The Survivors Gather

"Where do you think you're going?" Nami demanded as the Sky Knight replaced his gear.

"I must confront Eneru," the man grunted. "I have a feeling that whatever is happening is nearing its end."

"But-" Nami tried to protest. Gan Fall did not hear her as he hopped on Pierre in his Pegasus form and took off toward Giant Jack. On his way there, the Lord of the Sky, the giant snake, noticed him and began a chase, attempting to snatch him up as food. Nami stared on with a forced smile, her entire face twitching at her annoyance.

"Meeeeh! Surrender, Blue Sea Dwellers!"

"Hello, misplaced aggression," she muttered as a squad of goat-men settled on the deck. "Grace! Chopper! Get up! We've got company!"

"Giant Jack," Wiper growled, staring up at the plant from some ruins situated on the second level. He was the last of the attack; everyone else had fallen to the overwhelming numbers of guards, even Laki when one of Eneru's Priests, Gedatsu, literally fell out of the sky. It had taken both of them to defeat the man, but Laki was out of the fight. "There's only one more level to God's Shrine."

"AHHHH!" Out of nowhere, a man with green hair plummeted into the ruins. Instantly, Wiper had his Burn Bazooka trained on his form as the man pushed himself to his feet.

"Damn bird," Zoro cursed, brushing dust off himself until he noticed Wiper. "Oh, it's you."

"Heso, Blue Sea Scum."

"Zoro-sensei!" Coby, covered in bits of Swamp Cloud, rounded a corner and ran up to his teacher, not realizing that the Shandorian was there. Robin followed at a much more leisurely pace. "Zoro-sensei, I'm glad to see you're ok!"

"Burn!" Wiper shouted, activating his weapon. Zoro grabbed his student and rolled out of the way as the blast destroyed all the ruins in its path.

"Why you-!"

PIIYAY

Just as Gan Fall arrived, so did the Lord of the Sky, bursting up through the clouds.

"What a gathering," Eneru smiled, appearing on a wall with a gold staff resting on his shoulder. "We still have eight people, three animals, and me in this game. That's 12 in total, even though three have decided to run. I think I'll let them, I can abduct them later anyway. After all, two of them are only women."

"Eneru!" Coby barked, shifting into his Hybrid Mode. "Where is Conis?!"

"My first bride is already on the Maxim, awaiting the survivors who are to join me. We have eight here and one above us, but this simply isn't the right place for a final battle. Allow me to change that." Eneru vanished, leaving Zoro, Robin, Coby, Wiper, Gan Fall, Pierre, and the Lord of the Sky to look for him in vain. The clouds below them began to glow. Then, they exploded.

Amy could see the bell Robin had mentioned. Even covered in overgrown vines, the bell, which was perched on a cloud near the tip of Giant Jack, glittered brilliantly in the afternoon sun. Set into the base of the bell was a black square and one of the Golden posts had fallen off. She floated next to the plant, entranced, until there was a flash of light below her. Amy only had time to look down before the pillar of lightning reached her, sending volts upon volts of electricity through her system. The wires Usopp had installed in her parasol exploded and the umbrella itself burned away as the lighting tore through it. The pain was too much; the former agent passed out and began to fall.

She was not the only one falling since every competitor save for Eneru were plummeting toward the hidden city. Robin bloomed several arms to help slow her and her crewmates' descents. Pierre caught Gan Fall and Wiper used his dial shoes, insuring that they landed safely as well.

"Ow," Coby whined, rubbing his sore tail and tailbone. He looked around, noticing where they were, before inspecting the hole they had just fallen through. A small yellow speck stood out in his vision against the uniform green of the gargantuan plant, alerting the boy to the being falling from the top.

"Amy!" he cried, pointing at the unconscious woman. Robin seemed to get the message as she crossed her arms and bloomed several more arms to gradually slow the falling blonde. Only as the woman neared the ground did she reach a point where the archeologist could catch her in a net of limbs.

"It seems I overdid it," Eneru laughed, eyeing the blackened chocolatier. "Shame, she's a beauty, too. Oh well, that just leaves eight of us here: five humans, two animals, and me, but," he pointed at the large snake which was slithering around the ruins with tears in its eyes, "I cannot take this annoying thing with me." The man who held the title of God blasted the snake with lighting, charring the serpent as it cried out in pain. The Lord of the Sky collapsed with its jaw hanging open. "There. Now that that's done, six of you remain. We must eliminate two more before I can depart, so who will live to join me?"

