Complete listed story — includes the ending
One Piece, Volume 21
Chapter 187
Koza continues to press forward into the battle, prompting a member of the rebel army to ask if he is still injured from Nanohana. Koza berates him saying that it doesn't matter anymore, as they are in a battlefield. Koza comments that he needs a horse so he can enter the plaza in the north to demand Cobra's surrender, but he is shot down as it is revealed that the royal army's main regiment is waiting there, along with Chaka and Pell. Vivi is seen running when several royal army members tell her to halt, asking if she is a rebel. Vivi asks them to take her to Chaka, and the royal army members comply, recognizing that she is Princess Vivi.
In the South Block of Alubarna, Sanji is seen exchanging a blow with Mr. 2, knocking each other back into buildings. Mr. 2 wonders how Sanji can stand up to his Okama Kenpo, as Sanji tells him he's gonna have to get through him if he wants to move forward. As Mr. 2 attacks Sanji with Okama Kempo techniques, Sanji comments that he has to beat him with one strike and uses a number of his kicks, only for them to be blocked by Mr. 2. Sanji uses his Mouton Shot at the same time Mr. 2 uses his Hakucho Arabesque, sending each other crashing into buildings. Mr. 2 then warns Sanji about the dangers of his Mane Mane no Mi, using the Mane Mane Montage. However, Sanji doesn't buy it, pointing out that he is still using his own face, just with Usopp's nose.
Mr. 2 then decides to transform into Usopp completely, however Sanji still kicks him in the face. Sanji, while Mr. 2 tearfully asks why he would willingly attack his friend's face, points out that he is still him, and he (Sanji) wouldn't fall for such a petty trick, proclaiming that people are made of heart. Mr. 2 says he understands, transforming into Nami, while realizing that even that would not matter, but not before he notices Sanji showing infatuation towards Nami. Testing this out, Mr. 2 transforms into Nami and notices Sanji makes a love face when he does, while Mr. 2 calls him a fool and transforms into her to fight.
At the palace of Alubarna, Vivi asks Chaka to destroy the palace, much to his shock. Vivi explains that Arabasta is a country for the people, and the destruction of the palace would distract the two opposing parties long enough for Vivi to explain everything to them.
Chapter 188
Members of the royal army are surprised that Princess Vivi requested to destroy the palace, that has a 4,000 year old history. Chaka, hesitating at first, ordered everyone to follow the princess's every demand, bowing down to Vivi.
Back at the South Block, Mr. 2, possessing Nami's face, presses down on a beaten and grounded Sanji, telling him he's not as strong as he says he is. Sanji comments to himself that even though he looks different, he's still an okama on the inside, and tells Mr. 2 not to get cocky, but becomes infatuated again when he looks at Nami's face. Mr. 2 proceeds to take off his clothes, saying this country is too hot, prompting Sanji to ask if he ("she") needs help, but he is knocked back by Mr. 2's Okama Kenpo. Every time Sanji prepares to attack, Mr. 2 changes his face back to Nami's to prevent him. After attacking Sanji with his Mascara Boomerang, Mr. 2 prepares to finish Sanji off, only for Sanji to notice he has his original face and kicks him away. Sanji points out the weakness of Mr. 2's Mane Mane no Mi powers, explaining that he cannot use Okama Kempo while impersonating Nami, and he changes back to normal by touching his face with his left hand.
Mr. 2, dismissing this, attacks Sanji with his Prima attack, which Sanji barely dodges, but not before noticing the attack left a clean hole in a building's wall. Sanji, deducing a weakness of the attack, dodges and proceeds to counterattack, prompting Mr. 2 to change into Nami again. Sanji tells Mr. 2 that there is something on his left cheek, prompting Mr. 2 to touch his face with his left hand, changing him back to normal. Sanji then uses Veau Shot on him.
Chapter 189
Attacking Mr. 2 with a fierce kick, Sanji begins to barrage him with kicks, while Mr. 2 lands some attacks of his own. The two manages to attack with simultaneous finishing blows, with Sanji falling to his knees and Mr. 2 being knocked into a building, losing the fight and declaring Sanji as the winner. While Sanji comments that if Mr. 2 changes into Nami, he cannot kill him, Mr. 2 dismisses this, saying he cannot move, and that Baroque Works will probably terminate him anyway for losing. Sanji extends his hand, saying it was a good fight, with Mr. 2 grabbing it, crying to himself that this is the friendship of fighting. Sanji walks away after taking back Usopp's goggles, while an injured Mr. 2 notes that Sanji finished him off anyway.
Back at the palace, Chaka orders the soldiers to load a lot of gunpowder so the palace can be destroyed. He hesitates, but is consoled by Vivi, telling him that it is because of him that a difference can be made. She then apologizes for leaving the country so suddenly, also pointing out that there can be no peace in this country as long as "that man" is still alive. She then grows worried about the other Straw Hat Pirates, but remembers Zoro's words to go on and continue living no matter what may happen to them. Chaka then compliments Vivi for developing an independent personality, and shares her promise to Luffy to give the Straw Hats a huge feast when this battle is over. Crocodile then appears at the palace, pointing out that Vivi managed to cause a lot of trouble.
At the Northern area of Alubarna, Zoro shows concern for Nami, as she ran away even though Zoro told her to hide. Zoro, running off to look for her, heads off in another direction as a panicking Nami is trying to run from a pursuing Mr. 1 and Miss Doublefinger. While Nami violently asks where the stupid swordsman went, Mr. 1 and Miss Doublefinger continue with their calm pursuit, exclaiming that as pro assassins, it is common practice to target the weakest first.
Chapter 190
Nami grows tired of running and says to herself that she must fight Mr. 1 and Miss Doublefinger, but continues running, disagreeing with herself. Growing tired of playing cat-and-mouse, Mr. 1 lunges towards Nami, who is saved at the last minute by Zoro. Zoro immediately notices that Mr. 1's attack split a building behind them, and after a further attack, Zoro notes that Mr. 1's body is not normal. Mr. 1, explaining that he ate the Supa Supa no Mi and became a human blade, identifies Zoro as the one who defeated 100 bounty hunters at Whisky Peak. Miss Doublefinger also points out that Zoro was invited to be a part of Baroque Works a couple years back by Mr. 7, but Zoro also points out that he refused, because he only wanted to join if he could be the boss. Mr. 7, wanting to recruit Zoro by force, attacked him, which prompted Zoro to kill him. Zoro also points out that even if he was invited again, he would decline even if he could be the boss, now knowing how they operate.
As Zoro begins his battle with Mr. 1, Miss Doublefinger decides to go after Nami, who has already fled from the scene. Nami, in a secluded location, has a flashback when she asks Usopp to make her a modified weapon so she could be useful in a fight for Vivi's sake. Commenting that Alubarna isn't far away, Usopp says he will create a weapon for Nami, which prompts her to hug him out of joy, however he still required proper funds and materials. Nami promises to herself that she will stop running and start fighting, now that she has a weapon.
As she says this, she is suddenly stabbed in her shoulder through the wall she is hiding behind, the attacker revealed to be Miss Doublefinger, who has eaten the Toge Toge no Mi and became a spike human. Nami prepares to fight her, equipping her Clima-Tact, and claiming that it can manipulate the weather, much to the shock of Miss Doublefinger. Nami prepares to use an attack, only for doves to fly out of her staff instead. Angry, Nami curses Usopp under her breath. Saying that she has to believe in her friends, Nami reads the instructions and prepares for another attack, only for flowers to come out of her staff. As Nami slams her Clima-Tact to the ground, Miss Doublefinger shows sarcastic sympathy for her.
Chapter 191
Miss Doublefinger uses her Double Stinger attack on Nami, who is desperately trying to escape from her. Miss Doublefinger tells Nami that it's pointless, and that she should allow her to grant her a slow and painless death, unless Nami wants to continue with her "magic show". Resolving to keep trying her attacks to find one that actually works, Nami puts her bo-staff into a Y-shape and tries to use "Thunder Tempo", but a boxing glove appears out of it, which Miss Doublefinger easily smacks aside and cuts Nami on her cheek. Nami, thinking in her head that if she dies she will curse Usopp for creating a useless weapon, tries going through the instructions again, only to notice something. Miss Doublefinger is then seen standing upside down under a platform, using her spikes, and chases Nami into a building with her Stinger Hedgehog attack. Nami then intelligently uses her cloth to direct the pursuing Miss Doublefinger elsewhere while she escapes, prompting the Baroque Works agent to praise her, realizing she's not a complete novice at fighting.
Hiding behind a pile of crates, Nami goes over the instructions again, to find that the list of "attacks" she were using were only for parties and entertainment, and for the attacks effective in battle, she should flip to the other side. When Miss Doublefinger begins to look for Nami, Nami confronts her, proclaiming she should not be treated like a little girl. The basic directions of the combat-type of the Clima-Tact are shown, with each piece of the bo-staff able to shoot out special bubbles, the Heat Ball (for heating), Cool Ball (for cooling), and the Thunder Ball (for a small electrical shock). As Nami runs to escape Miss Doublefinger's Sewing Stinger, she tries to find something to effectively use. Miss Doublefinger catches up to Nami, piercing her in the leg. Before she can finish off Nami, Nami desperately throws her staff at Miss Doublefinger, using Cyclone Tempo, which, to the shock of both, creates a strong gust of wind that knocks Miss Doublefinger back into a pile of crates, while it flings itself back into Nami's hand. Nami figures out the basis of the attack, using Heat and Cool balls to create a strong air current, praising Usopp for creating an amazing weapon that he apparently doesn't seem to understand, calling the attack a party trick. Reading on, Nami finds the ultimate attack of the Clima-Tact, the Tornado Tempo, which any human could not get back up from, however Usopp explains that it is a hit-or-miss last resort technique. Back up, Miss Doublefinger stabs Nami through the head and chest, telling her not to look away while fighting.
To Miss Doublefinger's surprise, Nami "disappeared" and re-appeared right next to her, creating the Mirage Tempo with Cool Balls. Claiming she now fully understands the Clima-Tact, Nami shouts at Miss Doublefinger to surrender while she still can.
Chapter 192
Back at the south gate of Alubarna, Sanji meets up with Usopp and Chopper, returning Usopp's goggles back to him. Usopp thanks Sanji, but later gets back with him when he realizes they're broken, telling him they were the latest and expensive model from North Blue. Sanji notices the commotion the rebel army is causing, telling Usopp and Chopper to hurry to the palace so they could somehow assist Vivi. Back at the palace, members of the royal army realize that Crocodile is at the palace, making their way there to defend Vivi. However, Miss All-Sunday uses her powers to use Dieciseis Fleur, sprouting a number of hands outside the palace gate to prevent the royal army members from entering. Having defeated more members of the royal army, along with Vivi's father, the king, Crocodile sarcastically thanks Vivi for sacrificing her life, along with her pirate friends. Vivi asks Crocodile where Luffy is, and Crocodile replies to her that he is dead, however Vivi does not believe him. Crocodile comments that he has no intention of sparing Vivi or her father, saying that when a palace falls, the royal family should fall along with it. Crocodile asks Cobra where Pluton is, much to the shock of the royal king, wondering how Crocodile knows that name.
Meanwhile, Nami is still fighting with Miss Doublefinger, as the Baroque Works agent corners her against a wall. Telling Nami that she is playing around with a toy, Miss Doublefinger says that true weapons are made solely for the purpose of terminating Life as Nami escapes her attack. Nami tries to think of a way to create an opening so her ultimate attack would not miss, as Miss Doublefinger comments that a wool sweater could produce more electricity than her Thunder Ball. Nami, wishing to create more moisture in the air, tries to use a "Rain Tempo" attack, but she only manages to create small fountains. Wishing to end the fight, Miss Doublefinger attacks Nami with Sea Urchin Stinger, while Nami dodges, shooting out many Cool Balls. Nami then shoots out many Heat Balls, having some kind of plan in mind.
Miss Doublefinger then attacks Nami with Toge Toge Doping. Barely dodging the attack, Nami notices her plan worked, creating a (small) cloud in the air. Wanting to make it grow bigger, Nami shoots out even more Heat Balls and Cool Balls, and then one Thunder Ball at the cloud, creating the Thunderbolt Tempo, electrocuting Miss Doublefinger and severely injuring her. Enraged, Miss Doublefinger attacks Nami, however it is another mirage, and Nami tells Miss Doublefinger to watch out for tornadoes.
Chapter 193
Remembering Usopp's words, Nami begins to unleash her ultimate attack, but Miss Doublefinger points out Nami's leg injury, also attacking her with Sea Urchin Sting, but Nami barely blocks the attack, further injuring her leg. Nami comments that the amount of pain she is suffering is nothing compared to the amount of pain Vivi is going through. Nami finally unleashes her Tornado Tempo, but two plastic doves attached to wire come out of the Clima-Tact, much to Nami's shock and disappointment, thinking it was another toy. However, the doves and the wires attach to Miss Doublefinger and become tangled, spinning her at a rapid rate and forcing her many meters back with great force, knocking her through a building. The force also knocks Nami to the ground. With Miss Doublefinger defeated, Nami emerges as the victor.
Back at the palace of Alubarna, Crocodile explains that the ancient weapon of Pluton is strong enough to destroy an entire island without a trace, and its location is somewhere in the kingdom. With this weapon, Crocodile can establish the world's leading military power. While Vivi wonders if such a weapon is really in this country, Crocodile reveals his plan to bring all pirates under his rule and even surpass the government itself. Cobra questions why he knows that name, and he also questions if such a weapon is even located in this country. While Crocodile expected as much, he also mentions how the bulk of the royal army are in the city square, where there will be a massive explosion in 30 minutes: he has hidden a bomb with a blast diameter of 5 km. Calculating that the rebel army will make their way through by then, Crocodile sarcastically tells Vivi that her wish of stopping the conflict will come true, as both the rebel and royal army will be blown up. An enraged Vivi asks Crocodile just what her people have done to him, while Crocodile asks Cobra where the poneglyph is located. Cobra, having lost hope, agreed to guide Crocodile to it, but Chaka angrily tells Vivi he can no longer hold back his fury.
Meanwhile, in northern Alubarna, Zoro is in a heated battle with Mr. 1. Equipping his third sword, Zoro attacks with Santoryu: Ushi Bari, but Mr. 1 uses Spider to harden his body, emerging from the attack unscathed. Zoro deduces that Mr. 1's body is as hard as steel, and if Zoro cannot learn to cut through steel, then he cannot deal any damage. Zoro, removing his cloth, tells Mr. 1 he is unlucky, as he has been waiting for a chance to "ascend to the next level", and also mentions when he (Zoro) is done with him, he will be a man who can even cut through steel.
Chapter 194
On the streets of Alubarna, Mr. 1 tells Roronoa Zoro that since he acquired the Supa Supa no Mi, not a single swordsman has been able to harm even a single strand of his hair, and that Zoro cannot win. Zoro responds by saying that he was just giving him some things to take into consideration, and that while he does not know who he fought before, he will change that fact. Mr. 1 charges, saying that Zoro only has a big mouth. Zoro, calling him bald, blocks his leg slash with two of his swords. Both of them wonder how long their opponent can last, and Mr. 1 spins around, turns his hands into blades, and strikes at Zoro. Zoro successfully deflects a series of blows, and dodges a leg slash aimed at his head. Placing his third sword in his mouth, Zoro attacks Mr. 1 with Oni Giri, followed with Tora Gari, knocking Mr. 1 to the ground. However, the assassin simply stands up, having taken no damage whatsoever, and asks Zoro what he told him earlier. Zoro is surprised to see that there is not a scratch on him, and that he has not met anyone who took his attacks and could still stand. Mr. 1 says that this is because before this moment, Zoro had never met him.
Mr. 1 continues with a bladed kick that Zoro barely dodges. Zoro states that he gets it, and blocks the bladed underside of his leg with his sword. Zoro realizes that with Mr. 1's powers, he is able to make a blade anywhere on his body, essentially creating a body full of blades. Mr. 1 kicks at his head, but Zoro ducks and rolls to the side, dodging. Mr. 1 continues, attacking Zoro with his Sparkling Daisy attack, slicing open the building behind Zoro and sending him flying into the rubble. Lying bleeding under the rubble, Zoro says that he will have to train himself further, as that was too close to death. Wondering what he is lacking, Zoro remembers a conversation he had with his sword mentor, Koushirou. Zoro had asked if there were swordsmen could cut through steel, and after not cutting a piece of paper, Koushirou tells Zoro that a true sword protects what the swordsman wants it to protect and only cuts what he wants it to cut. Back to real time, Mr. 1 tells Zoro that Zoro has not cut him yet, and that he is waiting to be slashed. Zoro, telling Mr. 1 not to underestimate him, lifts a huge section of the building and throws it in the air at Mr. 1, saying that when he learns how to cut steel, it will be Mr. 1's end. Mr. 1 simply states that anything that comes towards him, he will simply destroy it.
Chapter 195
Starting off from where Zoro had thrown a building at Mr. 1, the swordsman is frustrated over his inability to understand his old master's words concerning a swordsman's ability to cut steel or not. Stubbornly, Zoro continues to believe that his method of pushing with all his strength is the key to cutting steel.
As Mr. 1 destroys the thrown building with Atomic Spar, Zoro leaps forward through the debris and meets Mr. 1 head on. Beginning with a series of quick strikes, the swordsman spins around and strikes the assassin's jaw. Returning with a kick, Mr. 1's attack is parried by Zoro who again moves to land a blow on his opponent's jaw and sending him backwards. A third blow to the head, Zoro lands his Three Sword Style: Gazami Dori technique which throws the assassin into the air.
Completely unharmed, each fighter comments on the other's tenacity. Mr. 1 then gives Zoro a warning, and that is to not think of him as a swordsman but as a proper assassin. Creating circular blades that run down his forearms and begin to spin at high speeds, the two clash again with sparks being created from the spinning blades striking Zoro's swords. Landing a devastating blow across Zoro's chest, the assassin does not stop as he proceeds to land a direct strike into Zoro's gut which launches the swordsman into a nearby pillar. Not giving up, Zoro attempts to get up again only for Mr. 1 to question his determination. Choosing to end it, the assassin delivers a direct Spar Break to the critically injured swordsman, also cutting apart the support pillar behind the man.
Believing him finished, Mr. 1 begins to walk away as the building above gives way without its support pillar; the debris seemingly falling right on top of Zoro. Against all odds however, the swordsman stands up again despite his grave injuries. Shocked at how he wasn't struck by any of the falling rocks, Zoro mentally responds that he did not dodge them all, but knew that none would hit him. Sensing one of his swords underneath a nearby stone, Zoro retrieves it and begins to notice the 'breathing' of the world around him, cutting a nearby tree branch, however the tree branch remained unscathed.
Finally understanding his old sensei's words; Zoro prepares to meet Mr. 1's final attack with one of his own, an One Sword Style technique. The assassin asks if one sword would be enough before charging ahead with Atomic Spurt, confident in his ability to finally kill Zoro. However using his new technique, One Sword Style Iai: Shishi Sonson, Zoro successfully cuts through Mr. 1's steel body for the first time and defeats the assassin.
One Piece, Volume 22
Chapter 196
At the palace of Alubarna, before Chaka could attack Crocodile, a number of mysterious figures appear to interrupt him, revealed to be the Tsumegeri Guards. Having gotten through the palace gates that were blocked by Miss All Sunday, the Tsumegeri Guards prepare to attack, respectfully ignoring Cobra's pleas to not attack Crocodile. Crocodile gives them one chance to retreat, however they ignore him, and Chaka notices strange marks on the Tsumegeri Guards, showing immediate concern. Miss All Sunday offers to fight them, however Crocodile declined. Cobra and Vivi also notice something "off" about the Tsumegeri Guards, and they realize they drank the Hero Water, special water that increases their power for a brief period of time, which will later kill them. Desperate to show Crocodile how much Arabasta has suffered, the Tsumegeri Guards attack him, however he evades by turning into sand. Mocking the Tsumegeri Guards, Crocodile sits behind and waits while they suffer from the fatal side effects of drinking the Hero Water.
Chaka, enraged, transforms and goes after Crocodile, who notices that he is a Zoan Devil Fruit eater. Chaka reveals he has eaten the Inu Inu no Mi, Model: Jackal, transforming into a jackal, and attacks Crocodile with Howling Fangs, however the Warlord evades again by turning into sand, commenting that Chaka is also the type to die for others.
Back at the northern area, Mr. 1, defeated by Zoro, expresses surprise that Zoro grew so much in a single fight. Mr. 1 asks if Zoro is going to start cutting through diamond next, and Zoro replies that would be a waste, while Mr. 1 faints. While Zoro wonders how the others are doing, he collapses, having lost too much blood. Sanji reflects back to Usopp complaining over being paired with Matsuge, who is a camel, and tells Usopp he only saves ladies when Usopp demanded Sanji to save them when they are in trouble. Back in real time, Sanji asks why Usopp was crying, and Usopp said that he was told by Miss Merry Christmas that Luffy was dead. Sanji, telling Usopp and Chopper not to believe that, informs them that getting to the palace is their top priority. Nami, managing to untangle the wires around an unconscious Miss Doublefinger from her Clima-Tact, realizes the rebels are reaching farther into the city, and begins to make her way to the palace to rendezvous with the others.
At the palace, Vivi, Cobra, and the royal army are concerned for Chaka, who was effortlessly defeated by Crocodile. While an unknown figure calls out for Vivi, a timer until the bomb explosion is revealed, showing there are 25 minutes left.
Chapter 197
The mysterious figure calling Vivi's name from the previous chapter is revealed to be Koza, who is shocked to see members of the royal army, including Chaka and Cobra, beaten and immobilized by Crocodile, the "country's hero". Crocodile and Miss All Sunday's words and presence make Koza realize the current situation, and asks Vivi who stole Arabasta's rain. Crocodile tells Koza it was him, and also mentions how amusing it was to have Koza, and the royal and rebel armies dancing on the palm of his hand. While Crocodile continues mocking Koza, Cobra tells Koza not to listen to him, and suggests to him to go out and try to prevent anymore needless bloodshed from happening. As Chaka tells Koza that Alubarna will be destroyed in less than half an hour, Koza hurries away from the palace, only to be stopped by Vivi. Vivi shouts at Koza that telling the rebels about the bomb would create too much confusion and the war would not stop and no one will be saved that way, prompting Crocodile to praise Vivi's judgment. While Vivi tells Koza to try and stop the rebellion, Crocodile steps forward, not wanting that to happen, and attacks Koza, however a greatly injured Chaka manages to block the attack. Chaka says that as long as he has breath in him, he will fight, and Crocodile mentions that was what stupidity is. As Chaka offers to hold back Crocodile, Koza has a flashback of training under Chaka as a child.
It is then announced that the rebels are making their way to the northern area and has almost reached the palace. Vivi and Koza yell to the confused royal army members to hold up white flags, signaling their surrender. Koza, wanting to stop the war altogether, also wishes to tell the rebel army that the entire fight was pointless. The rebels appear, only to realize the royal army, including Koza, are waving white flags. Koza attempts to tell the rebels the fight is over, however he is shot from behind by a few royal army members, shown to be Baroque Works members incognito. Thinking the royal army is rebelling, the rebels begin to attack.
Chapter 198
As Koza has been shot by Baroque Works members disguised as royal army members, a member of the royal army confronts them, not knowing they are spies, and demands to know why they shot Koza. Crocodile then creates sand in between the royal army and rebel army, obscuring both sides' eyesight. More royal army members are shot, revealing that Baroque Works members infiltrated both sides to make sure they continue fighting. Ignoring Vivi's and Koza's pleas to stop fighting, the rebel and royal army engage each other yet again. Miss All Sunday praises Vivi's determination, however she comments that Vivi's voice cannot reach them now. Vivi declines Cobra's demand to escape from Crocodile, confronting the Warlord and telling him that she still can save lives if she prevents the explosion 15 minutes from now. Grabbing Vivi's throat, Crocodile mocks her, saying that idealism can only be brought to realize by people with the ability to physically make it happen. Crocodile criticizes Vivi's decision of not telling the rebels about the explosion in 15 minutes, commenting that even though there would be panic, she would at least be able to save a few thousand lives. Crocodile then praises Vivi's hard work the past 2 years by spying on his organization from the inside, however he boldly tells her that she cannot save this country.
As he drops her off the palace wall, a flying figure arrives, much to the shock of Crocodile, who notices Luffy riding on top of the flying figure, having survived the previous confrontation. While Luffy yells out Crocodile's name in anger, Crocodile shows visible annoyance that Luffy has returned, while Vivi is relieved.
Chapter 199
Luffy and Pell manage to catch Vivi in the air, who was falling to her death. Vivi tearfully tells Luffy that the main regiment soldiers were beaten, the central square will be blown up, and that she cannot save her country, while Luffy comforts her, telling her that her voice reached them just fine. Zoro and Nami, both injured from their fights, are seen running toward the plaza, Zoro carrying Nami despite his more serious injuries. Landing in front of the palace, Pell tells Luffy to be careful, and Luffy replies that he won't lose anymore, after eating a ton of meat and his blood is surging. Usopp, Chopper, Sanji, Zoro and Nami, all noticing that Luffy has returned, all arrive at the front of the palace, while Vivi expresses relief that they are all okay. Nami knocks Usopp to the ground for giving her so much trouble, asking him why would she think she would want a "toy for parties". Usopp tells Chopper to bury his body in the wilderness, while Sanji confronts Zoro for letting Nami get injured. Luffy, apologizing to his crew for losing, tells them that it's time to change everything, pulling himself to the palace rooftop to confront Crocodile.
As Crocodile reminds Luffy that he cannot be touched, Luffy manages to land a punch on the Warlord, knocking a surprised Crocodile back while Luffy grabs him and uses Gomu Gomu no Buzzsaw. Cobra is surprised that Luffy could hit Crocodile when so many others couldn't, while Miss All Sunday is shown to be visibly impressed. Crocodile then realizes how Luffy is able to touch him, pointing out that the giant barrel Luffy is carrying on his back is full of water. Luffy recalls that in their first confrontation, he was able to grab Crocodile's arm when it was covered with water, and deduces that due to water being Crocodile's weakness, that is the reason why he stole Arabasta's rain. Squirting more water onto his fists, Luffy prepares to fight, telling Crocodile their fight is only just beginning.
Chapter 200
In Alubarna, Usopp is asked to find the shooter that will set off the bomb to blow up the city. Usopp states that since the bomb will produce a five kilometer blast radius, the shooter must be about 2.5 kilometers away. However, Vivi states that the shooters could be very close, as Crocodile would be the kind of person to kill his own comrades. Zoro and Sanji react in surprise, but suddenly notice and knock out a Baroque Works soldier trying to attack Vivi, stunning the group. Looking up, they see a large group of Baroque Works soldiers who say that if they kill Princess Vivi, they will earn a promotion. Sanji asks Zoro how much time he plans on taking, and Zoro states that they have to make every second count. Turning back to the soldiers, they state "two seconds" and begin their attack. Chopper, Usopp, Nami, Pell, and Vivi escape, looking to find somewhere safe. With the soldiers taken care of, Zoro and Sanji leave too, as Vivi wonders if they will be able to make it with only ten minutes left.
At the palace, Crocodile asks Luffy if he wants to defeat him, and Luffy answers with a yes. Crocodile says that even though Luffy was in danger, he could still see through his ability, but due to his age, Luffy thinks that with the knowledge, he will be able to defeat Crocodile. Crocodile says that this is wrong, and that he is one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, prompting Luffy to say he is the eighth god. Nefertari Cobra is surprised to see Luffy, and Miss All Sunday tells him that Luffy is a pirate and that Luffy will be able to live a little longer. Cobra states that Luffy is the one who brought Vivi to Arabasta, and Luffy launches a punch aimed at Crocodile's head. However, Crocodile easily dodges and grabs Luffy's arm, aiming to suck it dry with his powers. Luffy, having forgotten, kicks at Crocodile's head but misses and flies by. He drinks some more water and pours it over his head, saying that Crocodile had said that a Devil Fruit becomes stronger if it is used in different ways. Luffy then punches again, but strums his arm, making it appear as several punches at once, using Gomu Gomu no Shotgun. Crocodile attacks with Desert Spada, destroying part of the palace, but Luffy dodges and punches at Crocodile again.
Crocodile says that Luffy always uses the same technique, but this time, Luffy runs at Crocodile and smacks him in the face, saying that he is totally confident. Crocodile falls, and Luffy tries to soak the Warlord by throwing the whole water barrel at him; however, Crocodile uses Sables to create a sandstorm that nearly blows Luffy away. Luffy barely manages to save the water barrel, and Crocodile laughs at him, saying that Luffy is really getting into the fight. Crocodile continues, saying the fight is no different, because if Luffy loses the water barrel then he is out of tricks. Luffy then states that he is different from last time, and drinks all the water, causing Crocodile to wonder if he is serious. However, he springs a leak, causing Miss All Sunday to laugh and causing Crocodile to wonder if he understands the situation. Crocodile yells at Luffy, asking him if he is joking, but Luffy spits water on him before hitting Crocodile with a Gomu Gomu no Bazooka, saying he is always serious.
Chapter 201
With Luffy turning into Mizu Luffy, he attacks Crocodile with more success this time. Cobra is surprised to see how Luffy could hit and attack Crocodile but Miss All Sunday states that it is not the time for him to appreciate it and that he must hurry and take her to the poneglyph. Cobra asks to what reason does she have to see the poneglyph but Robin answers that it does not matter to him. Crocodile yells out Nico Robin's name to hurry up if she does not want to get dry too, shocking Cobra upon hearing her name.
An enraged Crocodile turns the grass and trees yellow and dries the entire ground, making big cracks. Luffy, nearly falling on one, fires a "water gun" attack but Crocodile easily absorbs it with his right hand and states that Water Luffy has not taken away his ability and that his right hand can absorb moisture without limits, thus, turning everything back into sand using Ground Secco while touching the ground.
Meanwhile, Miss All Sunday, taking Cobra as hostage, encounters the Marines with Tashigi leading. Miss All Sunday orders them to get out of her way but the Marines tell her that it is hard to obey that with what happened in Alubarna. Miss All Sunday then retaliates that as long as they are "government dogs", she hates them, and that "if you guys do not get out the way.." But was interrupted by Tashigi saying they have no meaning to do so. Miss All Sunday states then that she has to kill them but Cobra yells to the Marines that they must stop and not to worry about him, he then reveals to them about the bomb which will go off at 4:30 which is only seven minutes away. Tashigi then assures him that they will save him and stop her but Miss All Sunday attacks the Marines using her powers. A Marine, seeing her Devil Fruit power, realizes that she is Nico Robin, the 8-yr old girl from 20 years ago who sank 6 marine ships and had a bounty of 79,000,000 but suddenly disappeared. An angered Miss All Sunday yells at them if they want to live or die. Tashigi then thinks that because of her ability, even with a difference in number, they still cannot do a thing to her, so she orders a sergeant to get everyone to the palace ground and stop the bomb. With Tashigi alone, she is still overwhelmed by Miss All Sunday, who easily takes Tashigi's Shigure sword and points directly at her throat.
Back at the palace, Luffy is hanging to a rail, while under him is the palace's lawn turned into a desert. Luffy looks for Crocodile, who then suddenly appears before him and grabs his neck. Luffy fires a water gun attack but Crocodile dodges it and completely dehydrates him, stating that Luffy has lost again.
Chapter 202
Having defeated Luffy for the second time, Crocodile drops the dehydrated Straw Hat captain, telling him to rest easy as the bomb will explode in 6 minutes. As Crocodile prepares to head to the royal crypt, where the poneglyph is located, the shots of water Luffy fired from earlier fall back down and land on him, re-hydrating him and saving his life. Revitalized, Luffy begins to chase after Crocodile. At the western part of Alubarna, Cobra leads Miss All Sunday down a hidden staircase, which leads to the poneglyph in an underground chamber. Cobra asks Miss All Sunday if she could decipher poneglyphs, and Miss All Sunday replies that she could, which is the reason why Crocodile partnered up with her and avoids killing her. Miss All Sunday asks Cobra if the poneglyph showed the location of Pluton, while Cobra replies that he doesn't know, telling her that it has been the duty of the royal family of Arabasta to protect the poneglyph for generations. They both end up locating the poneglyph deep in the underground chamber.
Back on the surface, Usopp is seen imitating Crocodile, while Zoro hits him, asking him what the hell he is doing. Usopp explains that he is trying to step in Crocodile's shoes to help him figure out where he hid the bomb, while Zoro tells him to shut up and keep searching as they only got 5 minutes left. Nami asks Chopper if he could sniff out the bomb with his nose, while Chopper replies he couldn't, as the entire town smells like gunpowder. Nami suggests that Chopper try to pick out the scent of a bomb aiming to destroy the central square, prompting Chopper to ask her what kind of scent that is. Sanji deduces that due to the bomb's blast diameter of 5 km, the cannon would be very close to the palace square as it would have low accuracy, and begins to kick his way through buildings as he has no time to run around them all. Vivi asks Pell if he could find the bomb on the city rooftops, while Pell says that he couldn't.
