[POV: MARC] The Convergence
I stood before the entrance to the tower.Massive. Spiral-shaped. Oppressive.
Hundreds of monsters surrounded me—silent, motionless, like living statues awaiting an order.
My hand clenched the SCP-609 box.
I can kill a hundred. Maybe two hundred. But after that…?
Then I heard sounds behind me.Footsteps. Voices.
I turned around.
The Straw Hat crew emerged from the forest.
Luffy at the front, still in Gear Second, steam rising from his body.Zoro, covered in blood—his own and the monsters'.Sanji, his cigarette miraculously still lit despite everything.Nami, panting, clutching her Clima-Tact.Usopp and Chopper, trembling but standing.Mr. Fish, hat crooked, utterly exhausted.
"Marc!" Luffy shouted as he reached me. "You made it!"
"So did you."
We regrouped, back to back, facing the monsters now completely surrounding us.
"They're not attacking," Zoro noted. "Why?"
"They're waiting for something," I whispered.
THUD. THUD. THUD.
Footsteps.
Heavy. Slow. Deliberate.
Coming from inside the tower.
The Appearance of the Serpent God
A massive shadow appeared in the tower's entrance.
Then it stepped out.
Six meters tall.
A humanoid body—muscular—but covered in green and golden scales that shimmered in the light.Four drums were strapped to its back—Enel's drums, the symbol of his divine power.
And its neck…
Its neck stretched unnaturally long, coiling like… a snake.
Ending in a head.
Not human.
That of a giant serpent.
Yellow, slit-pupiled eyes. A forked tongue. Fangs as long as swords.
And within those eyes…
There was intelligence.Arrogance.Madness.
"By all that's holy…" Mr. Fish murmured in horror.
The creature looked at each of us, one by one.
Then it spoke.
Its voice was double—human and reptilian—layered in a dissonant harmony.
"Mortaaals… you daaared to come this faaaar."
"What the hell is that thing?!" Usopp screamed.
I swallowed. "It's… Enel. And Nola. Fused."
"WHAT?!" Nami shouted.
The creature—the Serpent God—tilted its massive head, its drums resonating softly.
"I am perfection. The God of Thunder and the Ancient Guardian… united into a siiiingle being."
"You're a monster," Luffy spat.
The Serpent God laughed.
A horrible sound—grinding, hissing.
"Monster? No. I am evolution. While I wait for the promised one, I will render these lands… pure."
"The promised one?" Zoro repeated. "What are you talking about?"
"The one who will come… to claim his inheritance. The one for whom this tower was built. Until then… I purify. I transform. I perfect."
Its gaze fell upon the transformed villagers around us.
"Look at my creations. Stronger. Faster. More… perfect."
"THEY'RE SUFFERING!" Chopper cried, tears streaming down his face. "THEY WANT TO BE HUMAN AGAIN!"
"Suffering is temporary. Perfection is eternal."
"SHUT UP!" Luffy roared.
He lunged forward.
"Gomu Gomu no… Jet Pistol!"
His fist shot forward at blinding speed.
The Impossible Battle
The Serpent God didn't move.
Luffy's fist passed straight through him.
Literally.
His body turned into pure lightning.
"Futile."
He reformed behind Luffy.
WHAM!
His long, scaled tail lashed out, sending Luffy crashing into a tree.
"LUFFY!"
Zoro charged. "Oni Giri!"
SLASH!
His three swords cut into the serpentine neck.
But—
The neck dissolved into lightning, reformed around the blades, and struck Zoro at the speed of light.
BOOM!
Zoro slammed into the ground, smoke rising from his body.
"Zoro!" Nami screamed.
She raised her Clima-Tact. "Thunderbolt Tempo!"
A bolt of lightning shot toward the Serpent God.
He absorbed it.
Into his drums.
"Pathetic. Your lightning only feeds my power."
He released the amplified energy.
"60 Million Volts: Raigo!"
A massive pillar of lightning descended.
KRAKABOOOM!
