Angel Island, God's Shrine.
Enel sat on his golden throne, propping his cheek on one hand as he lazily looked down at the kneeling Skypieans. His Mantra covered the entire island, and everyone's thoughts, fears, and prayers flooded his mind like noise.
"Boring." He yawned. "These insects pray for petty things every day-harvests, health, love. Why should a god concern himself with any of that?"
Beside the throne stood the four priests: Shura, who presided over the Ordeal of String; Satori, the Ordeal of Ball; Ohm, the Ordeal of Iron; and Gedatsu, the Ordeal of Swamp. They were all powerful fighters Enel had selected from across Sky Island, each possessing unique Cloud Dial combat techniques.
"Lord Enel," Shura said respectfully, "those Blue Sea People landed on the eastern side of Angel Island and are making contact with the islanders. That flame wielder among them seems quite popular."
Enel frowned slightly.
The information relayed by Mantra showed that the Blue Sea man called the Flame Emperor was currently surrounded by Skypiean children. He held a warm, harmless flame in his palm, making the children giggle. The adults nearby watched with curiosity, and even a measure of admiration.
"He's... buying their loyalty?" Enel sneered. "Foolish. Before absolute power, the support of these insects means nothing."
But deep inside, he felt a trace of unease.
For four hundred years, Sky Island had been a theocracy-successive gods had used military intimidation and religious indoctrination to make the people believe that "God cannot be defied." Yet now, the flames this Blue Sea man brought were warm, bright, and full of life, a stark contrast to Enel's cold lightning.
If the people began to long for that warmth...
"He cannot be allowed to continue." Enel rose. "Begin God's Trial. Tell that Flame Emperor that if he survives all four ordeals, I will grant him the right to challenge God. If he fails... he and his crew will all die."
"As you command." The four priests bowed and withdrew.
The eastern side of Angel Island, on the cloud beach.
Lin Yan put away his flames, watching the children run off laughing, a gentle smile on his lips.
"Captain, you're in a good mood?" Robin came to his side.
"Yes." Lin Yan nodded. "These children are innocent. Their world has none of the Blue Sea's racial discrimination or the World Government's oppression, only clouds, the sky, and simple happiness."
He paused. "But that's exactly what makes Enel's rule seem even crueler-he's planted fear in a place that should have been pure."
Ace approached from a distance, carrying several pieces of Water Water Meat, a Sky Island specialty. "Brother, I found out. Sky Island is divided into Angel Island and Upper Yard. Angel Island is where the Skypieans live. Upper Yard was originally part of Jaya Island, carried up here by the Knock Up Stream four hundred years ago. The Skypieans call it God's Island, and it's Enel's territory now."
"Upper Yard..." Robin's eyes lit up. "There must be a Poneglyph there. Jaya Island four hundred years ago was the Mont Blanc family's homeland, and the place where clues about the Ancient Weapon Poseidon were recorded."
Just then, four figures descended from the sky.
They were the four priests.
"Flame bearer of the Blue Sea," Shura spoke as their representative. "By the command of God Enel, we deliver this divine decree: you entered God's Kingdom without permission and should have been sentenced to death. But God is merciful and grants you a chance."
He unfolded a sheet of cloud paper, its words etched by lightning:
"Pass the four ordeals of God's Trial and prove yourselves worthy of an audience with God. The trial grounds lie in the four directions of Angel Island, and each ordeal is devised by one of us four priests. Time limit: before sunset."
"And if we fail?" Tashigi asked coldly.
"Those who fail will suffer El Thor." Satori laughed shrilly. "Which means... death~"
Flames ignited around Ace's fist. "A bunch of frauds playing god! I'll-"
"Ace." Lin Yan pressed a hand onto his shoulder, then turned to the four priests. "I accept the trial, on two conditions. First, during the trial, you must not harm my crew or any Skypiean civilians. Second, if I pass every ordeal, Enel must appear in person and fight me."
The four priests exchanged glances, and Shura nodded. "Agreed. Then... the trial begins now."
The four of them transformed into lightning, cloud rope, iron cloud, and swamp cloud respectively, flying off in four directions.
Lin Yan turned to his crew.
"Isuka, take half our people and guard the Flame Emperor against a surprise attack from Enel. Chopper, you're in charge of treating any civilians who might be injured. Robin, Tashigi, come with me."
