The Going Merry, Black Pearl, and Toho burst through the cloud layer as the Knock-Up Stream sent it flying into the clouds, and right on top of a new ocean sitting on the clouds. Everyone was breathing heavily from the experience.
"We still have Gottfried?" Draco asked.
"Hilda kept me in her pocket. Everyone else is still here. But let's NEVER do that again." The Transponder Snail replied.
"At least the wings are still intact after all that. Masira and Shojo did great work." Sonson noted.
"Glad to see no holes are being blown in my ship." Ben said as he inspected the Pearl.
"Hey, guys! Check this out!" Luffy called out.
The crew gazed out in amazement at the white sea they were floating on.
"We're actually sailing on clouds! Even for the Grand Line this is amazing!" Vivi said excitedly.
Boss dropped down a line and brought it up to check the thermometer.
"Water! These clouds are made of water! It's an entire ocean on the clouds!"
"And we haven't even hit the top yet. The Log Pose is still pointing upward." Nami said.
"Which means we're right in the middle of the cumuloregalis clouds," Robin noted.
Axol and Ruby surfaced from a quick swim.
"The sea acts like clouds but feels like water!" Ruby noted. "This is crazy!"
"We didn't go down too far, but I bet swimming down enough we'd fall right back into the sea below," Axol said.
Robin thought of something. "Luffy, stretch your arm through the sea as far as it can go."
As Luffy did, Robin closed her eyes.
"OJORS FLUER!"
Using herFlower-Flower Fruit, she sprouted a couple eyes on Luffy's arm. Eventually it reached down through the clouds, showing Jaya just below them. But it looked like a small pebble from how high up they were.
"We must be up higher than most birds can fly," N'Doul said.
As Luffy pulled her hand in, several monsters started to rise through the clouds. Zoro, Kuina, Gin, and Sanji easily took them out, but found themselves breathing hard afterward.
"It's so hard to breathe here," Zoro said.
"The oxygen level must be lower than normal," Double-D realized.
"Hey, take a look at this," Nojiko said.
She was holding a flat fish with orbs on its fins and feather-like scales. Its mouth was round and carnivore-like.
"Something like this was described in Noland's logbook. It's a sky fish." Robin said.
"Mind if I get a picture?" Axol asked as he took out his sketchbook.
"Some of these creatures seem rather balloon-like. Probably an evolutionary trait to survive in a sky ocean." Noire noted.
"Yes, they'd have to be. The buoyancy here is weaker than in the oceans we're used to." Robin said.
Sanji and Noire started cooking up the creatures to investigate their flavor. As it turned out, they were amazingly delicious. Hobbes in particular felt like he was in heaven while Kong laughed.
"Man, haven't tasted good fish like this in a long time!"
"Ship ahoy!" Usopp suddenly called out. "We're not the only ones out here!"
The crew looked out, and were stunned as the other ship suddenly exploded. It turned out to be someone rushing through the clouds, having smashed through the other ship. He was wearing a bull mask and carrying a large bazooka and shield, as well as having wings on his back.
"And he's coming right for us!" Eddy exclaimed.
"Ahoy, out there! What do you want?!" Calvin called out.
"To destroy you!"
The figure leaped up, only for Kong to suddenly shoot out a shield of clouds from his arm to stop the assault. Unphased, the figure jumped up to aim his bazooka.
"DOC FIREWORK!"
Lassoo launched his firework attack, blasting the bazooka out of the winged man's hands. Just as the figure wondered what he should do next, an armored warrior flew down on a pink bird and struck with his lance. The masked man had just enough time to put up his shield to defend himself, but was still knocked right into the cloud sea. Meanwhile, the armored figure landed on the railing of the Merry, allowing the crew to see his long white beard.
"Well met, travelers. You may call me the Sky Knight." He said. "Hmm, from your ragged breaths I assume you're from the Blue Sea."
"What do you mean by that?" Nami asked.
"And just who are you?" Nojiko added.
"The Blue Sea is our term for the lands beneath the clouds," The Sky Knight explained. "You've traveled quite a height to the White Sea, 7,000 meters in the sky. Even further up you'll find the White-White Sea, which is 10,000 meters up. Most Blue Sea people can't endure the environment. You must be exceptionally strong. It won't be long before your bodies start to acclimate to the thinner atmosphere."
"So who was that guy speeding on top of the clouds just now?" Chopper asked.
"That was a warrior of Shandia. Normally I charge for fending off such mercenaries, but you clearly have a handle on dealing with them."
"And how big is the charge?" Vivi asked.
"It's a 5 million extol charge for a One Whistle."
