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CHAPTER 49: Encounter the God Eneru
As enough madness was occurring without the worry of who miraculously repaired their ship, the subject was put on mute. They were ready to sail out of this sky they had mistaken for a paradise, and return to the deep sea, but not without plundering a mountain of gold, as Nami put it. Besides, with God's judgement already a sword hanging over their head, it felt like they were on a time crunch to get their treasure. So something needed to be taken off their table of priorities.
"Should we call this an act of god?" Sakura said, only half joking. And Nami must have realized this because she sent a piercing glare her way.
"Easy for you to say; you haven't seen what God does when he gets angry." She pressed two fingers to her temple. "I don't want to get struck by lightning."
"We have," Luffy said from somewhere near the stern. "We almost got hit too when we were in town coming to get you guys."
Nami stared at him.
"...What?"
"Yeah."
Nami exhaled, reminding herself that there was still something to come out of the trip if they didn't cut it short. If they stuck to the plan and somehow everyone managed to fulfill their roles, they would be sailing away with gold.
..
..
..
Although their reunion was a relief, it had to be brief. No one wanted to burn daylight with the quests ahead . After managing to successfully remove the Going Merry from the altar, they turned back to the map, so Nami could offer directions one more time and hope that it stuck with the treasure hunting team. Because the majority of the members were unfortunately ill-gifted in that department. Luffy, Chopper, and Zoro. So Nami spoke slowly and looked more discerningly at Robin, as if reminding her to keep a close watch on the boys.
However, what no one realized was that Robin's mind was occupied as well. Everyone had their hobbies and obsessions that took away from their focus, and archaeology involving ruins, lost civilizations, and unacquired knowledge was her vice that wouldn't release.
"You're going to go on foot, cutting south through the forest toward the skull's right eye, towards the City of Gold. While the second group will take the Going Merry on the Milky Road, we'll meet at the shores as close to the ruins and make our escape with the gold." Nami pressed on that last part.
While the plan appeared as simple as a paper trail, the dangers in the cracks of the ink were vast. From the other unknown and seemingly large resident of this forest, from the priests that likely still stood guarding it, not to mention the wrath of god that was promised to rain down upon them like the sinners they were.
'We're risking it all for a pile of gold,' Sakura thought with a sweat drop. The crew had already decided and, in fact, seemed to be aligned for once in every aspect. There was no lack of loyalty, and certainly their relationships ran further than camaraderie, but Sakura realized that their personal standings and goals didn't align. Everyone was an individual, and their preferences were simply accepted. There was no need to force adaptation just because someone else wanted a different outcome. The unspoken rule was to follow their captain, regardless, but make sure to push your agenda as well, so you get something out of it.
But what every pirate naturally wanted out of a voyage-a pile of treasure that called their own.
Quick to say their farewells without much struggle, Luffy and his team went off into the forest.
"Don't forget to let Robin lead!" Nami reminded them as they vanished through the forest's mist.
..
..
The Milky Road had hardly been as smooth sailing as it sounded. But around this time, perhaps the sky-sharks, lampreys, and other creepers roaming through these shallow depths had already finished lunch, because for the last hour it had been smooth sailing. To the point where Sakura had been trusted at the helm to steer.
She didn't get to experience sailing before, and it had been offered a few times since her arrival, but after hearing about the cautionary tales of the Grand Line and the fact that a sea full of giant animals, predatory and otherwise, as well as the most illogical, perhaps bipolar weather she had ever witnessed, could turn a normal journey into gymnastics for survival. Sakura hadn't been too keen on holding onto the helm for those scenarios.
They were using a dial they attached to the boat to help push them along without the need for wind. But that kept them at a limited speed, since they were still inside a forest and the trees growing far over created a canopy that defended against most of the winds.
Gan Fall decided to enlighten them on a bit of the history surrounding their current situation: "It was until six years ago, the god of this island…"
"Did you fall on your head, old man?" asked Usopp, to which Pierre bit him on the head.
"As you said roughly 400 years ago, it is said that before the appearance of this island, Skypa was a very peaceful place that treasured items from the blue sea that would occasionally arrive via knock upstream.