Tashigi, grounded and beaten, grabs her sword as she is confronted by Luffy, who asks her which way Crocodile went. Tashigi hesitates, recalling Crocodile confronting her after she was defeated by Miss All Sunday. Crocodile teases her, telling her that the weak cannot upload justice, also telling her to run back to base to discuss justice as much as she wants there. Obviously offended by his words, Tashigi continues to hesitate, but then points the direction he went to, as Luffy hurries towards that direction. Upset, Tashigi bangs her head on the ground, telling herself that the ideals of "justice" and "Marine HQ" are a joke.
Luffy, running towards the royal crypt, suddenly collapses due to his injuries. Despite having eaten so much meat, Luffy tries to get back up, but realizes he is a bit tired, and suddenly falls unconscious on the ground. Crocodile notices the hidden staircase as Miss All Sunday tries to read the poneglyph. It is revealed that as the Straw Hat Pirates desperately search for the cannon, the bomb will explode in 4 minutes.
Chapter 203
As Miss All Sunday reads through the poneglyph, she shows frustration that just this is everything this country is hiding. Crocodile then arrives, praising the fact the poneglyph was well hidden. Crocodile tells Miss All Sunday to read the poneglyph aloud, which she does, reading aloud many facts about Arabasta's history. Crocodile interrupts her, telling her he is disinterested in the country's history and he only wants to know where the location of Pluton is. Miss All Sunday tells Crocodile that there is no mention of Pluton on the poneglyph, much to the Warlord's disappointment, however he mentions that he will now dispose of Miss All Sunday, telling her she was more than a capable partner.
Crocodile comments that their 4-year arrangement has ended, as she had led him to the poneglyph as promised, saying she has been an incredibly useful woman whose contributions to Baroque Works are invaluable. As Crocodile tells Miss All Sunday she failed him for not giving him any information on Pluton, he attacks her, which she barely dodges. Miss All Sunday, revealing she was waiting for Crocodile to resort to this, pulls out a container of water from her coat, fully aware of his weakness. Before she could pour the water on Crocodile, he turns into sand and dodges, appearing behind Miss All Sunday and impaling her with his hook. As Miss All Sunday falls to the ground injured, Crocodile tells her he forgives her, stating he never trusted anyone from the beginning.
Crocodile states he is aware that Pluton exists due to Cobra's reaction upon him mentioning the name, realizing he can find it without needing the poneglyphs. There is a rumble in the underground chamber, as Crocodile comments it is too soon for the bomb to explode. Cobra reveals he moved a small pillar to prepare to bring the entire chamber down, wishing to take Crocodile down along with himself. Crocodile, praising his motives, tells him that he can escape due to his Devil Fruit powers, and begins to laugh over the fact that in 3 minutes all his problems will be dealt with and he can take over Arabasta.
Back on the surface, Vivi trips and falls while she desperately runs around to search for the cannon. Ignoring her leg injury, she tries to think of where the bomb would be with 2 minutes left. As Usopp is hit by a stray bullet from a royal army member, he retaliates with his Smoke Star while Vivi manages to figure out where the cannon is located. Usopp, trusting her judgment, fires his Red Snake Star, which appears as a red flare to alert the other Straw Hats to their location. Luffy wakes up, having taken a short nap, and finds the hidden staircase, knowing he is close to Crocodile.
Chapter 204
Luffy enters the basement and continues to look for Crocodile. He dodges the falling pillars, pointing out that the whole chamber is falling apart. Meanwhile, Vivi assures Usopp that the bomb is in the clock tower. Usopp writes a note for everyone else while Vivi goes ahead of him. Baroque Works find Vivi by Usopp's signal. Zoro, Sanji, Nami, and Chopper head to the signal. Usopp scratches a blackboard with his fingernails, using Usopp Noise, to make a high noise that hurts everyone's ears near him. He then grabs Vivi's hand and runs away, but Baroque Works chase after them.
Luffy finally confronts Crocodile. Crocodile, angry about Luffy still being alive, asks how many times does he have to kill Luffy until he is satisfied. Luffy replies that he had taken something from him, the country. He has flashbacks of Vivi. He goes and kicks Crocodile's face, Crocodile gets up and becomes angry. Luffy screams Crocodile's name and punches him in the face. As Crocodile wonders how Luffy can still touch him even without water, he realizes that Luffy is using the blood on his hands, which is just as effective. Luffy kicks Crocodile in the stomach. Crocodile takes the upper part of his hook to reveal a poisonous hook. Luffy and Crocodile get into fighting positions and start their third and last fight, surrounded by falling rubble.
Meanwhile, the Marines spot Zoro running. As Zoro prepares to fight them, the Marines yell at Zoro that he is going the wrong way, and they tell him to go north to reach the clock tower. More Marines defeat Baroque Works, Vivi tells Usopp to hurry but he is confused. Tashigi is among the Marines and tells Vivi and Usopp that they will protect them and to hurry to stop the explosion from happening.
Chapter 205
As members of the rebel army and royal army continue their fighting, Vivi grows distracted while running towards the clock tower. Usopp, relieved the Marines are helping them, tells Vivi not to look or think about the fighting and just concentrate on stopping the explosion. With a minute and a half left, Usopp and Vivi reach the clock tower, meeting up with Nami and Chopper. Vivi then tells them the bomb is located at the absolute top of the tower. Pell flies around, trying to find the location of the smoke flare Usopp sent earlier, but he is suddenly shot in the air. A mysterious figure points out that they shot down Pell with their "Ribbit Ribbit Gun".
In the underground chamber, Luffy continues his battle with Crocodile, dodging the Warlord's poisoned hook attack. Luffy lunges forward, preparing to use Gomu Gomu no Bullet, but he stops himself as Crocodile extends his right arm, knowing that if Crocodile manages to grab him, he will become instantly mummified again. Luffy begins to struggle trying to land attacks while avoiding Crocodile's right hand and his poison hook. Luffy attacks again, but he is struck by Crocodile's poison hook. Knocked back by a kick from Luffy, Crocodile comments that it is now over, as his poison will spread all throughout Luffy's body. Luffy then tells the Warlord that he doesn't understand a single thing.
Back at the clock tower, Vivi tries to search for Pell, planning to use his ability to fly to reach the top of the tower. Nami and Usopp point out that they are forced to use the stairs as they have one minute left, as Sanji suddenly appears on a high floor of the building, waving down at the others. Zoro also appears, at an even higher floor, his explanation being that the Marines told him to go north, which he mistook as "up". Vivi begins to lose hope, as she points out that the clock tower can only be reached by a secret staircase, any forcefully entering would probably trigger the explosion prematurely. Nami stops Vivi from going to the stairs, stating she has a plan. The Straw Hats notice two figures standing by the bomb in the clock tower, revealed to be Mr. 7 and Miss Father's Day, the latter responsible for shooting Pell out of the air. There are 30 seconds left until the bomb explodes.
One Piece, Volume 23
Chapter 206
Members of Baroque Works disguised as the rebel army confront the Marines, asking them if they would really attack innocent civilians getting caught into the battle. Tashigi cuts him off, cutting him down, then telling the Marines to use their own senses to identify the enemies. Tashigi then notices that there is hardly any time left before 4:30. At the clock tower, Mr. 7 and Miss Father's Day wonder if they will be promoted if they succeed in their mission. With time running out, Mr. 7 prepares to light the fuse to the cannon holding the bomb.
In the underground chamber, Crocodile wonders why Luffy can keep on fighting despite the odds, as Luffy continues to relentlessly attack the Warlord. Luffy uses Gomu Gomu no Gatling, which Crocodile manages to dodge with high speed. Crocodile mentions that Luffy is growing numb from the poison, also mentioning that win or lose, Luffy will be buried under rubble, calling it a miracle that Luffy can still stand after 2 prior fights with him and taking a ridiculous amount of damage.
Back at the clock tower, Mr. 7 prepares to light the fuse to the bomb, with 15 seconds left. Nami begins to go through with her plan, calculating something while Chopper, in his Walk Point, stands on top of Usopp, with Vivi sitting on top of Chopper. Miss Father's Day tells Mr. 7 she wishes to do a countdown, with 13 seconds left. Nami uses Cyclone Tempo, aiming for Usopp's crotch, prompting him to propel himself along with Chopper and Vivi high into the air, to Sanji's location. Chopper, carrying Vivi with him, then jump on Sanji's leg, who launches them even higher to Zoro's location. Zoro prepares to launch Vivi and Chopper using his swords, while he warns Vivi that two weirdos are up there with the bomb. There are 10 seconds left. Before Zoro could launch, Mr. 7 and Miss Father's Day notice the Straw Hats, preparing to fire at them while they are stuck airborne.
Meanwhile at the chamber, Crocodile yells at Luffy that he could have avoided all of this if he had just abandoned a couple friends, and Luffy yells back saying that because Vivi is his friend, he doesn't want her to die, arguing that as long as Vivi doesn't give up on her country, he and his crew won't stop fighting either, even if they die.
With 7 seconds left, Zoro plans to launch Chopper and Vivi towards the bomb, as Mr. 7 and Miss Father's Day aim their guns at them, telling Chopper it is up to him.
Chapter 207
Luffy ends up collapsing due to his injuries and the poison circulating through his body, while Crocodile mocks him. Crocodile then tells him that if he (Luffy) cannot defeat him, then everything Luffy has been through up until now will have been for naught. Crocodile then criticizes Luffy, calling him a small-time pirate who had just starting sailing, and mocks him even further.
At the clock tower, Zoro launches Chopper and Vivi upwards, as Mr. 7 and Miss Father's Day fire their weapons at Zoro, further injuring the swordsman. Chopper is shown in his Heavy Point, having thrown Vivi toward the tower with all his might, and transforms back to his Brain Point to dodge Mr. 7 and Miss Father's Day's attack in the air. With 3 seconds left, Vivi, flying towards the Baroque Works agents, uses her Kujakki String Slasher Runback to evade the sniping duo's attack and knock them out of the clock tower.
With one second left, Vivi desperately tries to put out the fuse, while Crocodile shouts out that it's over. While awaiting the fate of Alubarna, a flashback is shown of several children asking a young Vivi to play with them. A royal army member asks Chaka to do something about the kids, while Pell tells Vivi to have fun as she heads out for a secret base. Later, Chaka asks Pell where Vivi has gone, only for Pell to reply that it's a secret. Chaka, however, realizes she headed for the clock tower, commenting that the weather is nice.
Back in real time, Usopp asks if they were successful in stopping the explosion, as the rebels and royals continue fighting. It was revealed that Vivi managed to cut the fuse with her Peacock Slashers just in the nick of time. However, a ticking sound can still be heard, and Crocodile explains to Cobra that a plan is something that covers all possible scenarios, revealing that the bomb is actually a timer to explode on its own (with the difference amounting to several seconds), Crocodile having set this up just in case something went wrong with the manual fuse. Vivi, confirming this, relays this information to the perplexed Straw Hat Pirates.
Chapter 208
As Vivi watches the ticking bomb, she remembers Crocodile's words, calling her idealism unbearable and sickening, and that no matter what she does she cannot save this country. The Straw Hats realize that the ticking bomb will still destroy most of Alubarna with 5 km blast diameter, and they begin to panic. Vivi, furious at Crocodile for constantly making people look like fools, starts to cry in anguish, as someone is seen standing behind her.
At the underground chamber, Luffy stands back up, claiming that Crocodile can't beat him. Crocodile remarks that Luffy is on the verge of death, and his words at this point are all bark and no bite. While Luffy yells out that he will become the Pirate King, Crocodile attacks him with his hook, which Luffy dodges and uses his leg to divert the attack to the ground, breaking the hook. Luffy then says he will surpass Crocodile.
The man standing behind Vivi is revealed to be Pell, who calmly remembers Vivi's childhood and the Sand-Sand Clan while Vivi desperately tries to tell him about the ticking bomb. In a flashback, Pell angrily slaps a young Vivi, asking her why she is in a dangerous place, also asking her what would he do if she had been seriously hurt. Vivi is then shown riding on top of Pell in his Falcon form, even though the king has forbidden this. Vivi asks why Pell trains, and Pell responds by needing to get stronger to protect what needs to be protected. Back in real time, Pell mentions to Vivi that protecting the Nefertari household is considered to be his proudest honor.
Pell then transforms into a falcon and uses his talons to grab the bomb, flying high in the air, much to the shock of Vivi and the Straw Hats watching him. As Pell says to himself that he is the guardian of Arabasta that vanquishes all enemies of the royal household, he flies higher and higher into the air, when the bomb finally explodes, letting off a tremendous explosion, however Alubarna remained unharmed.
Chapter 209
Even from the great height above Alubarna, the bomb's blast radius reaches the fighting armies below and blows most off of their feet; including Tashigi and Usopp. Shocked, Vivi and the Straw Hat Pirates are the only ones to witness Pell's sacrifice to save the country.
However, it is not long before Usopp and Chopper notice the rebels and royal army standing up again only to continue the now pointless war. Tashigi tries to intervene in the fight, only for a nearby marine to pull her aside from the dangerous battle. Calling from above, Vivi yells for the armies to stop fighting over and over again, however her voice fails to reach the soldiers fighting below. Touched by her words, Nami pleads with her crewmates to help stop the fighting and save anyone they can as Vivi continues to shout from above.
Back inside the Tomb of the Kings, Luffy and Crocodile continue their battle. Despite his normally intangible body, Crocodile is still being struck by Luffy who continues to exploit his Devil Fruit's weakness. Landing a volley of devastating blows, Crocodile is left bewildered as to where Luffy continues to draw his strength from as the poison inside his body should already be working. Thinking back to the Straw Hat Pirates' progress over Arabasta and his organization's inability to stop them, the rogue Warlord becomes enraged and reveals a secondary knife from his prosthetic. Asking the rookie before him if he even knew who he was fighting, Luffy responds by saying he does not care, and that he will surpass him.
Kicking Crocodile into the air, the powerful pirate attacks below with Sables: Pesado which creates a large shock wave upon impact. Enduring the attack, Luffy inflates himself and twists around, blowing all the air downwards to launch himself into the air with great momentum and spin. The two then launch their final techniques, only for Luffy's Gomu Gomu no Storm to overpower and breakthrough Crocodile's Desert la Spada. Beating the veteran pirate through bedrock and out into the sky over the plaza, Luffy falls into the tomb; finally defeating Crocodile.
Chapter 210
Luffy's final attack sends Crocodile smashing through the roof of the mausoleum, through solid bedrock, and into the air, knocking over several buildings in the process. Meanwhile, the war is still going with the Straw Hat Pirates still fighting. Sanji sees that Crocodile is sent flying through the sky and tells the others to look as well. Vivi sees Crocodile still flying from Luffy's attack. At that moment, she thinks back to the time where Luffy remarks that he will defeat Crocodile and that all he needed to do was blast him off. Back at the catacombs, Luffy starts to fall down following his attack finishing attack on Crocodile. Cobra is astonished and looks in awe wondering how it was possible for Luffy to do such a thing through so many layers of rock. Back at the surface, Straw Hats rejoice over Luffy's victory over the Warlord. Meanwhile, Vivi tries to end the war. She yells as loud as she can for everyone to stop the bloodshed since there are no more enemies, but no one listens to her. Suddenly, it begins to rain out of the blue, and the fighting slowly comes to a halt. Tashigi is also surprised by the rain and notices that people are starting to stop fighting. Afterwards, both Luffy and Crocodile crash into the ground at the same time. At the catacombs, Cobra asks Luffy is he is alright. On the surface, Vivi once again urges for the people to stop fighting. This time, with the help of the rain, the people start listening to her and the war finally comes to an end with Vivi saying that the nightmares have ended. The catacombs begin to collapse, unable to withstand Luffy's fury at Crocodile. As a result of the fight and poisoning he got from his fight with Crocodile, Luffy is unable to move and is very weak. Cobra goes over to Luffy and thanks him for saving his country, to which Luffy replies that it was no problem. Afterwards, more of the catacombs begin to crumble.
Chapter 211
While the rains continues to fall, and despite Vivi's words, the two armies still continue to distrust each other. However the princess receive helps from 2 of her friends she thought dead. Chaka appears in front of the royal army and order them to stop while on the rebel's side Igaram, carrying a wounded Kappa, reveals them that the King, who started the up rise by killing innocent people, was a fake. After the truth is revealed, all the weapons are put down and peace finally comes to Arabasta.
Vivi, relieved that Igaram is alive, runs down from the tower searching after her Straw Hats friends, but they have left, searching after their captain. They found him unconscious carried on the back of a beard man. When they are finally rejoined by Vivi, she reveals them that the beard man is none other than her father, the king of Arabasta, who explained to them what happened in the Royal Tomb. The Straw Hat Pirates then ask Vivi and her father to hurry to the place so that they can conclude formally the battle, when asked to come with her, they decline as being pirates, they can not be given honor.
Once alone, everyone collapses for a well deserved rest.
Meanwhile, Tashigi the Marines finds the unconscious Crocodile and arrest him, and revoke his title of Warlord, for his betrayal against the government, meanwhile, the rest of the unconscious Baroque Works agents are shown, and presumably arrested, with the excption of Mr. 2. While Cobra reassures his people by forgiving the rebels and asking everyone to help him rebuild their country. Arabasta's sorrow has finally ended.
Chapter 212
Rain has finally once again fallen over Arabasta after three years. Aboard a Baroque Works ship in south Alubarna, Smoker is berating a colleague for suggesting that he used the Dance Powder, stating he knows well the difference between right and wrong. Changing the subject, the colleague is introduced as Marine Captain "Black Cage" Hina. She is annoyed with Smoker for using some of her best troops to search a ship, which Smoker reports was for the sake of a fellow marine. Hina calls Smoker out on this further, stating that he's always treated Tashigi a little differently. Smoker ignores this, asking Hina to take the Baroque Works ship back to Marine Headquarters along with Crocodile. Hina asks what gives him the right to order her around, and Smoker responds by having her call a coin toss in the air. Losing, she becomes even more annoyed with Smoker and tells him that he never changes.
Back in town, Tashigi has ordered her subordinates not to lay a hand on the unconscious Straw Hats, much to their frustration. Vivi sees Koza being carried away for medical attention, and comes to his side to inquire about his wounds. She asks him not to die, as his father is still waiting for him back in Yuba. Amused at how much Vivi has always cared for others, he assures her that he also inherited his father's stubborn life force, and he will be just fine. He then promises he will go back to him when his wounds are healed. The country continues to rejoice in the rainfall; even the kung-fu dugongs are celebrating. Toto is shown as well, wondering if his son could see it.
In the Royal Palace, the Straw Hats are all fast asleep and recovering while Vivi watches the rainfall from the window. Igaram eventually joins her, tucking the Straw Hats in as they reflect on the day's events. The next day, Tashigi arrives at Alubarna's eastern port to rendezvous with Smoker and Hina. She is visibly upset at her role (or lack thereof) in Crocodile's defeat, and apologizes to Smoker for not only helping the pirates but also allowing them to escape. Smoker isn't accepting of her apology, asking her if she pursued her own justice like he instructed. She laments that helping from the back was the only thing that she was capable of doing, and that such is not her justice. Smoker tries to further appease her feelings of inadequacy, but she blows it off and tearfully walks away. This pushes Smoker to his boiling point, and he yells at Tashigi to do something about it other than crying. He implores her to try getting stronger then, to which she clinches her sword and tearfully vows that she will.
Smoker instructs the marines to bring Crocodile aboard the ship, as they inform him that a call is coming in from a Marine base. The person on the other line informs Smoker that he and Tashigi will be receiving medals and promotions for their defeat of Crocodile. In a fit of rage, Smoker cuts him off and tells him that it was the Straw Hats that were responsible for the downfall of Baroque Works and Crocodile, not them. Hina tries to reason with Smoker that resistance is pointless, as the World Government has decided to try and cover up the pirates' role in Arabasta's liberation. Smoker angrily replies that the cover-up is precisely why Tashigi is crying right now. He then yells at the marine correspondent on the other line to tell the high-ranking officials responsible for this to "go eat shit", and that this is "real" justice.
Chapter 213
Chopper has awoken from his rest and taken medical care of the Straw Hat Pirates, much to the astonishment of one of the Royal Palace's doctors. He praises Chopper further after Nefertari Vivi mentions that he hails from Drum Kingdom (known for their doctors), stating that after 40 years as a doctor, he has seen nothing like it. Chopper handles the praise in vintage fashion by humbly accepting it but yelling at them to stop at the same time, even pulling up a chair for the doctor to sit next to him. Vivi looks on with a smile as she continues to assist.
The people of the city have begun to rebuild after the war. Sanji and Usopp walk the streets, restocking on necessary supplies, as Usopp comments on how strong the people are. As they reach the area of town decimated by the encounter between Commodore Smoker, Portgas D. Ace, and Monkey D. Luffy, Sanji notices something.
In another area, Zoro has already started training again. He believes that he cannot consider himself stronger if he cannot draw upon the power he used to defeat Mr. 1 at will. Nami is browsing Nefertari Cobra's personal book collection, as he is letting her keep all of them. At the entrance to the palace, Chaka is arguing with the Marines over harboring pirates, ironically just as Sanji and Usopp are returning. He asks them if they've gotten everything they need, and then comically returns to arguing with the Marines, asking if they can prove the pirates are actually there. Sanji and Usopp comment that it's going to get really loud when "he" wakes up.
Sure enough, Luffy awakens in a roar, wondering where his hat and breakfast are. Vivi commends Luffy for his high spirits, and he tells her that he is like this all the time. However, Nami reminds him of just how serious his condition was, and he thanks them for their care. Just as he does, Zoro returns from his training, inciting Chopper's anger. Zoro tries to brush off the medical risk as his own problem, to which Chopper asserts his position as the ship's doctor, reminding him that he said not to take off his bandages. Zoro retorts that the bandages make it hard to move, and Chopper angrily replies that the bandages are there so he doesn't move. Luffy is incredibly shocked to find out that he'd slept for 3 whole days, equating this to 15 meals (5 a day, as Usopp points out). Vivi assures Luffy that she's had dinner prepared, and as she does, Igaram's wife, Terracotta, enters to confirm that dinner will be ready in half an hour. However, her striking resemblance to Igaram himself confuses both Luffy and Zoro, causing the latter to actually ask her if she's a cross-dresser. After Vivi clarifies that she is the palace's Head Servant, Terracotta continues on to explain that she has heard that Luffy eats a lot before dinner and provides him with fruit in the meantime. Luffy warns her of his appetite, but she assures Luffy that she has worked at the palace for 30 years and will not disappoint.
At the dinner in the Royal Palace, Luffy has consumed his food so fast that the servers are struggling to keep up, and he has actually begun eating everyone else's food. This, in turn, causes them to try to eat their own food faster, and chaos ensues. Usopp gets Luffy to eat an extremely hot pepper and laughs at his anguish, but when Matsuge joins in, he wonders how the camel got there. While the palace guards are visibly annoyed by the unprecedented commotion at the dinner table, they are pleased to see Princess Vivi enjoying herself after all that she has been through. The antics eventually win them over as well, and they too join the laughter and happiness the occasion brings.
The crew enters the bathhouses (separated by gender) afterwards. Luffy and Usopp fall and hit their heads, trying to see who can get to the bath first. As Zoro helps bathe Chopper, Luffy and Usopp pretend to spar with each other, apparently in an attempt to mock Zoro. However, Zoro notices that they are completely naked as they're doing this and asks what they're doing. Sanji asks Igaram where the girl's baths are. Igaram is infuriated, and he refuses to answer the question, but Cobra tells them anyway, prompting more anger from him. Nami and Vivi are bathing together, and as they switch to each other's backs, they catch the guys, except Zoro, peeping over the wall. Vivi is appalled, but Nami isn't surprised in the least, even charging them all 100,000 a piece.
As Nami and Vivi continue their bath, Nami tells her that they are thinking of leaving Arabasta that night. Now that Luffy has fully recovered, they no longer have a reason to stay. Furthermore, the Marines are guarding the coast, and the Going Merry will be in danger. On Cobra's side, he thanks the crew for their help with the country (though the guys initially think it's for the peeping). Cobra then bows before the Straw Hats to thank them again, much to their shock. Igaram tells Cobra that he should not bow as a king, but Cobra tells him that status exists with their clothing, and as naked men in the bath, there is no king. Cobra clarifies that he is thanking the crew as a father, with a citizen's heart.
As the Straw Hats regroup in their room later, they discuss leaving that night. The decision is given to Luffy, but he says that they should have another meal in Arabasta before they go, earning him a beatdown from the crew. In another room, Chaka and Igaram are discussing an extremely important turn of events as bounty posters sit on the table. These posters are revealed to be Luffy and Zoro's: Luffy's bounty has increased to 100 million, while Zoro has gained his first, of 60 million. Igaram wonders if there is any escape for Luffy after having defeated one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea.
Chapter 214
Igaram walks in the room to find the Straw Hat Pirates had already left. He asks Vivi why, and she simply replies that they are pirates. Jango and Fullbody are seen dancing after capturing an enemy ship. Hina is talking to a marine about getting ready to capture the Straw Hat Pirates. However, the marine reports that their ship is missing.
Luffy, and his crew are now riding in the desert, on the Super Spot-Billed Duck Troops. Nami is concerned, and the crew asks her if it is about Vivi. However, Nami replies that she forgot to ask Vivi for their payment.
Igaram is worried about the Straw Hat Pirates, due to their new bounties. But Vivi reassures Igaram, saying that it's useless as the pirates would only celebrate at becoming even more infamous. Vivi is revealed to have a speech the next day.
Vivi thinks of before the Straw Hat Pirates left. Someone brought in a Den Den Mushi, and the pirates find out that the caller was Mr. 2. Mr. 2 told them that he took their ship away, and everyone was outraged at losing their ship. However, Mr. 2 told them that he's their friend and then hung up. The Straw Hats discussed about what to do, but in the end, they decided to trust Mr. 2.
Vivi is torn between continuing to travel with her friends, or to stay and remains as the princess of Arabasta. Nami gives her 12 hours to decide what Vivi should do.
Now, the Straw Hat Pirates has reached where Mr. 2 is. The crew distrusts him, as he is one of the Baroque Works agents. However, Mr. 2 tells them that the Baroque Works is over, and he saved the crew's ship from the Marines. Luffy, Chopper, and Usopp celebrates that Mr. 2 is still their friends.
A marine reports to Hina that they had found the Straw Hat Pirates and she instructs them to prepare for battle.
Chapter 215
Igaram awakens in a sweat from a nightmare of Vivi announcing her intentions of becoming a pirate. He frantically rushes to her room and barges inside, where he instead finds her being fitted for a dress by his wife, Terracotta, and another palace servant, quickly earning their ire for his intrusion. Dumbfounded and embarrassed, he is beaten up and kicked out when it's determined that he doesn't actually have anything to say. Upon exiting, he notices Cobra has been there as well. Cobra tells Igaram that his wife is a scary woman, revealing he's been beat up as well. This infuriates Igaram, who asks the king what exactly he tried to do.
Vivi wonders if her dress is too tight, but Terracotta tells her that this is exactly what a princess should look like. She comments on how the town square is already filling up with people, despite telling them that the princess' speech wasn't until 10 a.m. She resolves that it only makes sense, however, as the speech has been delayed for 2 years: Vivi was originally supposed to give her coming-of-age speech when she was 14 years old. Vivi wonders if she can say anything of note, but Terracotta assures her that she only needs to show that she has matured into adulthood. Cobra has arranged for every Arabasta citizen to hear her speech. In another area, Chaka mentions to Igaram that there is no longer anything they can do about the battle at their port.
At port, the Straw Hats have begun battle with the Marines. Luffy yells at them to fire cannonballs, since he can actually bounce those back, as the Going Merry's hull has been pierced by several iron spears. Nami instructs the crew to brace for more, and Chopper, who has been doing the patchwork for the damage, indicates that he cannot keep up. They are outnumbered eight ships to one, and the Marine ship formation they are surrounded by makes chasing or escaping from them near impossible. Jango and Fullbody brag about their unit's formation. Luffy is surprised because he remembers that Jango was a pirate, while Sanji doesn't remember Fullbody at all. Fullbody boasts about his new abilities, and Jango attempts to hypnotize the crew, but they are blindsided by a devastating blow to their ship. Luffy mistakenly believes it was Usopp, and praises him accordingly. As Usopp tries to brag about the exploit, Mr. 2's subordinates inform him there is a problem, in the form of "Black Cage" Hina. Luffy is clueless as to who this is, and Bon Kurei attempts to explain. Hina's fleet is seen approaching the crew. She comments that they've weakened the Straw Hats, but warns her subordinates not to get too cocky. She implores them all to stand back once they reach them, as they will only get in the way.
Bon Kurei is frantically explaining to the Straw Hats that they need to escape through the opening that they've created to the south. Luffy tells him he can go, but that the Straw Hats will be staying. Bon Kurei is appalled by this, as Nami explains that they made a promise to be at the Eastern Port. He wonders if they are doing this for the sake of some treasure, to which Luffy happily responds that they will be picking up a friend. Bon Kurei is even further taken aback by this, surprised that the crew would go to such lengths for a friend. Back in town, the square has completely filled up to witness Princess Vivi deliver her speech. In the palace, Cobra enters his daughter's chambers (with her permission this time). He begins talking, but before he can finish his thought, he is pleasantly surprised by how much Vivi resembles her mother. Vivi mentions that she has something important to discuss, and both Cobra and Igaram brace themselves for the worst.
Aboard the Going Merry, Bon Kurei's subordinates are confused by his sudden change in behavior. He asks them and the Straw Hats alike if they can eat a meal the same after knowing that they abandoned a friend who was risking themselves to save another friend. On Hina's ship, one of the Marines notices that the Going Merry and Bon Kurei's ship are now going in opposite directions. He concludes that Bon Kurei's ship must be a decoy for the Straw Hats to escape with the Merry. However, after spotting the Straw Hats aboard Bon Kurei's ship, he tells Hina instead that the Going Merry must actually be the decoy. Hina spots Luffy aboard Bon Kurei's ship with her binoculars to confirm, and she immediately closes in on the vessel.
Nami comments that they now have three minutes and need to move full speed ahead. Having closed the gap to Bon Kurei's ship, Hina confronts the Straw Hats. Upon closer inspection, however, it is revealed that they are actually being impersonated by various members of Bon Kurei's crew, while he himself used his powers to copy Luffy's appearance. One of Hina's men comments on how the Going Merry is now headed back to Alubarna's eastern port, and Bon Kurei chides Hina for falling into his trap. He announces his crew's reputation as masters of disguise and, more importantly, their status as friends of Luffy. With this, he challenges Hina to come at him if she dares, and the battle ensues. As the Straw Hats sail away, Luffy, Chopper, Usopp, and Sanji promise to never forget Bon Kurei's sacrifice.
Chapter 216
In a flashback, Vivi and Igaram are discussing an organization that has been plaguing the country. Most notably, they are conversing over the fact that no one knows the organization's leader, not even its members. That being the case, it is no longer possible to obtain information on them from the outside, and doing so would only further place the country at risk. Vivi finds solace in the fact that they have caught the organization's tail, however, and the smile she puts on in light of her optimism frightens Igaram greatly. She asks him if he knows what she's thinking, which Igaram nervously denies and attempts to get away. When she stops him, he tries to remind her how dangerous this is, which ironically only reinforces her will, telling him that she can't stand by and do nothing. In present time, the Royal Palace doors have opened, and the Princess begins walking out to address her audience in the town square.
At the port, the Straw Hats have again engaged in battle with the Marines. The Marines are proving no match, as Luffy yells for them to get out of their way. The princess has made it to the balcony, where she will deliver her speech. The clock tower shows that the time is noon (the speech was scheduled for 10 a.m.). As Vivi begins her speech, her flashback ends with Igaram asking her if she has the resolve to keep herself alive until she sees her task through. The country is absolutely delighted to hear and see her maturity, though a few people wonder why it started late. Cobra is seen smiling, and hopes that "it" won't cause too much of a fuss. Toto tries to get Koza to watch with him, but he tells his father that the speech is playing over the speakers and can be heard throughout the entire city. Vivi continues her speech, elaborating on her initial feelings of fear and uneasiness at just how large the world was beyond her country. Drawing a metaphor from the Straw Hats, in the midst of her darkest times, she describes coming across a ship that helped her see the light in front of her. She elaborates on how the ship never lost its way in the darkness and crossed over monstrous waves as if they were dancing. As she continues to describe this mysterious force that helped her through, more and more townspeople become confused as to what she's referring to, revealing that some people believe the Marines were responsible for helping her.
The Straw Hats have made it to the meeting location, and they have heard Vivi's speech as well. Sanji resolves that Vivi's participation in the coming-of-age ceremony means she decided not to come, which Luffy doesn't want to believe. He even tries to suggest getting off the ship and looking for her, but Usopp warns everyone that more Marines are coming. Sanji makes another attempt to convince Luffy they should leave and reminds him that Vivi's situation is a lot different from their own when they all joined the crew. Luffy doesn't say anything back this time but is still clearly disappointed.
