Chapter 75: The White Berets
White Berets, assemble!
At a barracks on Angel Island, a sharp whistle pierced the air.
Dozens of soldiers in white berets and uniform fatigues assembled with startling speed, their movements synchronized and disciplined.
Captain McKinley stood at the front, holding up a stack of freshly developed photos. His voice boomed.
"We have received urgent word from Heaven's Gate! Six Blue Sea dwellers refused to pay the entry fee and have illegally intruded! Memorize their faces!"
The photos were passed around. Seeing Kyle and the others, the soldiers bristled with righteous indignation.
"Captain, let's move!"
"We can't let these lawless Blue Sea people run wild!"
McKinley puffed out his chest, satisfied with their morale.
"Exactly! We, the White Berets, are the enforcers of the Divine Law! Such blatant disregard for our rules must be met with decisive action! All units—"
He took a deep breath, and then did something utterly unexpected.
He dropped to all fours.
"Move out!"
At his command, dozens of White Beret soldiers simultaneously dropped into the same bizarre, crawling posture and began to move forward in a rapid, synchronized crawl.
The strange "Crawling Army" moved through the streets. The residents of Skypiea watched, but didn't seem surprised; this was apparently normal procedure.
Meanwhile, at Pagaya's house, the atmosphere was warm and inviting. Kyle's group was enjoying a feast of Skypiean cuisine.
A "Sky Fish" the size of a basin sat in the center, its meat translucent and sweet. There was bread baked from Island Cloud, fluffy as air, and various dishes cooked using different Dials.
"This is delicious!" Kyle said, savoring flavors he'd never tasted on the Blue Sea. "Thank you, Mr. Pagaya, Conis."
During the meal, they learned crucial information.
Pagaya spoke with awe about "Upper Yard," a forbidden land near Angel Island where "God" resided.
Powerful Divine Enforcers (Priests) ruled there, enforcing strict laws over all of Skypiea.
Kyle knew exactly who this "God" was: Enel, the user of the Logia-type Rumble-Rumble Fruit.
One of their main objectives was to kill him. If they did, the powerful Devil Fruit might respawn nearby.
Of course, Kyle didn't say this out loud. To Pagaya and Conis, challenging "God" was unthinkable blasphemy.
To repay their hospitality, Kyle's group decided to go fishing on the cloud beach after the meal.
However, just as they set up their rods, they saw an jaw-dropping sight.
The White Berets were approaching. Dozens of them, crawling silently and rapidly across the clouds toward them in that bizarre, synchronized fashion.
Morel frowned, pipe in mouth. "Is this... some kind of special etiquette? Or just how people move up here?"
Kyle looked closely at their uniforms. "Probably not a custom. They're law enforcement. Looks like that old lady at the gate reported us after all."
Conis turned pale. "You... you entered illegally? That's a serious crime!"
"Yeah," Kyle shrugged. "The old lady said it was a billion Extols per person. We didn't have any. But she said we could pass anyway, so we did."
"It's not that simple!" Conis panicked. "Illegal entry is a Class 11 crime! To avoid punishment, you have to pay ten times the fee! Ten billion Extols per person!"
"Ten billion?!" Knuckle's eyes bulged. "That's robbery!"
The White Berets arrived.
Captain McKinley leaped to his feet with practiced agility, adjusting his beret. He compared the photos one last time, then addressed Kyle's group with booming authority.
"I am McKinley, Captain of the White Berets! In the name of God's Law, I charge you six with illegal entry, a violation of Article 11! Do you confess?"
He stood tall, projecting the majesty of the law. "However, if you accept punishment and pay the fine immediately, you may become legal tourists and enjoy a safe trip."
Knov adjusted his glasses. "The fine is ten times the entry fee. One hundred billion Extols total. What's the exchange rate for Beri?"
McKinley answered instantly. "We accept Beri! One Beri is ten thousand Extols. That means you each owe one million Beri. Six million total!"
Kyle didn't answer McKinley. He turned to Pagaya and Conis.
"Mr. Pagaya, Conis, thank you for the meal. This doesn't concern you. Please, go back inside."
He leaned in to Conis, whispering so only she could hear. "Also... that 'God' of yours? I'll take care of him. Consider it payment for the food."
Conis froze, her pupils contracting. Take care of... God?
To her, God was invincible. Yet, looking into Kyle's eyes, she saw not arrogance, but absolute certainty. She didn't know what to say.
Pagaya, sensing the danger, quickly pulled his daughter away.
With the civilians gone, McKinley focused back on Kyle. "You refuse to pay? This is public defiance! Violation of Article 7! Are you resisting the Law of God?"
Knov looked at Kyle. "Captain?"
Kyle cracked his neck, grinning. "How else do we handle this? We fight!"
He vanished.
In the blink of an eye, he reappeared directly in front of McKinley.
Before McKinley could process the movement, Kyle's fist connected solidly with his cheek.
POW!
McKinley didn't even get to state the next crime. He flew through the air like a broken kite and crashed into the soft cloud-sand, out cold.
His dozens of subordinates didn't attack. Instead, they fell into total chaos.
They swarmed their fallen captain, shouting in panic.
"Captain! Are you okay?!"
"Is he dead?!"
"They... they hit the Captain?!"
"We're doomed! This is the highest crime!"
The squad had lost its head.
Kyle laughed. "Hey! Shouldn't you be taking him to a doctor?"
His words snapped them out of it. They frantically produced a stretcher, loaded McKinley onto it, and prepared to leave.
One soldier turned back, trying to look tough. "Y-You stay right there! Don't move! Wait until we get back! You hear me?!"
With that, the entire unit dropped to all fours again and crawled away at high speed, four of them carrying the stretcher, disappearing over the horizon.
Netero watched them go, stroking his beard. "Hoh hoh hoh... what an interesting police force."
Shortly after the White Berets fled, the sound of multiple Wavers approached from the distance.
A dozen men in black uniforms, riding Wavers, encircled Kyle's group. They looked far more dangerous than the White Berets.
The leader was Holy, one of the Divine Soldiers serving the Priests.
Holy looked down at the six Blue Sea dwellers with arrogance. His voice echoed over the clouds.
"Illegal intruders of the Blue Sea! Congratulations. Your strength has caught God's eye. You are hereby granted the right to participate in the 'Ordeal of God'!"
"Ordeal of God?" Kyle raised an eyebrow. He knew what this meant.
Enel used these trials to weed out the weak and find potential new enforcers.
The fact that they were being "invited" meant Enel had noticed Kyle dodging his judgment bolt earlier.
A small smile played on Kyle's lips.