High above the sparkling blue waters of the Grand Line, the Glimstorm helicopter cut through the air. Inside the cockpit, Nojiko held the flight controls. She looked at the horizon. Alvida, Marianne, Robin, Maya, and Kalifa looked at the vast ocean below.
"This is amazing," Marianne remarked as she looked at the ocean below.
"This certainly is," Maya added. "We are going so fast," she said.
"This flying machine makes it easy to move around," Robin said.
"The World Government will certainly be interested in a machine like this," Kalifa commented.
"They will never get her," Marianne said.
Alvida smiled. "We will make sure of that," Alvida said as she looked around.
"If we fall from here, we would plummet to our death and end up in a fireball," Robin commented.
"We will," Marianne said as she looked down.
"Glimstorm will not let us down," Alvida giggled. She looked at Robin and thought if only her love was here.
"There it is," Nojiko said as the island came into view. "Oligo Island," she added. The island was a series of different land masses combined together.
"We got here fast," Marianne remarked.
The helicopter banked to the left. A massive, ancient stone bridge stretched across the water. It was connecting several land formations together.
"That bridge is enormous," Maya whispered as her eyes were wide. "It looks like it's been there for centuries," she added.
"It is an impressive piece of engineering," Kalifa added.
"I wonder who built this," Robin muttered to herself. "It is certainly out of place," she added.
"Whether it is out of place or not, it does not matter to us," Alvida said. "We need to land so we can look around," she added.
Robin nodded. "Yes, we will not be able to spot the Life Gem from here," Robin responded. She thought for a second. "Perhaps the locals have heard rumors of it," she said.
"That is a good idea," Nojiko responded.
"Let's go and ask," Marianne said. They all nodded.
Nojiko guided the Glimstorm toward a secluded clearing. "This looks like a good spot," Nojiko remarked as she lowered Glimstorm and landed her. Nojiko stopped the rotors. "Okay, let's go," Nojiko said.
The girls climbed out and stretched their legs. "It feels good to be back on the ground," Alvida remarked.
"I agree, I like the sky but the ground is better," Maya commented.
Robin walked over to Glimstorm and touched the chassis. "Thank you," she said.
"Let's get going," Nojiko said. They all nodded and headed down the path.
They walked for a few minutes and got to a village. It was filled with stone cottages and a stone floor. They walked through the center square and encountered a local elder resting on a wooden bench.
"Welcome, travelers," the elder said with a warm smile. "You look like you've come a long way," she added.
"Hello, I am Maya, this is Marianne, Robin, Alvida, and Kalifa," Maya introduced them.
"You look like a friendly bunch," the elderly woman said. "Not like those folks that came before," she said.
"Folks?" Nojiko questioned.
"Yes, some folks came asking about some treasure and started to threaten us," the elderly responded.
"That is horrible," Maya replied as she gasped.
"What happened to them?" Alvida asked as she looked at the village. She thought there was no sign of damage anywhere.
"They ran to the mountain up there after some people chased them away," elderly woman said.
"I wonder why they ran that way," Marianne said.
"There are rumors that one of the Life Gems is hidden way up there, in the peaks where the air gets thin," the elderly responded.
Alvida looked up. Her eyes turned toward the summit. "Then it must be up there," Alvida said.
Kalifa touched her glasses and nodded. "I think so as well," Kalifa remarked. She turned to the elderly woman. "Also, how do you find your ruler, King Cello?" she asked.
The elderly woman's expression brightened. "Ah, the King! He is a very nice man. Under his rule, our village has stayed safe and prosperous. He provides for us, and in return, we keep the peace. You won't find a kinder soul on the throne," she replied.
"That is interesting," Robin responded. She thought why would such a noble person announce a tournament like this which is endangering his citizens. There has to be something else.
Nojiko thought about the archipelago. "The climate on this archipelago is very different from one island to another," Nojiko said. "You don't see this too much," she added.
The elderly woman nodded slowly. "You have a sharp eye, lady. The legends say that long ago, something big happened here. They say these weren't always scattered islands. Long ago, it was all one big island that was shattered by a great power," she added.
The girls shared a look. Robin looked at the elderly. "Shattered? By what?" she questioned.
The elderly woman smiled. "You are the curious bunch, " she laughed. "The old books and legend did not say and no one knows," she added.
"Do you have a theory?" Kalifa asked.
"Me?" the elderly woman asked.
"Yes we want to know what you think," Marianne said.
"Well, since you all seem nice, some say long ago, they were building something here that went wrong, and broke the island," the elderly woman replied.
"That is interesting," Robin said.
Alvida looked up at the mountains. "We should go up there and see what we can find," Alvida said.
The elderly woman smiled. "You are all young but you all have a special glow to you," the elderly woman teased.
Alvida smiled. Maya, Marianne blushed. Robin giggled. Kalifa sighed.
"Being in love so young must be exciting," the elderly woman remarked.
Meanwhile, a band of marauding pirates were in the mountains. "Did we get away from him?" one pirate asked.
"To harm the innocent is a sin that cuts deeper than any blade," T-Bone said "Right Angle Flash," T-Bone said as he made a right-angle cut in the air with his sword. He then swung it toward the pirate group and sent a sharp, rectangular cut of compressed air flying forward. The attack sliced through the pirates' weapons and sent them sprawling into the dirt.
"Get him," one pirate shouted as the pirates ran towards T-Bone.
"Right Angle Flash, Bone Shard Barrage," T-Bone said as he slashed his sword rapidly in a series of right-angles. He sent out multiple crescent-shaped energy waves. Each wave was razor-thin and traveled at high speed. It sliced through the air and overwhelmed the pirates with a barrage of cutting attacks that left them incapacitated.
Helsing looked from the shadows. She smiled. "You're getting in the way of my business, Marine," Helsing said softly.
"I defend the peace! I will not allow a shadow to linger where justice shines," T-Bone said.
"Right Angle Flying Bird, Bone Large Bird," T-Bone said as he slashed the air and propelled a beam-shaped cut at Helsing. The cut bounced off the air at sharp angular turns and took the shape of a massive bird-headed projectile.
"Snake Road," Helsing said as she rushed towards her T-Bone at great speed. She dodged the zig-zagging bird-cut and closed the distance in a heartbeat.
T-Bone pivoted, his sword glowing. "Right Angle Flash: Bone Spiral Ascent," T-Bone said as he spun rapidly in place. His sword created a spiraling arc of cutting energy around him. The vortex of slicing wind pushed Helsing back.
Helsing flipped backward and landed on the ground. "You're persistent. Let's see how you handle this," she said.
"Serpent's Hiss," Helsing said as she thrusted her blade forward multiple times at high speed.
T-Bone raised his blade to meet the onslaught. "Vertical Guillotine, Bone Judgment," T-Bone said as he raised his sword vertically above his head. He brought the blade down in a massive heavy strike that collided with Helsing's concealed steel.
The shockwave caused the grass to be blown back. They both backed off.
Helsing smiled. "The gems are more important than a scrap with you," she remarked.
"You will not get away," T-Bone said as he was about to charge forward.
Helsing then jumped into the trees and disappeared into the thick vegetation in the mountains.
"Stop," T-Bone ordered.
At that moment, a Marine came running. "Sir, we have intel that another group of pirates are coming towards the mountain," he reported.
"Okay," T-Bone responded. He thought he would capture her later.