With the Ordeals all completed, the Straw Hats soon reconvened at a lake with an altar in the middle, that had multiple sky sharks swimming in it.
"I'm guessing this is where criminals are executed," Nami noted.
"Ah, with the Devil Fruit Rolf has procured in Alabasta, Rolf feels kinship with the sharks of the sky!" Rolf commented.
"I wish, I wish, I was a fish!" Ed sang.
Suddenly, a familiar bird call was heard.
"Hey, do you guys hear that?" Ruby asked.
The crew listened for a bit.
"South Birds!" Luffy realized.
"You know of South Birds?" Conis asked.
"There are South Birds on Jaya, the island near where we traveled to the White Sea," Draco explained.
They soon spotted the flock, which had much bigger birds than the ones on Jaya. Nami then spotted something. What looked like half a house.
"Hey, remember Cricket's house? For some reason, part of it was flat enough to prop a castle facade. It had a second floor but no stairs that led up there. This looks like it could fit as the other half."
"I thought something was bugging me," Robin said before turning to the group's resident Skypiean. "Conis, am I right in thinking soil, or vearth as you call it, is rare in the White-White Sea?"
"Yes, it is. To my knowledge, Upper Yard is the only island near here that has vearth."
"And yet here we stand on a large island covered with soil. Enough to grow trees that are hundreds of years old." Double-D noted.
"In fact, from the looks of it, this island wasn't even made from Island Clouds," Axol added.
"You think this island could have originated from the Blue Sea?" Boss asked.
Heart rubbed her chin. "It would certainly explain why it resembles the islands we're familiars with so much, not to mention having half of Cricket's house."
"It did seem strange that a house was built on a cliff. But since Cricket is a diver I guess we wrote that off as being for his vocation." Sonson said.
"But now that we have this empirical evidence, it looks like there was actually a split in the island. Basically, we're standing on a long-lost half of the island of Jaya!" Penny excitedly exclaimed.
"A Knock-Up Stream would certainly have the raw power necessary to do that. Especially since they appear near Jaya five times a month." Vivi noted.
Sanji perked up in recognition. "Noland's story! He saw a mountain of gold on an island in the great sea. Noland insisted that the island had to have submerged due to crustal movements. But what if his so-called lie was not deliberate... But accidental."
"Back then the chaotic nature of the Grand Line would not have been as well-known, so the natural belief would have been crustal movement." Robin said in agreement. "Noland probably never imagined that a current would be powerful enough to rip an island in half and launch one half into the sky.
"And of course, the cumuloregalis clouds would certainly be capable of keeping the island aloft." Kong added.
"So our Log Pose was pointing to Jaya the entire time!" Nami realized. "Just not all of it!"
Eddy cheered. "We've found it! We've actually found the City of Gold!"
"ARRIBA!" Amingo declared as he took out his guitar. "I must write a song about this!"
"Whoo-hoo!" Hilda said, pumping her fist. "We did it!"
"Why is that such a big deal?" Conis asked.
"What do you mean by that?" Gin asked incredulously. "Gold is a very valuable metal where we come from."
Nojiko nodded. "I mean, you have money up here so I know you understand what an economy is."
"Well, we only really focus on what can be used to advance society, so vearth is considered far more valuable. We do know of gold, but we've never really seen it as being worth anything." Conis explained.
"Okay, so now we know why the greedy king wasn't able to find the City of Gold, but we still don't know exactly where it is." Luffy said.
"Uh, fellas... Not to rain on everyone's parade but... WE'VE GOT INCOMING!" Gottfried called out.
The group looked up to see several warriors flying on Milky Dials.
"Oh no! It's the Shandians!" Conis gasped.
"Wait..." Kong said as he narrowed his eyes. "Wyper...?"
"Who are these people?" Genbo asked.
"It's those Blue Sea people I encountered in the White Sea. They must have taken out all the priests." Wyper noted. "There's no reason to fight them. Let's hurry to retake Upper Yard."