"The heck's an extol?" Luna asked.
The Sky Knight looked surprised. "Did you not come here via the summit of High-West? You must have passed an island or two."
"Are you saying there are other ways of reaching the sky ocean? And that there are other sky islands?" Rosa asked.
The Sky Knight was shocked. "Don't tell me you risked the Knock-Up Stream to get here? Your ships are all so intact I didn't realize it at first. No wonder your strength is greater than most from the Blue Sea. I didn't think there was anyone left with the guts for such a dangerous method."
"It was the only option available to us at the time. We were passing by the island of Jaya when our Log Pose pointed us up here." Draco clarified.
"I see. Did you lose any crew?"
"Nope! We're all here! Not a single officer lost!" Luffy said proudly.
"I'm not surprised. The Knock-Up Stream is an all or nothing route. Either you all make it up safely, or you all crash into the Blue Sea and die." The Sky Knight said. "Any other route you most certainly would have lost at least a few crew members. It takes careful planning to make that bet, and even then not many can survive. It seems you truly are skilled and courageous warriors."
"Just throwing this out there, but would the last time a crew made it up the Knock-Up Stream be just over twenty years ago?" Tawna asked.
"As a matter of fact, yes. I take it you know of them?"
"Know of them? I was on that exact crew!" Kong laughed. "Been a long time, Gan Fall!"
The old man's eyes widened a nd he took Kong into a great big hug.
"My boy! Look at how you've grown! And with a new crew I see. How are the others?"
"….Roger passed away." Kong admitted, shocking Gan Fall
"W-what? How?!"
"He was terminally ill." Kong sighed. "He powered through it to see the final island."
"So it does exist."
"Yup. And what a sight it was." Kong smirked, clearing his eyes of tears. "Crocus, Rayliegh and Gaban settled down on the Grand Line or the New World. Which Shanks now rules a quarter of and Buggy? Well, he's kept quiet."
"A moment." Pemny cut in. "You're saying that Buggy. The Buggy who kidnapped my father and nearly killed Luffy…WAS ON ROGER'S SHIP?!"
"Indeed." Gan Fall said. "Kong, did Roger suffer?"
Kong smiled
"If he did he never showed it. Heck, his last words sparked a new age of piracy."
"That does sound like Roger." Gan Fall chuckled, then tossed a whistle to Nami. "Take this One Whistle. I normally charge for it, but for this one time I'll offer it freely. Blow it once whenever you are in dire need and I shall come to your aid."
The large bird landed near him.
"Ah, this is my partner Pierre. I noticed some of you have Devil Fruit powers. They are rare here in the clouds, but they do exist. For example..."
Pierre suddenly shifted from a bird to a horse.
"Pierre has eaten theHorse-Horse Fruit. And since he can keep his wings, he becomes a mighty pegasus!"
Unfortunately, the dopey bird just made a dopey pegasus, which did not fit the normal image associated with the myth. Gan Fall simply flew off, wishing the Straw Hats well.
"Worst user for a Devil Fruit ever," Usopp quipped, many nodding in agreement.
"Maybe next time we see them, I can use my powers to fix him up," Calvin noted.
"The problem is, how are we supposed to keep going up?" Amingo asked.
"There's what looks like a waterfall just over there. Let's try investigating." Robin said.
As the three ships got close, it looked like the clouds were floating like icebergs. Luffy tried to punch one, only to find her fists bounced off it like rubber. Grinning, she jumped on top to bounce on the cloud, with Usopp, the Eds, Calvin, Hobbes, and Chopper soon joining him.
"YEE-HAW!" Eddy cheered.
"I'm a bucking buckaroo!" Ed laughed.
"Why isn't anybody else seeing this?!" Calvin laughed.
Penny flew over to give the cloud a feel.
"It's soft like cotton but solid like foam. It's almost like a giant pillow."
"Probably not as soft as this big ol' gut!" Hilda chuckled as she slapped her belly.
"Hey! There's a big gate under the waterfall!" Ben called out as he noticed something near the clouds.
"So this place has man-made objects. I guess we shouldn't be too surprised." Kuina noted.
The ones horsing around got back on the ships as they started sailing them through the rubber clouds. The gate was marked as Heaven's Gate, and was wide enough for a galleon to sail through.
"Are we sure we're all still alive?" Zoro asked when he saw the sign on the gate.
"Is this Heaven?" Ed asked.
"We all still have heartbeats. And we're all still breathing." Chopper pointed out.
"It might just be metaphorical," Robin added.
"Looks like someone's coming out," Usopp noted.
An old woman stepped out of a door on the side of the gate's interior, snapping pictures with a camera. The flash bulb looked like a sea shell.
