Chapter 246: Ralph: Declaring War on God!
"Have you seen weapons and equipment made from Skypiean shells?"
Conis was somewhat surprised.
Lufia nodded nonchalantly:
"Yeah! There's this guy named Wyper—his shoes and cannon are both made from shells!"
"Those shoes can blast wind, and he runs super fast!"
"That cannon can shoot fire, it's really powerful!"
Usopp and Nami's expressions changed simultaneously.
Usopp desperately tried to signal Lufia with his eyes, his mouth moving silently:
Don't say it, don't say it, don't say it!
But Lufia didn't notice at all.
Just as Nami was about to rush over and smack Lufia's head, it was already too late.
Conis pressed further:
"Wyper? What does he look like?"
Lufia thought for a moment, "He has dark skin, tattoos on his face, wings on his back, and wears an ogre mask... Oh right! He also said he's a Shandian, a guardian of Shandora!"
Conis's expression instantly changed.
She took a step back, her eyes filled with fear:
"You... you know the Shandians? The enemies of God?"
Conis's father also stood up, the warmth on his face gone, replaced by vigilance and fear.
"I'm sorry," Conis's voice trembled slightly, "Please... leave."
Lufia was stunned:
"Huh? Why?"
No one answered her.
Conis and Pagaya remained silent, but their attitude was resolute.
Nami sighed, pulling Lufia outside:
"Let's go, we'll talk about it outside."
The group was ushered out of the cottage.
The door slammed shut behind them.
Lufia stood at the entrance, looking utterly confused:
"What's going on? Did I say something wrong?"
Nami facepalmed:
"Did you forget? The Shandians and the Skypieans are at war!"
"..."
Only then did Lufia remember, and she grew even more puzzled,
"But why? Wyper is an amazing warrior, and Conis is such a good person too!!"
Yes, everyone was good people, so why were they waging war?
Nami opened her mouth but found she couldn't explain it clearly either.
Ralph walked over and glanced at her.
This question was too complicated; he needed to think about how to explain it to Lufia in a way she'd understand.
But there was no time for him to think.
Because new trouble had arrived.
A group of people in white uniforms and white berets rushed out from the town of Angel Island, quickly surrounding them.
At the head was a burly man with a stern expression.
He took out a photo, compared it to Lufia, then looked at the others and nodded.
"Straw Hat Pirates, confirmed."
He put away the photo and said solemnly:
"I am McKinley, captain of the White Berets. You are suspected of illegal entry and must face penalties."
"Illegal entry?"
Nami frowned, "But that old lady said..."
McKinley raised a hand to cut her off, "According to the records of Gatekeeper Amazon at the Gate of Heaven, you entered through the Gate of Heaven today without paying the entry fee of one billion Extol per person. A total of eight people, eighty billion Extol."
He raised his voice slightly and added:
"According to Skypiean law, illegal entrants must pay a fine, which is ten times the entry fee. That is eight hundred billion Extol."
Usopp's legs began to tremble:
"E-eight hundred billion?"
McKinley kindly explained the exchange rate:
"Don't worry, Extol and your Blue Sea currency, Berry, have an exchange rate."
"One Berry equals ten thousand Extol."
Everyone quickly did the math in their heads.
Eight hundred million Extol equals eight million Berry.
Nami's eyes instantly turned red.
Eight million Berry!
To her, this wasn't just a fine anymore—it was a matter of life and death!
Without another word, she pulled out her Clima-Tact and swung it straight into McKinley's face!
"Bang!"
McKinley didn't even have time to scream before he was sent flying, tumbling several times on the ground before crashing headfirst into a tree.
Silence fell over the scene.
The members of the White Berets stared in shock at their captain.
Nami raised her Clima-Tact, radiating murderous intent:
"Eight million? Why don't you just rob me instead!"
McKinley struggled to crawl out from the tree, his face bruised and swollen, but he still insisted on carrying out his duties.