"Is this a game to you?!" Wiper demanded, malice permeating his words.

"Why, yes," the lightning-man answered with amusement. "It is."

"Well I'm not playing!" Coby declared, raising one sword. "We came here for one reason, and that was to kick your ass!"

"I know," Eneru responded with a smug tone.

"Then you know that I'm not playing either," Zoro growled.

"Nor am I," Gan Fall voiced.

"PIIYAY!"

"For once, I agree with the old man," Wiper grunted.

"The only one who's going to die here is you!" they all stated.

"AHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Eneru laughed, losing himself. "You mortals think you can best me? God? HA!"

"What is your goal here?" Gan Fall questioned, his spear aimed at the man's heart. "What are you trying to accomplish?"

"The Eternal Verth," God answered with reverence, spreading is arms up toward the heavens. "The Endless Verth! Fairy Verth! Take your pick at the name, but I will have it! An expanse in the sky of nothing but verth as far as the eye can see. I shall find this amazing place after destroying this abomination known as Skypia!"

"You bastard!" the remaining humans yelled.

"And what of my Divine Guard?" Gan Fall continued.

"The 650 that I took prisoner six years ago have been very useful to me up until this morning, and like I said, we are the last survivors on this island."

"You monster!" Coby shouted. Gan Fall growled and shot forward with Pierre at his side. Eneru didn't move as the former God stabbed through his stomach and the man's faithful companion's talons ripped through his head.

"You foolish old man," Eneru groused. "Fall like your subjects did. Five Million, Ten Million, 20 Million Volt Body!" The lightning tore through the older man's armor and the backlash jumped to his bird. They both yelled out in pain before falling. "And that leaves four."

"You said that you were going to destroy Skypia," Robin commented, only her crewmembers hearing the waver in her voice. "Are you aware of the possibility of destroying the Golden Bellfree of Shandora?" She was grasping at straws. They didn't stand a chance if they couldn't find Luffy.

"Oh yes," Eneru nodded. "In fact, I know where it is thanks to your weightless friend there and my Mantra. But you, I have no worries about. If there's one thing I hate, it's a cold and calculating woman." He aimed his arm at the female pirate and fired. Zoro and Coby moved to intercept, but the lightning twisted around their attempts to shoot through Robin's skull. She let out a silent scream of pain before falling unconscious.

Angry at himself for being too weak to help, Zoro spun around to gently catch her before she could fully collapse. Carefully, he set the woman on the ground and faced God with a murderous look. "Shrimp, let's go."

"Right." Master and student shot forward with their swords pointed at their opponent. Zoro crossed his blades.

"Crab Grab!" the green-haired man yelled, bisecting Eneru at the waist.

"Pandora's Box!" Coby added, cutting away half of Eneru's head, the top of the drums, both arms, and part of his chest. His golden staff clattered to the floor as Coby's foot shoved through what remained.

"You fools," Eneru laughed, his legs kicking Coby away and shoving Zoro's face into the dirt. "I am invincible." The man who held the title of God came together, standing on the pirate's head.

"Damn you," Zoro growled. He rolled away just as Wiper landed on their mutual enemy. Rather than passing through, Wiper's legs wrapped around the strangely-solid Eneru. He laid his bandaged right hand just over Eneru's heart.

"What do you think you are doing?" Eneru asked.

"Have you heard of Sea Prism Stone?"

Eneru's eyes widened. "Wait a moment!" he tried to protest. "Think about your actions! Are willing to die for a homeland you never knew?"

"Yes," Wiper answered. "Reject!"

"Why does this cave keep moving?" Luffy questioned, pushing debris off himself. He'd been wandering the strange cave for several minutes, collecting gold as he went, so he was now wearing a crown, three necklaces, a dozen armbands, four rings, and two bracelets. "Now let's see. Which way should I go?"

"AHHHHHH!"

"Old Knight Guy!" Recognizing the voice, Luffy bolted for the left, jumping over ruins and ignoring the fact that his clothes had started dissolving. He ran as quickly as he could, but the cave was long and it took him several minutes to reach the end. Finally seeing daylight, Luffy ran though the exit just as Wiper unleashed his reject dial for the second time.