"She has wings like the woman in the picture!" Kaya noticed.
"Ahoy there, Toots!" Gottfried called out. "Who are you?"
"I am Amazon, the Heaven's Gate inspector. Please state your business. Sightseeing, warmongering, or other?"
"Well, we are explorers, so I guess that would fall under sightseeing?" Ruby shrugged.
"Definitely not warmongering. We didn't even know there was a war going on." Boss added. "Bad day indeed..."
"Regardless, the entrance fee is one billion extol per person. That's the law." Amazon said.
"Okay, what even the heck is an extol?!" Gin snapped. "I knew the Grand Line was insane but this is the first I'm hearing of any of this!"
"It's the currency up here," Kong explained. "You should've probably guessed from my little reunion with Gan Fall that I once visited this place a long time ago."
"So what's the conversion rate between extols and berries?" Fuu wondered.
"Whatever it is, I hope we have enough to cover it." Kaya worriedly noted. "If it's one per person, that's..."
"About 46 billion Berris." Penny calculated.
"Something about this smells of a scam," Usopp said.
"Poyo!" Kirby agreed with his dad.
"Let me handle this, guys," Vivi said as she turned to Amazon. "Excuse me, Madam Amazon. We're actually from a country that uses Berris instead of Extols, and we're not sure what the proper conversion rate is."
"If you only have Berris on hand, I can exchange them," Amazon assured her, "It's 10,000 Extols to 1 Berri, but know that I cannot haggle the toll."
"So a Berri is worth more up here. That actually makes things easier for us." Sanji noted.
"Well, thank goodness! That reduces the price greatly!" Double-D said in relief.
"And here I thought we'd be cleaned out. That's way more reasonable." Nami said.
Vivi, with help from Heart, handed over the funds and Amazon calculated them.
"That's 46 people in total. The toll is considered paid by Almighty God. You may pass freely."
"So how do we get to the sky island from here?" Luffy asked.
As if in answer, three giant lobsters emerged from the clouds just below them, grabbing the wings on the Merry, Pearl, and Toho.
"Easy on the ships, we just got those modifications!" Usopp called out.
"Yeah, and we just got this ship too!" Kuina added, referring to the Toho.
"This Express Lobsters will take you to the sky islands above," Amazon explained. "Please enjoy your stay. And mind your manners in the face of Almighty God."
"That's the second time she's mentioned that. I wonder what she means." Draco hummed.
Before anyone could ponder this, the Express Lobsters started to swim up the waterfall at high speed.
"SOMEONE GET US OFF THIS CRAZY THING!" Fuu screamed.
-OP-
Meanwhile, a man with drums growing out of his back noted the toll that had just been paid.
"They only had Berris from the Blue Seas. By my own laws I cannot punish them for illegal entry. But the fact that they don't have the currency of the White Sea tells me they are ignorant of the culture up here. It might be prudent to keep an eye on them."
Another toll reached his ears.
"So, the Ape has returned. With a crew he follows?...Interesting."
Lightning crackled along the man.
"Very interesting indeed. It has been long since this God had a proper challenge."
-OP-
The Express Lobsters swam up the winding waterfall, almost making it like a roller coaster.
"And here I thought a roller coaster only goes fast when it goes down!" Hilda exclaimed.
"Ugh...I think I'm gonna be sick..." Luna moaned.
"We're about to reach the top!" Chopper called out. "Look, there's a sign over there!"
The crew noticed the huge sign.
"Godland Skypiea?" Robin asked. "Skypiea was the name on the chart we found. But why call it Godland?"
Just past the sign was a break in the clouds with the sun shining through. After breaking through it, the Express Lobsters dropped the Going Merry, Black Pearl, and Toho onto the sky ocean and swam off.
"Hey, check it out!" Sonson called out.
Right ahead of them was an island made of clouds, complete with buildings and even plant life.
"We made it...We really did find a sky island!" Nami said.
"I guess I can accept facts when I see them..." Double-D sighed.
"And to think we're not even the first ones to find this place. I wonder what the other ship crews that came thought when they saw this." Hobbes said.
The three ships were brought to shore at the island and the crew stepped off. Draco noticed something as he stepped in the water.
"Careful. These water-like clouds have the same effect on Devil Fruit users as standing water."
"Seriously? Even though it's actually clouds?" Eddy asked incredulously.
"It's elementary, Eddy. Clouds are made of evaporated water." Double-D pointed out.
"What are we going to do about the anchor? There's no proper sea floor to drop it into." Zoro said.