Pointing a trembling finger at Nami, he stammered:
"A-attacking an officer of the law... that's an additional crime! At the very least, you'll be sentenced to Cloud Drift!"
"Cloud Drift?"
Usopp asked curiously, "What's that? It sounds so gentle!"
The door to Conis's house suddenly opened a crack, and Conis's voice came from inside, tinged with pity:
"That's... a punishment where the criminal is exiled to a desolate Island Cloud with no food or water, left to starve to death..."
Usopp's face turned pale.
Chopper's face turned pale too.
Robin pondered thoughtfully:
"In that case, that ship that sank 200 years ago must have been subjected to Cloud Drift... When the cloud dissipates, the ship falls from the sky."
Usopp and Chopper simultaneously smacked their right hands into their left palms:
"So that's it!"
Then they hugged each other and burst into tears:
"We're going to die! We're going to turn into skeletons too!"
Lufia tilted her head, still trying to figure out what Cloud Drift was.
Sanji and Ralph had already stepped forward.
"Looks like we have no choice but to fight."
Sanji lit a cigarette.
"Then let's cut the chatter!"
The White Berets also took their positions.
Their weapons were peculiar—bows and arrows that could release solid clouds.
"Attack!"
At the deputy captain's command, the White Berets charged forward, stepping on clouds.
One minute later.
The ground was littered with people in white uniforms.
McKinley lay face down, struggling to lift his head as he looked at the Blue Sea people standing before him, disbelief filling his eyes.
What... kind of monsters are these?
But he still didn't give up, using his last ounce of strength to shout:
"You... don't get too cocky... the priests of God's Island will personally... punish you..."
The residents of Angel Island who were watching whispered among themselves, their eyes filled with fear.
To them, the priests were an existence that could not be defied.
These Blue Sea people had actually provoked the priests—their fate was all too predictable.
Just then, a voice spoke up.
"And that's not all."
Everyone turned to look and saw the black-haired young man from the Blue Sea step forward. His gaze swept over the crowd, the half-open door of Conis's house, and finally settled on McKinley.
"We have ties with the Shandians, which makes us enemies of God."
His voice wasn't loud, but the information he revealed was enough to shock everyone present.
"We came to Skypiea to declare war on God."
The crowd gasped.
"We originally planned to take Conis and her father as hostages and use their house as a temporary base."
The young man shrugged.
"But now that we're exposed, it doesn't matter anymore."
After speaking, he turned to call his companions:
"Let's go."
The Straw Hat crew was momentarily stunned, but still followed him toward the beach.
Only after they had walked away did the surrounding crowd erupt into discussion:
"So terrifying! Those Blue Sea people turned out to be such vicious criminals!"
"Thank goodness Conis and her family noticed in time and drove them out!"
"The priests will punish them!"
No one noticed that behind the door of Conis's house, father and daughter exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with complicated emotions.
That black-haired Blue Sea man...
Was he actually helping them clear their names?
Conis lowered her head, her hands tightly clutching the hem of her skirt.
She suddenly felt a bit of regret about her decision to drive them out just now.
By the beach, Ralph walked at the back.
Usopp leaned over and whispered:
"Ralph, just now... why did you say that?"
Ralph glanced in the direction of Conis's house in the distance:
"Because this way, they won't be seen as 'accomplices of the enemies of God.'"
Usopp was stunned for a moment, then seemed to understand something.
He looked back at the small house, then at Ralph's retreating figure.
Sometimes, the cunning, ruthless Ralph could also be incredibly kind!
On the Going Merry, Zoro was still practicing his sword swings.
Seeing everyone return, he stopped his movements, a flicker of anticipation in his eyes:
"So? Are we fighting the priests now?"
Ralph smiled:
"Soon! There are plenty of must-do activities in Skypiea—it depends on what you choose."
Hearing Ralph say this, the stars in Lufia's eyes almost flew out!