Chapter 89: Skypiea – Arrival at Shandora & the Iron Trial
The Merry slowly moored at the cloud river bank near Shandora, white cloud waves gently lapping against her hull.
"Then, we're off!" Nami adjusted the Log Pose and waved to the companions staying behind. She, Robin, Sol, and Luffy formed the exploration team, ready to head to the Shandora ruins to investigate the Poneglyph and the gold's whereabouts.
"Please be careful," Vivi said from the rail, concern in her voice. "We'll guard the Merry."
Gan Fall mounted Pierre and nodded to the group: "If you need me, blow this whistle—I'll come immediately." Then he took to the sky and vanished into the vast cloud sea.
"Ooh! Adventure time!" Luffy leaped off the ship in one bound, pointing excitedly toward the distant dense forest. "Treasure, here I come!"
"Nami-san Robin-san Please stay safe no matter what!" Sanji practically flipped over the railing, frantically waving a handkerchief. "Sol! If either lady loses even a single hair, I won't forgive you!"
"Got it, curly-brow." Sol lazily waved back.
Robin—rarely showing impatience—spoke up: "Navigator-san, which way should we go?"
"Wow~" Nami gave a teasing wink. "Seeing the usually calm Robin get excited makes this trip worth it already." She spread out the map and compared carefully. "Should be this way—follow me!"
Fragrant aromas drifted from the galley. Sanji, apron tied on, hummed a tune while cooking. He suddenly poked his head out: "Moss-head! Go find some fresh ingredients! Chopper, go with him—don't let this direction idiot get lost!"
"Hah? Who're you calling direction idiot?!" Zoro's forehead vein throbbed, but he still grabbed his three swords, tucked them into his belt, and jumped down. "Let's go, Chopper."
"Wait for me!" Chopper hurriedly climbed off the ship to follow, then turned back to wave at Usopp and Vivi. "We'll bring back lots of ingredients! Usopp, Vivi—the ship's in your hands." He gave one last worried look before leaving.
"Don't worry!" Usopp thumped his chest confidently. "With this great captain here, the Merry will be perfectly safe!"
Vivi smiled and waved: "Everyone come back safe, okay?"
Soon after, faint screams echoed from deep in the forest: "Zoro! I said this way! Where are you turning?!"
Luffy marched ahead, humming a weird self-made tune. Suddenly his eyes lit up—he bent down and picked up a perfectly straight wooden stick—
Swish!
The stick sliced through the air with a crisp sound. Luffy swung it excitedly; surrounding weeds fell in clean cuts.
"This feel…!" Sol stopped dead, eyes sparkling as he rummaged frantically through nearby grass. But after several circles, he found no second stick of such perfect quality.
Nami looked utterly confused: "It's just a broken branch… If you want to play sword, go learn from Zoro."
"You don't understand!" Sol gestured wildly. "This natural straightness! The perfect weight distribution! And this smooth swinging trajectory!" His voice grew more and more excited. "Every man's DNA is engraved with the desire for the perfect stick—it's the kingly sword of the rapeseed field! The ultimate vessel of childhood fantasy!"
Luffy suddenly raised the stick overhead: "Look! My sword is glowing! It acknowledges me!" Sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting a halo around the stick.
"Aaaah I want it even more!" Sol spun in place in frustration. "Luffy! I'll trade three meals of grilled meat!"
"No way!" Luffy stuck out his tongue and made a face. "This is my treasure sword!" He swung again—swish—cutting down a patch of wildflowers.
"Damn it…" Sol stared longingly, looking exactly like a kid whose toy got stolen.
Nami facepalmed and sighed: "Men's thought processes are impossible to understand…"
Robin covered her mouth with a soft laugh: "Perhaps this is the eternal romance of boys."
Further down the path, Luffy marched ahead waving his "treasure sword." Sol followed dejectedly behind, eyes still stealing glances at the legendary perfect stick.
When the ancient Golden City Shandora finally came into view, Robin's footsteps suddenly slowed.
"You guys go look for the gold first." She gently touched a stone wall engraved with unfamiliar patterns, gaze lingering on the weathered carvings. "I want to… take a closer look here first."
Nami blinked: "Eh? You were so eager just a moment ago…"
"An archaeologist can't walk away once they see ruins~" Sol shrugged knowingly, hooked an arm around Luffy's neck. "Come on, Captain—let's go treasure hunting! Gold is calling us!"
"Meat!" Luffy suddenly shouted.
"…I mean gold."
"Oh! Then where's the golden meat?"
Nami couldn't take it anymore and delivered a hand-chop to both their heads: "Search seriously, you idiots!" She dragged the two troublemakers off in the opposite direction, calling back to Robin: "Shout if you find anything!"
——————
"Zoro… are we lost again?" Chopper's little hooves stepped nervously on the ground. They had passed this strangely shaped cloud cedar for the third time.
Zoro folded his arms confidently: "Impossible. We've been going straight the whole time."
"You call this straight?!" Chopper's blue nose twisted in anger. He recalled the horrifying moment earlier—just as he bent down to pick a mushroom, he looked up and Zoro was already two hundred meters away in the completely wrong direction. "It's obviously because you led us around randomly!"
"Is that so?" The culprit still looked completely innocent.
Chopper suddenly teared up and hugged Zoro's leg: "Don't worry… I'll definitely develop a special medicine to cure direction idiot syndrome!"
Whoosh!
Zoro suddenly scooped Chopper into his arms and leaped into the air. The next second, the ground where they had stood was blasted apart by a silver-gray "cloud." The harsh sound of metal clashing echoed through the forest.
"Why does a cloud make the sound of iron?!" Chopper trembled in Zoro's arms.
"That question…" Zoro landed steadily, keeping Chopper protected behind him. "…should be asked to our uninvited guest."
From the dust emerged a tall figure—a bald man in sunglasses holding a strange long sword, accompanied by a massive white dog. Iron-gray cloud wisps swirled around him, emitting metallic grinding noises.
"This is Iron Cloud." The man pushed up his sunglasses. "Cloud with the properties of steel. I am Ohm, priest under God Enel, master of the 'Iron Trial.'" He flicked his wrist; the iron cloud instantly condensed into a sharp long sword. "Survival rate… 0%."
"Heh, big talk." Zoro bit down on Wado Ichimonji; all three swords unsheathed at once. "Chopper, stay back."
"Seiketsu." Ohm called softly. The giant dog immediately bared its fangs. "Go deal with that raccoon dog."
"I'm a reindeer!" Chopper's protest was cut off as sparks of metal clashing exploded in the forest. Zoro's blades met the iron cloud sword in a deafening ring, startling flocks of birds into the sky.
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