"How are we supposed to stop Enel when he possesses the Rumble-Rumble Fruit?" Raki wondered.
"Now there's a Devil Fruit I never imagined we'd encounter. It's kinda infamous among those who know of Devil Fruits." Merone said.
"Among the Logia types, it's considered invincible. Almost no other Logia element is immune to it, except for maybe Lithos' Earth-Earth Fruit, my Metal-Metal Fruit, and Ariala's Gust-Gust Fruit." Ferros said. "Luffy might be the only other fighter we have who can damage Enel normally."
"Oh, right! The Gum-Gum Fruit!" Nami realized. "Rubber is great for insulating electricity!"
The sky folk all looked at Nami in confusion.
"What is this rubber?" Gan Fall asked.
The crew looked at the sky folk in surprise.
"You guys don't have rubber up here?" Vivi asked.
Tawna chuckled. "Oh, Enel is in for a big surprise."
"Look, we don't need your help to kill Enel. You noticed earlier that my skate waver is made from Seastone? All I need is to hit Enel with it briefly, then use the Reject Dial. It should stop his heart outright." Wyper said.
"And then he'll just restart it with his Devil Fruit," Chopper pointed out. "Don't you know the human body is powered by an electrical system?"
"Did you think every autonomous body part functions on its own?" Double-D asked incredulously.
Wyper was stunned when he heard this.
"Wow, you people really are stupid..." Luna dryly commented.
"It seems there are some ways in which the sky world is more advanced, but other ways in which it is far behind. Medical knowledge and certain substances are unknown up here." Robin noted.
"It's not that we don't have medical knowledge. We know how to treat illnesses or injuries, for example. But it seems we're not entirely well-versed in the functions of the body." Conis said.
Wyper was frustrated. "I have to try something! This isn't just about getting back our homeland for me. I'm a descendant of the Great Warrior Calgara. The chief told me something important, about why we must relight the fire of Shandora; for his friend to come home."
"After 400 years, I'm sure that friend is long dead," Sanji pointed out.
"But just for the sake of argument, who was that friend?" Ruby asked.
"His name was Montblanc Noland."
The Straw Hats were stunned. Carue, who was having a drink from a water canteen, quickly spit it out in shock.
"Plot twist!" Ed commented.
"Well, we'd better hurry. If we don't hurry soon, Enel will destroy everything." Lithos said.
Aisa directed Luffy, Lithos, Ferros, and Ariala to where Enel was, while the others hurried to help with the evacuation. Enel spotted the siblings as they ran toward the Maxim. The priests were ready to fight, but Enel held them back.
"It's already clear you're no match for them. I'll deal with the straw hatted one. Then we'll see about convincing the others to join us."
"Enel! Come down and meet your maker!" Ferros declared.
Enel scoffed as he leaped down and tried to blast Luffy with a powerful electrical shock, but it did nothing.
"Shishishishishi! That just tickles!" Luffy grinned.
Surprised, Enel charged up his power to unleash a much more powerful electric blast,
"100,000,000 VOLT VARI!"
Lithos, Ferros, and Ariala shielded their eyes as Luffy was hit full blast. When the light settled down, the Straw Hat Captain was completely unscathed.
Enel's reaction to this was one for the ages; his jaw dropped, and his eyes bugged out considerably. Needless to say, Ariala quickly snapped a pic on a Vision Dial.
"That's SO getting framed on our ship!"
"Alright! MY TURN!" Luffy declared as he charged in.
"Calm down. Physical attacks are still useless against my body. I can find a workaro-"
Enel's thoughts were cut off when he suddenly felt extreme pain as Luffy slammed his foot into his stomach. The priests were gobsmacked as Enel coughed up blood and spit. Lithos then followed up with a hard stone-covered uppercut, knocking a few teeth out.
"Wow, don't even need Haki for this one. We can just wail on him with our natural strength." Lithos said.
Enel grunted as he got up and leaped back to cover some distance.
"I knew stone would be immune to my Devil Fruit. But you, Straw Hat, are an enigma to me. Just what are you?"
"My name is Monkey D. Luffy, and I'm a rubber man!" Luffy grinned.
"We're not surprised you don't know what that is. After all, rubber isn't a substance found in the White-White Sea." Ferros said.
