Just as Ray was thinking, Luffy, Zoro, and Chouchou all spoke up at the same time.
"Why does it feel like someone's watching us?"
Usopp felt it too.
(Sanji, Nami, and the others didn't, which pretty much tells you who the crew's Observation Haki users were at this point: Ray, Luffy, Zoro, Chouchou, and Usopp.)
'I was planning to relax and enjoy Sky Island before dealing with Enel,' Ray thought, annoyed.
'But if he's going to start monitoring us the second we arrive, I can't tolerate that. As soon as my fusion rate ticks up from 59.8% to 59.9%, I'm just going to take him out.'
He told everyone not to worry and to just roll with it.
Thinking of Ray's strength, everyone relaxed and went back to playing on the cloud beach.
Ray calmly started running through the probable next steps.
They'd be declared illegal immigrants.
Enel's "Priests" would show up to cause trouble.
They'd fight back, get drawn into the "Trial of God," which would be good training for the crew, and then Ray would take care of Enel at the end.
'Simple enough. But how tough is he really?' Ray mused.
He remembered all the fan debates about Enel's Rumble-Rumble Fruit.
'If "lightning speed" really meant "speed of light," no one could ever touch him. He'd perceive everyone as frozen in time, and one light-speed attack would probably blow up the planet. The world's "will" wouldn't allow a power that broken.'
Based on Enel's fight with Luffy in the original story, his speed was fast, like a short-range teleport, but it wasn't light speed.
People could still react to his attacks.
'With my future-sight Observation Haki, it should be manageable.'
'His attack power is the weird part. Tens of millions of volts not killing anyone, 200 million volts not melting rubber... it's just unexplainable. I'll just have to see for myself. Anyway, no way this world would allow a fruit that could just destroy everything. Unless the planet wants to commit suicide.'
…
After playing for a while, Luffy and Sanji met a girl with small wings named Conis and her father, who was riding a "Waver" (a cloud-surfing jet ski).
Luffy, seeing the Waver, immediately had to try it, hopped on, and promptly plunged headfirst into the White Sea.
Conis explained that Wavers were incredibly hard to ride; it took her 18 years to master!
...Right before Nami zipped past them, expertly riding one all over the sea.
Conis was left completely stunned.
Luffy, burning with jealousy, started yelling for Nami to "fall off!"
(and got a loving kick from Sanji for it).
Nami took off to explore, while the rest went to Conis's house.
While they were chatting, Luffy's mind was fixated on adventuring to the "forbidden island" Conis mentioned.
Zoro's expression was serious.
"Ray," he said, "ever since we landed, I've had this feeling of being watched. It's probably coming from that 'God' Conis mentioned."
"Most likely," Ray agreed. "He's quite powerful."
Hearing Ray, the strongest guy they knew, call someone "powerful" made Usopp panic.
"Ray, can you beat him?! My intuition tells me that god has bad intentions!" He clasped his hands and started praying.
"Oh god, we meant no offense, we'll leave right away... please forgive us!"
Ray was speechless. 'This long-nosed guy is already planning to run?'
Robin watched their reactions, her eyes shifting.
"Ray, are you implying we've been targeted by this 'God' since the moment we arrived?"
Sanji, though annoyed that Zoro could sense it and he couldn't, lit a cigarette.
"If this god can really perceive everything on Sky Island, that's terrifying."
"Right?" Chopper chimed in, clinging to the trembling Usopp. "We've all studied the Haki manuals, but can someone really train their Observation Haki to cover a whole island?"
They quickly pieced it together: a "God" who punishes people with lightning, who can "hear" everything... he almost definitely had a lightning-based Logia fruit.
"A Logia type," Robin mused. "A dangerous deity indeed. Without Armament Haki, it might be impossible to deal with him."
Ray nodded, feeling a little relieved.
'They've all grown. They're thinking about strength, courage, and strategy now.'
(Well, everyone except Luffy, who had only grown in strength and appetite.)
Conis and her father just watched these "Blue Sea people" casually discussing their all-powerful god like he was just another opponent, their pupils trembling.
'Who are these people?!'
…
While they were talking, Nami had taken her Waver to the forbidden island, "Upper Yard."
There, she saw a 20-meter-wide bolt of lightning completely vaporize an illegal intruder.
Hiding, she also overheard the priests talking about them, the Straw Hat Pirates.
Sensing big trouble, Nami immediately sped back to the crew.
By the time she got there, everyone was in agreement: Sky Island was not just some magical paradise.
It was mysterious, and it was full of enemies.
Half an hour later, Ray and the others got back to the cloud beach, running right into Nami, who had just rushed back looking panicked.
Coincidentally, that's when the "White Berets," Skypiea's police force, showed up to arrest them for illegal entry.
These guys, who spent most of their time crawling on the ground for some reason, located the crew and prepared to make their arrest.
Unfortunately for them... Sanji alone took out all 20 of them in about 30 seconds.
As the guards fled, they yelled back threats.
"You will surely face God's punishment!" and "You're finished!"
Luffy completely ignored them, his mind now 100% fixated on adventuring on that forbidden island Nami mentioned
. Nami, exasperated, was just trying to avoid trouble.
"Luffy, be good," she tried, unusually comforting. "Let's just go back."