Back at the Palace in Alubarna, the crowd has grown angry as it is revealed that the princess is actually Igaram in disguise. They wonder where Vivi is giving her speech from, as Igaram concludes that she must have made it "there" by now. As the Straw Hats begin to sail away, a voice shouts out at them. Vivi and Karoo have run all the way to the Eastern Port. The Straw Hats are overjoyed to see her again, and they prepare to turn the ship around. However, Vivi states that she has actually come to say goodbye and begins speaking into the receiver for the whole country to hear. She states that she cannot come with the Straw Hats but thanks them for everything up until now, as the townspeople become baffled by who she's talking to. As she continues her speech, the Marines, in pursuit of the Straw Hats, notice her on the coast. She continues on to say that she'd love to go on another adventure, but she can't because she loves her country too much. Luffy finally accepts that she won't be able to come and smiles in acceptance. Vivi has another flashback of when they branded themselves with cross marks to counter Mr. 2's powers, and she begins to cry. She tearfully asks the crew if they will still call her a friend if they meet again in the future, despite her remaining here for now by choice. The Marines hear this and inquire among themselves about the Princess' relation to the pirates. Before Luffy can happily shout his reply, Nami silences him due to them watching. She explains to Luffy that Vivi will be branded a criminal if their connection to her is made known, so they are forced to say their goodbyes in silence. Hearing nothing, Vivi sadly begins to walk away, but Karoo stops her. When she turns back to the crew, they have all raised their cross marks in the air for her in solidarity. She remembers how they determined that this mark meant that they would always be friends, as Vivi and Karoo happily raised their marks as well. The Straw Hats then decide to set sail once more.
One Piece, Volume 24
Chapter 217
Marine Captain "Black Cage" Hina is finishing up the last of Mr. 2's forces while on a communication line with one of her colleagues. She is expressing her frustration at having been fooled into a trap as one of Bon Kurei's men attempts to attack her. She drives her arm directly into the attacker, and as she does, her arm encompasses him in a black iron ring that completely restrains him. "Iron Fist" Fullbody and Jango fawned over her display of power, with the former commenting that such is the ability of the Ori Ori no Mi. Hina reveals that the colleague she is speaking with is Smoker, and that the actual source of her disappointment is him. She is upset with Smoker because he seemed to actually be pretty happy when Luffy got away from her.
In Arabasta, the citizens are still confused as to who Vivi was talking to but are nonetheless happy that their princess is okay. They resolve to once again begin rebuilding the city. The Kung Fu Dugongs and the various wildlife of the country are also overjoyed. In Yuba, the citizens are confused as to why Toto is laughing so much, and he says that he will not tell any of them, leading Koza to believe he's gone crazy from the sandstorms. Toto is instead recalling his amusing times with Luffy, and he hopes the pirate will return someday to enjoy some water. The citizens discuss more repair work that needs to be done around the country, including the casino.
Cobra reflects with Igaram on how much his Vivi has grown, as various parts of the country are shown to still be rejoicing. Chaka has come to visit Pell's grave, though he finds it strange that he is unable to shed any tears for his friend. Vivi and Karoo watch on as the Marines attempt to chase after the Straw Hat Pirates, finally wiping her tears. In another area of the city, a couple of Royal Palace soldiers are discussing Matsuge as he sits in front of them. They wonder why the Princess has made him a member of the Super Spot-Billed Duck Troops, even though he's a camel. At a doctor's office out in the desert, a man is leaving and thanking the doctor for his treatment. The doctor tells him to make sure he gets some more rest, and he wonders why he's in such a hurry. At the last second, the doctor yells at him that he forgot something, and he holds up a white hood adorned with stars. Vivi and Karoo decide to make their way back to Alubarna, as the narrator goes on to describe the amazing rate at which the country rebuilt itself.
Out at sea on Smoker's ship, Tashigi has finally awoken and comes to the deck. Smoker pours her some coffee as he is looking at Luffy and Zoro's bounty posters. Smoker recaps Zoro's exploits from Whisky Peak through Mr. 1's defeat, revealing that he was actually an assassin from the West Blue known as Daz Bonez. He comments on how all the powerful people that Crocodile recruited have been taken down and that they will now once again pursue the Straw Hats, to which Tashigi firmly agrees.
Aboard the Going Merry, Zoro explains that the Marines are no longer pursuing them. However, as he speaks, the other straw hats become increasingly depressed, prompting him to inquire as to what their problem is. Chopper, Nami, Luffy, Sanji, and Usopp are all extremely sad that Vivi is no longer with them, annoying Zoro and causing him to suggest that if they really felt that way, they should have kidnapped her. They each subsequently insult Zoro for suggesting this, but Usopp points out that Luffy's insult makes no sense, only annoying Zoro further. The antics are interrupted, however, by a female stowaway, who comments that they've finally made it out to sea. Zoro braces for combat, Nami is distraught, Sanji fawns over her beauty, Usopp freaks out that an enemy is aboard, Chopper has no idea who she is, and Luffy is somewhat surprised that she is alive. The stowaway is revealed to be Nico Robin (who they still recognize as "Miss All Sunday"), and she once again uses her abilities to disarm them. Nami asks when she got there, and Robin reveals that she's been there the whole time, taking a bath and reading a book. She has borrowed some of Nami's clothes, angering her further.
Robin asks Luffy if he remembers what he said to her, immediately prompting Sanji to get aggressive with his captain, assuming that he said something reckless to the pretty lady. Luffy grows even more confused, to which Robin implores him to take responsibility. Luffy finally asks her what she wants, and Robin asks Luffy to let her join the crew.
Chapter 218
In an attempt to convince the Straw Hat Pirates to let her join their crew, Nico Robin recounts the events in the crumbling Tomb of the Kings. She rolled an antidote for Cobra to give to Luffy, who had collapsed from Crocodile's poison after defeating him. She expressed hope that Luffy would be able to recover. Cobra then asked her why she had lied to Crocodile about what the Poneglyph said, as it actually was about the Pluton and not about the Arabasta Kingdom's history like she claimed. Cobra realized that if she had told Crocodile the truth, the Warlord's plan would have certainly succeeded. Robin replied that she did not care about Arabasta or any country, and her goal had been to find the Poneglyph containing the true history. Robin slumped in defeat that this was all for nothing, despite Cobra's attempts to reassure her. Suddenly, a healed Luffy picked them up and carried them out of the crumbling room. Robin protested for Luffy to leave her because she had nothing left to live for, but Luffy refused.
Since Luffy made her carry on with life, Robin claims that she should be a Straw Hat. Luffy agrees, to the shock of his crew. Robin tells the Straw Hats about how she has associated with various villains to protect herself, citing her specialty as assassination. Usopp gets very scared, but Robin distracts Luffy and Chopper by using her devil fruit powers to tickle them. Nami swears to remain on guard against her, until Robin shows her some jewels. With Sanji immediately entranced by Robin and Usopp entranced by Robin's powers, Roronoa Zoro finds himself the only one on guard.
Suddenly, bits of something fall down on the Going Merry, and the crew wonders what it is. It turns out to not be precipitation but rather a full-size galleon falling from the sky. While the Going Merry avoids the falling ship, it is swept by a tidal wave created on impact. Some more pieces of the ship fall down, including a skeleton. While the Straw Hats wonder how this could have happened, Nami finds that the Log Pose is pointing up, worrying her. However, Robin states that the Log Pose must be pointing to a sky island.
Chapter 219
The chapter starts from the Straw Hats screaming about the ship that fell from the sky asking what a Sky Island is. Luffy and Usopp gets excited about this "sky island" and Luffy orders the crew to go skyward. As Robin makes Luffy shut up and Sanji points out the fact that there is no possible way a ship can go skyward, she explains how she has never seen a sky island nor heard much about it. Nami thinks the log pose is broken, but Robin denies this and says that they should start thinking about how to go to this sky island.
Meanwhile, Zoro looks at the ship that came from above and sees Luffy and Usopp on it. He asks Chopper what they are doing, and Chopper replies that they are having an adventure. Robin explains to Sanji and Nami about how no matter what happens, they are never to deny a Log Pose and that if there is something to be denied in this sea, it would be the common sense in their brains. She says that wherever a Log Pose points, there is definitely an island. Nami shakes her Log Pose, but it still points upward.
Robin retrieves a broken skull from a coffin in the ship that fell next to them, and says that the holes in it are unnatural. Sanji thinks they are made from wounds that someone made to kill the skull's owner, but Robin says that it comes from an old surgery method called trepanation. Chopper agrees to this, but says that it is a very old method. Robin explains how the skull's owner probably died in his early 30's around 200 years ago, and he probably died of a sickness on his voyage. She judges from the fact that the body is covered in rubber oil that the ship is probably an exploration ship from the South Blue. She finds the same ship on one of her history books and says it is a ship called St. Briss from the Briss Kingdom in the South Blue that set sail 208 years ago. Nami is amazed Robin could tell so many things from just the bones, but Robin simply states that dead bodies are full of information though they do not talk. She says that exploration ships tend to have lots of information, but the ship itself is already sinking.
Nami yells at Luffy and Usopp asking what in the world they are doing, while Usopp tries to save a drowning Luffy. When they come back on the ship, Luffy claims he found an amazing thing and shows everyone the map of a sky island. It says "Skypiea" on it and everyone gets excited about the fact that a sky island do exist. Nami says that the map could be fake, and that it is only a slight 'possibility" that it actually exists. Luffy, Usopp and Chopper respond to this by staring gloomily at Nami, and Nami says that it probably exists, but then she yells that she does not know how to go there. Luffy yells back that Nami has to do something as she is the navigator. This starts a quarrel between the two. After beating Luffy up, Nami states that they first need information like Robin said, and when Usopp points out that it already sunk, Nami tells them to salvage it. Zoro yells at them that it's impossible, while Luffy and Usopp agree, holding a fishing rod and net. Chopper asks what salvaging is and Robin explains, adding that it is possible for them to do.
Usopp makes barrel suits for the Monster Trio, and Nami says she is counting on them. The three are lowered into the ocean and Chopper asks for a response from to see if the sound connection was working. Luffy says there are lots of monsters, Zoro asks if this ocean was the giant sea snakes' den, and Sanji states that one of them is looking at them. Nami says OK, to Usopp's shock. Nami says they'll do something about it, and Usopp is glad he did not went.
Then, the Straw Hats above hear strange singing voices and they look closer to see the Masira Pirates singing "salvage". Nami says that another strange group appeared out of nowhere, and Masira asks what they are doing in his territory. Masira, the captain of the Masira Pirates, states that anything that sinks in his territory is his, while the Straw Hats discuss amongst themselves about what they should do. Masira yells at them to answer his question, and Nami says she has a question for him, to Masira's surprise. Masira lets them ask anyway, and when Nami asks if they were going to salvage the ship, he mishears this as "monkey" and asks if he is that awsomonkey. When they ask what "awsomonkey" means, he answers it means "manley" and they point out there is no such word, while Masira blushes. Usopp asks again if they were going to salvage the ship, and Masira replies of course they will. When they ask if they can ask, Masira allows them, for salvaging was a rare thing to see. Then, one of Masira's crew members panics and tell him that another crew member who went underwater got hurt. Masira asks him if it was a Sea King's fault, but they replied that someone underwater did this. Masira is enraged and looks at the Straw Hats. Nami and Usopp try to explain, but Masira just warns them about dangerous people underwater, and they are relieved that Masira is an idiot. Masira orders his crew to start salvaging, and the chapter ends with the Monster trio being shown underwater.
Chapter 220
The chapter begins from a scene where Masira is blushing and waving at the Straw Hats. The Straw Hat Pirates wave back. Nami whispers to Usopp that they cannot let them know about the air pump, and Usopp replies that he knows, while stepping on an air pump fairly quickly. Masira tells his crew to think the Straw Hats are pumpkins with a serious look, saying that just because people are watching, they shouldn't be all nervous, and his face becomes happy and blushing. His crew also blushes in embarrassment as well. Usopp comments that they have something like pride and Nami states they probably want to show off to them.
Underwater, Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji explore the sunken ship in their barrel suits. Luffy finds a strange boat, Zoro has an octopus on his head and finds a broken sword, and Sanji kicks open a door to find a spear through a picture of a beautiful woman. Luffy finds something that looks like a treasure chest and they open it together to find almost nothing inside. All of the sudden, a huge spear breaks into the sunken ship to their surprise. It is a part of the "cradle" from Masira's ship used to salvage. Luffy yells "what the heck is this?" which came through the speaker system Chopper set up, and Nami and Usopp quickly put their hands over the speaker so that Masira would not notice. They weren't quick enough and Luffy's yells was heard, so Usopp quickly made up the rest of the sentence and asked Masira what the heck the monkey was, pointing to the ship head.
Masira says that Usopp has good eyes and it wasn't just any decorative ship head. Masira orders the "Barco Hunter" to go forward and the monkey comes off of the ship, to Usopp's amazement. The monkey goes deeper and deeper underwater, and Chopper and Usopp are awed by this while Nami asked how it is amazing. The "Barco Hunter" merges with the "cradle" underwater and Masira orders to start "blowing". Nami says that trying to push air into the ship with their breaths and making the ship float is crazy. Masira takes a deep breath into the tube and air comes out of the spear underwater to the monster trio's shock. The ship floats and everyone starts pulling the ship up. Masira orders more air to be added. All the sudden, someone screams, and Masira panics and asks what happened to his subordinates. They say someone is inside the ship, and scream again. Masira is infuriated that his subordinates are hurt.
Masira poses and stands there for a while. Nami says they aren't taking pictures or anything to Masira's shock. Masira's subordinates yell once more, and he quickly jumps underwater to rescue them, while ordering the salvaging to continue. As he swims deeper, a huge sea snake tries to eat him, but Masira punches it with a "Monkey Lunge" and it falls, bleeding. The Monster Trio have taken off their barrel suits meanwhile, and are confused about what happened. Zoro still has the octopus on him. Suddenly, Masira bursts in angrily and Luffy says, "oh, a monkey". Masira happily asks, "oh, am I that awesomonkey?" and Luffy replies, "sure, you're pretty apelike". Zoro asks what kind of conversation this is, and Sanji asks who Masira is. Above the ocean, Nami, Usopp and Chopper are shivering, commenting that something huge is below them. Back down below, Luffy and Masira are laughing while a huge mouth approaches them. Masira and Luffy are having a good time. The chapter ends where a enormous sea turtle eats the ship they are in.
Chapter 221
The crew of Masira call out for their captain. Meanwhile Nami, Chopper and Usopp try to convinces themselves everything that is happening is just a dream. Robin interrupts the moment to point out Luffy, Sanji and Zoro were eaten by the giant turtle. Nami is accused of sending them to their death, but Nami's "sorry" is anything but sincere.
Robin notes that the ropes leading to Sanji, Luffy and Zoro are attached to the mouth of the turtle and that if they do not cut them now, they'll be pulled under when it dives. While Masira's crew pull on the ropes and make attempts to rescue their captain, Nami orders the others to cut the ropes so they can get to safety. Suddenly, all goes dark and Luffy falls unconscious and carrying a bag. Soon, Zoro and Sanji appear also carrying a bag.
As the crew go to leave, Masira appears and angrily claims they cannot just enter his territory, steal his treasure and leave. Nami hears the word treasure and just as Masira is about to start fighting the Straw Hats, his attention is drawn away by his crew. Everyone (including the giant turtle) stops in fear at what they are seeing across the sky. Giant shadowy figures cast themselves over the sky land, appearing as monsters.
The Straw Hats make a sharp getaway as fast as the Going Merry can take them. The crew recollect the events of the day and how strange they've been and suddenly become aware Masira is on the ship, and Luffy, Zoro and Sanji quickly kick him overboard.
Chapter 222
The chapter begins with Usopp and Chopper talking about the huge monster shadows they saw. Usopp tells Chopper that if he tried, he could beat them easily, much to Chopper's amazement. Meanwhile, Nami scolds the Monster Trio for not bringing anything informative or valuable. Zoro and Sanji say these were really the only things that were in the ship, while Luffy walks around in a knight's armor he found. Nami is mad (likely cause there wasn't at least any real treasure, like Luffy mistakingly lead her to believe) and kicks the things that they brought (plates, swords, and a raw octopus) and Zoro and Sanji try to stop her. Nami asks what Luffy is wearing and he replies armor. Nami punches Luffy and Zoro comments on Nami's ability to crack armor, while Sanji tries to give Nami a pretty shell he found which Nami refuses, because it's not valuable.
Robin says it must be hard handling Luffy, Zoro and Sanji's foolishness, which Nami agrees to, adding that they have nowhere to go now. Robin gives her an Eternal Pose she stole from Masira's ship just in case, in which Nami cries in joy for and replies that Robin is the only person she can rely on. The Eternal Pose says "Jaya". Luffy asks if they are going there next, eating food made from the raw octopus earlier, and Nami yells that he is supposed to decide. Luffy orders to go to Jaya full speed. Then, the Straw Hats notice the fact that if they go to Jaya and stay too long, their log pose pointing toward Skypiea will point a different place in a matter of time. Luffy does not want this so he cancels his Jaya order. While everyone quarrels over this, Robin says they could go to Jaya, ask about Skypiea, then leave before their Log Pose changes, which everyone agrees to.
The Straw Hats head toward Jaya, when suddenly a few birds fall from the sky. Chopper says the birds were shot by someone, but everyone denies this, since Jaya itself was too far to even see though Luffy is only interested in turning the dead birds into food. Meanwhile in Jaya, a person says that he wasn't able to let one of the birds die immediately, and that this was its "destiny".
Back on the ship, the Straw Hat Pirates near Jaya and a scared Usopp, Nami, and Chopper ask what in the world was wrong with this island. In Jaya, there is a scene in Mock Town where people are drinking, laughing, and hurting each other. In one of the buildings, "Executioner Roshio" and another person are having a card game. Roshio wins the game, taking all the man's money, but the man stabs Roshio's hand, much to his shock. The man says that Roshio cheated although the onlookers said it was a fair game amongst themselves. The man calls his henchmen, Sarquiss, and asks if Roshio cheated. Sarquiss says that he did, while Roshio is enraged, asking if they even know who he was. The man shoots and breaks a glass of alcohol on Roshio's head, and Sarquiss throws a lighted match at him. It is revealed that the man is "Bellamy the Hyena" with a bounty higher than Roshio, and he cackles. The chapter ends with a scene showing Luffy and Zoro setting foot on Jaya saying things are going to get interesting, while the others (Chopper, Usopp and Nami) shiver in fear on the Going Merry in the background.
Chapter 223
Having made port in Mock Town in Jaya, Luffy and Zoro disembark. Fearing that they may cause trouble, Nami joins them in order to make sure that they do not do something stupid. Sanji wants to join Nami but is forced to stay on the Going Merry by Usopp and Chopper, who are both afraid of being attacked. Robin on the other hand, apparently also disembarks from the ship on her own.
As Luffy and Zoro venture into town while promising an accompanying Nami not to cause any trouble, they meet an incredibly sick man. The man is so sick that he does not have enough strength to get back on his horse by himself. The three help the man get back on his horse but find out that ironically the man's horse itself is just as sickly and does not have enough strength to carry his master. After helping both the man and his horse up, the man offers some apples as a token of his gratitude. Luffy alone accepts this present without hesitation. At the same moment, an explosion happens. From the uproars from the crowd, the three Straw Hats learns that after some guys ate some apples from the sickly man, they exploded. Fearing that the same thing would happen to Luffy, Nami tried to get the apple out of Luffy while Zoro confronted the sickly man. The man however told them not to worry as the apple that Luffy ate was a dud. If Luffy chose the "wrong one", the man stated he would've died upon the first bite. With this, the man praises Luffy's luck.
After encountering the sickly man with the explosive apples, the three continues with their journey. As they travel onwards, they hear that someone is causing an uproar. This apparently unknown fighting champion had claimed another victim and is boasting his victory from atop a roof. Hearing that he is a fighting champion, Luffy and Zoro are tempted into fighting and would have, but Nami stops them from fighting.
The three eventually come into a tropical hotel. Seeing the three, the owner of the hotel tells the three to get out as the whole hotel was currently reserved for Bellamy and his crew. Just then, the first mate of Bellamy's crew, Sarquiss, and a fellow crew member, Lily, come in and tells the owner to throw the three Straw Hats out faster. Seeing this behavior, Luffy ask Nami if he could send Sarquiss flying, a request of which that is denied by the navigator. Finding Luffy and his group slightly interesting, Sarquiss decides to give them money as if they were worthless beggars. Though Luffy is tempted to accept the offer, Nami is insulted by this act and takes her fellow crew mates out of the hotel without accepting the money. Though the three Straw Hats left the hotel with Sarquiss thinking that they were just trash, his fellow crew mates however tell him not to underestimates them and showed him a wanted poster with Luffy's first bounty of 30,000,000. While they do not believe that Luffy could match up to Bellamy and him, Sarquiss decides to share this new development to Bellamy.
The three Straw Hats meanwhile, decides to stop over at a local tavern. There, they learn from the owner about Mock Town's history and Jaya's time for the Log Pose to record. Learning that it takes four days, Nami figures that they should be gone in two days beforehand if they want the log pose to continue pointing to the sky island. Just as Nami decides then to ask some more questions from the owner, Luffy and a man sitting next to him both suddenly make a remark about the cherry pie being served to them. Noticing that both their remarks opposes one another, Luffy and the big guy decides to not mind each other and just drink some soda. At drinking the soda, they both once again makes opposing remarks. Really noticing each other this time around, the both of them are starting to get mad at the other's preference. The two then decides to have some food for take out, with Luffy ordering pieces of meat and the fat guy ordering cherry pies. However upon learning the number of food that the others are ordering, the two starts competing about who can order more. At this moment, Luffy and the man decides to fight each other over a meaningless matter.
Not wanting any trouble in his tavern, the owner gives the man his pies and asks him to leave. As the man is leaving the tavern, Bellamy steps in to the surprise of the other customers.
Chapter 224
The chapter starts out with some onlookers commenting about a street that Bellamy messed up where Roshio was defeated. One onlooker says that "Bellamy the Hyena" is definitely some kind of Devil Fruit user.
Bellamy steps into the bar Luffy is at and asks if he is the 30,000,000 Straw Hat Luffy. Other people in the bar gossip about how they cannot believe such a child has such a large bounty on his head. Luffy comments about how he has met a lot of huge people today, while Bellamy sits beside him and tells the storekeeper to get him an expensive drink and something Luffy likes. Sarquiss and the others barge into the store and kill people so they could sit where they were. The others try not to pay attention. Bellamy tells Luffy to drink up and Luffy says "oh, he's a good guy!" and drinks. Nami and Zoro yell at Luffy to watch out, but it is too late and Bellamy smashes Luffy's head into the counter. Bellamy's crew laugh and the onlookers are shocked. Zoro puts a sword up to Bellamy's neck, furious. Nami tells Zoro to stop since they have not gained any information in the town yet. Luffy gets up and tells Bellamy to get ready. The others cheer on since they like to see fights. Bellamy laughs and says this is a test, not a fight.
Nami tells Luffy to wait, and asks the storekeeper about the sky island, to everyone's shock. The Straw Hats are confused. After an awkward moment of silence, the whole bar bursts in laughter. When Nami says that the log pose is actually pointing to the sky, everyone laughs crazily and say that Log Poses tend to go nuts all the time, embarrassing Nami. Bellamy cackles and talks about how people who have dreams are stupid. He says that he was going to test Luffy and put him in his crew of the "New Age" but Luffy is too much of an idiot to join. He talks about how people who have dreams are weaklings, and hits Luffy with a bottle. Then, other people start throwing things at Luffy, Zoro, and Nami as well, saying that their existence makes their rum taste bad and to get lost. Sarquiss tells Bellamy that the store wants to see a "show", which Bellamy agrees to. Nami tells Luffy and Zoro that they can forget about their promise, so they can beat up Bellamy, but Luffy tells Zoro to never buy this fight.
Chapter 225
The chapter starts from when the onlookers are mocking Luffy and the others. Nami yells at them to fight, and not just stand there, but Sarquiss comments that they are smart enough to know not to fight Bellamy. Bellamy's crew talks about how the marines these days are nice giving so much money for a loser like Luffy. Nami does not understand why Luffy and Zoro will not buy the fight. Both are wounded and bloody top to bottom. Bellamy insults the two pirates even more, and spits his drink all over them, but they still refuse to fight. Bellamy says they are a sore to their eye, and hurt the two again. Nami rushes over to their side, and Sarquiss tells her that being with them will eventually ruin her, so he ask if he could buy her from them. He asks how much she would be, but Nami furiously looks at them and says that she is too good for a loser team like them. Sarquiss comments that that is one expensive woman, and everyone in the bar laughs that the entire crew is nuts. Bellamy tells the "small fry" to begone. Nami drags the two out of the store, eyes full of tears, while everyone jeers at them.
All the sudden, Nami hears someone say that sky island exists. It is the man from the store earlier. He asks why Nami is sad since there is nothing to be sad about; that Luffy and Zoro won this fight. Luffy has a small flashback on how he told Shanks and Ace he would surpass them someday. He also tells Nami that she sure has guts to say the things she did in the store. Luffy and Zoro get up. The man says that the "New Age" they talk of is nonsense, and shouts that the age in which pirates dream will never end; that peoples' dreams are infinite. In the store, Bellamy's crew think Luffy and Zoro are causing a mad ruckus outside, and they laugh that it is lame. Back outside, while the man goes on with his speech, everyone wonders what he is yelling so loudly for. The man says that some fights are fistless, and laughs. Zoro starts to leave, and Luffy stares at the man. The man also leaves, and wishes good luck on their trip to the Sky Island. Luffy turns away, and Nami says to Luffy that he may know about the Sky Island and wonders who he is. Luffy does not know, but he also adds that it is not "he". Nami is confused. Zoro says that it is probably "them". Nami does not get this and asks if he has a crew or something, but they do not answer. The man laughs, saying that his rum tastes good today.
Meanwhile, the rest of the crew are fixing the ship. Sanji says they should just get a new ship, which angers Usopp. Usopp says the ship is important, and that is why he is always fixing it, and yells at Sanji to help, but Sanji says that this is more of patching up than fixing. Usopp tells them to shut up and makes a strange face, and Chopper thinks it is funny so he tells Usopp to do it again, and they crack up. When Sanji asks what they want for dinner, Usopp and Chopper both do the shut up face and tells him to shut up so Sanji says, "oh, you do not want any, huh?" to their shock. All the sudden, he hears weird singing saying "Salvage, Salvage” and sees a boat, asking what it was. The chapter ends with a freaked-out Chopper and Usopp saying "this song is...!!"
Chapter 226
Luffy, Zoro, and Nami return to their ship. Usopp and Chopper are shocked when they see their wounds, and Sanji is only worried about Nami. Chopper yells "DOCTORRR!!!" and Usopp slaps him, pointing out that he is the doctor.
After Chopper heals the 2 pirates, Usopp tries to ask what happened, but they say there is nothing to worry about since it is all over anyway. Nami is really mad about the fact that Luffy and Zoro did not fight back. Usopp wonders why the unhurt Nami is so mad. Chopper happily asks if they got any information on sky island, and Nami sways and looks at Chopper with a furious look which scares him. Nami talks about how everyone laughed when she said the word "sky island" and asks angrily if she had said anything THAT funny. At this point, Usopp uses his ketchup star to pretend to be dead, and Chopper eats a precious Rumble Ball to get into his guard point.
Meanwhile at the Jaya mouth bay, a pirate captain uses his "search sonar" to find a huge school of fish for dinner. The search sonar also picks up the tracks of a ship and one of his servants report this. The captain orders him to tell where they are, and when he does, the captain yells at him to tell him if it is in sight already. The ship is the Straw Hats' ship, and Luffy, Sanji, and Usopp talk about how a weird thing showed up, and that it is not Masira. Usopp says that he really did see the "salvage guys" but Luffy does not seem to care. The captain comes near and starts talking to Luffy, and it is revealed that his name is Shoujou. Luffy comments about his unique facial features and asks what species he is. Shoujou replies "I'm a homo sapiens sapiens you dumbass". Shoujou's servants warn them to not make their big boss mad, but Shoujou says he does not really mind, and adds that he is on the same level as Crocodile and people are recruiting him into the Seven Warlords of the Sea (which is, of course, a lie). Luffy simply says "oh, so you wanna be a Warlord huh?" which makes Shoujou somewhat mad. He states that he is amazing since he has never cut his hair in 25 years. Luffy says that is just stupid, and Shoujou warns them about his strength. Luffy asks him if they could pass through, but he says that the area is his territory and if they want to pass, then they have to pay. The Straw Hats talk about how the 'territory' part is just like Masira, and when Shoujou asks what they know about him, Luffy stated that they kicked him away. This enrages Shoujou who says he will get revenge for his brother, even though Luffy reminds him Masira is not dead. Shoujou uses his "Havoc Sonar", which destroys his own ship and crew. Sanji asks what the heck he's doing, and Luffy says that the power is pretty awesome. Nami tells them to move on and the others are relieved that "Demon Nami" is gone. Usopp then realizes that they are also getting damaged from the attack and they start panicking.
Back at Mock Town, people talk about a strong, beautiful woman with strange powers who beat up an entire crowd in a bar, who asked about a man named Cricket. They talked about how she was probably after the gold that he found recently. Bellamy, who is sitting nearby asks what they meant by 'gold'. The chapter ends with Bellamy asking them to tell him more about it.
One Piece, Volume 25
Chapter 227
The chapter begins with the Straw Hats fixing their ship. Usopp complains about the "orangutan" that destroyed his dear ship even more. Zoro comments on how crappy the ship became, and that they should get a new one, which enrages Usopp. Luffy tells Usopp that complaining will not do anything, and that since the Going Merry is their important crew member, they have to work hard and fix her up. Usopp says that Luffy is the only one who understands and cries at the warm statement, but at the same time, Luffy bangs the hammer too hard ending up breaking her even more. Usopp yells at Luffy and Luffy screams.
The Straw Hats arrive at their goal. Someone asks who they are looking for again. Robin seems to have come on board at some point, and says 'Mont Blanc Cricket'. Nami says "the man full of dreams, huh?". Luffy and Usopp are shocked/impressed at the castle they see, amazed at Cricket's house, until they discover that the "castle" is only a board in front of a small house. Nami asks Robin what kind of dream this man has, and she says she does not know much about it but the fact that there is a legend that in Jaya, that there is a large amount of gold hidden somewhere. This surprises the crew. Nami orders Chopper to dig with his horns and Luffy enters the house, much to Usopp's shock. Meanwhile, Nami finds a book called "Noland the Liar" and laughs, while Usopp comments that it is a very appealing title. Sanji hears this and says that he knows this title, while Chopper still digs where he was told to. Sanji says that everyone in the North Blue knows this story, revealing that he was born there. While Sanji explains about the story, Nami yells at Chopper that he is too loud and asks what in the world he is doing, much to his shock. There are a few pages on what the story is about.
At Mocktown, Bellamy and Sarquiss laugh when they hear that Cricket is Noland's descendant, saying how they remember the times back when they were young, people used to tell them that if they kept on lying, they would be executed like Noland. It is revealed that all of the Bellamy Pirates come from the North Blue. They all laugh at the fact that Noland's descendant is still looking for the gold from 400 years ago.
Back at the other shore, Nami adds a sentence to the story saying "...and the pathetic liar died without becoming a true warrior of the sea..." and looking at Usopp, to his shock. Luffy is staring at the water bubbling and suddenly, he falls into the ocean. Then someone comes out of the ocean, and it is revealed to be Mont Blanc Cricket, who is mad about the intruders around his house. Sanji tells Usopp to help Luffy. Cricket assumes their target is the gold and starts fighting Sanji. He takes out a gun and shoots Sanji which scares Nami and Chopper, but the bullet did not hit him. Zoro takes his swords and runs to help Sanji out, but Cricket collapses all of a sudden, to everyone's surprise. Usopp surfaces with Luffy and asks what he was doing, and Luffy replies that he thought there was a chestnut in the water and when he looked closer, the chestnut became a man who pulled him in.
In the house of Cricket, the Straw Hats find out that Cricket has dysbarism, which Chopper explains. Luffy is confused so he just calls it "mystery symptoms". Chopper says it usually goes away pretty quickly, but this man has been diving in a crazy way so that his body did not even have the time to properly heal. Nami wonders why he would do this, and Chopper says he does not know, but says that in some cases like this, this sickness can mean death. At the end of the chapter, there is a picture of Cricket, Masira, and Shoujou together.
Chapter 228
The chapter starts with Masira and Shoujou meeting up with each other. Shoujou is surprised that Masira is alive and Masira asks why, but Shoujou ignores him. They both heard the gunshot so they wonder if something happened to Cricket. They burst inside the house to find the Straw Hats nursing Cricket. The 2 are confused while Chopper, Nami, and Usopp panic and the others continue to do whatever they were doing. Masira and Shoujou shout, asking what they are doing. Luffy tell them to get lost since they are nursing the old guy, and Usopp and Chopper yell that wild animals do not properly listen to you, but the two cry saying that the Straw Hats are good guys, to Usopp and Chopper's shock.
