The Panicked Crew and... Straw Hat's Capture

On Angel Beach, Nami and the others leisurely enjoyed the warm sunshine, while Zoro trained hard and sweated profusely on the side.

"Ah... life here is so leisurely and comfortable. No wonder it's called the God's Nation. I almost didn't want to leave." Nami, wearing a swimsuit, lay lazily on Cloud Layer- made lounge chair, humming like a kitten.

"Miss Nami, wherever you want to go, please take me with you. I've been captivated by you forever." Sanji, who appeared out of nowhere, criticized Nami's taste with an artistic eye, revealing a perverted smile.

"I can't believe there's such a wonderful paradise on earth, with endless delicious food, countless fantastic games, and the only thing you have to do every day is sleep for twelve hours. Maybe this really is the God's Nation." Usopp patted his round belly, looking completely satisfied.

"Usopp, you've gotten so much fatter!" Chopper warned seriously, his little face tense, then his expression turned worried. "And everyone else, it seems like we've all become a lot more decadent since we came here. If this continues, we'll be corrupted by this privileged life."

"Hehe, don't worry, anyway, we'll be able to leave Sky Island in just half a month. We don't know if we'll ever have another chance to come back to this God's Nation, so of course we have to seize this last moment and enjoy it to the fullest." Nami's lips curled into a playful smile. "Also, Chopper, next time you say something like that, could you please drop what you're saying?"

"Ugh... Absolutely not!" Chopper instantly became alert, biting off the food in his hand, his cheeks bulging out like a little hamster stuffed with food.

"No... no, no, everyone!" Vivi rushed in, breathless, her pretty face filled with unease and fear.

Zzzzz!

Zoro instantly grasped Wado Ichimonji in his hand, jumped in front of Vivi, and asked succinctly, "Enemy?"

The crowd gradually realized what was happening and hurriedly gathered around.

"Vivi, have some water. What happened?" Nami carefully handed her a cup of tea and asked in a low voice.

"Th... thank you." Vivi didn't stand on ceremony. She took a sip of water to calm her agitated emotions before taking a deep breath and saying, "They're enemies, or rather, potential enemies."

"Potential enemies?" Seeing that there were no pursuers or ambushes, Zoro also put Wado Ichimonji back into the scabbard hanging at his waist.

"Everyone, we were indeed careless. We only knew that the god on the Sky Island might be a great pirate from the latter half of the Grand Line, but we didn't think about it any deeper." Vivi said, unable to hide her worry, "Do you know the name of the pirate crew that occupies the Sky Island and claims to be a god?"

Everyone fell into deep thought. After a while, Nami tentatively asked, "Is it called Phantom Sword? I think I've heard people in town mention it a few times, but I don't remember it and didn't think much of it. Is there something wrong with this Phantom Sword Pirates?"

"A problem? This is a huge problem!" Vivi couldn't help but smile bitterly. "You may not remember this name, but it's Nightmare I can't forget day and night!"

"Nightmare... what do you mean?" Usopp asked, his Adam's apple bobbing and his body trembling.

Nami and the others also had their own guesses, but the words stuck in their throats, and they dared not ask, afraid of hearing the answer they least wanted to hear.

"Just as you guessed, Nightmare is the captain of the Phantom Sword Pirates. In other words, the god on Sky Island is very likely Nightmare, and we have just stumbled into the enemy's territory by accident," Vivi said with difficulty.

"You... you must be joking, right? Vivi, you must be joking, right? How could a monster as ferocious as Nightmare be a god, especially a god of this beautiful and Fantasy Kingdom?" Sanji found it hard to accept. Due to the nightmarish memories of his childhood, his fear of Nightmare was even greater than that of others.

"It's a pity, but that's the truth. We should have thought of this a long time ago. Possessing this kind of technological power that almost only exists in future fantasies, with any one of their guard teams composed of powerful pirates with bounties of over 100 million, there are only a handful of such powerful and terrifying forces in the whole world that we can actually consider." Seeing the expectant looks on everyone's faces, Vivi couldn't bear to shatter their illusions.

"We're doomed, we're doomed. We just provoked Nightmare last time, and now we've been delivered right into his hands. Have we walked right into his trap?" Usopp's eyes were unfocused, like a salted fish that had lost its dreams.

"I'm just a small-time pirate with no bounty, why do I always encounter such powerful monsters?" Nami cried out in despair.

"Wait a minute, I remember Conis said that in half a month it will be the rotation period for the God's Guard, and at that time we can go to the sea with their god. Doesn't that mean that in half a month, we might face Nightmare himself?" Zoro asked calmly.

"No, absolutely not!" The three cowards had already huddled together and cried, trying to keep each other warm.

"It's fortunate that Miss Vivi discovered this in time, otherwise it would have been truly foolish of her to offer herself up like that." Sanji remarked, while also offering a small compliment.

"Hmm, perhaps it's because we're insignificant in the eyes of a great pirate like Nightmare that he didn't inform the entire pirate crew about us. That's why the God's Guard didn't capture us, allowing us to live in peace for the past two weeks," Zoro calmly analyzed.

"However, if we willingly deliver ourselves to Nightmare's doorstep, he will definitely not be kind enough to let us go. To a great pirate like him, our strength is far too weak, and defeating him would be a matter of an instant."

While everyone was filled with lingering fear, they were also relieved. If it weren't for Vivi's discovery today, they would probably have become the most foolish pirates to die in the world.

"But this creates a vicious cycle! If we want to return to the Grand Line, we have to join the God's Guard, but joining the God's Guard will send us into the hands of Nightmare. Does this mean we'll really have to live in fear on Sky Island for the rest of our lives?" Nami cried out in despair.

"No, there's another way: steal the Octopus Balloon from the God's Temple and force our way back to the sea!" Zoro said decisively.

"Really... do we have to do this? Last time, that terrifyingly strong Carrion Vulture only had a bounty of 100 million Beli, while the God's Guard are all great pirates with bounties of over 100 million Berries. No matter how you look at it, this enemy is far more formidable than the last one." Vivi was somewhat conflicted.

"That's the only way. Facing them is better than facing Nightmare, right?" Sanji said calmly, having recovered his composure.

Everyone paused upon hearing this, recalling the despair they had felt last time, and nodded hastily. Indeed, dealing with Nightmare's minions was far better than directly confronting a monster like Nightmare.

"No... no, no, everyone!" Conis rushed in, breathless, her pretty face filled with unease and fear.

Everyone looked at Nami with a strange expression. What was going on with this scene that seemed so familiar? The sense of déjà vu was so strong.

"Luffy... Mr. Luffy has been captured by the God's Guard!"