"Amingo, Choi, and I will drop it onto the beach. That should anchor us." Boss said.
"Be safe, okay, Vivi?" Amingo said to his ward. "Who knows what unforeseen dangers lurk here."
Vivi nodded. "Don't worry, Amingo. I'll be careful."
As the three went to drop the anchor, they noticed that it actually hit a heavier cloud just under the water, solving the issue. Carue shook himself off as he got out of the cloud ocean.
"Ugh... And I couldn't even swim to begin with."
"Even though you're a duck?" Rolf asked.
"I'm a desert-dwelling duck! We run on land, not the ocean!"
Robin, for her part, was feeling like she was truly seeing a new location for the first time.
"You've never really traveled before, have you?" Vivi asked. "I mean, obviously you've moved from place to place. But you've never actually taken the time to truly visit anywhere you've been."
"I never really had the luxury before," Robin admitted, "But I gotta say... I like being able to feel like I'm truly visiting a new place."
"And...I'm glad we can do it together." Marianne smiled warmly, Robin returning the smile as they joined the others in checking out all the new experiences the sky island had to offer.
There were beautiful flowers, tropical trees and fruits, and even a pavilion. And most of it was made from clouds.
"What sort of crazy technology allows them to make chairs from clouds?" Ruby wondered.
"I don't know about you, but I like it!" Axol grinned. "This is perfect material for my manga!"
Zoro and Kuina then stumbled upon a small, white fox sleeping on the beach. As they looked at it, a beautiful harp was suddenly heard, catching everyone's attention. They looked to see a person standing on a large cloud dune. It was a young woman with wings and blonde hair.
"It's an angel..." Sanji muttered.
"Normally, I'd smack you right here, but I'm seeing it too," Noire said in amazement.
"Pretty sure it's just a native," Draco said, noting that the girl was a dead ringer for the winged woman in the photo of Roger's crew.
The woman then noticed the crew and turned to greet them.
"Heso."
"Uh, not our language?" Gin said awkwardly. "Gottfried, translation?"
"She was saying hello. You shouldn't need me to translate that." Gottfried said.
The woman giggled. "Here, Suu."
The fox hopped over to her.
"So, did you come here from the Blue Seas?"
"Yeah, we flew up here from below," Luffy said. "So you're a native of this island?"
"Yes, this is my home. Welcome to Skypiea's Angel Beach."
She noticed the large gourd Luffy was carrying and offered to help her crack it open.
"A konashu has skin like steel, so it's impossible to crack. You have to cut through the bottom like this." She explained.
She used a small knife to cut a hole in the bottom of the konashu before inserting a straw into it. She then heard a splash. It turned out Zoro had taken her words as a challenge and tried to cut one of the hard gourds. He succeeded, but got the juice all over himself in the process, causing Sanji and Kuina to laugh while rolling on the ground.
"Shut it, you shitty cook!" Zoro called out. "And you too, Kuina!"
The woman was surprised by what she saw.
"I didn't know people of the Blue Sea were so strong."
"Oh this isn't typical, Zoro's just a monster in human form." Nami said.
"And if you think he's tough, you should see Mifune!" Fuu added.
"By the way, I don't think we caught your name," Nojiko said.
"I'm Conis. And this is Suu, a cloud fox."
She petted the tiny fox in her arms, which began sniffing around Lassoo, making him chuckle playfully.
"So, do animals normally talk down in the Blue Sea?" Conis asked.
"Eh, normally it's just me. I give 'em a voice with my Devil Fruit." Gottfried explained. "Chopper and Hobbes are the exceptions."
"Wow, talk about lucky. Devil Fruits are so rare." Conis said.
"Not where we're from. There's plenty of Devil Fruits down below. A good chunk of our crew uses them." N'Doul said.
"This is actually a new experience for us. So we have a ton of questions." Double-D said. "I, in particular, would love to take notes!"
"I'll be happy to answer," Conis said before noticing something. "Ah, here comes my father."
The middle-aged man was surfing on a boat with an engine and handlebars attached.
"Hey, that must be the sky waver device mentioned in Noland's logbook," Tawna realized.
The man wound up crashing, skidding across the beach and flying off the sky waver, slamming into a nearby tree.
"Watch out for that tree!" Ed called out.
"Sorry about that... Everyone alright?"
"You completely missed us! And you're the one who crashed!" Zoro said.
The man got up and picked up his sky waver.
"Ah, heso, Conis. I see you made some new friends."
"Yes, Father. These people came here from the Blue Sea."
"Well, it's a pleasure to meet you. Sorry for not introducing myself. My name's Pagaya." The man introduced himself. "I was just coming in from a fishing trip. Since you've come all this way, why not join us for a meal. We can answer any questions you might have about the White-White Sea."