We were all thrown back.
The Massacre
What followed wasn't a fight.
It was a massacre.
Sanji tried his flaming kicks—the Serpent God dodged with impossible, reptilian grace.Usopp fired explosives—they were deflected by lightning.Chopper transformed into Monster Point—he was electrocuted and collapsed, unconscious.Mr. Fish tried to run—a scaled tail struck him and sent him rolling.
And me…
I took out an SCP-609 sphere.
Stared at it.
Visualized the Serpent God's head.
The sphere teleported instantly.
Appeared inside his skull.
But—
ZZZZZT!
His body turned to lightning.
The sphere fell harmlessly to the ground.
Damn it. He's a Logia. It doesn't work.
He looked at me with amusement.
"Interesting. A spatial ability. But useless against a God."
He pointed a finger at me.
"El Thor."
A massive bolt of lightning struck from the sky.
BOOOOOM!
I was hit head-on.
There was no pain.
My immortal body absorbed it. Regenerated instantly.
But the force—
I was hurled into the tower, carving a crater into the stone.
I fell to the ground.
Conscious. Alive.
But unable to move.
My muscles are fried. Even with regeneration, it takes time…
Around me, the entire crew lay on the ground.
Unconscious. Burned. Broken.
All except Luffy.
He stood up.
Again.Again.Again.
"I… won't… give up…"
"Persistent. Like an insect."
The Serpent God raised his hand. Lightning crackled around it.
"Die."
Luffy braced himself.
But I shouted.
"WAIT!"
The Serpent God stopped. Looked at me.
"We… we came here… to fulfill a dream…"
"A dream?"
"Yeah… Montblanc Cricket's dream… the descendant of Noland the adventurer…"
The Serpent God froze.
His eyes narrowed.
"Noland… friend of the great warrior Calgara…"
"He couldn't come… because of his health… so we came… to ring the bell… to prove Shandora exists…"
A long silence followed.
The Serpent God slowly lowered his hand.
"Prove it."
"What…?"
"Prove that you are linked to Noland. Prove that you are not a liar."
I frantically searched my pockets.
Proof. Anything. Something connecting Cricket to us—
My fingers touched something.
A crumpled paper.
I pulled it out.
It was—
The drawing.
SCP-999's horrible portrait of Cricket.
Spaghetti hair. Distorted smile.
I held it out, my hand trembling.
"This… this is Cricket. Our friend. The one who helped us get here."
The Serpent God stepped closer.
He stared at the drawing.
For a long time.
Then—
He laughed.
Softly. Almost… humanly.
"This drawing… is horrible. But… authentic."
He straightened.
"Very well. You have earned the right… to fulfill your promise."
He turned and began walking toward the tower.
"Follow me."
[POV: LUFFY] The City of Gold
We helped each other back to our feet.
Zoro limped. Sanji's arm was broken. Nami was covered in burns. Chopper was carried by Usopp. Mr. Fish had lost his imaginary hat.
Marc walked with difficulty, his muscles still regenerating.
But we followed the Serpent God.
He led us through the forest.
And then…
We saw it.
Shandora.
The City of Gold.
Intact. Radiant. Magnificent.
Buildings of pure gold. Statues. Temples. Everything shimmered.
And people.
Everywhere.
The descendants of the Shandia people—alive, working, smiling.
"They… they're here…" Nami whispered, stunned.
The Serpent God guided us through the streets.
The people looked at us with curiosity—not fear.
I even recognized familiar faces.
Wyper. Aisa. Kamakiri.
The Shandia warriors I was supposed to meet in the original story.
Marc noticed too. "Their war ended… when Enel fused with Nola…"
The Serpent God led us to the city's center.
And there, towering above all—
The Golden Bell.
Massive. Ancient. Beautiful.
Returned to its rightful place. Protected by its people. And by Nola.
"Ring the bell. Fulfill your promise."
I looked at Marc.
He nodded.
Together, we stepped forward.
I grabbed the rope.
