"How amazing!"
Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper, their eyes sparkling, stared up at the majestic Upper Yard floating above — the magnificent city of gold and stone that hung in the sky.
"Wow!"
"What is that? It looks incredible!"
Below, in the Dark Confinement Room, Shirogai Yamikuro's time was anything but idle.
Shirogai once again ran simulations of different personalities and traits, sequentially awakening the powers of many Devil Fruits in his repertoire — the Mera Mera no Mi, the Munch-Munch Fruit, the Dark-Dark Fruit, and the Quick-Cut Fruit, among others.
After awakening the Wax-Wax Fruit, Shirogai could now manipulate surrounding matter with ease, generating vast flows of wax-like liquid from nothing and forming any shape his mind conceived.
"People of Skypiea, I present to you, God's [HP bar]!"
Shirogai took aim in the direction of Enel, settling into a bow-and-arrow posture before releasing his right hand as if letting go of an invisible string.
Bang!
A gargantuan, coal-black siege crossbow fashioned from wax and hardened with Armament Haki, its form guided by Shirogai's intent, sprang into being above the Upper Yard and fired.
Bang!
The massive wax bolt, reinforced by Armament Haki, vanished from sight in a white-hot streak.
Only a sharp, ripping sound cut across the sky as it hurtled toward the distant temple at deadly speed.
"…"
"What was that noise?"
Citizens across Skypiea paused, startled at the thunderous report from the heavens.
Two heartbeats later.
Puff!
An ear-splitting scream of agony rang out through the spirit world of everyone on Skypiea.
"Ah! It hurts so much! What is this!"
That anguished wail echoed through every mind, a cry that belonged unmistakably to Enel, the man who had proclaimed himself God and who had always carried himself with insolent certainty.
"He's screaming? How is that possible? He's God!"
The people of Skypiea and the Shandia alike froze.
Shirogai watched, a faint smile on his face, and then clapped once.
"God has revealed his [HP bar], the rest is up to you," he said quietly.
Gan Fall's astonished voice spread through the minds of the islanders at the same time.
"Can a God who reveals his [HP bar] still be called God?" Gan Fall asked, and his words rippled through the crowd like a sudden wind.
"People of Skypiea, I am Gan Fall."
His voice resonated in every head, and with it came a confession that stunned those aboard the floating ships.
"Six years ago, Enel usurped my role as God, proclaiming himself the new ruler..." Gan Fall's words painted a memory of the past, and anxiety warped the features of those gathered on the White Sea, waiting for the island's possible destruction.
"It's Gan Fall, the former God!"
"I can hear him inside my head…"
"What? He wants us to go to Upper Yard and challenge God Enel? Has he lost his mind?"
Murmurs swelled. Many Skypieans reacted with disbelief at Gan Fall's bidding.
"How can we possibly face a God? Is he asking us to die?"
"Gan Fall is tricking us; he wants to use us as cannon fodder against Enel!"
"How could he put innocent Skypieans in harm's way?"
Hardly anyone moved. Fear held them like a weight.
Not far off, elderly, the young, and the weakened of the Shandia tribe rowed their boats out from their hidden cove, fulfilling the call Gan Fall and the voice in their minds had sent.
"Go and reclaim Shandora's honor!" Shirogai's voice rang through their thoughts as well.
The Shandia chief stood at the prow of the lead ship, watching the flotilla of Skypiea's residents, and nodded with heavy resolve.
"Our tribe understands," he said. "Shirogai San has prepared weapons for us in Upper Yard that can contend with a God."
"Understood, Great Chief!" came the reply from every member of the Shandia aboard the vessels.
"Reclaim our ancestral land, light Shandora's bell — even if every one of us dies, we will not hesitate!"
The chief slammed his totem staff down and cried, "Shandia, set forth!"
Dozens of ships cut through the skies toward the White Sea route, the Shandia aboard them bearing faces ready to face death.
"The Shandia ships are pushing forward," a Skypiean murmured. "Are they actually going to war with God Enel?"
Across the fleet, the people exchanged nervous glances. Uncertainty and dread churned among them.
On the lead ship of Skypiea's citizens, a man's voice rose, brimming with resolve.
"What are you waiting for? Are you going to let our island, the place our families have lived for generations, be destroyed while we flee to the Blue Sea and live in shame?"
Captain McKinley of the White Berets stood at the bow and shouted to those nearby.
"Enel threatens to destroy us all, yet in the face of death we hesitate to stand and fight. We are cowards!"
McKinley, usually a fair-minded and principled man, fought with bitterness and shame as he faced his people.
"Shouldn't we have declared war on him long ago?" he demanded, his voice tight with disappointment.
A frightened Skypiean whispered, "But he's a God. How can we possibly oppose him?"
McKinley met that gaze and sighed.
"To each their own. We may share a homeland, but we are not the same in spirit." He looked north toward the Shandia flotilla cutting through the clouds.
"I once believed Skypiea was as steadfast as the Shandia, but now I see otherwise. They knew they would face a god and still went forward. What does that make us?"
He clenched his fists, turned back to his men of the White Berets, and barked, "White Berets, will you follow me to face God Enel?"
There was a breathless pause, then in unison the White Berets saluted.
"It's our duty," they replied.
McKinley's eyes glistened. "I didn't misjudge you," he said, voice rough. "We must show the Shandia that Skypiea still has brave warriors who will not bow to a false god."
He steered his ship away from the hesitant fleet and headed toward the White Sea route, shouting defiantly, "White Berets, declare war on God Enel!"
All across the sky, as boats turned and engines roared, the tide of fear finally began to shift. Men and women clenched resolve like armor. Shirogai watched it unfold, his expression unreadable, the wax of a hundred unseen weapons swirling just beneath his palms like a patient storm waiting for the signal to break.
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