Battle

"Sorry, can I ask where my companions went?" Li Ziming pushed open the door and saw a winged girl, a middle-aged man, an elderly man in armor, and a strange bird.

"Do you mean Mr. Luffy and the others?" Conis looked flustered. "They..."

"They are in trouble right now. This old man was just about to help them. Would you like to come along?" Gan Fall put on his helmet, and the strange bird transformed into a pegasus.

"Of course." Li Ziming did not hesitate.

"You cannot. Your injuries have not healed yet," Conis urged.

"It is just a minor injury." Li Ziming climbed onto the pegasus. "I cannot stand by when my companions are in trouble."

Elsewhere, Shura kept attacking the ship. His flame-spewing lance left the Going Merry battered and scarred, while Chopper's body was covered in wounds.

"Offer your life to God!" Shura coldly prepared to deliver the final blow to Chopper, but at the last moment, he suddenly dodged aside, allowing Chopper to escape.

"You did well, Chopper." Li Ziming looked at Chopper, covered in injuries, then at the battered Going Merry. An immense fury suddenly erupted within him.

"So you are one of their accomplices too?" Shura frowned. "It seems there should be eight of you on the wanted list, not seven."

Li Ziming suddenly appeared behind Shura and threw a punch at him.

"Sorry, I am an atheist!" Shura dodged Li Ziming's punch, but Li Ziming immediately activated his ability. An explosive shockwave struck Shura, only for him to block it effortlessly with one hand.

"Impact Dial!" Shura aimed his palm at Li Ziming.

"Damn it!" Li Ziming tried to use Geppo to escape, but a wave of discomfort suddenly swept through his body. The wound on his chest flared with intense pain, freezing his movement in midair.

"Kid, move!" Fortunately, Gan Fall arrived in time and saved Li Ziming.

"Do not move around when your injuries have not healed." Gan Fall handed Li Ziming over to Chopper. "Take care of him. Leave that priest to this old man."

"Okay!" Chopper quickly began treating Li Ziming's wounds.

"You are nothing more than a criminal now," Shura said coldly. "Sky Island does not need two gods!" With that, the two began fighting.

Though Gan Fall was already advanced in years, his strength remained formidable. He actually fought Shura to a standstill.

"Ziming, do not move around!" When Chopper saw Li Ziming wake up and try to sit up, he hurriedly stopped him.

"Idiot." Li Ziming placed one hand on Chopper's head. "There are some things we cannot leave to others. The Going Merry's revenge, and the debt for hurting you—I do not want anyone else to handle them."

Li Ziming stood up. "Chopper, could you get me some alcohol? The flat metal flask in the storeroom will do."

"Okay." Chopper quickly fetched a metal flask from inside the ship.

"Thanks." Li Ziming snatched the flask and charged toward Shura. By then, Gan Fall was unexpectedly already in grave danger.

"What is this?" Li Ziming used Geppo and sensed something tiny in the air that felt completely out of place.

"Detonate!" Li Ziming decisively detonated the air around him.

"Kid, are you coming up here to die?" Shura had already stabbed Gan Fall with his lance. "I will offer you as a sacrifice to God!"

"You talk too much." Li Ziming took a gulp of alcohol. The instant he opened the flask, the scent of alcohol spread out. Even his breath now probably carried a heavy amount of alcohol. "Explode!"

And that was indeed the case. The alcohol Li Ziming exhaled seemed to cling to something, forming strands of thin lines in the air.

"Not bad. You actually saw through my Rope Trial. What a pity, though. If this were my trial grounds, there would be far more rope clouds than this." Shura looked rather helpless, as if he were lamenting Li Ziming's good luck.

"Kid, your injuries..." Gan Fall was worried about Li Ziming's condition.

"Do not worry. I will definitely take care of this guy." Li Ziming took another gulp of alcohol, then used Geppo to dodge the fire breathed by Shura's giant bird and arrived beside Shura.

"Useless. My Mantra has already seen through everything!" Shura thrust his lance while preparing to evade Li Ziming's attack.

"Yeah, but my attacks are not that easy to dodge!" Li Ziming came beside Shura. "Ignition Blast!" The heat generated by the explosion ignited the alcohol in the surrounding air, instantly turning both men into a ball of fire.

"Useless." Yet Shura seemed completely unharmed. "The lance in my hand is equipped with a Heat Dial that absorbs heat, while my pet is equipped with a Flame Dial that absorbs flames. Your explosions are completely ineffective against me!"

"Is that so?" As if he had not heard Shura at all, Li Ziming took another drink and rushed beside him. "Ignition Blast!"

"I already told you it is useless. What a stupid Blue Sea person." Shura shook his head disdainfully and stabbed Li Ziming. "It is over!" Flames erupted from the lance, turning Li Ziming's entire body blackened.

"Explode!" Li Ziming refused to give up. He threw the flask in his hand at Shura. The flask exploded, but it did not hurt the prepared Shura. However, the alcohol inside splashed all over him.

"Foolish fellow." Shura casually flung Li Ziming away. "What a bunch of fools."

"Foolish?" Li Ziming lay on the ship's deck. "Fighting relies on brains, not brute force. Relying on brute force is protagonist plot armor."

"Ziming!" Chopper said nervously. "Stop talking. I will treat you right away."

"Rest assured, if that man wants to hurt you, he will have to step over this old man's corpse first." Gan Fall stood in front of them.

"I want to fight too!" Chopper said, his voice trembling. "I absolutely will not let Ziming die!"

"What nonsense? I have not lost yet." Li Ziming smiled at Shura. "Explode!"

Blood suddenly burst from all over Shura's body. His skin split open at the same time, making him look as though he were wearing a coat of blood as he collapsed to the ground, his eyes filled with disbelief.

"What did you do?" Gan Fall stared at Li Ziming in shock.

"Alcohol!" Li Ziming collapsed weakly onto the deck. "I merely turned the alcohol into a bomb. I used its evaporation to spread it through his body, then I just... detonated... it... from inside... his body..." After saying that, Li Ziming fainted once more.

"That truly was an outstanding battle." Gan Fall collapsed as well.

The two men fainting at once terrified Chopper, and he hurriedly began treating them both.

Meanwhile, Luffy and the others had also cleared the Ball Trial. The disappearance of two priests drew the attention of countless people.

"How interesting." Enel sat in his seat, looking down at the priests below. "The Shandia are becoming restless again, along with those Blue Sea people..."

"This is our chance. Aisa, the Mantra of two priests has disappeared, and so has the Mantra of former god Gan Fall. Tomorrow, we will drive those people out of our homeland!" Wyper said, brimming with fighting spirit. "Tomorrow, we will take Enel's head!"

For a time, all of Sky Island fell into a tense atmosphere because of the defeat of two priests.