But It was futile.
Hitting him wouldn't even work; he was lost in his adventure fantasy.
Ray just stood by silently.
He knew it was pointless.
From the moment they landed, there was no turning back.
Enel wouldn't let any "Blue Sea People" leave, anyway.
'Since that's the case,' he thought, 'we might as well go with the flow. Accept the "punishment," head to Upper Yard, and deal with this guy.'
Just as Nami and Luffy were arguing, Conis stepped in.
"I... I know a route," she said nervously. "If you reach a place called the White Sea, you can leave Sky Island and return to the Blue Sea."
Seeing a way out, Luffy reluctantly agreed to leave (after he went back to Conis's house to pack up the leftovers from their earlier meal).
Sanji, not wanting to part with the beautiful Conis, also went back to "prepare a farewell dinner."
Usopp went to get ship repair materials.
Conis stayed behind, supposedly to show Nami and the others the location of the "White Sea."
Ray watched her, shaking his head slightly.
He knew the rule on Sky Island: all Blue Sea People must be sent to Upper Yard for the "Trial of God." Conis was, intentionally or not, leading them to a sacrificial altar.
…
A short time later...
The Going Merry was being carried by a "Super Express Crab" toward the altar.
Ray, Zoro, Robin, Nami, and Chouchou were all on board.
Ray had chosen not to expose Conis's deception.
First, he knew she was being forced to do it – she was terrified of Enel and wasn't evil.
Second, his fusion rate was at 59.9%.
He needed this fight to break through.
Since Conis was offering them a free ride to the boss battle, why not take it?
'Enjoying the process is part of the fun,' he mused.
So, Ray and the others became the "hostages" for the Trial of God, while Luffy, Sanji, and Usopp became the "challengers."
(According to Conis's dad, if they passed the trial, the others would be rescued.)
Sanji was immediately fired up.
"To save Nami-swan and Robin-swan! We must enter the trial!"
Usopp looked at him with a deadpan expression. "Could you at least pretend to be worried about the rest of us?"
"Are you worried something might happen to Ray?" Sanji shot back. Usopp froze.
'That's... a good point. Why does it feel like Ray wanted to get captured?'
"Tsk, tsk," Usopp muttered. "Luffy, I don't think we even need to go."
"I want to go on an adventure!" Luffy declared, ignoring him.
Sanji just rapped Usopp on the head. "If you run away, do you have any idea how bad Ray will train you later?"
"Yikes!" Usopp yelped. "I'll go then! Somehow, I feel like even 'God' can't be scarier than Ray."
…
Before they left, the trio noticed something was wrong.
All the Skypieans were staring at them with pure fear, keeping their distance.
Conis was trembling and the leader of the White Berets was following them.
All these signs told Usopp (who had already guessed the truth) and Luffy (who just had a gut feeling) that this "trial" wasn't as simple as it sounded.
When Conis invited them onto the "Crow Boat" for the trial, Luffy finally spoke up, his voice serious.
"Conis," he said, "you've been trembling this whole time. Are you feeling okay?"
He was so earnest that Conis couldn't take it anymore.
The guilt was eating her alive.
"Your companions... I deceived them!" she burst out, tears streaming. "They're being sent to the Trial Grounds as sacrifices! I'm sorry! You should run away! People really die there! I've never seen anyone survive!"
"Conis, what are you doing?!" McKinley, the White Beret captain, yelled from behind them.
"Sending them to the trial is a citizen's duty or you'll face divine punishment!"
At the mention of "divine punishment," all the nearby Skypieans ran away screaming.
Luffy, Sanji, and Usopp understood.
This girl had just broken the law to save their lives.
"If you weren't supposed to say it, then you shouldn't have!" Luffy yelled angrily. "Aren't you putting yourself in danger now?!"
His words shocked Conis and even McKinley.
Just then, thunder surged, and a massive lightning bolt, 20 meters wide, shot down from the sky, aimed right at Conis.
(If Ray had been there, he'd have noted: 'Fast, but definitely not light speed.')
Luffy instantly activated Gear Second, grabbed Conis, and dashed out of the blast radius.
He gently set her down, then he, Usopp, and Sanji boarded the Crow Boat.
Just then, Gan Fall arrived on his (still ugly) Pegasus.
"This young lady has angered Enel," the Sky Knight said. "I'll take her to a safe place."
Watching them fly away, Luffy clenched his fists. "I'm gonna punch that lightning bastard! Usopp, speed up!"
"Roger, Captain!" Usopp replied, his legs trembling but his eyes determined.
Sanji was just as furious.
"Trash god," he growled, "taking away Conis-san freedom like that!"
"Yeah!" Luffy agreed. "That's why I have to punch him!"
Usopp just sighed. "Why do you two want to avenge her?"
Sanji: "Because she's a woman!"
Luffy: "Because she treated me to a meal!"
Luffy adjusted his hat, and the three of them set off towards the Trial Grounds.
…
Meanwhile, Ray and the others had arrived at the altar.
He sensed the auras of the priests nearby... all of 'em pretty weak.
He calmly gazed into the distance.
'Enel... don't disappoint me.'
---------
Read 40 chapters ahead and support me on patreon.
patreon (.)com/Newbietranslator