Enel was genuinely astonished that Sean could cut through his God's Judgment with a single sword strike.
However, despite his surprise, he didn't view Sean as a true threat, nor did he feel any fear. After all, he was a God! No attack could possibly affect him. He stood in a position of absolute invincibility.
Unaware of the existence of Armament Haki, Enel remained profoundly confident. Given this belief, the appearance of someone whose strength far exceeded that of his Priests naturally sparked an idea: he wanted to bring this man under his command.
After all, he still had the Fairy Vearth to conquer in the future.
'Come then!'
He had already prepared a test. As long as Sean could pass it, he would become his High Priest—standing below only the God himself, but above all of humanity.
'''
"Master, where are we going now?" Vivi asked after the White Beret Unit had departed.
"Hmm, let's head to Shandian village first," Sean replied.
"Shandian village?"
"Yes. It's where the descendants of the Golden City, Shandora, reside. After their homeland was seized by the people of the Sky Island, they settled there."
Vivi tilted her head, a look of confusion crossing her face. "Why did the people of the Sky Island take their homeland? Was it for the gold?"
"It wasn't for the gold. Remember when I told you that the Knock Up Stream once blasted half of Jaya Island ten thousand meters into the air?"
Sean explained based on his memories. "The Sky Island has no actual soil. The half of Jaya Island that was swept up into the White-White Sea consists entirely of earth—true land—rather than Island Clouds. This made it incredibly precious to the people of the Sky Island, and as a result, they called it the Holy Land."
"Ultimately, the people of the Sky Island and the Shandorians fought a war for the Holy Land that lasted four hundred years. In the end, it was seized by that outsider who now claims to be a God."
"The people of Shandora are truly pitiful," Vivi sighed. "First, they were brought here by an accident of the Knock Up Stream, and then their home was stolen from them. Master, are you going to help them take it back?"
"How should I put it... I actually intend to recruit soldiers from among the Shandorian descendants. Helping them reclaim their home is more of a side benefit."
Recruit soldiers?
Even Lucci looked slightly puzzled. Was there something special about the Shandorians? Otherwise, why would Sean say his primary goal was recruitment?
"Lucci, do you think the environment of the Sky Island would be beneficial for training?"
"It's possible, but it probably wouldn't provide a massive boost."
"Then, consider two people: one born on the Sky Island and another born in the Blue Sea. If both underwent the exact same training, what would the final result be?"
Lucci paused to think. The reason he had just said the boost wouldn't be great was that his own strength was already immense; once he acclimated, the thin air wouldn't hinder him much. Naturally, training in such an environment wouldn't significantly elevate his current level.
But if someone were born here from birth, the situation would be entirely different.
"I believe that, all other factors being equal, someone born on the Sky Island would be far stronger than someone born in the Blue Sea."
"Exactly," Sean nodded. "Because they survive in such a harsh environment from childhood, their physical foundation will be vastly superior to those from the Blue Sea."
"I understand, Rear Admiral!" Lucci replied.
He now saw Sean's logic. It wasn't just about initial strength, but about the ceiling of their potential. One should never underestimate someone who had adapted to a brutal environment since birth. It was a fundamental difference in survival conditions.
'''
To the northwest of Upper Yard, on a small Island Cloud, lay the Shandian village.
This was the sanctuary for the descendants of Shandora.
At that moment, a burly man wearing nothing but a grass mat around his lower body rushed into one of the tents.
"Chief! Latest news from Angel Island."
"Today, four illegal entrants—two men and two women—entered the territory. Upon arriving at Angel Island, they were struck by God's Judgment."
The Chief remained expressionless. In the Kingdom of God, such occurrences were far too common.
"I see. You may leave."
"Wait, Chief! I haven't finished..."
"What else?"
"After being struck by God's Judgment, one of them simply sliced the attack in half with a blade. All four illegal entrants are unharmed. Even the White Beret Unit, who arrived shortly after, didn't dare lay a finger on them."
"What?"
The Chief's eyes snapped open, his face filled with shock. "Sliced through God's Judgment? Are you certain the report is correct?"
"Yes! It has been confirmed multiple times. The news is accurate!"
"And where are they now?"
"Unknown!"
"I understand. Go call Wiper and the others!"
"Yes, Chief!"
The burly man quickly retreated. A glimmer of hope appeared in the Chief's eyes. For some reason, he felt that these four people might bring a ray of light to the descendants of Shandora.
Shortly after, Wiper and several others arrived.
"Chief, what happened?"
"It's like this..."
A minute later...
"Chief, are you sure the news is correct? Someone actually cut through that Enel's God's Judgment with a single strike?"
"Yes, it has been verified several times. The news is solid!" the Chief nodded.
"Will he go after Enel? After all, Enel attacked him!"
"If he defeats Enel, or if both sides exhaust each other, then couldn't we..." Laki suggested after a moment of thought.
He was immediately interrupted by Wiper.
"No! If we are to defeat Enel and reclaim Upper Yard, we must do it with our own hands. To use such cowardly methods would be an insult to our ancestor, the Great Warrior Kalgara!"
"Wiper, don't be so stubborn! This is a rare opportunity, we must—"
"No!"
"You... Chief, what do you think?" Laki said, exasperated. Wiper was great in every other way, but he was far too rigid. He spent all his time shouting about honor and refused to be flexible.
"I believe we can make contact with them to see if they are willing to be allies," the Chief intervened skillfully.
