章節 45: Ruins of Shandora

After defeating the man with a bazooka, the search team soon reached the 'Skull's right eye.'

In front of them lay the ruins of Jaya, and, surprisingly, an immense vine reaching further into the sky than any of them had ever seen.

"Gold!" Luffy cheered, his eyes shining as he bolted toward the entrance of the ruins.

"Slow down, Luffy! Wait for us!" Ryomen called, unable to help a small smile as he tried to keep up.

Robin paused, studying the ancient buildings with narrowed eyes. "Something's strange… This should be the city center, but it doesn't match the map."

"Huh? So we're in the wrong place?" Chopper asked, glancing nervously around.

"Not necessarily. Those maps are old; maybe things shifted over time." Zoro commented plainly, though he was more focused on watching for danger than the landscape.

Ryomen shook his head. "That's not how geography works, Zoro."

A strange balloon-like shape caught Luffy's attention. "Hey, what's with this weird balloon? Is the treasure inside?" He asked, already winding back his arm to strike.

"Wait!!" Ryomen shouted, reaching out to stop him, but he was too late.

Luffy's punch hit the ball, triggering an explosion that sent him flying backward.

"Ahhh!" Luffy yelped as he was blasted through the air.

"Luffy!" Ryomen hurried over as the others braced for a possible attack.

"Hahaha! Do none of you have any sense of danger?" A large man laughed, stepping into view.

"Who are you?" Chopper asked, his voice laced with caution.

The man grinned widely. "Me? I'm Satori, one of the four priests of God Enel."

Zoro scoffed. "So, the only priest left, huh?"

Satori laughed, seeming completely unfazed. "Indeed! The others just got in the way of my fun. Hohoho!"

Zoro's eyes narrowed. "This guy's got no loyalty whatsoever."

Robin nodded. "It seems they were only competing for favor."

"Exactly! They simply interfered with my hunting." Satori smirked, practically gloating.

Ryomen rolled his eyes. "Enough talk. Let's take him down!" He helped Luffy back to his feet, bracing himself for the fight.

"Yeah! You tricked me!" Luffy added, gritting his teeth. "I won't let you get away with it!"

"Dismantle!" Ryomen slashed forward, sending a series of cuts toward Satori, who leapt nimbly out of harm's way.

"Too slow! Hohoho!" Satori taunted.

Ryomen clenched his fists in frustration. Suddenly, dozens of glowing spheres appeared around them, floating ominously in the air.

"These are Ball Clouds! They could contain something harmless…or something deadly. Even I don't know what's inside!" Satori laughed, his grin widening. "Welcome to the Trial of Balls. All you have to do…is survive!"

"Chopper! Get Robin out of here!" Ryomen ordered, quickly scanning their surroundings.

Chopper shifted to his reindeer form and rushed to get Robin to a safer distance.

"Gomu Gomu no…Pistol!" Luffy's arm shot forward, but Satori dodged effortlessly, weaving in and out of the attacks with ease.

Using the momentum of his punch, Luffy grabbed onto a nearby tree and launched himself straight at the priest. "Gomu Gomu no…Rocket!"

Again, Satori dodged, cackling as he bounced out of reach.

"A hundred eight pound Phoenix!!" Zoro swung his swords horizontally, releasing a powerful three-slice attack.

"What the–?!" Satori exclaimed, surprised by the oncoming strike. He managed to dodge one slash, but another caught him off-guard. He threw a cloud ball in its path, and flowers burst from it in a strange puff of smoke. The third slash struck Satori across the chest, and blood sprayed from the wound.

"Ocho Fleur: Clutch!" Robin's voice called out as hands sprouted from the surrounding balls, crushing them.

From one, a flock of startled birds erupted, while from another, blades shot out, grazing Satori as he struggled to evade.

"Nice one, Robin!" Ryomen grinned. "Mind if I use that idea?"

"Only if you give me the credit." Robin teased with a slight smirk.

Satori's grin twisted into a furious scowl. "Enough of this!" He hurled a cloud at Zoro, forcing him to dodge. But the impact sent another ball flying toward Robin.

"I got it!" Chopper transformed into his heavy point and intercepted the cloud, wrestling it to the ground.

"Grrr!" Chopper grappled with the massive crab that burst from the cloud, lifting it above his head and slamming it into the ground repeatedly until it stopped moving.

"Just give up already!" Satori snarled, but then he sensed movement behind him and turned, eyes wide with alarm.

