Inside a dense, primeval jungle, a trio that had departed from the Going Merry was currently in the middle of an exploration.
"The plants here grow so tall... is this one of the unique characteristics of a Sky Island?"
Surrounded by towering trees, Nico Robin adjusted the brim of her white cowboy hat. After a brief moment of reflection, the archaeologist's attention was drawn to an ancient well, mostly overgrown by massive tree roots.
(A well? It looks like people used to live here.)
Robin gently brushed her hand against the mossy, brownish stone bricks of the well's rim, her expression clouded with doubt.
"But why would there be a well beneath these trees? It's strange... it's as if human civilization and nature were never properly in harmony here."
"Does that really matter? Is this well actually relevant to what we're about to do?"
Standing to the side, Zoro curled his lip with utter indifference. "Our priority right now is to find that 'God' who loves looking for trouble and give him a proper thrashing!"
A fairytale-like island, beautiful angels, a nonsensical conviction, a giant lobster kidnapping the Merry, and becoming sacrifices on an altar...
Recalling their recent experiences, the green-haired swordsman's face darkened. Although he lacked concrete evidence, he was absolutely certain that the root of all this evil was that so-called "God."
"I wonder how Luffy and the others are doing. But knowing that idiot and that love-struck, curly-browed cook, they're probably on their way here right now."
Zoro shook his head, but then, as if suddenly remembering something, his expression turned odd.
(Come to think of it, Sherlock is still tied to the bed with Usopp's ropes... things happened so fast earlier that I forgot to untie him. But based on what Chopper said, he's going to be asleep for a long time, so it shouldn't be a problem...)
"This is the first time I've encountered something so bizarre. Something incredible must have happened here."
As she spoke, Robin stood up, her stunning blue-black eyes sparkling with excitement. It was clear that the scattered ancient ruins on this peculiar island had thoroughly piqued the archaeologist's intense thirst for knowledge.
"Miss Navigator, have you discovered anything from up there?" Robin asked, looking up at Nami, who was perched on a thick tree branch.
"No way..."
The orange-haired navigator didn't answer Robin's question. She lowered the binoculars in her hand, her fair, pretty face filled with shock.
"This island... could it be...?"
Shura was in a pretty good mood today.
As one of the four Priests serving under the omniscient "God" Enel, this knight—distinguished by a thin mustache and his giant bird mount—usually spent his time punishing sinners who offended God, subjecting them to the "Ordeal of String," which boasted a mere 3% survival rate.
However, as Enel's prestige grew, fewer and fewer fools dared to come to Upper Yard to seek their deaths. It reached the point where, if even a single "prey" appeared, the four bored Priests would practically start an internal feud over it. To put it bluntly, they were all "kill-stealers" looking to pad their stats.
Fortunately, the "Shandians," those savages, would still show up from time to time to cause trouble; otherwise, Shura and his three colleagues would have died of boredom long ago.
Yet today, Upper Yard had seen the rare arrival of eight Blue Sea dwellers all at once!
Unfortunately, the three who had come to rescue their comrades chose Satori's "Ordeal of Spheres." Hmph, that fat, ball-shaped guy really lucked out...
Luckily, the Blue Sea dwellers serving as sacrifices had actually left the altar. According to the rules established by God, violators must face divine judgment.
And so, the mustache-sporting Priest with the highest mobility happily mounted his giant bird and charged toward the altar...
After "killing" a mysterious creature that could change size and looked like a bipedal raccoon with horns, as well as the former God of Skypiea, Gan Fall, Shura raised his lance and stepped into the ship's cabin. His Mantra told him there was one more voice inside.
And then, he came face-to-face with the Magician, who had been woken up by that mysterious voice.
Sherlock tried to project a blade to cut the ropes binding him, but a task that was usually as simple as breathing was currently impossible due to waves of rhythmic, agonizing headaches.
Unlike Paramecia types like the Gum-Gum Fruit that alter the physical body, the Mirror-Mirror Fruit's abilities required significant mental energy. Due to the side effects of the previous "Sanmona" event, the Magician found it extremely difficult to focus.
(Dammit! My condition hasn't recovered at all. This enemy appeared at the worst possible time!)
Sherlock's vision was slightly blurred, but he endured the grinding dizziness, forcing himself to look unbothered.
"Who are you? And where is this?" the Magician asked in an incredibly calm voice, hoping to stall for time. Meanwhile, he began slowly activating his fruit ability in secret.
"Who am I? I am the Sky Rider, Shura, one of the four Priests under the command of the omniscient God."
"And this place is the Island of God—Upper Yard!"
Perhaps feeling that this bespectacled man tied to a bed posed no threat, the mustache-sporting Priest cooperatively answered Sherlock's questions. It seemed he had never heard the saying that villains die because they talk too much.
"Island of God?" Sherlock started, then asked tentatively, "Is this... a Sky Island?!"
"Where else would it be if not a Sky Island?"
The Sky Rider suddenly felt that the prey before him was quite peculiar. Not only was he tied to a bed for some unknown reason, unable to move, but he was also completely ignorant of his own situation.
"..." Sherlock felt like he didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He remembered how he had been mindlessly launched from Loguetown onto the Merry by Luffy, subsequently falling into a coma. When he woke up, the Magician was already in the Grand Line, inside the stomach of a giant whale.
Now, it was happening again. He had literally slept his way from the sea to a height of over 10,000 meters. Sherlock was likely the first person to ever be brought to a Sky Island while completely unconscious.
"Enough small talk. You really are unlucky, Blue Sea dweller with glasses."
Shura pushed his goggles up to his forehead, revealing a malicious smile. "If you hadn't woken up just now, you could have died without any pain!"
Whoosh! The sharp knight's lance thrust straight toward the Magician's chest! This Priest had actually launched a sneak attack!
—Mirror Projection: Daggers.
Several long-prepared mirror daggers materialized out of thin air. Their sharp edges made short work of the restraints on the Magician's body, and then the daggers flew in unison toward Shura.
(Now!)
Having regained his freedom, Sherlock rolled to dodge the vicious thrust. Without hesitation, he bypassed Priest Shura and ran toward the cabin exit.
(I have to find Luffy and the others! Wait, why is the air here so...)
Sherlock had only taken a few steps out of the cabin when he suddenly felt a tightness in his chest. He stumbled, nearly collapsing onto the deck.
(Thin oxygen... difficulty breathing... Is it because of the altitude of the Sky Island?)
Gasping for air, Sherlock's vision went dark from the lack of oxygen, and he nearly fainted on the spot. He clutched his chest, only to accidentally discover that, at some point, his body had been entangled by extremely thin, transparent strings.
Testing the exaggerated tension of the thin strings, Sherlock's expression grew grimmer. He was certain that if he had run just a few more meters, he would have been completely bound by these silk threads, rendered immobile like an insect caught in a spiderweb.
"Gah!—"
Outside the cabin, a large giant bird covered in brownish-gray feathers let out a harsh cry. Simultaneously, a blast of intense, scorching flames erupted from its beak.
"Hahaha! Did you think I was doing nothing while I was talking to you?"
Using his lance to knock away the mirror daggers that had been flying toward him, the Sky Rider Shura swaggered out of the cabin, mocking him:
"This is the ordeal I give you—the 'Ordeal of String,' with a survival rate of 3%."
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