Masira and Shoujou have a nice talk together with Luffy. In this talk, it is revealed that they are called the "Saruyama Alliance". Zoro and Usopp wonder why Luffy blended in the group, and conclude that they are all alike. Shoujou is impressed that such a little squirt like Luffy would be able to kick away Masira, and Luffy says it was pretty easy and Shoujou would probably be able to do it as well, so Shoujou kicks away Masira to see how easy it is, and agrees. Chopper comes to report that Cricket woke up, and Luffy goes to ask something. Cricket thanks them and said he thought they were gold-hunter idiots. Nami hears this and her eyes turn into belly signs, but Usopp tells her to stop. Luffy asks Cricket how to go to Sky Island, which he laughs about, making Nami want to punch him, but Usopp stops her, saying he is a patient. Luffy asks if Sky Island does not exist, and Cricket replies that he knows a person who said it exists, but that person was a famous big-time liar whose descendants all are the laughingstock of the world. At this, Luffy stares at Usopp who is shocked and denies him. Cricket says that there is a story called "Noland the Liar". Luffy looks at Usopp again, who denies him.
Cricket reveals he is the descendant of this Noland and that this is the place where the story took place. He explained that no one in his family ever hated Noland since he was actually a "very honest person". He says that even though in the book, his face looks stupid, Noland actually died crying sadly and desperately tried to make everyone believe him. Cricket furiously asks if they know how it feels like to be laughed by people you do not even know. He just wanted to become free from the mocking of everyone, and became a pirate. But 10 years later, he and his crew came across Jaya and Cricket decided to find the "gold" Noland talked about. Because of this choice, Cricket's crew went separate ways with him and he has been looking for the gold underwater since. He says that this is a duel with the person who messed up his life. Usopp cries at the story, and Luffy asks how he got to know the monkey people. Usopp says Cricket probably had another man-to-man drama with them, but Cricket says that they are just fans of the "Noland the Liar" book. Nami comments on the simple connection between them. Cricket explains how they formed the Saruyama Alliance 5 or 6 years ago, while the two men have a friendly fight outside. Luffy says that he just wants to know how to go to Sky Island, and Cricket hands Noland's log book for Nami to read. Nami and the others read excitedly and see that Noland wrote as if Sky Island normally exists. Everyone is overjoyed, and Cricket walks quietly out of the house to talk to the Saruyama Alliance. Cricket asks if they like the Straw Hats and they ask why. He says that the Straw Hats extremely wants to go to the Sky Island, and the two men comment that they would die on their own. The chapter ends with the Saruyama Alliance deciding to help the Straw Hats.
Chapter 229
The chapter begins with Mont Blanc Cricket telling the Straw Hats that he will tell them everything he knows about Sky Island. He tells them to believe whatever he says, which Luffy quickly replies okay. Cricket talks about how night suddenly approaches in the middle of the day. Luffy and Usopp responds by saying that they remember this happening before, and adds that a few gigantic shadows appeared with the night as well. Cricket puts aside the story of the monsters and continues, explaining that the sudden night is actually the shadow of a very dense cloud. Nami points out that the darkness was far more than any shadow of a cloud, and Luffy says that Cricket is an idiot since days that have lots of clouds are cloudy, which Usopp and Chopper agree to. At this, Cricket yells at them to shut up and listen. He explains what this cloud is called and how it is a cloud that never changes for thousands and millions of years, known as a "millennium cumulonimbus". Nami denies this and Luffy calls it a mystery cloud. Cricket says that the only place a Sky Island can be is on one of these clouds. At this, everyone celebrates that Sky Island exists and Luffy orders to go skyward, but Nami yells at them that they do not know how to.
Cricket explains about the Knock Up Stream, saying that it is the only way he knows of to go to the Sky Island, and that the Straw Hats have to be very lucky in order to even get there without dying. Usopp hears this and tries to cancel their trip to Sky Island, but Luffy insists everything will be ok. Usopp points out that their ship will not be able to handle such a disaster, but Cricket says they can count on Masira and Shoujou for the ship reinforcement. Nami tells Luffy that they will not make it since a Knock Up Stream only appears 5 times a month and in order to get to Skypiea, the Knock Up Stream has to be right below it. She reminds him that they only have a day before their Log Pose changes destinations. When Usopp asks Cricket when the next time this happens will be, Cricket answers that it will happen the next day at noon, much to Usopp's horror.
Usopp suddenly accuses Cricket of lying about everything he just said, saying that they only met him just today yet he is being too nice. Luffy tries to stop him but Usopp just tells him to shut up and goes on talking about how everything is going too smoothly and that Cricket is lying since he is Noland's descendant after all. The two men and Sanji come out saying the food is ready. There is an awkward moment of silence. Cricket starts talking again about the next day's Knock Up Stream and night. He says that he is just happy to meet idiots like them, and tells everybody to come in the house and eat. When he calls Usopp a comrade, he starts to feel bad and asks Nami if he is a miserable coward. Everyone rushes to eat, and Nami replies by adding that he is a jerk as well and tells him he should apologize. Usopp hugs Cricket, saying that he is sorry.
The Straw Hats and the Saruyama Alliance have a big party as Robin sits in a corner and reads Noland's log book. Cricket says that "there lies the gold in the skull's right eye" was the last sentence by Noland and Cricket cannot tell what he meant by this. As they party some more, Bellamy's ship approaches Cricket's house.
Chapter 230
The chapter begins with Cricket acting out Noland's words on his logbook and everyone happily listening while eating. Cricket shows the Straw Hat Pirates his gold he found after searching for months. He stated that he has 3 of the same bell-shaped ingots, and tells Masira to show the Straw Hats the South Bird shaped gold. As the Saruyama Alliance explain what the South Bird is, they notices all the sudden that they forgot to tell the Straw Hats to go get a South Bird and panic. The Straw Hats ask why they would need a bird and Cricket explains that in order to get to where the Knock Up Stream will appear, they have to have a South Bird who always points south since the Knock Up Stream is south from where they are, and since it is in the middle of the sea, no Log Pose would work. Cricket tells the Straw Hats to hurry up and find one, much to their surprise.
The Straw Hats split up into teams with bug nets in the dark. They know what the South Bird was right away by hearing the "strange voice" Noland talked about in his logbook. The Sanji/Nami/Usopp team searched and encounters with many bugs to Nami and Sanji's horror, although Usopp did not mind them much. The Robin/Zoro team destroys any huge bug that gets in their way, and do not seem to get along well. The Luffy/Chopper team find rare beetles and are having a good time until the South Bird drops a bee's nest next to them, making them have to dash full speed as the hornets from inside chased them. Chopper notices that the South Bird is doing all of this and tells Luffy. Back at Cricket's house, the Saruyama Alliance encounters the Bellamy Pirates who came to steal their gold.
Chapter 231
In the forest on Jaya, Chopper and Luffy are running for their lives from some deadly mantises flying after them. The mantises attack, but Chopper and Luffy manage to dodge, though the tree behind them is cut in half. Chopper and Luffy look back and see one of the large mantises sitting on the tree, and run for it, as the mantis chasing after them and slicing up the net. Suddenly, Chopper notices a South Bird sitting and grinning up in a tree and guesses that the bird is commanding the bugs to attack them for some unknown reason. Meanwhile, in another part of the forest, three South Birds start singing, causing Usopp to wonder where the sound came from. Sanji also hears strange sounds, and looking up, sees what appears to be boulders rolling towards them. Usopp looks through his goggles and wonders the "boulders" are ladybug droppings, but Nami says that they are actually bugs. They get closer and appear to be huge seven-star ladybugs, so Sanji kicks one to get it away from Nami, while the South Bird laughs up in a tree. In yet another part of the forest, Zoro challenges some beetles who had been attacking him while Robin too notices a strange sound. Sanji, Usopp, and Nami then run into a slug and counter it with salt, while Luffy turns to fight some bees, only to be pulled away by Chopper, who tells him they are poisonous. More and more animals come, such as fireflies, cockroaches, and even boars as the sounds of the South Bird echo through the forest.
Meanwhile, back at the Saruyama Alliance's headquarters, Bellamy admires a golden statue of the South Bird. Mont Blanc Cricket, bleeding on the ground, states that they have no right to take the gold, but Sarquiss questions him and attacks with a Falcon Slash, which Masira takes to protect Cricket. Sarquiss laughs and says that because they are stronger, they have every right to take the gold from the Saruyama Alliance. Shoujou tells Cricket to run, and unleashes a Wail of Destruction, hurting Bellamy's crew. Sarquiss moves to attack him, but Bellamy says to let him take care of it, and Cricket says that the power of the Bane Bane no Mi is going to be used again. Bellamy turns his legs into springs and attacks Shoujou with a Spring Sniper. Cricket tells Shoujou to run, but Bellamy hits Shoujou, knocking him clean through the house of the Saruyama Alliance, leaving him floating in the water. As Cricket thinks about the fun times he had with Shoujou and Masira, Bellamy gets on his ship, telling Cricket to grow up, and that the golden city was all Mont Blanc Noland's imagination. His crew laughs, and Bellamy states that fantasies never comes true as Cricket continues thinking about Masira and Shoujou telling him that the golden city exists. Suddenly, Cricket tells Bellamy to hold it and lights a cigarette, saying that chickens like Bellamy who cannot even fight dreams should not be lecturing someone on how to be a pirate. Bellamy turns around, asking Cricket what he said.
Back in the forest, the Straw Hat Pirates have reunited and compare the results of their journeys. None of them have managed to catch a South Bird, and Luffy states that because of all the bugs, they could not catch one. Usopp then notices a South Bird up in a tree and Chopper translates the bird's sounds for the crew. As it turned out, the bird had actually only come there to taunt them, and asks them if they caught anything. The crew is enraged and moves to strike it down, but Robin merely sprouts a pair of hands on the bird and knocks it to the ground, cutting short its laughter. The Straw Hats then head back to the Saruyama Alliance headquarters.
Arriving there, the Straw Hats discovers Cricket, Masira, and Shoujou beaten up, and the Going Merry ruined. Sanji and Chopper wonder who did this, and help Shoujou out of the water, while Luffy asks Cricket what happened. Cricket says that they have to enhance the ship before dawn, and tells Luffy not to worry about it. Cricket asks if they have a South Bird, and as they reply yes, Nami tells them that the gold was taken. The crew is stunned, but Cricket tells them that that is something to forget about. Usopp then interrupts him, saying that Cricket spent ten years finding the gold and even lost his health to do so. However, Cricket says that it is not a problem, and says that with the entire Saruyama Alliance, they will be able to fix the ship and send them to the sky, no matter what. Usopp is surprised, but Zoro suddenly notices and shows Luffy a mark on the side of a tree, which Nami recognizes as Bellamy's symbol. Zoro asks if Luffy needs help, but he declines, and Nami says that they need to stop fooling around, as there are only three hours before dawn. Luffy then asks Robin if he can reach Mock Town by running along the shore, and she tells him yes. Cricket tries to stop him, but Zoro says that he will need a sword to do so. Luffy departs, saying he will be back before dawn.
Chapter 232
A local drunkard is taking a leak in the ocean, before noticing a new bunch of bounties coming in. Looking through the wanted posters, he finds two that he immediately recognizes: Luffy and Zoro, who were publicly humiliated only this afternoon before at their mention of Sky Island. However, when he sees how high Luffy's bounty is, he is struck with horror, as it is not 30,000,000 anymore, but 100,000,000!
Meanwhile, with Nami's warning about Sky Island's deadline ringing in his ears, and the memories of Cricket flashing through his mind, Luffy dashes towards Mock Town to get Cricket's gold back.
In Mock Town, the Bellamy Pirates are celebrating their find, as well as mocking the Saruyama Alliance, until the drunkard rushes in. When he spots Bellamy, he warns him that he needs to get out of town at once before he is killed. When Bellamy asks who would dare to threat him, the drunkard tells the entire bar of the bounties. This is enough to strike them with terror, as both of them have bounties higher than Bellamy's 55,000,000 bounty.
However, this only makes Bellamy laugh. Then, he berates the entire bar, as he believes that the posters are forgeries made by them in order to scare them. This causes the bar to calm down, until the enraged call of Luffy shocks them again.
Bellamy walks out to see who is calling, until he sees Luffy on a building. When Luffy tells him that Bellamy is to return the stolen gold, Bellamy uses his Bane Bane powers to get up on the roof as well. He tells him that since he stole the gold, it's rightfully his, but Luffy tells him that he's stealing it back.
Bellamy continues to mock Luffy, as the drunkard is more and more distressed, but Sarquiss tells him to knock it off, starting to doubt that even Luffy's 30,000,000 bounty was real. Bellamy wonders how Luffy is supposed to fight, or if he's just going to stand around like their last encounter. When Luffy tells him that the last time was different, Bellamy starts off the brawl by using his powers to jump off the building and crack the tower in two.
Bellamy lands on another building, and readies his Spring Snipe to do Luffy in. He hits the top of the tower, which sends Luffy crashing down on the ground. As Luffy gets up, Bellamy uses his ultimate move, Spring Hopper, which people comments was exactly the same move he used against Roshio.
As Bellamy continues to bounce around, he continues to mock Luffy, as well as mocking all the dreamers as well. This enrages Luffy, recalling when Bellamy asked him if he knew how to throw a punch, while cracking his knuckles. As Bellamy moves in for the kill, Luffy punches him with extreme force, knocking him out with only one punch and leaving an imprint of his fist on Bellamy's cheek.
Chapter 233
In Mock Town, Luffy had just defeated Bellamy with a single, powerful punch. Onlookers are stunned to see the mighty Bellamy taken out so easily. As Bellamy lies unconscious with a fist imprinting in his face, Sarquiss tells him to get up and fight. Luffy however, simply stands over Bellamy, who does not move. Sarquiss yells again, telling Bellamy to not be stupid and to give off the usual show. He says that he is the super rookie with a bounty of 55,000,000. Just then, a piece of paper blows into Sarquiss' face, which is then shown to be Luffy's bounty poster detailing his bounty of 100,000,000. The man who had told the Bellamy Pirates that both Zoro and Luffy has higher bounties than Bellamy says he is right, making everyone afraid of Luffy. Luffy then asks for Cricket's gold back. However, most of the pirates, having seen Luffy's real strength, runs away, screaming about Bellamy's defeat.
Back at the Saruyama Alliance headquarters, the rest of the Straw Hat Pirates works with the Saruyama Alliance to fix the Going Merry and prepare it for the journey to Sky Island. Nami asks Zoro why he did not accompany Luffy, but Zoro simply asks why Nami is changing her mind on whether Zoro and Luffy should fight so much. She says that Zoro was defeated before, but Zoro simply replies that the Bellamy Pirates did not want to get in his way, and that a fight that you will feel sorry about afterwards is painful. The crew then starts arguing and get back to work on the ship.
Back in Mock Town, Luffy, having found the stolen gold, walks out of a bar. Sarquiss, thinking that Luffy just got lucky, challenges Luffy, saying that he would not lose to a dream-chasing idiot. He asks Luffy where he is going, but when Luffy turns around, Sarquiss falls to the ground in fear. However, Luffy simply points up and says "sky" indicating that he is going to Sky Island.
The day before, at noon, on an unknown island, Buggy and his crew are in a cave looking for treasure left behind by a legendary pirate. Mohji asks Buggy if they are at the right place, and Buggy says that it is correct. He adds that wherever there is treasure, there are bound to be guardians and traps for it. He is saying that they must be prepared to lose their lives, when a light suddenly comes on, revealing several miners who are coming down the tunnel. Buggy, Mohji, and Cabaji start chipping away at the rock, saying that sweating is such a pleasure. However, when the boss of the miners says that the rum will taste good when they are done, Buggy explodes in a fit of rage, asking what kind of sweat he wants them to shed.
Back on board their ship, Mohji tells Buggy that they cannot find the treasure, and Cabaji tells Mohji that Buggy must have mistaken the island for another. Cabaji says that Buggy must be upset, and does not want his face to turn red, making Buggy become enraged again. Mohji says that two of the Straw Hats have bounties of 100,000,000 and 60,000,000, and they are already famous pirates on the Grand Line. Buggy says that there is nothing to worry about, and says that witches fatten the kids before eating them. Mohji then realizes that the higher Luffy's bounty is, the higher Buggy's bounty will be when he defeats him. To celebrate the intelligence of their captain, the crew decides to party until nighttime, but Alvida tells the crew not to be so noisy, and says that if they cannot take care of Luffy if they do not know where he is. Buggy tells her not worry, and when an unknown person says that he can provide information, Buggy turns to him. Buggy then realizes that he does not know who the person is, and asks of his name. The figure, who is revealed to be Portgas D. Ace, says that he was attracted by a strong scent is sorry for interrupting the party. Buggy asks him who he is, and that he does not care about his overly inflated ego, but some of his crew members then inform his that Ace is the infamous "Fire Fist Ace", commander of Whitebeard's second division. Ace is happy to hear that they know about Whitebeard, but then suddenly falls asleep, surprising the crew. Mohji encourages Buggy to attack Ace, saying that if he does, they will become famous, but Buggy is against the idea, saying that they cannot fight against Whitebeard's men. Buggy says that Whitebeard is the only who tied in a fight against Gold Roger, and is the strongest man in the world and the one closest to One Piece. Buggy says that Whitebeard hates his friends getting hurt, and when Alvida comments that Buggy knows him well, Buggy states that when he first entered the Grand Line, he met him head-on. Ace then wakes up and says that it is cool that Buggy knows Whitebeard personally. Ace asks if it is a party, and Buggy, seeing the rare occasion, throws a big party. Ace then has Richie jump through a ring of fire.
At the Holy Land of Mary Geoise, it is revealed that Shanks had sent a messenger to Whitebeard, creating tension in the World Government. The Five Elders discusses the issue of Shanks, saying that he is not one to change the world single-handedly, and that they need to find a successor to Crocodile's position in the Seven Warlords of the Sea in order to maintain the balance of power. A Marine reports that they have summoned the Seven Warlords for this matter, but are not sure how many will come, as one of the Five Elders states that Luffy cannot be forgiven either for defeating Crocodile. Marine Headquarters then alert Mary Geoise that two of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, Bartholomew Kuma and Donquixote Doflamingo have arrived.
Chapter 234
At Mary Geoise, two Marines are fighting. One states he has no control of himself, and that his hands are moving by themselves. Vice Admiral Tsuru tells the Warlord Doflamingo to stop. After being asked to stop with his antics, Doflamingo takes matter further by having the two Marines draw their swords ready to kill each other.
Just then, Sengoku walks into the room and states that he is being formal but refers to Donflamingo as "sea scum", which Kuma agrees is right on target for the comment about Donflamingo. Surprised that 2 of the 6 remaining Seven Warlords of the Sea came, he starts the meeting. Doflamingo and Sengoku exchange comments on the success of pirating. Just then, Mihawk arrives, commenting on the behavior of the Marines and other Warlords he has heard from outside the room. Doflamingo states Mihawk was the least expected person to show up and Mihawk replies he is merely a bystander as this meeting is about pirates of interest to him.
Just then they are interrupted by another person, a silhouette of a man is seen greeting himself as a observer also, but stating he wishes to take part in the meeting. He is identified by Vice Admiral Tsuru as Laffitte, a policeman who was renowned for his violent ways and exiled from the West Blue. He states he wishes to put forward his captain's name for nomination of the Seven Warlords of the Sea.
Somewhere in the Grand Line, on board a ship belonging to Whitebeard, a guest arrives. Rockstar greets himself as a rookie, but asks a member of the Whitebeard Pirates if he had ever heard of the pirate Rockstar, to which he receives the reply of "no". Whitebeard tears up a letter for him from Shanks, Rockstar's captain. Whitebeard is angry Shanks sent him a letter and tells Rockstar his captain must come in person and bring plenty of good rum.
Elsewhere, Shanks talks on a Den Den Mushi to Rockstar. Shanks laughs about how the old man has not changed a bit. He denies Rockstar the chance to redeem his honor against the Whitebeard crew and is ordered back. Benn Beckman questions his captain over whether they should go to Whitebeard or not. Shanks replies, the crew should prepare for battle.
At the Marines' and Seven Warlords of the Sea's meeting, the name of "Teach" is put forward by Laffitte. He is told that because he is an unknown pirate, he is of little value to them. But Laffitte states they are working on that and to remember the name of the Blackbeard Pirates.
At Mock Town, Blackbeard and his crew makes their move. Sarquiss knocks into Teach and rudely tells him off for it, to which Teach replies by slamming his head into the ground. They state they've been waiting for someone worth 100,000,000 to chase for a while.
Chapter 235
Nami is frustrated that Luffy hasn't returned, indicating that he's 46 minutes late and they won't make the Knock Up Stream in time if he doesn't hurry. She resolves that he's probably late because he didn't think about how carrying the gold would affect his time, but Sanji and Usopp are in agreement that calculating time is something Luffy would never consider. Chopper suggests that he could have been beaten, to which Nami replies she'd never forgive him for even if he was on time. Just then Luffy returns, proudly holding up a hercules beetle (that he aptly named Hercules), confusing everyone present. He is then awestruck at the newly refitted Going Merry, furthering Nami's annoyance with him. After returning Mont Blanc Cricket's gold to him, he urges the Straw Hats to hurry to the ship. Luffy tries to thank him for the ship, but Cricket tells him to thank Masira and Shoujou instead. Luffy does so and offers them Hercules, much to their appreciation. They however also urge him to hurry to the ship, as time is limited. As Luffy runs to the ship, Cricket reflects on all the times that the "City of Gold" has been laughed off as his ancestor's imagination. He then shouts to the Saruyama Alliance not to screw this up, and to give it their all for Straw Hats. Luffy smiles at this, and finally boards the ship to set sail. As they prepare to head off, Cricket tells Luffy that one thing is certain: No one has ever proven that the City of Gold and Sky Island do not exist. He then wishes the Straw Hats a safe adventure, and they finally depart.
Aboard the Blackbeard Pirates raft, they are still in search of Luffy. Blackbeard mentions how Luffy indicated he's going to Sky Island, and that they must catch him before then or it will be tough to track him down.
Masira and Shoujou remind everyone that is 7:00 a.m., and they should be reaching their destination around 11 a.m. Reiterating how the Knock Up Stream's exact location is different every time, they emphasize that they must get there early to search for its exact position. They try to explain further how Luffy's tardiness impacted this, but they notice he is not paying attention, fooling around with the south bird. He keeps turning the bird's head to see if it will stay in a different direction other than south, but to his amusement, it keeps springing its neck to face south. It gets highly annoyed at Luffy's antics and tells him (translated by Chopper) that he will turn a different direction to throw the pirates off. He turns north, but he is clearly straining himself to do so, and eventually has to face south again, causing more laughs from Luffy and Usopp. Luffy's carefree attitude about their schedule annoys them slightly, but they agree that worrying about it will do them no good and they press on.
3 hours later, they notice the Millenium Cumulonimbus cloud approaching them from the southwest. It is an hour early, but the Saruyama Alliance takes the necessary action regardless, and sends their scuba divers in to search for the stream. Shoujou uses his sonar ability to evaluate their surroundings. There is a strong sea current directly ahead (12 o'clock), a Sea King directly to their right (9 o'clock), and slightly to the northwest (10 o'clock) there are giant waves, indicative of a large whirlpool. Masira exclaims that is it, and tells them to steer in the 10 o'clock direction. He states that the whirlpool and huge waves are a sign of the pending explosion that creates the Knock Up Stream. The tumultuous waters instantly concern the Straw Hats, and Robin asks Nami to check the log pose. Like before, it is pointing straight up to the clouds. Shoujou and Masira both comment on how perfect the conditions are for the Knock Up Stream, and Luffy asks if they can get there. They assure him they can, and begin pulling the ship in the right direction themselves. The whirlpool has now become extremely large, as the brothers tell them that they actually have to make it to the center. This generates mixed reactions from the crew. Nami instantly freaks out, as it was never explained to them that they'd have to travel to the center of a gigantic whirlpool. Chopper seems excited at the prospect of their ship flying through the air, Robin simply comments on the size of the whirlpool, and Sanji promises to protect the ladies. Usopp is freaking out as well and wants to turn back, but Zoro tells him it is too late, as Luffy is extremely excited to finally make it to Sky Island.
Chapter 236
As the crew gets closer to the center of the whirlpool, a Sea King emerges to attack them. Even he quickly succumbs to the power of the whirlpool however, terrifying Nami, Chopper, and Usopp while Luffy looks on unfazed. Masira and Shoujou wish the crew luck, as Usopp and Nami frantically try to get them to bring them back away from the whirlpool. They notice that the whirlpool is actually sucking them in now, and then turn their complaints to Luffy. They try to convince Luffy that the whirlpool alone is deadly enough and the Sky Island is just a fantasy, but to their horror, this only excites Luffy further. He tells them that if they were to miss an adventure like that, they'd regret it for the rest of their lives. As they sulk in acknowledgement of their failure, Zoro points out what has been happening during their fruitless efforts: the ship is now completely airborne, and about to plummet to the center of the whirlpool. Just as it falls however, the whirlpool seemingly disappears.
While they wonder how a whirlpool that large could just disappear, Nami notices something: the whirlpool has actually gone into the seabed. As they contemplate this new revelation, Usopp, Luffy, and Zoro notice the Blackbeard Pirates approaching them from the rear. Nami remembers him from Mock Town, while Sanji doesn't recognize him. Blackbeard announces that he's here to collect Luffy's 100,000,000 bounty, while the Saruyama Alliance ponders who he is from a distance.
Blackbeard wonders why it is only dark where they are, while a puzzled Luffy is questions this bounty, which confirms Blackbeard's suspicions that he was unaware of it but nonetheless reveals Luffy's bounty increase while also announcing Zoro's bounty. Usopp looks through his binoculars and confirms, informing Zoro that he's become a wanted pirate as well. Sanji asks Usopp to look again in hopes that there is one for him too, but he coldly tells the cook there isn't one, greatly disappointing him. Luffy is overjoyed at the new bounty, while Zoro casually smiles at his, wishing the amount was larger. Nami herself wonders what role Arabasta's events played in this, and tells Luffy and Zoro not to get cocky. Shoujou and Masira yell for them to stay focused, as the Knock Up Stream is approaching. Just then, the water beneath the Going Merry begins to swell and rise. Blackbeard is confused, and the Straw Hats all frantically look for a place to hide or something to grab on to. There is a massive explosion beneath them, and the Knock Up Stream finally emerges. It immediately blasts the Going Merry into the air but utterly destroys the Blackbeard Pirates' raft in the process.
Mont Blanc Cricket watches the Knock Up Stream from a distance, and breathes a sigh of relief. The stream is shown to extend all the way into the sky, above the clouds. The Straw Hats are still struggling to brace themselves as they ride the stream upward, while Shoujou and Masira cheer them on to Sky Island. The Straw Hats are confused by what is causing them to sail vertically upward, and Nami wonders if it is the wind. Sanji notices that the ship is slowly losing contact the with the stream itself, and points out that they will eventually get blown off if this continues. The crew isn't sure what can be done about this, as they are having enough trouble just holding on to the ship. To make matters worse, the Sea King from earlier emerges from the stream and falls towards them, among other debris that had fallen victim to the stream's power. Sanji further deduces that they will end up like that sooner or later if they don't do something, setting off a flurry of mixed reactions from the crew. In the midst of the chaos, Nami tells the crew to release the sails. They are confused by this, but Nami explains that this is no mere stream that they are sailing on: this is the sea itself, and they are riding a current, it just so happens to be going vertically upwards. She continues to explain that the water vapors from the explosion below are actually creating an updraft of air for them to ride. Since their opponents are the wind and sea, they will conquer them sailing by on in their faces. She concludes by reminding them all who's the crew's Navigator, reaffirming their trust in her ability.
Nami directs the crew to align the ship to be parallel to the stream itself. Sanji tells them to use the wind to help align the ship, but also actually picks Luffy up and throws him in into the deck of the ship for additional momentum. Chopper however points out that the ship has almost lost contact with the stream, and is falling. He implores Nami to come up with another plan, but she says there is no need. The Going Merry completely drifts off the Knock Up Stream, but with the sails released, and new wings as part of its refit, the ship begins to fly along the stream. The crew is amazed at the ability of the ship and Nami's navigation skills, with Sanji fawning excessively. Nami states that as long as they follow this wind and stream, they can make it anywhere. Luffy asks Nami when they'll make it there. She isn't sure, but the crew is finally approaching the Millenium Cumulonimbus cloud, and she believes it should be beyond there. Luffy wonders what will be on top of the cloud when they get there, as the Going Merry finally begins to enter the clouds.
One Piece, Volume 26
Chapter 237
The Straw Hat crew find it difficult to breathe, as they reach what seems to be a sea in the sky, made of clouds. Meanwhile, the Blackbeard Pirates discuss about the Straw Hats getting away on the remnant of their raft that was destroyed by the Knock Up Stream. Burgess insists that they chase after the Straw Hats, but their captain assures them that they will meet again, so long as they both stay in the Grand Line.
Once they get used to the atmosphere, the Straw Hats are astonished by the scenery on the cloud sea. Chopper interrupts the crew to tell them that Usopp isn't breathing and then proceeds to perform CPR on him. Meanwhile, Nami comments that the log pose is still pointing up to which Robin replies that maybe they are only the middle part of the millennium cumulonimbus. Usopp decides to go for a swim to which Sanji advises against as they still don't know anything about the sea of the sky, but ignores him and dives anyways. While on his dive, Usopp is surprised by the little resistance of the sea of the sky and comments on how it is very blurry. He then decides to dive even deeper.
Back on the ship, the crew notice that Usopp has not returned yet. Robin expresses concern and questions if there really is a sea floor in the sea of the sky. This leads to them to deducing that Usopp fell off the cloud. Luffy stretches his arm into the clouds to save Usopp, but says that he can only rely on his sense of touch since he cannot see through the clouds to which Robin assures him that she will handle it. She uses her devil fruit ability to make eyes sprout out all over Luffy's hand and the rest of his arm as well. Through the combination of their devil fruit abilities, they manage to grab Usopp and pull him back on to the ship. Following Usopp though, come a giant octopus and a sea monster who try to attack the ship, but Zoro immediately slices one of the arms of the octopus off and then Sanji joins in, defeating them. Robin takes interest in a fish that ended up on the Merry. She states that the fish is actually a sky fish, a strange creature described in Noland's diary and assumes that because there is no sea floor in the sky ocean, the sky fish must have evolved in various forms in order to survive. As a result, some sky fish became flat and some became like balloons in order to make themselves lighter due to the buoyant force in the sky ocean being much weaker than in sea water. Nami also adds that the sky fish's scales look like feathers and that its carnivorous mouth is weird. While they were still talking, Luffy snatches the sky fish and has Sanji saute it. Luffy takes a bite of it exclaims that it was delicious, but Nami yells at him, saying that they were not done with it yet. Nami then takes the food and tries it for herself.
While most of the crew is focused on the sky fish dish, Chopper notices in the distance another ship and, what appears to be a human, attacking and destroying it. Before the panicked Chopper manages to explain the situation to his crew mates, the masked man comes, seemingly running on the clouds, and attempts to attack the Merry. Luffy, Zoro and Sanji attempt to fight the attacker, but are quickly overwhelmed. Nami calls out to the three, asking what is wrong with them while Usopp continuously mumbles that Sky Island is scary. Just when the attacker is about to finish off the crew with his cannon, another mysterious individual appears. He thrusts his lance at the attacker which sends the latter flying into the sky sea. Nami cries asking who it is now. The mysterious savior reveals himself. An old man, wearing armor and riding a huge bird. He introduces himself to the Straw Hats as "The Knight of the Sky".
Chapter 238
Nami scolds the Monster Trio (Luffy, Sanji, and Zoro) for being useless. Chopper thanks Gan Fall for helping them, but Gan Fall says it is his duty. Luffy says that he is unable to move normally and Robin states it is because of the scarce oxygen present in the place. Gan Fall asks the Straw Hats if they are citizens of Blue Sea, and explains that an average citizen of Blue Sea cannot stand here. He informs the Straw Hats that the White Sea is filled with a lot of danger and he would help them only if they pay him 5,000,000 for each call made by them through the whistle. He also states that the Knock Up Stream wasn't the only way to come up, making Nami cry over the difficulty she has had. He asks the Straw Hats if they lost any crew members and states that they are very brave to come here through such a dangerous method, earning his respect. He departs from the scene after giving the Straw Hats a whistle to call him.
Robin remarks that they have not found any information relating to Sky Island. The crew then comes across a waterfall, they then sail to it until realizing it is blocked by a big cloudbank. Luffy decides to investigate the cloudbank. Luffy finds it is bouncy, saying it is soft like cotton, which makes Nami ponder about the phenomenon. He notices a huge door on the other side and Straw Hats check it out. They come across a door that is named as Heaven's Gate, in which an old lady, whom she calls herself the "Watcher of the Gate", appears and asks them to pay a fee to access the island, though she states that it is not compulsory to pay the money. After the Straw Hats refuse to pay the fee, the sea's speedy shrimp carries Going Merry to the island. Meanwhile, the gatekeeper is seen reporting to a "god" and his priests about seven pirate interlopers.
Chapter 239
The Straw Hat Pirates travel up a line of clouds shaped like a river and reach the entrance to the Sky Island "Godland Skypiea". They fly into the Sky Island propelled by the river and look with amazement at the buildings and clouds shaped like a sea. The crew reaches the beach and Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper jumps off the ship and run off as fast as they can to the beach to explore the surrounding area.