"This is for tricking me!" Luffy shouted. "Gomu Gomu no…Bullet!" But Satori placed his palm out, nullifying the attack's force.

"Hohoho! Is this yours?" Satori grinned as he placed his palm against Luffy's chest, creating a shockwave that sent him flying.

"Ahhh! This is getting annoying!" Luffy shouted in frustration.

"Dismantle!" Ryomen destroyed a nearby ball, releasing a cloud of powder that drifted onto Satori, causing him to itch uncontrollably.

"Argh! Why would I put that in here?!" Satori scratched frantically, unable to focus.

"That's your own fault." Zoro shook his head, unimpressed.

Satori's patience snapped. "I'm done toying with you!" He gathered all the clouds, forming a massive serpent-like dragon with a dragon mask on its face.

"Let's see how you handle this!" He shouted as the dragon lunged toward Ryomen and Zoro.

Ryomen's eyes narrowed as he observed Satori controlling the dragon with his cane. "Zoro, take him down! I'll handle this!"

Zoro nodded, charging toward Satori, while Ryomen used his Devil Fruit and sliced through the rope connecting it. The creature collapsed, unexpectedly triggering a huge explosion from the cloud balls, sending Ryomen flying.

He hit the ground hard, his body scorched, then noticed several arms disappear from his body as burns appeared on Robin's arms.

"Robin! Are you okay? Why did you do that?" He shouted, his voice filled with concern.

Robin, still gritting her teeth in pain, managed a strained smile. "Just…finish this."

"Thank you." Ryomen replied firmly, standing to face Satori once more.

"Stop meddling with my hunt!" Satori yelled, only to feel the pressure of Zoro closing in.

"Weren't you the one saying we have to survive?" Zoro questioned as he arrived in front of Satori.

"Do you think I'd just let you leave!? You will die here!" Satori replied.

"Are you sure!?" Luffy suddenly exclaimed as he appeared behind him.

"Y-You…!" Satori's confidence faltered as he was cornered.

"Tora Gari!" Zoro swung his sword.

"Gomu Gomu no…Pistol!" Luffy's fist shot forward.

Two figures leapt in the way, taking the full force of their attacks.

"Huh?" Zoro blinked, caught off guard.

"Who're these guys?" Luffy questioned.

"Kotori…Hotori?" Satori's eyes widened with shock. The two men, who looked nearly identical to Satori, collapsed at his feet.

"Handle this for us…nii-chan." They muttered weakly before losing consciousness.

"How dare you hurt them!" Satori screamed, his rage boiling over. Before he could move, Ryomen appeared beside him, landing a powerful punch infused with cursed energy.

"Aaaahh!" Satori crashed against a tree and slumped down, defeated.

"Finally." Ryomen muttered, glancing around to make sure his crew was alright. He approached Robin, who was wrapping fresh bandages around her arms.

"Here, let me help." He extended his hand to Robin, who took it with a wince.

"You didn't have to do that back there. I could've handled it."

"So what?" Robin replied with a teasing smile. "You care a lot about everyone's safety. Can't I do the same?"

"N-No!" Ryomen stammered, only to realize his blunder. "N-Not that you can't! I just meant…uh…" His face flushed slightly as he sighed. "Thank you, but you shouldn't risk yourself like that for me."

"Is that so…" Robin murmured, studying him intently.

Before the moment could grow more awkward, Chopper piped up, breaking the tension. "Robin, you should take it easy for a while, especially with your Devil Fruit powers." He advised.

Robin smiled, patting him affectionately. "Alright, Doctor's orders."

"H-Hey! What are you doing!? I didn't treat you just so you could do this!" Chopper stammered, wiggling under her hand.

"Come on!" Luffy called out impatiently, grinning wide. "Let's go find the treasure!" Zoro stood beside him, arms folded, equally eager.

"Wait a minute! Can't you see she's hurt?" Ryomen said with a hint of annoyance.

"Pfft, I've survived worse." Luffy muttered, brushing it off.

…

After taking a few moments to recover, the crew ventured deeper into the ruins, each looking around with a mix of curiosity and excitement.

"This place…it's still different from what I expected." Robin suddenly said, her gaze fixed on the architecture around them.

"Yeah! Where's all the gold?" Luffy asked, scratching his head in confusion.

"Did we come all this way for nothing?" Zoro grumbled.

"Maybe there's something we're missing." Ryomen suggested thoughtfully.

"Like a secret passage?" Chopper offered.

