JUNCTION

Nami throws her arms up in the air, her eyes closed in pure joy, and screams at the top of her lungs, "THANK YOU, OH GOD~~ ~~~<3 WOOHAH~~~~~~!!!". Below her, Nami, Zoro, and Robin are standing in a dense forest, looking at a large, ancient stone ruin that is heavily overgrown with giant tree roots. Robin looks at Nami and asks, "Weren't you... afraid of the 'God' on this island...?". Nami, still smiling brightly, replies, "Ah... the place we tried so hard to reach... was actually the golden city... this must be my reward for being so good." Zoro, carrying his swords and a large backpack, looks at her skeptically and says, "Straighten your thoughts.... Weren't you just saying 'Thank you, oh God'...?". Nami turns back to him, looking annoyed, and retorts, "God!?...Aiya... who cares about God!? Are they worth more than money!?".

A large pink bird squawks loudly, "POH... GUKA KAKAKAK AKA!!!". Gan Fall, the Knight of the Sky, is riding the bird and fiercely clashing his lance against the shield of a masked Shandia warrior, Wyper. The impact creates a loud sound effect. Wyper, holding his ground, aims his bazooka directly at Gan Fall and says, "...Heh heh... It's useless...". He fires the bazooka, causing a massive, blinding explosion that engulfs Gan Fall and his bird in a thick cloud of smoke and debris. Sound effects of the blast and the intense clash fill the panels.

On the Crow boat sailing along the Milky Road, Usopp looks panicked and asks, "Is it 'String'!? 'Iron'!? 'Swamp'!!? What...? One trial is enough, damn it!!". Sanji, smoking a cigarette, warns him, "There will be more priests. Be careful!! It's the place for our next trial". Luffy, looking ahead with his hand over his eyes, asks, "Where are we now?". The boat approaches a large, flat plain covered in clouds. Luffy observes the landscape and says, "It's just an average looking plain." Usopp points frantically towards the plain and yells, "It's not 'average'!! Look carefully!! Those are human skulls on those poles!". The scene reveals numerous poles sticking out of the ground, each topped with a human skull. Luffy looks closer and casually says, "Oh? Ah! They are!".

Usopp screams in absolute terror, "IT APPEARED~~~~~~!!!", his eyes popping out of his head. A skull on one of the poles is shattered by a sudden impact. A voice yells out, "KA TSA!!". Luffy looks up in surprise, "Eh!!? Something is coming!!". Several Shandia warriors, including Wyper with his bazooka, Kamakiri, Braham, and Genbo, descend rapidly from the sky towards the Crow boat. They are armed with various weapons and look highly aggressive as they swoop down on the unsuspecting crew.

Luffy looks determined as the Shandia warriors fly past the boat. Wyper, smoking a cigarette, glares down at them menacingly. Luffy stretches his arm far back, preparing an attack, and yells, "GOMU GOMU...!!". The warriors maneuver swiftly in the air, one of them yelling "TSA GIH....". Wyper aims and fires his bazooka towards the boat. A massive explosion erupts in the clouds right next to the boat, sending shockwaves through the air. One of the warriors shouts, "BAA!!", while another yells, "THAT BASTARD!!".

Luffy's stretched body inflates massively as he yells, "BALLOON~~~!!", successfully deflecting the blast from the bazooka. A Shandia warrior looks shocked and says, "'Paramecia'...!! A devil power user?". Wyper, looking serious and focused, commands his men, "...No...!! Ignore them!!". Another warrior asks, "Waipa~~~!! Shall we engage?". Wyper repeats his order, "Sutan!! Sutan!!". Luffy, angry at the sudden attack, yells up at them, "Hey, what's your problem!!? Want to fight!!?". Sanji, standing next to Luffy, points out, "Hey, Luffy. He's the masked raider we met in the White Sea!!".

Wyper, flying away with his bazooka resting on his shoulder, looks back and warns the crew, "If you don't want to die, go back to Blue Sea. If you try to do anything weird on this island...". A Shandia warrior flying alongside him adds, "The citizens of the Blue Seas that caused a racket in Skypiea... So you are the ones...". Wyper finishes his threat with a fierce glare, "And eliminate you, too!!! I'll treat you like Enel,". Luffy angrily shouts back, "Bastard! What did you say!? C'mon and fight!!". Usopp, terrified by the exchange, yells, "Stop! Don't say any more!!! Ah~~~!! The raiders and God are enemies?".

Wyper flies off into the distance, his voice trailing back, "...That is, if you have the strength to escape from here." Luffy glares after him, his face set in an angry scowl, muttering, "What's their problem...!!!?". The Crow boat continues its journey along the Milky Road, navigating through the eerie plain of skulls. Sanji, analyzing the situation, says, "...One thing is for sure. They're God-Enel's enemy... But are they our enemy too?". Usopp, still nervous and wanting to avoid conflict, says, "Damn it~~~ What's this island's problem...?...Let's just move on~~~...".

A chaotic and brutal battle scene unfolds elsewhere. In the top panel, the giant dog Holy viciously bites down on a Shandia warrior, thrashing him around. In the middle panel, a dark-haired Shandia warrior is struck down by a powerful, unseen attack, crashing violently into the ground. In the bottom left, the Priest Gedatsu stands menacingly, his face partially obscured. In the bottom right, the Priest Ohm wields his sword, facing off against the Shandia warriors. The air is filled with the sounds of combat, impacts, and explosions as the Priests clash with the Shandia forces.

The intense battle continues. The Priest Shura, riding his giant fire-breathing bird Fuza, attacks a Shandia warrior from above, thrusting his lance. Gedatsu delivers a powerful, devastating punch, his face contorted in a fierce, almost manic expression. Ohm swings his sword with immense force, creating a shockwave that strikes another Shandia warrior, sending him flying. The Priests are demonstrating their overwhelming power and unique abilities against the Shandia warriors.