"Reject!" The impact blasted Eneru and Wiper away from each other. Blood dripped from both of their lips, but, while Wiper stood, Eneru laid motionless on the ground.

"Who is this guy?" Luffy questioned, staring down at Eneru's fallen form. "Oh, Zoro! What's- Robin!" The captain bounded over to the charred woman whom Zoro was kneeling next to. Coby joined them, Amy limp in his grip.

"Amy!" Luffy cried. "Coby, who did this?"

"Eneru did," the boy answered, pointing at the downed man. At the same time, Eneru's chest sparked with electricity and thumped like the beating of a drum. Again and again this happened.

"He's trying to restart his own heart," Coby realized just a second too late. With a final thump, God stood again and glared down at Wiper. The Shandorian's face held nothing but shock at the feat his enemy had just accomplished.

"I must say, I'm impressed, Shandorian. Most people would have died after only a single use of a reject dial, but you have used it twice and are still standing. Unfortunately, your work has been for not as-" He was cut off as Luffy's fist smashed into his face. God flew into the base of the pyramid, not knowing what had happened. He was impervious to swords, bullets, and blunt weapons; how did this person hit him? And who was that?

"So this is God," Luffy growled, falling into a fighting stance and cracking his knuckles.

"Who are you?" Eneru demanded as he stood, a bruise already forming on his cheek.

"I'm the man who's going to be the King of the Pirates and I'm the man who's going to kick your ass!"

"I don't know what you did before," Eneru confessed, spinning his staff, "but I'm not going to be defeated by some random pirate from the Blue Sea."

"Gum-Gum Pistol!" Even as he dodged to the side, God's eyes widened. He knew that this man had some sort of Devil Fruit ability, but was that how he had been able to touch him?

"El Thor," Eneru stated, firing lightning into the sky where it gathered and condensed over the pirate. The electricity came down on top of the pirate as a giant, blue pillar.

"Captain Luffy!" Coby yelled. The lightning dissipated into the surrounding air, a hole several meters in diameter left in its place.

"Hahaha!" God laughed. "There's no possibility that he could have survived that! Wait, what?" Eneru was shocked; there was still a lifeform in the pit. His Mantra has never lied or been wrong, so how was it that the pirate was still alive?

Luffy bounced out of the hole, much of the gold he had been wearing melted onto his skin, and punched forward. Shock held Eneru in place long enough for his attack to connect. God was thrown into the pyramid again.

"But..." Wiper stuttered. "My Burn Bazooka hadn't affected him. How-?"

"Captain Luffy is made of rubber," Coby supplied helpfully.

"What is rubber?"

"You don't know what rubber is?" Coby questioned. His face broke into a smirk. "In that case, things just got a lot easier for us."

End of Chapter 59

High Seas Hijinks:

Love is in the Paint

(Set between Dead End Adventure and Rainbow Mist)

"Coby," Grace whispered as the pink-haired boy walked past, grabbing his shirt and pulling him to the wall. The girl was situated just outside of the kitchen where Sanji was preparing lunch for the rest of the crew.

"What is it?" the young swordsman questioned, looking down at the redhead who had stopped him.

"Watch this," she smirked. Gin was rounding the corner, having been ordered by Luffy to go get what food was ready already. He glanced at the two whispering kids, but paid them no mind. When he stepped into the kitchen, however, all Hell broke loose.

"Hey, Sanji!" Gin called, shoving the door open. "What's done? Don Luffy is demanding a sacrifice."

"Calm down, Gin," Sanji replied, turning around. "All I've got is... love for you in my heart!" Sanji yelled the last part, noodling over to and around the confused man. "How have I never noticed how ruggishly handsome you are, my dearest Gin?!"

"Sanji?" the Man-Demon sputtered as the blond cook cupped his face, only for the wanted of the two to shove his hands away. "What the Hell's wrong with you, Sanji?"

"Nothing is wrong!" the cook declared, dropping to one knee and pulling a rose out of his clothing, "for the true arrow of love has pierced my heart and it calls me to you and your beautifully-tanned skin!"

"Sanji, why are you..." Gin trailed off, his eyes falling on a pink design painted on the back of the chef's shirt. Suddenly, the snickering coming from outside the door was all too clear. "Graaaaace!"

