight against the Garlean Empire and hoping for a way to put an end to their war conquest.
"For now since I'm stuck here, I guess I need to get back on the sea to look for help." Sareena said.
"Leon is probably coming back here along with our crew. So, I think it's best we wait her until they arrive." Ventus suggests. "And going out there, looking for an exit will be like a suicide. You won't be able to get back on the sea at that rate."
Sareena knows that the young Dragoon made a valid point, decided to wait for the Straw Hats as she leans against the tree.
"But there's something you should know about the Garlean Empire." Ventus said, earned her attention as he began given her an explanation.
Upper Yard
"We're almost there." Robin informed them. "I can hear the waves back on the shore, listen."
They were still following Nami to what she saw in the jungle. Both Zoro and Leon went silent and started to hear the sound of waves. Nami, for some reason, seemed excited upon hearing that sound, but enough to have a crazed look on her face and she kept on walking ahead it left her exhausted.
"Yeah...almost...almost...just a few more steps..." Nami grunts, panting heavily.
"Would you mind telling me what you saw!" Zoro demanded, but only got a respond of laughter from Nami. "Or at lest shut up."
"And she lost her mind, great." Leon said sarcastically.
"On second thought, I'm hearing more than just a tide rolling." Robin told them, glances over her shoulder. "You?"
"Yeah, it sounds like a charging army." Zoro agrees which happens to be the Shandorians charging inside of the Upper Yard. "And some explosions throwing in for good measure. With any luck, it's a distraction from what we're doing."
"It sounded like the Upper Yard is turning into a war zone." Leon stated. "It's no different where I'm from."
"Or they're attacking our friends." Robin points out while Nami is climbing on the tree trunk.
"Chopper and Ventus? Ah, they're tough, well mostly the kid. When the time comes, Chopper can handle himself." Zoro told her.
"And what about the others?" Robin asks.
"You mean Luffy?" Zoro guessed.
"Knowing him, he probably won't stay still after what happened." Leon points out. "And he's the one who wanted to go there in the first place. Either way, whoever this God, I highly doubt that he'll let Luffy waltz in here."
"That's right. And not to mention the explosion is making it worse than it already is." Robin adds. "The situation is getting more complicated."
"That's what I was gonna say." Zoro agrees.
"You guys have a knack on getting into trouble, don't you?" Leon asks.
"More or less. Besides, we're all used to it, so I'm not worried." Zoro said with a shrug when Nami slips down to the ground with a hard thud. "Getting bent out of shape over things that haven't happened is a waste of time."
"Good point." Robin said with a chuckle while Leon turned to where Nami ran off to, only to see her gone.
"Speaking of which...Nami! Where the hell did you ran off to?!" Leon shouts.
"SOME WAY OF SHOWING YOU CARE!?" Nami yelled back with white eyes and shark-like teeth, revealing to be behind a huge tree trunk.
"Oh, there she is." Leon said simply.
Ignoring the Gunbreaker for now, Nami looked back at the direction of their destination and walked over there, much to her crews confusion.
Back at Caius' group, the 'Crow' was smoothly sailing on towards the Sacrificial Altar. As they were sailing, Luffy and Usopp decided to make some impressions of their crew.
"Let me do it again, but this time, don't make me laugh!" Luffy said with a chuckle.
"Alright." Usopp said with a laugh. "Zoro, would you wake up already."
Luffy lift his head up, playing the impression of Zoro.
"'Huh? You're a deadman.'" Luffy said, then sleeps as Usopp laughed.
"That's the best!" Usopp said.
"This is no time for goofing off!" Sanji shouts in annoyance with white eyes and shark-like teeth, steering the 'Crow' out of the ordeal.
"We don't know what happened to the others yet and for all we know, they're in a lot of trouble after hearing an explosion. Thus, there are three more priests waiting and we'll more challenge ahead of us." Caius warned them.
"'Ordeal of Love.'" Luffy said, playing the impression of Sanji and Usopp starts laughing, causing Sanji and Caius to beat them up silly.
"Whatever the case is, we've gotta get to the altar, don't you think?" Sanji said in irritation with a tick mark on his head, tried to light the cigarette and Caius polishes his scythe.
"Okay, we're sorry." Luffy and Usopp painfully apologizes with bruises and bumps.
Back on Leon's group, Nami stops with a heavy pant after running ahead. Robin, Zoro, and Leon were still catching up to her.
"I wonder why she took off so fast." Robin said.
"Figures, sees what she wants and she's got no problems with her feet." Zoro said in annoyance.
"Complaining for a moment, then order on the other. How do you deal with her?" Leon asks, annoyed.
Nami was standing before the structure she spotted earlier.
"I was right, it's exactly what I thought I saw." Nami muttered when Robin and Leon were able to catch with her, but couldn't believe their eyes.
"Unbelievable!" Robin exclaims when Zoro finally catches up with them.
"Hey, Nami, if you don't tell me what it was that you saw, then I am gon-"
Before he could finish his sentence, Zoro now knew the reason what Nami just saw and it got him in disbelief.
"Speaks for itself pretty well, look at it." Nami said, investigating it. "It's almost unreal. It's no fairy tale. We've all seen what it belong to. How did it get all the way up here?"
The other three still couldn't believe their eyes.
"That doesn't make any sense! Why would this be here?" Zoro asks, walks up to them. "It looks exactly the same. It's like a copy."
"But it's not." Robin corrected him.
"How do you figure?" Zoro asks, turns to her.
"This is the other half of what we saw before." Leon told him which it got his attention.
"Go on." Zoro said.
"It's bug me for a while. Why is it that we walk on soil instead of island cloud? This dirt, there's nothing in the makeup of the White-White Sea that would allow for its existence. So, the ground that we're walking on shouldn't exist up here." Robin explains. "Upper Yard was originally on the ground."
"I knew that house was off when I saw it." Nami adds. "Thing is, it's a two-story house, and there was no staircase leading up to the second story. And what would make you build a house on the edge of a cliff? But then again, it wasn't a cliff at all."
They then remembered back in Jaya when they saw a cardboard castle made by Cricket to cover the other half of the house. Leon pieced together what Robin and Nami said, got the idea.
"Then to sum it up...this is the half of the island that was ripped away...this island used to be part of Jaya!" Leon exclaims.
"So, what that means is a few hundred years back, the island below us was split in half and one side of it rise into the sky." Zoro adds. "Either of you know how that could've happened?"
"It had to have been the Knock-Up Stream that did this." Nami states. "Sounds ridiculous, but that's the best I can do."
They then remembered of the Knock-Up Stream launching the Straw Hats to Skypiea. They started to put two and two together by imagining the half of the island into full, making it into full island of Jaya. Remembered of Mont Blanc Cricket told them about his ancestor, Noland, who found the treasure called the City of Gold and considered a liar that was written in a book called 'Noland the Liar'. It then got them realize of how the half of the island was in Skypiea in the first place, meaning that the Knock-Up Stream split the island in half and it became the Upper Yard.
"All this time...the City of Gold that Noland discovered on the ground didn't sink into the ocean, it was floating in the sky for 400 years." Leon said as they finally figure out how the island became the Upper Yard and why.
That's it for the 33rd chapter.
