A Snake Bares Its Fangs:

-x-

"HEY! THAT'S THE WRONG WAY, ZORO!" Luffy shouted to the wayward swordsman as he wandered along a large winding root. "We're supposed to go this way! West! You know, west!" Luffy turned and walked along another root in a different direction.

"But he's going east," Chopper pointed out to Y/N and Robin who had lagged behind them.

"Use your head for something besides a hat rack for a change," Zoro grumbled then turned to Luffy, "We're heading for the skull's right eye so we've gotta go right you rubber-head!"

"They've lost their minds," Chopper commented.

"Those two have the worst sense of direction out of the whole crew," Y/N stated, "Remind me again why we decided to let them lead us?"

Robin knelt down next to Chopper, "Why don't you tell those two heroes that we're supposed to be heading south," she suggested.

"Sure thing, Robin," Chopper agreed as he ran to get Luffy and Zoro.

"Are your adventures always like this?" Robin inquired as she stood back up.

"Unfortunately yes," Y/N answered, "You should've seen us when we were trying to cross the Sandora desert back in Alabasta."

Luffy grinned as he bent down to pick up a stick. "Shishishi!" he chuckled.

"LUFFY! ZORO!" Chopper called out as he ran after Luffy and Zoro, "Wait up guys!"

"South, huh?" Luffy questioned once he'd been filled in, "You should've said so sooner."

Luffy, Zoro and Chopper turned and followed after Y/N and Robin.

Chopper watched Luffy enviously as he knocked his stick against the giant trees and roots they went passed and casually dragged it on the ground.

"Luffy, that's a pretty neat stick you've got there," Chopper remarked.

"Shishishi, isn't it?" Luffy laughed, "Its mine, though. You've gotta to get your own."

"Aww... I want one," Chopper pouted. Then he turned and ran off looking for a stick of his own. "Stick! Stick! Where's a stick?"

"What's up with sticks?" Zoro wondered.

"You know," Chopper said as he caught up to the others with his new stick. "I thought this forest would be scarier. But so far it's been nice and peaceful."

"Don't jinx us, Chopper," Y/N warned him, "Nobody's attacked us yet and I'd like to keep it that way."

"Hey Chopper, you're in a pretty good mood today," Luffy noted as he grinned and looked back at him, "Are you feeling courageous for a change?"

"You betcha!" Chopper replied, "Teeheehee!" "I feel so safe with these guys."

"You're right, this forest really has been a big disappointment," Zoro grumbled. "Nothing but birds and trees for two whole days makes me wanna scream I'm so bored. We haven't even seen one of Eneru's Priests so I know exactly how you feel, Chopper."

"Just listen to you," Robin remarked, "Are you that eager for something dangerous to happen?"

"I'm not," Y/N insisted, "If I never see any of those Priests again, I'll count it as a good thing."

"Teeheehee!" Chopper laughed.

Kreesshhh... Chopper's eyes darted to the side as he spotted movement. A large blue root with dark stripes moved through the trees nearby.

"Huh?" Chopper questioned. He turned around and his eyes widened when he spotted an identical blue root with dark stripes going across the path that they'd just walked passed. "Where'd that weird stripy root come from?"

Kreesshhhh... The weird stripy root moved again and slipped further into the trees behind them.

"Ah, it's moving!" Chopper gasped.

"You see anything back there, Chopper?" Luffy asked.

"Umm... its nothing," Chopper tried to reassure him and put on a brave front. "If I tell them I saw a moving root, they'll laugh at me for getting scared over nothing. I'm supposed to be brave today. It was probably my imagination anyway."

"There's something eerie about this place," Robin stated.

"Don't jinx it, don't jinx it," Y/N muttered.

"Chopper, why do you keep looking behind us?" Zoro inquired.

"Um, no reason, no reason at all," Chopper insisted.

"Hey, what's that weird stripy-looking root back there?" Luffy wondered as he looked back at the root that was moving through the trees behind Chopper.

"Oh that? You mean you guys can see it?" Chopper questioned.

"I've never heard of roots moving before," Zoro admitted.

"OH NO! YOU SEE THAT TOO!" Chopper shrieked, "I THOUGHT I WAS JUST IMAGINING THINGS!"

"I thought we were all just ignoring it," Y/N admitted.

Kreeessshhh... The five Straw Hats eyed the stripy root. It was longer than expected and didn't just have them walled in from behind but it also ran alongside them and turned in towards the southward path they were heading down.

KROOSH! They finally found the end of the root as it burst out from the trees in front of them. Seeing how the 'root' had a wide opened mouth that was framed by four long white fangs and had a long serpentine tongue that meant that it wasn't a root at all and was instead... A MASSIVE SNAKE!

Now out of the shadows of the trees and in the middle of the clearing, the Straw Hats could see that the snake was actually light blue in color. The top half had dark blue stripes running down its body while the bottom half was a few shades lighter. The snake had relatively small yellow eyes that were still easily the size of Zoro and two long catfish-like whiskers above its mouth that looked like a mustache.

"And there it is..." Y/N resolved, "You guys jinxed us."

-x-

Meanwhile, Nami, Usopp and Sanji were heading along the Milky Road in the Going Merry.

"Wind: good!" Usopp announced as he stood on front deck and stared off ahead of them as the Going Merry slowly drifted down the white river, "Helm: good! Aaah, this is so nice. It's just like a pleasure cruise. But we're making bad time. NAVIGATOR! Pick up the pace!"

"I'm afraid we can't, Captain Usopp," Nami reported.

"Say that again?" Usopp requested.

"I'm afraid we can't," Nami repeated.

"No, the Captain part," Usopp clarified.

"The Milky Road gets pretty steep in places," Nami explained, she'd only been humoring him, "So we have to rely on Dial Power to get by."

The Going Merry was only moving the way it was because they had the Crow strapped to the back of it with its pedal tied down. The small bird-themed gondola was pushing the much larger sheep-themed caravel along the white river.

"POUR IT ON LITTLE CROW!" Usopp encouraged the small ship. "Sanij! You're my official bodyguard! The Captain... is afraid of this creepy forest..."

"For crying out loud," Sanji complained as he lugged a barrel out of storage, "Knock it off with the Captain-business. The only person I plan on protecting is Miss Nami."

"Hey," Nami called out, "It's about time for that weird knight's medicine. Do you have remember where Chopper said he put it?"

"Excuse me, my dear, my name is Gan Fall," Gan Fall reminded her as he sat against the rear railing of the front deck along behind Usopp with Pierre beside him, "That's Gan... Fall..."

"Oh yeah, that's right," Sanji answered Nami, "I think he said he left it on a barrel in the galley. Could you please grab my dear sweet Miss Nami?"

"Well, well old man, looks like you're better," Usopp remarked as he turned to face Gan Fall.

"Yes, I'm very grateful to you all," Gan Fall replied.

"Hey, if anyone deserves thanks, it's our ship's doctor," Usopp told the Sky Knight, "When it comes to medicine that Chopper is a real miracle worker. There's no doubt about it. But, now that I think about it, you saved Chopper and Y/N from the Priest guy. So I guess you're even then! Ahahahaha!"