"Run!" the girl yelled, grabbing Coby's hand and pulling him away just as the door to the kitchen exploded outward, leaving a very pissed-off Gin in its place. He took off toward the young duo jumping down the starboard stairs, the artificially love-struck cook noodling behind and declaring that love knows no gender.

"Grace! Coby! Get back here so I can beat you, you pests!"

"No one's touching my sister!" Amy yelled. She fell in next to Sanji, chasing Gin so she could beat him for threatening her adopted sibling.

"You're handsome when you're angry, my beautiful demon~!" Sanji swooned.

"They're catching up!" Grace yelled as she and Coby passed Luffy and Chopper. Knowing he was the faster and physically stronger of the two of them, and knowing that he was in this just as much as she was now, the rosette grew into his Hybrid Mode, swept her into his arms, and took off with Gin hot on his heels. If he wasn't mistaken, the air on his back was indicating that Gin's tonfa were making an appearance.

"Is this a race?!" Luffy called excitedly as the group passed.

"A race?!" Chopper parroted. "I want to join!" The two jumped in behind Sanji and Amy.

The Ancient Zoan was barely paying attention to where he was going, which was why he did not notice when he blew past Usopp after rounding the front of the ship, jostling whatever chemicals the sniper was experimenting with and causing them to blow up in the long-nosed teen's face. The sniper promptly vomited over the side of the Merry before Sanji's noodle legs bumped him enough to send him overboard.

Dashing up the stairs and onto the upper deck, Coby, with Grace still being carried, ran past Zoro and Robin. A tonfa-wielding Gin angrily followed while being chased by an irate Amy and noodle-y Sanji with the excitable Luffy and Chopper bringing up the rear.

"My my," Robin giggled, looking up from her book just long enough to see the strange parade pass by. "It seems Ms. Goldenweek has swept our Little Swordsman into something. This ship is quite exciting."

"Whatever it was," Zoro grunted, lifting obscenely-large dumbbells next to her, "it seems to have made the Shit Chef come out of the closet. I hope the Love Cook doesn't come after me next." Robin only giggled quietly at the antics of her crewmates. As she watched, Coby took a sharp turn and dashed into the small forest of citrus trees.

Coby and Grace cowared behind Nami in the middle of her tangerine orchard where they had found the scariest of the crew pruning her beloved plants. Gin came to stop a couple feet away, panting heavily, only to be tackled by Sanji and Amy, the former hugging him tightly and the latter beating him over the head with her parasol. His weapons clattered to the deck a couple feet away.

"Is this the finish line?" Luffy questioned as his stomach rumbled. "Ugh, I'm so hungry. Nami, can I please have a tangerine?"

"You can when someone explains what the Hell is going on," the navigator answered, glaring at the assembled young adults.

"I do believe Ms. Goldenweek used her mood paint to affect Mr. Cook in some way," Robin answered, both her and Zoro walking over to the group. "Am I correct?"

"Yeah," Grace answered, trying to look innocent. Her smile betrayed her. "I used a new compound that released endorphins into his brain when his optical nerves recognised a human shape. Basically, I made him fall in love with the first person he saw after I applied the paint. I call it Love-Struck Pink."

"Gin-kun, you handsome devil! I never want to let you go!"

"Make it stop!" Gin begged, forcing away Sanji's face as the cook tried to kiss the former Krieg pirate. "Please!"

"I don't know," Amy smirked, now fully understanding the situation. "I think you and Sanji look good together."

"No, please!"

With a sigh, Grace painted a black line through the pink symbol on the back of the chef's shirt. Sanji came to a second later, jumping away from the pirate fast enough to give him whiplash. The memories of the past few minutes came rushing back to him, causing the disgusted chef to run to the railing and lose what little remained of his breakfast from that morning.

"Sanji, food!" Luffy ordered, not understanding what just happened, but hungry all the same. Nami passed him a peeled tangerine to hold him until the chef was emotionally-stable enough to actually serve a meal.

"Uh, guys?" Coby muttered, counting out the pirates in the immediate vicinity. "Where's Usopp?"

"HELP!"

"There he is."

Most everyone laughed. They could almost feel their bonds growing and they knew, at that moment, what it meant to truly be Nakama...

"I SAID HELP!" Usopp screamed.

"Bleigh!" Sanji vomited.

Well, most of them anyway.