[2260 words]
I have also started posting on Fanfiction.net.
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[Skypiea]
Skypiea was located on a gigantic mass of fossilized clouds known as an Imperial Cumulus.
The cloud wandered around the skies near Jaya and happened to be so dense that it managed to blot out sunlight almost completely, instantly darkening the portion of the Blue Sea where it floated by and giving the impression that nightfall had suddenly arrived.
The people who resided here had small wings on their backs, though they were mostly for decoration.
The daily life of sky people revolved around the use of Dials, which normally were not available in the Blue Sea.
As opposed to the "berry" of the rest of the world, they used "extols" as currency.
The first area reached was Angel Island for those entering through the Heaven's Gate.
...
[Few Hours Later]
Just a while ago, the Sky Island welcomed two uninvited people from the Blue Sea, their lack of wings being quite the indicator that made them stand out, that was without considering their tall nature.
The two, however, were not bothered by the occasional curious stares as they made their way through the region.
Angel Island sat on an island cloud, the main area of residence for the Skypieans.
.
Damien and Aurora were quite interested in all the specialties of the island, trying out their crafts.
"Welcome, all the way from the Blue Sea," a calm voice called out.
"Heso!"
The two were greeted by a near-six-foot tall man with long hair and a beard. He was accompanied by a group of Skypieans, welcoming them with their "Heso" callouts.
"I am Gan Fall," the leading man introduced himself.
The male pirate glanced at the group donning the angel-white clothing.
The two pirates gave their names in a relatively straight-up tone, wiping away any hidden tension.
.
"The God of Skypiea, it's quite a high title," Damien commented.
Gan Fall shook his head, "I only recently took upon the mantle, I have much to do."
"We came seeking the island floating in the sky, it's really amazing!" Aurora muttered, her usually quiet demeanour was momentarily gone.
"We weren't alerted of your arrival," the man muttered in slight alarm.
"Oh that... your gatekeeper was asleep so we continued our entrance," Damien casually answered.
"..."
Gan Fall sighed at the situation while a part of him felt that it would be wise to be hospitable to the guests.
"Come with me," the man relented, putting on a fake smile, "this is a rare time of peace here."
He walked on ahead, taking the two toward a path far away.
Many guards surrounded them, Gan Fall's Divine Squad comprised Skypiea's elite, while the God's Guards were the policing force.
"Where are we headed?" Aurora questioned, trailing behind the man.
"To my residence in the Upper Yard, above the Holy Land," Gan Fall answered.
…
[Later]
In the distance was the giant beanstalk that shot up from the ground to far skies above, disappearing from eyesight—a signature sight of the region where Damien and co had arrived.
"There's soil here…" Aurora muttered.
They arrived in the Upper Yard, stepping on the earth below.
Gan Fall nodded and addressed the young woman, "One of the reasons it's called the 'Holy Land' is because of the Vearth that is abundantly present."
Damien nodded the side, his memory of the location was decent, unfortunately, he was one of those people who droned off at the deeper information given in the anime for Skypiea.
[Upper Yard Image (in Discord)]
.
While admiring the island, the Sin Incarnate could not help but take a deep breath.
"The air here is incredibly clear," he muttered, sensing the warmth around him, "the trees and greenery have thrived from minimal human contact and the thinness of the atmosphere."
Not only did they thrive, but the trees also grew to colossal heights, dominating the view.
Gan Fall lightly smiled at the comments and felt some relief toward the peaceful guests.
"We need to ascend further up, let's take a shortcut…"
The angel-man took out a whistle and blew into it.
*Wheeee* The high-pitch screech echoed through the Holy Land, slowly dying out.
"..."
"Kaw!"
A few moments later came the cry of a giant bird.
With a wingspan of around twenty meters, the bird was quite glorious as it landed before the party with a resounding thud.
"Hop on!"
The Divine Squad stood guard as the three got on the mammal and soon flew off into the sky.
.
Aurora leaned to the edge of the saddle, enjoying the view of the island. As the bird shifted its path, an epiphany fell upon the purple-haired girl.
