Bullet walked at the head of the group, two broken lengths of spear tucked into the leather loops at his waist. The metal fibers at the broken ends rubbed together as he walked, making a faint rustling sound. He strode deeper into the temple along the colonnade, his steps long and hurried, as though he were sulking at the people behind him.
Buggy huddled in the middle of the group. On either side of the colonnade, the God Guard's spears gleamed a cold, metallic white in the twilight. Their gazes fell on the back of his neck from every direction, like tiny needlepoints pressed against his skin. He could feel cold sweat breaking out across his back.
Roger walked ahead of Buggy, carrying the mostly empty wooden barrel in his left hand, his right hand tucked into his pocket, as though he were strolling through his own backyard.
Rayleigh followed on his right, one hand resting on his sword hilt, his posture relaxed. Gaban brought up the rear. The others trailed behind in a loose scattering.
Through the corridor, across the courtyard, and along the narrow passage between the two Glaze Cloud Sky Shark statues at the entrance to the second temple building, the group finally reached the doors of the Central Hall.
The door, fashioned from a single slab of processed clouds, had been polished smooth as a mirror, clearly reflecting everyone standing before it. A fine layer of gold dust lined the grooves of the divine emblem at its center.
Bullet knelt on one knee just inside the threshold, holding the two broken lengths of spear in both hands, their broken ends facing upward.
"Lord Annus, the Roger Pirates have arrived."
Roger stepped over the threshold and stopped on the cloud floor of the Central Hall. Rayleigh and