All the verath in the sky islands appeared in that manner; however, for a piece of land as big as Upper Hyard to appear in the sky was truly a miracle. The people of the sky assumed that this was a gift from heaven"
"Ironically, you guys are the ones closer to that place-assuming it exists," said Sakura.
"You sound like Zoro"
Sakura unintentionally glared at Chopper. "What was that?"
"Scary!" The little reindeer scurried off to hide poorly behind the broken mast of their ship.
"But the island already had residents, so thus started the war for the land; we called them Shandians."
"They're the raiders?" asked Usopp
"Yes"
"So then those guys are part of the ancient civilisation of Jiya?"
"Then why don't they live here in the upper yard?" Gan Fall looked away, and Sakura understood, "They were driven out, weren't they? 400 years ago,"
"That's correct, and of course, due to this, we've been at war with them for all that time, as they try to reclaim that land their ancestors came from."
Usopp and Sanji came in sync, pointing at him accusingly, in a rather office manner, mimicking, "So it's your fault?"
Pierre bit them both hard, despite Gan Fall owning up to the accusation with grace.
"Six years ago, when I was still the god, he appeared out of nowhere, leading a powerful army, Eneru. He gave the god's militia and shandians a devastating defeat; since then, he has been in control of upper yard"
"For five years…." Sakura held her chin in thought. "Does he look human?"
"Very, he's honestly not that different from you or me, but there was one fundamental difference: Eneru and his priests had an extraordinary ability; they called it mantra, and it appears to have made them clairvoyant. As I'm sure you've seen it firsthand."
"Yeah, we're still dealing with those bruises."
"I heard that the gods' militia is held captive somewhere doing intense labor, but I don't know the details. For Shandians, it matters not who god is; they simply continue trying to reclaim their home."
"If all they want is their homeland, why did they attack us?" asked Usopp
"Because the aforementioned gods' militia in captivity sometimes attempts to escape on ships."
"Ah, so that's why they tried to kill us."
"One of the reasons why I became the Sky-knight was to help those escapees reach other sky islands safely; they are considered criminals, so they can't stay in their homes without Eneru's influence reaching them."
Sanji released a puff of cigarette smoke, "If what you said is true, that god Eneru is nothing but a tyrant."
Usopp jumped to hit him, giving him a karate chop to the head. "Don't say that blasphemy; I don't want to get hit by lightning!"
Sakura sighed, "Sanji's right, though. He's nothing more than a tyrant, using his power."
"Not you too, Sakura! At least keep it down!"
But the kunoichi was already starting to place everything on a board in her mind and began drawing strings to create links. From what they learned about mantra, it answered how this so-called god was able to dole out his 'divine justice'. But the priests they fought proved to be just as human as they were. Now they just had to find out if this 'god' was too.
After Kaguya, becoming fazed didn't seem worth the trouble.
"I'm afraid it's more than that. Eneru's various excuses to turn travelers into criminals and push citizens to take part in capturing them, so that they will develop awareness of sin.
"Clever way to keep them under his control without leashing anyone."
"Eneru knows that when one feels that one has sinned, they become most vulnerable."
Nami ran a hand over her face. "When we first came here, I thought this place was like paradise."
"It's more like a personal hell," Sakura said, looking over at the forest. "The ancient golden city has really gone to an incredible place."
"Now that you mentioned it, the thing that you were screaming about, that gold thing what is that?"
Asked Gan Fall.
The pirates shared an expression with each other.
..
..
..
The boat was steady, the forest barely whispered, and there was no sensation of blood lust creeping in the shadows. Everything was surreal, and that's what made Sakura stand on edge. There was no such thing in the forest, in any ecosystem, there was always conflict, a fight for survival. And not long ago, there was one here as well. The entire sky had become enemy territory. So why have things gone so quiet?
She would've even preferred another shark attack over the heavy silence. Gan Fall had educated them a bit on sky combat, which was keeping everyone else occupied, but unlike her friends, Sakura couldn't easily turn off her defenses and wariness. So many of them were avid combatants, but they weren't soldiers. They simply fought when they needed to and put away their weapons without caution.
She was used to sneak attacks, unexpected hitches in their path, because that was typically the kind that ninjas were expected to take or create.