Zoro asks about dropping the anchor where he comments that it would be impossible since the sea is bottomless, but Luffy does not care at all so Zoro drops it anyway. Sanji gets caught in the fun and heads to the beach. Then Nami is being attacked by the south bird which they forgot to release and it leaves. Zoro understands that the beach is the island's structural basis. Robin states that she has not thought of a landing being so adventurous, while Nami notices that the name of the island is the same as that form the map Luffy found.
Luffy gets really excited that the island is filled with scent of adventure. Nami thinks that she can relax for a while without having trouble with the Marines while Sanji examines the flowers of the island. Luffy sees a strange pumpkin-like fruit and tries to bite into it, but it is too hard and offers the fruit to Usopp while Zoro, now out of the ship, questions whether it is really clouds they are on since his feet are wet. Sanji offers Nami a flower while she ignores him and checks out sofas made of clouds with Chopper. Then music begins to play and a small fox appears, which Zoro comments on seeing it, and Sanji points out a person on a hill far back. Usopp comments that is may be a raider, but Sanji shouts out that it's an Angel because of the wings and harp. The "angel", which is a beautiful woman, turns towards them, salutes them and approaches them.
She asks them if they are from the Blue Seas to which Luffy informs her that they came from flying up from below. Then she informs them that this place is known as Angel Beach of Skypiea Island and asks Luffy if he would like to drink from the fruit, called Conache, which he tried to bite into earlier. She cuts open the fruit which Luffy drinks from and comments how good it tasted. After opening the fruit, she introduces herself as Conis, a box also informs the reader that the fox seen earlier is named Su, and says that she can help them if they have any problems. Nami says to her that there are many things she wants to know about the island and comments on how unbelievable everything is.
Then the Straw Hats notice a man coming from the sea. Conis says that he is her father riding a waver. He crash lands and asks if anyone is hurt which Zoro remarks that he should be asking himself that question. The Waver is explained by Nami from Noland's diary that it is a boat which can sail without wind. After asking his daughter Conis if the Straw Hats are her friends, she informs him that they are from the Blue Seas. He then tells the crew that they are in the White-White Sea and introduces himself as Pagaya. Pagaya tells the Straw Hats that he just finish fishing in the White White Sea shows them the Sky Lobsters, a delicious sea food in white sea. The Straw Hats are invited to his home, while Nami asks the reason why the Waver sails without wind. Conis states that it is because of dials and asks Nami if she knows what a dial is.
Chapter 240
Pagaya allows Luffy to ride on his waver, which Luffy stands on it and finds the accelerator for it. It starts up at a high speed which Luffy cannot control and because of the lack of control, he flips and lands in the sea of clouds. Sanji and Zoro believe that that Luffy's devil fruit weakness will not affect him since the sea of clouds appears different than the normal sea, but is quickly proven wrong once Luffy begins to sink into the sea. Once Zoro saves Luffy, Sanji and Zoro began arguing as Pagaya explains that to ride a waver well that it takes years of practice. However, Nami begins riding the waver and can easily control it despite never had ridden one previously and continues riding while the other does to Pagaya's house.
As the others walk up a long flight of stairs, Pagaya asks Zoro if they went through the milky road in order to arrive here and begins explains that it is in fact an artificial cloud channel. He further explains the two natural cloud types: sea clouds and island clouds (which can be compared to land and sea) as well as the reason for the abnormality which is because of the substance called pyrobloin from the mineral, seastone. Continuing his explanation, the two types of clouds are made of pyrobloin which is ejected from volcanoes and makes contract with water in the air. Also, he says that the milky road is made by the cutting factory and adjustmenting the substance's molecules.
Everyone reaches the top of the flight of stairs as well as Pagaya's house. Inside the house, Robin asks what are the dials, which they also discover that there are multiple dials for everyday tasks and appliances, are able to power the waver which Conis explains how the Wind dial works to power the waver. After hearing this, Luffy wants a waver. Usopp replies that they already have one, but it is 200 years old and probably cannot function anymore. However, Conis informs them, that as long as the dial shell is intact, the waver can still function. In the kitchen, Sanji finishes cooking and brings it out for everyone to eat; however, he notices that he cannot see Nami outside anywhere. Luffy said not to worry about it, although Conis and Pagaya are nervous about her whereabouts. They then explain that there is an area where no one should never go which is near the island called Holy Island which is where the God lives, but it seems that Nami has reached the island.
Chapter 241
Luffy is very much intrigued by the forbidden place, where God resides. While the Straw Hat Pirates eat the dinner their hosts offered, they realize that Luffy will go on that place, one way or another, but first they decide to go find Nami. Pagaya offers to take a look at their waver since he is a dial boat technician.
Meanwhile, Nami has reached a piece of land with huge trees, when she hears a noise. Fearing this place could be dangerous, she is about to turn away, when she senses someone behind her. Suddenly, a man comes running desperately out of the forest, chased by another man and his giant dog. As the dog is about to attack the running man, another person arrives, riding a bird, and intercepts him. After kicking the dog away, the man tries to attack the escapee himself, but is in turn stopped by yet another pursuer. Seeing the ruckus, the man, standing behind Nami, shoots with his bazooka straight towards the four men, causing a huge explosion. Once the smoke clears, the desperate man notices Nami and begs her to take him on her boat and help him escape, offering anything in return. Before he manages to finish his plea though, he gets struck by, what seems to be, a lightning strike. The man with the bazooka wonders if that was caused by Enel and decides to retreat.
The three pursuers, joined by a fourth man, seem to be actually allies, as they are seen discussing casually about the incident. The fourth man informs the rest that seven illegal trespassers from the blue sea, have recently entered their territory. Nami is eavesdropping the discussion and, realizing the trespassers are none others than herself and her crew mates, she fears that the same fate might be awaiting them, too.
Back on Angel Beach, the police force of Skypiea, the White Berets arrive, lead by Captain McKinley, to investigate the illegal trespassing incident. When they arrive at the shore, they notice a ship. Luffy, who was working, along with Pagaya, on the Waver, sees them and wonders who they are.
Chapter 242
The White Berets crawl cautiously towards Luffy, much to his surprise and his crew's concern. McKinley reveals a photo of the Straw Hats taken by Amazon, which confirms that they are the illegal trespassers. While Pagaya tries to reason with them and the others wonder what this is all about, McKinley assures them that their crime is not so serious (class 11) and that if they pay a fine of ten times the entry fee, they can go back to be considered regular tourists. That still seems a lot for the Straw Hats to pay, so they try to negotiate.
At that time Nami arrives at the beach. When she gets informed by Usopp about the fine, she gets so mad that she drives her Waver straight on McKinley's face, sending him flying. Pagaya warns Luffy and his crew that they are in danger, to which they agree and decide to make a run for it. A bloodied McKinley stops them, announcing that their crime is now of class 5 and sentences them to drifting cloud, a small cloud that drifts in the sky with no chance of getting off, in other words a death penalty. The White Berets proceed to attack the crew, using cloud arrows and dials, but Luffy, Zoro and Sanji manage to defeat them relatively easy. McKinley, though, warns them that they have now become class 2 criminals and that they will now be judged by the relentless Priests of Upper Yard.
Chapter 243
The Straw Hat Pirates talk their situation out, trying to find a solution, while Pagaya and Conis sadly announce that they cannot help them anymore, since they are wanted men. Luffy calms everyone, stating that, either way, they are used to being chased by the authorities. He then argues with Nami about whether they should go to the forbidden land or not.
Zoro interrupts the argument, wondering if there is actually a way to return to the Blue Sea. Conis explains that right now there is no safe route for them to follow, but they can return to the White Sea, head towards the clouds' end. As they decide to set sail, Luffy asks for food supplies and Usopp for some tools to repair the ship. Little did they know, that Luffy had not given up on the idea of going to the forbidden land. Although Nami keeps protesting, they all know that if Luffy sets his mind on something, he will do it no matter what.
As Sanji prepares the lunch boxes and Usopp gathers his tools, they notice the ship being dragged in the sea, against their crew mates will, by a giant shrimp, accompanied by sea monsters, to assure the criminals will not escape. Pagaya explains that the ship is taken to the sacrificial altar, the northeast portion of Upper Yard, where they will either be sacrificed to the God, or be simply trialed. In other words, the ship and people in her are taken hostages, and it is the ones left behind who have to go through a series of trials, in order to save them.
After explaining the way to get there, Pagaya warns Luffy that apart from the quite strong priests, God Enel himself resides on Upper Yard, too.
Chapter 244
Conis takes Luffy, Sanji and Usopp to the city of Angel Island; they notice that the citizens try to avoid them or regard them suspiciously, because they are considered criminals. While walking on the street, they come across a statue that symbols vearth, the idol of the citizens of the sky. As they leave the city to head to the port, McKinley is seen following them in secret.
Upon arriving at the port, Luffy gets excited by all the strange shaped boats, but is disappointed when Conis presents them the ship they will be taking, Karasumaru. After getting directions on how to reach the milky road, Luffy notices Conis is trembling in fear or anxiety. Conis reveals that taking them there could be a trap, instead of letting them rejoin the rest of the crew. She caves in and, despite the other citizens' warnings, admits that she was the one who called for the super-express speedy shrimp; fearing that if she didn't, her own life would be in danger. Seeing her cry and beg for forgiveness, Luffy scolds her, not for betraying them, but for revealing the truth to them and putting her life on the line once again.
As Luffy finishes his sentence, a huge lightning bolt comes from the sky, right on the spot he and Conis were standing. Once the smoke clears up, the citizens mutter about what happen, and one claims that, no one can escape the god Enel's wrath. Fortunately, Conis and Luffy were saved at the last minute by the Knight of the Sky, revealed to be called Gan Fall, the previous God of Skypiea.
As Gan Fall drops Luffy back to his crew mates, he assures them that he will protect Conis from any harm; and asks them what their plans are, now that they have learned about this island and God's power. Luffy replies that he doesn't want anything to do with God or his island, but he still has to go there to rescue his friends. The three Straw Hats get on the boat and start sailing towards Upper Yard.
Chapter 245
Luffy, Sanji, and Usopp are on their way to the Sacrificial Altar which is located in Upper Yard. They are traveling on the milky road in the dial boat given to them by Conis. Sanji is worried about Conis, but Usopp tells him to trust Gan Fall and that she will be safe with him. Luffy is still unhappy about how slow and uncool their boat is but Sanji just tells him to stop being picky.
Soon, they see the entrance to the forest and they are amazed by its size. Sanji comments that it must have taken thousands of years for the trees to grow this huge. Luffy plans to climb the trees while Usopp searches the map for any clue about the forest. As they reach the entrance, Sanji tells them that there is no turning back and asks if they are ready. Usopp wants to say that he is not ready and wants to go back but before he could finish his sentence, Luffy shouts, "Let's go!" The forest looks scary and Usopp is really scared because he feels as if someone is watching them.
While Usopp is still wondering why there are so many ships laying around cut in half, a huge blade that's tied with a chain swings at them. They are saved by a close call but soon they realize there are more of those "scythe monsters" as Luffy describes them. Soon Luffy, Sanji, and Usopp start to paddle really fast as to dodges the rest of the blades. After a great struggle, they dodge all the blades to realize that now they have traveled too far from the entrance. Suddenly, a huge eel-like monster appears before them. Sanji defeats the eel with a single kick but he realizes that there is something that someone is trying to protect and that is why there are so many traps. Soon, they reach at a huge statue-like gate with four paths. The signs on the entrances say "Trial of Swamp", "Trial of Iron", "Trial of String" and "Trial of Orb". They have to pick a path.
Back at Sacrificial Altar, Zoro is having a tough time fighting the sky sharks. Then a shark takes Zoro under the clouds and Robin, Nami, and Chopper start to worry if Zoro had been eaten. But Robin remarks if that happens then the color of clouds would turn red, and Nami tells Robin to stop saying scary things like that. Eventually, Zoro punches the shark and sends it flying.
Zoro says that the shrimp left them at a dangerous place and they cannot go anywhere because there are too many sharks. Nami remarks that despite being a swordsman, Zoro punched the shark, and Chopper finds Zoro incredibly strong. Zoro tells Robin that since the bottom of the Going Merry is smashed, they cannot leave with it. Zoro tells Chopper to start repairing it while he goes in the forest to look for a way out. Zoro tells Nami that Luffy and the others will come here eventually so it is best to stay put, but Nami remarks that he is not the one to talk about being lost. Zoro is eager to meet the God that everyone is talking about but Nami tells him that he cannot and he must apologize to God and pray for forgiveness. Zoro answers that he never prayed to god. Chopper is really amazed by Zoro's response while Nami is praying to God that telling him that she is not associated with Zoro.
Robin asks Zoro if she can join, which Zoro agrees but tells her to stay out of his way. Robin said that the Sacrificial Altar looks thousands of years old and history always makes things exciting. She also says that if they can find some jewels or treasure then it might help them to fix the ship. As soon as Nami hears the word "jewels", she decides to join Zoro and Robin and her excuse was that she is interested in history which Chopper finds a complete lie. Soon Zoro and Robin cross the river by swinging on vines but when it comes to Nami's turn, she was scared by the height, but by gathering some courage she jumps but only to find out that she is going too fast. Robin slows her by using her Devil Fruit powers. They leave the Sacrificial Altar, and Zoro tells Chopper that they are trusting him to repair the ship. Chopper is telling himself that he did not go because he was scared and he would rather stay here on the ship alone. Then it hits him that he is the one in the most danger.
Chapter 246
The four priests of God discuss the Class 2 crime the Straw Hat Pirates committed, and prepare for their punishment.
As Luffy, Sanji and Usopp sail along the milky road, they arrive at a point where their route splits between four doors leading to a respective trial, each one bearing a name: Orb, String, Iron and Swamp. Luffy, casually suggests the trial of Orb, and the other two agree.
As they enter the door, they go through a dark and long corridor. Luffy jokes about them picking the wrong door, and when they finally reach the exit, they start falling. Believing they have fallen off Sky Island, the three panic, but they land on what seems to be a continuation of the milky road, which leads them into a forest filled with various sized cloud orbs.
As the three of them continue sailing, they get attacked by a giant snake, but Luffy sends it flying. Shortly afterwards, a large white orb blocks their path; when Sanji attempts to remove it by kicking it, the orb explodes in their faces.
Suddenly, a voice is heard, explaining that these clouds are called "surprise orbs", and no one can predict what will appear from inside them. A man appears, and introduces himself as Satori, one of Enel's priests. Sanji asks him if the rest of the crew are alright; he replies that he doesn't know, but even if they manage to escape custody, they would still end up dead. When Luffy tries to attack him, Satori predicts the attack and avoids it, before striking Luffy in the face with an impact dial attached to his palm. Sanji attacks him as well, but his moves are predicted by the priest again, by a power called Mantra. Usopp tries to fight, but gets beaten up as well.
Satori sends the boat, the Straw Hats' only means of reaching the sacrificial altar, sailing along the milky road. He then goes on to explain the trial of orb, stating that it has a survival rate of 10%.
One Piece, Volume 27
Chapter 247
Luffy, Sanji, and Usopp are amazed by the priest's power, who taunts them, telling them they have to hurry and beat him in order to catch up with their boat. Luffy sends the other two to find the Karasumaru, saying that he will take care of their enemy. He attacks Satori, but his moves get predicted again, and he is easily defeated. Satori turns his attention to Usopp and Sanji, attacking them with his orbs and stalling them, until Luffy returns to the fight. Luffy's punches not only miss their target, but hit all the nearby floating orbs, setting off all their hidden surprise traps at once.
During the attack, Usopp finds the time to use his rope weapon to reach the boat; while this reaches the boat, it is not entirely successful, as he forgot to detach the rope from his belt, and is dragged along underneath. Satori lands a very powerful attack with an impact dial on Sanji's chest, stating that the other two are next.
Meanwhile, back on Going Merry, Chopper has been left alone to guard her; when one of Enel's priests, Shura, arrives to collect the sacrifices, Chopper panics, blowing the whistle to summon Gan Fall, the Knight of the Sky, in a desperate call for help.
Chapter 248
Conis and Pagaya have sought refuge in Gan Fall's residence. There, the former God is seen watering his pumpkin crops, while discussing with his guests about the recent events. Gan Fall explains, that those people were pirates from the blue sea, groups that are considered sailing criminals, though he prefers to call them "people that don't follow rules". He goes on about having met another group of pirates, 20 years ago, whom he befriended. Gan Fall expresses his worry about the ongoing conflict between Skypiea and Shandia and reveals that his negotiations, while he was God, had almost bore fruits, but it was then, when Enel invaded the country and assumed control.
As he apologizes about his failure, he remembers an old legend speaking about a beautiful song heard, when God's island was born; a song that signaled the beginning of the war. Gan Fall believes that, when this song is heard once more, that's when the war will, finally, end. All of a sudden, seeing Pierre uneasy, Gan Fall wears his armor and departs.
Back at the ship, Chopper is seen, bruised, trying to put out a fire on the main mast, and begging the attacker to stop. In a desperate move, Chopper breaks the mast right of and throws it in the sea. However, Shura keeps setting fires on the ship, using his lance and states that if Chopper wants to survive, he has to make sacrifices.
Shura explains, that the forest is divided into four territories, each one controlled by a priest, but the altar doesn't belong to any of the said territories. If the invaders survive the trials of the forest and reach the altar then they are free to go. However, since some of the sacrifices broke the rules and left the altar, Shura claims that someone else must pay for it with his life.
As Shura attacks Chopper with his lance, Gan Fall appears. The two men engage into an aerial battle, riding their birds. Shura looks down on Gan Fall, calling him an old man, but the former God, with a swift move, manages to land a dial attack on his opponent, much to Chopper's amazement.
Chapter 249
As the battle between Gan Fall and Shura continues, elsewhere, a little girl is shown walking amongst the clouds, when she finally arrives in a village hidden inside the clouds, the village of Shandia. The girl, named Aisa, meets a Shandia warrior there, who warns her that, if she keeps going to Upper Yard, she will end up dead. Meanwhile, the rest of the warriors discuss about Gan Fall's skirmish in Upper Yard, whom, along with Enel, they consider an enemy and hope they take each other out. The masked attacker is revealed to be Wyper, the descendant of the great Shandia warrior, Kalgara.
Zoro, Nami and Robin wonder in the forest, until Robin finds some kind of ruins that pick her interest. Ahead of them lies a river, which they have to cross, if they wish to enter deeper into the forest. Nami watches over the distance with her binoculars and spots the area called Upper Yard.
Back at the altar, Chopper is amazed by the speed in which the two opponents clash. Suddenly, Gan Fall finds it hard to move his body, which got trapped in Shura's ordeal of strings. Unable to move, the dethroned God suffers a fatal wound by the priest's lance, and with his last words, asks Chopper to defeat Enel and his priests, for the sake of all those who have fallen.
At the same time, Pagaya suggest that, he and Conis create something to help the Straw Hat Pirates.
Chapter 250
Gan Fall falls defeated into the water and Chopper, in desperation, dives after him to save him, despite being a Devil Fruit user. Fuza, with a hit, sends Pierre to join them. Sure about his victory, Shura decides to go after the other escapees.
Back in the forest, Satori has taken the upper hand in his battle against Luffy, Sanji and Usopp. Luffy attacks the priest but he dodges and sends a dragon made of orbs against his opponent. Usopp takes this chance to try and retrieve their boat. Luffy notices that the dragon is controlled by a rope and he cuts it loose. Satori pulls Luffy with the remaining rope towards him, but Luffy still holds the dragon on the other hand, which he throws on the scared priest, causing a huge chain of explosions.
Satori manages to survive the explosion, but loses his focus, and that's when Luffy appears and grabs him, rendering him unable to move or escape. Sanji, although hurt by the explosions, is determined to pay the priest back, for kidnapping his favorite ladies, regardless of the consequences being that they will become first class criminals. As Luffy still holds on Satori, Sanji delivers a strong kick on his head and finally defeats him.
Chapter 251
In the Shandia village, Aisa informs Wyper that she felt, using her Mantra, that two voices have been silenced in the forest. Wyper rejoices and realizes that this is the time for them to act and begin their assault. When Wyper leaves, Aisa reveals to Raki that it wasn't Gan Fall who defeated the priest, but some other very powerful people, who are also in the forest. Raki asks for the girl's purse and when she refuses to give it away, claiming that her treasure is inside, Raki promises to bring more for her.
In the forest, Usopp urges Luffy and Sanji to hurry up, if they want to catch up with their boat. Using Usopp's waist rope, they finally manage to get on board. Nami seems to have discovered something about Upper Yard, and is about to lead Zoro and Robin there to make sure.
While the rest of the priests, using Mantra, acknowledge the defeat of their comrade in the hands of the newcomers, the Shandia warriors have begun their invasion in God's island, led by Wyper who is determined to light the fire of Shandia.
Chopper wakes up back on the Altar and, seeing Gan Fall and Pierre unconscious around him, wonders who saved them from drowning.
Nami's group reach a clearing where they see something familiar. A missing part of a house they saw down on Jaya. This leads them to realize that, Upper Yard was once on the ground, originally a part of the island of Jaya.
Chapter 252
Nami thanks God once she finds out that the Sky Island they tried so hard to reach is actually the City of Gold, thinking that it must be God's reward for her "well behaved and disciplined self". When someone asks if she wasn't afraid of "God" on the Island, she responds "Who cares about God!? Is it worth more money than gold!?". Robin remarks that she was thanking God earlier, and Zoro states that she does not know what she's trying to say.
The Shandia continue their invasion of Upper Yard, attacking anything in their path. Luffy, Sanji and Usopp ride the milky road, and notice the human skulls on the plain. Luffy remarks that they are indeed human skulls, and notices that something's coming. Usopp freaks out, and the Shandia appear to attack the group. Wyper fires a cannon ball at them. Luffy jumps and uses Gomu Gomu no Fusen to deflect it. One of the Shandia asks Wyper if they should engage them, to which the latter states that they should ignore them. Sanji notices that one of them is the Masked Raider they met in the White Sea. Wyper then states that they are the citizens of the Blue Sea that caused a racket at Skypiea, and that if they don't want to die, they should go back to the Blue Sea, and warns them to do not try to do anything weird at the Island, otherwise he will treat them like Enel, and eliminate them too. Luffy then asks for a fight, Usopp tells him to not say anything more and Sanji asks if the Shandia and God are really enemies. Wyper remarks that they are going to need to be strong to leave the island alive. Luffy wonders what´s their problem, and then the group continues their ride.
Back in Karasumaru, the group enjoys their ride on the Milky Road, and wonder if it's going to be this calm all the way to the altar. As the sun sets, the Shandia and the Priests continue their fight.
The other members of the crew go back to the Going Merry, and notice that the mast is missing. They then call for Chopper. The latter tells them nothing really bad happened and the formers ask for him to tell them what happened. Luffy, Usopp and Sanji then reunite with the others. Chopper tells Usopp what happened to the mast, and then the crew goes to check on Gan Fall. Sanji remarks that in the ship's current condition and the sky getting dark, they must camp there for the night. Each Straw Hat Pirates then reports on the situation and tells the crew the information each one gathered, while Sanji and Chopper take care of Gan Fall. Luffy then states that they will "go and find the gold".
Chapter 253
The Shandia have continued their campaign through Upper Yard, but must now halt their progress as Kamakiri has been hurt. Engaged in battle with the priest "Skybreeder" Ohm and his dog Holy, Wyper reluctantly retreats with the rest of the Shandia to treat their wounded. Ohm is prepared to pursue them, but another priest, "Sky Boss" Gedatsu, arrives and tells him that Enel has summoned them. At the Straw Hat's encampment, Luffy is assisting Sanji in preparing a meal for the crew. Watching water boil, he complains about how boring his job is, but Sanji stresses the importance of having water for the crew tomorrow. Just then Zoro and Chopper return from a supply run. Chopper has found bananas, walnuts, aloe, and garlic. Zoro has come back with rats and frogs. Sanji tells them to put it all in the stew, prompting Nami to comment that some weird things going into it. Sanji guesses that she is referring to the garlic, which Nami vehemently denies. Robin then returns as well, holding a blue rock that Nami initially takes for a gemstone. It is actually crystallized salt, much to Sanji's delight. Chopper decides to keep some aloe and garlic for medical treatment and helping the Knight of The Sky, which slightly confuses Zoro, as he assumed Chopper would need the frogs. Sanji then asks Zoro to help out with preparation as well; he has him hold a smoldering rock to place in the stew, much to the latter's annoyance at the use of his swords. Luffy wonders if they're supposed to eat the rock too, as Sanji explains that the heat from the rock helps cook the stew.
As Sanji puts the finishing touches on their meal, Nami has finished creating a map. With the crew gathered and eating, Nami starts by first reviewing what they have learned from Mont Blanc Noland's tale: He traveled to the City of Gold 400 years ago. A few years later he returned in search for the golden city, but it had seemingly vanished without a trace. Most evidence implicates that particular part of the island being blasted into the sky by the Knock Up Stream, but Zoro points out that the animals and vegetation of both islands vary too greatly to have come from the same place. Robin, however, points out that there are much different substances in both environments that impact their growth in drastically different ways. Chopper makes note of the size of the south bird that saved them (compared to the one that got them to Skypiea), to which Sanji questions why they were saved in the first place. Chopper isn't sure, but points out that the birds were referring to the Knight of The Sky as "God". This blows Luffy away, as he immediately associates the actions of Enel with the title and consequently thinks that he has to beat up the Knight of The Sky. This earns him ridicule from Usopp, which eases Pierre's fears that Luffy may actually hurt his master. Nami continues recapping the information Noland's book gave them about the Golden City, including a golden belfry. Robin calls attention to the things Noland wrote on the last page of his diary, more specifically his quote about seeing the gold in the "Skull's Right Eye". Nami is thinking the same thing, and shows the crew what happens she aligns the map Robin found in Jaya, with the ancient map of Skypiea: when combined at the point Mont Blanc Cricket's home splits, the two islands form a skull.
With this new revelation, the "Skull's Right Eye" is shown to be a specific area in Upper Yard. Because the island was still one land mass at the time of Noland's discovery, the logic no longer held true and the riddle was impossible to solve by the time he returned. The crew decides to head for this point the next day, but they cannot leave the Going Merry unattended, so will split into two groups. Robin notices that it is getting late, and suggest putting out the fire so as to not give away their position to the enemy. Luffy calls this idea stupid (greatly shocking Robin), but Usopp tells Luffy to give her the benefit of the doubt in recognition of the dark life she has lived up until now. When Robin inquires what they mean, they explain that you simply have to have a campfire on camping night, even if it means death. Nami attempts to scold the two about how dangerous the forest is, but realizes it is futile when Zoro and Sanji join in by creating a woodpile. Sanji attempts to quell her fears by explaining that the beasts are afraid of fire, but eyes begin to ominously appear from the darkness behind him, only scaring her further. Ironically, she is soon enjoying herself with everyone else: the eyes are revealed to have belonged to wolves, who befriend the crew and dance with them around the campfire.
In the midst of the festivities, the Knight of The Sky finally awakens from his rest. He is greatly amused that the wolves have been tamed, and furthermore that probably no one else would make so much noise in Enel's home. He attempts to apologize that he couldn't be more helpful to the crew, but they denounce this and offer him some food. Luffy and Chopper actually ask him to come dance, much to Zoro's bewilderment (Zoro and Chopper often argue about the former's mobility after medical treatment). Sanji asks him about Conis and Pagaya, and he assures they are safe at his home. His face becomes more serious, and he reveals that he overheard their conversations about Upper Yard's history. He was unaware that the land was once known as Jaya, but nonetheless asks them if they know why Upper Yard is known as the "Holy Land". He goes on to explain to the crew that the ground beneath their feet is rather common to them, but to the people of the sky, it is quite the opposite. Island cloud can nurture plant life, but it cannot give birth to it; thus soil and plant life are not things of the sky. There, they refer to the soil as "vearth", and will forever hold it sacred.
In another area of Upper Yard, there is discord in the Shandia Village over their earlier mission. Wyper is berating Raki for her lack of focus, blaming Kamakiri's injury on his need to save her. She apologizes, and tearfully begs for the small bag that Wyper has snatched from her. She exclaims it is Aisa's treasure, and she promised the little girl she would bring her some Vearth. Wyper counters that is exactly why she couldn't focus. She continues to beg for the bag back, until Kamakiri himself appears and knocks the bag to the ground. He claims that he can still fight, and agrees with Wyper that there is no better time than now to strike with one of the Priests already down. He goes on to say that if they defeat Enel there will no longer be any need to cherish a small bag of Vearth, and the Shandia will finally be able to return to the home that they lost 400 years ago.
Chapter 254
Usopp gets up in the middle of the night because he needs to go to the bathroom. While going to the bathroom he hears some noise coming from the Going Merry. However, there is very thick fog, and he can only see a hand holding a hammer. When it is morning, Zoro finds Usopp sleeping near the place he went to the bathroom.
The scene then changes to where Ohm, Gedatsu, and Shura are at God's Shrine. Shura blames Ohm for letting Wyper live, saying that that is the reason why the three have been summoned. The doors to God's Shrine suddenly opens, and the three priests get into a position ready to fight.
From behind Yama asks what they are doing, and states that they are just hopeless. Ohm complains that the other two priests pull him down and that he can't reach his full potential. He then reveals that he is the Priest in charge of the Trial of Iron. Gedatsu states that the other trials are dull, and that his own trial of swamp is the ultimate one.
Yama asserts that this is no time to be fooling around, as this is the place where God lives. All of a sudden, the priests get attacked by someone. It is revealed that this attacker is in fact the God of Skypea, Enel. He states that the Priests are still weak. The Priests are not happy at this attack, but Enel then laughs saying that he was just bored. He also states that the Priests are taking the citizens of the Blue Sea too lightly, and that their target is the gold.
Enel states that the Straw Hat Pirates will most likely start searching for the gold the next day, and that the Shandia will also attack again. Thus, he cancels all the rules he has put in place, and allows the priests to do whatever they want in Upper Yard. When the Priests ask why Enel has had this sudden change of mind to cancel all the rules, Enel replies by saying that Maxim is almost complete, and that they will soon depart to the dream world.
The Straw Hat Pirates notice that the Going Merry appears to have been repaired from its damage, and Usopp asserts that what he saw wasn't a dream after all. This causes the Straw Hats to question if in fact there is someone good on this island helping them. Luffy along with Usopp wonder how the mysterious person could have known how to repair the ship if they had not seen it before.
Nami then makes a plan on how to get the gold. Luffy, Robin, Zoro, and Chopper are a part of the Explore Team, and they will navigate towards the right eye of the skull at the ancient ruin to get the gold. Nami, Usopp, and Sanji will navigate the ship through the island and shore as close to the ruin as possible. Then the teams will meet and leave Sky Island being wealthy pirates.
Chapter 255
The Straw Hat Explore Team (Luffy, Zoro, Chopper, and Robin) has wasted no time in having problems. Zoro has already strayed away from the group, and Luffy yells at him that the west is the other way, while actually pointing east. Zoro counters with the logic that the "skull's right eye" must mean that they go right, and the two trade insults. Meanwhile, Robin asks Chopper to tell both of them that they're actually supposed to be going south. They eventually regroup and head off. Chopper comments that he was initially worried the forest would be a dangerous place, but now he thinks it's nothing to worry about (he makes a mental note that he feels safer with the group), prompting Luffy to mention how brave he's being today. Zoro adds that he can relate since nothing came at them when they entered the forest yesterday either, and Chopper feels even better about himself. Unbeknownst to all of them however, a gigantic snake that severely dwarfs them all in size slithers across the forest behind them. Robin muses to herself how strange the group is for being so eager for something bad to happen. At that moment, the giant snake fully emerges in front of them.
Aboard the Going Merry, Usopp has taken it upon himself to act as "captain", and asks Nami to speed up the ship. She responds that the milky road current is too rough, so they just have to rely on the dials to get them through. Usopp then asks Sanji to be his bodyguard, which he coldly replies he will do exclusively for Nami. Nami then remembers that it's time for the Knight of the Sky to get his medicine, and asks Sanji where Chopper kept it. The knight speaks up, and states that his name is Gan Fall. He asks to share a bit of history of the country. He starts by saying that until 6 years ago, he was known as the "God" of Skypiea. This causes Usopp to ask him if he fell on his head, earning him a nasty bite on the head from Pierre. He continues by confirming what the crew had already figured out: Upper Yard first appeared in Skypiea around 400 years ago. Prior to its arrival, Skypiea was a peaceful place where its inhabitants greatly treasured the blue sea items that occasionally washed up via the Knock Up Stream. All the vearth that appeared in Skypiea beforehand had come in this manner, but for something the size of Upper Yard to come up was truly unprecedented. They considered it a true miracle, a Holy Land as a gift from heaven. The land already had its own native residents however, the Shandia, and thus began a war for the Holy Land. In the end the Shandia were forced out, and have since been trying to reclaim what was once theirs. Sanji and Usopp immediately voice their blame on Gan Fall, earning them both a bite on the head from Pierre. However Gan Fall owns up to it and doesn't attempt to shift blame at all. As he pauses to take his medicine, Nami asks him about "God" Enel. He explains that six years ago Enel showed up leading a powerful army, and defeated both God's Army and the Shandia. He took control of Upper Yard from then on, forcing his army into intense labor, though he doesn't know the details. He reaffirms that who "God" is doesn't matter to the Shandia, they only want their homeland. Sanji asks what caused them to attack the crew when they first arrived then, and he explains that they attack God's Army without mercy. They most likely mistook them for militia, since they sometimes attempt to escape on blue sea ships. Gan Fall says he became the "Knight of The Sky" to help people so easily deemed as criminals escape from Enel's sphere of influence. Sanji resolves that Enel is nothing but a tyrant, which freaks Usopp out, as he wonders what Enel can hear. Gan Fall explains that it's actually worse than being a tyrant; he enforces a system that uses various excuses to outlaw people, and then pushes the people of Skypiea to take part in capturing them. This awareness creates fear, which he uses to maintain a control over the population that truly does liken him to a god. Nami frets at how absurd this all is, realizing the City of Gold has gone to a truly incredible place. This sparks more memories of Gan Fall from the crew's discussions the night before, and he asks what gold is.