"..."

"Old man?" Usopp questioned.

"Shall I tell you a little of this land's history?" Gan Fall offered. Since Usopp didn't refuse, he took that as permission to continue, "Until six years ago, I was God."

"Uh... did you hit your head old man?" Usopp asked.

CHOMP! Pierre turned into a horse and bit Usopp on top of the head in response to his rude comment towards the former God.

"As you have no doubt learned," Gan Fall continued, "It is believed that the Upper Yard first appeared in Skypeia abruptly, a good four hundred years ago. Until then, Skypeia had always been a peaceful Sky Island. Items from the Blue Sea that were occasionally brought here by the Knock-Up Stream were rare and valuable treasures to the Sky People. Likewise, all of the Vearth on the Sky Islands was brought here by the Knock-Up Stream. But a quantity of Vearth as large as the Upper Yard appearing in the sky seemed like an unimaginable miracle. The Sky People were understandably overjoyed and worshiped it as holy ground, a gift from Heaven itself."

Sanji and Nami came up the stairs to the front deck with the latter bringing along Gan Fall's medicine. She silently placed they tray she had it on down in front of him and sat down near him while he continued his story of the Sky Island's history.

"But the original inhabitants were still on that Vearth," Gan Fall told them, "And a war erupted over its possession. Those in habitants were the Shandians."

"Then they're the guerrillas?" Usopp questioned.

"Mmm-hmm," Gan Fall confirmed.

"So you're saying that the Shandians used to live on Jaya when it was still in the Blue Sea," Sanji realized.

"That's right," Gan Fall answered, "The current blasted them into the sky against their will."

"Hold on, does that mean that you just stole that land that was rightfully theirs?" Nami inquired. That was low, even by her standards.

Gan Fall nodded, "The Sky People's greed drove them to steal the Shandians' homeland. And for the last four hundred years, the war between the Shandians and the Sky People has gone on without a break. The Shandians are simply trying to regain their lost home."

"How sad," Nami sympathized, "All those lives lost."

"WAIT A SECOND!" Usopp and Sanji shouted, "DOESN'T THAT MAKE YOU THE BAD GUYS HERE!" CHOMP! Pierre turned into a horse again and this time bit down on both of their heads to quiet them.

"I'm sorry," Gan Fall apologized, "But I'm afraid that's correct." He glanced down and noticed the tray with the medicine and glass of water that Nami had placed in front of him. "Oh, my medicine, excuse me I almost forgot to take it." Gan Fall proceeded to ingest the medicine that Chopper had left behind for him then drank the water to wash it down.

"What about Eneru?" Nami inquired. The suddenly question almost caused Gan Fall to make a spit-take. "What's his story?"

Gan Fall's eyes narrowed, "While I was still God, he appeared from another Sky Island leading a group of warriors. They dealt a heavy blow to my divine squad known as 'God's Enforcers' and to the Shandians as well. Then they seized control of the Upper Yard. That was six years ago. Since then, all of God's Enforcers have been enslaved and forced to perform some mysterious labor. I don't know what it is. But the Shandians don't care who God is. They want what they've always wanted, the return of their homeland."

"Yeah right," Sanji scoffed, "If all these Shandians are interested in is getting their homeland back then why did they attack us the minute we showed up?" Sanji thought back to when Wyper had attacked the Going Merry mere moments after they'd arrived on the White Sea.

"The members of God's Enforcers sometimes steal ships in hopes of escaping from Eneru," Gan Fall informed him. "However, the Shandians still consider them enemies and they will eliminate them on sight. They must have mistaken you for them."

"Ooh, oof coouurse," Sanji said sarcastically, "That makes it aaall better."

"One reason I became the Sky Knight was to help these escapees make it safely away to other Sky Islands," Gan Fall said. "There's no place on the Upper Yard where such outlaws would be able to avoid Eneru's eyes."

"To hear the way you tell it," Sanji remarked, "this Eneru guy sounds like he must be the Devil himself."

"Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!" Usopp scolded Sanji as he chopped him on the arm. "For all we know, he's out there listening to every word we're saying and taking notes!"

"Oh, you've gotta be kidding me," Sanji complained as Usopp continued to chop him, "Don't tell me you've suddenly become a convert."

"Hey, you heard what the old man said!" Usopp timidly protested, "Scary!"

"The Devil himself," Gan Fall repeated, "No, but he comes very close. Eneru has decreed that all outsiders like yourselves are criminals. What's more, he's made the inhabitants of Skypeia responsible for leading them to judgment. This gives rise to the Islanders' sense of guilt." Usopp and Sanji immediately thought back to when Conis had tried to warn them away and how terrified the other Sky People had sounded at the thought of facing God's Judgment. "When the people believe they are committing a criminal act they become overwhelmed by it and it weakens their will. Eneru knows this and exploits it. He has created a flock of helpless lambs to rule over. The lives of the people are like playthings to him, the Devil indeed."

"Hm," Nami sighed, "When we landed on Angel Beach we thought we'd found something like a paradise. Boy, were we wrong. Of all the places that ancient City of Gold could have ended up being, this is just our luck."

"Oh, that's right," Gan Fall suddenly recalled, "This city... you sure were excited about it. But please tell me something... What is 'gold'?"

"Eh?" the Straw Hats gasped in surprise. The former God didn't even know what gold was when there was supposed to be a whole city full of it in the middle of his land's sacred ground.

-x-

The Survival Game Begins:

-Over Six Years Ago-

"You back again old man?" Wyper growled. Over six years ago, instead of a Mohawk, he had shaggy black hair and wore an orange bandana over it. "Get out. Now."

Gan Fall, the reigning God, stood with God's Enforcers outside of the Shandian camp down in the clouds on the White Sea.

"Enough Wyper!" the Shandian Chief scolded the young warrior. "Gan Fall is here to negotiate."

"Negotiate what?" Wyper snapped, "No chief, we're through. We're not going to stand by while two old men negotiate way everything we've fought for our whole lives!" Wyper glared at God. "Listen Gan Fall! You can forget about any kind of treaty! If you want compromise so badly, then give it all back! For generations we've watched you Sky People slaughter us like little pigs! ENOUGH! And now you're saying that you want to make peace? HA!"

"I can not give it all back to you," Gan Fall calmly informed the angry warrior. "The power of the Upper Yard's Vearth is of the utmost importance to every man and woman now living in Skypeia. All are grateful for its many blessings. I have no right to take that away. These people are, after all, innocent."

"Oh, so the Sky People are innocent are they?" Wyper demanded. "I guess you can call them that since they let you do their fighting for them and never bloody their own hands! Maybe it's time we involved a few innocent people!"

"I won't allow that," Gan Fall insisted. It was his duty to protect his people.

"You want peace so badly?" Wyper snarled as he stalked up to God and got in his face. "Then make a sacrifice! Execute a hundred of your own innocent people on the ancient altar and bring us their heads!"