"Wiper is right; scheming from the shadows and then swooping in to take the prize is indeed unsightly. But if we form an alliance and face Enel together, it won't diminish the honor of our ancestors."
The Chief's approach was calculated. He didn't completely dismiss Wiper, nor did he shoot down Laki. He provided a graceful way for both of them to agree.
Wiper nodded slowly. He loathed the idea of hiding in the back to calculate someone's downfall and then claiming the reward; he viewed it as an insult to the Great Warrior Kalgara, whose descendant he was.
However, if they were allies acting in coordination to defeat Enel, he could accept that.
Seeing that Wiper was on board, the Chief smiled.
Laki remained silent, but she was inwardly anxious. The man was clearly powerful, but would someone like him actually be willing to become their ally?
"Alright, let's discuss who will be responsible for making contact and finding a way to persuade him to form an alliance."
"No need. I'm in!"
Just as the Chief was about to consult the group on a candidate, a voice suddenly drifted into the tent. A moment later, Sean led the way inside.
"Who are you?"
The warriors attending the meeting snapped into action, instantly assuming combat stances. Wiper barked at Sean, his posture suggesting that if he didn't receive a satisfactory answer, he would kill him on the spot.
"Wait, you want to form an alliance with me, yet you don't even know what I look like?"
"Who wants an alliance with—wait, are you that man from the Blue Sea who cut through God's Judgment?"
"Exactly," Sean nodded, admitting it openly.
"I am the current Chief of Shandora. May I ask who you are?"
Everyone froze. Once they recovered from the shock, the Chief immediately stepped forward to inquire.
"Marine Rear Admiral, Sean!"
"The Marines? I've heard from people of the Blue Sea who have come here that it is a law enforcement organization on the Blue Sea, and that those with the rank of 'Admiral' or 'General' possess monstrous strength. Is that true?"
"Hoh, you're quite well-informed, Chief."
"Indeed. Very few people from the Blue Sea ever make it here, but that doesn't mean it's impossible. I still hear news occasionally."
Sean nodded. "Fine, let's get down to business then. You want to ally with me to deal with Enel?"
"Yes. I wonder what your thoughts are?"
"I don't think that's necessary."
Hearing this, the Chief's eyes dimmed. As expected, in the face of an absolute powerhouse, the people of Shandora were not qualified to be his allies.
However, Sean's next words caused the Chief's eyes to widen once more.
"A guy like Enel doesn't require cooperation. I can deal with him easily on my own."
"Even helping you reclaim Upper Yard would be a simple matter."
"Put it this way: while Enel's strength is decent, there are far too many people in the Blue Sea who are stronger than him. That's why he can only bully the weak in a small place like this."
'Deal with Enel alone?'
'A small place?'
'Bullying the weak?'
At that moment, every warrior present felt a surge of anger. They were among the strongest of the Shandora warriors, yet in this man's mouth, they were nothing more than "weaklings" to be bullied?
Seeing Wiper's expression sour, Laki quickly stepped forward and grabbed him, terrified that he might do something reckless.
The Chief, meanwhile, gave a slight sigh.
"Sean—Rear Admiral, was it? I wonder what you want from us in return?"
The Chief was very old, and because of that, he understood the ways of the world better than the others. Specifically, he knew that to obtain something, one had to pay a corresponding price. In this world, Extol did not simply fall from the sky.
"As I mentioned before, I am a Marine Rear Admiral. The Marines are an organization responsible for maintaining peace and upholding justice across the Blue Sea."
"I can help you take down Enel and reclaim Upper Yard. Once that is done, the Marines can provide long-term protection for the people of Shandora."
"I can even dispatch instructors to teach your people how to acquire more powerful skills. After all, you are all far too weak right now."
"In exchange, the warriors of Shandora will join the Marines at a certain ratio. They will follow me back to the Blue Sea to uphold justice across the ocean. How does that sound?"
The Chief listened, weighing Sean's intentions and calculating whether this would truly benefit Shandora.
But Wiper could no longer contain himself.
"You bastard, I've put up with you long enough! From the start, you keep calling us weak, weak, weak. I want to see exactly how strong you people are!"
"Is that so? Simple enough. This is my subordinate. Whether you fight him alone or every single warrior of Shandora charges him at once, if you can defeat him, I will apologize for my words. Deal?"
'Whether alone or all the warriors of Shandora at once?'
This was beyond arrogant! If they actually had to fight as a group, even a victory would be an insult to their great ancestor, the warrior Kalgara. This was a joke!
"No need. I'll do it alone!"
"No problem. Lucci, he's all yours."
"Yes, Rear Admiral," Lucci nodded and stepped out from behind Sean.
"Follow me! Let's find an open space outside!"
Scanning Lucci, Wiper didn't believe for a second that he would lose. After all, the people of Shandora grew up in a harsh environment with thin air, and since they lacked formal training in martial arts, they focused primarily on physical conditioning. This resulted in their massive, hulking physiques. Lucci, by comparison, looked lean and frail, not strong in the slightest.
"No need. We'll do it right here. It will be over quickly and won't damage anything," Lucci said flatly, as if this outcome were a given.
This infuriated Wiper even further. But in the next instant, Lucci—who had been standing right in front of him—suddenly vanished.
Wiper stared blankly for a few seconds, then his vision went black as he lost consciousness and collapsed to the ground.
Lucci appeared behind Wiper, standing back-to-back with him, his expression completely indifferent. It was as if nothing had happened at all.
Everyone in the tent... was stunned.
________________________________
(T/N:
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