Chapter 245: Zoro Wants to Slay a God!
The inspector at the Gate of Heaven was Grandma Amazon.
She had held this position for quite some years.
Even the change of gods in Skypiea hadn't shaken her position—the old woman naturally had her ways.
The most important thing was to never engage in conflict with anyone.
No matter who she encountered, she greeted them with a kind smile; no matter what happened, she handled it strictly by the book.
That way, trouble would never find its way to her.
When Grandma Amazon saw the Straw Hat Pirates arrive at the Gate of Heaven, she followed the divine law as usual and collected the entry fee.
Ten billion Extol per person.
The members of the Straw Hat Crew had no idea about the exchange rate between Skypiea's currency and Berry.
The money-loving Nami was especially direct:
"Grandma, we don't have any money, but can we still enter Skypiea?"
Grandma Amazon's wrinkled face broke into a smile.
"Of course!"
"You can enter without paying. After all, I'm not a guard or an enforcer—I'm just asking about… your intentions."
With that, she summoned a creature native to the White Sea—the Speedy Shrimp.
Its two massive claws clamped onto the Going Merry, and it began climbing rapidly upstream along the cascading waterfall cloud.
Watching the Going Merry disappear from sight, Grandma Amazon still wore a strange smile on her face.
When dealing with these ruthless visitors from the Blue Sea, how else could she have survived to the age of seventy-six if she wasn't careful?
Whether they paid or not was their business—when the time came, their punishment would have nothing to do with her.
With practiced ease, she sent the photos of the Straw Hat Crew she had just taken with the Vision Dial to the law enforcement forces on Skypiea.
Then, she picked up her walkie-talkie and reported:
"A group of thugs who didn't pay the entry fee has broken into Skypiea. Please deliver divine punishment upon them!"
Lufia and the others had no idea they had been set up from the moment they entered Skypiea's gates.
The Going Merry ascended upstream along the spiraling waterfall cloud.
Lufia leaned over the ship's railing, her eyes wide with wonder, constantly exclaiming things like "Wow!" and "Amazing!"
Soon, the view opened up before them.
A vast, boundless sea of clouds appeared, different from the White Sea below. Here, the clouds seemed whiter and thicker, shimmering with a soft golden glow under the sunlight.
In the distance, an island made of clouds floated above the sea of clouds, shaded by lush greenery, with buildings faintly visible among them.
The real Skypiea!
"We're here, we're here, we're here!"
Lufia bounced excitedly on the deck.
"We've reached Skypiea!"
Wyper emerged from the cabin, already fully equipped again.
He glanced at the distant island, then at the excited Blue Sea dwellers on the ship.
"I'm returning to my village," he said.
"I'll inform my people first, then meet up with you to discuss reclaiming Shandora."
Lufia, caught up in her excitement, merely nodded absently, her eyes never leaving the distant island.
Wyper frowned, feeling that the captain hadn't taken his words to heart at all.
He then looked at Ralph.
Ralph was leaning against the railing, lazily waving at him.
Wyper took a deep breath, activated his Jet Skis, and soared into the air, flying in the opposite direction of the islands.
He wanted to remind the Straw Hat Crew to be cautious and avoid exposing themselves too soon.
But after a moment's thought…
Forget it. Let them do as they please.
Anyway... this bunch didn't seem to need him worrying about them.
Once Wyper's figure vanished into the White-White Sea, Lufia immediately shouted:
"Dock the ship! Dock! I want to explore Skypiea!"
Nami sighed helplessly:
"Shouldn't we at least observe the situation first..."
"No need! No need!"
Lufia had already run to the bow, craning her neck to look ahead, "I can already smell the scent of adventure!"
The Going Merry slowly sailed toward the nearest beach.
Though called a beach, it was actually a stretch of white cloud.
Behind the beach was a dense forest, with some structures faintly visible.
Zoro stood holding the ship's anchor, looking puzzled.
Ralph reminded him:
"The Sea Cloud has no seabed. Just drop the anchor directly into the Island Cloud."
Zoro nodded, picked up the anchor, and thrust it forcefully into the Island Cloud—
Sure enough, the anchor claws sank deep into the white cloud layer, firmly securing the ship.
"Ashore! Ashore!"
Lufia was the first to jump off the ship, her feet landing on the Cloud Beach with a soft "squish."
She paused for a moment, then bounced up and down in delight:
"So soft! It's like cotton!"
Usopp and Chopper also jumped down, and the three of them bounced and jumped on the Cloud Beach, having a great time.
Nami stepped down gracefully, feeling the soft texture under her feet, a satisfied smile appearing on her face:
"Hmm, it really is comfortable."
Sanji, with a cigarette in his mouth, looked around: "I wonder what the ladies here look like..."
Robin crouched down with a smile, gently pressing the Cloud Beach with her hand, deep in thought:
"The density of this cloud layer is quite interesting. It can actually support a person's weight."
Zoro stayed on the ship and didn't go down.
He looked at Ralph, who was about to disembark.
"Got a question for you."
Ralph stopped and raised an eyebrow at him.
"That Wyper, is he reliable?"
Ralph was taken aback for a moment, then smiled:
"Why ask that all of a sudden?"
