Chapter 63: Upper Yard
The Express Shrimp carried the going merry along the cloud road at an incredible Speed, and the Straw Hat crew felt like they were on a roller coaster as they headed toward the White-White Sea, an incredibly thrilling experience.
Standing at the stern, Dante Voss saw the destroyed Gate of Heaven and withdrew his hand.
He had never liked that old hag in the original story, and now, he could finally deal with her.
Finally, upon seeing a sign that read "Skypiea," the Express Shrimp delivered them to the top of the waterfall, ending their heart-pounding journey.
Luffy saw the island ahead, his eyes widening instantly, and he shouted excitedly, "It's Sky Island!"
"Wow!" Usopp and Chopper also shouted in excitement.
The others were also shocked.
On the Sky Island ahead, clouds and mist swirled, with giant vines entwining the landscape, and the buildings looked like celestial palaces, appearing both real and illusory.
Some buildings were even floating in the air, dreamy and surreal, making it impossible to look away.
"What a magical world!" Dante Voss exclaimed.
The going merry quickly approached the shore, and Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper rushed to the bank to start playing.
Looking at the clear sky, Dante Voss muttered to himself, "This must already be within that person's surveillance range!"
Enel was a Rumble-Rumble Fruit user; by using his Ability, he could emit electrical waves, allowing him to monitor an entire island.
This guy had developed the Rumble-Rumble Fruit to the extreme; among all Devil Fruit abilities, few people had developed theirs to a higher level than him.
As Luffy and the others played, the rest of the crew felt tempted and joined in the fun below.
For a time, the place was filled with laughter.
Just as everyone was playing, a beautiful melody began to play, capturing everyone's attention.
On the distant shore, a beautiful figure was playing a stringed instrument; in such a breathtaking environment, she truly looked like a fairy.
"Is that an angel?" Sanji stopped smoking, his eyes fixed blankly on her.
The others also watched in a daze.
"Paso!"
The angel saw them and said something the group couldn't understand.
"What does 'Paso' mean?"
The Straw Hat crew was puzzled.
"Did you come from the Blue Sea?"
"Yes! We came from the Blue Sea!" Luffy said casually.
"Do you live here?"
"Yes, I am a resident here. Welcome to the Angel Beach of Skypiea. I am Conis, and this is my pet, Su. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me, and I will do my best to help you all."
Conis said kindly to everyone, then took them back to her home as guests.
Conis prepared a lot of delicious food for everyone.
The food on the Sky Island was completely different from what they were used to below, and everyone ate with great relish. Sanji even went to inspect the ingredients.
During this time, Conis also introduced them to Dial and the Waver, which made everyone very curious.
In particular, she told them about God and the forbidden land here, the God Island.
After eating, the group played on Angel Beach again when a troop wearing white hats approached.
"It must be you! The Blue Sea intruders reported by the Gate of Heaven inspector. You must face divine judgment!" the captain of the White Berets shouted angrily.
"How is that possible? They clearly don't look like bad people!" Conis argued.
"Intruders? What does that mean?"
Luffy asked, puzzled.
"You have no opportunity to defend yourselves. We have already received the photos sent by the inspector of the Gate of Heaven."
Subsequently, the captain of the White Berets explained the crime of illegally entering Skypiea to them.
Then he demanded a fine of about 8 million Berries. The Straw Hat crew naturally refused, and a fight broke out.
However, the White Berets were not very strong; even with Dials as weapons, they were no match for Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji, and were beaten down.
The captain of the White Berets, looking at his fallen comrades, threatened Dante Voss and the others:
"Hahahaha, how foolish, you death-seeking idiots! You have no way out now!"
"If you had just listened to me obediently, it would have been fine. Our White Berets unit is the gentlest army in Skypiea; if it were them, they wouldn't be so easy to talk to."
"Hahahaha, you are already second-level wanted criminals. No matter how you cry or scream, it's useless! The priests of the Upper Yard will personally take action to punish you!"
The Straw Hat crew felt scared hearing this.
Dante Voss glanced at him indifferently. "Noisy!"
As the words fell, Dante Voss waved his hand, and a Flying Slash shot out directly toward the captain of the White Berets.
"Crack!"
The captain of the White Berets died on the ground.
[Killed one Soldier, gained 10 slaughter points]
Nami and the others felt things were not looking good, and after some discussion, they decided to flee Skypiea, but just after Luffy, Sanji, and Usopp got off the ship.
The ship was suddenly dragged away rapidly by a creature.
Zoro quickly jumped off the ship and slashed at the creature, but he only managed to cause some small wounds and could not stop it.
He looked toward the bow and shouted, "Dante Voss, stop it! Don't let it continue moving forward; we don't know where it's taking us!"
His swordsmanship couldn't stop it, but Dante Voss's swordsmanship definitely could.
"No need!"
Dante Voss shook his head, watching the Holy Land getting closer, the corners of his mouth curling up slightly. "If we kill it, other pursuers will come next time. It's better to go directly to their lair and deal with them all at once."
"Is that so? That suits me just fine!" Zoro retracted his sword, a smile of excitement appearing on his face.
He hadn't had a satisfying fight back in Alabasta, but perhaps he could have one here.
"Ah, that's really your style, Dante Voss!" Nami said with some helplessness, but there was nothing she could do.
After all, it was because they didn't pay the entry fee that such a big mess had occurred.
"It seems we really have to fight Skypiea. I just don't know if we will win or lose."
Robin felt a bit uneasy inside.
The giant creature quickly brought the going merry into the center of the Holy Land, to a place that looked like an altar.
Bonfires were lit all around, and the going merry was placed on a high platform, just like a sacrifice.
"Did those guys just leave us here after putting us here?"
"What kind of place is this?"
"At least one thing is certain: this is the inside of the Upper Yard."
"This looks like a sacrificial altar for living offerings."
"A sacrificial altar for living offerings?" Nami was a bit scared.
"Nami, what does a sacrificial altar for living offerings mean?" Chopper asked Nami.
Nami shrugged, "It means offering people or animals as sacrifices to God."
"I see!"
Chopper breathed a sigh of relief. "I thought they were going to boil me and eat me!"
"It means about the same thing!" Robin added quietly.
"Ah!" Chopper's eyes widened instantly.
Dante Voss ignored their playing around and said to them, "Since they treat us as sacrifices, let's see if they have the stomach for it."
"Clang—"
Dante Voss gently drew the bloodthirsty sword; the blade, which hadn't been unsheathed for a long time, emitted a red light.
"Hum! Hum! Hum!"
As Dante Voss swung it, countless Flying Slashes cut toward the surrounding sea, slicing all the giant creatures inside into countless pieces.
"Let's go!"
Black wings grew from Dante Voss's back, and he felt a bit excited. He said to the others, "Let's go meet that God!"
The others felt their confidence greatly increased looking at Dante Voss.
With Dante Voss, who could kill a Shichibukai, by their side, even fighting against an entire nation wasn't so scary.
Nami gently used the Weather-Weather Fruit to lift everyone into the air, and Dante Voss touched the going merry lightly, storing the ship into his backpack.
Subsequently, Dante Voss led the group as they flew toward the depths of the Upper Yard.