"Apparently not, but you merely caught me off guard," Enel said. "I still have my-OH WHAT THE HELL!?"
He tried reading the siblings'' movements, only to get the same white noise as before.
"Your Mantra, or Observation Haki, is no good either. We know how to counter it." Lithos said. "It's something that's actually common in the region we were born in."
"Fun fact: If you want lightning, you gotta bring the STORM first!" Ariala said as she unleashed her powers. "HURRICANE TEMPEST!"
Enel grunted as the massive hurricane of wind engulfed him, making it impossible to make an accurate prediction. As a result, Luffy kept striking him over and over, to the point where he actually felt himself start to bleed. Enel quickly shaped some lightning into a blade to attack, only to get it redirected to Ferros, turning his arm into a metal blade and blocking, conducting it through his arm.
"The thing about metal is that it easily conducts electricity! It's a good thing Merone isn't here, because she'd no doubt have a harder time managing!" Ferros said. "So my metal makes me a pretty nifty lightning rod!"
"I see you've long mastered your Devil Fruit," Enel said, actually impressed. "Speaking from experience, Logias tend to be the hardest to control, befitting their immense power."
He quickly disappeared in a flash of lightning, prompting the siblings to quickly go back to back in a circle to feel him out. Luffy was the first to notice.
"From the gold!"
The four of them quickly leaped out of the way as Enel used lightning to melt the gold from the Maxim in an effort to strike them with something other than electricity.
"You certainly have great skill. Why not join me? I could use powerful allies on my trip to the Endless Vearth."
"What the heck is that?" Luffy wondered.
"It's a verdant paradise. A grand region where vearth can be found in abundance." Enel said.
"So that's why you plan to drop Skypiea?" Ariala asked. "Just to ride it and explore the Blue Sea?"
Enel was confused. "No, you ignorant girl. The Endless Vearth is up! In the sky! Tell me something. Why does this island exist? It's not a bird, yet it flies in the clouds. Does that not seem unnatural to you?"
"No more than humans gaining superpowers from fruits, dinosaurs still existing, or living beings that are half-man, half-sea creature." Ferros retorted.
"Are you really just sinking this island because you think it's unnatural?" Luffy asked angrily. "That's narrow-minded! No real God would think like that!"
"I'm merely doing what's natural for a God; to ascend beyond the sky, to that Endless Vearth which can be seen in the night's embrace." Enel argued.
The siblings realized what Enel was talking about and looked confused.
"The moon? The moon's nothing but an empty rock." Ariala said.
"Not to mention every religion I've heard of makes mention of gods as being beyond reality. They wouldn't live on the moon." Ferros added.
"Plus, you're not a god. You can bleed, you can be flustered, you eat, sleep, and have worldly desires. It's possible to disrupt your Mantra and negate your Devil Fruit." Lithos said. "I'll grant you have power mimicking a god, but you're just human in the end."
Enel gritted his teeth at the words denying his godhood.
"Then let me show you how godlike I am!"
He leaped into the main device of the Maxim and started charging up as it began to rise, causing the cavern to shake.
"200,000,000 VOLT VARI MAX!"
"It's going to get caught on the ceiling!" Ferros realized. "And once it breaks through..."
As the Maxim started to break through the cavern ceiling, it emitted black clouds from its stack.
"This is the end of the world," Enel declared. "I'm sure even you Blue Sea people can realize just what these black clouds are."
Ariala grunted. "Thunderclouds. So that's your game."
"You bastard! You're going to channel the Rumble-Rumble Fruit's power through the clouds to destroy this whole area!" Luffy said.
"Precisely. This is the Deathpiea, created with my energy." Enel said. "But first, I think I'll deal with you two!"
He struck forward with his spear, only for the siblings to let their bodies go limp with Kami-e to randomly dodge the attacks, leaving Enel shocked.
"PRISM PRISON!"
"GIM-GUM FIREWORKS!"
Lithos fired out several rock bursts that hardened into prism stones and surrounded Enel, after which Luffy randomly struck each of them to bounce his fists every which way, flustering Enel to the point he couldn't dodge the attacks that hit him.