"Maybe you could start with this device," Nami said as she examined the waver. "How does it function without a sail or paddles?"
"So you're not familiar with Dials?" Conis asked.
"Actually we have a few. We found them on a shipwreck that fell off the sky islands. It was 200 years old." Draco said.
"How do you control this thing?" Luffy wondered.
"Careful, if that old man could crash it must be pretty finicky." Gin warned.
"Yes, controlling a waver is very hard. The body is incredibly light so the rudder can easily get taken over even by small waves." Conis said. "I've only recently been able to ride one, and even that took ten years."
"And yet Nami's taken to it like a duck to water," Usopp noted.
Sure enough, Nami was calling out in excitement as she rode the waver like she'd been doing it her whole life.
"We really shouldn't be too surprised. She is our navigator, after all." Sonson said.
"Something like that could be useful on a regular sea. Think you can get it modified later, Usopp?" Kaya noted.
"I'll need a second one first. I'd rather not break Pagaya's only waver."
Usopp then noticed several more people walking up a series of steps to a scaffolding.
"Is that some sort of construction site?"
"It's a quarry where clouds are mined out for manufacturing," Pagaya explained. "I assume you took the Milky Road up here, yes?"
"If you mean that winding waterfall, then yes," Kuina replied.
"That's the one. It's actually a man-made canal. It was made out of island clouds that are quarried here." Pagaya said. "Here in the White-White Sea there are two kinds of natural clouds. Sea clouds and island clouds."
"Down below we call them cumuloregalis clouds. But given the density I'm not surprised they can become land or water masses up here." Robin said,
"Yes, thanks to their condensation nucleus. Down in the Blue Seas there's a mineral called Seastone, which contains corneous particles called pyrobloin." Pagaya said. "During volcanic eruptions, they gain moisture and ascend into the sky. That causes sea clouds and island clouds to form, depending on the density of the moisture."
"That's something I never knew about Seastone," Draco admitted. "Down in the Blue Sea it's mostly known for being a weakness of Devil Fruit users."
-OP-
As the crew settled into Conis and Pagaya's house, Sanji checked out the kitchen, and soon saw something rotten in the fridge. He quickly berated Pagaya for not checking on his food. Meanwhile, Conis was helping Draco and Double-D to understand how Dials worked.
"So the Dials can store and hold anything inside them. Where do such creatures live in these waters?" Robin asked.
"In the shallow reefs around the cloud sea. Each shell holds a different thing. Like how we record voices using Tone Dials and Wavers are powered using Breath Dials." Conis explained. "The bigger the size of the shell, the greater its holding capacity."
"Nami's still out riding the waver. She's really loving that thing." Vivi noted.
"Ah! I remember when you were old enough to ride Carue!" Amigno reminisced wistfully. "You two were so inseparable!"
Conis continued to explain about Lamp Dials for lighting rooms, or Flame Dials that helped with cooking.
"We also have Flavor Dials to record tastes, and Vision Dials that can store everything the user sees."
"I think this might have been made with a Vision Dial." Draco realized as he showed Conis the photo.
"Yes, this looks like it was taken with a-Oh my!" She gasped when she noticed the winged woman in the photo. "This is a photo of my mother. Father said she traveled down to the Blue Seas before I was born. This must have been the crew she traveled with."
"I thought I recognized you." Kong chuckled. "You're the spitting image of your mother."
"What's that about Artemis?" Pagaya asked before he also noticed the photo. "Oh, I remember that rowdy bunch. Must have been more than twenty years ago when a man named Gol D. Roger came up here with his crew using the Knock-Up Stream. Said he was a pirate on a journey to find the treasure to end all treasures. Artemis was curious about the world below, so she traveled with them to become their gunner. But one day she came back. She said they had found the treasure, but that Roger had died some time after."
Kong sighed sadly. "Yes, he was executed. His crew disbanded shortly before he was captured...but the truth is, he wasn't actually captured."
Draco nodded. "He surrendered to the Marines. Only his crew knows why."
"Care to spill the deets, Pops?" Tawna asked her adoptive father.
Kong shook his head. "Eh, I was still a child back then. My memory is fuzzy."
"Dinner is served," Sanji said as he and Noire came out with the dishes. "We have sky lobster in special sauce, and a side of island fruits that I have no idea how to pronounce."
The crew started to dig in. While the familiar taste of the food was there, it was almost like the environment gave it a unique quality.
