Raven flew steadily at an altitude of ten thousand meters.
"Darling… that island—is that…?" Hancock pointed toward a circular landmass resting upon the sea of clouds, her eyes filled with wonder.
Karl looked down.
It was a round island with a perfectly circular gap carved out from its lower section. Lush greenery covered the surface. Several elevated peaks and structures rose from within, though not many.
Off to the lower right floated a smaller white island—that should be Angel Island, where the original Skypieans lived.
"That's right," Karl said. "That's the half of Jaya blasted up by the Knock-Up Stream."
He clicked his tongue.
"To send something this massive into the sky… imagine the scale of that ocean current."
Hancock nodded thoughtfully.
From above, the island reminded her somewhat of Amazon Lily—rich with vegetation.
Her mind began racing.
It was larger than her homeland. Much larger.
Hidden.
Difficult to invade.
Even Karl had needed significant effort to reach this place.
If she ever withdrew from the Seven Warlords system…
The Marines would struggle greatly to reach her here.
Karl saw the growing brightness in her eyes and immediately understood.
He wrapped an arm around her slender waist and smiled.
"Want to go down and take a closer look?"
She nodded.
"I'll follow you."
A rumble of distant thunder echoed above.
Karl glanced upward.
Lightning flickered through the clouds like an approaching storm.
He merely snorted.
Flashy tricks.
He ignored it.
"Raven. Descend."
"Caw!"
Five Minutes Later
Karl and Hancock stood within a dense primeval forest.
Only after landing did they realize how gigantic the trees truly were.
"My goodness… has no one entered here for centuries?" Hancock murmured. "The trees on Jaya were never this large."
"Altitude changes climate," Karl replied casually. "Mutations are perfectly reasonable."
Hancock nodded slowly.
Then she suddenly stiffened.
"There's a snake nearby."
"A snake? In a jungle? That's normal—"
Karl stopped mid-sentence.
Hancock had already closed her eyes.
"Hissssss…"
Strange sounds escaped her lips.
Parseltongue?
Given the name Nine Snake Tribe… their affinity for serpents was no secret.
Karl knew that very well.
The snake she sensed was likely the legendary creature worshiped here four hundred years ago—the Kashigami. The one Montblanc Noland had killed.
This one… must be its descendant.
Longevity. Immense size.
Revered as a god.
CRASH!
Trees toppled.
Dust billowed.
Moments later, an enormous serpent emerged.
Its head alone dwarfed everything nearby. Its full length was impossible to gauge.
Lake-blue scales with deep navy stripes.
Lemon-yellow pupils.
And two whisker-like appendages near its mouth.
It resembled some monstrous, genetically modified catfish.
The serpent stared directly at Hancock, hissing as though assessing her.
Hancock's gaze was cold.
She made a series of sharp, unfamiliar sounds and pointed elegantly to the ground beside her.
The giant serpent hesitated—
Then slowly lowered itself.
It slithered to her side.
And bowed.
"Darling," Hancock smiled sweetly, "I've just acquired a pet. His name is Noland. What do you think?"
Karl blinked.
That fast?
Not even a display of Conqueror's Haki?
"Impressive. As expected of the Empress of the Kuja Tribe."
She beamed at the praise.
"Yes. We spoke. He's quite reasonable."
"That seemed too easy," Karl muttered. "You barely said anything."
Hancock snorted lightly.
"In this world, no serpent dares refuse me."
Beside her, the giant snake nodded vigorously.
It even looked at Karl with mild dissatisfaction—as if questioning his doubt of its Queen.
Thunder rumbled again.
This time closer.
The snake Noland visibly trembled. It glanced skyward anxiously.
"Hiss—"
"What's wrong?" Karl asked.
Hancock looked up.
"He says… someone who commands lightning is coming. He wants us to flee."
"Ah."
Karl nodded calmly.
"Yes. A Devil Fruit user."
Hancock asked softly, "Should we worry?"
Karl smiled.
"Not at all. I'm here."
Crackle.
A harsh electric sound tore through the air.
"Yahahahaha!"
An arrogant voice echoed.
"How bold. I can't tell whether you are ignorant… or simply courting death."
Karl and Hancock turned.
A pale man stood before them.
White headscarf.
Extremely long earlobes.
Bare upper body.
Loose trousers.
Barefoot.
Adorned with golden rings, anklets, and a staff.
Behind him floated thunder drums.
The aura of a self-proclaimed god.
Hancock frowned.
"How strange. Why are his earlobes so long?"
Karl shrugged.
"There are weirder people in this world."
The two continued chatting casually.
Ignoring him entirely.
Enel's forehead twitched.
Veins bulged.
"You dare ignore a god?!" he thundered.
"Then receive divine judgment!"
His right arm transformed into lightning.
A beam shot skyward—
Then his hand returned to normal.
He grinned cruelly.
"This is the punishment for angering God!"
He pointed at Karl.
From the heavens—
A colossal lightning bolt descended.
A pillar of pure thunder aimed directly at Karl and Hancock.
Hancock gently held Karl's arm.
She looked at Enel coolly.
Almost pitying him.
Karl's voice was calm.
"Divine Protection."
◇ I'll be dropping one bonus (OP)Chapters for every 10 reviews. comment
◇ One bonus (OP)Chapter will be released for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ You can read 60 (OP)Chapter ahead on P@treon if you're interested: patreon.com/SwipeSage