"You're mad," Gan Fall responded, "I won't."

"Then we're done talking!" Wyper resolved as he turned and stalked back to his people, "Get lost, or I'll take your head as a down payment!"

"Wait! Wyper!" Gan Fall called after him.

Wyper turned and glared at him, "Be careful when you use my name, old man," he threatened.

"I am quite fond of the juice made from your pumpkins," Gan Fall stated.

The God's seemingly innocent statement set something off in Wyper and the Shandian Warrior charged Gan Fall in a vicious rage. "I'LL KILL YOU!" he roared.

"WYPER, STOP!" the Shandian Chief called after him. "Warriors, restrain him!"

WHUMP! Shandian Warriors ran out and tackled Wyper to the ground while God's Enforcers ran forward to defend their God.

"What is this?" the Chief exclaimed, "Kiko! Kamakiri! Braham! Not you too!"

The three other warriors ran after Wyper and started throwing rocks at God's Enforcers. KONK! KONK! Before long, the confrontation had escalated to a huge fight.

Behind them, in the Shandian village, Laki watched the commotion from the opening of a tent.

"WAAAAAAAHH!" Laki turned and saw a baby crying in the arms of a nurse.

"Aisa cries a lot, doesn't she nurse?" Laki noted. Even as a baby, Aisa's Mantra was highly developed and the confrontation happening outside was clearly the cause of her crying.

"Yes, she always cries when there's a disturbance in the village," the nurse confirmed as she rocked Aisa and tried to sooth her.

"It's Wyper, right?" Laki asked while Wyper continued to fight against God's Enforcers.

"I really don't know," the nurse admitted, "but you have to admit, when there are problems in the village, he's always right in the middle of them. Why? What do you think of him, Laki?"

"I think that he frightens me, as well," Laki confessed. "He's like a demon!"

-Back to Present Time-

Laki watched from a distance as Wyper once again rallied their forces before a battle. She grabbed her rifle and slowly headed toward them.

But she stopped short when she saw Aisa's bag of Vearth on the ground at Wyper's feet. A large portion of the dirt had been spilled and was covering the clouds.

"The Vearth!" Laki exclaimed as she ran toward Wyper and the bag, "Wyper! I told you before that's Aisa's treasure! You have no right to it!"

"Enough," Braham stepped in front of her and kept Laki from getting into another confrontation with Wyper over the bag of Vearth.

"We can't assume we'll get another chance like this," Wyper addressed the warriors. Kiko, Braham, Genbo and even the wounded Kamakiri were all their preparing for battle. "I won't let this opportunity pass! If you don't think you're up to it, stay behind! I won't hold it against you!"

"We all want to be here, Wyper!" Kiko growled, "And you know we're up to it!"

"Are you?" Wyper questioned. "Are you up to abandoning anyone who falls during the battle? If you can step over the bodies of your dying comrades and keep fighting, then follow me! Now I swear, Eneru's head is mine!"

-x-

"RUN FOR IT!" Luffy shouted as he, Y/N, Zoro, Chopper and Robin found themselves faced with the massive snake. "IT'S A GIANT SNAKE!"

"WAAAAAAHH!" Chopper screamed as they ran from the snake.

"Why'd it have to be snakes?" Y/N muttered as he broke away from the others and darted around a tree.

"What's the matter, Mr. One Eye?" Robin inquired as she ran alongside him, "Don't tell me you're afraid of snakes."

"I'm not afraid of them," Y/N insisted, "I've just spent enough time dealing with them lately."

"Since when?" Robin questioned.

"Just for that, I'm bringing you on the next disclaimer hunt," Y/N decided.

Zoro stopped running and turned to face the monster snake. "Okay, catfish-face!" he growled, "It's time for you to get filleted!"

HISSSS! The snake lunged at him. SKISH! Zoro jumped up out of the way.

But the snake's kept going and it flew towards Luffy and Chopper.

"WHOOAA!" Luffy gasped as he stared into the snake's massive opened mouth while Chopper screamed beside him. SKISH! Luffy jumped up over the snake's massive head while Chopper stumbled to the side and just managed to dodge its mouth. FWUMP!

SKISH! SKISH! Zoro leapt up onto a tree branch overhead, "How can something so big, move so freakin' fast?" he wondered.

"Oh great, now it's coming for us," Y/N dead-panned as the snake came around the tree, he and Robin had been standing behind.

Skish! Skish! Skish! Robin sprouted a ladder of legs out of a tree trunk and jumped up them to a high branch over the snake's head.

Y/N turned and ran from the snake which barreled through the trees after him. Skish! Y/N jumped up and planted his feet on a tree trunk then launch himself off. SHOOM! Y/N flew passed the snake's head but it kept going and bit down on the trunk of the tree that Y/N had jumped off of. CHOMP! The snake's mouth was so enormous that its jaw completely encircled the trunk of the gigantic tree.

"Hmm... that's odd," Y/N remarked as he backed away from the occupied snake, "I'm sensing some treasure inside the snake. But considering how huge it is, it doesn't surprise me that it might've accidentally eaten something valuable that it came across."

"I wouldn't suggest going in this one, Mr. One Eye," Robin advised from her perch overhead.

Fsshh... "AH!" Zoro gasped in alarm as he watched purple steam float out of the snake's mouth. SHUNK! The snake pulled its mouth off of the tree to reveal that it's clearly powerful venom had withered it down to a mere stick.

"AAAHH! AAACIIIID!" Chopper screamed.

"Uhh... change of plan... we're running away!" Zoro decided. "DON'T LET THAT VENOM TOUCH YOU! IT'S DEATH!"

"Actually, I've got an idea," Y/N announced. Skish! Y/N jumped up onto a tree then launched himself back at the snake. SHOOM! Y/N stuck his legs out ahead of him, "FLYING... ARROW KICK!" THWHAM! Y/N slammed feet-first into the snake's face. KROOM! The snake's head slammed into a tree trunk but it recovered and came back at Y/N. "Come get some, snaky!" Y/N ran off through the trees while the snake slithered after him.

HISSSS! The snake began to gain on Y/N.

"Luffy! Gimme a lift!" Y/N called out to his brother who was off to the side.

WOING! Luffy stretched his arm out and grabbed Y/N's arm then pulled him towards him. SHOOM! "HEY SNAKE! COME ON! YOUR DINNER'S GETTING AWAY!"

"Luffy, its morning," Y/N pointed out, "Its closer to breakfast."

"SNAAAAKEEE! BREEEAAAKFAAAAST!" Luffy shouted. "COOOMEEE AND GEET IIIIT!"

HISSSSS! The snake turned to the left and followed after Y/N and he swung passed it.

"Luffy, Monkey-Style Escape!" Y/N instructed, "To the left!"

"Right!" Luffy agreed. SHOOOM! He shot his arm out to the left and grabbed a tree branch then swung himself and Y/N away from the snake. SWOOOSH! "THIS WAY WHISKERS! OVER HERE!"

HIIIISSSSSS! The snake changed direction again and followed after them.