"Damn it all! I can't let the destruction of my homeland be for nothing." Enel cursed. "When I first ate the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, its activation destroyed my home of Birka. I was at the epicenter of that, yet survived. How does that not qualify my for godhood!?"
"It's only natural you'd be immune to your own power. Things like Divine Judgment or whatever have nothing to do with that." Ferros retorted.
"Plus, it's actually common to not have full control over your Devil Fruit when you first eat it. I remember Luffy's body was like taffy for a few weeks after he ate the Gum-Gum Fruit, completely out of his control any time he tried to use it." Ariala added with a giggle. "My own body kept turning to wind against my will, blowing everyone away."
"Lithos and I kept turning into rock and metal. It was hard to move around." Ferros chuckled.
"And don't even get us started on the messes Merone made." Lithos concluded.
"So wait, you really destroyed your own home with your powers?" Luffy asked.
"Not on purpose. I revere my home. It was there that I learned the legend of the Endless Vearth. The island where I grew up is said to be named for a fantastic city in that realm." Enel said. "When my powers went out of control and I wound up destroying Birka, I mourned, but knew it had to be a sign that I should seek the Endless Vearth for myself. So I gathered the survivors and together we set off for Upper Yard, to claim the throne of God as the first step."
He placed his hands on the gold from the ship.
"And I won't allow two upstarts to say it was all meaningless! GLOAM PADDLING!"
He transmuted the gold to trap the siblings, leaving Luffy's arms trapped in a gold ball and Lithos, Ferros, and Ariala trapped in a giant gold ball. Enel started to approach, but when he saw the first ball start to melt, his face did a wild take all over again.
"MAGMA ROCK!"
Lithos had ignited the residual heat of his stone body, easily melting the gold around him with a barrage of punches and getting him and his siblings. Just as the Maxim started to rise up from Upper Yard. Luffy grinned as he decided to use the gold ball trapping his arms to his advantage.
"GUM-GUM GOLD RIFLE!"
The stretching punch struck Enel with the gold ball, knocking him for a loop.
"There is one thing I'll say; Logia-type Devil Fruits? They do kinda make us avatars of gods. Most Logia users even mistake themselves as invincible gods at first, until something comes along that counters their element." Lithos said. "My siblings and I were trained from a young age to never fall into this trap. Especially because Luffy and the rest of us are seeking the One Piece. The New World is not kind to Logia users. After all, there exists a power that can easily overwhelm any Logia user."
The Children of Whitebeard and Luffy activated their Armament Haki and proceeded to start pummeling Enel.
Meanwhile, the rest of the group was organizing the evacuation. Skypieans and Shandians were both being taken to safety away from Angel Island and Upper Yard. Gan Fall raced through the streets in his Full Beast form.
"Make sure every street and house is inspected! Only take what you can carry! Prioritize lives first, food, and Dials second! Everything else is expendable!"
The Skypieans were amazed to see their former ruler in his new form, but it didn't slow down the evacuation efforts.
As Enel tried to recover, he felt a jostling, then felt the Maxim start to descend as the dark clouds stopped being produced.
"What's going on?"
He quickly teleported to the ark's interior, where the priests were scrambling to check the machines inside.
"Enel, good timing! The system has been clogged by the damage." Ohm said. "The electrical currents are completely disrupted. Even the Jet Dials from our homeland aren't working."
"Damn, the fight dragged on so much I didn't think to realize what all that damage would do to the ship." Enel cursed. "We can't reach the Endless Vearth at this rate, and we won't be in a position to destroy anything."
Wyper was flying up Giant Jack with his skate wavers.
"Everything that woman Robin researched leads me to believe the Golden Bell of Shandora must be near the top of Giant Jack. If I can just ring it once, it should help my ancestor Calgara reunite with Noland."
He noticed Nami, Sonson, Hsiao, Katsu, Hilda, and Robin were riding up as well, Grahambel on Nami's shoulder. Sonson was riding on her Somersault Cloud while Hsiao had turned into her Full Beast form to fly alongside everyone.
"We're broadcasting this event to the world! Noland has a descendant in the Blue Sea named Cricket and we promised him proof that the City of Gold exists, so this is going to be our proof." Grahambel said.
