Upper Yard—Apayado.
This forbidden land, revered as the "Holy Ground" by the people of Skypiea, was nothing like the soft, dreamlike white clouds of Angel Island.
Beneath their feet lay solid, heavy brown earth—the sacred "Vearth" the sky people longed for.
Towering vines twisted like ancient dragons, climbing skyward and blotting out the sun, leaving behind only fragmented, eerie shadows.
"Tch… what kind of place is this?"
Zoro rested a hand on his sword hilt and casually swung.
A flash of steel cut through the air, and a massive tree as thick as a thigh was severed at the base.
Wood chips scattered as he frowned and scanned his surroundings.
"One minute it's rock, the next it's endless forest… Wasn't this supposed to be a sky island? Shouldn't everything be clouds?"
Zoro had been wandering this dangerous, primitive jungle for who knew how long.
With his Indestructible Body training, every step he took left a deep footprint embedded inches into the soil.
A heavy, restrained aura of vitality radiated from him, frightening birds deep in the forest into flight.
Just as he was about to pick another "straight-looking" direction—
A sharp sound of wind being cut, mixed with metallic clashes, echoed from the northwest.
"A fight?"
"Finally… someone I can ask for directions."
A grin spread across his face.
He kicked off the ground.
Like an arrow released from a bow, he leapt between tree trunks and silently landed on a thick branch overlooking a clearing.
In the clearing—
The battle was completely one-sided.
A female warrior in a tight leather outfit knelt on one knee, breathing heavily.
Her long dark hair was disheveled, and a burn scar marked her arm.
She gripped a strange dial-powered gun tightly, her eyes filled with stubborn defiance.
Opposite her—
A man riding a massive three-meter bird hovered above.
He wore a pilot's cap and goggles, holding a flaming spear that distorted the air with its heat.
"Shandian trash… this is where you die."
The man sneered, swinging his spear and sending flames fanning outward, igniting the surrounding vegetation.
"You dare invade the Holy Land and interfere with God Enel's plan…"
"Burn to ashes!"
This man—
Was Shura, one of Enel's Four Priests.
Mounted on his bird, Fuza, he raised his spear for the killing blow.
"Guess I can't just ignore this."
A cold voice drifted down from above.
Shura's eyes sharpened instantly.
Using his Mantra, he looked up.
At a green-haired man standing calmly on a branch.
"Hey, brat. Stay out of this and you might live a few seconds longer."
Shura sneered.
"Dare oppose me, one of God's priests? You've got a death wish."
Zoro ignored him completely.
He dropped lightly to the ground.
"Thud."
His landing echoed heavily.
An invisible pressure spread outward from him.
"You're… from the Blue Sea?" the female warrior asked in shock.
"Blue Sea? Yeah, I guess." Zoro replied casually. "Who are you?"
"My name is Raki… a Shandian warrior—"
"Still chatting when you're about to die?!"
Shura roared in fury.
The complete disregard pushed him over the edge.
"Die, you arrogant Blue Sea fool!!"
"Flame Spear—Scorching Inferno!!"
He lunged.
A red blur tore forward.
The flaming spear roared like a fire dragon, thrusting toward Zoro's chest at terrifying speed.
"Dodge! That spear uses a Heat Dial—you can't block it!" Raki shouted.
Zoro didn't even look at it.
At the instant the spear was inches away—
He vanished.
Too fast for the eye to follow.
Shura's pupils shrank.
His attack pierced nothing but an afterimage.
"Too slow."
"SHING—!"
A crisp draw of a blade rang out behind him.
Wado Ichimonji traced a stunning arc of light through the dim forest.
"Psssh—!"
Shura froze.
A cold sensation spread across his chest—
Then—
Overwhelming pain.
Blood erupted into the air, staining the earth below.
"How… how is this possible…"
"My Mantra… couldn't even track him…"
Before he could finish—
He fell from his mount.
Unconscious.
Raki covered her mouth, eyes wide with shock.
She had seen many warriors.
But never—
Someone who could defeat a priest in a single strike.
"Just a small fry who talked too much."
Zoro sheathed his sword with a sharp click.
He scratched his head awkwardly.
"Hey… you said this place is Apayado, right?"
"So… what's going on here?"
Raki snapped out of it and spoke quickly:
"This is our homeland… We Shandians are fighting to reclaim it from Enel."
"That man just now… was one of his subordinates."
"A war, huh…"
Zoro looked up at the darkened sky.
"No wonder the atmosphere feels so nasty."
"BOOOOOM—!!!"
As if responding to his words—
Thunder roared from the clouds.
A bolt of lightning, thicker than a barrel, crashed down from the sky.
This was Enel's "Mamaragan"—a merciless strike of destruction.
And—
It locked onto Raki.
"It's over…"
She closed her eyes in despair.
"Hey. Don't zone out at a time like this."
Zoro stepped forward.
Facing the descending lightning—
His hand gripped his sword.
A terrifying killing intent surged.
"One-Sword Style—36 Pound Phoenix!"
"SWOOOSH—!!!"
A massive, translucent blue slash shot upward.
It collided with the lightning—
And split it cleanly in half.
"CRACKLE—!!"
The lightning shattered midair—
Dissolving into harmless sparks.
Raki was completely stunned.
She stared at Zoro's back.
Amid the falling sparks—
He looked like an unshakable mountain.
"You… you cut lightning…?"
Her voice trembled with awe.
She suddenly dropped to her knees.
Her eyes filled with hope.
"Please! Save our people!"
"Defeat Enel—the one destroying everything from the sky!"
Zoro glanced at the thunder-filled sky.
"Saving people? Sure."
A grin spread across his face.
One filled with absolute confidence.
"As for that lightning lunatic up there…"
"Someone's already gone to deal with him."
Raki's eyes lit up.
"That's… that's great!"
"Please, follow me!"
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