"Brother, what about me?" Ace asked.
"You'll act alone." Lin Yan looked at him. "Ace, your mission is to find the Shandians-the native warriors who protect Upper Yard. Tell them I'm not an enemy. I've come to help them reclaim their homeland and ring the Golden Bell."
"The Golden Bell?"
"Yes." Lin Yan nodded. "It's the proof of a promise made four hundred years ago between Mont Blanc Noland and the great Shandian warrior Calgara. Ringing the Golden Bell will fulfill that four-hundred-year-old promise and allow the Shandians and Skypieans to truly reconcile."
Although Ace did not quite understand, he nodded firmly. "Got it! Leave it to me!"
"Stay safe." Lin Yan patted his shoulder. "Enel's Mantra can listen to thoughts, but your Flame Will can interfere with it-wrap your thoughts in blue flame, and he won't be able to hear what you're thinking."
"Okay!"
Everyone split up.
Lin Yan took Robin and Tashigi toward the nearest trial ground first, the Ordeal of String-a maze-like forest made of string clouds.
The Ordeal of String, the cloud rope labyrinth.
Inside the labyrinth, countless white cloud ropes swam through the air like living creatures. Thin but tough, they could easily slice through steel. More terrifyingly, under Shura's control, these ropes could form all manner of deadly traps: rope nets, rope arrows, rope gallows...
"Welcome to my domain." Shura's voice came from every direction. "Every cloud rope here is my eye and my arm. Your every move is under my surveillance."
He sat on a cloud seat at the center of the labyrinth, holding a flaming lance-the Flamethrower, a weapon made by combining a Heat Dial and a String Dial, capable of shooting burning rope arrows.
"The rules are simple: reach me and touch the hem of my clothes, and you pass." Shura smiled. "Of course, you can also choose to kill me. But... can you manage it?"
The instant he finished speaking, dozens of cloud ropes shot toward the three like venomous snakes!
Tashigi drew her sword, sending sword energy from her flame-coated Shigure, but the severed ropes immediately regenerated, endlessly.
Robin tried to seize the ropes with arms created by the Flower-Flower Fruit, but their slick surfaces and high-speed movement made them difficult to hold in place.
"Robin, Tashigi, step back." Lin Yan stepped forward.
He raised his right hand, palm down.
"Furnace Domain: Material Analysis."
Red-gold flames spread outward from him, instantly "scanning" every cloud rope they touched-the flames penetrated the ropes, analyzing their material composition, energy structure, and control mechanism.
[Analysis complete] [Target: String cloud (cloud variety unique to Sky Island)] [Composition: Solidified water vapor + special shellfish secretions + trace static electricity] [Weaknesses: High temperatures evaporate the secretions; strong magnetic fields disrupt the static electricity]
"I see." Lin Yan snapped the fingers of his left hand.
Snap.
The temperature within the flame domain began to rise slowly.
One hundred degrees, two hundred, five hundred...
The water in the cloud ropes began to evaporate, and the secretions began to break down. The moving ropes grew dry and brittle, finally scattering as white powder.
"What?!" Shura was shocked. "My string clouds... evaporated?"
"Not just evaporated." Lin Yan raised his left hand, a miniature magnetic vortex appearing in his palm-a strong magnetic field simulated using the Genesis Furnace. "There's this, too."
The vortex spun, forcibly stripping away the surrounding static electricity. Without it, the cloud ropes could not even maintain their basic shapes and crumbled all over the ground.
Shura gritted his teeth and raised the Flamethrower. "Don't get cocky! Taste this-Fire Rope Arrow: Hundredfold Volley!"
Hundreds of burning rope arrows erupted from the muzzle, each trailing blazing fire as they rained down on Lin Yan like meteors!
Lin Yan did not even dodge.
He merely raised his right index finger and tapped the air gently.
"Flame Emperor Finger Pistol: A Hundred Flames as One."
Every incoming fire rope arrow abruptly changed direction in midair. As though guided by an invisible hand, they all converged on Lin Yan's fingertip, then compressed and condensed, finally becoming a red-gold bead of fire.
The bead flew back and stopped in front of Shura.
"Here, take it back," Lin Yan said.
