One Piece, Volume 27

Chapter 247
Luffy, Sanji, and Usopp are amazed by the priest's power, who taunts them, telling them they have to hurry and beat him in order to catch up with their boat. Luffy sends the other two to find the Karasumaru, saying that he will take care of their enemy. He attacks Satori, but his moves get predicted again, and he is easily defeated. Satori turns his attention to Usopp and Sanji, attacking them with his orbs and stalling them, until Luffy returns to the fight. Luffy's punches not only miss their target, but hit all the nearby floating orbs, setting off all their hidden surprise traps at once.

During the attack, Usopp finds the time to use his rope weapon to reach the boat; while this reaches the boat, it is not entirely successful, as he forgot to detach the rope from his belt, and is dragged along underneath. Satori lands a very powerful attack with an impact dial on Sanji's chest, stating that the other two are next.

Meanwhile, back on Going Merry, Chopper has been left alone to guard her; when one of Enel's priests, Shura, arrives to collect the sacrifices, Chopper panics, blowing the whistle to summon Gan Fall, the Knight of the Sky, in a desperate call for help.

Chapter 248
Conis and Pagaya have sought refuge in Gan Fall's residence. There, the former God is seen watering his pumpkin crops, while discussing with his guests about the recent events. Gan Fall explains, that those people were pirates from the blue sea, groups that are considered sailing criminals, though he prefers to call them "people that don't follow rules". He goes on about having met another group of pirates, 20 years ago, whom he befriended. Gan Fall expresses his worry about the ongoing conflict between Skypiea and Shandia and reveals that his negotiations, while he was God, had almost bore fruits, but it was then, when Enel invaded the country and assumed control.

As he apologizes about his failure, he remembers an old legend speaking about a beautiful song heard, when God's island was born; a song that signaled the beginning of the war. Gan Fall believes that, when this song is heard once more, that's when the war will, finally, end. All of a sudden, seeing Pierre uneasy, Gan Fall wears his armor and departs.

Back at the ship, Chopper is seen, bruised, trying to put out a fire on the main mast, and begging the attacker to stop. In a desperate move, Chopper breaks the mast right of and throws it in the sea. However, Shura keeps setting fires on the ship, using his lance and states that if Chopper wants to survive, he has to make sacrifices.

Shura explains, that the forest is divided into four territories, each one controlled by a priest, but the altar doesn't belong to any of the said territories. If the invaders survive the trials of the forest and reach the altar then they are free to go. However, since some of the sacrifices broke the rules and left the altar, Shura claims that someone else must pay for it with his life.

As Shura attacks Chopper with his lance, Gan Fall appears. The two men engage into an aerial battle, riding their birds. Shura looks down on Gan Fall, calling him an old man, but the former God, with a swift move, manages to land a dial attack on his opponent, much to Chopper's amazement.

Chapter 249
As the battle between Gan Fall and Shura continues, elsewhere, a little girl is shown walking amongst the clouds, when she finally arrives in a village hidden inside the clouds, the village of Shandia. The girl, named Aisa, meets a Shandia warrior there, who warns her that, if she keeps going to Upper Yard, she will end up dead. Meanwhile, the rest of the warriors discuss about Gan Fall's skirmish in Upper Yard, whom, along with Enel, they consider an enemy and hope they take each other out. The masked attacker is revealed to be Wyper, the descendant of the great Shandia warrior, Kalgara.

Zoro, Nami and Robin wonder in the forest, until Robin finds some kind of ruins that pick her interest. Ahead of them lies a river, which they have to cross, if they wish to enter deeper into the forest. Nami watches over the distance with her binoculars and spots the area called Upper Yard.

Back at the altar, Chopper is amazed by the speed in which the two opponents clash. Suddenly, Gan Fall finds it hard to move his body, which got trapped in Shura's ordeal of strings. Unable to move, the dethroned God suffers a fatal wound by the priest's lance, and with his last words, asks Chopper to defeat Enel and his priests, for the sake of all those who have fallen.

At the same time, Pagaya suggest that, he and Conis create something to help the Straw Hat Pirates.

Chapter 250
Gan Fall falls defeated into the water and Chopper, in desperation, dives after him to save him, despite being a Devil Fruit user. Fuza, with a hit, sends Pierre to join them. Sure about his victory, Shura decides to go after the other escapees.