The Shandians all rushed off before Kong could call out to them.
"Where are they going?" Luffy wondered.
"Let's not worry about them for now. We should get back to our ships." Ben said.
As it happened, the Going Merry, Black Pearl, and Toho were all now pulling up to the lake. And by chance, Gan Fall and Pierre were riding on Merry.
"Heso, my friends. I'm pleased to see you survived against the priests. Unfortunately, it may have only accelerated the war." Gan Fall said.
"Boy, you sure missed a show last chapter!" Eddy snarked.
"Eddy, let's go easy on the fourth wall, please." Double-D insisted.
Gan Fall listened as the Straw Hats recounted their travels through the White-White Sea while making camp.
"To think you would be so strong that you could overcome the priests' Mantra. And you say it exists in the Blue Sea and is known as Haki?"
"Observation Haki, to be specific. We also train inArmament Haki, which can create a carbon-like aura that enhances both offense and defense." Draco clarified. "There's alsoConqueror's Haki. Unlike the first two, this type of Haki can't be learned. It is innate in certain people, and one must be born with it to use it. It's a one-in-a-million power. But those who have it can exert their willpower to overwhelm those weaker than themselves."
"So THAT'S why Grandpa was able to make so many bad guys cower in their boots!" Sonson realized. "He must be a Conqueror as well!"
Ben chuckled. "Me old man has it as well, but he rarely uses it, only cultivates it. You never know when you might need it."
"Besides Garp and Jack, I've only known my father and Shanks to be capable of it among the people I know personally. It's said that those who possess Conqueror's Haki also possess the qualities of a king." Draco said.
Mifune perked up. "I felt something when we were confronting Crocodile back in Alabasta...could it be?"
"Well, people with the D in their name do tend to have it by default." Ben smiled.
-OP-
Meanwhile, Enel met his priests as they managed to reach God's Shrine.
"We were careless. Once the Blue Sea pirates started to defeat us, the Shandians took advantage." Ohm admitted.
"No need to concern yourselves. I actually anticipated that would happen." Enel assured him. "Granted I didn't expect the Blue Sea pirates to be so strong, but it worked out nonetheless. Perhaps some among them will be the ones I need for my true goal."
"But what of that….devil you played with so long ago?" Satori asked, a hint of worry for his master.
Enel simply smirked.
"I'll deal with him when he gets here."
-OP-
Back at the Straw Hat's camp, Sanji started up a stone stew, using the heat from the cooked stone to boil the stew.
"So you intend to take whatever gold is here but leave the earth. You're certainly welcome to the gold. We have no need for it here." Gan Fall said.
"Is it okay for you to be saying that?" Robin asked.
"To be honest, if not for Enel I would have had the Skypieans bring you all the gold we had. You see, I used to hold the title of God in the White-White Sea. I was the ruler of these lands for many years." Gan Fall explained. "Until Enel arrived and overthrew me. Now I simply travel the White Sea and White-White Sea protecting whoever I happen across."
Kong looked down in shame.
"…I should've stayed."
"But then you wouldn't have your daughter." Gan Fall noted, smiling sweetly at Tawana. She hugged Kong, making him smirk.
"Out of curiosity, how DID you even…?" Luffy asked.
"Come to live here and leave?" Kong smirked. "Well, on our last voyage, the Roger pirates came up here. After we disbanded and Roger died, I sailed aimlessly, hitting the upstream at just the right moment by concidence and getting stranded here."
The Ape Mink recalled trying in vain to fix his ship, but being welcomed warmly; quickly becoming friends with most of the citizens and coming to love Skypedia as he had the Oro Jackson.
"…And then Enel came?" Nami and Vivi guessed. A solmon nod was their answer as the happy memoires changed to ones of Kong trading blows with a younger Enel, with an afro hairdo and spamming lightning attacks.
