The moment the Bellamy Pirates appeared before Crocodile in Mock Town under Flamingo's emblem, the town's fate was sealed. All that remained was an orderly slaughter.
That was all.
As battle smoke filled the skies over Mock Town and blood ran through its streets, the war in Upper Yard, ten thousand meters above the Blue Sea, was also nearing its end.
Wyper had lost count of how many times he had seen these ruins. He had come and gone countless times over the years, but he had never imagined there was another world beneath the Island Clouds.
"Is this Shandora?"
They had fought their way here. Of the more than a hundred who had set out, only a handful remained. But the terrible cost had been worth it. At last, they had found Shandia's Holy Land—the place their ancestors had given their lives to protect.
Shandora!
Even Wyper stood transfixed. The other Shandia warriors were more shaken still. They raised their hands toward the moss on the stone walls, only to stop short at the last moment, too awed to touch it.
To protect Shandora, their ancestor, the great warrior Calgara, and those before him had fought for four hundred years. After arriving in the White-White Sea, their people had fought for another four hundred.
Eight hundred years of blood and sacrifice, all to protect this ancient city before them. To protect the Holy Land in their hearts. Yet now that Shandora finally stood before him, Wyper found himself afraid.
He did not know how to put what he felt into words. Was it reverence for his ancestors? Or awe at Shandora?
With his thoughts in turmoil, Wyper felt he only needed to stand and look in Stillness. Shandora deserved peace.
But then—
Boom!
A bolt of lightning tore across