"Exactly!" Ryomen nodded, excitement creeping into his tone. "Just like in Alubarna's crypt—a hidden path underground."

"Underground…" Robin repeated, staring thoughtfully at the cloud-like floor beneath them. "Luffy, think you can dig through these clouds?"

"Huh? Of course!" Luffy grinned and immediately began digging downward with vigor.

Soon enough, his voice echoed from several meters below. "Hey, guys! There's something down here!"

They all peered down to see an even larger set of ruins below.

"Ha! Gold, here we come!" Luffy and Chopper cheered, bouncing with excitement.

"There's actually more?" Zoro's eyes widened in mild surprise.

"Nice thinking, Robin." Ryomen turned to her with a grin.

"All this flattery won't get you far." She replied with a playful smile. "Considering this island came from the Blue Sea, it made sense for the ground to be unusual. This must be only the first level; there could be more layers beneath."

They quickly decided to split up, covering more ground as they explored the ancient city.

Ryomen and Robin soon found themselves in a quiet part of the ruins. As they rounded a corner, something familiar caught both their eyes.

"A…Poneglyph?" Ryomen asked, uncertainty in his voice.

"I can't believe there's one here." Robin murmured, touching the ancient stone with reverence.

"What does it say?" Ryomen asked, his curiosity piqued.

Robin paused, then shook her head, her expression serious. "It mentions one of the ancient weapons. I…don't think I can share this with you."

"Oh, alright." He replied, shrugging it off.

Robin raised an eyebrow, a hint of intrigue in her expression. "That's all? Are you sure you don't want to know?"

"Not really. If you'd rather not tell me, that's fine. I respect your decision." He replied simply, his expression neutral.

Robin stared at him for a moment, then chuckled. "I'm joking. It doesn't say anything that important."

Ryomen looked at her, eyebrow raised. "Maybe work on your joke delivery next time."

"How hurtful." She pouted briefly before her expression turned thoughtful. She read aloud, her voice solemn, "Hold the truth in your heart, keep your mouth silent. We are the ones who weave history, with the reverberations of the great bell."

"The great bell? Could it be the one Noland talked about?" Ryomen wondered aloud.

"It says it should be in the center of the four altars." Robin said, her voice tinged with excitement. "Let's go see if it's still there."

The two headed toward the center of the ruins, but instead of the bell, they found the enormous vine towering over everything.

"It's not here. What could've happened?" Robin asked, frustration evident in her voice.

Ryomen shook his head. "I don't know, but we should regroup. Maybe the others found something."

…

The two groups reunited, each sharing what they had discovered.

"So, you didn't find anything?" Ryomen asked.

"This isn't nothing!" Luffy said proudly, holding up a rock with a crudely drawn smiley face.

"That's definitely nothing!" Ryomen scolded, tossing the rock aside.

"Aaah! Mr. Smiley!" Luffy gasped, quickly retrieving the rock and cradling it protectively.

Ryomen turned to Chopper. "You sure there's nothing important?"

Chopper hesitated, glancing between Ryomen and Luffy, then hid something behind his back. "We found nothing." He answered.

"…Zoro?" Ryomen looked at the swordsman, raising an eyebrow.

"Didn't see anything interesting." Zoro replied plainly.

"It's hard to see when you're asleep." Luffy muttered under his breath, smirking as he clutched his rock.

"You shut up!" Zoro snapped, clearly annoyed.

Luffy tried to respond, but suddenly his expression turned serious as he gazed into the depths of the ruins.

"Who's there?" He asked, his tone uncharacteristically tense.

"Luffy, what's—" Ryomen began, but was cut off by an unfamiliar voice.

"Oh? You noticed me?" The voice echoed through the ruins, tinged with surprise. "I'm impressed. Seems defeating my vessels wasn't just a fluke."

"You're…" Robin's eyes widened.

"God." The figure finished, stepping into the light with a grin. The entire crew stood shocked at the presence before them.

"G-God?!" Chopper stammered, darting behind Ryomen for cover.

"Hey, I've been looking for you!" Luffy shouted, a wide grin spreading across his face.

Zoro's hand drifted to his swords as Ryomen took a step forward, his eyes narrowing, carefully analyzing the figure.

The man gazed at them with an amused smile. "Impressive. You found these ruins much faster than we did. It took us six months to get here."

"Who cares? Where's the gold!?" Luffy demanded impatiently.

The man scoffed. "It's gone. You're a few years too late for that."