The fire bead burst open.
It was not an explosion, but a "bloom"-the flames unfolded like a flower, gently enveloping Shura. The temperature was controlled to render him unconscious without killing him. Three seconds later, the flames dissipated, and Shura collapsed.
The Ordeal of String, passed.
Time taken: two minutes, seventeen seconds.
The Ordeal of Ball, Cloud Ball Canyon.
Satori was an obese, ball-shaped priest. He sat on a giant cloud ball, surrounded by hundreds of smaller ones. These cloud balls contained Impact Dials; touching them would cause an explosion that unleashed a terrifying shock wave.
"My ordeal is very simple~" Satori laughed shrilly. "Reach the other side of the canyon before these cloud balls explode. Of course, the balls will attack you on their own, and... they move without a pattern~"
He pressed a button, and every cloud ball began moving rapidly and randomly, filling the entire canyon like a bullet hell game.
Robin frowned. "Even Observation Haki would struggle to fully predict movement this random."
"There's no need to predict it," Lin Yan said. "Tashigi, you've learned the Flame-Attached Swordsmanship: Flowing Flame Style I taught you, right?"
"Yes!" Tashigi tightened her grip on Shigure. "Attach flames to sword energy to create controllable flame trajectories, allowing the sword energy to turn in midair."
"Good." Lin Yan pointed at the cloud balls. "Use Flowing Flame Style to clear me a path."
"Understood!"
Tashigi took a deep breath and drew Shigure.
"Flame-Attached Swordsmanship: Hundred Flowing Flame Slashes!"
She unleashed over a hundred red-gold slashes of sword energy in succession! Rather than attacking the cloud balls directly, they traced intricate arcs through the air, interweaving like a net. Once their trajectories covered the entire canyon, Tashigi twisted her wrist-
All the slashes changed direction at once, cutting toward the cloud balls from different angles!
Pfft, pfft, pfft, pfft-!!!
The cloud balls were precisely bisected, their internal Impact Dials destroyed before they could activate. In just ten seconds, a great swath of cloud balls had been cleared from the canyon, opening a safe passage.
"What?!" Satori shrieked. "My cloud ball formation!"
Using Geppo, Lin Yan appeared before him in an instant.
"You rely too much on tools," Lin Yan remarked. "A truly powerful fighter is his own strongest weapon."
He touched a finger to Satori's forehead and knocked him unconscious with a jolt of flame.
The Ordeal of Ball, passed.
Time taken: one minute, forty-five seconds.
The Ordeal of Iron, the iron cloud forest.
Ohm was a taciturn swordsman. He sat atop a giant Cloud Wolf, holding the Iron Whip, a longsword made of iron cloud. Iron-gray cloud iron particles permeated the surrounding trees, ground, and even the air.
"My ordeal is cutting iron," Ohm said coldly. "Use your sword to cut through my iron cloud. But be warned: iron cloud is three times harder than steel, and... it flows."
He swung his sword. The Iron Whip lengthened and twisted like a living creature, thrusting toward Lin Yan from a bizarre angle.
Tashigi wanted to step forward, but Lin Yan stopped her.
"I'll handle this one," Lin Yan said. "It's a good chance to test a new ability."
He extended his right hand, red-gold flames pouring from his palm. This time, however, they did not spread. Instead, they began to take shape-the flames condensed, compressed, and solidified, finally forming a longsword.
The sword was three feet long and red-gold throughout, with flame patterns flowing along its blade. A small red gem was set into its hilt-a Dark-Dark Fruit tissue sample extracted from Blackbeard, which Lin Yan had refined into an energy core using the Genesis Furnace.
"Genesis Furnace: Mimetic Armament-"
"Flame Sword: Amaterasu."
Lin Yan gripped the sword and swung.
There was no dazzling sword energy, no explosive flame.
Only an utterly ordinary slash.
Yet wherever the blade passed, the iron cloud seemed to meet its nemesis-it was not cut apart, but "disappeared." Like pencil marks rubbed away with an eraser, the iron cloud was erased on a material level, leaving not even fragments behind.
"Impossible!" Ohm's expression finally changed. "My iron cloud... was 'deleted'? What ability is this?!"
