The Express Lobster moved at incredible speed, zipping through winding cloud river channels. Nami, Vivi, and Robin had to cling tightly to Luffy to keep their balance.
To an unknowing onlooker, it might have looked like a motorcycle stunt show in a specific area.
Gan Fall followed alongside on Pierre, growing even more astonished and doubtful as he watched Luffy command the Express Lobster so easily.
Generally, the Express Lobster worked for money. Any extra services were available too—for more money.
But Luffy? He simply spoke, and the Express Lobster agreed. Could he communicate with animals?
Gan Fall vaguely remembered a pirate from the Blue Sea many years ago who also seemed to have that ability.
Robin looked at Luffy curiously. "Luffy, how did you know there was a Poneglyph on Sky Island?"
"Um, that..." Luffy's gaze shifted evasively. Then, he passed the buck to the creature beneath his feet, pointing at it somewhat guiltily. "It told me."
Hearing this, Robin couldn't help but cover her mouth with a light laugh. She then reached out a slender finger from Luffy's chest and gently tugged at his highly elastic cheek. "Luffy, it's not good to lie."
"Exactly! You look like you're talking nonsense right now!" Nami, not to be outdone, immediately reached out and grabbed Luffy's other cheek, scolding him. "Out with it!"
Luffy's face was stretched long by the two beauties. He could only make muffled "mmph mmmph" sounds, which even made Vivi chuckle.
Amid this somewhat relaxed atmosphere, the Express Lobster carried them through a dense cloud forest.
Ahead, a pitch-black, enormous cavern suddenly appeared. It looked like a gaping maw waiting to devour prey, straddling the center of the cloud path, exuding an unsettling aura.
"What kind of cave is that?" Nami pointed at the black hole, her voice trembling slightly.
Everyone followed her gaze. The cave was bottomless, dark and deep, completely out of place amidst the surrounding pure white cloudscape.
The speeding Express Lobster slammed its dozens of arthropod-like legs into a sudden, screeching halt, carving deep grooves into the cloud path.
Its two erect, bulbous eyes showed an extremely human-like terror. Then, it began desperately backing away, as if something utterly terrifying lay ahead.
Vivi said in surprise, "It seems very afraid of that cave?"
Just then, a foul, fishy gust of wind blew from the cavern.
Immediately after, the so-called cavern quickly closed. A flat snake head, dozens of meters wide, came into view.
"That's not a cave entrance... that's a snake's open mouth!"
The snake head was a deep brown, covered in ancient-looking patterns. A pair of cold, vertical pupils, like giant lanterns, locked onto the Express Lobster and the group on its back.
"Huh... pretty cool." Luffy's eyes lit up.
This snake was enormous, seemingly larger than most Sea Kings he'd seen in the Blue Sea.
"Lord of the Sky." Gan Fall's expression turned grave as he named it. "It's the guardian of Upper Yard. It has lived for at least four hundred years."
Robin examined the Sky Lord, offering a calm assessment. "Judging by the color and wear of its scales, it is indeed an ancient creature. A veritable living fossil."
Luffy chimed in. "So, it's a living piece of history?"
Nami, watching the giant snake with its gaping maw draw closer and closer, was almost crying. She clung tightly to Luffy's arm. "Luffy! Robin! This isn't the time for history lessons! We're about to be eaten as a snack!"
Faced with the Sky Lord's oppressive approach, Luffy patted the trembling Express Lobster beneath him and told it to stop.
Though afraid of the Sky Lord, the Express Lobster seemed even more afraid of Luffy. It could only freeze in place, its legs trembling slightly.
"Hey, what's your name?"
The skill of communicating with animals was the easiest to improve. Even talking daily to Nika, Chopper, or Merry could raise its proficiency.
Communicating with the Sky Lord presented no obstacle at all.
Luffy looked up, his gaze calm as it met the Sky Lord's cold, vertical pupils.
Something astonishing happened. The Sky Lord's originally aggressive, ferocious eyes gradually became docile after staring at Luffy for a moment. Its massive head slowly lowered, even with a hint of hesitation and reverence, gently nudging in the direction where Luffy stood.
"What's going on?" Nami and Vivi were dumbfounded.
Gan Fall was even more incredulous. "The Sky Lord is... bowing its head?!"
"Oh, Little Sky says it was just sleeping here. We passed by too loudly and woke it up." Luffy patted the Sky Lord's big head. "Let's change rides. This guy looks faster and more stable!"
Before Nami and the others could fully process it, Luffy grabbed them and leapt onto the Sky Lord's broad, flat head.
The Sky Lord offered no resistance. On the contrary, it docilely swayed its head, as if adjusting to the weight of its new passengers.
"Luffy, when did you learn to talk to animals?" Vivi asked in amazement.
"Seems like I just... naturally can?"
At the same time...
The so-called Trial of God seemed to have started early.
Enel found it too boring and had left his palace long ago. He thought the Sky Lord should give Luffy a good run for his money.
"There are still too many people..." He vanished from the spot.
Deep in the forest...
"God! Aren't we on the same side?!" A white-robed Divine Soldier looked up in panic at Enel, who was perched on a branch. One of his companions lay on the ground, charred black.
"Who told you we were on the same side? Do you have that qualification? Those who haven't received God's blessing have no right to follow me." Enel's voice was icy. He raised a hand, and a blue snake of lightning shot from his fingertip, instantly piercing the Divine Soldier on the ground.
Just as he stood up, his Mantra, covering the entire Sky Island, detected something.
The playful expression on his face instantly turned dark and furious.
Enel naturally knew of the Sky Lord's existence but couldn't be bothered with it. However, that didn't mean this ancient creature of Upper Yard could be tamed by others, especially a group of lowly Blue Sea humans!
Everything in Sky Island belonged to him, the God of Sky Island!
Back on the Sky Lord...
Still marveling at the broader view from atop the Sky Lord, Nami noticed Luffy staring coldly ahead.
She was about to ask when a voice full of mockery and chill abruptly rang out in the air. "Oh? Could a monkey from the Blue Sea actually sense my presence?"
Nami and the others gasped, looking toward the source of the voice. In the air not far away, several blue arcs of electricity flashed into existence out of nowhere. Like dancing sprites, they rapidly converged, sketching out a human form.
***
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