"Luffy, where is the god you mentioned?"
Zoro looked up at the sky; the noon sun was slightly blinding.
"The place we're at now is called Angel Island."
Luffy walked toward the Merry Go, explaining:
"This is Angel Beach, part of Angel Island. To the northwest of this beach lies a larger island, called the 'Sacred Domain' by the people of Sky Island. It's also known as the Island of the Gods."
"The Island of the Gods? An island where deities reside? Could it be part of Jaya Island brought here by the Knock-Up Stream?" Robin speculated, pinching her chin.
A truly intelligent archaeologist—her mind worked fast.
"How do we get to that island of the gods?" Zoro asked.
"By boat, of course. Did you expect me to carry you there? Robin is one thing, but I'm not taking two people," Luffy replied.
As he spoke, Luffy leapt onto the Merry.
Usopp and the others were gathered at the bow of the ship. Hearing the commotion behind them, Usopp turned nervously and said:
"Luffy, look!"
He stepped aside, and Luffy and the others finally saw the strange sight.
A peculiar creature, cloaked in green and holding a small wooden hammer, stood there. The hood it wore covered most of its face, revealing only its mouth.
It was less than a meter tall, similar in size to Chopper.
But strangely, the figure seemed to have a blurry, translucent appearance—like a distortion in glass—even when standing right in front of them.
"Luffy, is this a ship spirit?" Sanji's face was full of astonishment.
"We left that fruit on the deck just now, and this thing appeared and ate it!"
Though it had taken the fruit, this was also Luffy's first time seeing a ship spirit.
Intrigued, he took a few steps forward, crouched down, and tried to communicate.
"How should I address you?"
"Going... Merry..." the little spirit murmured, its mouth moving slowly like a newborn learning to speak.
"Merry, are you a ship spirit?"
Merry nodded.
"What can you do? How do we use automatic navigation?"
"Say... the direction... or... the destination..."
Hearing this, Robin blinked in surprise and said,
"Does that mean he can help us navigate the ship?"
(I'm not sure... communication is a bit difficult.)
Luffy thought for a moment, then said to the crew:
"We're going to hunt this so-called god. Usopp, will you stay on the ship?"
There was no need to think about it. Usopp immediately jumped off the ship.
Following his lead, Johnny and Yosaku also disembarked.
"Luffy, even if I don't know who this god is, I really want to help you. But someone has to stay behind with the Sunny, so leave it to me!"
Usopp gave a thumbs-up and smiled.
"Have a safe trip!"
"Have a good trip, Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, Robin!" Johnny and Yosaku echoed.
Robin smiled slightly and said:
"What are you afraid of? Isn't Luffy with you?"
After everything they had been through, her confidence in Luffy had reached an extremely high level.
After all, he had even repelled a Navy admiral. This so-called Sky God couldn't possibly be that powerful.
"We need someone to stay here. Usopp, we'll leave the Sunny with you."
Luffy nodded and turned to Merry.
"Can you go northwest, to the Island of the Gods?"
Upon receiving the command, Merry immediately turned into green particles and merged into the ship's figurehead.
In the next moment, the ship began to move.
The anchor retracted automatically, the sails unfurled, and the rudder turned on its own.
Following the directions, Merry sailed toward its destination.
Everyone on board was astonished.
"It's really automatic."
"Luffy, where did you find something like this? It's unbelievable!"
"It's similar to a Rokushiki fruit—truly amazing."
Ignoring their comments, Luffy suddenly had an idea.
(If I just tell Merry to go to the Final Island, could we go straight there?)
(I'll have to try that when we get back!)
After about half an hour of sailing, the island came into view.
Unlike Angel Island, this one was made of actual land.
It was covered in dense forest and ancient trees towering all around.
"Does that god live in this place?" Sanji lit a cigarette and looked toward the distant treetops.
"He has the power of a Devil Fruit, and he commands four subordinates."
As they neared the shore, Luffy jumped off the ship first.
"The ruins of the golden city of Shandora are here—far inland."
The others disembarked one after another. Meanwhile, Merry automatically furled its sails and dropped anchor.
"The trees here are huge. Hundreds of years old? No... even if they were, they shouldn't be this tall and thick." Zoro observed, looking around.
Under Luffy's lead, the group made their way straight toward their destination.
Four hundred years ago, the golden city of Shandora was launched into the sky by the Knock-Up Stream. When it reached the highest point and was about to fall, it was pierced by a giant beanstalk.
Later, to seize control of the island, a long war broke out between the people of the Sky Island and the people of Shandora.
In the end, the Sky Islanders were victorious.
"The people of the Sky Island built a temple atop that beanstalk," Luffy concluded.
"Was it for the gold?" Robin frowned.
"No, they did it for the land itself, which they called 'Vass Hoods' on the Sky Island. The people of Shandora, on the other hand, were more concerned with protecting the Poneglyph."
"Poneglyph..." Robin's interest was piqued; she wanted to see it with her own eyes.
Luffy didn't explain what the Poneglyph contained—not wanting to spoil the discovery for her.
At the same time...
Inside the giant beanstalk, within the temple—
Enel lay on a bed, resting his head on one hand, holding an apple in the other, biting it lazily.
"These people know too much. Hahaha... interesting. Are they coming to hunt me?"
He swallowed the apple—core and all—then wiped his mouth with his thumb.
"Bring them to me."
"Yes, Enel-sama!"
A servant, round and nearly spherical in shape, went off to fulfill the order.
"There's still time before the ship is complete... so I'll play with them for a bit."
Lost in thought, Enel raised his left hand toward the sky.
Electricity sparked across his body, thunder gathering in his palm before shooting upward.
"El Thor!"
In the forest...
Luffy suddenly looked up, a slight smile forming at the corners of his mouth.
"You should move out of the way."
(End of Chapter)
I am officially back my friends 🤩🤩