Usopp, Hina, and Jinbe also eagerly grabbed a Slash Dial glove each and began experimenting.
It wasn't long before their gloves ran out of energy. They turned towards Zoro and Law, hoping for a recharge, but the two swordsmen's dark expressions and the palpable "dare you even think about it" aura they exuded immediately deterred the trio.
"Hey, Zoro, save me some slash!" Luffy shouted, completely unfazed by Zoro's menacing glare.
With a deep sigh and an even darker look, Zoro reluctantly imbued Luffy's glove with more slashes.
Seeing this blatant favoritism, Usopp loudly accused Zoro of bias and demanded some slashes for himself. Without a word, Zoro unleashed two flying slashes directly at Usopp, shocking everyone.
Fortunately, Usopp managed to intercept them with his glove just in time; a direct hit would have been no laughing matter.
"Hey! Zoro! Are you trying to kill me?!" Usopp snarled, baring his teeth in mock fury.
"Oh? Didn't you ask me to give you some slashes? Well, didn't I?" Zoro replied with a sinister grin.
"That's not how you 'give' slashes! That'll get someone killed!" Usopp exclaimed.
Reluctantly, Usopp abandoned his playful antics, and Hina and Jinbe also quieted down.
Only Luffy remained undeterred, persistently badgering Zoro for more slashes, a behavior that his crew had long since learned to ignore in their unreliable captain.
Just then, Wiper and his Shandia warriors flew past on their Wave Dials. The two groups exchanged a brief, stunned look. Wiper's team continued forward momentarily, carried by their momentum, before he abruptly turned around and unleashed a barrage of what looked like a hundred cannon rounds towards the Merry.
"Candle Slash!" Little 3 swung his Wax-Wax Fruit ability, creating a sharp candle blade that cleanly sliced the incoming cannonballs in two. "You won't be attacking our ship!"
Wiper glanced at Little 3. "Tch! Paramecia?"
Wiper recognized the Blue Sea pirates and the ship he had attacked earlier. Luffy and the others weren't blind either and quickly identified Wiper. Although he had worn a large mask during their previous encounter, his distinctive equipment and the tattoos on his arms remained unchanged, making him easily recognizable.
"You're that ambush guy!" Luffy yelled, pointing.
"The one we scared off," Sanji added casually.
"The guy whose waist I kicked," Usopp chimed in.
Their combined remarks made the veins on Wiper's forehead throb with suppressed fury. Despite his volatile temper, Wiper could sometimes maintain composure when he clearly understood the gravity of the situation.
He had already experienced the power of these Blue Sea pirates firsthand.
Although they had initially underestimated him, these Blue Sea natives were clearly all highly skilled. Engaging them in a prolonged fight would be endless and would only delay their crucial mission.
So, best to avoid unnecessary conflict!
Wiper shouted, "You Blue Sea people! I don't care why you're here! Get out of here as soon as possible! This is Shandia territory!"
Luffy looked serious. "I heard this is Enel's territory!"
"We're going to kill Enel right now! Leave immediately, or don't blame us for what happens afterwards!" Wiper retorted.
"So, you're after Enel! Yoshi, I see," Luffy replied, a hint of understanding in his tone.
However, he didn't elaborate further and didn't even steer the Merry away.
Wiper instantly grasped Luffy's intentions, and his face darkened. Nevertheless, prioritizing Enel's defeat, Wiper turned his Wave Dial and led his team away.
"What a weird bunch," Luffy muttered, sniffing the air.
"They should be the Shandia guerrillas. That strange old man mentioned them earlier," Law mused. "This Apayado seems far more complicated than we initially thought."
He continued, "Judging by the Shandia' tone, they have a hostile relationship with this so-called God Enel. And they also seem to have some connection with Sky Islanders like Conis."
"But they're different," Law observed. "Clearly more belligerent and with extensive combat experience."
"Whatever. Let's just keep moving forward, defeat all the priests, and send Enel flying!" Luffy declared, dismissing the complexities of the situation.
He wasn't one to overthink things, focusing solely on his initial goal. As for other matters, he had no interest in getting involved; they weren't his concern.
Luffy operated on instinct and was rarely swayed by external plots.
Not long after the Merry resumed its journey, it navigated a Cloud River Whirlpool and a Cloud River Roller Coaster structure, successfully reaching a vast grassland. However, this grassland was peculiar, dotted with numerous wooden stakes, each topped with a skull (cbdh).
It had a distinctly eerie atmosphere.
"This... what the heck is this place? It's so creepy!" Usopp's familiar timidity resurfaced.
"So many skulls... which trial site is this?" Others murmured, equally perplexed.
At that moment, a man with a spider-like hairstyle appeared in the center of the Cloud River ahead. He wore specially crafted jet skates that allowed him to stand effortlessly on the flowing clouds.
The man repeatedly crossed his hands in front of him, biting his lower lip, remaining silent.
Fortunately, a Sky Soldier behind him offered a helpful reminder: "Master Gedatsu, biting your lower lip like that means you can't speak!"
The spider-haired man, Gedatsu, seemed struck by a sudden realization. "Ah! I forgot!"
"This guy's an idiot!" Luffy blurted out.
Everyone on the Straw Hats' ship was equally dumbfounded by this strange individual.
They had never encountered someone who literally couldn't speak while biting their lower lip.
Gedatsu then struck what he clearly believed to be a very handsome pose and announced, "This is the Swamp Trial, with a 50% survival rate! I am Priest Gedatsu, the one in charge of this trial! I will not let you pass!"
As soon as he finished speaking, six Sky Soldiers appeared behind him, letting out synchronized, unintelligible screams.
"Is this guy a priest? How can he be such an idiot?" Luffy questioned, pointing at Gedatsu.
"Hey, Luffy, you're hardly one to criticize others," Usopp couldn't resist complaining.
"Still, what a moron!"
Everyone else nodded in agreement, much to Gedatsu's annoyance.
"Be careful, you guys! This place is already my territory! It's surrounded by swamps! Once you get stuck, you won't be able to break free!" Gedatsu warned.
As he spoke, swamp clouds materialized beneath his feet, and he began to sink into them.
"Looks like you're the one who fell into it!" Zoro couldn't help but retort loudly.
"Hahahaha! This guy is a real idiot!" Luffy roared with laughter.
But Gedatsu suddenly propelled himself upwards, successfully escaping the marsh cloud's grasp. Everyone noticed a strong gust of wind erupting from beneath his feet, realizing that his shoes were equipped with Wind Dials.
Then, Gedatsu raised his hands in mid-air and sprayed out a cloud of purple mist, which quickly coalesced into a millstone-sized mass.
"Eat this! Marsh Cloud Hamburger!" he yelled, launching the large purple cloud downwards.
However, his aim seemed to be severely lacking, and the "hamburger" directly struck one of his own Sky Soldiers on the head.
Immediately, the Sky Soldier's head was enveloped by the marsh cloud. He frantically tried to lift it off, but it wouldn't budge.
Everyone instantly understood that because it was a swamp cloud, it couldn't be easily lifted, and the more the Sky Soldier struggled, the deeper he sank into it.
The lethality of this grand attack, however, was truly underwhelming.