She subconsciously leaned toward the edge, seeing the island begin to resemble something.
"Damien…"
The pirate did not speak, instead, pulling out a map of Jaya.
He held it in front of them both, aligning it.
"The shape of Jaya from over three centuries ago… was a skull!" she exclaimed.
Damien silently nodded. Blue Sea's Jaya had the shape of a jaw while the Upper Yard was that of a skull missing its jaw; a puzzle-piece fit for a complete skull.
Though there was another missing link, one of the skull's eyes was void.
"But it's missing one piece," the girl muttered with a tinge of curiosity.
[Image (in Discord)]
…
[Twenty Minutes Later]
They had made it to an Island Cloud that hovered over the Upper Yard, Giant Jack, the beanstalk, going through its core.
"This is God's Shrine, my area of residence," Gan Fall said as he showed the two foreigners the building before them.
It was not large, just a single-story building with an open section that had a grand seating area, presumably for the reining God.
More of the Divine Squad were visible as they stood nearby, their spears in hand. Quite a few of them looked battered and bruised, their faces tired.
.
The three took their seats with Gan Fall at the head of the shrine and Aurora could not help but ask, "You mentioned a rare peaceful time, what did you mean by that?"
Gan Fall heaved a sigh and explained, "Skypiea has existed for a long, long time, ruled by the Skypieans."
"Over 350 years ago, however, a new land suddenly arrived here, the Upper Yard. It was a magical place with endless vearth... but it was visibly in ruins after some kind of war."
He turned toward the guests, "I'm sure you know what the God of Skypiea at that time wanted to do with this newly-arrived Upper Yard."
Damien beamed a smirk, his pirate instincts activating, "Lay their claim over it, of course."
Gan Fall slowly nodded with some fatigue and regret.
"However, the newly arrived island wasn't empty, it was the home to a small tribe called The Shandia, led by a fierce warrior named Kalgara. At the sight of their home being claimed by others, a war began to reclaim it."
With a heavy voice filled with remorse, he finished, "And that very war continues to this day, lasting nearly 360 years!"
"..."
Damien narrowed his eyes at the words, feeling the God's helplessness.
"The Skypieans and the Shandians were related, no? Both marked with wings on their backs," he asked.
Gan Fall lightly hummed, "From the text passed from previous Gods, there were three races that once lived in a single place: the Skypieans, the Shandia, and the Birkans; all winged people."
Aurora was quite intrigued by the information and echoed the question in her mind, "The same place?"
A reply came from Damien before Gan Fall could answer.
"The Moon."
The God of Skypiea paused in his seat, looking at Damien with shock.
.
Gan Fall regained his composure, "Yes… indeed—they hailed from the Moon."
Aurora's purple eyes shined bright, looking up to the sky, only to meet the shrine's ceiling.
'Skypiea arc must have been a lot more important than I imagined, a pity that I died before it was truly expanded upon,' Damien sighed to himself.
Gan Fall then cleared his throat, "Since taking my position as God of Skypiea, I have only a single goal: to end the war between the Shandia and Skypieans!"
Alas, he felt a little embarrassed.
The man dryly laughed, "Enough about me, I don't want to bore you anymore, you are welcome to explore as you wish."
"My people may be wary of outsiders but we are kind folk."
He then clapped his hands as trolleys of food arrived with Skypiean delicacies.
…
[A Few Hours Later]
Damien and Aurora headed to a certain location.
It was the other major reason why he came to Sky Island in the first place.
The moment he touched down at Skypiea, he had sensed a faraway land with a small population.
"Keep heading southeast," Damien told the girl as she used her powers to float the rock under them forward.
.
"So the text we read about the Shadorians were a people built up of the Skypieans, Birkans and Shandia," Aurora thought out loud.
"The Shandia are engaged in war with the Skypieans over the Upper Yard, but how come the Birkans live in such a recluse area?"
Damien felt her curiosity and returned a question of his own, "What do you think would prompt an entire species to flee from the home on the Moon to come down here?"
