Inside the shrine...
A man with freakishly long earlobes was lying sideways on a throne, looking bored while two "angels" served him.
This was Enel, the "God" of Skypiea.
"Yaaawn... I hope these Blue Sea People are at least a little entertaining," he mumbled, then perked up, activating his island-wide Observation Haki, 'Mantra.'
Suddenly, he sat bolt upright, a flicker of genuine interest in his eyes.
He stroked the chin of the maid peeling grapes for him.
"Well, well... this batch of Blue Sea People is actually quite impressive."
Enel had his own little power-ranking system.
In his perception, the challengers were "2 strong ones, 1 average."
The sacrifices were "1 strong, 3 above-average, 1 average, and 1 weakling."
(Luffy and Sanji were 'strong'; Usopp was 'average'. Zoro was 'strong'; Chouchou, Robin, and Chopper were 'above-average'; Nami was 'average'.)
And the weakling? The one with an aura so poor he'd never sensed anything like it? That was Ray.
…
Ray, of course, had no idea he was being sized up as a total weakling.
He was just habitually concealing his aura.
It was an old habit from his chaotic former life, but he'd started doing it again because his full-on great yokai pressure made little Chopper struggle to breathe.
(Chouchou was fine; being related by blood, he just found it comforting.)
This, naturally, led to Enel's massive miscalculation.
Right now, Ray, Zoro, Robin, Nami, and the two little mosnter (Chouchou and Chopper) were staring blankly at the Cloud River in front of the altar.
Zoro was getting impatient. "Weren't we supposed to be 'sacrifices'? Where are the enemies?"
Robin mused, "Maybe this altar is... charging? And when it's full, it'll steam us to death?"
That thought immediately sent Nami and Chopper into a panic.
"Robin! Don't say terrifying things so seriously!"
Ray just shook his head. "If you're that bored, why not go explore the forest?"
"Us?" Robin asked, catching his drift. "You're not coming?"
"No. Chouchou and I will wait here."
The others agreed.
'Whoever comes to "collect" us is just going to run into Ray. The roles will definitely be reversed.'
Besides, the Merry needed a guard.
So, they split up.
Robin used her power to grow a vine for Zoro to swing across the river.
Zoro grabbed it, cleared his throat, and...
"Ooh~ ooh ooh~ ooh ooh~ ooh~"
He did a full-on Tarzan yell.
"Pfft~" Robin burst out laughing.
Chopper's eyes sparkled. 'Could Zoro's ancestors be legendary Kings of the Forest?' He then grabbed a vine and did his own Tarzan yell.
Robin and Nami swung across next.
Well... Robin did.
Nami suddenly sat down.
"Oh dear~" she moaned, "Ray, I think I sprained my ankle. Could you carry me across?"
(She was diligently following Rule #7 of the "108 Dog Training Methods": Make repeated requests to build intimacy.)
Unfortunately, all she got was a cold sidelong glance.
Just as she was about to grab the vine in disappointment, Ray walked over.
'Wow, I knew you'd care!'
Ray sighed, extended his fluffy tail, scooped Nami up...
"Hehe, so comfy~ Are you this obedient because—GYAH!"
...and then hurled her onto the riverbank a hundred meters away.
"Ahhh~~ Ray, I hate you!" she screamed as she flew. Robin just laughed.
…
A few minutes later, the group had vanished into the forest.
Ray and Chouchou were left alone on the Merry, waiting.
'I wonder,' Ray thought, 'if my being here will change which trial Luffy's group picks.'
(He knew the options: Ball, Swamp, Rope, and Iron.)
…
Meanwhile...
Luffy's trio arrived at the trial selection point.
After Usopp's strong, panicked insistence, they chose the "safest" looking one: the Ball Trial.
Luffy thought it sounded fun.
Sanji didn't care; he was just worried about Nami and Robin.
He knew Ray wouldn't step in unless their lives were really in danger, and he couldn't stand the thought of them getting even a scratch.
As he was anxiously thinking, the Cloud River in front of them suddenly... ended.
"Ah, it's a waterfall!"
Screaming, the three of them and their boat plunged hundreds of meters down... and "safely" entered the Ball Trial grounds.
The area was filled with countless two-meter-wide white cloud balls.
"Are these balls the trial?"
"What's inside 'em?" Luffy curiously poked one... and a venomous snake shot out, nearly biting him.
"Hiss~ Is every ball an egg for a beast?!"
Just then, a massive white cloud ball started rolling right for them.
"Anyway, not touching them is safest," Sanji decided. "Let me just kick it away."
He kicked it... and the ball started to glow bright red.
The three of them looked on in horror.
"Boom!" It exploded.
"BOOM!"
The white cloud ball exploded, leaving Luffy, Sanji, and Usopp covered in soot, black smoke puffing from their mouths.
"How could this be..."
"Are... are all the balls different?"
"What is this trial?!"
Just as they were totally bewildered, a voice rang out.
"Ha~haha~, welcome to my Ball Trial!"
A weird, round guy with long brown hair and yellow sunglasses came bouncing over on an oversized sphere.
The trio: (′Д｀)y-~
"What an ugly fat ball."
"Is this the Priest?"
"He looks so weak. Luffy, Sanji, take him out."
Hearing their remarks, the ball-guy didn't even get mad.
"I am Priest Satori," he announced. "If you can ride a boat out of here while I attack you, you pass. Just so you know, the success rate for my trial... is 10%."
Usopp immediately started trembling.
Luffy and Sanji, however, just looked disdainful.
'How strong can a fatso be?'
Luffy was about to launch a Gum-Gum Pistol, but Satori was already smiling.
