More than two hours had passed since the fighting began, and the battle on God's Island was nearing its climax.
At the start, there had been ninety combatants on the island—excluding noncombatants. Seven Straw Hat Pirates and Gan Fall. Eight members of the Merveille Group. Twenty Shandia warriors. Fifty Divine Soldiers led by Chief Divine Soldier Yama. Three Priests, excluding the already eliminated Satori. And God Enel himself.
Warrior Braham was defeated by Pirate Zoro. Warrior Kamakiri was defeated by God Enel. Warrior Genbo was defeated by Chief Divine Soldier Yama.
Priest Shura was defeated by Warrior Wyper. Priest Gedatsu was defeated by Pirate Chopper—then, in a blunder, blew himself up. Chief Divine Soldier Yama was defeated by Pirate Robin. Deputy Chief Divine Soldiers Hotori and Kotori were defeated by Pirate Nami and Sky Knight Gan Fall.
Pirates Sanji and Usopp were defeated by God Enel. Pirate Chopper was defeated by Priest Ohm.
Countless warriors and Divine Soldiers had fallen as well, whittled down and eliminated until less than a third of the original number remained.
The Shandia were down to eight, including Warrior Wyper and Raki, who had joined mid-battle.
There were five Divine Soldiers left, Priest Ohm, and Enel himself.
The Straw Hat Pirates still standing were Luffy, Zoro, Nami, and Robin.
Gan Fall remained, belonging to no faction.
And… the Merveille Group under Sue…
Only three remained.
Time rewinds a little…
---
Side: Sue
Oh, right. Enel had made that "prediction," hadn't he?
'In three hours, only five will remain standing on this God's Island.'
And then he'd gone on about how a god couldn't possibly be wrong—and started moving pieces around so his prediction would come true by the time limit.
In the end, the fighting itself had reduced the numbers drastically. Enel had personally eliminated only a small portion of them—excluding stray shots, of course.
But if that was the case…
"So that's why the lightning is getting this ridiculous!"
Every presence still left on the island—big and small—was now moving toward the ruins at the center.
One of the Priests must be setting up his "Ordeal" there. The remaining Shandia warriors and Divine Soldiers were probably heading there too, for the final clash.
And, by sheer coincidence, those ruins were also believed to be where the Golden City stood. Which meant the Straw Hat Pirates were heading there as well… so as the battle reached its climax, everyone who was still in play was inevitably going to converge at the same point.
To Enel—playing at being some grand game master—this probably looked perfect. A dramatic crescendo. A climax built right into the script.
And as for the remaining "players" who didn't seem interested in rushing toward the climax…
Apparently he'd decided to eliminate us for "interfering" with the Prediction.
We'd been exploring God's Island normally, ignoring his little narrative guidance, when lightning suddenly began targeting the Merveille Group.
At first Ruby and Honey got hit—caught off guard and unable to dodge in time. Honey, being Logia, dispersed the strike, and Ruby managed to guard with Haki. Their injuries were minor.
But after that, the lightning kept coming. Again and again.
And it wasn't only them.
It was all of us.
Still, the strikes themselves weren't very powerful. Anyone with Haki could block them easily, and anyone with decent Observation Haki could predict and evade them without much trouble.
From the look of that Divine Punishment, Enel should have been able to drop lightning strong enough to shatter the very earth. The fact he wasn't doing that told me everything.
"He's not trying to erase us. He's pushing us… 'Join the battle.'"
He cared more about making his game exciting than anything else. People really were just toys to him—pieces on his board.
'Honestly, I was planning to join properly later anyway, so could he stop this already? It's easy enough to deal with, but it's so damn annoying.'
Another bolt came down. I slipped aside without even thinking.
This wasn't natural lightning—it was his power. It registered clearly in Observation Haki, which made it relatively simple to sense, block, or dodge.
I pulled out my Den Den Mushi and relayed instructions to the others.
"Everyone, listen. Exploration and 'hunting' ends here. Regroup on the northeast coast of God's Island. I'll bring out the ship I've stored there. Everyone except Lupus and me gets on board and evacuates the island. Lupus, you're coming with me. We're heading to the island's center to look for even rarer Dials. Use your Vivre Cards to navigate. That's all—move!"
"Roger!"
Their energetic replies crackled through the Den Den Mushi.
Lupus sounded especially thrilled—probably because I'd ordered him to work directly with me. Not to brag, but that kid had absurd loyalty and a constant itch to throw himself into action.