"It was the hardest battle I'd ever fought. Tougher than even old Whitebeard's boys; I'd never faced a Logia before…but Enel was, like I said; a fool who ultimatelky goiit lucky; nearly killing me. When I came to, I was bandaged and Enel decreed that I be exiled from Skypedia. Before they tossed me to the blue seas, I SWORE I'd kill him. And now, here I am."
Meanwhile, Axol and Ruby had hunted several sky sharks and brought them up to add some meat to the dinner. Meanwhile, Nami was drawing something using their maps as a guide.
"I've figured out something important, guys. Remember how Noland's logbook said he saw gold in the skull's right eye? Well, I matched up the map we have of Jaya with the old Skypiea map. And take a look at what they make."
She matched up the maps based on the location of Cricket's house. To the crew's shock, the complete island of Jaya looked like a skull.
"Now I get it... The skull's right eye was actually referring to a location on Jaya. Which means that's where the City of Gold is." Zoro said.
"Speaking of that, why is soil considered more valuable than gold here?" Robin asked.
"To you of the Blue Sea, I'd imagine vearth is an everyday commodity, but here in the sky, it is not something that occurs naturally. Island Clouds can raise plant life, but they cannot give birth to it. We have long traded vearth for items unique to our realm in order to have even a small farming community." Gan Fall explained. "For an entire island of vearth to exist in the sky... That is the true reason why Upper Yard is sacred ground. But it has also been the reason why we've been at war for 400 years. Because Upper Yard is also the ancestral home of the Shandians, from whom our greedy ancestors stole the land."
"I never knew that. I just thought it was sacred because it's the seat of power for God." Conis said.
"But if the Shandians just want their home back, why did that one guerrilla attack us?" Calvin asked. "He seemed pretty pissed at us."
"You mean Wyper?," Gan Fall asked before sighing. "When Enel and his priests dealt a heavy blow to my Divine Squad in order to overthrow me, the survivors started leaving via ship. Wyper likely mistook you for one such ship and thought you were an enemy. I became a Sky Knight in order to help those escapees flee."
"Wyper is known as a berserker," Kong explained. "When Gan Fall was still God, he tried to negotiate an end to the war by sharing Upper Yard with the Shandians, to create a peaceful coexistence. But while the chief seemed willing to negotiate, Wyper would not be satisfied unless the entire island was returned."
"I told him I could not do that. After 400 years, Upper Yard has become essential to the people of Skypiea. And I could not bring suffering to the innocent." Gan Fall said.
Kong grumbled. "That boneheaded idiot refused to believe any Skypieans were innocent after what their ancestors did and demanded the heads of 100 Skypieans for compensation. Gan Fall refused to agree to that and I had to beat him back when he couldn't see reason."
"Well, I certainly agree with what you did!" Double-D said. "People should not be blamed for the crimes of their ancestors."
"Well, regardless, thanks for sailing our ships over here to meet us." Kaya said gratefully.
"Actually, I didn't. THEY did." Gan Fall clarified as he pointed to the figureheads on the ships.
The Merry had a little girl wearing a yellow raincoat, the Pearl had a slender woman dressed like a ballerina warrior and a pointed nose, and the Toho had a mighty beast that was reptilian in appearance with spines on his back and tail.
"Klabaurtermanns?!" Draco exclaimed.
"Gesundheit," Boss said.
"A Klabautermann is a ship spirit, Boss," Robin clarified. "They're said to diligently repair the ship they're attached to and warn sailors of danger.
"Oh, I think I read about that!" Fuu perked up. "They only appear to crews that truly care for their ship."
"Yeah, I remember playing with the Klabaurtermann of Dad's ship, the Moby Dick, when I was growing up," Draco said. "While supposedly seeing one is a bad omen and that the ship is doomed, that's not always the case. The last time I saw the Moby Dick's Klabautermann was just before Dad sent me to the East Blue ten years ago. And that ship is still going strong today."
"When such a spirit manifests the ship can actually move and sail all on its own," Robin added.
"So Gan Fall wasn't steering Merry. Merry was steering herself along with Pearl and Toho." Gin realized.