The girl thought for a moment before leaking a wry smile.
"My father taught me a lot of history and the number one thing for any form of conflict was resources."
She looked to the infinite sky, imagining the moon, "Up there, all alone for who knows how long... their resources must have gone dry."
.
"Look at you connecting the dots," Damien chuckled. "That's right, they all fled down here while the Shandia were stuck in Paradise for centuries, the Skypieans and Birkans were up against one another."
The pirate narrowed his eyes as they neared their destination, "I guess we know which of the two races was superior."
...
Their casual conversation went on and soon they arrived at a tiny land sitting on an island cloud.
It was quite small and the architecture was rather ancient, far before today's standards, even that of Skypiea's standards.
The pillars were marked with ancient scripture and symbols, detailing some history.
'This must be Enel's home island,' Damien thought to himself. 'Which means that treasure should also be here…'
.
Aurora studied the land and quietly examined the people in the distance.
"Unlike the Skypieans and the Shandia, Birkans' wings point downward."
Damien nodded at the observation, "Keep a low profile, they may not be as welcoming."
…
[A While Later]
Night fell as the two pirates continued to scour the island.
It seemed that the Birkans did get a share of the greenery of the Upper Yard.
It did not take long for Damien, who was well-connected with nature, to find an imposter in a fruit forest.
"Bingo."
Aurora, who was at Damien's side the whole time, followed his gaze to reach the treasure, "A Devil Fruit?" she muttered.
The Sin Incarnate raised his hand and all the while the very branch that held up the fruit began to shake; it moved as if it was alive, releasing the stem, consequently releasing the fruit.
The odd-shaped fruit landed in the palm of the pirate's hand, its myriad of blue was quite the sight.
"This alone makes this trip worthwhile," he muttered while tossing the priceless power up and down.
The fruit had a pyramid-like base that grew into a crown at its apex. It was mainly dark blue, while sporting light-blue spikes at its center. A similar coloured swirl pattern also fashioned the upper part.
[Fruit Image (in Discord) — not canon-accurate, see note at the end of the chapter.]
.
Aurora's interest was piqued as she saw Damien, the same guy who threw a Mythical Zoan at her lowly subordinate, looking at this fruit with great satisfaction.
The Sin Incarnate smiled at her curiosity, granting her the answer, "The 'invincible' Logia: the Rumble-Rumble Fruit."
"The same fruit that had gone missing for over 150 years!?"
Damien nodded, holding the fruit up to his line of sight.
>=-=----[]---<>---[]---=-=<
[Rumble-Rumble Fruit (Goro Goro no Mi)]
[Logia Fruit]
[Fruit Rating: 6.5 Stars]
[Allows the user to create, control, and transform into lightning at will, turning them into a Lightning Human.]
[Expanded: Considered to be the invincible Logia as it boasts the second-most destructive and second-fastest Logia, all within one power.]
>=-=----[]---<>---[]---=-=<
'Sibyl, if I translate this power into my own, what will I get?'
[As your Tokens can only transfer auxiliary abilities, you would at most gain an intangible, lightning body.]
Damien wryly smiled, 'Forget I asked.'
He then pocketed the ability into his Inventory muttering to himself, "Such a destructive power needs a worthy user."
Aurora, who was also a Logia fruit user, could not help but agree.
The Rumble-Rumble Fruit could be considered priceless. If eaten by a marine, it would birth an Admiral, if eaten by a pirate, then surely a new powerhouse would be born.
.
"Hmm?"
Damien turned to the side, hearing the Birkan people move in a flurry.
Aurora's body began to swarm with the violet energy, ready to strike. "I didn't think they would be well-versed in Observation Haki," she commented.
"It's called 'Mantra' here," Damien added in a casual tone, "looks like we moved a little too close to their village."
"Let's go, a pacifist like me doesn't like shedding blood meaninglessly."
Damien began to walk back in the direction he came, leaving Aurora with a wry smile.
