"Former God Gan Fall pays his respects to the new God."
Gan Fall knelt within the great hall of Upper Yard, his expression devoid of emotion.
The posture was humiliating.
Humiliating beyond words.
Yet the old ruler of Skypiea no longer cared about his own dignity.
What truly mattered to him now… was the survival of his people.
The man seated upon the throne before him possessed terrifying power that surpassed ordinary understanding. To the people of the White Sea, such power truly resembled divinity itself.
Lightning.
Destruction.
Omnipotence.
Gan Fall had already resisted with everything he possessed.
But the result had not changed.
The more he fought, the more deeply he realized the overwhelming gap between them.
This was not an enemy ordinary people could overcome through courage alone.
As the God of Skypiea chosen by the people, Gan Fall had always considered himself their protector.
And because of that…
He could not allow the citizens of Skypiea to throw away their lives in a meaningless rebellion.
Before absolute power, reckless resistance would only lead to slaughter.
"L-Lord Gan Fall…"
The commander of the Divine Squad stared at the kneeling old man in disbelief.
His entire body trembled violently.
Humiliation.
Rage.
Unwillingness.
All of it surged within his chest like fire.
Blood continuously dripped from the wounds covering his body as he slowly forced himself back to his feet.
Then
He drew the standard longsword carried by the Divine Squad.
The blade reflected a cold gleam beneath the palace lights.
"Yahahahaha!"
Eneru laughed loudly while leaning back upon the throne.
"Interesting."
"Very interesting."
"Gan Fall… your subordinate possesses more courage than you do."
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"If you throw away that sword now…"
"I may consider sparing your life."
The commander of the Divine Squad gritted his teeth fiercely.
"The Divine Squad… will never surrender!!"
The moment his words fell
He charged forward.
The blade sliced through the air toward Eneru's neck.
Unfortunately…
The attack had already been predicted.
Eneru's Mantra had long since sensed every movement before it even happened.
CLANG!
A golden staff instantly appeared in Eneru's hand.
With a casual swing
The commander was blasted backward like a broken doll.
His wounded body smashed heavily into the palace floor.
"How unfortunate."
Eneru shook his head slowly.
"That was the wrong answer."
Blue lightning suddenly crackled violently around his fingertips.
"If a toy refuses to obey…"
"Then it has no reason to continue existing."
He slowly raised one hand toward the fallen commander.
"Judgment."
BOOOOOOM!!!
A gigantic bolt of blue-purple lightning descended from the heavens.
The palace roof exploded apart instantly.
The terrifying electrical force engulfed the commander completely.
The smell of scorched flesh spread through the hall.
Then silence returned.
Smoke drifted slowly upward.
The commander of the Divine Squad never rose again.
Gan Fall's pupils contracted violently.
But after a brief moment
His expression calmed once more.
He could not die here.
Not yet.
As long as he remained alive, there was still hope for Skypiea.
Even if he had to endure humiliation…
Even if he had to bow before this false god…
He would continue protecting his people in whatever way remained possible.
"How boring."
Eneru rested his cheek lazily against one hand while looking down at Gan Fall.
He had expected a more entertaining reaction.
Instead, the old man simply accepted reality.
How dull.
"Get out."
"From this day onward…"
"This land belongs to God."
Eneru's gaze swept toward the others inside the palace.
"You four."
"From now on, you shall serve as God's Priests."
"Ohm."
"Shura."
"Satori."
"Gedatsu."
"You may leave as well."
The four men immediately lowered their heads respectfully.
"Yes, Lord Eneru!"
None of them dared object.
The reason they followed Eneru in the first place was simple.
Power.
Absolute power.
The kind of strength capable of annihilating an entire region effortlessly.
Compared to that overwhelming might, ordinary resistance was laughable.
And now…
The Four Priests of Skypiea had officially been born.
Meanwhile
Outside the palace, panic rapidly spread throughout Angel Island.
"It's terrible!"
"Lord Gan Fall has been defeated!"
McKinley, one of the surviving Divine Soldiers, hurried through the streets while shouting desperately.
The citizens of Skypiea immediately erupted into chaos.
Gan Fall possessed immense prestige among the people.
For years, he had governed Skypiea fairly and protected its citizens wholeheartedly.
