Shandora

Gan Fall

The unfortunate man who will be defeated by the usurper Enel.

His faithful companion Pierre, a bird that consumed the Uma Uma no Mi fruit, granting it the ability to transform into a horse, is his most distinctive hallmark.

His presence here was unexpected but not surprising.

Was he, like Enel, already established in Upper Yard?

However, Michael soon realized that Gan Fall was not the only inhabitant of this enigmatic place.

In the surrounding forest's thickness, he detected multiple presences in the distance.

Equipped with special Dials on their footwear, these individuals soared through the sky.

Fascinating.

At that moment, he understood the situation.

The reason for their presence was, undoubtedly, to protect the territory from the Shandia tribe's furtive attacks, wasn't it?

Upper Yard, originally part of Jaya Island in the Blue Sea, was dragged to the heights by the Knock-Up Stream four centuries ago.

Back then, the self-proclaimed god of Angel Island, Ubau, appropriated the island and expelled its original inhabitants: the great warrior Calgara and his people from Jaya.

Thus, Noland, the explorer unjustly labeled a liar, could never rediscover the Golden City nor hear the Golden Bell's resonance again.

The descendants of Jaya's people, now known as Shandians, have kept the flame of reclaiming their ancestral land alive for four hundred years, sustaining an endless conflict with Sky Island's inhabitants.

Their struggle to return to their roots persists to this day.

"God?"

Perceiving Gan Fall's rapid approach, Anjie spread her wings and advanced, inquiring with a soft voice.

"Although this was initially Fram and the others' initiative, since we've discovered it, we'll proceed to resolve it."

Michael declared with boredom.

...

Gan Fall was consumed with anxiety.

Angel Island was under attack!

And the Shandians weren't responsible!

When he was about to depart, he encountered an unexpected situation on his way!

He had to hurry.

But how could he achieve it?

How could these individuals in front of him fly?

Before he could find an explanation, in the firmament, not far away, the young man with enormous white wings raised his hand.

And surprisingly, a luminous sphere materialized in his palm.

A sphere...?

What could it be?

The moment this thought crossed his mind.

A flash!

Gan Fall barely perceived a blinding glow before something whistled past his ears.

BOOM!!

A terrifying roar resonated behind him.

He felt the direct impact of the powerful shockwave on his mount's croup. Pierre, destabilized, instantly lost control, spinning and plummeting towards the ground.

While spinning in the air, he glimpsed a colossal sphere of fire suspended in the sky behind him.

Like an incandescent sun, it radiated light and heat uncontrollably.

That was--

That boy's work!!!

Gan Fall's eyes bulged.

He felt his heart contract in an instant, as if something invisible was gripping it.

An overwhelming emotion invaded him, eclipsing even the pain when he plummeted from the heights, traversing the dense foliage of the trees until impacting against the ground.

"Gan Fall-sama!"

The surrounding warriors, members of Gan Fall's Divine Guard team, witnessed their god's fall and quickly surrounded him.

However, he was in optimal physical condition; even the fall from the heights didn't cause him any harm.

This time, his pupils contracted to the size of a needle's tip.

Raising his gaze, he scrutinized the sky.

His breathing noticeably accelerated as he did so.

Suddenly.

The dense tree canopy began to burn fiercely and, at the epicenter of the fire, a colossal figure emerged.

It was a dragon, a dragon forged from living flames!

Its horns rose majestic above its head, and its jaws were full of sharp fangs.

Its imposing and slender body glided among the treetops, reducing them to ashes before they could even burn completely.

The sky revealed itself and the sun shone intensely.

But Gan Fall and his entire team felt as if they had fallen into an icy basement, their bodies rigid with fear.

The serpentine body of the enormous dragon completely surrounded them.

Its head, fierce and gigantic, observed them, as if it was about to pounce on them at any moment.

Not even the scorching temperature, capable of setting them on fire, managed to warm the soldiers' hearts at that instant.

Gan Fall looked up and saw a figure slowly descending, landing on the flame dragon.

Although he appeared to be a small child, his sky-blue eyes were filled with overwhelming indifference.

"To be or not to be."

Gan Fall heard him say: "How do you choose?"

What...?

Did he have a choice?

______

Angel Island

The once tranquil and peaceful island has plunged into absolute chaos due to the enemy invasion.

On the battlefield, which had moved from the beach to the city, the Skypieans of Angel Island are forced into constant retreat.

"Fire!"

Fram, suspended in the sky with his imposing wings of fire, lowered his right hand in a gesture.

Beside him, the Knights of the Sun, also flying, extended their hands in unison, releasing a cascade of fiery spheres.

Air supremacy gave them an absolute advantage to indiscriminately bombard.

From the beginning, victory was assured.

The shining spheres of golden fire crossed the sky like a meteor shower, plummeting before the desperate gaze of the Skypieans.

Boom!

Boom!

Boom!

Dense explosions covered almost the entire area, and flames enveloped everything, threatening to incinerate even the last corner!

When the explosions ceased and the flames dissipated, only desolation remained on the battlefield.

Raising his right hand, Fram ordered his subordinates to temporarily halt the attack.

Flapping his wings, he advanced and addressed the people of Angel Island lying below.

"One last question, do you wish to continue fighting?"

After a brief silence.

"We surrender!"

Finally, a Skypiean shouted with all his might, almost howling: "We surrender!"

Fram nodded slightly.

After destroying all resistance, the next step was to occupy the island.

"Tritter"

He ordered: "Attend to the seriously wounded".

"Understood!"

Tritter, designated leader of the medical team, immediately directed his colleagues to initiate emergency treatment.

Contemplating the somber battlefield, Fram felt a pang of guilt.

After all, they probably shared the same ancestry with this island's inhabitants.

But there was no alternative, they were God's orders.

Zap!

A beam of light condensed around Fram, forming Enel's appearance.

"Have you discovered it?"

Fram asked urgently.

Enel, with an enigmatic expression on his face, responded: "They say the false god is in the sacred land".

".....What?"

Crash!

The sound of surprise could almost be heard when Fram was stunned for a moment. Then, with palpable anxiety in his voice, he exclaimed: "Damn it! Obviously he is the opponent we must deal with. Are we going to allow him to bother God?"

"Enel!"

With a deep and authoritative voice: "Go there right now! I will guide the people to control Angel Island first".

At that moment, Enel wasn't in the mood to argue. With a small nod.

Bzzt!

He instantly disappeared in a flash of electricity.

____

At that moment, Michael was already standing on top of a cloud.

In front of him rose an enormous vine that traversed the cloud from bottom to top, extending until it was out of sight; he could clearly see that there were several layers of clouds above.

"So high!"

Rika exclaimed in surprise. Her eyes shone with amazement as she spun around, trying to take in the entire view.

The wind ruffled her hair, and she extended her arms as if she wanted to touch the sky itself.

And not just her, even Anjiie, who usually maintained her composure, couldn't help but look up with admiration and curiosity.

"God, what are we doing here?"

The other present, now the former god, Gan Fall, couldn't help but ask: "There's nothing here".

The reason he called him that is, of course, because he has now abdicated.

Otherwise, he couldn't have brought Michael here alive.

"No...right here, below, I assure you."

Michael gently stomped and in an instant flames burst from under his feet, opening a huge hole in the clouds.

And He let himself fall.

Rika let out a cry of surprise, "Michael!", and without thinking twice, she launched herself after him, her heart beating hard.

There's another space between the clouds, and a golden relic appeared before Michael's eyes in an instant.

The ruins of Shandora.

________

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