Chapter 72: Divine Enforcers
"Is this Skypiea?"
Morel leaned over the railing, his eyes wide as he gazed at the endless, pristine sea of white clouds. It looked solid enough to walk on, and distant cloud formations swirled like something out of a fairy tale.
He took a deep breath, grinning despite the thin air.
Kyle looked around and shook his head. "No, we haven't reached Skypiea yet."
"This is the middle layer of the Impericmulus clouds, the White Sea. The real Skypiea is another 3,000 meters above us—the White-White Sea. That's where the Skypieans and Shandians live."
"You mean we have to go up another three kilometers?"
Morel frowned, looking at the boundless clouds. Once again, they were lost without a guide.
"Looks like we're relying on intuition again," Morel muttered, stroking his chin.
But Kyle was confident. "We're halfway there. Now we just need to find the correct path."
"There should be a structure called 'Heaven's Gate.' That's the official entrance." His eyes scanned the horizon with the eagerness of an explorer.
"In that case," Morel turned to Knov, "we can't just sit here. Pick a direction, Knov. Maybe we'll get lucky."
Knov pushed up his glasses. "Seems like the only option."
While they discussed, Chairman Netero stood at the bow, casually admiring the view.
Suddenly, his eyes sharpened. He locked onto a spot beneath the cloud surface.
Faster than thought, a massive, fish-like creature, dozens of meters long, burst from the clouds, its jaws wide, aiming to swallow Netero whole.
Netero barely moved. A faint smile touched his lips.
Just as the beast was about to snap shut, a dull thud echoed. No one saw him move, but the massive creature was blasted backward by an invisible force, flying through the air before crashing back into the clouds with a massive splash.
"The Chairman hasn't lost his touch," Morel chuckled, not surprised in the least.
Knov ignored the interruption, engaged the engines, and picked a random direction.
After about thirty minutes, a blip appeared on the radar—a strange, tall structure rising from the clouds.
Kyle rushed to the screen. Seeing the words "HEAVEN'S GATE" written on the arch, he cheered. "Mr. Knov, we found it! That's it!"
Knov adjusted course immediately.
As they approached, the grandeur of the gate became clear. It was massive, easily large enough for ships of all sizes.
An old woman with small wings on her back was waiting. She held a camera, snapping pictures of their ship.
"Excuse me," Kyle called out with a smile. "Is this the way to Skypiea?"
The old woman stared blankly. "Are you here for sightseeing? Or for war?"
Morel and the others looked to Kyle.
"We want to go to Skypiea," Kyle said. "This is the entrance, right?"
"Hold on," Morel interrupted, his instincts sharp. "When you say 'war,' do you mean there's a conflict happening up there right now?"
If so, they might be walking into a battlefield.
The old woman remained expressionless. "It doesn't matter which. To enter Skypiea, you must pay the entrance fee. It is the law. One billion Extols per person."
They quickly realized "Extol" was the local currency. Six people meant six billion. It was an astronomical sum.
Kyle, remembering Luffy's experience, tested the waters. "What if we don't have money? Can we still pass?"
"You may pass even without money," the old woman said unexpectedly.
"I am merely the gatekeeper, not a guard or a soldier. The choice is yours."
Knov felt something was off. The management was too lax; it felt like a trap.
"So how do we get up? Do we just sail up this path?" Shoot asked.
"No need."
As she spoke, the Hunter shuddered.
To their shock, a colossal lobster-like creature had risen beneath the ship, lifting the entire hundred-meter vessel onto its back.
Before they could react, the creature—a Speedy Shrimp—took off, racing up the milky road at incredible speed.
The old woman watched them go, muttering, "That's the Speedy Shrimp King. Only he could carry a ship that size."
She then walked to a corner, pulled out a Tone Dial, and reported to the Divine Enforcers.
Kyle's group was now officially designated as "Illegal Intruders."
The Speedy Shrimp lived up to its name. In less than thirty minutes, they arrived at the upper sea—the White-White Sea.
Stepping onto the land of Skypiea, the group was awestruck. There were trees, dirt... it looked just like the Blue Sea, except everything rested on clouds.
Kyle jumped off first, testing the ground. The air was thin, but manageable.
Just as he was about to speak, a rumble of thunder echoed from high above.
Kyle's instincts screamed. He threw himself to the left.
CRAAAACK-BOOM!
A massive bolt of lightning slammed into the exact spot where he had been standing, blasting a charred crater into the cloud-ground.
Upper Yard. God's Shrine.
Enel raised an eyebrow, surprised.
He hadn't expected a Blue Sea dweller to dodge his "God's Judgment."
It piqued his interest. This was the first time anyone had evaded his punishment so cleanly.
"Interesting..." Enel lounged on his throne, munching an apple. He spoke to the Divine Enforcer kneeling below. "Gedatsu. Tell Holy to bring those six intruders to Upper Yard. Let them face the Ordeal."
"Yes, Kami-sama."
Kyle stared at the smoking crater. He knew he was being watched.
Enel's Mantra (Observation Haki) covered the entire island. He could hear everything if he wanted to.
Netero looked around. "Someone used Observation Haki. And the range is impressive."
"That's right," Kyle nodded. "It's a special application of Observation called 'Mantra' here. It allows him to hear conversations. But to hear specifics, he has to focus. He can't listen to everyone at once."
"So he filters for keywords, finds threats, and drops lightning on them," Morel added, his eyes scanning the sky.
Knuckle punched his palm. "So we're targets now. What's the plan?"
Kyle smiled confidently. "Since we've been found, let's go meet this 'God' face-to-face. But first... we have to pass his 'Ordeals'."