Wyper smiled. "Alright then. Let's go ring that bell! It's time to finally relight the fire of Shandora!"
The group climbed higher and higher, and soon they found what they were looking for right on the peak of Giant Jack. Smiling, Wyper leapt up and smacked the bell as hard as he could with a flying kick. The force was enough to cause the bell to ring loud and clear.
"People of the world! Can you hear this ringing?!" Grahambel called out. "For 400 years, Noland was falsely accused as a liar! But the truth is, the City of Gold...WAS IN THE SKY!"
The people of Lvneel, where Noland was born, were stunned at the ringing coming through their Transponder Snails. The current king was shocked, but saddened.
"So... My ancestor was the real fool this whole time. For 400 years, we have been encouraged to maintain the facade of Noland the Liar." He shook his head. "No more. This proves beyond all doubt the man Noland truly was."
In the Tontatta Kingdom, the dwarves were cheering as they heard the bell ringing loud and clear.
"Our hero has been vindicated! Three cheers for the Straw Hat Pirates! Three cheers for the City of Gold! And three cheers for the mighty Montblanc Noland!"
Over in Mock Town, Bellamy could not believe what he was hearing.
"They did it... They actually freaking did it..."
"Looks like the sky island exists after all. I guess we've learned who the bigger man is." Muret chuckled.
"Shit..." Sarquiss muttered in defeat.
"Zehahaha!" Teach laughed. "What did I tell you boys?! Those crazy Straw Hats Pirates really found the sky island!"
"And now I guess I know nothing. Looks like I still have a lot to learn if I want to be an effective pirate." Gasparde admitted.
"The Straw Hats seem quite favored by fate. The question is...who will fate favor when we inevitably clash?" Van Auger wondered.
Cricket was over the moon when he heard the bell.
"Haha! Looks like you win, Noland! But I've never been happier to lose! Take that, all you doubters!"
"Still, who knew Noland was mistaken about what happened to the City of Gold?" Masira said.
"It does explain why this house was cut in half when I found it," Cricket admitted. "Still, I never thought I'd be this excited to learn the real truth."
Enel heard the bell just as the Maxim hit the sea clouds and started to sink. He dropped his staff in shock, tears welling up in his eyes.
"I have spent the last six years believing I had to be a God," he said, "But now... Having heard the voice of God, it makes me realize... That was never the case."
"ENEL!"
With a roar, Lithos channeled all of his power and formed a massive stone the size of the Maxim over his head. Enel could only look up helplessly as he knew what was coming.
"CONTINENTAL CRUSH!"
Swinging the giant ship-sized stone down, Lithos watched with grim satisfaction as the Maxim was pulverized...and Enel and his priests were sent plummeting into the deep blue seas to sink to their doom.
The bell rang out like the very island was singing. As the black clouds receded, it was like God truly had arrived to stop the destruction of the sky. Wyper stood smiling at the base of the bell.
"Calgara, Noland, I hope you can reach each other in the afterlife now."
Nola heard the bell and cried in memory of his friends. In the instant the bell rang, it signaled the end of confusion, hatred, and war. The 400-year-long struggle over Upper Yard was now over.
With the Ark Maxim along with Enel and his followers destroyed, the members of the Divine Squadron captured by Enel were freed, reuniting families after six long years. The thunderclouds had destroyed both Angel Island and the Hidden Village of the Shandians, leaving only Upper Yard to live on. Thankfully, the evacuation had been successful.
Gan Fall was able to return to his position as God, ruling the White-White Sea once more. Both sides worked to bring the Golden Bell back down to Shandora, where it belonged.
"Well, crew, I'd say we had an amazing adventure!" Luffy grinned.
"Yeah, overcoming dangerous hurdles, ending a centuries-long war, and helping rewrite history... I feel one step closer to becoming a brave warrior of the sea!" Usopp said.
"And we managed to grab the food supply of those priests. I say we throw a big party!" Hilda added.
As the two people danced together, along with Nola, who was feeling the calmest he'd been in centuries, Wyper gave an interview on Grahambel's SHJ to explain the story of Noland finding the City of Gold.