"You took it?" Robin questioned, her voice steady, though her eyes flashed with irritation.

"Of course." Je replied, shrugging casually. "The gold suits someone like me perfectly."

"Then we'll take—" Luffy began, but Ryomen quickly held up a hand, stopping him from escalating things further.

But the man's expression shifted as he gazed off into the distance, his smile fading. "Oh, it seems…a bug has reached the edge of the island."

"The edge…" Ryomen's eyes widened as realization dawned. "He's talking about the Merry!"

…

Far from the ruins, on the edge of the Upper Yard, the Merry remained docked.

Aboard, Nami and Stronger watched over Usopp and Sanji, both lying unconscious, their bodies marked with burns. Conis and Pagaya, along with a young girl, stood nearby, having come to help.

"Damn it, what's taking them so long?" Nami muttered, her worry evident.

"Neihee!" Stronger whinnied lowly, though no one could understand him.

"They might be facing God's army." Conis said, a frown etched on her face.

"Or worse…God himself." Pagaya added, his voice raspy with tension.

"We need to go to them!" The little girl cried, tears forming in her eyes. "I can feel it… they're all slowly disappearing."

Just then, a figure emerged from the forest, staggering toward them—a man, burnt and barely able to stand, crawled toward the ship.

Conis, Pagaya, and Stronger rushed to his side to help him up.

"A-Are you from God's army? Were you held prisoner?" Conis asked, looking at him with wide, concerned eyes.

"Yes…for six years…we've been trapped." The man rasped, barely able to speak.

"What happened to you?" Pagaya questioned, turning to the others. "Quick, get some bandages!"

"Here, let me help." Nami opened a medkit, kneeling beside him.

"My wife…and son…they're on Angel Island…" The man gasped.

"We're all worried about the militia and their families!" Pagaya reassured him.

"Tell them…Enel plans…to reset everything…"

"Reset?" Nami murmured, her brows furrowing.

"He's going to make Skypiea fall back to the Blue Sea! The entire country…will disappear!"

"W-What!?" Conis covered her mouth in shock.

"That monster!" The little girl cried, disbelief and fear in her eyes.

The man gripped Pagaya's collar desperately. "There's no time…! Warn everyone! Enel is insane! He's going to wipe out…every citizen of the sky!"

"But if he does that, where will he go?!" Pagaya asked, appalled.

"He has an ark! The Ark Maxim!" The man yelled, tears welling up. "For the last six years, he's made us build him a flying ship!"

Just then, the young girl's eyes widened in terror. "Move! Dodge!" She shouted, and Stronger immediately reacted.

With Pagaya held in his mouth, Stronger pushed Nami and Conis back onto the ship, spreading his wings just as a pillar of light crashed down from above, missing them by a hair.

"That attack again!" Nami gasped, her face pale with shock.

"Kami himself has started to move!" Pagaya said gravely.

"I told you, we need to leave now!" The little girl urged, her voice urgent.

Nami clenched her fists, glancing at her injured crewmates. After a brief moment, she made her decision.

"Conis, Pagaya, please take care of them." She asked, her voice firm.

"Of course!" Conis answered, while Pagaya nodded solemnly.

Nami then turned to Stronger. "Can you take us there?"

"Neihe!" Stronger nodded, determination in his eyes.

"Alright, let's go, Aisa. You'll guide us to where they are." Nami and the young girl climbed onto Stronger's back. "But stay close to me, understand?"

"Hmhm." Aisa nodded, her face set with determination.

"Let's go!" Stronger took flight, carrying them toward a sudden storm of lightning crackling ominously over the forest.

…

"Well...now that's taken care of." Kami remarked with a satisfied smile.

"Huh? He hasn't even done anything." Zoro mumbled, his brow furrowing in confusion.

Ignoring him, the man raised his arm toward the sky, pointing at a cloud formation hovering over the upper branches of the giant tree.

Suddenly, bolts of lightning shot from his arm, tearing through the cloud and shattering it with a deafening crack.

"W-What is he doing?!" Chopper gasped, fear evident in his voice.

Ryomen's eyes narrowed. "Who knows? Just stay sharp and be ready for anything!"

"Finally! Let's fight!" Luffy grinned, cracking his knuckles.

The man laughed, a wild grin spreading across his face. "Yahahaha! I've gathered everyone to join us...here in Shandora!" He spread his arms wide, his laughter echoing through the ruins. "Yahahaha! Now, let's begin the final act together!"