Another ten-plus days passed.
A black shadow flew rapidly out of the Palace Entertainment City, soaring high into the sky and away.
Whoosh!
Flying at an altitude of over a thousand meters, Aeridar felt the whistling wind and the sharp gusts, like daggers, against his body.
Meanwhile, inside the central building...
In a luxurious room on the twentieth floor, Mina was fuming. "Damn it! That bastard Captain ran off again! Argh! I swear! That asshole!"
Bang!
A six-hundred-year-old antique vase became an unfortunate casualty, smashed on the floor and scattering fragments everywhere.
Achoo!
In the sky, Aeridar sneezed. He rubbed his nose, muttering to himself, "Mina must be cursing me behind my back. It's not like I'm just going on a leisurely stroll. I'm doing this to make the Chris Pirates stronger."
"Ah, but I can finally fly freely! I've always been so envious of Doflamingo and Shiki; they could travel the world all by themselves. Now I can, too. Hehehehe." Aeridar smoothed his hair, which had been ruffled by the wind, and released a powerful impact from his entire body. His speed instantly skyrocketed.
Boom!
With a roar, a cone-shaped sonic boom cloud appeared in the air. Aeridar's speed was now well above the speed of sound. Just how many times faster, no one knew.
10,000 meters above Jaya Island in the first half of the Grand Line, was Skypiea.
Boom!!!
The surface of the White-White Sea suddenly exploded, and countless sea clouds splashed out as three black figures shot upward.
"Heh… that was fast. We're here in half a day! I wonder what those Shandians' faces will look like when they see me. Heh heh heh heh…" Aeridar stood dozens of meters above the White-White Sea, his arms crossed as his sinister laughter echoed across the white clouds.
That's right. Aeridar had traveled from the Clifford Kingdom in the New World to Skypiea above Jaya Island in just half a day, easily crossing the Red Line. If he hadn't been wary of the World Government, he would have flown directly over Mariejois.
....
Upper Yard, God's Shrine.
"Hey, I didn't know there was land on Skypiea."
"I heard there's gold here. Hehehe."
"And I heard there's a 'God'? How ridiculous."
"Who knows about that? But in the face of our power, we are the gods! Hahahaha!"
A group of over a dozen pirates with dark skin and well-built physiques, dressed in various outfits and carrying weapons, walked through the forest, laughing wildly and arrogantly.
Not long after they entered the forest, several people who looked like natives appeared. These men held cannons, firearms, and shields, wore masks, and stood on the White-White Sea in strange-looking shoes, watching the pirates' movements.
Boom!
Before long, an explosion went off in the forest, startling countless birds.
Rumble! Rumble! Rumble!
Rumble! Rumble! Rumble!
Subsequently, a series of violent explosions erupted, followed by flames shooting into the sky, and several towering trees falling down.
"Ah! Who are you guys?"
"You bastards, I'll kill you!"
"Damn it, why can't I hit them?"
"Help! Help!"
"No, no, spare me!"
Continuous screams, wails, and pleas for mercy rang out, echoing across half of the forest.
Whoosh!
Rumble!
Suddenly, the sky lit up as a pillar of lightning descended from the heavens and struck the forest, the terrifying force causing the ground to tremble violently.
"Enel has made his move!"
"Tch, I overestimated these Blue Sea dwellers."
"I thought we'd have a chance."
"I wonder what would happen if that monster from a few years ago fought Enel?"
"Who knows? I was hoping that monster would show up."
The native-looking warriors exchanged a few words and then prepared to leave.
In the air not far away, a flying Aeridar happened to see the massive pillar of lightning.
"Huh… looks like I found it!"
Aeridar muttered to himself as he flew toward the lightning pillar.
Inside a palace with a black comma-shaped crest.
"Hmm? This sound… It's so strong!"
A man with a white turban, earlobes that reached his chest, and four large drums with black three-comma markings on his back suddenly opened his eyes, a look of surprise flashing in them.
Just now, a strange sound suddenly appeared in the range of his Mantra—a very strong sound, even stronger than the Master of the Sky and his own body's sound. It seemed like a sound that couldn't be made by a person, but rather a monster's body.
In the forest.
Whoosh!
Aeridar quickly arrived at the place where the lightning had struck. The area was a mess, with fallen trees and a ground covered in craters and cracks. Dozens of corpses lay scattered on the ground.
The only people left alive were four very strange individuals, but the one thing they all had in common was a pair of small white wings on their backs.
Upon seeing the four, Aeridar recognized them.
One had a hairstyle like a spider's legs, and his elbows and shoes were equipped with Milky Dials. Priest Gedatsu!
One was a strange man shaped like a ball, and he wore a glove that seemed to conceal something. Priest Satori!
One wore a pilot's cap and goggles and carried a knight's spear, riding a three-meter-tall bird that occasionally spewed fire. Priest Shura!
The last one was bald, wore sunglasses, had a series of tattoos on his right arm, and carried a long sword with a very large, candy-like sphere at the end of the hilt. He also had a very large dog. Priest Ohm!
"Who are you?"
As if sensing something, the four priests simultaneously looked up and saw Aeridar in the sky.
"Oh? They can sense me?!"
Aeridar frowned, then realized. "I forgot, they have Mantra!"
Although Aeridar hadn't deliberately concealed himself, he hadn't released any of his aura, so most people wouldn't have noticed him. However, he couldn't fool someone with Observation Haki, even if their Observation Haki was weak.
"How is that possible? He's standing in the air!" Shura said, shocked.
"Could it be some kind of trick?" Satori was also surprised but remained a bit skeptical.
"Mmm, mmm, mmm, mmm!" Gedatsu tried to say something, but couldn't speak with his bottom lip bitten.
"Another Blue Sea dweller… and a powerful one at that," Ohm said, sensing a strong danger from the man.
Aeridar stood in the air, looked down at the four priests, then slowly leaned forward, smiling as he asked, "Excuse me, could one of you please take me to Enel?"
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