"Material Reconstruction: Conceptual Application," Lin Yan explained. "It temporarily rewrites the target material's concept of existence as nonexistence, then restores it. Though it only lasts 0.1 seconds, that's enough to cut through any material."
With three consecutive slashes, he severed the Iron Whip, shattered the Cloud Wolf, and finally stopped his sword tip three inches from Ohm's throat.
"You lost."
The Ordeal of Iron, passed.
Time taken: one minute, twelve seconds.
The Ordeal of Swamp, the swamp cloud marsh.
Gedatsu was a priest wearing a gas mask. He lurked beneath the thick swamp clouds, with only half his head exposed.
"My ordeal... is endurance." His voice was muffled. "Stay in these swamp clouds for ten minutes, and you pass. But be warned: the swamp clouds release poison gas, and they devour life... hee hee hee..."
The swamp clouds were indeed poisonous-as Chopper later determined, they contained a neurotoxin combining mold unique to Sky Island with rotten cloud water. Inhaling it caused hallucinations and ultimately death by suffocation.
Robin used the Flower-Flower Fruit to create an air-filtering cover, but its effectiveness was limited.
Tashigi tried to evaporate the swamp clouds with flames, but they were too thick and evaporated very slowly.
Lin Yan, however, smiled.
"Poison gas? Perfect."
He walked to the edge of the swamp clouds, crouched, and plunged his hand into the viscous cloud marsh.
"Genesis Furnace: Energy Conversion: Toxin Refinement."
Red-gold flames poured from his palm into the swamp clouds, not burning them, but "converting" them-breaking down the toxin molecules, reconstructing them, and refining them into pure life energy!
The swamp clouds changed from dark green to pale gold, their thick consistency turned clear, and their pungent odor became the fresh fragrance of vegetation.
Gedatsu sprang out of the clouds in horror. "What are you doing to my swamp clouds?!"
"Treating an illness." Lin Yan stood. "The prolonged buildup of rotting matter turned these swamp clouds into a malignant growth. I've purified them. Real plants will grow here from now on, instead of poisonous mushrooms."
He snapped his fingers, and tender green shoots actually emerged from the purified cloud marsh-Sky Island plants whose growth Lin Yan had accelerated with the Flame of Life.
Gedatsu stared blankly at the sight, then suddenly dropped to his knees.
"You... you didn't come to destroy," he murmured. "You came to... save?"
Lin Yan did not answer, merely knocking him unconscious with a jolt of flame.
The Ordeal of Swamp, passed.
Time taken: two minutes, fifty-nine seconds.
God's Shrine, at sunset.
As Enel listened to reports of the four priests' successive defeats, his expression grew darker and darker.
"The Ordeal of String, two minutes, seventeen seconds; the Ordeal of Ball, one minute, forty-five seconds; the Ordeal of Iron, one minute, twelve seconds; the Ordeal of Swamp, two minutes, fifty-nine seconds..." He tightened his grip on his golden scepter. "Altogether... less than nine minutes."
Although the four priests were not top-tier fighters, each of their trial domains was extremely difficult to deal with. Normally, even someone at the level of the Blue Sea's Shichibukai would need at least an hour to pass every ordeal.
Yet this Flame Emperor had taken only nine minutes.
"And the methods he used..." Enel gritted his teeth. "It wasn't brute force, but understanding and conversion. He saw through the essence of each ordeal, then resolved it in the most elegant way."
An enemy like this was more frightening than one who relied on pure strength.
"Lord Enel, what do we do now?" a surviving Skypiean guard asked in a trembling voice.
Enel stood, and the four drums behind him began accumulating electricity.
"Since he wants to see God..."
"Then I'll let him see-"
"What true 'divine punishment' is!"
He turned into lightning and vanished from the temple.
Meanwhile, Lin Yan stood in the central plaza of Angel Island, looking up at the sky.
Dark clouds began to gather, lightning coursed through them, and a terrifying pressure enveloped the entire island.
"It's coming," he said softly.
Behind him, Robin and Tashigi stood ready for battle.
In the distance, Ace hurried over with a dozen or so Shandia warriors.
Farther away, the crew aboard the Flame Emperor tightened their grips on their weapons.
Sky Island's grandest battle in four hundred years-
The Thunder God vs. the Sun God.
Before you continue