To Be Continued…
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Author's Corner.
[Canon Fruit Image (in Discord)]
Enel's lightning was originally yellow in the manga. I believe Toei opted for blue lightning instead as they thought the yellow resembled Kizaru's light too much. I prefer it in blue.
Images are available on Discord alongside other niche details: https://discord.gg/aJHHHPvb6q
章 83: [83] To the Heavens
3[2100 words]
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"Jaya?" Aurora echoed in a confused voice. "Isn't that just a small, lawless zone without much significance?"
Damien just smiled, "Not exactly… It's only a few hours away now, rein in your curiosity till then."
…
[Two and a Half Hours Later]
1The Kraken soon arrived at the spring island of Jaya.
From above, it resembled a jagged U-shape; but if turned sideways, it seemed more like the jaw of a skull.
[Jaya Island Image (in Discord)]
4Mock Town was the only urban area in the whole of Jaya. Despite its resort-like appearance with healthy trees and well-built infrastructure, it was considered a lawless town where all sorts of pirates gathered away from the Marines or the World Government's reach.
1[Mock Town Image (in Discord)]
1.
"A few nameless pirates," Damien scoffed as he felt the prying eyes from afar, "let's go."
The two walked off without hiding their appearances.
As per Damien's analysis, Mock Town was littered with some rag-tag groups of scum, most of them enjoyed bullying the few that wanted to run away from the frightening Grand Line and return home.
The despair of realization that Reverse Mountain was a one-way entry made Mock Town a prime spot to raid them.
Naturally, the newcomers from the Outer Seas were just as much of a delicacy.
.
"Let's rob them!" a young, lanky pirate commented as he saw the two.
His senior, fashioning a gray goatee, had a different thought.
"I can't put my finger on it but they look familiar," he mused. "Hmm... it's better to gather some more intel before rushing that ship."
His buddy nodded, "That's right, only two kinds of people would leave such a luxurious ship unattended: ignorant fools or something monstrous."
2The younger pirate could only reluctantly nod, his eyes still greedily stuck on the Kraken, completely unaware of the sure death he dodged.
...
Damien and Aurora made their way through the pirate-infested town.
Most of them steered away. After all, the two were quite large.
Aurora had capped off at a towering 10' 5", greatly surpassing the average height of the people of Jaya.
2Whereas Damien stood around eleven and a half feet, around a foot taller than Aurora.
[10' 5" = 3.18 m; ~11' 6" = 3.51 m]
1In addition to their stature, there was an air of eminence around the duo.
Aurora, who had lived in the Underworld and overlooked a budding Empire while partaking in politics with shady Emperors, had also taken a more intense demeanour.
Damien, on the other hand, had begun to give off a certain vibe that simply made people question their ill intentions, aiming at their survival instincts to flare up and turn back.
Unfortunately, it was not unlike some muscle heads to overestimate themselves.
.
"Brra-gwa-gwa-gwa-gwa!"
The laugh was thunderous and hearty with every 'r' being rolled with great passion.
"I've sailed the seas for decades and there hasn't ever been a single sucker I couldn't rob!"
Damien seemed bored as he glanced at the man who stood around 3-foot 9-inch (1.14 m).
"I'm Marja 'the Squat', captain of the Squatting Pirates with a booty of 44 million berries!"
16Aurora's face showed impatience and was mere moments from silencing the fodder. That is until an overpowering burst of energy exploded out from Damien.
Boom!
She winced as the waves of terror rippled out from her companion, rushing and raging out like a caged beast that was finally let free.
The red and black pulses of volatile pressure expanded from the near-center of Mock Town and began to spread out in all directions.
Fifty meters, five hundred meters, five kilometers; the sphere of Haki spanned continuously, reaching the ends of the island, bathing everything with its dominance.
2.
The sound was jarring.
It started with a light hum, much like a dull alarm. However, the sound turned sharper and sharper, reaching a threshold before exploding into an echoing screech which could shatter eardrums.
3Aurora, sighed with discomfort, seeing the people nearby begin to fall unconscious as their very bodies were swept away into the air.