Back in the forest, Satori has taken the upper hand in his battle against Luffy, Sanji and Usopp. Luffy attacks the priest but he dodges and sends a dragon made of orbs against his opponent. Usopp takes this chance to try and retrieve their boat. Luffy notices that the dragon is controlled by a rope and he cuts it loose. Satori pulls Luffy with the remaining rope towards him, but Luffy still holds the dragon on the other hand, which he throws on the scared priest, causing a huge chain of explosions.

Satori manages to survive the explosion, but loses his focus, and that's when Luffy appears and grabs him, rendering him unable to move or escape. Sanji, although hurt by the explosions, is determined to pay the priest back, for kidnapping his favorite ladies, regardless of the consequences being that they will become first class criminals. As Luffy still holds on Satori, Sanji delivers a strong kick on his head and finally defeats him.

Chapter 251
In the Shandia village, Aisa informs Wyper that she felt, using her Mantra, that two voices have been silenced in the forest. Wyper rejoices and realizes that this is the time for them to act and begin their assault. When Wyper leaves, Aisa reveals to Raki that it wasn't Gan Fall who defeated the priest, but some other very powerful people, who are also in the forest. Raki asks for the girl's purse and when she refuses to give it away, claiming that her treasure is inside, Raki promises to bring more for her.

In the forest, Usopp urges Luffy and Sanji to hurry up, if they want to catch up with their boat. Using Usopp's waist rope, they finally manage to get on board. Nami seems to have discovered something about Upper Yard, and is about to lead Zoro and Robin there to make sure.

While the rest of the priests, using Mantra, acknowledge the defeat of their comrade in the hands of the newcomers, the Shandia warriors have begun their invasion in God's island, led by Wyper who is determined to light the fire of Shandia.

Chopper wakes up back on the Altar and, seeing Gan Fall and Pierre unconscious around him, wonders who saved them from drowning.

Nami's group reach a clearing where they see something familiar. A missing part of a house they saw down on Jaya. This leads them to realize that, Upper Yard was once on the ground, originally a part of the island of Jaya.

Chapter 252
Nami thanks God once she finds out that the Sky Island they tried so hard to reach is actually the City of Gold, thinking that it must be God's reward for her "well behaved and disciplined self". When someone asks if she wasn't afraid of "God" on the Island, she responds "Who cares about God!? Is it worth more money than gold!?". Robin remarks that she was thanking God earlier, and Zoro states that she does not know what she's trying to say.

The Shandia continue their invasion of Upper Yard, attacking anything in their path. Luffy, Sanji and Usopp ride the milky road, and notice the human skulls on the plain. Luffy remarks that they are indeed human skulls, and notices that something's coming. Usopp freaks out, and the Shandia appear to attack the group. Wyper fires a cannon ball at them. Luffy jumps and uses Gomu Gomu no Fusen to deflect it. One of the Shandia asks Wyper if they should engage them, to which the latter states that they should ignore them. Sanji notices that one of them is the Masked Raider they met in the White Sea. Wyper then states that they are the citizens of the Blue Sea that caused a racket at Skypiea, and that if they don't want to die, they should go back to the Blue Sea, and warns them to do not try to do anything weird at the Island, otherwise he will treat them like Enel, and eliminate them too. Luffy then asks for a fight, Usopp tells him to not say anything more and Sanji asks if the Shandia and God are really enemies. Wyper remarks that they are going to need to be strong to leave the island alive. Luffy wonders what´s their problem, and then the group continues their ride.

Back in Karasumaru, the group enjoys their ride on the Milky Road, and wonder if it's going to be this calm all the way to the altar. As the sun sets, the Shandia and the Priests continue their fight.

The other members of the crew go back to the Going Merry, and notice that the mast is missing. They then call for Chopper. The latter tells them nothing really bad happened and the formers ask for him to tell them what happened. Luffy, Usopp and Sanji then reunite with the others. Chopper tells Usopp what happened to the mast, and then the crew goes to check on Gan Fall. Sanji remarks that in the ship's current condition and the sky getting dark, they must camp there for the night. Each Straw Hat Pirates then reports on the situation and tells the crew the information each one gathered, while Sanji and Chopper take care of Gan Fall. Luffy then states that they will "go and find the gold".