To many, he was not merely a ruler.
He was family.
"What?!"
"Grab your weapons!"
"We're going to save Lord Gan Fall!"
The citizens immediately rushed to retrieve weapons from their homes.
Many prepared to charge toward Upper Yard without hesitation.
But before the crowd could move
A familiar figure appeared.
"Stop."
Gan Fall slowly stepped into the center of the plaza while leaning upon his spear for support.
The crowd froze instantly.
"Lord Gan Fall!"
Shock filled their eyes.
The old god was covered in wounds.
His armor was broken.
Blood stained his clothing.
Yet he still stood before them.
"There is no need for meaningless sacrifice."
Gan Fall's voice remained calm despite his injuries.
"But why?!"
"Why should we surrender to him?!"
The citizens could not understand.
The Gan Fall they knew was brave, righteous, and compassionate.
Why would he yield?
Gan Fall lowered his head slightly.
"From this moment onward…"
"There is no longer a God Gan Fall."
"There is only Sky Knight Gan Fall."
Silence filled the plaza.
The words struck everyone like thunder.
At that moment, the Four Priests also arrived.
Ohm stepped forward arrogantly.
"Listen carefully!"
"From this day onward, Skypiea shall be ruled by the true God Lord Eneru!"
"Anyone who dares disobey God's orders shall face Divine Judgment!"
The crowd trembled uneasily.
The priests looked down at the citizens proudly.
After all…
With Eneru's rise to power, they too had ascended above ordinary people.
Authority.
Privilege.
Fear.
Those things were intoxicating.
And to them
Power truly was the greatest thing in the world.
Far below the White Sea…
Within the raging Knock-Up Stream…
"Not enough!"
Cricket suddenly shouted in alarm.
"The propulsion force is weakening!"
"If this continues, we'll lose momentum before reaching the White Sea!"
"At this rate, the ship will fall before reaching Skypiea!"
"And once we fall…"
"We'll be smashed to pieces!"
The warship had already ascended thousands of meters into the sky.
But now its upward speed was rapidly decreasing.
The terrifying force of gravity was beginning to drag the vessel downward.
Panic spread across the deck.
Yet at the bow of the ship
Saint Roselith Seraphina remained perfectly calm.
Even while the vessel tilted nearly vertical against the heavens, her body did not sway in the slightest.
Slowly
She unsheathed Awakening of Insects.
The dark-blue blade shimmered beautifully beneath the raging sky.
Then
She swung forward.
The target of her blade was not the sea beneath them.
It was the massive island cloud above.
The White Sea itself.
The surrounding moisture instantly trembled.
Water began gathering toward the blade uncontrollably.
At that moment, Seraphina resembled the conductor of a grand symphony.
Countless water particles obeyed her will.
The weakened Knock-Up Stream expanded once more.
The rising torrent surged upward violently under her control.
At the same time
The enormous island cloud above them descended slightly.
After all…
Clouds were ultimately composed of water as well.
Under the influence of Awakening of Insects, the White Sea itself responded to her command.
Gradually
The ascending current connected directly with the clouds above.
A gigantic pillar of water pierced through heaven and earth.
"It connected!!"
Cricket shouted excitedly.
The warship shot directly into the White Sea.
Clouds engulfed the vessel instantly.
Dense white mist surrounded everything.
The humidity here vastly surpassed ordinary clouds.
This was no ordinary sky.
This was a true ocean made entirely of clouds.
The White Sea.
The legendary sea of the heavens.
Finally
The warship burst free from the cloud layer before crashing downward onto the surface of the cloud ocean.
Splash!!
The vessel bounced once before stabilizing atop the sea of clouds itself.
"We…"
"We really made it…"
Several Marines stared around blankly.
Bruce narrowed his eyes slightly.
"The air here feels thinner."
His body sensed the environmental changes immediately.
Cricket nodded.
"That's normal."
"We're over seven thousand meters above the Blue Sea."
"The higher the altitude, the thinner the air becomes."
Excitement filled his face.
After years of searching…
He had finally arrived.
Seraphina slowly raised her head toward the endless white horizon before her.
Then
A faint smile appeared on her lips.
"Marines."
"We have officially arrived…"
"At the arrogant kingdom of the sky."
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