Back in the forest, the Explore Team prepares to deal with the snake. Luffy yells for them to run away (though he is clearly enjoying himself), Chopper is scared speechless, Robin wonders if the island's environment is the reason for its size, and Zoro prepares to cut it. The snake strikes at them, and they all manage to dodge. The snake does strike a tree however, which completely melts down, and it is revealed the snake has extremely corrosive venom. With this, they decide that running away is the better option, though Luffy again clearly finds the snake is cool. Zoro warns that the venom will instantly kill you, and Luffy tries to get its attention. It focuses on Robin however, and strikes at her. She effortlessly dodges, and creates a makeshift vine to swing herself to safety. Chopper quickly scrambles away (comically running upright on his hind legs in walk point), and Zoro finds himself face to face with the snake next. Zoro comments on how dire this looks, and the snake lunges for him.
Robin is unsure of what to do. She has navigated back to where they were originally, but no one else is there. She wonders if she should wait. Elsewhere, Chopper is in a severe state of panic that he's gotten lost, and cries out for help. In a different location, Zoro wonders where everyone has gone. He quickly resolves that they'll be fine by themselves though, and that he even memorized most of the map: he just needs to go "right". Finally Luffy has also been separated from the group, but he assumed they got lost. He decides that he'll just meet them at the ruins, and since they said it is "to the south", that must mean it is someplace warm.
One Piece, Volume 28
Chapter 256
In a flashback, Gan Fall has come to visit the Shandia in their village. This causes quite the stir, as Wyper is not in the mood to talk. Gan Fall has come to broker an alliance with the Chieftain, which Wyper staunchly rejects. He says that they will never give up fighting for their homeland, and denies the premise that fighting is meaningless, in light of what was done to the Shandia in the past. Gan Fall counters that Upper Yard has now become an essential part of Skypiea, and it is not as simple as just giving the land back. The people of Skypiea have come to be grateful for the land, and he does not wish to punish innocent people. Wyper then demands the heads of one hundred "innocent" people as payment for peace, which the Knight (then "God") cannot accommodate. Unable to reach a compromise, Wyper orders Gan Fall to leave, unless he wants to be killed. Desperate, Gan Fall calls out Wyper's name when he turns to walk away, only infuriating the latter further at the use of his name. Gan Fall simply utters that he loves pumpkin juice, causing Wyper to snap and attack him. An altercation ensues, causing Kamakiri and Braham to be called in to help break it up. Raki is seen watching from a distance, and comments on how a baby Aisa always cries when something terrible happens in the village. She wonders if it is because of Wyper, and Aisa's mother Isa adds that he is always in the center of trouble. Isa is actually afraid of Wyper, and likens him to a demon.
In the present, as Aisa's bag of vearth lays on the ground, Raki asks Wyper what he's done. Wyper silences her, and has Braham cut her off. Wyper announces that they will not get another chance like this, and that anyone who is not ready can stay in the village. When the Shandia are confused by this, he clarifies by asking them if they are willing to step over their fallen comrades. Only those who are willing to do so should come with him, as today is the day he plans to cut off Enel's head.
At God's shrine, Enel discusses his own strategy with what's left of the forces. Along with the remaining 3 Priests, 50 members of God's Army (this includes Yama) have been dispatched. One of the staff members notes that is the entirety of their battle force and wonders if it was worth going all out, but Enel tells him not underestimate anyone. This only confuses them more, and Enel clarifies: the 50 soldiers, along with the priests and himself, makes 54 fighters. There are 20 Shandia entering the forest, 4 Straw Hats that have already entered, and 3 on the Going Merry (he initially counts Gan Fall, but decides against it). This makes a total of 81 fighters in the Survival Game. He asks the advisors to guess how many fighters there will be left after 3 hours, and they are reluctant to comply. One of three doesn't even want to bother trying to guess, but another speaks up and guesses 50. Enel laughs at the optimistic guess, and finally offers his own prediction: after 3 hours, of the 81 fighters currently in the survival game, 5 will be left standing.
The Shandia begin their assault on Upper Yard, but immediately find themselves immobilized by an unseen phenomenon. A voice chides them for the "poses" they are stuck in, as the Priest "Sky Rider" Shura is revealed to be behind their predicament. Shura elaborates that the Shandia have found themselves in the Trial of String, and their survival rate is 3%. Kamakiri realizes it is string cloud that immobilized them, as Shura continues explaining that they are too thin to see or feel. The Shandia were becoming tangled in them the instant they entered the forest, and a silhouette slowly emerges as he states that the clouds have captured all of them except one. Wyper has somehow managed to evade the String Clouds, and Shura readies his bird Fuza for an aerial battle with the Shandia. Shura states that no one can defeat him in the air, as Kamakiri warns Wyper about Shura's heat javelin. To Shura's shock, Wyper actually discards his bazooka at the last second and allows the lance to pierce him. With both hands free, he grabs hold of Shura with one, and places the other on the Priest's chest. He tells the Priest to say his "prayers" to Enel, prompting a boastful response from Shura, as he believes an impact dial isn't enough to defeat him. Wyper informs the Priest that what he has is actually 10 times stronger than that, and activates the reject dial into Shura's chest. The Priest is immediately incapacitated from the tremendous impact, spurting up blood and falling to the ground unconscious. Wyper stands victorious clutching his shoulder from the recoil, as the narrator announces that the survival game is now down to 80 fighters.
Chapter 257
Aboard the Going Merry, Gan Fall reveals that he introduced himself to the Straw Hats as a mercenary whey they first met because blue sea dwellers aren't knowledgeable of sky combat. When the crew asks him to explain, the Knight sets up a demonstration. Sanji is given a large hammer, and he's told to try his best to break a small shell that has been placed on top of a barrel in front of him. Usopp warns Sanji to do it gently, saying that he won't forgive the cook if he damages the ship. Gan Fall tells him to do the exact opposite, which infuriates Usopp, yelling at the Knight not to say such things just because the Merry isn't his ship. With that Sanji puts his all into the strike, though to everyone's surprise, neither the barrel nor shell are affected in the least. Nami is visibly intrigued by this, while Usopp admonishes Sanji for a pathetic showing of strength. The shell slowly gives off fumes however, leading Sanji to wonder if it mysteriously absorbed the impact somehow. Gan Fall then directs Sanji to hold the open side of the shell toward the barrel, and press the top. It releases a devastating force, completely obliterating the barrel and blowing Sanji back. While the crew reels from the explosion (Usopp has jumped off the deck of the ship), Gan Fall explains that what they just witnessed was the power of the impact dial. It stores energy from impacts to be released later. He adds that people tend to fixate them to their palm by means of a glove or bandage. This causes Sanji and Usopp to reflect on their fight with Satori, and they are now able to make sense of his abilities. As Sanji comically hits the old man for not telling him about the impact, Gan Fall brings up that legends tell of even more powerful dials in the island's history. One of these is the reject dial, which has ten times the power of an impact dial. This power increase can cost the user his life however, so they have all but been retired. Nami expresses that dials were explained to them as everyday tools and not weapons, but Gan Fall counters that any tool which can benefit man, can also hurt him. For instance, he points out that a heat dial, which is used for cooking, can be equipped on a lance to become a fire lance (Shura's heat javelin is shown as an example). In the same vein, a flame dial can be placed in a bird's mouth to create a fire-breathing bird (Fuza is shown as an example). He concludes that because of this, blue sea dwellers with no knowledge of dials and artificial clouds whatsoever stand no chance against well-versed sky combatants. On that note, Sanji decides to ask Gan Fall about the "Mantra" ability that they also encountered against Satori. Gan Fall states that since he doesn't have the ability himself it is a bit hard to explain, but it is essentially an enhanced perception. He goes on to say that everyone's body has a "voice", and one can predict a person's next move by listening to it. The range of this ability can be increased with training: the Priests are able to "hear" everything on Upper Yard, while Enel's range extends to the country in its entirety. He does not understand the logic behind how Enel is able to do this however.
At God's shrine, Enel announces that Shura has been defeated. While laughing, he adds that he underestimated his opponents. The advisors are confused by his optimism, as two Priests have fallen in two days, who have been undefeated for six years. Enel laughs this off as well, adding an insulting joke that "God" wasn't on their side. Elsewhere in Upper Yard, Yama prepares his enforcers of God's Army to deal with the Shandia assault and the Straw Hats. The enforcers all resemble goats in appearance. At the outskirts of the Shandia Village, Raki places the spilled vearth back into Aisa's bag as she recalls Wyper and Kamakiri's words from earlier that they'd take down Enel with no regard for their fallen. In the forest itself, Kamakiri scolds Wyper for his use of the Reject Dial, saying that he'll die if he uses it again. Wyper responds by firing his bazooka in Kamakiri's direction, and asks how they will ever defeat their enemy if they don't make sacrifices. In the aftermath of the blast, Wyper has gone ahead alone, as Kamakiri considers him a fool for his actions. Braham however assesses that they should indeed split up, as there are two Priests left and they don't want any further humiliation by being trapped together again. They all decide to split off, with Genbo suggesting they meet again at God's shrine.
With the Shandia now split and heading in different directions, one of them hears a goat in his vicinity. Before he can make sense of it he is ambushed, and incapacitated by an enforcer of God's Army. Another of the Shandia notices and confronts one the enforcer, asking what he did. He states that Enel has directed them to clean the mess in Upper Yard, and the axe dials they carry are not found anywhere else in Skypiea. The Shandia attempts to shoot him, but he dodges. He holds up his shield for defense, but it proves no match for the dial's power as he is sliced as well.
In another area of the forest, Luffy is casually singing and strolling along until he believes he hears a goat. He's excited that there would be a goat in the forest, and decides to keep walking. One of the God's Army enforcers then emerges from a tree behind him and attempts an ambush, but Luffy punches him so hard that he bounces off of several trees and lands on his head. Luffy is frustrated that it wasn't actually a goat, but continues to walk and sing. He stops yet again when he notices something, but this time it is Wyper. The two exchange cold stares, and Wyper asks Luffy what he's doing here.
Chapter 258
The narrator provides a quick recap on the Straw Hats: The "Explore" team, which consisted of Luffy, Zoro, Robin, and Chopper have departed in search for the ancient ruins, due directly south of the sacrificial altar that the Going Merry was stationed at before. Although it is quite literally a straight line to the ruins, Robin is the only who remains set on their original path, as the others have strayed off.
Chopper is being chased by enforcers of God's Army, screaming out for help as he runs as fast as he possibly can. The Shandia are approaching him from the direction he's heading though, causing him to run back in the direction he was coming from in the first place. A battle between the two forces ensues, with Chopper just desperately trying to stay out of the way. The enforcers prove victorious, while Chopper continues to run away and notes that he shouldn't have come here.
Elsewhere, Nico Robin notices that the forest is no longer as tranquil as it once was. She comes across the first signs of civilization, though the forest has almost swallowed up most of the ruins. One of the enforcers crash lands on some of the ruins in front of her, and tells her that she may not proceed. She tells him to get down from where he is, asking if he has any idea how valuable the historic ruins are. Confused by this, he readies himself to attack her. He starts informing her of Enel's orders, but before he can finish, Robin seizes him in various places with "Seis Fleurs" (sprouting 6 arms). She then uses "Twist" to break several bones, including his spine and legs. Left incapacitated and foaming at the mouth, Robin remarks that he deserved it before moving on.
In another area of the forest, Wyper reminds Luffy that he told him to leave. Luffy tells him its none of his business, but Wyper counters the island belongs to the Shandia, so it is his business. Luffy replies that he thought it was God's place, and apologizes. He then casually tries to keep walking away, but Wyper stops him, this time to Luffy's annoyance. Wyper announces his intent to eliminate Luffy, generating a smile from the pirate as he readies himself for battle.
A defeated enforcer lays on the ground in a different area of Upper Yard, as one of the Shandia comments that they've lost a few men to God's Army already. He notices Zoro walking along, and remembers that Wyper told him that the blue sea dwellers must be eliminated. He lunges at Zoro with his spear, but he effortlessly dodges and knocks him out with a devastating punch. He continues walking, until he hears one of the enforcers pleading for his life. The enforcer attempts to surrender and beg for mercy, but is blasted away just a few feet from Zoro. Braham emerges, and recognizing him, Zoro warns him not to get in his way. Braham decides to respond by firing his pistols at Zoro, which creates a blinding light that temporarily disorients the swordsman. He then bounces off a few trees until he is airborne directly above Zoro, firing off more blinding shots. Zoro manages to evade the bullets, but when he tries to ask about the pistols he can longer see Braham. Zoro senses him attacking from behind, though he is not able to counter quickly enough. Braham lands a powerful kick to his side, sending him flying back. As Zoro gets back to his feet, Braham commends him for his toughness and apologizes for underestimating the swordsman. Licking the blood from around his mouth with a devious smile, Zoro apologizes too for thinking Braham was one of the lesser warriors. He tosses his bag aside, and prepares to fight.
Chapter 259
A tense standoff is underway between Roronoa Zoro and Braham, as the Shandia and God's Army continue to wage war against each other in the surrounding area. Braham suddenly launches into the air, and flips behind Zoro. Zoro is confused at how he was able to jump like that with no preparation, and he begins to remember Usopp explaining different kinds of wavers. He also notes that the lights from Braham's guns makes it difficult to pinpoint his position. Braham fires a barrage of bullets, but to his surprise Zoro evades while coming directly for him. Zoro prepares the "Tora Gari", and Braham makes note of his now drawn third sword. He escapes the technique by jumping to the milky road above him. Zoro follows him by running up a nearby tree and jumping towards the Shandia. While he's in midair closing in, Braham belittles the swordsman for his ignorance of wavers and dials. Holding up a small shell, he asks Zoro if he knows what it is before throwing it directly at him. It leaves a trail of cloud behind it as it reaches him, and Braham instantly closes the distance between the two, revealing it is a milky dial. Caught off guard, Zoro is knocked down to the milky road below as Braham asserts that randomly hopping around does not make him a sky combatant. An eel emerges from the road below to devour Zoro, but he slices it in half.
Standing atop the defeated eel, Zoro muses that he could probably eat it if he cooked it. This temporary lapse of focus gives Braham an opening, and he wastes no time firing another barrage of bullets. This time he gets Zoro in the leg, before he manages to scurry away behind a tree for cover. Making note of his leg injury, Zoro decides that he has to take the guns out of the equation. Emerging from his cover with his goggles on, he tells Braham that his guns are now useless against him. Braham calls his bluff however, and knows that they aren't sunglasses. He continues by mentioning Zoro's disapproval of his guns and the leg injury that he sustained, promising that he'll finish the swordsman now. Removing the goggles, Zoro responds that it is just scratch, though mentally noting that he needs more training for allowing himself to get shot while admiring an eel. Braham fires at Zoro again, and he evades by jumping to the forest floor below. He grimaces in pain from the landing, but fights the urge to yell out his agony as he continues to dodge the bullets. When he finally stops shooting, Braham asks the swordsman if he's trying to run away. Holding up just one sword in front of him, Zoro explains that sight, sound, smell, taste, touch, and thought; the 6 senses, can be good, bad, or neutral (3 variations of each sense, 6x3 = 18). Furthermore, each of these can be pure, or tainted (2 variations of each, 18x2 = 36). These are the 36 earthly desires. Zoro tells the Shandian that he may have a pistol, but Zoro has a cannon aimed at him, which exceeds his weapon in both range and power. Throwing forward another Milky Dial to reach Zoro, Braham wonders if he's gone insane, and asks him where the cannon is. As he closes in, Zoro tells him to open his eyes wide, he's about to show him. Braham tells the swordsman to joke all he wants, and as he gets closer, Zoro unleashes an extremely powerful flying slash: the 36 pound cannon of the one-sword style (One Sword Style: Sanjuroku Pound Ho). Braham is sliced clean across the chest, and falls to the ground unconscious. As Zoro re-equips his bag, he tells Braham that this was nothing personal. The Shandia wanted to eliminate him however, and he's not the kind of person to just wait around for someone to kill him. He concludes that he plans on leaving the jungle very much alive.
Elsewhere in the forest, the Priest "Sky Boss" Gedatsu is finishing off a group of the Shandia. Chopper unknowingly walks right by the Priest sobbing, too fixated on the fact that he's lost and doesn't know if he'll ever see the crew again. He wonders if he's doomed to die, and if so will he go to heaven, but comically asks himself if he's in heaven already. Noticing that he's come across ruins, he gets excited that everyone may already be there. All the while, Gedatsu wonders what a raccoon is doing there (the Straw Hats don't know what the Priests look like, and vice versa).
Aboard the Going Merry, Nami and Usopp are extremely distraught, as Sanji appears to have been burned to a crisp. Gan Fall is distressed, and Usopp comments that he can't hear a heartbeat. Nami's eyes grow wide in fear, as Enel's laugh is heard. Enel is revealed to be sitting on the ship, and comments that Sanji was a fool for attempting to attack him. Gan Fall asks why he is here, and Enel replies that is a rather cold greeting for someone he hasn't seen in six years.
Chapter 260
Usopp is in dire panic over Sanji's condition, cursing Enel for killing him. He cries profusely that Chopper is not there and he does not feel a heartbeat. Nami implores him to calm down, as his hand is on the right side of Sanji's chest, and his heart is on the left. Usopp's face comically goes deadpan as he realizes his mistake, and he is happy as he finally hears a heartbeat. Nami however reminds him that he's still badly hurt and can die, causing Usopp to panic all over again as Gan Fall watches speechless from their antics. Enel has heard enough of Usopp's frenzied emotions, and eliminates the sniper with a single touch to the forehead. His body falls to the ground smoking as if burned to a crisp, just like Sanji. Nami gasps and Gan Fall grows angry at Enel's actions, as he warns Nami to keep quiet if she does not want to end up like him. She fearfully holds in a yelp in compliance, and wonders just who he is and what he did to Usopp and Sanji. Gan Fall angrily asks Enel just what he is plotting. Enel replies that Gan Fall's followers have been working for him for 6 years, and they are almost done. In other words, he will soon no longer have any reason to be on this island, and he says he simply came to say farewell. Enel comments that it should make his people happy, since they cherish vearth so much. Gan Fall asks him to elaborate, and Enel replies that the reason he came to Skypiea in the first place was the same reason as the Straw Hats, and why the Shandia are trying to reclaim their land. They are all after the same thing: the legendary "Golden City," the lost city of Shandora. Gan Fall inquires about the gold, and Enel replies that it always cracks him up how clueless the people of Skypiea are about gold. He concludes that the winner of the survival game will be the rightful owner of the gold, and as a participant in the game himself, he must go. Gan Fall tries to ask him about his plans with God's Army before he leaves, but he replies that is something only "God" can know, and disappears in a flash. Just as Enel leaves, Nami and Gan Fall receive two new visitors aboard the Going Merry.
In the forests of Upper Yard, Luffy and Wyper's battle has begun. Luffy reverts to his regular size (from Gomu Gomu no Fusen) as he has deflected another blast from Wyper's bazooka. Luffy tells him to stop as it is useless, and Wyper concurs that it is time to change strategy. Wyper loads a breath dial into his bazooka, and fires a blast of compressed air at Luffy. When Luffy comments on the smell, Wyper informs him that it was gas that came out of the breath dial, and introduces a new variation of his weapon, the burn bazooka. He explains that it emits white flames to disintegrate his enemies, and fires a blast from it so powerful that it blows a gigantic hole through the tree behind Luffy. He just barely manages to get out of harm's way, and is incredibly shocked at the power of the blast. When Luffy regains his senses, Wyper has disappeared, but comes back with a kick to the side of Luffy's head. Luffy catches his fall by placing his hand on the ground, and uses the momentum to spin into a Gomu Gomu no Pistol. Wyper manages to evade, and creates distance between himself and Luffy by kicking off of his outstretched fist. He prepares another bazooka blast but Luffy springs from the tree below towards him before gets the chance. Luffy attempts to kick him with Gomu Gomu no Stamp, but Wyper blocks Luffy's foot with his own (jet ski). Luffy tries Stamp a few more times with Wyper blocking the exact same way. Wyper fires another blast from the burn bazooka, and Luffy somersaults away. He grabs a nearby tree branch and swings back toward the Shandia, saying that he will not lose in a "bazooka" competition. He prepares the Gomu Gomu no Bazooka, and as he closes in Wyper readies another shot. The two techniques hit their targets simultaneously, sending both Luffy and Wyper flying back. They both land hard against a tree, having taken a surprising amount of damage. This deters neither of them from preparing to get back to their feet, as they both seem eager to continue.
Chapter 261
Wyper has gotten to his feet, and looks to the partially destroyed tree from his and Luffy's exchange for signs of the pirate. Panting heavily, he yells out to Luffy asking if he's dead. Luffy replies that of course he isn't and begins to get to his feet as well. Wyper hears a noise in Luffy's direction, and all of a sudden Luffy is seen falling to parts unknown. He wonders what exactly is going on as he continues to plummet into the dark abyss. Wyper wonders where he went, but decides that he needs to save his strength for Enel regardless. He notes that one more use of the reject dial will probably destroy his body, but nonetheless is resolved to defeat Enel. Having finally stopped falling, Luffy wonders where is as he notices ancient ruins around him.
Elsewhere in Upper Yard, Genbo finishes off a few of the God's Army enforcers with his bazooka. They have proven no match, and get blown away. Commander Yama emerges however, and comments on the rarity of Genbo's cannonballs. He adds that heavy material like iron does not naturally exist in the sky, and notes that quite a few of his men have fallen to him. He identifies the Shandia by his name, and Genbo does the same for Yama, both showing a contempt for one another. Genbo fires a cannonball directly at him, and is shocked when Yama has no reaction whatsoever. Yama displays a surprising amount of athleticism for his size by jumping and kicking the cannonball right back at Genbo, sending him flying back into a tree and coughing up blood as he curses the Commander. Yama reveals an entire belt full of axe dials, and charges directly for Genbo, who states that he can't die here. He taunts Yama to bring it on, to which the Commander responds by belly flopping on the Shandia with the axe dials. Genbo is cut up in multiple places, left unconscious as he slides to the ground and reveals several "X" marks have been sliced into the tree. Yama then flips away from the incapacitated Shandia and yells out a cry of victory.
As the Shandia continue to do battle in the forest, Nico Robin comes up on a tombstone. It appears to be for the city itself, as she guesses that it was most likely constructed by it descendants after it fell. She reads that the city is named "Shandora", and that it prospered more than 1100 years ago. She further reads that they mysteriously disappeared 800 years ago, and notices that this just so happens to fall into the "missing" 100 years of history of the world known as the "Void Century". She wonders if Sky Island was indeed a part of this untold history, and with a map of the city shown on the stone, resolves to head to the city square to see what more she can learn. Yama approaches from behind her however, and she inquires who's there. He comments on how pretty she is, and prepares to attack.
On the Going Merry, the two new visitors introduce themselves as Vice Commanders of God's Army, and state they came to avenge their brother Satori. They introduce themselves as Hotori and Kotori, and Satori was their elder brother. Nami states that she has no clue what they are talking about, as they explain that they will show no mercy for their brother's defeat. Gan Fall calls on Pierre, who instinctively tosses the Knight his lance, and Nami readies her Clima-Tact. Gan Fall mentions that they have to defeat the two quickly, in order to catch up to Enel, who may have malicious intentions for his prisoners. He tells Nami to stay back, but noting what just happened to Usopp, she rebuts that it is her turn to fight now. Gan Fall has no objections to this, and tells her that they first need to figure out what kind of dials they use.
Back in the forest, one of the enforcers tries to tell Gedatsu where something is, but his eyes are rolled to the back of his head, preventing him from seeing anything. The enforcers tell him his error, and Gedatsu is comically shocked when he can see again. The enforcer is shown to be trying to point him to Chopper, and even has a picture as proof that he is with the "blue sea dwellers". Chopper himself also continues to remain oblivious to their presence, calling out for Luffy, Zoro, and Robin. Gedatsu suddenly appears directly behind him, but he's rolled his eyes to the back of his head yet again, causing him to off course wonder where Chopper went. Chopper finally notices the priest behind him, and freaks out at how scary he looks with his eyes like that.
Chapter 262
Gedatsu searches for Chopper wondering if he has the ability to turn invisible, but his eyes are rolled to the back of his head, causing him to not be able to see the reindeer standing right in front of him. A nearby member of God's Army yells to him that he's once again rolled his eyes back, and points out that the enemy is right in front of him. Hearing this while still freaked out at how Gedatsu's eyes look, Chopper wonders if he is an idiot. When he hears the militia member say "enemy" however he deduces that Gedatsu must be a priest. Gedatsu confirms Chopper's suspicions, but it's all in his head, causing the militia member to remind Gedatsu to actually say it out loud. Gedatsu breaks his silence by warning Chopper that he's in his territory, and that he won't be able to escape if trapped in one of his swamp cloud traps. He concludes by stating his "Ordeal of Swamp" has a 50% survival rate, however Chopper points out that he is actually the one sinking. Gedatsu quickly escapes however, by flying up with special dials on the heels of his shoes. He states he has no time to waste with a raccoon, and shoots a large swamp cloud out of another set of special dials on his palms. Chopper makes note of this ability, as Gedatsu elaborates that what he's actually shot is a small swamp. It turns out however that he actually targeted the militia member, as his head is engulfed in the cloud. He only gets deeper into it as he struggles, and eventually passes out from a lack of oxygen. Chopper observes and notes this as well, but not for long as the priest targets him next.
Chopper manages to avoid the cloud by running away, and runs to check on the militia member. Chopper resuscitates him back to life by transforming to Heavy Point and doing CPR (pounding his chest), and the militia member is grateful. Gedatsu quickly tracks them down, and admonishes the militia soldier for requiring help from the enemy. He brushes this off in light of what the priest did to him, and prepares to fight alongside Chopper. Chopper takes a similar fighting stance to the militia member in excitement, but this is short-lived as Gedatsu quickly closes the distance between them and sends the militia flying into a tree with a deadly punch. With Chopper still in awe, Gedatsu explains that the now extinct jet dial adds a great deal of speed and power to this punch, revealing their location on his elbows. Completely devastated at what just happened to the member of God's Army by the priest's hand, Chopper decides that he must run away or he'll die. He attempts to run back to the forest, but the priest quickly cuts him off. He prepares another punch with the jet dial, but Chopper eats a Rumble Ball, and transforms into Jumping Point to avoid the attack. Gedatsu closes the distance rather quickly in the air with the jet dials on his feet, and again attempts to punch Chopper. He avoids this time by transforming, to Heavy Point. Gedatsu fires another swamp cloud down at him, and Chopper transforms yet again to Guard Point to avoid it. Gedatsu flies directly at Chopper this time, as the latter transforms again to Brain Point, using "Scope" to try to find his weakness. He is not able to identify it quickly enough however, as the priest lands a devastating blow sending Chopper flying through several buildings.
Chopper is revealed to have transformed into his Guard Point at the last second to absorb most of the damage, and learned that the priest's weak point is his feet. He is still badly hurt from the blow however, and notes the impact on his eyesight and legs as he transforms into Walk Point. Struggling against his pain, and now completely denying the premise of trying to run away, Chopper crawls up to the priest and transforms into Heavy Point again as he grabs his foot. He tells himself that he will beat Gedatsu, before being kicked away by the priest. Gedatsu wonders what he's up to, as he prepares another swamp cloud. Going back to Walk Point, Chopper reflects on how he always runs away, and always needs protection. He believes this is why no one ever relies on him, and resolves to begin his life as a pirate here and now in this moment. He transforms to Jumping Point again, and jumps high into the air above Gedatsu. The priest muses that Choppers efforts are futile, and that the sky is his territory. As he tries to launch toward Chopper however, he flies up in a very erratic pattern, and notices that a shoe is missing (removed by Chopper earlier). He curses Chopper by calling him a raccoon, and Chopper responds that he's a monster, and that he is strong. Gedatsu replies that only the weak raise their voice and tries to connect with another Jet Punch, but Chopper dodges it. Surprised at his miss, Gedatsu notes that his emotions may have affected his mantra, as Chopper transforms into Arm Point. Bulking up his biceps as much as possible, Chopper lands a powerful blow to the priest's midsection, leaving an X-shaped indenture. The priest falls to the ground unconscious, while Chopper reverts back to Brain Point and falls as well.
Chapter 263
Tony Tony Chopper revels in his victory over the priest Gedatsu, happily exclaiming that he's a real pirate now. He comments on how the priest is now stuck in one of his swamp traps, hoping that he continues to sink. Gedatsu is completely immersed in the swamp head-first, rendering him unable to escape as Chopper watches him struggle. Gedatsu thinks to himself how he was careless disappointed in himself for losing to a "raccoon." He attempts to use his jet dials to escape, but only manages to propel himself further into the swamp, now completely out of Chopper's sight. With the priest no longer a problem, Chopper decides his first order of business as a "real" pirate is finding the gold, rather than worrying about everyone else. As he stops for a sip of water, he notes an entrance to ruins with an incredibly large beanstalk in the distance and wonders if everyone else is already there.
In another area of Upper Yard, Kamakiri and another Shandia warrior spot the beanstalk as they race through the forest. The beanstalk serves as their landmark, indicating that the ruins of Shandora are just ahead, as Kamakiri mentions that Enel is at the top. The Shandia warrior accompanying him all of a sudden lets out a loud scream. Kamakiri turns to see the warrior badly injured in Enel's grip as he mockingly asks the Shandia if he was looking for him. Kamakiri angrily shouts his name, and Enel retorts that he needs to refer to him as "Lord Enel," as he is God. Knowing of the Shandia's mission to kill him, he tells Kamakiri to feel free to try, even stating that he will sit idly for five minutes as the warrior tries his best. Enel tells him to try anything he'd like, as he will soon know the meaning of "God."
Aboard the Going Merry, Gan Fall and Nami have engaged the Lieutenants of God's Army, Hotori and Kotori. Nami is yelling for the two to stop, as they are knocking around Usopp's unconscious body. They reply that they are simply getting revenge for Usopp's role in the defeat of their brother, Satori. Nami has had enough and attempts to hit one of them with her Clima-Tact, but they absorb the blow with a dial in their left hand. He then places his right hand in Nami's face, and she is mortified at the possibility of taking an impact dial shot at point-blank range. Only a gas comes out, however, as Nami drops to the ground, disgusted at the smell. He reveals that it was in fact a flavor dial, in which he had stored some flatulence. With this, Gan Fall deduces that they are using four types of dials altogether. Hotori and Kotori confirm: they are using flame, axe, impact, and flavor dials fixated on their palms as they demonstrate each effect. The brothers ask if they memorized it and can identify which Dial is which, as they repeatedly switch places with one another to confuse Nami and Gan Fall. The Sky Knight states that now that their dial types are identified, there is no need to wait. Nami states that the weather is "hurricane", and hurls her Clima-Tact directly at the two. They separate in order to dodge, mocking Nami for missing them. One of them attacks Gan Fall with the flavor dial, which he wards off by shielding himself with his cape. They then follow up with the flame dial, as Nami warns that the gas disbursed earlier will cause an explosion. Rightfully so, a huge explosion erupts from the port side (left) of the ship. A portion of the Merry's railing is blown off, as the two brothers taunt the knight for getting blown away. He is revealed to be hanging from the side of the ship, however, utterly shocking them as he re-enters the fight. Gan Fall swiftly incapacitates Kotori with his lance, calling them fools for underestimating him. As Hotori reacts in shock at what has happened to his brother, he doesn't notice Nami's Clima-Tact returning from the earlier throw and is knocked completely off the ship from behind with "Cyclone Tempo." As Hotori falls, Gan Fall tells Nami to use his gauntlet to finish him off as he holds his left arm in pain. Nami questions him about his wound opening up again, but he assures her he is fine. As Pierre hands her the gauntlet, Nami asks what he wants her to do with it. He explains that it is equipped with an impact dial, and tells her to use it as he instructed them earlier. As Nami worries about the weight of the gauntlet, Hotori rises from the sea, seething with rage over the defeat of both of his brothers (he reveals Kotori is the youngest). Nami notes that his body is now wet from the sea, and the atmosphere is already humid. She fires a "cool ball" from her Clima-Tact as Hotori comments on it getting chilly. He expresses annoyance at the attack, appearing to do nothing, feeling like he is being underestimated. Unbeknownst to him, Nami is actually goading him into using his flame dial, and he complies accordingly. Nami dodges and explains that the heat from his flames, in addition to the cold air she released earlier, will cause the vapor in the air to increase in density. She then uses "Fog Tempo," completely immersing the deck of the Going Merry in a thick fog. Blinded and confused, Hotori is completely helpless as Nami latches onto him in the fog and aims the impact dial directly in front of his face. She releases the impact, incapacitating Hotori as she is blown back from the force as well. She expresses frustration at Gan Fall for the pain that using the dial caused her, but is nonetheless happy with saving both the ship and the crew.