"He helped our ancestors learn that the Tree Fever they were suffering was no curse, but a disease caused by some of the sacred trees being infected. By the time Calgara realized he had unjustly banished his friend, he was already gone. For years afterward the bell of Shandora rang in hopes it would help Noland find his way back. But tragically, that day never came. By the time Noland returned, half of Jaya had been launched into the sky by a Knock-Up Stream. It's my hope that this story will help people understand the true nature of one they originally considered a liar. But my ancestor Calgara knew there was no man more honest than Montblanc Noland."
Grahambel suddenly rang. "Oh, looks like we have a guest caller. You are on the air."
"Hey there, Straw Hats. It's me, Montblanc Cricket."
"Oh hey, Cricket, I trust you heard that bell ringing?"
"Me and most of Jaya," Cricket replied. "And Wyper, is it? Pleased to meet you, even if it is long-distance."
Wyper chuckled. "I'm glad to hear Noland did have descendants before he died."
"It's not like everyone turned on him in the end. His crew, his family, they all believed in him to the bitter end." Cricket said. "I did read a passage in his logbook about wondering if his friend was alright. I'm glad that turned out to be the case. I'll be planning my own trip to the sky in the near future, and I hope we can meet in person when that time comes."
Wyper smiled. "I'll be looking forward to it."
After the party was finished, the Straw Hats started trading a few things for Dials and weapons they could use on their journey, including rubber bands, iron, and the copied photos of Enel's wild takes. The latter really got the Shandians laughing, and even the most devout Skypiean couldn't help but giggle.
"These Vision Dials are certainly a useful tool," Merone noted to Amazon.
"You're free to take mine if you wish. Gan Fall has decreed that the toll into the White-White Sea is to be abolished, so my normal job is officially over." Amazon said. "Now I'll just be a greeter for any new Blue Sea travelers who happen to pass through."
The Going Merry was rigged up for when the Straw Hats would leave. The wings and bizarre chicken comb were removed, returning Merry's figurehead to its more majestic yet playful appearance. Nola was still conked out from the party, so some of the Straw Hats decided to loot his stomach for any gold there might be.
"Man, there's a lot of treasure in this big guy after 400 years," Zoro noted as he hauled off a giant gold cross.
"I dunno, this feels kinda like a violation of the poor guy's privacy," Lara noted.
"Who cares?! FREE LOOT!" Eddy cackled.
Robin found what she was looking for on the belfry. When she translated the text, she was surprised.
"So there's another superweapon out there besides Pluton. Poseidon, is it? I hope whatever that is, it won't be a threat."
Over on Fishman Island, a depressed giant mermaid was temporarily snapped out of her funk by a sudden sneeze.
"Looks like this wasn't what I was looking for," Robin said.
"Wait, what about that there?" Tawna pointed out.
Robin noticed what Tawna saw: another set of writing, this one more recent and right on the belfry itself. She gasped as she translated them.
"Gol D. Roger... He must have found this belfry during his own time here. But why can he use these characters? I thought only the people of Ohara could translate them. There are two kinds of Poneglyphs. Those with information, and those that indicate the whereabouts of the former. This text reads... I made it here. I will guide this text to the ends of the earth."
She gasped in realization, leaving Tawna confused.
"What does it say?"
"Laugh Tale! The Rio Poneglyph might be on Laugh Tale! When all the Poneglyphs with information scattered around the world are put together, it should create a text that will fill in the Void Century for the first time. Roger must have been doing that very thing as he traveled the Grand Line, connecting each Poneglyph he found until he could make the Rio Poneglyph."
Conis met up with the crew as they finished loading their haul.
"Heso, everyone. There's something I want to ask you all."
"What's that?" Luffy asked.
"After hearing everything about the Blue Sea, I want to find a way to unite our two worlds. But I know I can't do that from here." Conis said. "And so... I'd like to offer my services on your crew!"
"YOU WHAT?!"
"Sure!" Luffy agreed.
"Why am I not surprised...?" Luna drawled.
"You get used to it." Johnny and Yosaku chimed in at once.
Lithos nodded. "You've certainly proven you can handle it."
"Though you will need some supervision for a few days. The air is thicker in the Blue Sea, and while there's no risk of oxygen poisoning, you will feel delirious for a while." Chopper said.