Back on the Crow boat, Usopp remarks, "We've been sailing for a long time! Yeah. Plus, nothing happened in that plain after all...". Luffy laughs cheerfully, enjoying the ride, "Wah~~~~ Ha ha!!! This is great. Go Karasu-maru!!". Sanji, looking ahead, wonders, "Will it be like this all the way to the altar?". The boat travels along a winding, elevated section of the Milky Road. Usopp notes the changing light, "There is sunset on Sky Island, too...". Sanji replies, "The sunset is behind the cloud, can't see it.....It's getting dark...".

Close-up shots show the intense, battle-hardened faces of the Shandia warriors: Kamakiri, Wyper, and Genbo. Shura, riding his bird, thrusts his lance forward with deadly precision, yelling "SATSU!!". The lance pierces straight through the wing of a Shandia warrior. Wyper and Kamakiri look on with fierce, angry expressions, their resolve hardening as the brutal battle against the Priests rages on.

The crew finally arrives at the Sacrificial Altar. Nami calls out anxiously, "Chopper!!? Where are you??". Zoro asks, "What happened!!? Chopper!!?". Usopp notices the severe damage to the Going Merry and says, "The mast of Going Merry is gone... What kind of weird repair did he do?". Sanji corrects him, "Of course not!!! He was attacked!!!". Nami yells, "...Chopper!!? We're sorry for being late!! Are you here!!? Answer me!!". Robin also calls out, "Chopper!!!". Usopp nervously asks, "...Did the attacker chop him into pieces?". Nami scolds him, "Don't make up scary thoughts like that!!!". Zoro shouts loudly, "Oi, Chopper!! Where the heck are you!!? What happened here!!?". In the shadows of the ship, a small silhouette of Chopper is seen, whimpering softly, "...N...".

Chopper emerges from the shadows, crying heavily with snot running down his face. A voice says, "...I understand. Be strong! Tell us everything that happened!". Chopper sniffles and bravely claims, "Nothing. I wasn't scared." Zoro points ahead and says, "Oh!? Look! It's Going Merry!! That's the altar!!". Sanji dances joyfully, yelling, "Yah~~~~~~~~!! Nami-san~~~~ Robin-chan~~~ I have finally passed the trial of love~~~ Ahahaha~~~!! <3". Nami smiles and says, "They seem full of spirit... That's good." Usopp puffs out his chest and says, "Were you scared!? Well Captain Usopp is here. You can relax now!!!". Zoro asks, "What... that was the trial we needed to pass?".

Chopper walks alongside Zoro, explaining the situation, "...Ah... That... Usopp, I'm sorry... I was fighting very hard... but they burned a bunch of things...". Zoro looks at the damaged ship and says, "The mast... it's gone...!!". Usopp says, "A lance that burns stuff? That's one tough opponent...!! Good thing the one that got burned wasn't you!! Hahahah!! We'll deal with the ship later." Chopper asks Zoro, "Eh!? Are your wounds okay?". Usopp replies, "Oh... yeah." Chopper cries out, "Yeah!! The Knight of the Sky...!!". Luffy asks, "He was hurt, too, wasn't he? Hey, Chopper!! Where's that weird ossan!!?". Chopper, still crying but determined, declares, "I will become a dependable man!!!".

Inside the ship, Gan Fall is resting in a bed, recovering from his injuries. Chopper says, "If the Knight of the Sky didn't come, the ship and I would've been goners. ~~~He would try that hard... just for a free whistle he gave us...!!?". Sanji says, "With the ship like this, and the sky getting dark... We'll have to wait until tomorrow to go back to Angel Island." Nami smiles and says, "Pieh~~~~ Thanks to you, too!". Luffy says, "There are a lot of things I want to ask him... I'll just wait until he wakes up!". Outside, Luffy cheers enthusiastically, "Woohoo~~~!! Yeah!!! Camping~~~~~!! Party~~~~~~~!!!". Sanji agrees, "If something happens, it'll be a better place to fight, too! We'll go camping next to the lake!". Zoro adds, "~~Anyways, let's just go ashore in the forest." Usopp panics, "Eh!? Wait. We're in enemy territory!! How can we go camping...?".

The crew has set up camp in the forest. Usopp stands in front of a blackboard, acting like a commander, "Oooookay... Thanks for everyone's report. Good work!! With everyone's information, many things became clear." Chopper interjects, "Uh... I was reporting that earlier!!". Luffy and Sanji exclaim, "Wow!! Really!?". Usopp continues his presentation, "This island is actually the golden city that the Saruyama United Armed Force had been trying to find!!! However, the most important information is this!!". Zoro asks, "~~What about the Mantra thing?". Sanji replies, "I only know that he used it to predict our next moves." Nearby, Robin is preparing something and says, "Because his gullet has been injured. Make it so that he can drink it...". Chopper agrees, "Yes. Chopper, should it be finer?".

The crew discusses their next move. Zoro smirks, "With plenty of enemies...!! This is a game of survival!". Sanji adds, "Nonetheless, with treasure up for grabs, pirates won't stay silent. Yeah?!". Robin smiles, "Heheh... Sounds interesting...!". Chopper looks terrified, "The God will be angry!!". Usopp warns, "Oi, oi, Luffy!! Did you forget... That raider's warning!!?". Nami smiles confidently, "Yup. If you're interested, makes things easier". Luffy grins widely, "Gold, eh!? I've been waiting for an adventure like this!!". He throws his arms up in excitement and shouts, "Yooooooo ooosh!!! It's decided!! We'll go and find gold!!!!".

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