All right. Shizu and I needed to hurry to the northeast coast. It was the farthest point from where we were, so we couldn't afford to waste time.
---
We flew hard and arrived quickly, but—
"…They're late."
On the northeast coast, the ones assembled were me, Shizu, Lupus, Honey, Ruby, and Sapphire.
But the last two—Leona and Emerald—still weren't here.
It hadn't been that long, but considering the urgency of the order, it felt off. Those two should have been able to cut through this forest without trouble. Did something happen?
When I reached inward and focused on the Vivre Cards stored within me, I didn't sense any crisis in their life force.
…Still, Vivre Cards were annoying that way. They could tell you direction, not distance.
While I was thinking, Enel's lightning harassment kept dropping in intermittent bursts, forcing us to dodge or block.
"This lightning is seriously persistent," Lupus muttered. "If we take down the source, does it finally shut up?"
"We don't even know where the Ability User is," Honey said. "So that's not happening. Still… it's been going on long enough to get genuinely irritating. I wish he'd just lose patience and come at us directly."
"Then we could blow him to pieces," Sapphire said, bright as ever.
We were talking like that when my Observation Haki caught something strange.
A single presence moving straight toward us.
…One?
Leona and Emerald were two people. Why was I sensing only one?
And then I noticed something else—Leona's Vivre Card reaction had shifted, just slightly… upward.
The next moment, only Emerald emerged from the forest.
Her body was a little blackened and charred, like she'd been struck by lightning—but she must have guarded with Haki. The injuries didn't look severe.
Her expression, though, was twisted tight with obvious anxiety.
"Emerald?!" Sapphire rushed forward. "W-what happened?! Are you okay?! You're burnt!"
"I'm fine, Sapphire," Emerald said, breath clipped. "I guarded with Haki. More importantly—Lady. There's an emergency. I must report it at once."
"…Leona isn't with you," I said, voice flattening. "What happened?"
"Yes. After we received the withdrawal order via Den Den Mushi, we were moving northeast when Lady Leona suddenly turned around and headed back toward the center of the island."
"Huh? Why?"
"On the way, we crossed paths with Nami of the Straw Hat Pirates. She was riding a Waver with a small girl with her. The moment Lady Leona saw that child, she shouted, 'Aisa!' And then Divine Soldiers came chasing after them. I believe she went to assist. I attempted to follow, but on land… my legs could not keep up."
Aisa.
Right. Leona had said Aisa was her stepsister.
After Leona's Devil Fruit power made her an outcast, Aisa had been the only one who stayed close. Leona had called her her precious, adorable little sister—someone she couldn't stop worrying about. When Raki had said, "Aisa's doing fine," Leona had looked so relieved she'd almost glowed.
If a girl like that suddenly appeared on God's Island—a place that was basically a battlefield—
And if she was being chased right now—
Of course Leona would move.
Still…
"If that's what happened, why didn't you contact us?" I asked. "Shizu or I would've come."
Emerald's lips tightened.
"…Immediately after that, I let my guard down and was struck by lightning. I guarded with Haki, so it wasn't fatal, but the shock damaged the Den Den Mushi I had on me. I couldn't reach you."
Ah.
Well. If that was the sequence, it couldn't be helped.
Den Den Mushi were living creatures—getting electrocuted would knock them out cold. The fact it hadn't died was impressive on its own.
"…Understood." I exhaled once, sharp. "Lupus and I will retrieve Leona. And we'll rescue Aisa as well, if we can. Emerald, get everyone on the ship and tend to their injuries. Then sail out into open sea—stay beyond Enel's Mantra range."
"Understood… Please be careful, Sister."
As Emerald spoke, I summoned the ship stored within my body and floated it atop the Sea Cloud.
Once I confirmed everyone except Lupus and me had boarded—and that Honey was using her power to turn the waterwheel and launch the ship at high speed—I snapped my focus back to the island.
"All right," I said. "Let's go, Lupus."
"Yes, ma'am!"
Paper wings unfolded from my back, and I shot into the sky.
Lupus began transforming as he ran.
His maid dress stretched upward—thankfully made of elastic material, so it didn't tear—while reddish-brown fur and a powerful, bestial physique surged into shape beneath it.
His beautiful face lengthened into a muzzle. Fur thickened across his body. Sharp fangs bared.
In a few seconds, he became a massive wolf.
Except the ears perched on his head weren't wolf ears.
They were rabbit ears.
…Still as unbalanced as ever. But it was strangely cute, so fine. Whatever.