"An angel is joining our crew!" Sanji called out, "I couldn't be-"
Conis cut him off with a Five Cast Iron to the head, then giggled in delight.
"Thank you, everyone. The villagers also wanted to present you with a gift in thanks for finally bringing an end to the fighting."
They saw the Skypieans and Shandians bringing a wrapped column over.
"Is that a cannon?! Run for it!" Nami cried.
"Nami, that's not a cannon. I'm not smelling any gunpowder, it has no base or firing mechanism." Lassoo said. "And if they really had something like that lying around, don't you think they'd have used it in the last 400 years?"
"Well, if it's not a cannon, then what is it?" Double-D asked.
The Shandian chief approached. "Thanks to you, our duty has finally been fulfilled. During the moving of the bell, one of the columns of the belfry broke off. Since it's more decorative than anything, not needed for the bell to function, and since gold holds no value up here, we decided to offer it to you. As we understand it, gold has far more value in the Blue Sea."
Nami and Eddy's eyes widened as the giant golden column was unveiled.
"Great Apophis, that's a lot of gold. We could crash the next economy we encounter with this much." Vivi said.
Livesey laughed. "Ah, the market was on the rise anyway!"
There was a thunk sound as Nami and Eddy fainted in bliss.
"That's not surprising..." Double-D sighed as Ed took off his jacket to fan the two.
"Are you sure you're okay with this? What about your father?" Ariala asked Conis.
"We actually talked about it earlier. He said he felt my destiny was to explore the Blue Sea, just like it was with Mother and Roger's crew. And..." Conis blushed. "He encouraged me to follow my heart. So, in regards to that..."
Lithos was surprised when Conis removed his mask to give him a gentle kiss on the lips.
"I really found myself falling in love when you saved me earlier."
"Just...doing what any respectful man would do," Lithos said, a blush on his own face. "Protecting a kind and lovely woman from harm."
Of course, the entire gold column couldn't possibly fit on the Merry. Instead, it was broken down so as much as possible could be placed in the hold. The rest would be offered to Cricket when he finally arrived in Skypiea.
"Shame we had to leave so much behind," Nami said.
"Look on the bright side, Nami, we have enough to give Merry the best overhaul possible once we reach Water 7." Usopp reassured her. "Then we can carry even more of the next treasure we find."
"We're coming up to Cloud End, everyone. Hope you're ready, because it's a big drop." Conis said.
"It's too bad we have to leave the White Sea so soon. But we still need to continue our journey to find the One Piece." Luffy said.
"We did get plenty from this adventure, though," Ruby said as she checked a modified waver for Blue Sea Travel.
The Merry started to race down the Milky Road, when suddenly everyone remembered something.
"Conis... Didn't you say... We'd be dropping?" Robin asked.
Conis gave an innocent smile as she braced herself along the railing.
"WHAT A WEASEL!" Eddy snapped.
"The little dickens!" Ed laughed.
"HOLD ON TO YOUR BUTTS!" Kuishi exclaimed. "OR TAILS!"
The Merry had been hanging in the air for a few seconds before plummeting in an instant. Everyone, including the Merry, felt their eyes practically fly up out of their sockets as they all did wild takes.
"I WANT MY MAMAAAAAAAAAA!" Eddy screamed.
"FASTER, PUSSYCAT, FASTER!" Ed cheered, holding his arms in the air like he was riding a rollercoaster.
"Woo hoo! I never thought I'd get to experience this!" Conis cheered.
She pulled out a whistle and blew it. An Octopus Balloon quickly swam over and attached to the Merry, providing a makeshift parachute.
"Your new girlfriend's an adrenaline junkie..." Ferros groaned dizzily.
Lithos chuckled. "She reminds me of Mom."
As the Merry floated down, the crew could once again hear the Golden Bell, signaling that Skypiea would welcome them back once their journey was over.
I've been kinda down these past few days, feeling guilty over mostly copying mtnetsurfer's Ash & Rubber. I also feel bad for halting his progress on the story since he was really getting into the good stuff.
I feel like all I'm good for is making my own versions of other people's stories, which just makes me feel like a plagiarist.
But anyway, one difference I did make is that I killed Enel and his priests. While I thought it was cool what mtnetsurfer did with him later, I didn't want to just copy everything.