"Who is your strongest warrior?" Gan Fall asked, looking between Usopp and Sanji, but Nami chided in.
"When it comes to physical strength, that would be Sakura." She jabbed a finger in the pink head's direction.
"Then would you be so kind as to grab a hammer? The biggest you have."
Waving his hands around, sensing that some form of damage was about to be incurred, he pointed to their cook, "Sanji, you don't want Sakura lugging that around by herself, do you? Why don't you get the hammer?"
"Of course, don't worry, Sakura dear, I'll get it!"
Usopp leaned down to whisper to Gan Fall, "What are you doing, old man?"
He held out a dial in his palm. "I simply want your strongest member to attempt to destroy this. It'll teach you more about sky combat."
"That's fine, but I don't want the ship destroyed! Poor Merry's been through enough!" They were going to have to find a shipwright to fix her up as soon as they returned. For that, they needed her to at least hold together long enough to make it to the next island.
"Should I take this as offense or flattery?" Sakura asked, arms folded, of Usopp.
Gan Fall set a dial on a barrel, and Sanji came lugging in a hammer. He was told to hit it with all his might, regardless of Usopp's protests. He didn't hold back, throwing down the hammer with all his might. And that was a lot of might. Usually, Sanji's strikes could vibrate the whole ship, but it didn't even break the barrel. Instead, everything stood, along with the dial.
Usopp bulked, looking disappointed at Sanji, "I know I said to hold back, but come on, that was just pathetic."
There weren't even signs of an impact. Even punching a pillow would've left a dent. Basically, a boulder had dropped to the ground, with the weight and speed required, yet magically managed to land like a feather on top of water.
Sanji looked at the dial, rubbing his chin. "I swung as hard as I could. It's as if this dial absorbed the impact."
Sakura snapped her fingers. "Is that what that stupid priest used against us?"
"Hey, yeah, I remember now," said Usopp. None of their attacks seemed to go through his palms.
Gan Fall gave further instruction, "Now aim the open side of the dial at the barrel and press the part you're facing."
Without giving a second thought, which might've saved him from what happened next, Sanji followed through, and there was a loud bang that followed with him flying back and crashing onto the side of the deck, with bits of the barrel falling around them like confetti.
"What the hell!?"
"That is the power of the impact dial; they are usually fixed to the palm under a glove. A direct hit is enough to kill a normal person."
Usopp let out a heavy breath, "We were hit with that!?"
"I thought dials were just everyday accessories," said Nami.
"They are, but any tool that benefits man can also harm man."
Sakura clicked her tongue, dials were proving to be rusty nails buried in the ground they were treading.
"Luffy and the others are out there now, and they might run into guys who fight with these things said Nami
"It's very possible." Gan Fall couldn't deny it; in fact, he would rather call it inevitable. If Eneru's priests were wandering near, they would likely find the crew. Masking your presence did nothing for those who possessed mantra, but that was only his elite group; that didn't mean they were spared in numbers.
"Tell us more about that mantra, old man," Sanji said, crossing his arms.
"I don't know how to use mantra myself; it's said to be the power of perception. Every human would emit a kind of voice inside their body. One can predict another's movement. The priests are able to hear everything that happens on the upper yard, and eneru can extend its range further to cover every sound in the entire country. I don't know the logic behind that power."
Sakura hid a grimace. "I've gone against fighters like that before. With people who could read your movements, but to this kind of extent was rare."
If she thought about the Uchiha , who had the Sharingan or the Rinnegan, even the Byakugan, and Naruto, who trained in Sage Mode. They each had a great extent of ability when it came to reading your opponent in one form or another. It wasn't something anyone could face and survive, never mind defeat.
"Really, because it sounds like an impossible thing to beat." Usopp could feel his teeth chattering against his will, and his fingers were trembling with nails waiting to be bitten off. Now he was starting to second-guess that treasure.
"Not impossible," Sakura said assuredly, rubbing her neck, "I took out that priest before by making him lose concentration of his senses. That seems to be your best bet in beating them."
"Do you think that'll work against all of them?" asked Nami
Sakura shrugged, "It's not the power you focus on; it's the person who uses it." Her eyes met the sky, clear and yet feeling ominous to her instincts. "If they're human."