"Once more Luffy!" Y/N called out.

SHOOOM! Luffy stretched his arm out and grabbed another tree branch then swung them to the left through the trees again. SWOOOSH!

HIIIISSSSSSS! The snake whipped around a tree and barreled after them.

WOING! Luffy and Y/N swung through the trees and flew towards... the snake.

Y/N looked back at the snake and grinned, "Take this Ouroboros!" he taunted.

They swung over the snake's body while the snake's head flew after them. SHOOOM! But to Y/N's surprise, the snake's head launched up off of the ground and slithered over its body. SWIISSHH!

"Damn," Y/N cursed, "Okay then... Plan B. This is where I leave you, Luffy." Y/N let go of Luffy's hand and dropped downward. "BLUDGEON STOMP!" WHOMP! Y/N slammed feet first down onto the top of the snake's head and drove it into the ground. KROOOM!

Skish! Y/N jumped off of the snake's head and launched himself back the other way.

HIIISSSS! The snake recovered, swung around a tree and chased after him.

SKISH! Y/N jumped up over the snake's body as the head slithered over itself again.

"That should do it," Y/N resolved, he turned and sprinted off through the trees.

HISSS! The snake slithered faster and attempted to follow him. SHUK! But it stopped short.

With Luffy's help, Y/N had wrapped the snake's body around a cluster of trees then had led it over itself, around another tree and over itself again. The snake was gigantic but it was only so long and it eventually ran out of body.

"I guess that's a wrap," Zoro joked, as he looked on from his branch on a tree branch.

"YAY BIG BROTHER!" Chopper cheered.

"Classic snake-fighting strategy," Y/N stated, "Tie it in a knot."

WOING! Luffy dropped down out of a tree and landed next to Y/N.

"SHISHISHI!" Luffy laughed, "STUPID SNAKE!" Luffy grabbed the sides of his face and stretched them outward so he could make a face at the snake. WHUP! "NYYYYAAAAA!"

HIIIISSSSS! SHOOOM! The snake became enraged and lunged towards them. KROOOOSH!

Luffy and Y/N's three combined eyes widened in surprise as the snake uprooted the lone tree that it was wrapped around and then started forcing down the other cluster of trees. KROOOOOM!

"You just had to taunt it, didn't you?" Y/N asked as he and Luffy looked up at the suddenly falling forest.

"EVERYBODY RUUUUN!" Luffy shouted as he and Y/N took off and ran in different directions.

"WAAAAAHH!" Chopper screamed as the trees started falling. The shifted into his Walk Point form and took off running.

"THOSE IDIOTS!" Zoro yelled as he launched himself off through the trees. SKISH!

"Oh my," Robin sighed, "Cinco Fleur!" She sprouted a vine of five arms out of an overhead tree branch and used them to swing herself to safety.

"Speed Step!" ZZZZOOOOOOM! Y/N sped off through the toppling trees.

"AAAAH-AAAAH-AAAAH!" Luffy cheered as he used his rubber arms to swing himself away. SWOOOSH!

KROOOSH! KRAASH! KROOOOM! The pirates and the snake all scrambled to avoid the falling trees.

-x-

"This is bad," Robin remarked as she stood staring at a pile of giant fallen trees. "I know I'm on the right path but where is everyone? Are they lost? Should I wait for them?"

-x-

Chopper stood in front of a pile of fallen trees in his Walk Point. He looked frantically around for the others.

"Aaah! Aaaah!" Chopper gasped, "I'M LOST GUYS! WAIT FOR ME!"

Chopper ran off in search for the others... in the wrong direction.

-x—

"Well it figures," Zoro remarked, "I turn my back for one second and they go and get lost on me. Oh well, they know how to take care of themselves. I've got most of the map memorized anyway. I go... right." Zoro shrugged and headed off... in the wrong direction.

-x-

"Where did everybody go?" Luffy wondered, "Did they get lost? I'd better keep moving. I'll catch up with them later at the ruins. They said we had to go south, and it always gets warmer when you go south. So I go... this way!" Luffy wandered off... also in the wrong direction.

-x-

Robin set off southward towards the City of Gold.

"Oh, there you are!" Robin spun around in time to see Y/N jump from a tree branch and land beside her. TMP! "I figured I'd at least find you here."

"Mr. One Eye," Robin greeted him, "What happened to the others?"

"They got lost," Y/N answered, "From what I can tell, they all went off in different directions, none of them the right one. It would take too long to climb around and over those trees to find them all so I figured the two of us could head for the City of Gold on our own. Besides, there's no gold there, so I wouldn't want to go through all that trouble only for them to be disappointed when we got there."

"Wait... there's no gold?" Robin questioned, "Then why are we heading there?"

"It's an ancient city that was blasted up into the sky four hundred years ago," Y/N answered. "Since you're an archaeologist, I figured that would be the sort of thing you'd be interested in."

Robin blinked, "You mean we set out on this expedition today... for me?"

"Of course," Y/N replied with a grin, "That's what friends do for each other."

Robin smiled a genuine smile, "Thank you."

"For the record, there is gold on this island somewhere, and I still intend to find it," Y/N informed her, "But for now, let's go find that ancient city." Y/N grabbed Robin by the hand ran off through the trees, pulling her along with him.

Due to having a bounty on her head at the early age of eight, Robin had never had a chance to have a real childhood and had been forced to mature quickly in order to survive on her own.

But just this once, Robin imagined herself twenty years younger and running hand-in-hand through the forest with a ten year younger Y/N towards this ancient historic city with what could only be considered child-like excitement.

-x-

Back at God's Shine, Eneru was casually lying sideways across his throne.

"It looks like our Shandian friends are making their move," Eneru observed using his Mantra, "How nice. And the Blue Sea Dwellers have split into two groups... and then split up again, that's interesting. Today is certainly shaping up to be a lively day. I wonder how many of our players will live to its end. Well then, let the Survival Game begin."

-x-

Wyper led the Shandian Warriors along the Milky Road toward Upper Yard.

"Our objective is God's Shrine!" Wyper addressed his men, "Don't let anything get in your way! Our only goal is to bring back his head!"

"YEEAAH!" the Shandians cheered as the charged towards Upper Yard.

-x-

Sky Warfare:

-x-

"When we first met, I acted as a soldier for hire to protect you," Gan Fall reminded the three Straw Hats as they continued along the Milky Road in the Going Merry, "Because you Blue Sea Dwellers are unfamiliar with the ways of Sky Warfare."

"Sky Warfare?" Usopp repeated, "What do you mean?"

"Perhaps if you move that barrel over here, I can demonstrate," Gan Fall suggested.

Sanji brought the barrel over and placed a small Dial on top of it. He was borrowing one of Usopp's comically large hammers for this demonstration.

"Now observe..." Gan Fall instructed.

"Can someone please explain to me why we're doing this?" Nami requested.

"All will be clear," Gan Fall assured her then he turned his attention to Sanji, "Now strike that shell with all of your might, young man."

