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The gathered lightning in the sky had yet to strike.
'Did something go wrong?' Jin wondered.
The Knight of the Sky flew back and landed on the cloud-island. He removed his helmet, revealing the face of an old man, his hair and beard white, his face thin and weathered.
"It's God??"
"Gan Fall!"
"It really is you!"
The White Berets cheered.
'God? That's him?' Robin thought, surprised. She glanced up at the storm clouds.
"I am the former God of this land," Gan Fall explained. "Three years ago, Enel came here and defeated me."
"I never imagined the two of you would be so powerful," he said. "I underestimated you."
"So," Jin said with a faint smile, "you've come back now to ask for my help in dealing with that new 'God' of yours?"
Gan Fall, his intentions laid bare, didn't try to hide it. "Yes, Enel has brought us too much suffering. Whatever the cost... if you can drive him away..."
"And you're not afraid that we're even more dangerous than your 'God'?" Jin asked. "That we might bring an even greater disaster to Skypiea?"
Gan Fall hesitated, then said, "You're after the treasure of Shandora, aren't you?"
Most people from the Blue Sea couldn't adapt to life in the sky.
Robin's eyebrow twitched. "The treasure of Shandora? The legendary City of Gold?"
During her travels in the North Blue, she had heard the nursery rhyme about the great liar, Mont Blanc Noland.
The story was about Shandora.
In the tale, Noland was a fool and a liar who, even at his execution, had insisted that the City of Gold was real.
And now, this former God of Skypiea was mentioning Shandora...
"Don't tell me..." Robin said, a look of shock on her face. "The City of Gold, Shandora... is on Skypiea?"
Gan Fall nodded slowly. "Yes. To be precise, it was flung into the sky by the Knock-Up Stream 400 years ago. It is now what we call Upper Yard. Shandora, and its golden treasure, are there. Enel is currently gathering it all, though for what purpose, I do not know. If you are willing to help, you can take all the gold."
Skypiea had its own currency. They didn't place much value on gold. What they truly valued was "earth."
'An ancient city from 400 years ago? No... the legends say Shandora existed 800 years ago. Could it... hold a Poneglyph?' Robin's heart raced.
"That treasure isn't yours to give," Jin said with a laugh. "Old man, offering a reward that isn't yours is bad form. You can't fool me."
He saw right through Gan Fall's plan: to use him to drive out Enel and reclaim his title as "God."
Gan Fall wasn't a bad person. Compared to the likes of Wapol, he was a wise ruler. Even after being driven out, he had continued to fight and help his people. After Luffy defeated Enel, he had returned to his position and had finally resolved the 400-year-old conflict between Angel Island and the Shandia.
But Jin wasn't Luffy. He had come to Skypiea not just for the gold, but to rule it, to build a base here.
And that made Gan Fall a problem.
"You're already on Enel's radar," Gan Fall said, frowning. "You'll have to face him sooner or later."
"Or we could just leave," Jin said nonchalantly. "Is he going to chase us down to the Blue Sea? Or is he going to take his anger out on you?"
Gan Fall was speechless. The latter was far more likely.
He took a deep breath. "What do you want? What will it take to get your help?"
"The title of 'God'," Jin said with a smile.
"God?"
After a moment of stunned silence, Gan Fall understood. "You... you want to be the new ruler of Skypiea?"
"Why not?" Jin replied. "You were. Enel is. So if I drive him out, why can't I be? The throne of God is never permanent. And this year, it's my turn to take a seat."
Gan Fall's brow furrowed. It was an answer he had never expected. A man from the Blue Sea, wanting to rule Skypiea?
As he was hesitating, a voice called out, "Gan Fall!"
A Waver cut across the sea of clouds. On it was an old man in a beast-head hat and a little girl. They skidded to a halt, and both of them tumbled onto the cloud-island, unhurt.
"Chief??" Gan Fall said, surprised. "Aisa? What are you doing here?"
"Wyper and the others have gone to the shrine to fight God!" the little girl, Aisa, said urgently. "I heard... I heard some of their voices disappear. You have to go save them!"