"This is great! Merry can sail us to the skull's right eye!" Nami said excitedly. "We'll set out tomorrow!"
-OP-
Enel smirked as he bit into an apple.
"Tomorrow we begin the Survival Game. Let's see if the Shandians and Blue Sea people can handle the Master of the Sky."
Deep inside the Upper Yard's forest, a massive python was stirring. The Straw Hats were in for the biggest challenge they've experienced so far, as they made ready to locate the City of Gold.
-OP-
Meanwhile, back down below in Mocktown, Blackbeard and his crew were beating and humiliating Bellamy and his crew as payback for their mocking the dreams of others.
The once proud and arrogant pirates, were now sobbing, bloody messes.
"Don't do that." Andrew smirked as he stepped onto a downed member. "Get stronger. Fight until you're last….And they're dead."
Cinder was having the time of her life stabbing and torturing, Blackbeard just cackling as Medusa fed him a new cherry pie.
"Say Captain? When's Lafitte coming back?" Burgress asked. "Been long enough."
"He's here." Esdeath said as suddenly, the strange man who'd tried to petion their captain for Warlord status descended from the sky, his arms now wings before they shifted to normal.
"How did it go?" Van Argur asked.
"…Not well." Lafitte confessed. "Buggy had the same idea as us. And apparently, sacking an entire kingdom and making their king flee doesn't carry as much merit as it used to."
"Of course not, I wasn't there." Mushuru cut in, then turned to his captain. "What now, oh great Captain?"
He suddenly felt blades at his neck, Cinder and Esdeath growling at him as Lafitte and Argur joined with their guns at his head.
"...Beloved?" Esdeath asked as Blackbeard hummed, rubbed his chin in deep thought and then nodded his head, knowing what needed to be done.
"Looks like we're going to have to start building up a rep. We set out tomorrow, everyone!" He then turned to Esdeath. "Take whoever you want to join our crew. We could use a few deckhands."
Esdeath nodded before waving her hand as she created soldiers made of ice that aimed spears of pure cold at the Bellamy Pirates. Looking around, she nodded as she gestured for Burgess and Andrew to drag Lily, Muret, and Mani over.
"I see merit in you three. Especially since one of you is a Doctor. Doc Q could use someone to help him with his condition."
Doc Q chuckled as he patted Muret on the back before getting on Stronger.
"Don't worry, we won't do anything unsavory to you. We may be more along the line of Morganeers but we have our standards."
"What about the rest of these losers, Captain?" Ashley asked.
Blackbeard scoffed. "Kill them, but leave Bellamy alive. I want that pathetic twit to realize what happens when the dreams of others are ridiculed by cowardly idiots who think they're hot shit with any dime-a-dozen bounty."
"With pleasure..." Medusa purred maliciously as black arrows tipped with arrows came out of her back.
"PLEASE, NO!" Bellamy screamed, but by the time he'd finished, it was too late. Only Sarquiss, sobbing as he begged, remained as Burgress slowly, painfully and meticulously crushed his head, even gouging out his eyes and biting out his tongue before the man's head was nothing but red paste.
With a new goal in mind, the Blackbeard pirates left, leaving Bellamy to grieve his fallen crew.
Knightmare Lord A/N:
Compared to the massive bout that was last chapter, this one was a little more tame. Also, the Klabaurtermann of the Black Pearl is basically Pearl from Steven Universe and the one for Toho is Godzilla...even though Draco can turn into him with the Kaiju-Kaiju Fruit.
Also wanted to add a scene of Blackbeard and his crew at the end but left the reigns to Mrotrax because he can be pretty twisted when he needs to be and I love him for it.
Mrotrax A/N:
Sarquiss' death was inspired by Omni-Man crushing Red Rush's skull in the opening episode of invincible, but I decided to highlight how unhinged Burgess is by adding more gore…something I normally don't do.
Hope you liked! Stay warm and safe!