"Take it easy, Sanji," Usopp warned him, he didn't want the Going Merry to be further damaged after it had been miraculously repaired over the night. "If you put a hole in my deck, I'll put enough holes in you to make a Swiss cheese jealous!"

"Hit it with all the strength you've got," Gan Fall instructed.

"GAAH!" Usopp shrieked. "HAVE A LITTLE MORE RESPECT FOR OTHER PEOPLE'S PROPERTY WHEN YOU'RE A GUEST, OLD MAN!"

"Well, it's your show, old timer," Sanji agreed as he prepared for Gan Fall's demonstration. He raised the mallet up over his head and wound up. He really was going to put all his monstrous strength into this swing.

"WAIT! WAIT!" Usopp protested, "DO YOU HAVE TO WIND UP INTO IT LIKE THAT?"

"RUUUGGHH!" Sanji grunted as he brought the hammer down. Boing! Despite his impressive wind up, Sanji powerful attack had absolutely no effect on the barrel and the Dial on top of it.

Nami and Usopp stared in surprise. They both knew Sanji to be one of the Monster Trio capable denting steel and crushing bedrock with his powerful kicks. So when his attack to did nothing, it caught them off guard.

"Huh?" Sanji goggled.

"AH!" Nami gasped.

"Whoa..." Usopp muttered, "That was just sad. I know I said take it easy, but you didn't have to be that pathetic. You didn't even put a ding in the barrel." Usopp figured that he could've done more damage than the supposedly strong cook had.

"No, I gave that swing everything I had," Sanji insisted as he hoisted the hammer back up onto his shoulder and stared in confusion at the Dial on top of the barrel, "Like I was really trying to put a hole in the deck."

"Hey now!" Usopp scolded him. He knew he couldn't rely on some mysterious ship-repairing ghost to fix the ship for him again.

"It sounds crazy," Sanji said, "but it's like the shell absorbed all the force of the impact."

"Huh?" Nami and Usopp questioned.

"Now," Gan Fall prompted, "If you would be so good as to turn the shell's holes towards the barrel and lightly press the tip. You're familiar with the operation of Dial Power, yes?" Sanji picked up the Dial as instructed and turned it so all of the holes that were across the top were now pressed against the side of the barrel.

"Right here?" Sanji inquired before he pressed the apex. Click! KA-BOOOOOOOM! Sanji was blown backwards as the barrel exploded like it should have done when he'd smashed it with the hammer.

"AAAAAAAHH!" Usopp screamed as he and Nami ran for cover to avoid the flying debris.

Tunk! The barrel had been completely obliterated and the Dial dropped to the deck in the space that it had once occupied.

Nami cautiously peeked out from the stairs she'd taken shelter in while Usopp was clinging to the far side of the deck's railing.

"That, my friends, is an Impact Dial," Gan Fall explained. "It absorbs any impact it receives and then releases the energy when its pressed? It is frequently affixed to the palm of the hand with a glove or a bandage. A direct hit from one of these has more than enough power to kill a normal person easily."

Sanji and Usopp both thought back to their battle against Satori. Not only did they have to deal with the Priest's Mantra but when his open-palmed strikes where deceptively powerful. Fortunately for them, they weren't 'normal' people and could take a great deal of punishment.

"Oh, I know," Sanji replied, "Usopp?"

"Oh yeah," Usopp realized as he climbed over the railing and back onto the deck, "That's what that butterball Priest was using."

"Why didn't you warn us?" Sanji complained as he lightly chopped Gan Fall on the head to express his annoyance. "That scared the hell out of me, old man!"

Gan Fall ignored Sanji's chops and continued his exposition, "I have heard that in ancient times on other Sky Islands there existed Dials even more powerful than this one. The Reject Dial is said to be capable of magnifying the energy it absorbs and release ten-times than that of the Impact Dial. But, that incredible power was a double-edged sword, for it threatened the life of the attacker as well as his opponent. As a result, it was very rarely used."

"THESE LITTLE SHELLS ARE THAT DANGEROUS?" Usopp exclaimed, "THEY'RE WORSE THAN ANY WEAPON I KNOW!"

"Yeah, I thought Dials were supposed to be common everyday objects," Nami added.

"So they are," Gan Fall confirmed, "But it seems that man has a talent for finding deadly uses for beneficial discoveries no matter how mundane they may seem to be. It all depends upon the user. Dials are very useful. And when applied in battle, their power for destruction can be awesome. For example, the Heat Dial used for cooking can be placed inside a lance and be used to generate thermal energy creating a deadly weapon known as the Heat Javelin. Or the Flame Dial, which stores fire, can be placed in the mouth of bird creating a creature that seems to breathe fire."

"Yeah, Chopper mentioned something like that," Usopp realized.

Just like that, Gan Fall had debunked the mystery behind Shura's abilities. His lance or 'Heat Javelin' created fire due to the Heat Dial creating thermal energy inside of it. And his bird Fuza only breathed fire because of the Flame Dial that Shura had placed in its mouth.

"And that's Sky Warfare?" Nami asked.

"It is," Gan Fall confirmed, "Blue Sea Dwellers who know nothing of Dials have no way of seeing through these tricks. The same holds true for our many types of artificial clouds. The Priests have forged these into forms they can control. If you don't understand them, you'll be helpless against them."

"Y/N managed it," Nami pointed out, "but then again, he's one of the craftiest people I know."

"Wait a second," Sanji said, "Then is there any truth to that 'Mantra'-thing that Tubby was talking about that let him to predict our moves?"

"Yes, Mantra," Gan Fall answered, "Unfortunately, I'm afraid that I am unable to use it. So it's rather difficult for me to explain. Mantra is described as the ability to hear. The idea is that as long as a person lives, his or her body emits a 'voice'."

"A voice?" Sanji repeated. He'd stopped chopping Gan Fall and had used his explanation to quickly clean the broken bits of barrel off of the deck.

"Yes," Gan Fall told him, "By listening to the voice you're supposed to be able to know your opponent's next move. With practice and training you can hear these voices over a very large area. The Priests can hear over all of the Upper Yard. Eneru's powers extend across this entire land. The exact nature of those powers remains a mystery but because of them the people of this land can never know a moment's peace."

-x-

"I wonder if they've made it down yet," Eneru casually wondered as he relaxed on his throne back at God's Shrine.

"Yes, God," one of three bushy bearded men answered. The three were God's Advisors. Although, Eneru usually tended to ignore their opinions and just do what he wanted. "They are lying in wait as we speak. The three Priests have placed their Ordeals and Yama has taken fifty of our warriors with him. God, it looks as though this is becoming an all-out war. Is it really necessary to go to such extremes? The Shandians and a few Blue Sea Dwellers hardly seem worth it."

"Yahahahaha!" Eneru laughed. "Come now, the more players there are the more fun the game." Eneru glanced at one of the bushy bearded advisors, "You, My hairy friend, underestimate the power of Sky Warfare."

"Sky Warfare, God?" the first advisor questioned.