"His arm stretches, huh?" He dodged before Luffy even attacked, easily avoiding it.
This scene was all too familiar.
"Observation Haki?"
"Well, at least he lives up to the 'Priest' title."
Seeing how calm they were, Satori frowned, his arrogance fading.
Usually, Blue Sea People freaked out at his Mantra.
These guys didn't even flinch.
He calmed down.
His Mantra was only average, anyway; he couldn't get a clear read on their strength.
(If Enel had been there, he would have told him: "Those two are stronger than you, idiot.")
A moment later, Satori's confidence returned.
'Only three people have ever given me trouble here. These guys are just Blue Sea grunts who know a little something. Pfft.'
"Accept the trial, Blue Sea People!" he said flippantly.
…
Meanwhile, in the forest of Upper Yard...
Zoro, Robin, Nami, and Chopper were exploring.
Suddenly, Robin stopped. "Have you noticed? The ground here isn't cloud. It's actual soil."
At first, Nami and Zoro were confused, but then it clicked.
"This is Sky Island... so why is there Blue Sea dirt here?" Nami wondered.
Robin had a theory. "This island might have come from the Grand Line. The writing on the altar was ancient Grand Line script."
Nami's eyes lit up.
She pulled out the old map they'd salvaged from the shipwreck and pieced it together with their current map of Jaya.
"A complete skull!" she gasped. "I remember... Norland's diary! 'Gold lies in the skull's right eye'!"
All her fear vanished, replaced by pure, unadulterated greed.
Her eyes practically turned into Berry signs.
"The Golden Land... it's real! And it's here!"
Zoro just looked at her with utter disdain.
"Once we meet up with Luffy," he grumbled, "we'll tell them."
…
Back at the Ball Trial...
Luffy and Usopp were back on their boat.
"So bored..." Luffy whined, lying face down. "Why won't Sanji let me fight?"
Usopp, on the other hand, was perfectly happy to let Sanji handle it.
Right now, Sanji was in a high-speed aerial battle with Satori.
He was using the cloud balls as footholds, but he had to move fast.
"Shoulder Blade Meat!" he yelled, aiming a side kick, but Satori ducked.
The priest flipped and aimed his right hand at Sanji's chest.
"Damn it!" Sanji sensed the danger – Satori was using an Impact Dial.
"Armament Haki: Hardening!" Sanji quickly coated his chest in Haki.
"Boom~!" Sanji was sent flying, spitting up blood.
'Damn! That attack goes through Haki?!' Luckily, Ray's daily beatings had made his body pretty sturdy.
He landed on a tree branch, annoyed.
"This Observation Haki is a real pain." He wasn't just fighting to win; he was fighting to learn.
Zoro could already use Observation Haki, and he couldn't.
That was unacceptable. He had to awaken it in this fight.
Satori was also getting impatient.
"I can't delay any longer!" he yelled. "Prepare for judgment!"
He started bouncing, kicking dozens of cloud balls right at Sanji, surrounding him.
On the ship, Usopp immediately grabbed his slingshot, ready to provide cover.
But Luffy put a hand out to stop him.
"This is Sanji's fight."
"But he's in danger!"
"He hasn't asked for help."
…
Facing this crisis, Sanji suddenly calmed down, remembering a training session with Ray.
...
He'd aimed a kick at Ray's head.
Ray had sidestepped and punched him in the thigh, making him howl.
Then Ray unleashed a flurry of blows.
"Stop, stop! Why are you so fast today?!" Sanji had yelled.
Ray didn't answer, his hand just transformed into a poison claw.
Sanji felt he was about to die. In that instant, his potential erupted, and he dodged the un-dodgeable... only to be kicked flying anyway.
"Damn! Ray, are you trying to kill me?!" But Ray had just stopped. "Well done," he'd said.
...
Sanji finally understood.
He hadn't dodged because he was fast.
He had dodged in advance.
'Is it easier to awaken Observation Haki when you're about to die?'
Watching the hundreds of cloud balls closing in, his heart pounded... but his eyes were remarkably calm.
'I see it.'
He could see their trajectories.
He began to dodge, weaving through the storm of cloud balls, letting them all crash into each other in a massive, fiery explosion.
"Ha~haha~!" Satori laughed. "One down!"
But then he broke out in a cold sweat.
"Soru!" Sanji appeared right above his head, as if teleporting. "Collier Strike!"
The attack came so fast Satori's mind went blank; he couldn't even use his Mantra.
Sanji's kick shattered his skull, sending him crashing to the ground.
Sanji landed back on the boat.
"Luffy," he said, lighting a cigarette, "we have to get stronger. If the enemy is too fast, Observation Haki is useless. That fatso is a perfect example."
Usopp just looked exasperated. "I thought you were having a profound moment, but you were just showing off that you mastered Observation Haki!"
Sanji just glared with a hint of panic in his own eyes.
'Wait... what was that vision I saw just now? How can I dodge an attack like that... Nami-san! Robin-san!'
…
On the Going Merry, at the Altar...
Ray was stroking Chouchou's fur while reading the Detailed Explanation of Haki.
[Some individuals may see visions of the future... this is not predicting the future.]
'Intriguing,' he thought. 'Like a premonition.'
He looked at Chouchou. "Chouchou, does your Observation Haki do anything special?"
Chouchou pursed his lips. "I can... kinda hear plants speak? Animals were always easy."
"Can you predict the future? Like, see how long that knight on the bird ahead will live?"
Chouchou shook his head.
"No. But... I suspect he'll see hell soon. A mere human, pointing his spear at my master... He has chosen death."