Robin bent down and patted Aisa's head, "What are you doing here? Isn't this a forbidden area of Skypiea?"
Aisa shouted indignantly, "Nonsense! This is the home of us Shandians!"
Noyer returned a bag of Vearth to her, "Forget about being a Shandian warrior. It's dangerous here — you should leave quickly."
Aisa hesitated, asking suspiciously, "You… aren't subordinates of the priests?"
Robin shook her head, "Of course not."
Aisa relaxed a little. Holding the bag of soil, she lowered her head and walked outside without a word.
Robin whispered in Noyer's ear, "I feel sorry for this girl."
Noyer nodded, "Upper Yard was originally the homeland of the Shandians from Jaya, but the Knock Up Stream carried it to Skypiea. The rulers of Skypiea seized the island. Now they've lost their home, and Enel and the Skypieans treat them as outsiders. Of course it's pitiful."
Robin looked at him quietly, "I'm getting used to it, but I'm still curious — why do you know so much?"
Noyer scratched his head without speaking.
She sighed, "Forget it. Tell me when you feel like it."
"Hehe…" Noyer smiled, and a trace of red light appeared in his pupils.
Aisa sensed something and looked back. Noyer felt it too and looked in the same direction.
Robin followed their gazes. Behind them, white ball clouds floated among the large trees. A man as round and plump as the clouds, wearing yellow glasses, smiled at them.
"There's another one." Noyer looked in a different direction.
A man in a purple leather jacket, with hair styled like spider legs, was biting his lower lip and awkwardly tangling his arms together.
Aisa shouted in shock, "Two priests! Why are Satori and Gedatsu appearing together?"
"These are the priests?" Robin glanced calmly at the girl beside her.
She knew Noyer had mastered Haki. But could an eight-year-old girl know Haki too?
What Robin didn't know was that Aisa was a rare genius of Observation Haki, having awakened it from birth. Though only basic, it was stronger than many in the Blue Sea — like being born ahead at the starting line.
Robin, even with Noyer's instruction, still hadn't mastered any type of Haki. Among those present, including the enemies, she seemed to be the only one who couldn't use Observation Haki.
The rotund Satori jumped around on the ball clouds, "Ho ho ho! How interesting! You can predict our arrival in advance. Do you also know Mantra?"
Aisa hid behind Robin in fear, trembling, "The priests are incredibly powerful. Even the strongest Shandian warriors would struggle against them! Run! We can't beat them!"
Noyer picked his nose and mocked, "Scared? Aren't you a Shandian warrior? Are all warriors like you?"
Aisa had a child's temperament and exploded at the slightest provocation, shouting with a flushed face, "Shandian warriors are the bravest! I'm not scared!"
Satori, who presided over the Ordeal of Balls, looked at her disdainfully, "Just a bunch of savage natives. How dare you covet God's Island? Do you even deserve it?"
"You're lying! This is our home!" Aisa said, tears welling in her eyes.
Satori couldn't be bothered to listen. With a slight wave of his hand, dozens of ball clouds came crashing toward them.
Aisa gasped, "This is Satori's Ordeal of Balls — they explode! Dodge!"
Noyer looked at Satori's confident expression and let out a cold laugh. He closed his eyes, assumed a stance, and said in a low voice, "Let me show you the power of a god…"
Everyone froze. Before the priest could mock him, Noyer shouted again.
◆ Mera Mera no Mi: Hiken ⥤ Fire Fist ◆
Surging orange light illuminated a massive swath of forest. The scorching heat surged forward like a tiger descending a mountain. The wide-ranging flames shaped into a fist and instantly engulfed all the ball clouds.
The ball clouds couldn't slow the Fire Fist even slightly. The flames still crashed into Satori's head.
"No!!"
His scream echoed as the searing flames roasted him pitch black. He was barely breathing…
Dead… dead?
Aisa stared in shock at the charred body, then looked at Noyer with awe. A priest that Shandian warriors struggled against had been killed so easily.
Seeing the flames appear from nowhere, she asked timidly, "Are you… also a god?"
Noyer was about to speak when Robin patted her head, "He's human, just stronger than most people."
Noyer nodded, "Enel is the same. His abilities exceed your imagination — he's not a god."
Aisa nodded hesitantly, then pointed, "But what about that priest?"
The man who'd been posing since his arrival — his companion was dead, yet he still hadn't moved.
Noyer shouted at him, "Dude, you can't talk while biting your lip!"
Gedatsu looked shocked, "So that's it!"
Robin sighed, "His coordination is terrible."
Seeing his companion defeated, Gedatsu finally untangled his arms and said hurriedly, "I am the priest of the Ordeal of Swamp. You Blue Sea person…"
Before he could finish, Noyer flashed in front of him, his jet-black Armament-coated fist smashing down!
Gedatsu's Mantra couldn't react in time — his consciousness had already faded to black.
Noyer blew on his fist, "Battle doesn't wait for anyone, you know…"
Aisa stared at the two defeated priests. Who would've thought that in just minutes, both had been killed with a single move each?
She stammered, "Their… Mantra… why… didn't it work?"
Noyer looked at her in surprise, "You don't even know that? It's simple — catch them when they're not paying attention and land a punch."
Aisa stared at him blankly. Could Mantra really be defeated just by hitting someone off guard?
Actually, Noyer wasn't lying. It was like a video game. He had excellent technique and awareness, while these two had decent awareness but terrible mechanics — they couldn't even walk properly.
How was that even a contest?
Aisa looked at him with awe. Then she sensed the aura of battle coming from the other side.
Noyer chuckled lightly, "Looks like the priests have come out in full force. Are those fighting them your people?"