"Yes, you'll see soon enough," Eneru assured him. "Yahahahaha!" He paused his laughter and directed his attention to the table filled with the fruit and the servant girl that was standing next to him tending the table. Eneru motioned to a banana. "Peal that for Me. Now let's see, there's Yama and the fifty warriors plus the three surly Priests and including Me that's fifty-four. There's Wyper and his twenty Sandians heading for the island, the five Blue Sea Dwellers in the forest and the four escaping down the Milky Road. No wait, that's only three... the old man can't fight anymore. Altogether, that's eighty-three. This battle will determine who will be left standing. Yahahahaha! Shall we guess who many will remain after three hours' time?"

"Pardon, God?" the second of Eneru's three advisers asked. "You choose to make a game out of death?"

"Oh, why don't you lighten up," Eneru chided him then he turned his attention back to the servant girl as she handed him the banana she'd peeled for him, "You, take a guess."

"Um... me, my Lord?" the nervous servant girl stammered. "But I don't know anything about it. I'm just a servant girl."

"Oh, come on," Eneru complained, "What's wrong with you people? It'll be fun. Just take a guess." Eneru pointed to the third advisor using his ring adorned big toe. "You, go ahead, guess."

"Well... um... the three Priests are all very strong, of course," the advisor reasoned, "And our warriors are all extremely powerful as well. I doubt many of them will be defeated. But the enemy has shown that their power rivals the Priests'. So in three hours I'd guess that thirty will fall leaving... eighty-three minus thirty... leaving fifty-three alive. How's that?"

"YAHAHAHAHAHA!" Eneru seemed to find his advisor's guess hilarious. "Fifty-three, eh? That's your best guess? Don't you think you're being too optimistic or are you just squeamish? I think you're underestimating the results of this battle."

"Uuuuh... then what do You think, God?" the chastised advisor inquired, "If I may ask."

"Well, its obvious if only you give it a little thought," Eneru replied. "In three hours, of the eighty-three fighters now on this island... all that will be left are... seven."

-x-

Wyper and the Shandians finally reached the shore of Upper Yard and surged off of the Milky Road and shot off through the massive trees of the forest.

SHOOOM! SHOOOM! SHOOOM! SHOOOM! SHOOOM! SHOOOM! SHOOOM!

The twenty-one Shandian Warriors sped through the trees on their dial-powered skis and boards. They all kept an eye out for the first sign of their enemies be they Eneru's Warriors, Priests, the Blue Sea Dwellers or Eneru himself.

SHOOOM! SHOOOM! SHOOOM... SHOOOM... SHOOM... SHOOM... Shoom...

The warriors were caught off guard when they started losing speed. And they kept losing speed until they were forced to a complete stop.

Shoom... shoom... ssshhhh...

The twenty Shandians found themselves rooted in place. None of them could move. Some were on the ground others had stopped while flying through the air in mid-leap.

"What's going on?" Kamakiri questioned from the front of the group. "Why did I stop moving?"

"Grrraaahh..." Kiko growled as strained and fought against the seemingly invisible force that was rooting him in place.

"Greetings, my Shandorian friends," came a familiar voice. The Shandians looked again and saw Shura and his bird Fuza perched on a large rock ahead of them. "You're looking well. I'm glad you could come to my party."

"CRAAAAWWW!" Fuza crowed then unleashed a torrent of fire up into the air. FWOOOSH!

"SHURA!" the Shandians shouted. If they were dealing with Skyrider Shura then that meant the reason they couldn't move is because they were already trapped in the Priest's string.

"Now, now, I appreciate your enthusiasm but I know my own name," Shura taunted, "Hahahaha! I'm afraid I have some bad news. There have been some changes here in Upper Yard since yesterday. You've wandered right into my new territory. Can't move can you? Too bad. You fools have charged right into my Ordeal of String. You only have a three percent chance of survival."

"Hmph..." Braham grunted, "We heard that some Blue Sea Dweller already beat you. That makes me think that this Ordeal of yours isn't all its cracked up to be."

"Grrr..." Shura growled, "That was a fluke! God Eneru understood that and He gave me another chance which I plan to use to redeem myself. Catching you insects was child's play and once I kill every last one of you, Fuza and I will go find that Blue Sea Dweller and finish him off for good this time. This Survival Game won't last long at all. I'll be the one to end it. And then I'll take my rightful place at the Almighty God Eneru's side."

"CAAWW!" Fuza crowed.

-x-

Deadly Reject:

-x-

Y/N and Robin continued along their southward bearing through the forest towards the ancient City of Gold. They'd stopped holding hands and running but there was a comfortable silence between the two of them.

"So..." Robin said in an attempt to start conversation, "I noticed you and Miss. Navigator got awfully close last night. Is there anything you'd like to share about your relationship status?"

"Not really," Y/N answered, "Nami pointedly said 'not tonight' last night so we didn't."

"I see," Robin remarked, "But what did you end up getting up to? I trust we don't have to worry about the ship being overrun by tiny pirates?"

"What? No!" Y/N sputtered, "We didn't—We've never even—We just kissed!"

"Oh, good to know," Robin noted.

Y/N took a deep breath to calm himself and then asked, "Any particular reason why you're so interested in my relationship with Nami?"

"I was under the impression that friends talked about that sort of thing," Robin replied.

"Oh, they do," Y/N quickly assured her, "And... we can... I guess."

"And besides," Robin added, "Back on Jaya, you involved me in your relationship. I can't help but feel a little personally invested in it."

"Well, it will please you to know that things are going well," Y/N informed her. "I have a feeling that we could have gotten together last night but we both agreed not to. Maybe it'll happen after I find that gold. You should've seen her when I showed her all the treasure I found inside Sheldon."

"From what I know of her, I'll bet she was excited," Robin remarked, "Out of curiosity, how much treasure was there inside of that snake?"

"A few million berries," Y/N answered, "I guess that snake didn't care what it ate. But it wasn't much compared to the huge amount of gold I was sensing earlier. I'm guessing that's the gold that was supposed to be in the City of Gold and that someone found it and moved it."

"Speaking of that snake," Robin said, "The way you and Mr. Straw Hat escaped from it seemed awfully rehearsed. Are you used to doing things like that?"

"Ever since we were kids," Y/N replied, "Have you ever heard of Goa Kingdom?"

"Of course," Robin confirmed, "It's located on Dawn Island and is the largest kingdom in the East Blue."

"Well, Luffy, Ace and I grew up in the mountains on Dawn Island," Y/N explained, "We occasionally went to the Goa Kingdom but to get there we had to go through this dangerous forest that was filled with all sorts of huge wild animals. Once we decided we were all going to be pirates, the three of us regularly trained in there. Luffy and I have been swinging away from monsters like that massive snake we just faced since we were little kids."

Robin smiled faintly, "It must have been nice."

Y/N glanced over at Robin. He could tell that she was envious of him growing up with siblings while she'd been forced to grow up all alone. But what he could also tell, was that she at least seemed interested when he spoke about his childhood. If she enjoyed hearing stories about his and his brothers' misadventures growing up, then he had plenty to share.