In front of me, Lupus slammed his paws into the ground and bolted forward at terrifying speed, charging straight toward the center of the island.
I beat my wings and followed, cutting across the canopy toward the heart of God's Island—
Toward the stage of the final showdown.
---
Warriors converged on the Upper Yard.
Surviving Divine Soldiers. The Shandia. Zoro. Wyper. Gan Fall. Ohm and his partner Holy…
And the colossal serpent known as the Master of the Sky.
Motives clashed. Blades rang. Clouds trembled.
And then—
"Kyaaaaaah!!"
"Waaaaaah~~!!"
Nami and Aisa burst through the clouds on their Waver.
Divine Soldiers chased close behind, making it obvious at a glance—they were being pursued.
Seeing allies in immediate danger, Zoro, Wyper, and Gan Fall moved to intervene—
But a heartbeat later, another figure punched through the clouds.
She flew like a cannonball.
"You bastards… to my sister…!"
Her body swelled, ballooning outward as if something monstrous was forcing itself into shape—
"What… are you doing?!"
A colossal lion slammed into the pursuing Divine Soldiers, scattering them like bowling pins with a single brutal charge.
The lion's momentum carried it forward, even overtaking the Waver carrying Nami and Aisa—then, in mid-motion, the transformation canceled.
Shrrriiiiink.
The enormous lion collapsed down into a small frame in seconds—
A girl.
Leona.
"Leona?!" Wyper's voice snapped out, raw with shock.
"Huh?! Leona—L-Leona?!" Nami blurted.
"I'm glad you're both safe…" Leona breathed.
Nami had jolted at the sudden appearance of the lion, but the instant Leona returned to her usual form, Nami's tension eased.
Aisa, though, looked like her mind had short-circuited.
After years apart—and after being told her stepsister was dead—she could only stare, frozen in stunned disbelief, as if any emotion beyond shock was too big to process.
"…No." Leona's head snapped. "No letting my guard down. Not for a second!"
She moved fast.
She seized the Waver—and flung it, Nami and Aisa included, off to the side in a clean, controlled throw.
Then she used Moonwalk to slip away from the Master of the Sky's massive jaws as they snapped shut where she'd been.
Nami and Aisa shrieked at the sudden toss, but the Waver had been thrown with its hull properly oriented; it landed safely on the Island Cloud.
"Leona… Leona?!" Aisa's voice trembled. "Is that really you?!"
"Okay—there." Leona dropped down onto the cloud and straightened, breathing hard. "Yeah. Long time no see… Aisa."
She ran to her—her little stepsister she hadn't seen in ages.
Aisa remained stiff and speechless, but tears welled at the corners of her eyes, betraying what her mouth couldn't shape.
All the feelings she'd swallowed for years—everything she couldn't say—
The instant Leona wrapped her arms around her, they spilled out with her tears.
"Why… where have you been?! Everyone… they said you were dead… I—I—!"
"I'm sorry, Aisa," Leona choked. "I couldn't tell you anything. Not until now…!"
From a short distance away, one of the Priests—Ohm—watched without intervening.
Maybe he didn't want to ruin a reunion that was almost painfully heartfelt.
Or maybe he simply didn't care enough to bother.
"My, my," Ohm murmured. "How tragic… A touching reunion between family. No—perhaps it is a blessing, if they can meet again before they meet their end together. But that girl… I thought I recognized her. Wasn't she the lion girl we sent to Cloud Drifting years ago? To think she's still alive."
'Cloud Drifting…? So the village elders were meddling again…'
From Ohm's words, Wyper pieced together the truth behind Leona's disappearance from the village.
Irritation crawled up his spine—but he forced it down. Now wasn't the time.
He turned back toward Ohm and the others, sealing the feeling behind his eyes.
Sensing Wyper's hostility, Ohm finally pulled his gaze away from Leona and Aisa—away from Nami watching over them—and drew his Iron Cloud sword as he faced Wyper's group.
"This is the perfect climax. By some twist of fate, nearly everyone left on God's Island has gathered in this Upper Yard… Holy. Let's do it."
"Woof!"
"Some stragglers remain," Ohm continued calmly, "but it hardly matters. We will eliminate everyone here first. Then we will deal with the rest. Either way, today it finally ends… this four-hundred-year war that has plagued Skypiea. Along with Skypiea and Shandia themselves."
Unbeknownst to Ohm, only a little more than ten minutes remained before the 'Prediction' spoken by God Enel came due.
In that sense, too—
The end of the battle was steadily, inevitably closing in.
To be continued...