Suddenly, a squeaking noise was heard as Kirby looked to see a creature similar to him with a tan pear-shaped face, chestnut-colored eyes and no mouth. It had a round body, honey-colored feet, small stubby arms, and rosy cheeks.
"Ah! Bandana!" Conis smiled as the little creature saluted, a spear strapped to its back. "You're just in time for dinner!"
"Awwww, who's that little cutie?" Rosa gushed.
"Bandana Dee." Conis explained, sneaking in a tickle for the little guy. "He wound up on Sky Island somehow, not sure how. When he came to, we quickly became friends and before the day was over? I had a little brother."
Hearing that story made Usopp and Kaya smile.
"That's like us and Kirby."
The aforementioned pink marshmellow made his way over to Badnana Dee, and soon a strong friendship was born.
Sanji checked out the patio to call Nami in, but he couldn't see her anymore.
"Hey, guys, I lost track of Nami."
"Oh dear, I hope she's alright." Conis said before realizing something. "Wait... Did you make sure to pay the toll coming in?"
"Yeah, it wasn't that expensive. Though I'm surprised the currency we use down in the Blue Sea is worth so much up here." Heart said.
"Then let's hope your friend hasn't wandered too far. In Skypiea, there are places where we're forbidden from setting foot on, no matter what." Pagaya said.
"One such place is not too far from here by waver. If Nami's curiosity gets the better of her, she might wander into it without thinking." Conis said.
"What's so bad about it?" Eddy asked.
"It's sacred ground. It's called the Upper Yard, the island where God lives." Conis explained.
"God? That's quite the far stretch, lass." Ben said.
"Gottfried?" Hilda asked as her partner took a listen.
"Awwww shuckerdoodles...she's just off shore from it!"
"So an actual God lives in this place?" Draco asked.
"Yes, his name is Enel, the Almighty God. He knows everything in this world. And he is always watching us and listening to everything, even our thoughts."
A deep thunderous laugh filled the air; a laugh that came from the Ape-Mink now rolling on the floor and laughing so hard tears escaped his eyes. After a few minutes of gasping and getting helped up by Tawana and Draco, Kong spoke:
"Enel is a delusional fool who got very lucky." The Ape Mink explained. "He ate the Rumble-Rumble fruit; a Lightning Logia and has mastered, but never Awakened it. He's also a master of Observation Haki, or Mantra as they call it in the Sky Islands. Where he to come down to the Blue seas, he'd easily worth a 100 Million Berri, but he's by no means a God."
"Besides, it's not like it's such a big deal to accidentally wander into a forbidden sacred ground or say the name of another deity that's part of an entirely different culture." Luffy pointed out.
"You keep saying smart stuff! It's freaking me out!" Ben snapped.
"It's considered sacrilege to break any laws set forth by our Almighty," Pagaya said.
"Goes to show how arrogant that idiot is." Kong sneered.
Amingo nodded. "In Alabasta, we have a saying; to err is human, to forgive divine. If he's so uptight about calling any law-breaking sacrilege, he can't really be a true deity."
"Out of curiosity, what happens to anyone who sets foot in the Upper Yard?" Robin asked.
"Those who do so are said to never come back alive," Conis said sadly.
"We're heading out to retrieve Nami," Luffy said at that moment, freaking out the duo. "Conis, can you take us there?"
Conis looked nervous. "Well... There's no reason to think Nami might even be there. And we'll be in big trouble if we incur God Enel's wrath."
"Trust me, that ship already sailed with what I told you." Kong huffed.
Zoro nodded. "And it's not like we believe in Gods walking among Mortals anyway."
-OP-
Meanwhile, Nami had approached the Upper Yard, but was only sailing around it.
"So there's still soil here. And these trees... They look to be a hundred years old."
She then noticed an abandoned waver near the shore.
"Who did this belong to? It looks like something tried to attack it."
She then noticed a nearby Dial and activated it.
"There's no doubt about it, an extraordinary treasure should definitely be here! If we keep a record like this, it may be useful later."
"I can't! I'm too scared. Can't you feel it? God's anger closing in on us."Another voice said.
Then there came a noise like plasma hitting something.
"Was that a lightning strike?" Nami wondered. "Judging by the screams, it killed the duo who last used this waver. But was it really God that killed them? I think I need to get out of here."
She then heard strange noises coming from the forest above, like someone was attacking someone else. Luckily, the next thing she heard was the Merry, Pearl, and Toho coming about, Draco creating volcanic ash to act as a makeshift engine.
Nami sighed. "Thank goodness. I was just about freaking out."
"Oh good. You haven't set foot on the sacred ground yet." Conis said in relief.
"Sacred Ground?"