"Oh, is that so?"
The vibrations chattered through all of them, then their vision was lost, everyone forced to close their eyes by the sudden flash of light, and the sound could not be mistaken for anything other than thunder and lightning. However illogical, given the clear skies. The bolt of lightning came crashing down on the ship, and within it, a silhouette showed itself before the man, now positioned at the front of the Merry.
Sanji moved first; he was closest, his leg extending out, throwing out a signature kick, "WHO ARE YOU?"
But what followed was another blinding flash and sounds of currents running through something, giving that particular 'bzzzz' noise that made you think of a faulty appliance about to burst apart. A
There was the smell of burned flesh as blood seeped from Sanji's mouth, his eyes open but completely blank. Usopp and Nami rushed to him.
"Sanji!"
"I don't hear a heartbeat!" Usopp had his head to his chest.
The uninvited guest laughed, throwing his head back, his shoulders shaking. "What a fool attacking me wasn't a good idea. Assuming I'm not here to kill you."
"Then why are you here?"Gan Fall was already on his feet, his spear in hand.
"Such a cold greeting, especially since we haven't seen each other in over six years, former God Gan Fall."
Sakura bit her lip, "Don't tell me…."
"Yes, this is Eneru."
Despite the pebbles, Usopp was wailing and had all his attention on Sanji: "Sakura, you've gotta take a look at Sanji!"
"HIs heart is on the left side, not the right, Usopp!" Nami realized a little late that he was still leaning on the wrong side of the man's chest. Usopp switched, and his eyes widened. Sanji was still alive, at least his heart was beating.
But Sakura hadn't looked relieved when he saw her; in fact, she looked like a stone carved with a severe expression.
"Usopp move!"
Eneru already made his appearance behind him, and was reaching to touch Usopp, with a single finger, he singed their long-nosed companion, the volts running through him echoed with his screams. Before he dropped near Sanji, his eyes glazed white, mouth agape with a bit of smoke escaping. That already gave an idea of the extent of lightning that had been shared. A deadly amount.
"USOPP"
"GET AWAY FROM THEM!" Sakura couldn't steady herself anymore, feeling her temperament outweighing and tipping her from her platform of control
"If you don't want to end up like him, keep quiet." Nami covered her mouth.
"What evil are you planning?" Demanded Gan Fall. The self-proclaimed god immediately turned his attention to him.
"It's been almost six years since your followers fell into my hands. They've been working hard for me But I'm almost done in other words soon I will have nothing else to do on this island I'm here to say farewell this will make your people very happy wont' it since all they see in their island is a big chunk of vearth."
"What do you mean?" There was now clear dread wallowed behind Gan Fall's expression.
"The reason we took this vearth island is the same reason those pests from the blue sea entered this island. It is also why the Shandians want to take back their homeland. The legendary golden city, the remains of Shandora."
"Gold, what of it?"
"It cracks me up every time," Eneru laughed, "How clueless the citizens are about it. At the end of the game, the winner will be the owner of that gold." His eyes shifted now, "Can't you hear the sound of the festivities? Unfortunately, I am also a participant, so I must go."
"Will you disband the guard of militia?"
"That's something only god can know"
As his eyes had clearly trailed off her path, Sakura took the chance to send a kunai knife at Eneru's head. He didn't flinch or attempt to dodge as the steel met between his eyes, he allowed it to enter, and also exit, without so much as a trickle of blood or breaking skin.
'Did he eat a devil fruit?' He seemed to be the same as Crocodile.
Eenru met her eyes; this time, the entire ship was filled with an ominous feeling of bloodlust dripping like fresh paint.
"Oh, aren't you a brave little girl?" Eneru tossed a bolt of lightning at her. And all anyone could see was Sakura getting sent over the railing, but they heard the distinct thud and crashing of barrels or something.
"SAKURA!"
Eneru vanished in a streak of lightning that was taking him to who knows where. Nami wanted to get started on helping her friends recover, but her veins turned to ice, her muscles stiffening as she learned the sound of unrecognized laughter.
"Hohohohohohohohoho"
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