In another area of the forest, Nico Robin has sustained some damage in her fight with Commander Yama of God's Army. He comments that she isn't as strong as she pretends to be, as Robin pants heavily.
Chapter 264
Pagaya, Conis, and Aisa are riding a waver together through the forests of Upper Yard, in search of the Going Merry. After asking permission to address her by name, Pagaya asks Aisa if she really knows the ship's location. Aisa confirms, impressing Conis with her ability. Conis is more concerned with her well-being however, as Aisa shivers incessantly. She claims she has never been this scared, as everyone's "voices" are disappearing. They pick up their pace, and head deeper into the forest.
Back on the Going Merry, Gan Fall has fully donned his armor and prepares to depart the ship. Nami frets about being left alone, but Gan Fall explains that he must go after Enel, as this now concerns the survival of the entire country. He quickly flys off with Pierre despite her protests, and Nami resolves to administer first aid to Sanji and Usopp. She notices something quickly approaching the ship, and it turns out to be Pagaya, Conis, and Aisa. Aisa trys to break away to ground level, but she is stopped. She turns her frustration to Nami by warning her that she will attack her, and Nami asserts a similar threat with the impact dial from Gan Fall's gauntlet. While Conis is shocked at what has happened to Sanji and Usopp, Pagaya explains to Nami that they need to make it back to the white sea immediately. When he expresses his anxiety that they may be spotted however, Nami chides him for making so much noise with the waver. This prompts Pagaya to remember that he has something for Nami.
In another area of the forest, Nico Robin is locked in battle with Commander Yama. Yama attempts to smash Robin into the ground with the weight of his stomach, but Robin narrowly escapes. As Yama resumes his pursuit, Robin notices that the stone slab behind her contains ancient text. She uses "Veinte Fleur - Calendula" to attempt to slow Yama's momentum, but the force of his blows still sends her reeling backwards until she eventually falls. Yama asks her when she will stop protecting a dead city like this, and Robin chides him for taking no interest in the legacy of their ancestors. This infuriates Yama further as he attempts to punch her into the ground, but she quickly jumps to safety as she makes a mental note that he will destroy the ruins if the fight doesn't move elsewhere.
In Enel's location, a few more Shandia have arrived, and are unleashing a barrage of attacks on him. He is completely unaffected, even yawning at their attempts in his boredom. Kamakiri tries impaling him directly through the skull, but Enel is again unscathed as the spear is seen coming out the other side of his head with a small amount of electrical discharge. He mockingly apologizes for falling asleep, finally leading Kamakiri to ask if there's truly no way to beat him. Enel responds that he is "Thunder" itself, explaining that thunder was something that humans could never truly fathom as he slowly begins to electrocute Kamakiri. He goes on to state that humans have always defined the terrible phenomena that they are unable to comprehend as "God". Kamakiri withdraws the spear and forms it into a blade, attempting to slash Enel. He succeeds, but the bisected body parts simply begin to turn into lightning itself. Enel has finally had enough, and tells Kamakiri that his five minutes are up. The latter tries to escape to warn Wyper that his reject dial will be useless, but Enel again transforms his body into electricity and is in front of Kamakiri in seconds. Kamakiri yells as loud as he possibly can for Wyper to run, before Enel injects him with one million volts of electricity. The entire section of the forest is illuminated with the discharge of so much electricity, and Kamakiri is instantly burned to a crisp. As an unintended side effect, Enel's electrical discharge courses through the river cloud of the forest and incapacitates at least 20 Enforcer's of God's Army. Enel simply shrugs it off, and resolves to chase down the others.
Now two hours into the "Survival Game", fifty-six contestants in total have fallen. Still remaining are 13 members of God's Army, seven of the Shandia warriors, and five of the Straw Hats, making it 25 survivors still left in the game.
One Piece, Volume 29
Chapter 265
At the Going Merry, Nami is testing out her improved waver after Pagaya's repairs, as they both marvel at its new speed. Pagaya mentions that the specific type of Jet Dial on the waver had been extinct for centuries, and was very surprised to find one. The group decides on their next course of action, eventually settling on regrouping at the beach. Nami expresses her confidence in the four man team of Chopper, Robin, Luffy, and Zoro, but Aisa interjects that currently no such group exists. Nami deduces that Aisa must have the "Mantra" ability as well, which Aisa confirms. She goes on to say that she has had the ability since birth, and that the others would not understand how scary it is to hear so many "voices" disappearing. Nami chides her by calling her a crybaby, drawing ire from the little girl. Conis interrupts by mentioning that Aisa's waver had been broken, and she was being attacked by skyfish when they found her. Nami asks Aisa what she was planning to do by coming to them, and the child doesn't have an answer. She was just worried about her friends, causing Nami to show some concern.
Elsewhere in the forest, Luffy wonders if everyone is safe while navigating through some peculiar ruins. He is frustrated that he left his backpack, which contained his coveted box lunch. Furthermore, he has gotten lost and cannot seem to find his way out. He ponders if the crew has already made it to the Golden City, expressing his excitement at seeing it as he continues to search for a way out of what he believes is a strange cave. In a different part of the forest, Zoro yells at a gigantic southbird to stop following him. He tries to tell it that he's already finished his food, and wouldn't share it even if he still had it. The bird doesn't appear to budge, angering Zoro to the point that he asks if it wants to fight.
At yet another different area of Upper Yard, a Shandia warrior is shocked when he notices Enel's presence. He resolves to attack Enel, but Enel appears behind him in an instant. Before he can even react, Enel incapacitates him, bringing the total number of survivors down to twenty-four.
Nico Robin is still locked in an intense battle with Commander Yama, doing her best to get away from the ancient ruins as Yama destroys everything in his path. He finally catches up to her in a clearing, and is slightly surprised to see her no longer attempting to run away. She tells him it is not necessary at this point, and explains that even if he apologizes now for all the destruction he has caused, she will not forgive him. Yama is amused at this, and retorts that she is protecting ruins that are not even hers. She concurs that the ruins in fact do not belong to anyone, but states that she is done talking with the commander. Yama replies that it no longer matters as he plans to crush her, hurling himself into the air. Robin is unimpressed, and tells him she will teach him the severity of destroying history. She extends "Treinta Fleurs" from a nearby vine, catching Yama mid-air with her arms. She slams him face-first into a nearby tree, but grimaces slightly from the weight of swinging him. Having shed a little blood now, Yama grows deeply angry, and takes off his belt of Axe Dials to prepare a charge attack. He begins rolling towards Robin, but she uses her arms to cover his eyes and turn his belt of dials to face his own body. He ends up rolling into the large tree behind Robin with tremendous force, now gravely injured from the impact of the dials. Robin lifts his head from the ground and scolds him on the importance of the ruins, stating that although history is constantly being created, man cannot return to the past. Yama manages to utter that he understands and asks for forgiveness, which Robin denies. This angers Yama yet again, and he attempts to grab Robin, but she uses her sprouted to arms to break Yama's fingers, causing him severe pain. She then summons more arms with "Cien Fleurs " all along the forest floor, which begin rolling him to a nearby cliff. He begs Robin to stop all along the way, until he is finally pushed off the cliff into the forest below. As he falls Robin reiterates that it is too late for apologies, sprouts more arms on Yama's person, and fractures his spine with "Clutch" before he hits the ground. Robin gathers her belongings, and proceeds onward.
Chapter 266
Robin has reached the ruins and appears to be in a place designated as Shandora's town center. She comments that the building locations do not match the map and attributes it to the impact of force that caused the island to be sent into the sky. Robin continues to explore the ruins, making observations and notes. Upon her investigation, Robin wonders if her current location was the City of Gold as the area and displacements do not add up.
Chopper has also reached the ruins and is very excited, stating that the crew would be very happy with him when they see that he located the gold. Moving further upwards, Chopper also realizes there are ruins there as well as that the ground is tilted. Just as Chopper is making his way to find the gold, he hears a voice. Chopper turns around to find a giant dog behind him. He is very scared and scolds himself for being overconfident and that he should have gone looking for the other members and because of that, he would die. A man is shown telling Chopper that he is the third person to get to his location. He comments on Chopper defeating Gedatsu and indicated that Gedatsu was too careless, hence his defeat.
Chopper tries retreating but fall over a person, covered in blood lying on the ground. He thinks it was Holy who did that to the person and yells out in fear. The man tells Chopper not to be afraid of Holy because the dog would not bite unless there is a reason, as he is well-trained. He tells Chopper he cut the person lying on the ground. Chopper, in fear, asks who the man is and Ohm introduces himself. He then tells Chopper to be quiet as he is mourning the fact that mortals are weak, yet they fight only to be defeated. He says there is salvation and the route to it is for people to die. He asks Chopper what his reason is for being there which Chopper answers, saying for the gold. Ohm then offers to "save" Chopper, but, Chopper refuses.
Kamakiri tells Raki to go after Wyper to inform him Enel is not at the God Shrine and that it's not too late to back down as no one can defeat Enel. Raki left to inform Wyper and acknowledges that if Kamakiri could be defeated, then the Lightning Devil Fruit must be one of the strongest classes, saying Enel is more stronger than they anticipated.
Zoro is seen back at the Sacrificial Altar and relates it to being a deja vu. The giant Southbird is still with him and Zoro is furious that the bird is still following him. He tells the bird that it would keep getting hurt while following him, dropping his backpack. The bird looks at the bag, imagining food, and seizes the bag. Zoro yells at the bird, saying there is no food in the bag and hangs on to the straps as the bird goes flying away with the bag and Zoro.
Luffy has arrived at a dead end in the "cave" and thinks of it being a secret door. He considers breaking it down so as to get out. Luffy then uses Gomu Gomu No Bazooka to break it but nothing happened. Just then, a rumbling of movement occurred in the "cave" throwing Luffy off balance. Chopper is seen running from Ohm and commenting on escaping so as to find the other members. He recognizes Ohm being a swordsman and thought to keep his distance. Ohm then attacks Chopper through the wall defeating him, saying the Ordeal of Iron has a 0% survival rate.
Chapter 267
Aisa decides to go into the Upper Yard herself only to be stopped by Nami. Nami tells Aisa that she cannot stand by and watch a child get killed. Aisa replies saying she is a warrior and Nami acknowledged saying she is a warrior child. Conis and Pagaya inquires if they are alright, which Nami answers that they are. Aisa keeps struggling to get off Nami and Nami tells her to settle down as two of the crew members have already been injured. Just as then, the giant python appeared.
Luffy is still punching Nola from the inside, causing her to do all sorts of weird things. The first thing she does is scare Nami and Aisa. Luffy, frustrated at not reaching an exit, keeps hitting Nola from inside. Next, she wreaks havoc on Shandia and Bilkans. The snake, still acting wild from being hit inside, attempts to swallow Zoro, who is still being held onto by the giant Southbird. Seeing that, Zoro yells for the bird to fly higher and faster or they both would be eaten. The bird thinks that the snake is after Zoro as a meal, so the bird releases Zoro.
Wyper has reached the Giant Jack, indicating that Enel is at its top and it is time to bring an end to the 400 years of hardship. Ohm senses Wyper coming up and stops him saying he has not given permission to Wyper to go up to the God's Shrine. Just then, Gan Fall appears telling Wyper that going up to the God's Shrine is not necessary. Gan Fall tells Wyper that the shrine is in ruin and Enel is absent from there and goes on to ask Ohm what their (referring to Enel and the Priests) purpose are; just then Zoro comes, crash landing. Gan Fall and Wyper recognize Zoro and Zoro asks himself if he was in the ruin.
The chapter ends with all the opposing sides facing off and Luffy accidentally forcing Nola into the fight as well.
Chapter 268
Locked in a standoff between Wyper, Ohm, and the giant snake, Roronoa Zoro prepares himself for combat as he notes the snake following him to his current location. As the snake writhes in pain due to an unseen culprit, Ohm directs his colossal dog Holy to attack. Gan Fall and Pierre are present as well, and immediately focus on the Priest Ohm. Not to be forgotten, Wyper fires his Burn Bazooka with no particular target in mind. The snake recognizes and lunges for Zoro, as he gets to safety in the vicinity of Wyper. Zoro compliments the bazooka, and Wyper retorts that he will not let the blue-sea dwellers take this land. He blocks a strike from Zoro with the Jet Dial on his foot, and prepares to fire another blast directly at the swordsman. They are both interrupted by yet another strike from the giant snake, reminding Zoro of the acidic poison that he witnessed from it earlier. He lands only to notice Ohm and Holy directly behind him, and to his shock, the giant dog throws a punch at him. He barely manages to get away, as Ohm explains that he is not simply a breeder, but has trained Holy in Martial Arts and to walk on two legs as well. Ohm subsequently blocks a strike from Gan Fall's lance, and chides the warrior on his earlier defeat at Shura's hands. Gan Fall replies with his intentions to learn of Enel's true plans, and that he will not be leaving until he finds out.
In a separate location, Nico Robin has made it to a new area of the ancient ruins. Having thought it was strange that blue-sea ruins would have a ground made of cloud, she correctly deduced that there was an unseen level beneath her. She continues her search after having to literally cut through the clouds with a knife.
Back in Upper Yard, Zoro is continuing to dodge strikes from the snake until he notices Chopper's unconscious body. As he dashes for his crewmate, Ohm warns him to watch his step. A barbed-wire like string shouts out from a nearby wall and cuts Zoro clean across the chest as he makes his way to Chopper. As Zoro ponders what just happened, Ohm explains that he was cut by Iron Cloud. He further reveals that this special kind of cloud originates from Cloud Dials, and that the entire area is littered with these kinds of traps. As he explains that Chopper's body was specifically set as a trap for the blue-sea dwellers like him, Zoro tries to get some kind of sign of life from his crewmate. Ohm questions whether he now seeks revenge. Zoro replies that he does not like fighting for reasons like that, but admits that he is quite fired up now.
In Robin's area of the ruins, she continues to travel through old structures and forestry, until she notices a light at the end of the tunnel ahead of her. Intrigued at this new development, she picks up her pace.
As Nami and Aisa finally reach the Giant Beanstalk, they are greeted by a few enforcers of God's Army that don't want to let them pass. She asks Aisa exactly where they are supposed to be going.
Robin takes a seat, as she absorbs the full impact of what she has just discovered. After 800 years, she is shocked that the Golden City of Shandora is still so majestic.
Chapter 269
Along the northwestern shore of Upper Yard, Conis and Pagaya ponder how they will defend the Going Merry while waiting at the meeting spot Nami had previously designated. They ultimately decide to blow the horn from their dial boat to ward off any potential threats. Conis attends to the still injured Sanji and Usopp, while Pagaya silently hopes for everyone's safety in light of the perilous events that have gripped Sky Island. Throughout the forest, the ground is littered with all the Shandia and Enforcers of God's Army that have fallen over the course of the survival game, as they continue to wage war with one another. While the Shandia are still pushing to make it to the Giant Beanstalk, the Enforcers desperately regroup in order to repel them. Enel himself is enjoying the chaos, content that his prediction of the survival game is shaping up to come true.
On the beanstalk itself, the battle between Gan Fall, Zoro, Ohm, Wyper, and the Giant Snake continues to rage on. Wyper lands a direct hit to the snake with his Burn Bazooka, but is shocked that it is to no avail. The blow does still cause quite a bit of commotion inside the snake, sending Luffy toppling and causing him to wonder what's going on. Zoro grimaces in pain from a hit he took, as he rises to his feet. Ohm berates him for being a blue sea dweller that knows nothing, as he explains that his blade is actually the result of an iron cloud dial built into the hilt of the sword. It allows the blade to follow its target anywhere, which he then demonstrates by extending it all the way to Zoro from several meters away. Zoro blocks the attack with ease, commenting on the whip-like nature of the sword and how the warriors of the White Cloud Seas are like a bunch of circus performers.
Sensing new arrivals to the battlefield, Ohm tells Holy that they will now be splitting up. As predicted, both Shandia and God's Army Enforcers soon join them on the battlefield. The Shandia inform Wyper that they are the only ones left, and reaffirm their determination to help Wyper get to Enel. Inside the snake, Luffy decides to try to dig his way out, and begins clawing into the walls. In actuality he is tickling the snake, and the spectators are extremely confused to see the snake laughing hysterically. Just then, Nami and Aisa also burst through the clouds below as they continue riding up the beanstalk. The Enforcers attempt to chase them down, but are repelled by a combined effort from Zoro, Wyper, and Gan Fall. Zoro and Wyper ask Nami and Aisa respectively what they are doing here. As Nami asks Zoro where the others are, Wyper prepares a shot at Nami, wondering what she plans to do to Aisa. As he fires the blast, Gan Fall manages to get Nami and Aisa to safety aboard Pierre. This is short-lived however, as the snake swallows all four of them in one bite, much to Zoro's horror. As Zoro and Wyper try to process what just happened, Ohm and Holy hit them both with a devastating surprise attack that appears to knock them out.
Chapter 270
The Shandia seek retribution for the attack that knocked Wyper out, and prepare to do battle with Ohm and God's Army. Ohm counts a total of ten fighters (including himself) and two animals (The Giant Snake and Holy) as the Shandia begin to attack him. He also mentions two others who didn't die yet (Nami and Gan Fall). As the God's Army enforcers intervene, Ohm directs Holy to prepare their climactic attack. Holy jumps high into the air, and dashes around the battlefield at Ohm's command. As he runs, he sets off a multitude of Iron Cloud traps that begin to form a fence around their perimeter. As the Shandia look on confused, one of the Militia explain that the real Ordeal of Iron has begun. The strings of Iron Cloud continue to extend over the combatants until it forms a dome that completely encases the area.
Zoro slowly rises to his feet commenting that the technique was unnecessary, as he had no plans to run away. One of the Militia retort that it isn't just to prevent escape, and the fence is practically made of barbed wire. As soon as he finishes however, he is immediately slammed against it by Wyper, incapacitating him. Zoro wonders how to escape after he's defeated everyone, while Ohm tells him his main concern should be beating him. The Giant Snake lets out a sigh of exasperation, and resolves to simply watch the other combatants. As Ohm again assesses that there are now eight other fighters and two animals, Raki calls out for Wyper as she runs toward the newly formed fence. Wyper asks what she's doing there, and she explains that she has an important message from Kamakiri. She relays the message that Kamakiri has been seriously injured by Enel in the forests below, but before she can finish Wyper frantically tells her to escape. Raki isn't able to hear him clearly, and Enel appears directly behind her. Wyper runs up to the fence and pleads for Enel to not harm her as she isn't a part of this, cutting his hands on the fence as he clutches it in anger. One of the Militia warns him to not drop his guard, but Wyper ignores it and tells Raki to run away. Raki attempts to shoot Enel with her rifle, but the bullets simply phase through him as Raki remembers Kamakiri's message that Enel was invincible. The God's Army Militia presses Wyper up against the fence, but Wyper appears completely unaffected as he simply stares forward to Raki. Raki attempts to finally finish her message to Wyper, but is violently electrocuted before she can finish. Enel laughs it off as Wyper seethes with rage. The Militia soldier wonders why Wyper is unaffected, and attempts to attack Wyper again, but Wyper grabs the back of his head and slams him face-first into the fence. Enel claims Wyper is more naive than he would have thought, and clarifies that he makes no distinction between the people who attack him, woman or man. He then instantly vanishes, leaving Raki's unconscious body.
Ohm comments on how terrifying Enel truly is, but both Zoro and Wyper are more concerned with their companions that the Giant Snake has swallowed. They simultaneously dash for the snake, fighting each other along the way. Ohm directs Holy to attack them, and tries to cut Zoro down once they are separated. Zoro fends off his extended whip-like blade, while Wyper kicks down a Militia member that intercepted him in the air. They are now down to six men and two animals still in the fight, however the Giant Snake continues to look disinterested.
Inside the snake itself, Gan Fall, Nami, Aisa, and Pierre have taken a hard landing into the stomach. Nami states that they must find a way to escape before being digested, and Gan Fall inquires as to why she left the Going Merry to begin with. Aisa immediately becomes hostile towards the sky knight, as Nami holds her off. Gan Fall proposes digging through the stomach wall, but Nami rebuffs that will only irritate the snake further. Gan Fall tries to explain that he is joking, and in the middle of their antics they are discovered by Luffy.
Chapter 271
Luffy has heard the story of how Nami, Aisa, Gan Fall and Pierre, have ended up in their current situation, and comments how unfortunate it is that they were eaten by the snake. This angers them all to the point Nami pulls the skin on Luffy's face by his nose, as he fails to realize that this means he was eaten as well. Gan Fall even questions if he's really the captain, as Luffy goes hysterical, finally realizing the depth of the situation. He proposes that they need to find the snake's rectum immediately, earning him a smack from Nami. Luffy still doesn't quite get the issue with his idea, and Nami's harsh treatment of his idiocy causes Gan Fall and Aisa to comment on how scary she is. As Nami suggests they find an escape before the snake goes berserk again, her, Gan Fall, and Aisa all gasp in horror as they realize Luffy was the reason the snake was rampaging in the first place. Luffy earns yet another beating from Nami, this time to the extent that it actually disturbs the snake.
Wyper notices the snake writhing in pain, and realizes that this must mean its victims are still alive inside. He resolves to blow open its stomach, but its erratic movements cause him to miss the shot. The snake then begins to go after Wyper directly.
In another area of the battlefield, Zoro continues to dodge Ohm's whip-like blade as he tries to think of a way to save his friends from the snake. Ohm is unrelenting however, as Zoro realizes that he can somehow sense his location even from behind walls. One of the God's Army Enforcers appears from the rubble and attempts to attack Zoro, but he effortlessly punches him out of commission. A Shandia emerges in a different area attempting to do the same to Ohm, and is cut down instantly. This reduces the total combatants to four men and two animals. Zoro attempts to launch an attack on Ohm in the aftermath, but the blade shapeshifts into an iron wall to his surprise. Ohm chides Zoro for not realizing the blade could do this, and Zoro angrily attempts another attack in response. He is cut repeatedly as the blade continues to change shape in response to his every move, and he resolves to put some distance between himself and Ohm upon realizing this. Ohm tells him that running will change nothing, and Zoro responds with his new ranged attack, the thirty-six pound cannon. Ohm manages to block this with his blade as well, much to Zoro's shock. Zoro quickly gets to cover in order to re-strategize. Ohm comments that the attack was interesting, but that Zoro won't be able to use it again. He states that no matter how much he runs, he will always be able to pinpoint his exact location with his Mantra ability.
The remaining combatants fight on - Wyper lands a bazooka hit on the snake, and Holy takes out another Shandia. Meanwhile, Zoro has discarded his goggles, and finally tied on his bandana. He and Ohm stand directly opposite one another on either side of a thick wall, unable to see one other, but still equally aware of each other's presence. Ohm claims that Zoro wasn't bad for someone from the blue seas, but asserts that he now has Zoro's heart in his sights, and that it's time to pray. Zoro staunchly rejects the idea of doing so, and tells the priest that even though he can't see him through the wall, his sword will directly give away his position. Ohm retorts that by then it will be too late, and begins to extend his blade. Zoro finally unsheathes his third blade, equating each blade of his to a lifetime of 36 worldly desires (for a total of 108). Zoro unleashes Three Sword Style: 108 pound cannon, a flying slash so powerful that it completely obliterates both the wall and Ohm's iron whip-blade before cutting him down.
Chapter 272
Robin reads the writings she finds throughout the Main Ruins of Shandora. She reads something about a bell which reminds her of the bell that Noland mentioned in his notes. She then realizes that a Poneglyph was brought to this city way back when it fought against "the enemy," and that the city was ruined because of this. From Noland's notes, she deduces that the Poneglyph was with the bell which was hung at the center of the four altars. Instead of finding a bell there however, she finds the beanstalk. She concludes that the bell never made it to the sky. Enel shows up and comments on the magnificence of Shandora as well as Robin's archeological skills. He then tells her that he has already taken the gold. Robin asks him if he took the golden bell as well. Enel seems confused so Robin concludes that he does not know about it. Enel asks her what she learned from reading the script. Robin tells him that there was a great bell, but it must not have made it into the sky.
Enel then remembers the 400 year old story of the island flying into the sky with a beautiful sound called the "Song of the Land." They both get excited of the possibility of the bell still being somewhere in the sky, though Robin is more excited over the possibility of finding a Poneglyph. Meanwhile Conis and Pagaya find one of the soldiers that were working for Enel in a life-threatening condition. The soldier tells them that Enel is planning on sending Sky Island to the Blue Seas and escaping on the Ark Maxim. Enel strikes them with lightning, but Pagaya manages to push Conis out of the way in time. Zoro finds out that Holy obeys anyone by accident and tells Holy to knock itself out. Enel sends the Upper Ruins crashing into the cloud below by destroying the supporting cloud with his lightning. Conis rushes to warn everyone of Enel's evil plan.
Chapter 273
The entire upper level of the ruins collapses from Enel's power, and Zoro grabs Chopper's unconscious body as he and the Giant Snake fall to the base of the beanstalk.
Inside the snake, Aisa grabs on to Luffy, who grabs on to Nami's waver as she prepares to fly out of the snake's mouth. Aisa tries to point out that Luffy is directly behind the exhaust pipe, but the warning goes unheeded. Luffy and Aisa are blasted off the waver as it propels forward. Gan Fall notices that they are left behind, but he, Pierre, and Nami fully emerge from the snake's mouth before they are able to turn around and grab them. Gan Fall sends Pierre back in to save them, as he and Nami rapidly descend to the ruins below.
At the ruins, Robin notices the falling debris, and eventually Zoro as well. Zoro arises from the debris still holding Chopper's body, but highly irritated at the near-death experience. Robin comments that a normal person would have died, and Zoro asks about their whereabouts upon finally noticing her presence. She updates him that they have found their intended destination, the City of Gold, but there is no longer any gold. The snake lands in a different area, initially with his head poking through the clouds below. As it lifts its head and notices its surrounding, it begins acting strangely.
Aisa begins hitting Luffy, irritated that only they are the ones left behind where they started. Luffy again proposes trying to leave through the snake's anus, only to be denied by the young Shandia. In the midst of their antics, they both notice that Pierre has come back for them.
At Nami and Gan Fall's landing location, Nami ponders exactly where they are. Gan Fall urges her to believe in Pierre getting Luffy and Aisa out safely, and adds that he has never been to their current location. At Wyper's landing site, he stands in awe at the land of his ancestors. Nami notices the snake's erratic behavior and tries to inform Gan Fall, but he is absorbed in thought wondering where exactly they may be. The snake actually sheds a tear, and lets out a load roar to Nami's befuddlement. The noise however annoys Enel, and he proceeds to violently electrocute the snake. Wyper and Zoro react in horror at what may have happened to Aisa and Nami respectively, but this is short-lived as Nami notices Zoro and Robin. Zoro reacts angrily to her having escaped, while Robin wonders why she is here. Nami reminds them more importantly that Luffy is still inside the snake, but this only angers Zoro further. Wyper contemplates Enel's strength, as he realizes he was unable to do what Enel did with one hit, with several blasts from his burn bazooka. Enel appears behind him and asks about Aisa, which Wyper responds to with a bazooka blast. Enel dodges, and uses a dial to create an Orb Cloud to float on. He chides Wyper for the missed attack, saying that is no way to return the favor of getting him to his homeland. He continues by announcing that the game is not quite over yet, to Wyper's confusion, explaining that he and everyone else that has arrived are all contestants. As he explains, Zoro, Wyper, Robin, and Gan Fall arrive to face him as Nami hides behind a wall. She feels relieved that she is not being counted among the survivors, until he reveals that there is still an extra person left with three minutes remaining. He asks who remaining will be eliminated, and they discuss it among themselves, not including Nami. As she realizes this and attempts to add herself to the discussion as well, she is shocked as the four of them collectively decide that Enel will be the one eliminated.
Chapter 274
Gan Fall reflects on the days in Skypiea prior to the arrival of Enel. The Shandia still seek to wage war with the Skypieans over the return to their homeland. Gan Fall wonders if this makes them the bad guys, as the prosperity the Skypieans have garnered over the past 400 years was thanks to their ancestors' victory over the Shandia. His advisor attempts to console him, stating that as their descendants it is their responsibility to continue their fight, and that they must protect their country's treasure. Apparently they had tried a diplomatic solution in the past that the Shandia refused, and he thus feels they deserve no pity. Gan Fall replies that is simply too difficult to admit defeat, given how long they have been fighting over this. At some point after the island is attacked, and it is revealed that the invader calls himself "God Enel".
In the present, a group of three young Skypieans have gathered at Conis and Pagaya's house. One of them asserts that her and her father's rebellion against God makes them bad people, and another chimes in that his dad actually works for God. He states that he has never actually met him however, and one of the other kids chimes in that he must be incredible. They all hope to eventually meet his dad. Meanwhile, Conis is racing towards town on her waver, hoping to inform the citizens of Enel's insidious plot to destroy the island.
At the ruins of Shandora, Enel laughs off the assertion from his game's survivors (Gan Fall, Robin, Wyper, Zoro) will be eliminating him. He berates the group for not knowing what a god truly is, and expresses his exasperation at all the "troubled lambs" in the world. Gan Fall interrupts him, demanding to know what exactly Enel seeks to accomplish. Enel replies that he is simply returning to where he belongs, and explains about a place known as Fairy Vearth. It has a limitless amount of vearth, and according to legends from the place he was born, it is where God lives. Enel goes on to say that such a place is what he ideally deserves, and admonishes the Skypieans and Shandia for fighting so long over place with such little vearth in comparison. He states that Earth, God, and men all have a place they naturally belong. Gan Fall becomes horrified as begins to realize what this means, and Enel confirms that he plans to send the island back down to the blue seas. He begins explaining it away as "law" of nature, and Gan Fall, in fury, responds that "God" is simply a title given to the leader of this country. Enel retorts that changed when HE became God, leading Gan Fall to angrily declare that the people of this world don't need a God. Enel is able to perceive that Gan Fall is worried about his Militia, and reminds him that 6 years ago his 650 followers lost to his army. As such, they were put to manual labor. They have finished their job as of this morning, and Enel repeats that only the 6 of them remain on the island. Gan Fall immediately realizes what this means, and Enel confirms that they rebelled against him when they learned of his intentions. He casually hints at the need for their funerals, and Gan Fall has heard enough. He lunges to attack Enel with his lance, but Enel effortlessly dodges and shocks him with 30 million volts of electricity. As he falls, Gan Fall again has a flashback to the exact moment that Enel took his throne. After having been defeated he protests to the forced labor of his followers, but Enel casts him out of the shrine, telling him he is no longer God. Back in the present, he falls unconsciously to the ground as he is burned to a crisp from the power of the lightning.
The Straw Hats quickly deduce that Enel is using the Goro Goro no Mi, as Robin and Nami become horrified at what they are up against. With there now being 5 survivors as he predicted, Enel states that it is time for them to head to Fairy Vearth. He intends to bring the survivors with him, as everyone else that didn't make it through the game are deemed unfit to live in his new land. Suddenly, Robin asks what happens if they refuse. When Enel is confused by the inquiry, Robin goes on to state that while it is possible to destroy the country with his power, the object he seeks will also fall to the sea. Enel realizes that she is referring to the Golden Belfry, and responds that he can only think of one place it might be after accounting for everywhere else they have been already. Robin is visibly shocked at the speed of his deductive reasoning, and Enel voices his annoyance at the former attempting to trick him. He states he does not like manipulative women, and electrocutes Robin.
