Chapter 53

"An alliance?" Galwy seemed interested in the offer.

"Cut the crap!" Wyper said through gritted teeth. "You're alone, Gan Fall! A shadow of the God you used to be. You don't want an alliance. You want soldiers to fight and die for you!"

"Wyper…"

"And for what? So you could become God again?"

"Wyper!" Galwy shouted at Wyper.

Wyper didn't look like he wanted to back down, but he did anyway out of respect to his Chief.

"I understand that it may seem that way," Gan Fall said. "But, I won't be assuming the title even after we beat Enel."

"That is a shame," Galwy said, much to the surprise of almost everyone around him. "I would rather have a God who would put effort in creating peace between our people."

"Chief, don't tell me you believe him?" Wyper asked.

"Our people have been fighting for four hundred years, Wyper. Now, we have a chance to stop the fighting."

"But-!"

"Remember why we fight in the first place."

"...to light the Fire of Shandora once again."

"Yes. If war failed us, maybe peace with the Skypieans is the path." Galwy turned back to Gan Fall. "Why can't you become God?"

"Because there is someone more fitting for the title," Gan Fall said. "Chief Galwy, let me introduce you to Tanya."

Galwy turned wide-eyed to Tanya.

"You?"

"My name is Tanya. It's a pleasure to meet you, Chief Galwy."

"Gan Fall… what is this?" Galwy looked confused.

"Tanya here is the reason why I worked to unite our people in the first place," Gan Fall said. "She inspired me and made me realize that taking Upper Yard is a grave sin we committed to your people."

Ace didn't show any outward reaction to what Gan Fall said. Somehow, he doubted his words. He suspected Tanya did something…

Galway seemed to think for a few moments. No one interrupted him.

"I'm sorry. I don't think I can ask my people to fight for you," Galwy said to Tanya, much to the delight of Wyper.

"Well, that's a shame." Tanya sighed. "But, I expected that to be the case. I'm still a child, after all."

"You must be going senile, Gan Fall," Wyper said with disdain.

"He isn't," Tanya said to Wyper before turning back to Galwy. "Chief Galwy, I understand your hesitation. But I assure you, I will work to create a better future for our people."

"Our people?" Galwy raised a brow at Tanya's words.

"Yes. We may be different, but we are all children of the sky. Fighting between ourselves is nothing but a waste of our blood."

"You speak fine words. But that amounts to nothing."

Tanya seemed to have run into a thick wall that can't be busted down anytime soon. She gathered her thoughts.

"You're right. Words are nothing." Tanya sighed. "It is difficult to believe words without action. So, we will do just that."

"What are you saying?"

"Chief Galwy, we'll be taking the fight to Enel ourselves," Tanya said. "I will be honest. The alliance we proposed was to create a symbol. A symbol that says Skypieans and Shandians have united to defeat a tyrannical enemy."

"You think you can take Enel on with just the three of you?" Wyper laughed. His remark was ignored.

"Chief Galwy, what I need from you now is a little faith. You don't have to send all your warriors. All we need is one Shandian as witness to our good intention and a symbol of our cooperation. The unity of our people is a must!"

Galwy said nothing and just stopped to think for a few moments.

"Wyper, you go with them."

"What?" Wyper was against the decision. "You expect me to help them?"

"Haven't you been listening? You'll be there to watch them."

"And what if they're as vile as I think they are?"

"I trust your strength."

"...fine." Wyper turned to Tanya. "If I'll be facing Enel in the end, I want to bring my own people."

"That is completely fine," Tanya answered.

"What about you?" Galwy asked after turning to Ace. "You've been silent. What's your part in all of this?"

"Oh, I thought I was gonna be ignored till the end!" Ace grinned. "Nice to meet you! My name is Gol D. Ace. I'm a pirate."

"From the Blue Sea?"

"That's right. I'm here in search of the City of Gold that Montblanc Noland mentioned."

Ace suppressed a grin at seeing Galwy and Wyper's faces. Their eyes widened as they went slack-jawed.

"Where did you hear that name?" Wyper asked. He was agitated.

Tanya and Gan Fall raised an eyebrow at Ace. None of them caught Galwy and Wyper's attention as much as he did just now.

"From a children's storybook. If I remember correctly… 'The Tale of Noland the Liar' is its title."

Ace was planning to use the knowledge he gained from Ace D. Goldstein's life to sway the opinion of the Shandians in their favor.

"What? 'Noland the Liar'?" Wyper looked disturbed.

"Have you read this storybook?" Galwy asked Ace.

"I did. It's a famous story in certain parts of the Blue Sea," Ace said. "The story goes that Noland returned home to his kingdom telling stories of his adventures. The king's attention was captured by his tale of the City of Gold."

"What happened next?" Wyper urged Ace to continue.

"Hold on, I'm remembering the details," Ace said. "The king wanted to see the City of Gold for himself, so Nolan took him and the king's men on a journey to where he found it. They arrived there after a harsh and perilous journey, only to find nothing."

"So, Montblanc Noland was branded a liar?" Galwy asked.

"Not exactly. He was only branded as 'Noland the Liar' after he still insisted that the City of Gold existed up until his execution."

Galwy and Wyper gritted their teeth. They felt rage and shame. Ace knew why.

"What happened after that? Are the Montblancs still alive?"