Aisa nodded worriedly, "It's our tribe's guerrilla squad. They're planning to attack the priests. But the remaining two — Shura and Ohm — are the strongest."
Noyer said dismissively, "Just the best of a bad lot. Being the strongest doesn't mean much."
Aisa looked at him, then pleaded, "Big brother, can you help them? Fighting the priests is too dangerous for them."
Noyer smiled, "Of course I can. I need to find someone among the Shandians to be my crewmate."
He picked up the little girl, and Robin followed closely behind. They leaped between tree branches, rushing toward the battle.
◇◆◈◆◇
At their speed, they quickly found where the priests and guerrilla squad were fighting.
The battlefield was almost completely one-sided. The priests — only two of them — had the advantage. The Shandian guerrilla squad, despite their numbers, had already lost several fighters.
The most eye-catching person on the battlefield was the Shandians' strongest warrior, known within the tribe as the "Berserker" — Wyper.
He still carried that Burn Bazooka from when he met Noyer. The jet skates on his feet creaked noisily. His expression was as bitter and vengeful as always, and his fierce appearance lived up to his title.
When Noyer saw him, his eyes lit up. Isn't this prospective crew member number one? Sure enough, he's here!
Shura and Ohm eyed Wyper warily. The other guerrilla members weren't much of a threat, but this Berserker alone… He seemed to have undergone special training. His fighting style was like a wild beast, acting purely on instinct. Even Mantra couldn't predict his intentions.
Even more terrifying was his intense fighting spirit. He alone had nearly stopped both priests. When their attacks landed, he wouldn't even make a sound. To injure the priests, Wyper had traded blow for blow countless times.
Despite all three having similar injuries, Wyper had the greater momentum.
Noyer said appreciatively, "Worthy of being the crew member I've got my eye on. Strong will, and pretty talented too."
Robin looked at the battling wild man and nodded, "Just like someone born for battle."
Shura's gaze sharpened as he looked toward where Noyer and the others were, "Who's there? Come out!"
A sharp jet-black blade answered him.
The flying slash seemed to melt into the air and disappear — until it cut into the priest's body and blood splattered. Only then did everyone react.
A vicious gash appeared on Shura's chest. His ugly features twisted as he spat out blood.
"Why… my Mantra clearly didn't see you make a move…" He said, eyes red, supporting himself with his spear fitted with a Flame Dial.
Noyer held Rasetsuō. Though his footsteps were light, to everyone listening they sounded like a death knell.
Moistened with fresh blood, the patterns on the sword glowed faintly. Noyer looked down at the priest, "Mantra? You think I don't know how to use that?"
"Nonsense! This is power bestowed by God! How could you have it!" Shura roared, losing his reason and charging forward.
Flipping onto his large red bird Fuza, Shura gripped his flaming spear and thrust desperately at Noyer.
But when the flame spear pierced through Noyer's body, everyone froze.
Ohm stared in disbelief, "How is this possible…"
Wyper's expression turned grave, "A troublesome opponent."
The flame spear scattered Noyer's body of fire. His smile appeared in Shura's terrified eyes, "Can't touch the actual body — this must be what you call the power of a god, right?"
As the words fell, Noyer's body dispersed into flames, surrounding and roasting his opponent. The vast forest echoed with agonized howls.
Noyer raised his hand and tossed out the charred remains of Shura. He looked at the last remaining priest, "What about you? Want to play too?"
Ohm's expression changed several times. He bent down as if to draw his sword. Just as everyone thought he would fight, he turned and ran without looking back.
Noyer felt nothing but contempt. These guys were all eager to play god, but when faced with someone stronger, they ran faster than anyone.
He was about to eliminate this future threat when a thick lightning glow gathered in the clouds above. The long-charged blue thunder crashed down like divine punishment with a roar.
The target was Ohm, who was trying to escape!
Ohm looked at the descending lightning, his face like death, "No!! God…"
Massive dust and debris exploded. He lay there, body charred black. He was thoroughly done for.
Immediately after, another thick lightning bolt struck down toward Noyer and Wyper. The Shandians stood frozen, their expressions fearful. Even Wyper couldn't help but feel panicked.
Only Noyer looked up at the descending "Heaven's Judgment" and let out a disdainful snort.
"Enel really thinks he's something…" Noyer pulled Robin behind him and told the guerrilla squad, "Stay right here and don't move."
Raising both hands to the sky, thick black-purple energy gushed from his body as Armament Haki burst forth violently. With the help of his talent, his Armament Haki could now be released from his body. Though somewhat forced, it was more than enough to block elemental damage.
The lightning struck above everyone's heads, its roar reverberating throughout all of Upper Yard.
When the dust settled, everyone emerged completely unharmed, expressions full of disbelief. Wyper stared at Noyer's arms glowing with black light, a strange gleam in his eyes. The hot blood within him surged — he wanted this power.
Noyer withdrew his somewhat numb arms. The Goro Goro no Mi was indeed powerful. His own abilities — fire against lightning, sand against lightning — neither offered good defense, so he'd had no choice but to use Haki to protect everyone.
A female warrior beside Wyper spotted Aisa standing next to Robin and exclaimed, "Aisa! How did you sneak along again!"
Seeing the big sister she trusted, Aisa hurried over, "Raki! Look, I got a bag of Vearth!"
Wyper's eyes flashed coldly. He swatted the bag from the girl's hand and cursed, "Fool! Who told you to follow us here? Aren't you afraid of dying?!"
◈◈◈
T/N: Comment, give me Power Stones, like and favorite, it all supports me and makes me go foward with this. Appreciate my other stories as well, I guarantee the good work!
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That's it and happy reading! (-‿◦)