Zoro maintained his usual vigilance.
"He didn't take us to his village, clearly not trusting us."
"Of course not."
Ralph walked back to the ship's railing and leaned against it.
"Trust isn't built in an instant."
"They're in a vulnerable position on Skypiea. Their village's location must be well-hidden. If it were exposed, it would be dangerous."
"The God wouldn't spare them."
"God?"
Zoro perked up with interest.
"Skypiea really has a god?"
Ralph gave him a sidelong glance.
"Now you're asking me?"
"Weren't you just complaining about me earlier, saying I ruined your adventure experience?"
Zoro's face flushed slightly.
"That was... just a spur-of-the-moment thing, influenced by Lufia."
He rarely lowered his guard:
"First Mate, you know me. I'm only interested in cutting people down."
Ralph's eyes widened.
First Mate?
The position just below the captain, the vice-captain.
He always referred to himself as the vice-captain, but he hadn't been addressed so formally before.
Who would've thought, Zoro, you thick-browed, big-eyed guy, you're actually quite sensible!
Ralph was in high spirits and patted Zoro's shoulder:
"Just for that title, I'll pull some strings and give you the chance to slay the god!"
Zoro was stunned.
Slay the god?
Those two words exploded in his mind like thunder.
A surge of adrenaline rushed to his head, his forehead slightly sweating, his right hand instinctively tightening around his sword hilt, almost drawing the blade.
That excitement burst forth from within, even his breathing grew heavier.
Ralph hadn't expected the title "God Slayer" to hold such strong appeal for Zoro.
He quickly reminded him:
"But your Haki skills need to be up to par, otherwise you won't stand a chance."
Zoro took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down, though the fighting spirit in his eyes still burned fiercely:
"Don't worry. I'll make the most of this opportunity."
Ralph nodded and turned to disembark.
Before leaving, he glanced back—
Zoro had already begun swinging his massive dumbbell to practice his sword strokes, an excited grin on his sweat-covered face.
Ralph's mouth twitched.
The arrangement was simple enough.
According to the original storyline, everyone would have a chance to face Enel.
The question was...
Would he be up to it?
He genuinely hoped Zoro would grow into a remarkable swordsman, not just a blade rack.
On the white sand beach, Lufia and the others had already moved ahead.
Ralph quickened his pace to catch up and found them gathered around an unfamiliar girl.
The girl had two pale yellow braids tied up, each ending in a spherical hair ornament that looked like antennae.
Like the Shandians, she had a pair of small wings on her back, also decorative and incapable of flight.
In her arms, she held a small white creature resembling a fox, but with a tail as fluffy as a cloud.
"Skypiea is truly amazing!"
Lufia was excitedly chatting with the girl.
The girl smiled and responded gently.
Sanji had already rushed forward, his eyes turning into hearts as he circled around her:
"Beautiful angel! Your grace and kindness are the cure for my weary soul! Might I have the honor of knowing your name?"
The girl was startled by his enthusiasm but answered politely:
"I-I'm Conis."
"This is Angel Beach on Angel Island. Welcome to Skypiea."
"Conis!"
Sanji clutched his chest, "What a beautiful name! As lovely as your face!"
Nami rolled her eyes, ignoring him.
Conis gradually relaxed, warmed by the enthusiasm of these Blue Sea visitors.
Learning it was their first time in Skypiea, she offered:
"Would you... like to come to my house? I can tell you more about Skypiea."
"Yes, yes!"
Lufia immediately agreed.
So the group followed Conis through a grove of trees to a small cottage.
The cottage had a unique architectural style, with walls made of a white material that looked like compressed clouds.
Conis's father was also home, a gentle middle-aged man named Pagaya.
He, too, was curious about the visitors from the Blue Sea and warmly welcomed them.
Once inside, the Straw Hats were immediately captivated by the "shells" filling the room.
The lamp hanging on the wall was made of shells; the kitchen oven was made of shells; even some tools piled in the corner were made of shells.
"These... are all shells?"
Usopp leaned in to examine a glowing shell curiously.
Conis nodded:
"These are all 'Dial Energy' unique to Skypiea. Different Dials have different functions."
She pointed to the lamp on the table,
"This is a Lamp Dial, which emits continuous light. That's a Heat Dial, used to warm food. And there are Breath Dials, which store and release wind..."
Ralph's eyes lit up.
Jackpot!
These were all treasures!
He stroked the little dinosaur in his arms, and Munch-Munch poked its head out, its eyes also gleaming as it stared at the pile of shells.
But Ralph held it back.
It would be too impolite to start tearing the place apart right after arriving at someone's home.
They had to obtain them through proper trade.
Thinking this, Ralph felt a bit troubled.
Perhaps because he had grown accustomed to being a pirate, used to plundering from enemies, he suddenly realized he wasn't very skilled at bargaining and trading.
Maybe he should leave it to Usopp?
According to the original story, Usopp had traded rubber bands for a large pile of Skypiea shells.
This time, he had secretly brought up not only soil but also seeds—
these things were priceless treasures in Skypiea.
As he pondered, Conis and Lufia's conversation gradually drifted off-topic.