Just then, the Master of the Sky's massive tail began twisting strangely, and its head jerked in a ridiculous motion, almost like it was coughing. Smoke puffed from its mouth as if it were trying to force something out of its throat.
"Hisss..."
The giant let out a pained groan and hacked violently. To Enel's surprise, a blazing figure shot from its mouth and plummeted toward the ground.
"Pah! Pah! Pah!"
Yemu, spat out by the Master of the Sky, crashed into a heap of rubble, smashing through several crumbling walls. If he hadn't partially transformed into fire to soften the blow, he probably wouldn't have been able to move.
"Yemu! You're alive, thank god!"
Enel's voice echoed from a short distance away. Yemu turned and spotted him standing there, his body crackling with electricity.
"Looks like Enel ate the Goro Goro no Mi."
Seeing that, Yemu felt a wave of relief. Despite all the setbacks, everything was unfolding just as he had hoped.
"Hisss..."
The Master of the Sky turned a furious glare on the two of them. These pests had dared to provoke it again and again—it clearly wanted to devour them both.
It retracted the tail that had been aimed at Enel and flung it toward Yemu, who was still catching his breath on the ground.
Yemu's pupils shrank in an instant.
Luckily, thanks to the Devil Fruit's power, his body had recovered enough to move again. He reacted swiftly, dodged the attack, and shouted to Enel.
"Enel! Run! Head back the way we came!"
There was no way they could take on the Master of the Sky now.
Neither of them had fully grasped their Devil Fruit powers, and both were still physically drained. They couldn't hope to stand their ground.
Relieved to see Yemu alive, Enel didn't hesitate. As soon as Yemu gave the order, he turned and bolted in the direction they'd originally come from.
The Master of the Sky was incredibly fast, but the maze of ancient buildings around them slowed it down. To catch the two small figures, it had to constantly smash through obstacles, leading to a bizarre chase scene.
It seemed like the serpent could snap their backsides off at any second, but every time it got close, they darted into narrow alleys or slipped through tight doorways, forcing it to twist away and giving them another chance to escape.
The pursuit dragged on until they reached the spot where they had originally fallen. Yemu and Enel looked up at the small hole in the sky above them.
"There's no time to climb out," Enel said nervously.
The Master of the Sky's massive jaws were already descending on them.
Yemu felt his strength nearly spent. He clenched his teeth, steeled himself, and made a desperate decision.
"Get ready. I'll hold off the Master of the Sky—you climb up first."
"What!?"
Enel stared at Yemu, eyes wide.
But Yemu didn't have time to explain. He quickly estimated his position, recalled Ace's techniques from the anime, and summoned the last reserves of energy within his body.
"Hiken!"
In an instant, his arm ignited into roaring flames, transforming into a massive fire fist, several times larger than his body. It launched straight at the Master of the Sky's head.
"RAAAHHHH!!"
With a thunderous howl, the serpent's entire head burst into flames. It thrashed about wildly, slamming into everything around it, desperately trying to extinguish the fire engulfing its skull.
Seeing his attack actually take effect, Yemu let out a breath of relief and shouted back to Enel.
"Go! Run!"
And just as the two of them made it out through the hole, a wave of suffocating pressure surged through Yemu's head—and then everything went black.
...
Time slipped by in a blur...
Night fell over the island of the gods—Upper Yard. In the temple of Upper Yard, Gan Fall lay comfortably in his chambers, flanked by two beautiful, winged maidens tending to him.
Though once proud and strong, Gan Fall was now in his fifties. Despite his title as a god, he was still just a human. The passage of time had etched wrinkles deep into his face, and his body could no longer endure the same strain it once had. Slowly, his eyes closed as he drifted into sleep.
But just as he was about to fall into slumber, a sudden clap of thunder ripped through the sky. Gan Fall's nerves immediately snapped taut, and he bolted upright, clutching his head.
A flash of irritation crossed his face. No one enjoys being jolted awake from a peaceful rest.
At that moment, the chubby captain of the Divine Soldiers stepped forward and bowed.
"God-sama, are you all right?"
"Do I look all right to you?"
Gan Fall snapped, still visibly annoyed. He shot the captain a sharp look.
"Have you figured it out yet? What the hell is going on?"
"I'm sorry, God-sama!"
The guard captain's helpless reply only fueled Gan Fall's anger.
"What's happening here? Why have so many strange incidents occurred in Upper Yard over the past five years? First, constant lightning storms. Then unexplained forest fires. And now creatures disappearing without a trace! What is going on!?"
He demanded, voice full of frustration.
The captain looked equally distressed.
"I—I truly apologize, God-sama. I've sent patrols out time and again, but we've found no leads at all."
"Sigh..."
Gan Fall let out a long, weary sigh.
"This is giving me a headache."
He couldn't help but feel worn down by the burdens of leadership. For years, he had struggled to ease the conflict between the Skypieans and the Shandians. But tensions that had built up over centuries weren't so easily undone. After a lifetime of effort, things were no better. The Shandians still held deep resentment, and he himself couldn't bring himself to abandon Upper Yard—the land the gods had given them.
"Forget it. Just settle this quickly. And about tomorrow—cancel my appearance at the Knock Up Stream ceremony. You handle it. Make sure nothing goes wrong, understand?"
Gan Fall had aged. A few years ago, he wouldn't have missed the annual celebration of the Knock Up Stream. But now, he no longer had the energy.
"As you command, God-sama."
After the guard captain departed, Gan Fall laid back down. Thankfully, the rest of the night was quiet, and he finally drifted off into a peaceful sleep.
...
Beneath the temple, at the base of the vines, within the ruins of the legendary City of Gold—Shandora...
A colossal bonfire roared, and suspended above it was a giant slab of dinosaur meat—already prepared and roasted to a golden crisp, crackling like a mountain of savory perfection.
Above that feast, in the pitch-black night sky, a streak of fire clashed repeatedly with a bolt of lightning, the air erupting with deafening thunder. With every collision, shockwaves rippled through the sky, visibly distorting the air itself...