"They are," Ace said. "But, they've been living in shame for four hundred years. Ridiculous, if you ask me. Last I heard, a man by the name of Montblanc Cricket became a pirate to look for the City of Gold his ancestor mentioned centuries ago."

Galwy and Wyper were mostly silent. Wyper whispered under his breath.

"Even after all these years…" Wyper stood up. "When will our attack on Enel start?"

"As soon as possible," Tanya said.

"I'll call my men." Wyper went out of the tent.

…

Ace, Tanya, and Gan Fall met Wyper and his men. They were familiar faces for Ace.

Wyper brought the same people he treated as his close circle in the canon. Ace only remembered Raki because she was hot and Kamakiri because he was strong enough to survive Enel's lightning.

"Let's go," Wyper said before leading the way to Upper Yard. They were on their dial-powered skis.

Ace, Tanya, and Gan Fall flew above them.

Their journey to Upper Yard was silent. There were no words needed to be said. Ace supposed it's already a good thing that Wyper and his men weren't openly antagonistic.

…

Enel woke up from his sleep after sensing a group of people approaching Upper Yard with his Mantra.

All around him were naked women that served him in more ways than one. He prodded one awake.

"G-God Enel?"

"Call my Priests. Immediately."

"Yes, my God."

The maid went out, covering herself with a blanket to call the Four Priests of God.

Meanwhile, Enel grinned.

"Who dares approach God?" Enel then peered with his Mantra to see who his soon to be intruders were.

"Tanya? YAHAHAHA!" Enel was amused after seeing the face of his niece. "She still thinks she's God? I'll show her."

Enel raised his hand and lightning crackled. The rest of the maids were woken and ran away from Enel's tent, something he didn't mind.

"El Thor!"

A blast of lightning that looked like a pillar shot upwards, gathering in the clouds to become stronger and deadlier.

…

"Incoming," Ace said to Tanya and Gan Fall. He saw the future. Enel's attack is coming soon. "Look up."

"What?" Tanya asked.

Ace didn't need to answer. Tanya heard the crackling of lightning. They were already close to Upper Yard.

Tanya looked up to see the clouds darken. She knew what was coming. She flew up and prepared an attack of her own.

"Tempest Roar!"

A blast of wind erupted from Tanya's shout. The winds surged as the surrounding air seemed to have come and support her attack.

Tanya's attack was perfectly timed. At that moment, Enel's lightning pillar came. It looked stronger than Tanya's roar.

Ace's Observation Haki flared, and he saw the future. He grinned. There was no need to worry.

Tanya's roar and Enel's might clashed. It was a scene straight out of a mythological battle. Wind against lightning.

In the end, Tanya somehow won the exchange. She blasted away the huge pillar of lightning with her winds. Her attack didn't stop there and continued to the clouds, blowing them away.

'Wind is stronger against lightning, huh? Sounds familiar.'

Tanya flew back down, much to the shock of everyone except Ace. She flew beside her future captain.

"You trained hard. You made your power strong!" Ace complimented Tanya.

"I did. It's been my sole focus for three years."

The group continued on their path to Upper Yard.

…

"This is impossible! I refuse to believe it!"

Enel was thrashing around in his tent, destroying his home out of frustration.

Seeing Tanya repel his attack was the last thing he expected.

"So, you gained power too? Let's see who the true chosen one is, Tanya! YAHAHAHA!" Enel soon calmed down. "I am God. I stand above all."

"Enel-sama!"

The Four Priests have arrived in front of Enel.

"You called for us, Enel-sama?"

"I did." Enel leaned forward on the seat he was sitting on. "Intruders will be entering Upper Yard soon."

"Should we assemble your army, Enel-sama?"

"Hmmmm." Enel put a hand under his chin as he spent a few moments thinking. "Go ahead. Assemble God's Army and crush them."

"As you command, Enel-sama."

Enel watched his priests walk away before his face broke into a grin.

"YAHAHAHA! I wonder how many will die? This is fun! What a game!"

…

"You guys sure know your way around this place," Ace said to Wyper's group.

"Naturally. This was a frequent battlefield," Wyper said.

Ace was surprised that Wyper even answered him. He half expected to just be ignored.

"Still, this place is huge! Everything's huge!"

Ace was astounded by the size of the trees and some animals he saw. Watching and reading about the place he was in now was totally different from experiencing it yourself.

Suddenly, Ace detected something with his Observation Haki.

"Heads up," Ace said, catching the attention of everyone. "An army is right ahead of us."

"Let's disperse!" Wyper said, but Ace stopped them.

"Hold it. There's no need to do that."

Ace stepped forward in the lead of the group. Somehow, they listened to him.

God's Army arrived moments later. The bulk of the troops were bald headed goat-like men. In their lead are the Four Priests Satori, Shura, Ohm, and Gedatsu. Ace recognized them.

"Halt!" Ohm shouted. "You have trespassed the holy abode of God! Surrender now or die painfully!"

"HOHOHO! God's Army is here, HOHOHO! How unfortunate you are!" Satori clapped as he bounced around on his ball of cloud.

"God's Army, huh?" Ace scoffed. "If this is his army, how weak must your God be?"

Ace didn't want to take too long. He let his Conqueror's Haki burst out. The Divine Soldiers instantly passed out.

The Four Priests somehow withstood it, but not much. Shura's bird, Ace forgot the name, passed out and he crashed to the ground.

The Four Priests were forced to kneel, their legs disobeying them. They tried standing up, but couldn't.