Chapter 275
Zoro and Nami are horrified as Robin falls from being electrocuted. Zoro dashes to her in a matter of seconds, catching her before her body hits the ground. Seething with rage, he reminds Enel that she is a woman. Enel casually blows this off, prompting Zoro to attack him. He commends Zoro's strength as he blocks his strike, only angering Zoro further. He then vaults into the air above Zoro using his staff. Wyper takes advantage of the opening and fires his Burn Bazooka at Enel. Enel counters with his lightning however, producing a flash so bright that it obscures Wyper and Zoro's vision temporarily. Enel taunts the group further for not understanding his strength, as Nami is awestruck at Enel's ability from her hiding spot. Enel inquires as to why the group is attacking him after his invitation to paradise. Zoro angrily retorts that he has no interest in Enel's dream world, launching himself again at Enel despite Nami's protests that he can't defeat the lightning user. Zoro manages to slash right through Enel, but it is to no avail as he effortlessly reforms his body from electricity. He gets a hold of Zoro's swords, and channels his electricity directly through them - electrocuting Zoro. Zoro falls to his knees before Enel, who steps on his head. Enel goes on to explain that men will always kneel and beg for mercy before God when they are terrified, as Zoro wonders how he can be so powerful. His speech is interrupted however as Wyper wraps his legs around Enel's body, and places his hand on his chest. Enel asks if he is committing suicide, and is slightly puzzled when Wyper responds with his own question: if Enel has ever heard of Seastone. As Zoro ponders the ramifications of this while still under Enel's foot, Enel himself notes that his power is being drained. Enel then deduces that Wyper is attempting to use the Reject Dial, warning the Shandia warrior that his body will not be able to take it. Wyper responds that he actually planned on dying, and taking Enel with him, as he fires the Reject Dial. The tremendous impact causes Enel to cough up blood, as Wyper dwells on his fallen comrades, and words of wisdom from the Shandia Chief.
As children, Wyper, Genbo, Kamakiri, and Braham were told the story of how their Shandia ancestors defended an ancient stone tablet 800 hundred years ago. Raki listens on from a hiding place. Although their people were successful, they lost a great many men in the process. It was the will of their surviving ancestors that they forever guard the message of the ancient tablet from then on. The children chime in on the rest of the story, aware that 400 years ago the island was blasted into Skypiea. Their ancestors were unable to defend the land from the native Skypieans, and thus the land of their ancestors was lost. The chieftain confirms that they lost much of value in being unable to defend their homeland, notably, what is referred to as "The Light of Shandora". Wyper dwells further on the Shandia recent attempts to reclaim the land, as he stands above Enel's now unconscious body. Nami begins to run over to Robin and Gan Fall's bodies, but the group is suddenly terrified when a large amount of electricity begins to pulsate from Enel's body. Enel uses his electricity to restart his heart, and is soon back on his feet. He states that mere men cannot make God feel fear, as true terror comes from God alone.
One Piece, Volume 30
Chapter 276
Wyper falls to his knees in shock, unable to fathom that Enel could have revived himself from such a powerful attack. He begins to feel the recoil from using the Reject Dial in his right arm, as Enel taunts him. Wyper is affronted at the casual use of his name, explaining that he is a descendant of the Shandia warriors that defended this place 800 years ago. Reiterating how his people have searched tirelessly for these ruins for 400 years, he manages to stand back to his feet. Enel proceeds to knock him off his feet with this staff, breaking off his Jet Dials that contained the Seastone in the process. Enel commends him for being able to stand again after using the Reject Dial, but asserts that the Shandia is still no match for him. Banging one of the drums on his back with his staff, Enel creates an extremely large bird made purely out of 30 million volts of electricity. The bird pierces Wyper directly through the torso, causing a tremendous electric shock that puts the warrior down yet again. Zoro decides to take advantage of the opportunity to go for the Kairoseki. Enel quickly notices his advance however, and taps a different drum on his back. This creates another very large creature in electrical form, this time resembling a giant wolf. The beast charges and "bites" into Zoro, incapacitating him with an extremely powerful surge of electricity.
Nami sits in disbelief that even Zoro could be taken down so easily, and surmises that Enel will kill them all. He takes a step towards her, but to his surprise Wyper has once again risen to his feet. Enel inquires as to why Wyper is so persistent, considering that he's the only one left alive at the moment, and that the entire island will be falling down from the sky. Wyper defiantly replies that it is all for his ancestors, leading Nami to wonder about his persistence as well. Standing with his body still smoking, and his eyes rolled to the back of his head, Wyper remembers a time from his childhood that the Shandia Chief called him to his hut. The chieftain tells Wyper that his ancestor, Kalgara, had another yet unrevealed reason for taking back their home. This reason also happened to be Kalgara's greatest regret.
Back in the present, Enel has amassed an extremely large concentration of electricity directly above Wyper. As Wyper looks up in horror, Enel releases "God's Judgement"; an electric release so powerful that it blows a huge crater in the ground, while producing shockwaves strong enough to blow away the limp bodies of Enel's victims. Now in absolute horror, Nami makes it to Robin and Zoro's bodies just as Enel steps behind her. Out of fear for ending up like her comrades, she asks Enel to take her with him. Enel decides to comply, adding that people who don't give in to their fear annoy him. Nami uneasily agrees, hoping to not incite any further anger from him.
Conis has made it to within viewing distance of Angel Island on her waver. In the town itself on Lovely Street, the White Berets announce to the townspeople that the Straw Hats and Gan Fall are on the run. They ask that anyone who has spotted these "criminals" report directly to them, as they shall be protecting Enel and his priests.
Chapter 277
On Angel Island, the White Berets spot Conis arriving and recognize her as Pagaya's daughter. In the ruins of Shandora, Enel asks Nami if she needs to bring along her waver. He says she will not need it where they are going, but ultimately does not care either way. He then takes her inside a cave, where he shows her the Ark Maxim, a massive flying ship powered by his lightning using a special gold from Upper Yard that transforms lightning into mechanical energy. Nami is left scrambling for answers, as she will not be able to escape with the waver in midair, and Enel looks forward to going to Fairy Vearth.
Outside in the city, Nola is sleeping when Luffy forces its eyelid open from the inside. After briefly arguing with Aisa, the two of them and Pierre escape from Nola through its yawning mouth. Luffy climbs a tower and expresses his excitement at escaping, and realizes that they are in Shandora's ruins, where the bell should be; Aisa notes that this must be her people's homeland. Luffy then sees a giant hole in the ground nearby as well as something else, and leaps down to check it out. Aisa and Pierre catch up to him, and find him shouting at the unconscious Zoro, Robin, Chopper, and Gan Fall, wondering what happened to them and where Nami is. Aisa then sees the unconscious Wyper in the hole and becomes distressed. Luffy wonders who could have done this, and Aisa responds that it could only have been Enel. Robin then regains consciousness and coughs, causing Luffy to go to her and ask who took Nami away. Robin does not know, but reveals that the entirety of Skypiea will soon be destroyed. As the Shandian villagers look for Aisa and the White Berets chase after Conis through the first gate, Aisa notes that Enel and Nami will be going to where the Gold Bell is, hearing both of their "voices". Luffy then tells Aisa to take him there.
Chapter 278
Nami and Enel board Maxim, and he detects a chaos in Angel Island caused by Conis. Nami asks Enel how Mantra works, and he explains it and how his Devil Fruit ability allows him to listen to conversations by reading electrical signals. Enel declares his plans to destroy Skypiea, and Nami shivers in fear. Enel becomes quite and detects someone else, but he keeps it to himself.
Back in Angel Island, the White Berets shoot at Conis to try to stop her. She rams Captain McKinley in the face with her Waver, knocking him into the side of a building. She jumps off her Waver, and it crashes into McKinley. Conis tries to get the nearby civilians to hear her please, but they reject her as a criminal. A White Beret tries to attack Conis, but she pulls out her Burn Bazooka to stop him. Conis warns the civilians to go to Cloud End and evacuate to the Blue Sea, revealing Enel intent to destroy the country. They do not believe her, and a child throws a stone at her for speaking ill of their god, hitting her in the head and drawing blood. He realizes what he did and apologizes, and Conis drops her weapon. As the White Berets charge at her, she shouts that she does not accept Enel as a god.
Conis starts to tear up as she remembers her father's sacrifice. The civilians run away fearing that Conis will soon face god's punishment, but she kneels down and sits in silence. Everyone is surprised when she is not vanquished. She explains that one of the Divine Squad soldiers escaped Upper Yard to reveal Enel's plans and that both he and her father were punished for it The civilians are distraught and in disbelief, but Conis tells them that they cannot wait for a miracle. She asserts her position that people have to make a decision to save their own lives without relying on a god.
Meanwhile, Luffy, Aisa, and Pierre rush to the cave where the Maxim is. Robin and the others regain consciousness but are heavily injured. Enel stands on the edge of his ship, irriated that his prophecy was wrong, and Luffy shouts up at Enel. He stands in front of the Maxim to confront the tyrant, asking what he did to his crew. Enel asks him which piece of trash the pirate is talking about as the two look ready to fight.
Chapter 279
Angel Island's residents hastily to the cloud's end. They are asking the Militia's whereabout but Conis did not have the courage to speak of the tragedy. McKinley suddenly interrupt and guaranteed that the White Beret will find the Militia to safety and commanded the citizens to leave immediately. He actually knows that Enel was an evil person and the Birka tragedy must not repeat where Enel destroyed it six years ago. McKinley revealed that many people fought against Enel. For the sake of the citizens, White Beret betrayed the Militia to protect the island. Conis left and leave the evacuation to McKinley.
Enel demanded respect from Luffy as he himself is a god but Luffy did not see him as a god. Aisa praised Luffy for his braveness. Nami tells Luffy to be careful and Enel stared coldly at her. Luffy felt angrier as Enel laughed on the fate of the Skypiean and Luffy dashed towards Enel and attacked Luffy with his lightning. Dumbfounded Luffy stands firmly, Enel launched second and third attack and still Luffy was unaffected, yet it annoys Luffy and responded with a punch and Enel evaded it. Nami thought that maybe it is because of his rubber body make him able to withstand Enel's lightning.
Luffy reattacked Enel and welcomes it as he proudly thought that physical attack will not harm him but it proves otherwise. Nami concluded that it because rubber nulls out electricity and Luffy became Enel's natural enemy.
Chapter 280
Luffy stands over a downed Enel, and Nami wonders if he actually won. However, Enel gets up and distances himself from Luffy as he asks who the pirate is. Luffy tells him that he ate the Gomu Gomu no Mi and is a rubber man, which confuses Enel, and Nami understands the confusion as there is no rubber in the White-White Sea. Luffy tells Enel that he is immune to lightning as he throws a punch at him, but Enel dodges it using Mantra. Luffy spins around and midair and kicks Enel, but he dodges again and appears behind Luffy. Thinking quickly, Luffy flips backward and tries to stamp Enel with his feet, but he turns into lightning and strikes Luffy with his staff. Enel continues beating Luffy with his staff, frightening Nami, and he pins Luffy's neck to the wall as he tells the pirate that he has seen through his attack pattern.
Enel tells Luffy that not all his attacks are lightning-based, so he can adapt to Luffy's immunity. Luffy grabs Enel's staff and pushes it back at him, but Enel calls his simple attack useless as he moves away, freeing Luffy. Luffy gets annoyed that he cannot predict Enel's movements, and Enel tries to understand what rubber is. Enel then uses Thunder Alchemy to forge the tip of his staff into a trident, and he jabs it at Luffy, forcing him to leap onto the wall to dodge. Enel says that Luffy's weakness lies in his inability to attack, and Luffy drops down to attack, but Enel disappears into his ship. Using gold as a medium to travel in lightning form, Enel appears behind Luffy and nearly stabs him. Luffy grabs his staff, but recoils due to its high temperature, and Enel says he can use lightning to make it even hotter. However, Luffy manages to axe kick Enel and send him crashing into the deck.
Enel shouts at Luffy in anger, and Luffy follows up with rapid punches, but Enel intercepts his arms and throws Luffy onto the deck. Enel tells Luffy that he picked a bad time to visit, as he as a god could predict the future and even create this world. Enel tells Luffy he was foolish to stand up against him and offers to let him witness the annihilation of Skypiea by his side. Enel releases 200 volts into the ship, and it starts moving. Outside it, Aisa wonders what to do, and calls out to Luffy and Nami. As Luffy climbs out of the deck, Nami wonders what they should do and asks Luffy for guidance, but he tells her to be quiet as he throws his straw hat to her. Luffy tells Nami that she is the Pirate King's friend, so she should stop worrying. Enel asks what country the Pirate King rules, and Luffy replies that he is the king of the sea, which amuses Enel as he prepares to finish their battle in the sky.
Chapter 281
Ark Maxim first flight has begun, named Deathpiea, savior of the world amidst in hopelessness as per Enel's description. Aisa and Pierre tried to board Maxim but the ark stopped mid way. Something happening inside the ark and large smoke starts billowing on top of it. Nami wondered what was it and Enel is laughing.
The Shandia noticed the black smoke and felt disturbed. Enel said, it was a thunder cloud produced by the ark which could stores strong electrical current by using his energy and will be able to emit thunders ten times stronger than Enel's power and soon will cover entire Skypiea, then he demonstrates how it works. A thunder from the cloud strikes the Angel Island while being witnessed by the citizens. Enel continues laughing and attacked Luffy with his trident. Luffy evaded it by spinning in mid air and swings his leg to Enel, and blocked Luffy's attack with his hand but Luffy landed his leg on the hot trident which causes his leg to burn. Enel strikes Luffy again with his hot trident and forces Luffy to defend it with his hand which causes burn on Luffy's hand. Luffy still could not fight Enel due to his mantra and come up with "gomu gomu baka" and turned himself into a dumb person. Surprisingly, it really affects Enel and could not hit him. Luffy uses "gomu gomu octopus" and Enel said Luffy is trying hard to overcome the mantra because it is how he dominate his opponents. Luffy came up with another idea, then dashes to the throne and starts punching and kicking the wall which causes his punches and kicks deflected backward randomly and hitting Enel. He tried to attack Luffy for the second time but failed once again and thrown away after receiving Luffy's attack. Enel stands up and unable to evade Luffy's incoming "gomu gomu no bazooka" and finishes it with "gomu gomu no rifle".
Chapter 282
Enel is knocked back by Luffy's Gomu Gomu no Rifle, but he doesn't stay down for long. The self-proclaimed god rises once more, berating Luffy for interfering with his plans. All while causing the Ark Maxim, to rise once more. The people of Sky Island flee as they bare their eyes to the colossal ship. Far off in the ruins, Nico Robin is also shocked by the sight of the ship. Back on the Ark Maxim Enel taunts Luffy, exclaiming that Sky Island is doomed and nothing will be able to save it. Angered, Luffy proceeds to attack Enel once more. Determined not to lose to Luffy once more, Enel uses his thunder alchemy to trap Luffy's arm in a golden ball. Luffy yells at Enel to free him, but the latter ignores the former's pleas and proceeds to kick him off the ship. He mockingly tells Luffy that he's welcome to keep the gold.
Luffy still holds on, clinging on to the ship desperately for his life. He tells Enel that the sea is full of monstrous people like himself to defeat. Enel then angrily proceeds to kick Luffy once more and sends him falling to a great depth. Aisa, riding Pierre, watches as Luffy falls and attempts to save him. However, their efforts prove to be futile as Enel strikes all three of them down with his lightning as Nami looks on with horror. He then proceeds to strike her down next. Meanwhile, Conis notices that Sanji and Usopp are missing and questions where they could have gone off to with their injuries. Below the Ark Maxim, Sanji and Usopp are seen climbing the ship.
Chapter 283
Sanji wakes up in shock and disbelief. Remembering how powerful Enel was firsthand, he frantically awakens Usopp after realizing that Nami's absence means she is most likely in danger. Having been incapacitated the same way, Usopp remembers Enel as well. After stepping out on the deck of the Going Merry, they notice the Ark Maxim sitting upon the canopy of the forest trees above them. While Usopp wonders just what it is, Sanji states it is irrelevant, as all that matters to him is that he spotted Nami aboard. He however continues by pointing out that Nami has taken off her t-shirt, drawing Usopp's contempt. Usopp points out that Gan Fall is missing as well, and that Su is now with them. Sanji's sights are set on Nami however, informing Usopp that they are losing time to save her, as the ship she's on is actually flying higher by the minute. Usopp doesn't understand why he is required to go, and Sanji reminds him of the gadget he developed to shoot rope from his waist. Conis wonders just what they are thinking, as Sanji is seen climbing a rope to the Maxim with a reluctant Usopp. Usopp voices the reasons for his disapproval, including the height they are climbing to and Enel's strength. Sanji is uninterested in hearing this however, as he states that he will not forgive anyone who harms Nami.
Aboard the Maxim, Nami stands defiantly before Enel. As he states there is only one way off of his ship, Nami steels her resolve to face Enel in combat. As Enel chides her for giving up the one chance she had to live, he casually mentions two intruders that have boarded the ship, to Nami's confusion. As they continue to climb the ship, Usopp voices more concern to Sanji about what they may encounter aboard the ship. Sanji implores Usopp to show some guts, as the Mantra ability of Enel and the priests makes a sneak attack impossible. He suggests that they will split up, with one person going directly to Nami's location. Usopp is heavily against the idea of splitting up, but Sanji reminds him that there is no hope of saving Nami if they both get caught together. Usopp is deeply shocked, asking Sanji if he is implying that someone must be sacrificed to save Nami. Sanji grips Usopp's shoulders in assurance, and tells him that he is fine with Usopp being sacrificed for Nami's sake. Before Usopp can fully express his disapproval of the plan, Sanji runs off to save Nami.
Enel has heard Usopp and Sanji's plan, and states to Nami how foolish a rescue attempt is on her behalf. Nami is still perplexed as to who the two assailants may be, given that Luffy was the only person conscious from the crew, and also just how they got aboard the Maxim. Enel fires an electric blast at Nami, however she is able to dodge it in time. Enel states that no one will be rescuing her, as he will be taking her out now. Nami resolves that she must jump from the ship, as she will die if she stays aboard for sure. As she prepares her Clima-Tact, she ponders how she can counter Enel's lightning. Elsewhere aboard the Maxim, Usopp runs through, surprised that both the ship can fly, and that there is apparently no crew present to operate it. He also notices that he recognizes none of the technology, and begins to ponder how they will escape from being so high in the air anyway.
Back at the Shandora Ruins, Nico Robin has regained consciousness and uses her extra appendages to move Zoro and Wyper's bodies to safety. She then silently ponders the coming destruction as she watches the Ark Maxim fly over. On Angel Island, the Skypieans are frantically filling up boats to travel to the White Sea, finally convinced that Conis was right about Enel's plans to destroy the island. In the Shandian Village, the Chieftain encourages all of the Shandians to evacuate, despite the protests of concern about the warriors that are still on God's Island. Assured that Enel will destroy everything, he quietly laments that Wyper did the best he could. Conis watches the Maxim from the Going Merry, remembering meeting the Straw Hats for the first time and hoping that they are all safe. Elsewhere in Upper Yard, Aisa is seen tending to the injured Pierre. Aisa however hears Luffy calling for her, and is immediately infuriated when she sees that he has gotten himself stuck in the ground. After she helps him out, Luffy expresses his annoyance that he cannot remove his arm from the large golden ball that it is encased in. He knows exactly where Enel is heading: the Golden Belfry. Aisa agrees to help him get there.
On the deck of the Maxim, Enel praises Nami's skill with the Clima-Tact. He fires another blast at her, only for her to redirect the flow of electricity with a "shock bubble". He also praises her knowledge of the weather, but states that her trick will not work if he throws a large enough bolt at her with an unpredictable trajectory. As he prepares to do just that, Nami looks on in horror as he bids her farewell, then all of a sudden, Usopp saves her, albeit with a failed attack.
Chapter 284
Unfazed by the previous attack, Enel comments on Usopp successfully making his way to the deck. An out of breath Usopp frantically looks around for Sanji, and doesn't see him. Nami's confusion at the matter confirms to the sniper that Sanji truly isn't there, causing him to hastily exit. Annoyed, Nami scolds Usopp for his cowardice. Behind the door Usopp debates whether or not he should go back to face Enel, ultimately deciding that "Captain Usopp" knows no fear.
Now charged up with bravado - he confronts Enel once more, only to narrowly escape a massive lightning attack as soon as he opens the door. Having managed to roll over to Nami, he asks her to save him, but she is furious and instead reprimands him because he was supposed to be rescuing her. Realizing how helpless they truly are, the pair joke about asking God (who coincidentally happens to be their opponent) for guidance. Enel strikes at them again with his lightning, missing them only by a small margin. After dodging, Usopp notices the hat Nami is carrying, which she confirms is indeed Luffy's. Nami mentions that he fell off the Maxim quite some time ago, but Usopp notes that he wouldn't have drowned in the island clouds. The nakama agree to temporarily split in order to divert Enel's focus, and in doing so, Nami notices her waver from before. She states her desire to use it to escape, making Usopp incredulous that she'd jump from such heights. As they speak, another lightning attack forms behind Usopp, which he just barely manages to dodge. He decides to get Enel's attention by implementing his "curse", which ultimately ends up being him just describing incredibly uncomfortable situations to be in. Enel is unfazed, but his diverted attention allows Nami time to get to the waver. As Enel begins to pound Usopp, Nami manages to get on the waver. She notices that Giant Jack would be the perfect spot for her landing, meanwhile Enel finally catches on to their intentions. He vows not to allow the Straw Hats to get away so easily, and blocks Usopp from grabbing Nami's outstretched hand as she rides by, much to their shock. Enel prepares another "God's Judgment", but before he can discharge it, Sanji emerges and kicks Usopp over to Nami. Usopp and Nami notice Enel's powerful attack still charging, but Sanji tells them to escape as he grabs a cigarette. Usopp accelerates the waver out of harm's way to Nami's surprise, as Sanji appears to take the full brunt of the attack.
With Nami and Usopp now rapidly descending, Enel states that simply jumping off of the ship doesn't guarantee them an escape from his attack, beginning to charge another. Sanji however, still standing, taunts Enel for his aim claiming that he was planning to use the attack to light his cigarette. A smug Enel waits for Sanji's next move, but the cook instead makes a cryptic comment about the "face of defeat" being in Enel's future before passing out. The ship immediately proceeds to malfunction, catching Enel by surprise as he realizes that Sanji had sabotaged the Maxim somehow before arriving on the deck. As Enel begins to survey the ship for the extent of the damage, it is revealed that Usopp has used his grappling hook to reach the Maxim after ensuring Nami would land safely. Immediately after returning to deck however, he is startled by the sight of Sanji's incapacitated body.
Chapter 285
Usopp yells in horror as he freefalls from the Ark Maxim, Sanji's unconscious body in tow. They land on a layer of clouds, not too far from Nami's location. She sees them land and calls out to her crewmates. Although Usopp lands headfirst and buried into the clouds, he is delighted to know that Nami is ok upon hearing her voice. Ignoring Usopp's own predicament, she sees Sanji's unconscious body and apologizes for all the trouble that she caused them. Pointing out the giant beanstalk in their area, Nami deduces that they must be on the clouds above Shandora. She points out that Zoro is still at the ruins. Convinced that there is no longer a safe place anywhere on Skypiea, she urges Usopp to get on her waver so that they may find the rest of the crew.
Aboard the Ark Maxim, several systems begin to rupture thanks to Sanji's sabotage. Enel curses the pirates for their meddling, but quickly finds solace in the ship's numerous backup systems. He specifically notes a set of extinct Jet Dials from his hometown of Birka, and states they should be more than enough to keep the ship airborne. He also begins to power up the ship using his own electrical abilities.
At another location in Upper Yard, Aisa carries an unconscious Pierre while trying to direct Luffy in Enel's direction. With the large golden ball still molted on his arm, Luffy decides to move forward by rolling on the ball, much to Aisa's annoyance. They are heading for the beanstalk as well, as Aisa continues to remind Luffy that he is breaking things. When they arrive at Shandora, they are shocked to see that Robin, Zoro, Chopper, and Wyper are no longer there. Aisa concludes that they found a way to climb up, to Luffy's surprise. Aisa then tearfully asks Luffy if Sky Island is going to be destroyed. Robin notices the Maxim flying overhead, now fully convinced that Enel will be heading for the Golden Belfry. Just as she begins to wonder about the crew's whereabouts, Luffy tosses Aisa and Pierre down to her. She catches them using her Devil Fruit ability, which greatly shocks Aisa. Robin attempts to inquire about the ball of gold on Luffy's arm, but Luffy instead asks Robin to confirm that Enel is headed for the golden bell. Once she does, Luffy frantically begins climbing further up the beanstalk pursuing Enel. Robin turns her attention to Aisa and inquires about the location of the rest of the Straw Hats. Just as Aisa begins to note that Nami may no longer be on the Maxim, Nami arrives with Usopp and Sanji's unconscious body. Nami asks Aisa about Luffy's whereabouts, as Usopp notes the unconscious bodies of Zoro, Chopper, Wyper, and Gan Fall. As Usopp points out that they need to be leaving quickly, Nami proposes that the rest of the Straw Hats get to the Going Merry while she chases down Luffy.
On Angel Island, the White Berets continue to frantically evacuate the citizens. They have run out of ships, and must now use dial boats. Realizing the dial boats may not have enough capacity for everyone as well, the captain stresses that it doesn't matter how, but they must get everyone to safety. Again aboard the Maxim, Enel notes that he has finally gotten the ship working again. The Shandian Chieftain continues to get his own people to safety, after being reminded that Aisa and Wyper are still away from the village. Aboard the Merry, Conis notes that the wind has stopped. Suddenly, a lightning bolt strikes a tree and causes it to fall over in flames. This is followed up by several strikes in different places, as lightning begins to rain down on the island.
Sources and content license
Source and revision history · Exact listed stories combined in catalog order. Sources retain their stated license; formatting and headings adjusted. Adapted from One Piece Wiki contributors. Complete listed chapter synopses combined; illustrations and reference markup removed. Sources and revision history: https://onepiece.fandom.com/wiki/Chapter_187?oldid=2071121; https://onepiece.fandom.com/wiki/Chapter_188?oldid=2071122; https://onepiece.fandom.com/wiki/Chapter_189?oldid=2119152; https://onepiece.fandom.com/wiki/Chapter_190?oldid=2071179; https://onepiece.fandom.com/wiki/Chapter_191?oldid=2027315; https://onepiece.fandom.com/wiki/Chapter_192?oldid=2030385; https://onepiece.fandom.com/wiki/Chapter_193?oldid=2027313; https://onepiece.fandom.com/wiki/Chapter_194?oldid=2070924; https://onepiece.fandom.com/wiki/Chapter_195?oldid=2048974 Adapted from One Piece Wiki contributors. Complete listed chapter synopses combined; illustrations and reference markup removed. Sources and revision history: https://onepiece.fandom.com/wiki/Chapter_196?oldid=2119153; https://onepiece.fandom.com/wiki/Chapter_197?oldid=2109936; https://onepiece.fandom.com/wiki/Chapter_198?oldid=1979758; https://onepiece.fandom.com/wiki/Chapter_199?oldid=1946948; https://onepiece.fandom.com/wiki/Chapter_200?oldid=2028974; https://onepiece.fandom.com/wiki/Chapter_201?oldid=2108692; https://onepiece.fandom.com/wiki/Chapter_202?oldid=1946953; https://onepiece.fandom.com/wiki/Chapter_203?oldid=2071951; https://onepiece.fandom.com/wiki/Chapter_204?oldid=2071954; https://onepiece.fandom.com/wiki/Chapter_205?oldid=1946956 Adapted from One Piece Wiki contributors. Complete listed chapter synopses combined; illustrations and reference markup removed. Sources and revision history: https://onepiece.fandom.com/wiki/Chapter_206?oldid=1946957; https://onepiece.fandom.com/wiki/Chapter_207?oldid=2075285; https://onepiece.fandom.com/wiki/Chapter_208?oldid=2075286; https://onepiece.fandom.com/wiki/Chapter_209?oldid=2075423; https://onepiece.fandom.com/wiki/Chapter_210?oldid=1956192; https://onepiece.fandom.com/wiki/Chapter_211?oldid=2119154; https://onepiece.fandom.com/wiki/Chapter_212?oldid=2109219; https://onepiece.fandom.com/wiki/Chapter_213?oldid=2092524; https://onepiece.fandom.com/wiki/Chapter_214?oldid=2120245; https://onepiece.fandom.com/wiki/Chapter_215?oldid=2120272; https://onepiece.fandom.com/wiki/Chapter_216?oldid=2120247 Adapted from One Piece Wiki contributors. Complete listed chapter synopses combined; illustrations and reference markup removed. Sources and revision history: https://onepiece.fandom.com/wiki/Chapter_217?oldid=2108409; https://onepiece.fandom.com/wiki/Chapter_218?oldid=1988254; https://onepiece.fandom.com/wiki/Chapter_219?oldid=2077297; https://onepiece.fandom.com/wiki/Chapter_220?oldid=1946973; https://onepiece.fandom.com/wiki/Chapter_221?oldid=1946974; https://onepiece.fandom.com/wiki/Chapter_222?oldid=2120248; https://onepiece.fandom.com/wiki/Chapter_223?oldid=2120249; https://onepiece.fandom.com/wiki/Chapter_224?oldid=2035366; https://onepiece.fandom.com/wiki/Chapter_225?oldid=2134207; https://onepiece.fandom.com/wiki/Chapter_226?oldid=2109181 Adapted from One Piece Wiki contributors. Complete listed chapter synopses combined; illustrations and reference markup removed. Sources and revision history: https://onepiece.fandom.com/wiki/Chapter_227?oldid=2120250; https://onepiece.fandom.com/wiki/Chapter_228?oldid=2076394; https://onepiece.fandom.com/wiki/Chapter_229?oldid=2077803; https://onepiece.fandom.com/wiki/Chapter_230?oldid=2077804; https://onepiece.fandom.com/wiki/Chapter_231?oldid=2109179; https://onepiece.fandom.com/wiki/Chapter_232?oldid=2111339; https://onepiece.fandom.com/wiki/Chapter_233?oldid=2108694; https://onepiece.fandom.com/wiki/Chapter_234?oldid=2123796; https://onepiece.fandom.com/wiki/Chapter_235?oldid=2109180; https://onepiece.fandom.com/wiki/Chapter_236?oldid=1946990 Adapted from One Piece Wiki contributors. Complete listed chapter synopses combined; illustrations and reference markup removed. Sources and revision history: https://onepiece.fandom.com/wiki/Chapter_237?oldid=1946991; https://onepiece.fandom.com/wiki/Chapter_238?oldid=1946992; https://onepiece.fandom.com/wiki/Chapter_239?oldid=1956141; https://onepiece.fandom.com/wiki/Chapter_240?oldid=1946995; https://onepiece.fandom.com/wiki/Chapter_241?oldid=2078975; https://onepiece.fandom.com/wiki/Chapter_242?oldid=1950910; https://onepiece.fandom.com/wiki/Chapter_243?oldid=1946998; https://onepiece.fandom.com/wiki/Chapter_244?oldid=1946999; https://onepiece.fandom.com/wiki/Chapter_245?oldid=1947000; https://onepiece.fandom.com/wiki/Chapter_246?oldid=2020957 Adapted from One Piece Wiki contributors. Complete listed chapter synopses combined; illustrations and reference markup removed. Sources and revision history: https://onepiece.fandom.com/wiki/Chapter_247?oldid=2028985; https://onepiece.fandom.com/wiki/Chapter_248?oldid=2078976; https://onepiece.fandom.com/wiki/Chapter_249?oldid=2078985; https://onepiece.fandom.com/wiki/Chapter_250?oldid=1947006; https://onepiece.fandom.com/wiki/Chapter_251?oldid=2113409; https://onepiece.fandom.com/wiki/Chapter_252?oldid=2113410; https://onepiece.fandom.com/wiki/Chapter_253?oldid=2079472; https://onepiece.fandom.com/wiki/Chapter_254?oldid=2015302; https://onepiece.fandom.com/wiki/Chapter_255?oldid=1947011 Adapted from One Piece Wiki contributors. Complete listed chapter synopses combined; illustrations and reference markup removed. Sources and revision history: https://onepiece.fandom.com/wiki/Chapter_256?oldid=2079668; https://onepiece.fandom.com/wiki/Chapter_257?oldid=2079818; https://onepiece.fandom.com/wiki/Chapter_258?oldid=2079819; https://onepiece.fandom.com/wiki/Chapter_259?oldid=2028984; https://onepiece.fandom.com/wiki/Chapter_260?oldid=2079951; https://onepiece.fandom.com/wiki/Chapter_261?oldid=2093609; https://onepiece.fandom.com/wiki/Chapter_262?oldid=2020962; https://onepiece.fandom.com/wiki/Chapter_263?oldid=2090601; https://onepiece.fandom.com/wiki/Chapter_264?oldid=2080059 Adapted from One Piece Wiki contributors. Complete listed chapter synopses combined; illustrations and reference markup removed. Sources and revision history: https://onepiece.fandom.com/wiki/Chapter_265?oldid=2129912; https://onepiece.fandom.com/wiki/Chapter_266?oldid=2114002; https://onepiece.fandom.com/wiki/Chapter_267?oldid=2114004; https://onepiece.fandom.com/wiki/Chapter_268?oldid=2111790; https://onepiece.fandom.com/wiki/Chapter_269?oldid=2080115; https://onepiece.fandom.com/wiki/Chapter_270?oldid=2080116; https://onepiece.fandom.com/wiki/Chapter_271?oldid=2080536; https://onepiece.fandom.com/wiki/Chapter_272?oldid=2080537; https://onepiece.fandom.com/wiki/Chapter_273?oldid=2080708; https://onepiece.fandom.com/wiki/Chapter_274?oldid=2080709; https://onepiece.fandom.com/wiki/Chapter_275?oldid=2081248 Adapted from One Piece Wiki contributors. Complete listed chapter synopses combined; illustrations and reference markup removed. 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