Chapter 249: The Trial Begins!
The four small boats were about to enter the trial cave entrances, and a choice had to be made quickly.
Zoro and Ralph exchanged a glance.
The choice here had already been agreed upon between Ralph and Zoro.
Although they didn't know exactly what was inside, Ralph assured Zoro that this was the best arrangement for him.
"I'll make the choice! What do you think?"
As he spoke, Zoro glanced at Robin in the same boat, who smiled slightly at the corner of her mouth.
"I'm fine with anything!"
"Then it's the Ordeal of Iron!"
With that, Zoro and Robin's boat charged into the Ordeal of Iron's cave entrance!
Beaten to the punch by the moss-head, Sanji was extremely displeased.
He quickly scanned the remaining three caves, sought Miss Nami's opinion, and finally chose the Ordeal of String.
Sanji's reasoning was:
The Ordeal of String sounded gentler than the others, and he hoped to have a lovely date with Miss Nami.
Meanwhile, Lufia made the same choice as in the original story after seeing the trial names.
"Ordeal of Balls... Balls?"
Her eyes lit up:
"That sounds fun!"
Ralph followed behind her and couldn't help but laugh at her words.
Fun?
Indeed it was!
Ralph adjusted the direction of the boat, aiming for the Ordeal of Balls' cave entrance.
"Let's go then!"
Lufia was filled with excitement.
"Let's go, let's go! Let's see who finds something fun first!"
Of the four boats, three entered the trial caves.
The cowardly Usopp and Chopper, too afraid to choose, ended up with no choice at all.
They could only enter the Ordeal of Swamp.
As their boat wobbled into the tunnel leading to the Ordeal of Swamp, Chopper suddenly remembered.
"Why are we doing one trial each?"
"Why didn't we choose one boat and follow them in?"
Everything went dark as the boat fully entered the tunnel.
Usopp's cries echoed from inside.
"I... was too scared to remember!"
Ordeal of Swamp
The tunnel was long, dark, and quiet.
Only the soft sound of the boat gliding over River Cloud, and…
"Clatter, clatter."
Usopp and Chopper clung to each other, their teeth chattering echoing through the tunnel.
"U-Usopp…"
Chopper whispered, "Did you hear something?"
"N-No!"
Usopp's voice trembled even more than his.
"You must have misheard!"
Just then, a faint light appeared ahead.
The boat shot out of the tunnel, and the view opened up before them.
A dense jungle, dilapidated ancient stone structures, ruins covered in vines, and…
The surroundings were eerily quiet.
The boat drifted slowly along River Cloud as Usopp and Chopper nervously looked around.
"It seems... there's no danger?"
Usopp ventured to say.
Chopper nodded:
"Maybe we're just lucky, and the enemy guarding this place went to the bathroom or something."
"Right, right!"
Usopp perked up.
"Very likely! Look at how run-down this place is. The guards must be lousy too—they might have run off long ago!"
As they spoke, suddenly—
"Whoosh!"
A black shadow shot toward them from a nearby tree at incredible speed!
After his recent training, Usopp's perception had become quite sharp, almost touching the threshold of Observation Haki.
Just as the shadow was about to smash into the boat, he shoved Chopper hard:
"Dodge!"
Both of them leaped off the boat at the same time!
"Boom!"
The boat was shattered by that fist!
Usopp and Chopper fell into the river and were about to start swimming when they suddenly realized—
Wait!
This isn't River Cloud!
The sensation under their feet was wrong—it wasn't flowing cloud-water, but something… sticky, sinking, like a swamp!
"Wahhh!"
Chopper screamed, "I'm sinking!"
Usopp panicked too:
"Me too! This isn't River Cloud, this is… a swamp?"
In an instant, Usopp and Chopper understood the meaning of the Ordeal of Swamp!
Within moments, Usopp's feet had already sunk in, and Chopper's little hooves were buried up to his knees.
What surprised them even more was—
The person who had smashed their boat with a single punch was now standing not far from them, also sinking into the Swamp Cloud!
"Huh?"
Usopp was stunned.
Wasn't this guy an enemy?
Why was he caught in it too?
Looking closely, the man wore a purple jacket, and his hair was styled in a peculiar way—spreading out in all directions like a spider.
He was rolling his eyes, muttering something under his breath, his voice so soft it was almost inaudible.
From a distance, another person's shout echoed:
"Lord Gedatsu! Your voice is too soft—they can't hear you! Also, you can't see the enemy with your eyes rolled back like that!"
Upon hearing the reminder, Gedatsu's eyes indeed returned to normal, no longer rolled back.
He cleared his throat and loudly declared:
"I am Gedatsu, the priest who serves the almighty god Enel!"
His voice was finally loud enough for Usopp and Chopper to hear.
"This is the Ordeal of Swamp, filled with Swamp Cloud traps!"
Gedatsu said proudly, "The survival rate is only 50%!"
Usopp and Chopper exchanged a glance.
A priest?
Was this one of Enel's priests?
Judging by the earlier attack and this bizarre trap, he was indeed quite strong.
But…
Needing someone to remind him to speak louder and not roll his eyes—was this guy an idiot?
The same thought crossed both their minds.
But now wasn't the time for complaints.
All three of them were sinking deeper into the Swamp Cloud!
Usopp was already up to his calves, Chopper up to his waist, and even Gedatsu was up to his knees.
"Hahaha!"
Gedatsu laughed, "Those who blaspheme the gods shall face divine punishment!"
"It seems you two cannot pass my ordeal. Trapped in my Swamp Cloud, you're doomed!"
Usopp looked at Gedatsu as if he were a fool, "You're talking about us, but you're trapped too!"
But as soon as he finished speaking, Gedatsu suddenly leaped, his entire body breaking free from the Swamp Cloud and landing on a nearby dilapidated structure.
Then, crossing his arms, he rolled his eyes at Usopp and Chopper.
The mockery was palpable!
Usopp and Chopper both shouted in anger:
"Don't look down on us!!"
Chopper suddenly transformed.
Originally small in stature, the Swamp Cloud had nearly reached his neck.
After transforming into his human form, he stood a head taller than an ordinary human, and the Swamp Cloud barely reached his knees, instantly freeing him from danger.
Usopp went even further.
He pressed a button on his belt—
"Whoosh!"
A grappling hook shot out from his belt, flying toward a nearby tree and firmly latching on.
Immediately, the rope retracted automatically, pulling Usopp out of the Swamp Cloud and landing him safely on the tree trunk!
"Chopper!"
Usopp untied the rope and threw it toward Chopper, "Grab it!"
Chopper's eyes lit up as he reached out with his hoof to catch the rope—
"Dream on!"
Gedatsu clasped his hands together, forming a new Swamp Cloud in his grasp, and hurled it toward Usopp!
The Swamp Cloud floated lightly, yet carried a swamp-like suction force—once it covered someone's head, they would suffocate to death!
Usopp remained calm and collected, moving with crisp efficiency. He reached into his pocket, pulled out a pellet, and drew his slingshot taut.
"Kayaku Boshi!"
"Boom!"
The Swamp Cloud was blasted to pieces!
Gedatsu froze in shock.
Usopp stood on a tree branch, his nose held high.
"Don't make me laugh!"
He looked down at Gedatsu from above.
"You think such tricks can kill the great Usopp? I'm a warrior of the sea who can take down eight thousand enemies all by myself!"
Chopper climbed up the rope and gazed at Usopp's back, stars sparkling in his eyes.
So cool!
He had to work hard too, to become a proper Pirate!
The battle of the Ordeal of Swamp had officially begun.