Marc grabbed it too.
We pulled.
The Resonance
DOOOOOOOOOONG!
The bell's sound rang out.
Deep. Powerful. Eternal.
It echoed through the city.Rebounded off golden walls.Descended through the clouds.
Down below.
To the sea.
To Cricket.
[POV: MONTBLANC CRICKET – BELOW]
I stood on the shore.
Looking at the sky.
Hoping.
Praying.
Then I heard it.
DOOOOOOOOOONG!
The bell's sound.
Clear. Distinct. Real.
"That… that's the bell…" I whispered, tears streaming down my face.
"THE GOLDEN BELL!" Masira and Shojo shouted. "THEY DID IT!"
I fell to my knees.
"My ancestor… wasn't a liar… Shandora exists… it really exists…"
I cried.
With joy.With relief.With pride.
DOOOOOOOOOONG!
The bell rang again.
And again.
[POV: LUFFY – SHANDORA] The Feast
The Shandia people learned why we had come.
For Cricket. For Noland. To prove Shandora existed.
They immediately decided to throw a celebration.
Tables were set. Food was prepared. Music played.
The crew was treated like heroes.
We ate. We laughed. We celebrated.
But something troubled me.
I approached the Serpent God, who watched the feast from the shadows.
"Nola."
He looked at me.
"The transformed villagers… can you turn them back?"
He remained silent for a moment.
Then—
"No."
"What…?"
"The process is irreversible. Once transformed… they can never become human again."
My heart tightened.
"But… but you're a God! You must be able to—"
"I am not all-powerful, Straw Hat. The tower has its limits. And so do I."
I clenched my fists.
"So… they're doomed…?"
"Yes. Unless… someone finds a way. But that way does not exist yet."
I lowered my head.
Then I returned to the crew.
[POV: MARC] The Comforting Lie
I saw Luffy return, his face dark.
He sat with the others and told them the truth.
Nami covered her mouth. Chopper cried. Usopp looked down.
"So… there's nothing we can do…?" Nami whispered.
Silence.
Then I spoke.
"Maybe there is."
Everyone looked at me.
"The Foundation… it contains anomalies. Some can heal. Regenerate. Transform."
"You mean…?" Luffy began, hope in his eyes.
"If we find the right SCP, we might be able to reverse the transformation. It'll take time. Years, maybe. But… it's possible."
Luffy's smile returned.
"THEN WE'LL FIND THEM! THOSE SCPs!"
"YEAH!" the others shouted.
They returned to the celebration, hope restored.
But Sanji stayed.
He approached me, his cigarette unlit.
"Marc."
"Yeah?"
"You're lying, right?"
I looked at him.
"To comfort them."
I sighed.
"Yes. And no."
"Explain."
"There are SCPs that could help. SCP-500, the panacea pills. SCP-427, the locket. SCP-006, the Fountain of Youth. All can heal or alter."
"But?"
"But I don't know if they can reverse a transformation caused by another anomaly. And I don't even know where to find them in this world."
Silence fell between us.
"So you're giving them false hope."
"I'm giving them hope. Fake or not—it's better than nothing."
Sanji stared at me.
Then he lit a new cigarette.
"You're a bastard, you know that?"
"Yeah. I know."
"But… thanks anyway."
He returned to the feast.
I stayed there.
Alone in the shadows.
Watching my companions laugh and celebrate.
One day, I'll find a way. A real one.
But for now…
This lie will have to be enough.
[END OF CHAPTER ]
SERPENT GOD: Enel + Nola fused, invincible
CREW: All defeated by Enel-Nola
GOLDEN BELL: Rung, promise fulfilled
CRICKET: Heard the bell, in tears
TRANSFORMED VILLAGERS: Irreversible (for now)
MARC: A lie of hope given
SHANDORA: Discovered, Shandia people alive
SHANDIA–SKYPIEA WAR: Ended by fusion
NEXT STEP: Departure from Sky Island
TOWER ANOMALY: Not contained (too dangerous)