"Wyper is a warrior," the chief said, looking at Jin and Robin, "but he is too reckless. He saw that the priests and the God's Army were gone and thought it was an opportunity. He went to Upper Yard without telling me. Aisa, who was born with Mantra, heard their voices and came to tell me."
In fact, Aisa had also heard the "voices" of the priests and the God's Army disappear all at once. The old chief, upon hearing this and connecting it to the voice that had challenged them, had realized that a powerful new player had appeared.
Whether they were here to challenge God or for some other purpose, they were the only hope for saving Wyper and the others. After 400 years of constant war, the Shandia tribe had dwindled. Wyper and his group were the last of their warriors. They couldn't afford to lose them.
Gan Fall saw the look in the old chief's eyes and knew the situation was dire.
Years ago, before Enel had arrived, he had tried to negotiate with the chief. But Wyper had sabotaged the talks, insisting that there was nothing to discuss, that the Shandia would never back down, that Gan Fall had to return everything.
Gan Fall had argued that Upper Yard had become an indispensable part of Skypiea, that he couldn't just take it back from the innocent people who now lived there.
Wyper had insisted that a price had to be paid for the sins of the past: the sacrifice of a hundred lives.
Gan Fall had refused, and the talks had broken down.
Now, this was a chance to finally resolve their conflict.
"I agree," Gan Fall said, his voice filled with a new resolve. "If you drive out Enel, you will be the new... God."
"What?" the old chief and Aisa said, stunned.
The White Berets were also shocked.
A man from the Blue Sea, as the new God? It was unprecedented.
Jin smiled. A title, a "rightful claim"... it was a seemingly small thing, but it was incredibly important.
Enel ruled through fear and despair. The people of the sky dared not speak out against him, but in the end, he was still overthrown.
If Jin just drove him out and took his place, he would have to rule by force.
But if he received the title from Gan Fall, a man the people respected, then his rule would be legitimate.
"Well then," Jin said, his voice ringing with the conviction of a righteous king, "—what are we waiting for? Enel is a usurper, a false god, a rebel. He must be punished. Take me to him."
He led them aboard the demonic carrier.
Gan Fall, riding Pierre, flew ahead, leading the way.
The ship shot forward at full speed.
"This ship is so fast!" Aisa said, clinging to the railing. "Even faster than a Waver!"
Soon, a green island emerged from the clouds, an island of massive trees and thick, winding vines.
Upper Yard was a circular island, with a large, round lake embedded in its lower corner.
As they approached, the sky darkened with storm clouds, and an oppressive aura descended upon them.
CRACK!
A bolt of lightning shot down from the sky, heading straight for the demonic carrier.
"Aaaah!" Aisa screamed.
But the lightning struck an invisible barrier above the ship and dissipated, the arcs of electricity being absorbed by the carrier.
"So he has enough spare energy to pay attention to us," Jin mused. "Does that mean Wyper and his group have been defeated? I'll go on ahead."
He leaped from the ship and landed on the branch of a tree on the shore. He spread his Observation Haki, covering the entire island, and located Enel.
Another bolt of lightning struck him, shattering the branch he was standing on, leaving a charred black mark.
"Eh??" Aisa's eyes widened. The man was completely unharmed. It was as if he were immune to lightning.
In the next instant, he had vanished into the forest.
"Aisa," Gan Fall said, "can you find Wyper and the others?"
Aisa closed her eyes and listened. "They're scattered," she said. "In different parts of the island. Their voices are very weak. They're seriously injured."
"Ma'am," Gan Fall said, turning to Robin, "can you help me rescue them?"
Robin nodded. "Alright. Let's go."
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In a ruin on the island.
Enel stood on a high perch, humming a tune.
"So, you've come," he said. "Saves me the trouble of looking for you. Oi! How long are you going to hide?"
He glanced to the side, and a figure shot out, a shell in his hand.
"Ten-Fold Impact!" Wyper roared.
The Reject Dial unleashed a massive shockwave that exploded in front of Enel. Wyper was also sent flying back by the recoil, crashing into the ruins.
The elemental Enel reformed in the distance.
"It's useless," he said, his voice filled with contempt. "How can a mortal's attack possibly harm a god?"
"Is that so?" a voice cut in.
It came with a fist that slammed into Enel's face, sending him flying.
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