"Are you guys ready?" Nami asked, pushing leaves out of her face as the group walked through the dense jungle.
"More than ready," Emma said with a smile.
"GOOOOOLLLLD!" Luffy shouted, jumping like a wild animal.
Nami hit him in the head. "Shut up, moron!"
"Ow! I'm excited!" Luffy said, rubbing his head.
"Okay, here's the plan," Nami said, pointing at the map. "We'll split into three groups. Me, Noah, Emma, and Luffy will get the gold. Sanji, Usopp, Robin, and Zoro will look for a way off this island. Chopper, you stay behind and take care of Gonfall and mary."
Chopper nodded shakily. "O-okay… I'll try not to die."
"If things go wrong," Nami said, looking around at everyone, "head straight to Angel Beach."
Everyone nodded.
The groups split up, leaving Chopper behind guarding the going mary and Gonfall.
Lightning flashed across the sky as Shandorian warriors and Eneru's soldiers clashed.
Weapons clashed as smoke rose, and the sound of explosions echoed through the air.
The whole upper yard felt like a war zone.
Trees shook and the ground rumbled.
"How long until we reach the City of Gold?" Luffy asked.
"I don't know, moron!" Nami snapped.
A distant explosion rattled the trees. Smoke rose in the sky. Birds scattered through the air.
"Nami. Stop." Noah said.
She froze. "What? What's wrong?"
"Do you hear that?" Noah muttered, putting a hand on his sword.
He unsheathed it in one smooth motion.
"Vector Manipulation—MAYHEM."
He swung.
A shockwave blasted through the jungle.
Every tree in front of them split in half and fell while leaves rained down around them..
"WHY DID YOU DO THAT!?" Nami yelled, confused.
"Nami, calm down," Emma said, stepping between them.
Luffy burst into laughter. "HAHAHA! That was awesome!"
"What… what is it?" Nami asked, now scared.
"We're surrounded," Noah said. "Wait—look."
A shadowy form stepped out of the smoke.
The man wore strange robes. His aura felt heavy.
"You almost got me," he said with a smile.
"Where are the rest of your men?" Noah asked.
"What men?" the priest answered. "It's just me…and my Mantra."
His aura was immense, radiating like a thousand warriors.
Noah's eyes widened.
"Wait… that's impossible," Noah said, worry in his voice. "One man, yet his power feels like a thousand."
Suddenly, a cannonball flew toward Luffy.
"Straw Hat!" a voice shouted. Luffy looked up.
BOOM!
"Oh. It's you. Cannon guy."
"My name is Wyper, you rubber freak! Now die!"
Wyper landed and fired again. Luffy dodged effortlessly.
"What do we have here?" the priest said. "A Shandorian warrior."
"You must be one of Eneru's priests," Wyper growled.
Noah stepped forward.
"Luffy, you and Nami continue on," Noah said. "I'll handle these two."
Emma drew her blades. "Don't you mean we will?"
The priest grinned.
He vanished.
He reappeared right in front of Emma and drove his fist into her stomach.
"Impact."
Emma flew backward.
"GUM GUM BALLOON!" Luffy shouted, catching her before she slammed into the ground.
Nami rushed to her side. "Emma! Are you okay!?"
Emma coughed. "D-damn… he's fast…"
Noah's grip his sword tighter. "How dare you…"
His sword glowed violently.
"Vector Manipulation—SCREAMS OF THE GOD SLAYER!"
He slashed.
The ground split.
A wave of destruction tore forward, ripping the jungle apart.
But the priest was already gone.
"You may have beaten Gedatsu," he said from behind a tree, "but my Mantra is far stronger and far faster."
"Luffy!" Noah shouts. "Take Emma and go!"
"I'll kill both of you," Wyper said, pointing his cannon.
Luffy grabbed Emma and ran. Nami followed close behind.
The priest—Shura—charged in with a spear coated in mantra.
Wyper fired shot after shot.
Noah dodged, parried, and countered, but both enemies pushed him harder and harder.
Shura moved around him like a ghost.
Wyper fought like a demon, each blast nearly tearing Noah apart.
"This isn't enough!" Noah shouts.
Shura lunged with his full strength. Noah blocked, but the impact sent him flying into a tree. Pain shot through his body.
Shura appeared in front of him in an instant. He set his hand on Noah's head and murmured.
"Impact."
CRACK!!
The blast hurled Noah into a massive boulder. He hit the ground face-down, bleeding out slowly as the world blurred around him.
"Lights out, kid," Shura said, raising his foot to step on Noah.
A cannon blast hit him, sending him flying back.
Shura did a backflip and landed on his feet.
He brushed off his clothes and then charged at Wyper.
Wyper fired his cannon. The blast shot straight at Shura, but he used his mantra to dodge it.
"Is that all you got?" Shura asked.
Wyper gritted his teeth. "Try this!" He fired the cannon again, faster this time.
Shura dodged to the side, flipped forward, and landed a punch on Wyper. Wyper fired again, but Shura rushed him, blocking the cannon's angle and knocking him back.
Blast after blast, punch after punch, the fight went on. Shura moved fast, dodging every shot and hitting Wyper hard each time. Wyper fired desperately, but Shura's mantra made him strong and quick.
Finally, Shura grabbed the cannon as Wyper tried to fire and slammed him to the ground. Wyper lay there, beaten and coughing.
Shura stood over him, breathing heavy. "Pathetic," he said.
Noah slowly pushed himself up, blood on his face. He whipped the blood from his mouth. "I'm not done yet," Noah said.