Thud! Bang! Thud!
One by one, everyone fell, their mouths foaming and their eyes rolling back into their skulls. It was not just the pirates, but the few workers and residents; they all fell unconscious.
[A/N: Each Conqueror's Haki user has a signature Haki sound. I uploaded Damien's version on Discord.]
6"..."
Damien glanced to the side and saw the girl, stuck in motion and grabbing her ears.
"I was a little surprised when I heard the tales of the new Underworld Emperor possessing Conqueror's Haki," he commented with a slight grin. "Looks like you've learned quite a lot while running the Empire."
Aurora, shook her head, trying to regain the full faculties of her mind, "I didn't realize it then either, but your version is a lot more… overpowering and volatile."
Damien narrowed his eyes in thought, indeed, he was quite near the greatest application of the dominant Haki type, but not entirely there.
"Conqueror's Haki is found in one in a million people. Even with 10 billion people worldwide would result in at least 10,000 users."
10The pirate looked around, seeing the mess he had caused.
"Though I'd say there's a far higher chance of inheriting it if you come from a family of Conquerors."
.
The purple-haired girl's curiosity peaked as she muttered in thought, "My grandfather led a revolution and founded the Amethyst Kingdom..."
Damien nodded, unsurprised, "And now you rule the Underworld—it makes sense for you to awaken it."
The girl was left to think some more following the explanation.
"With that logic," Aurora spoke up in an inquisitive voice, "wouldn't the Celestial Dragons' have the greatest chance of awakening it?"
8Damien paused in his steps.
"..."
"Well, there is merit to that thought," the pirate muttered with a wry smile. "Rahahaha! Unfortunately, most of those golden turds could care less to tap into that dormant spirit."
The thought left the Sin Incarnate shaking his head with some amusement, imagining all of those Astronaut-suited pigs throwing their Haki around like kings.
1…
Time passed as the duo made their way to a tree with a speculatory gaze.
{You've been here for centuries, have you seen any relics on this small island?}
Aurora watched with some curiosity as she saw Damien direct the question to an aged tree.
The old and brittle tree that looked as if it was about to collapse at any moment, suddenly exploded with vitality, shaking in its bark.
"..."
Damien nodded as if conversing with the greenery.
Aurora could not help stifle a giggle as she saw Damien's serious expression borne from chatting with the tree.
{Lead the way,} he soon commanded the tree, which obeyed hastily.
The grass and bushes cleared a wide route, leading to a vast forest.
…
[Twenty Minutes Later]
"Another Poneglyph, wow," Aurora muttered at the sight of the moss-covered blue stone.
Damien squinted at its sight, spanning his hearing.
The Voice of All Things did not necessarily perfectly decipher the Ancient Script, rather it gave a rough outline. The same reason why Roger needed Oden to translate the scripture.
1However, the ability manifested in all users differently.
For example, Roger could hear it well, enough to hear the voices of non-living things. Oden and Momonusuke had a finer hearing, even above Luffy who seems to only hear living things like Sea Kings.
[A/N: Roger did use the VoAT to procure Big Mom's Road Poneglyph but in my eyes, it was to simply write down its text rather than to translate it, letting Oden do the fine work.]
4.
Damien, on the other hand, combining his Voice of All Things with his great affinity to nature and talent for Observation Haki, allowed him a very strong translation ability, even word-to-word.
"What does it say?" Aurora asked from the side, her curiosity piqued.
Damien hummed, closed his eyes and gave a summary.
"An Ancient Race, the Shandorians, fled their distant home to settle here, in Jaya. They used to be one of the more powerful societies on the Grand Line, but their city of Shandora was invaded during the Void Century by the Twenty Kingdoms. Their people were ravaged, leaving a small tribe, called the Shandia, behind."
6Aurora did not speak, a little blown away by the information.
"This pirate-infested land was once sought by the Creators of the World Government!?"
Damien slowly nodded, "Yes, their wealth and/or power must have been quite mouth-watering to invite the Twenty to their turf," he commented.