"The three of us used to get into so much trouble," Y/N commented, "We were considered the bane of Dawn Island. There must have been an island-wide party once all of us were gone. Luffy had this habit of sneaking into this one farmer's watermelon patch late at night and eating as many as he could. You know how he has a rubber stomach, right? Well this one time, he ate so many that his rubber body ended up shaped like a giant watermelon. His arms and legs stayed the same size though, so he couldn't move to get away. Ace and I eventually found him and we ended up having to roll him all the way home."

"Fufufufufu!" Robin laughed lightly as she visualized a watermelon-shaped Luffy being rolled home in the dead of night by a child-sized Y/N and Ace.

"I've got plenty more stories where that came from," Y/N told her, "This one time, Ace and I went into Goa Kingdom with only fifteen thousand berries. We were looking to have a big lunch of something other than wild animal meat so I took that fifteen thousand berries and with Ace's help managed to turn it into a quarter million which was more than enough to pay for that huge lunch. You see, it all started at this jewelry store in the Town Center..."

Oblivious to the war going on around them, Y/N continued to share stories of his childhood with Robin as they headed for the City of Gold.

-x-

"I would have warned you," Shura boasted to the trapped Shandians, "But then I thought, why ruin the surprise for them."

"Ugghhh... uugghhh..." Kamakiri growled as he struggled against Shura's string. Just then, sunlight shined down through the trees into the red lenses of Kamakiri's round glasses allowing him to briefly glimpse the thin string he was strapped in. "It's String Cloud!"

"Oh, very good," Shura smugly remarked, "I'm impressed. It's spread throughout my area and it's too thin to be seen but its so tough that even the strongest man can't break it once entangled. My mighty String Cloud, you fools have been wrapping yourselves up in it from the moment you set foot in this forest."

"RAAAH!" Kiko roared as he fought against the string binding him. He managed to move his arms a bit but like Shura said, even the strongest of men couldn't escape from the string once they were caught in it.

"Take a look around," Shura continued, "You're covered in string. You've all become my puppets, mere play things at my disposal."

"RAAAAAH!" Kiko managed to yank his left arm back and jammed his elbow into his side. Whak! FWOOOOSH! Flames erupted out of the gauntlet on his hand. But unlike the gauntlet on his right hand which he used to create a single whip-like blade of fire, the tube on his left arm was split and had three ends which produced three separate blades of fire. Whip! Kiko flicked his wrist and the three blades slashed through the String Clouds in front of him like a claw made of fire. FWOOOOM! Kiko dropped out of the air and landed on the ground. TMP!

"GET HIM FUZA!" Shura shouted.

"CRAAAWW!" SHOOOM! Fuza launched off of the rock and flew at the wild Shandian.

SHOOOM! Kiko spun around and sped off on his dial-powered board. FWOOOM! Kiko slashed the fire blade on his right gauntlet and used it to slice through the String Cloud ahead of him. FWOOOOM-FWOOOM! As Kiko burned a path through the String Cloud he used his whip-like flame blade to cut some of his fellow warriors free from the string.

"CRAAAW!" WOOOSH! Fuza flew after Kiko and unleashed torrents of fire at the fleeing Shandian. FWOOOSH! FWOOOOSH!

SHOOOM! SHOOOM! Kiko masterfully maneuvered his board and managed to avoid Fuza's blasts of fire. Kiko sped out of the clearing with Fuza flying in hot pursuit.

"Hm," Wyper grunted to himself from up in a tree overhead. He'd been the only one to avoid getting trapped in Shura's String Cloud and now that Kiko had lured Fuza away from Shura, he decided it was time to strike.

SKISH! Wyper leapt out of his tree and flew down at Shura with his cannon poised to attack.

"WYPER!" Kamikiri, Braham and Genbo cheered.

Wyper hoisted his cannon onto his shoulder and fired it at Shura as he flew down at him. BOOOM!

SKISH! Shura leapt up off of the rock and avoided Wyper's blast then drew back his lance.

"WYPER! THAT'S A HEAT JAVELIN!" Braham called out in warning.

But to his fellow warriors' surprise, Wyper dropped his cannon and his shield as well. Shura's eyes widened in momentary surprise but he kept going and drove his Heat Javelin into Wyper's unguarded right shoulder. SHUNK!

"UUUUGGHHH!" Wyper groaned in pain as the Heat Javelin seared into his shoulder.

"WHY DID YOU THROW AWAY YOUR SHIELD AND WEAPON?" Shura demanded. "ARE YOU INSANE?" Fwooom... The tip of Shura's lance lit up and burned started to burn from where it was lodged inside Shura's shoulder.

"WYPER! YOU WOULDN'T DARE!" Kamakiri shouted.

WHAP! Despite the literally burning pain in his shoulder, Wyper used the close proximity between him and Shura to his advantage and grabbed onto Shura.

FWOOM! "Take it!" Wyper said as the flames coming out of Shura's lance grew in size and covered his entire right shoulder. "If all you want is a shoulder, it's yours."

Wyper reached out with his left hand which was covered in bandages and pointed the dial attached to his palm at Shura's chest.

Shura stared down at the Dial on Wyper's hand. "An Impact Dial?" Shura questioned, "But that won't kill me."

"Heh, no," Wyper scoffed, "TEN-TIMES THAT POWER! REJECT DIAL!" BZOOOOOOM! The legendary Reject Dial which instead of unleashing a regular high-impact attack, blasted Shura with ten-times that power and sent the Priest hurtling down to the ground.

KROOM! Shura slammed down into the ground and laid there motionless. His aviator cap had fallen off and without the goggles his glazed over eyes were now visible. The super-powered impact of the Reject Dial combined with his previous injuries at the hands of Y/N had finished the Priest off for good.

TMP! Wyper landed next to the former Priest and groaned in pain as he clutched his limp and bandaged left arm with is right hand. The rumors of the Reject Dial were true, while it was immensely more powerful than a regular Impact Dial, its usage harmed the wielder. But Wyper was a warrior through-and-through and he fought off the pain in his arm and remained standing.

-x-

"And the Upper Yard Survival Game has its first casualty," Eneru observed using his Mantra. "The first battle has ended in an upset. Shura is finished."

"Wh-what?" one of the three advisors sputtered, "But how?"

"Like you, Shura underestimated the power of Sky Warfare," Eneru explained, "Yahahahahaha!"

"But surely this is a disaster!" another advisor exclaimed, "No Priest has been defeated in six years! And suddenly two have fallen in two days! Three losses if You include Shura's defeat at the hands of that Blue Sea Dweller yesterday."

"Shura got what was coming to him," Eneru stated, "I knew he would meet his end out there in the Survival Game. That was the only reason I spared him anyway. This saves Me from having to expend of him Myself. Yahahahahaha!"

-x-

"Listen up, men," Yama addressed his forty-nine warriors in the forest. "We're up against twenty-one Shandians and eight Blue Sea Dwellers. They pose no threat. We don't need to trouble the Priests with them. Destroy them without mercy."