"Apparently this place is called the Upper Yard. Supposedly an area where God lives." Sonson explained.
"There is nothing godly about what I'm hearing coming from this place!" Nami argued.
"And you are absolutely right." Kong said with a scowl. "All that resides here is an arrogant lunatic."
Gottfried took a listen. "I thought no one ever came here cuz it's forbidden. Why am I hearing people in that forest?"
"That's impossible! Anyone who goes in there would surely incur God's wrath." Conis said.
Gottfried activated his powers to amplify the voices, which consisted of an argument over who would kill an apparent intruder in the forest.
"So it looks like God's wrath is just enforced by the locals," Kuina noted.
Suddenly, they saw the masked man from the lower clouds shoot by, using his bazooka to blast a few figures visible in the trees. One man, who looked like he came from the Blue Seas, collapsed right on the edge.
"Quick! Reel him in here!" Penny called out urgently.
Luffy stretched out her arm and grabbed the man, pulling him onto the Merry.
"T-Thank you...I came here looking for treasure... Now I just want to get out of here..."
A sudden bright flash suddenly appeared above. Scared out of his mind, the man dove for the cloud sea, only for the flash to change course and blast him, vaporizing him on the spot.
"GOOD LORD, MAN!" Double-D exclaimed.
"Enel..." Kong scowled.
The masked warrior let out a sigh of relief.
"None of the vearth was harmed. How fortunate he drew Enel's attention away from it."
He then found himself having to dodge another flash beam, while the crew directed their ships away from the attack. Back on the island, two of the other figures noted what happened.
"It looked like someone was helping that man."
"Well, they didn't trespass regardless of what happened. Otherwise Almighty Enel would have focused on them with his Divine Punishment. Technically they broke no laws."
Two more figures showed up.
"Regardless, it seems we ran out of time to deal with the intruder, which is why Enel decided to deal with the situation personally. The fool must have thought he'd sacrifice the ship out there, not knowing the extent of the Almighty's powers."
"Who were those people? More illegal trespassers?"
"Not according to Amazon. They paid the toll in full. We were only given their pictures by God Enel just in case they broke any other laws, but so far they have done nothing to incur his Divine Punishment."
Conis looked surprised when she heard this through Gottfried.
"How in the White-White Sea...? I thought God could hear everything."
"The second you mentioned that I put my Devil Fruit to work. You see, after using it for so many years it underwent an Awakening. Now I can use it on any kind of sound. Even the sounds you only hear in your head." Gottfried explained. "If Enel were truly omniscient it wouldn't matter, but apparently it's just long-range mind-reading, because he's only hearing white noise going through our heads right now."
-OP-
Before long the Merry had returned to Angel Beach, only to see an unusual sight; a group of military officials in blue and white, all saluting with their left hands behind their head like horns.
"Heso! Greetings, newcomers. I am Captain McKinley of the White Berets." The commanding officer greeted.
"Heso, McKinley. Is there a problem?" Conis asked.
"Technically no, which is causing some confusion. It seems God Enel is tasking the crew of the three ships with the figureheads of a sheep, a woman, and a dragon to take the trials of the Upper Yard. Normally a sentence reserved for Class-2 or higher criminals... Except no crimes have been committed by the crew in question."
"So why make us go through with it?" Tawna asked.
"There is one thing I can think of. Every once in a while, God Enel will task visitors that seem exceptionally strong to take the trials. It's not meant as a death sentence, you see, but rather a test to show whether or not the accused has Heaven's divine blessing." McKinley explained. "It's just that no one up until now who has received the sentence has survived."
"And what if we decide to refuse?" N'Doul asked.
"That would constitute a Class-5 criminal act for refusing Enel's decree. The penalty of which would be cloud drifting."
"That doesn't sound so bad," Luffy said.
"It's actually a death penalty. The offenders and their ship are placed on a lone cloud and sent to drift until they become bones and fall off into the sea below." Conis clarified.
"Gnarly..." Luna noted.
"That must be what happened to the Saint Briss," Robin realized.
"I'm not so sure about this. People from the Blue Sea tend to have their athletic ability decreased by the thinner atmosphere." Conis said.
"Oh, I don't think you'll have to worry about that," Draco said. "Now... What can we do for a demonstration?"
Just then, a massive sky fish leapt out, its maw aimed at Conis. As she gasped in fright, Kong leaped into action.
"CLOUD GUARD!"
He created a large cloud barrier and used it to slam the sky fish right back into the sea. The White Berets were shocked at what they saw.
"That's a Devil Fruit!"
"We noticed you made clouds earlier but didn't think to ask what it was..." Ben recalled.