"What happened to the ones that lived, the small tribe?"
Damien smiled at the curious girl, "The stone doesn't document this part, but I know that said tribe was sent to the heavens."
1"..."
Aurora drew a blank, "The heavens…?"
Damien was not surprised by her reply, choosing to give a quick response.
"It is one of the reasons I brought you here," he smiled at the girl. "I recall you were quite yearning for the freedom of the skies, so I'll take you there now, to the Sky Island!"
Aurora's eyes widened, the violet pupils visibly sparkling at the information she received.
1.
Damien turned his sight to the far sea and made a quick decision.
"Well we could ride the Knock-Up Stream that should burst in a week or two," he then glanced at the girl and suggested, "or, you can use your powers to fly us up."
2Aurora did not need to be told twice: she directed a palm to the ground as the familiar purple energy squirmed out, encasing them both.
1*Rumble*
A dull tremor blew out as a circle of earth went around the two like a ring.
*Creak*
The ground separated as the block of earth began to float up, the repulsive forces shooting it to the clouds above.
Under the eerily silent Jaya, the two soon disappeared, leaving behind an island of unconscious people.
2…
[Ten Minutes Later]
"Sky Islands really do exist…"
Aurora was lost in the sea of white around her. The fossilized clouds were dense and lacked water vaporous qualities.
The two now stood near a giant star-shaped gate. A huge column of clouds was behind it, leading to the city far above.
A middle-aged woman sat by the gate, "Hello, my name is Amazon, welcome to Skypiea."
1It was the same woman the Strawhats would meet, just a lot younger.
"You must pay th-"
She could not finish her sentence before Aurora's unrestrained excitement knocked her out, leading the two to shoot on forth, the rock still beneath them.
2They entered the milky-white road and shuttled on ahead.
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[Back at Jaya]
"Gather up the unconscious criminals, be wary of the ones responsible for this."
The words graced a row of soldiers, all donning white sailor uniforms.
"Yes, Vice Admiral!"
The man nodded, sending his men off.
"Vice Admiral Zap," a Rear Admiral called out, "we have an identification on the two perpetrators."
The marine handed two sheets of paper, each with a sketch drawn onto them.
Zap examined the faces, his eyes widened, forcing out an audible gulp.
The Vice Admiral reached into his pockets, pulled out his snail and warned, "Do not engage if you find an enemy; keep your distance while your transponder snails remain within reach!"
1.
At the side, a few criminals had woken up.
They grasped their skulls, still feeling a throbbing headache.
"Why did that marine scramble after we described their faces? Aren't they here straight from G-8, what can make these guys afraid?"
A veteran marine scoffed, "You idiots don't even know who you almost messed with, here, look at these…"
The marine tossed two posters at the men, bounty posters.
The youngest of the three, the recruit, could not help but shake in his shoes. His jaw nearly dropped as his blood pressure jumped sky-high.
The young lad's breathing hitched as he recited the data:
"A-Amethyst Aurora, Bounty: 430,000,000 berries,"
1"E-E-Einar D. Damien, Bounty: 1,987,600,000 berries!"
Thud!
He collapsed to the floor, his face warped in fear.
The other two looked at each other and heaved a heavy sigh of relief, wiping their brows.
One of them eyed the veteran marine and questioned, "What's gonna happen to us now?"
The marine scoffed as he saw some hope in their eyes, "We came here after a half-dozen informants and undercover marines all went offline simultaneously. You think I told you all that information to clue you in?"
He pointed his rifle at the three and yelled, "Get on your knees with your hands raised!"
2To Be Continued…
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Author's Corner.
Would you agree with their thoughts on Conqueror's Haki? Doflamingo is indeed a good example of a Celestial Dragon with esoteric potential.
10Let's be honest, the majority of the people here skipped Skypiea (you know who you are). It is a mini-arc that may welcome some surprises.
7Check out Damien's Haki sound effect: https://discord.gg/aJHHHPvb6q