"BAAAH!" The warriors chorused like goats. They all wore white ropes, large wings, small goat-like horns from their temples, and long floppy ears that looked like goat ears.

-x-

Back at the Shandian camp, Laki was scooping the spilled Vearth back into Aisa's bag. She glanced over at the Milky Road that the other warriors had taken to Upper Yard. Wyper's earlier words echoed in her head.

"If you can step over the bodies of your dying comrades and keep fighting, then follow me. Now, I swear, Eneru's head will be mine."

As Laki continued scooping up the Vearth she remembered Kamakiri's words as well.

"Once we kill Eneru, there will be no need for you to sneak around obsessing over a single bag of Vearth."

-x-

"CRAAAWW!" Fuza burst out of the trees of Upper Yard, still chasing after Kiko.

SHOOOM! Kiko shot up into the air on his board and flipped up over Fuza's head and landed on the bird's back. Whup!

FWOOOSH! Kiko created a blade and flames and slashed it down on Fuza. FWOOOM!

"CRRRAAAAW!" Fuza cried.

The flames from Kiko's gauntlet extinguished as he grabbed Fuza's mane of red feathers.

"Your master has fallen, beast!" Kiko snarled, "You're gonna listen to me now!" Having now acquired a different method of transportation, Kiko took his board off of his feet and trapped it to his back.

WOOOOSH! Kiko spun Fuz around and they flew back into the trees and joined the other Shandians that had all been freed from the String Clouds and were standing around Wyper and the fallen Shura.

"WYPER! WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?" Kamakiri scolded their leader for his recklessness. He'd allowed himself to be severely wounded by Shura's Heat Javelin and had injured his left arm using the Reject Dial. "Just try using that Reject Dial again! You'll blow your body to pieces!"

Wyper didn't respond and instead walked over to his dropped cannon and used his left arm to hoisted it up onto his shoulder. "It's my body, isn't it?" Wyper finally replied, "I warned you we'd have to take risks if we wanted victory. We'll never be able to beat them if we aren't willing to make sacrifices, understand?"

SHOOOM! With that, Wyper sped off into the forest on his skis.

"Damn fool," Kamakiri muttered.

"What are we still standing around for?" Braham asked. "We're in the middle of enemy territory, so let's split up. There are still two Priests out there to deal with. It looks like they've changed the location of their Ordeals. We can't have anyone getting caught in the same Ordeal again. We have to be smarter than that. I'm going ahead." SHOOOM! Braham sped off into the forest but took a different path from Wyper.

"Right," Kiko grunted, "GO BIRD!"

"CRRAAW!" Fuza angrily crowed and flew off into the forest. WOOOOSH!

"Fine the," Kamakiri resolved, "Do whatever you want. Just don't forget to pray for our safety." SHOOOM! Kamakiri sped off after Braham and Kiko.

"Alright men!" Genbo, the sole remaining officer, addressed the other Shandians Warriors. "Let's be careful! We'll meet at God's Shrine!"

SHOOM! Genbo sped off into the forest and the other Shandians split up and raced off as well.

-x-

Two Shandians sped along the Milky Road through the forest.

"BAAAAH!" One of Eneru's goat-like warriors leapt out of a tree from overhead and blasted the lead Shandian with a dial that was on his palm. BING! The lead Shandian was blasted off of the Milky Road and dropped to the ground far below.

"You're one of God's Enforcers!" the Shandian exclaimed.

"Co-o-orrect!" the Enforcer brayed like a goat, "By order of Almighty Eneru, we've been commanded to purge His enemies from the Upper Ya-a-ard! We are Lord Eneru's eli-i-ite! There is no place for you to hi-i-i-ide! We possess the power of the Ax Dial, which is not found in Skypeia!"

"OUT OF MY WAY!" The Shandian shouted as he fired his gun at the Enforcer. BANG! BANG! BANG!

SWISH! SWISH! The Enforcer avoided the blasts and sped towards the Shandian. "Your efforts are futile!" he taunted, "Your shots useless! AX DIAL!" The Shandian raised his shield and prepared to defend against the Enforcer's attack. "YOUR SHIELD WON'T HELP YOU!"

SHOOOM! While an Impact Dial store and released the blunt impact of a strike, an Ax Dial concentrated the blast into a thin blade. SLISH! The impact blade cleaved through the Shandian's shield and slashed into his stomach.

"UUUGGHHH!" The Shandian groaned and was blasted off of the Milky Road and dropped down to the ground with his fellow Shandian.

In a matter of moments, the eighty-three people involved in the Survival Game had dropped down to eighty.

-x-

Oblivious to the war going on around him, Luffy strolled through the forest with is stick slung over his shoulder and sung a song.

"Oo-oh, the is-lands in the south are wa-arm, and their heads get re-ally ho-ot, they grow-a pine-apples they grow-a coco-nuts, AAAND THEEY'REEE MOOOROOONS!"

"BAAAHH!"

Luffy stopped and glanced around him. "Huh? A goat? Was that a goat?" Luffy questioned. "Where is it?"

"BAAAAHH!" SHOOOM! An Enforcer leapt off of the Milky Road overhead and flew down at Luffy with his hand extended.

"HERE GOAT!" Luffy called out. Without even thinking about it, he lashed his arm out behind him and drove his fist into the Enforcer's face. POW! The Enforcer went flying and slammed into a tree branch. WHAM! He bounced off of the tree branch and slammed into another one. WHAM! The Enforcer plummeted to the ground and landed in a heap. KRASH!

"Hmph," Luffy grunted as he glared at the man he'd just knocked out, "Who's this jerk? Man, he got me all excited. I thought I was gonna get to see a goat."

And with that, Luffy walked off again.

"Next verse! Oo-oh, the is-lands in the north are snow-y, and their heads get re-ally co-old, they're very chilly-chilly, they're very willy-nilly, AAAND THEEYY'REEE IIDIIIOOOTS!"

Luffy stopped walking again when he spotted someone familiar standing on a root ahead of him, it was Wyper.

"It's you," Luffy noted.

"That's right," Wyper replied as he glared at Luffy, "And just what are you doing here? I warned you to leave this island."

"Shut up!" Luffy snapped. "I can do whatever I want!"

"No you can't," Wyper growled, "This island belongs to us Shandians."

"Oh. Really?" Luffy asked, "It does? I thought it was God's. Well then, I beg your pardon." Luffy bowed to Wyper, and with that he headed off again. "Next verse! Oo-oh the islands in the east are..."

"HOLD IT!" Wyper interrupted.

"Now what?" Luffy complained.

"I'm through wasting words on you," Wyper stated, "And I'm sick and tired of listening to your idiotic babbling." Wyper readied his cannon. "So I'm gonna destroy you."

"I see," Luffy said simply. He didn't take the threat of being destroyed lightly and tossed his stick away and turned to face Wyper. Luffy cracked his knuckles and raised his fists, "If you wanted to fight, you just had to say so."

And so the Captain of the Straw Hat Pirates prepared to face off with the Leader of the Shandian Warriors.

-x-

Hope you enjoyed the chapter!!!