Kong nodded. "It's the LogiaCloud-Cloud Fruit. I ate it the last time I was here and have since cultivated it."
Luffy grinned. "See? We're all pretty strong, so you don't need to worry about us!"
McKinley nodded. "I see. This wasn't mentioned at any point. Strange... You'd think God Enel would have told us your capabilities or why he wants you to take the trials."
Conis was also starting to realize something was wrong.
"Captain, I believe it's part of our tradition for a White Beret recruit to look after those taking the trials."
"That has been a part of our culture for several hundred years. Are you saying you wish to volunteer, Conis?"
The crew looked at Conis in surprise as she smiled sheepishly.
"I... Might have had some significant gunnery training... But more than that, there are some questions I really want answered now."
The crew got on their ships and set out. Conis looked saddened as they traveled.
"My mother always used to tell me these wonderful stories of when she was traveling the Blue Seas. I always dreamed of finding a way to bridge the White Sea and the Blue Sea together. Then six years ago, Enel arrived and overthrew our previous ruler. You see, God is actually a title we give to the one who rules our kingdom. But Enel took the title literally, and his power made it seem like he deserved to. Mother saw the situation for what it was and tried to leave with me and Father. But Enel's priests intercepted us. Mother escaped safely, but Father and I were captured. Our only chance for survival was to send any trespassers to Upper Yard as a sacrifice. I've been forced to send off plenty of Blue Sea sailors to their deaths with a smile, when all I've ever wanted was to show them the amazing world we have up here."
Bandana Dee let out a sad squeak as he tried to comfort her. Suddenly, the ships shook violently.
"Awww nuts!" Hilda cursed. "Is it starting already?!
Conis nodded grimly. "It's the Super-Express Lobster, a messenger of God."
The Super-Express Lobster swam off with the Merry, Pearl, and Toho down a winding Milky Road leading to Upper Yard.
"Crazy way to reach our destination," Luna noted.
"Even after I vowed to brave the Grand Line, there's still so much craziness and insanity to see." Gin muttered.
"I'm afraid it's the only way. You can only reach the Upper Yard by boat or waver." Conis said. "The shore is too high to reach on foot, and the canals are filled with man-eating fish. Once we reach the front gate, we'll have to go through one of four priests with unimaginable power."
"Sounds like fun!" Luffy said with a grin.
Sonson smirked. "We've been needing a decent challenge. The last real fight we got was Crocodile, so I was worried we'd start to stagnate."
"And even then, Mifune took the kill!" Ben added jokingly. "Then again, Crocodile was your head to claim."
"Hey, at least the rest of us still got some action in!" Eddy complained.
-OP-
Meanwhile, Pagaya was speaking with McKinley back at his house.
"These ones aren't like the other Blue Sea people. They refuse to back down from their dreams even if the face of overwhelming odds."
"We still have no choice in the matter. We have our task from Enel. Any deviation invokes his judgement." McKinley said. "That said... I wonder why it didn't strike the entire time those pirates were at your house?"
"Curious that. I was certain that tiny snail couldn't possibly intercept God's omniscience. It makes me wonder..."
-OP-
Indeed, Enel was leaning on his throne in confusion.
"It's strange. I can sense where the newcomers are from the void in the thought space. But I can't tell what they're thinking. If they dare blaspheme or not. How could beings from the Blue Sea be stronger than a god's omniscience? I must find out for myself. My priests stand ready to present the ordeals. Let us see if they are the ones of prophecy."
As he got up to leave, a memory filled his mind: He and an Ape-Mink clashing in a battle so intense he actually bled. He had bested the ape and let him go, promising to kill him if he ever returned.
But fro some reason, what Kong had said in rebuttal shook Enel to the core to this very day:
"Trust me on this, Enel. When we meet again...I WILL KILL YOU!"
"I do hope Kong has gotten stronger. I'd only just eaten my Logia when we fought. I'm MUCH stronger now."
This would be a wonderful time for the God of Sky Island.
Knightmare Lord A/N:
Phew! Got a lot done in this chapter on my end while making sure not to leave too much on Mrotrax's plate! We got lore for Donk E. Kong, the inclusion of another Kirby character, and dialogue from members of the crew we really should have given more attention to earlier but then again, that's what happens when you aim to give the Straw Hats almost over a hundred crew members!
Things are gonna get red-hot as the Straw Hats take the trials! Will they overcome Enel's diabolical challenges?! Find out in the next chapter!
Care to speak up, Mrotrax?
Mrotrax A/N:
Lots of lore and the setup for a rematch in the works!
Hope this was worth the wait!
Stay safe, warm and happy!