Chapter 253
The Shandia have continued their campaign through Upper Yard, but must now halt their progress as Kamakiri has been hurt. Engaged in battle with the priest "Skybreeder" Ohm and his dog Holy, Wyper reluctantly retreats with the rest of the Shandia to treat their wounded. Ohm is prepared to pursue them, but another priest, "Sky Boss" Gedatsu, arrives and tells him that Enel has summoned them. At the Straw Hat's encampment, Luffy is assisting Sanji in preparing a meal for the crew. Watching water boil, he complains about how boring his job is, but Sanji stresses the importance of having water for the crew tomorrow. Just then Zoro and Chopper return from a supply run. Chopper has found bananas, walnuts, aloe, and garlic. Zoro has come back with rats and frogs. Sanji tells them to put it all in the stew, prompting Nami to comment that some weird things going into it. Sanji guesses that she is referring to the garlic, which Nami vehemently denies. Robin then returns as well, holding a blue rock that Nami initially takes for a gemstone. It is actually crystallized salt, much to Sanji's delight. Chopper decides to keep some aloe and garlic for medical treatment and helping the Knight of The Sky, which slightly confuses Zoro, as he assumed Chopper would need the frogs. Sanji then asks Zoro to help out with preparation as well; he has him hold a smoldering rock to place in the stew, much to the latter's annoyance at the use of his swords. Luffy wonders if they're supposed to eat the rock too, as Sanji explains that the heat from the rock helps cook the stew. 

As Sanji puts the finishing touches on their meal, Nami has finished creating a map. With the crew gathered and eating, Nami starts by first reviewing what they have learned from Mont Blanc Noland's tale: He traveled to the City of Gold 400 years ago. A few years later he returned in search for the golden city, but it had seemingly vanished without a trace. Most evidence implicates that particular part of the island being blasted into the sky by the Knock Up Stream, but Zoro points out that the animals and vegetation of both islands vary too greatly to have come from the same place. Robin, however, points out that there are much different substances in both environments that impact their growth in drastically different ways. Chopper makes note of the size of the south bird that saved them (compared to the one that got them to Skypiea), to which Sanji questions why they were saved in the first place. Chopper isn't sure, but points out that the birds were referring to the Knight of The Sky as "God". This blows Luffy away, as he immediately associates the actions of Enel with the title and consequently thinks that he has to beat up the Knight of The Sky. This earns him ridicule from Usopp, which eases Pierre's fears that Luffy may actually hurt his master. Nami continues recapping the information Noland's book gave them about the Golden City, including a golden belfry. Robin calls attention to the things Noland wrote on the last page of his diary, more specifically his quote about seeing the gold in the "Skull's Right Eye". Nami is thinking the same thing, and shows the crew what happens she aligns the map Robin found in Jaya, with the ancient map of Skypiea: when combined at the point Mont Blanc Cricket's home splits, the two islands form a skull.

With this new revelation, the "Skull's Right Eye" is shown to be a specific area in Upper Yard. Because the island was still one land mass at the time of Noland's discovery, the logic no longer held true and the riddle was impossible to solve by the time he returned. The crew decides to head for this point the next day, but they cannot leave the Going Merry unattended, so will split into two groups. Robin notices that it is getting late, and suggest putting out the fire so as to not give away their position to the enemy. Luffy calls this idea stupid (greatly shocking Robin), but Usopp tells Luffy to give her the benefit of the doubt in recognition of the dark life she has lived up until now. When Robin inquires what they mean, they explain that you simply have to have a campfire on camping night, even if it means death. Nami attempts to scold the two about how dangerous the forest is, but realizes it is futile when Zoro and Sanji join in by creating a woodpile. Sanji attempts to quell her fears by explaining that the beasts are afraid of fire, but eyes begin to ominously appear from the darkness behind him, only scaring her further. Ironically, she is soon enjoying herself with everyone else: the eyes are revealed to have belonged to wolves, who befriend the crew and dance with them around the campfire. 

In the midst of the festivities, the Knight of The Sky finally awakens from his rest. He is greatly amused that the wolves have been tamed, and furthermore that probably no one else would make so much noise in Enel's home. He attempts to apologize that he couldn't be more helpful to the crew, but they denounce this and offer him some food. Luffy and Chopper actually ask him to come dance, much to Zoro's bewilderment (Zoro and Chopper often argue about the former's mobility after medical treatment). Sanji asks him about Conis and Pagaya, and he assures they are safe at his home. His face becomes more serious, and he reveals that he overheard their conversations about Upper Yard's history. He was unaware that the land was once known as Jaya, but nonetheless asks them if they know why Upper Yard is known as the "Holy Land". He goes on to explain to the crew that the ground beneath their feet is rather common to them, but to the people of the sky, it is quite the opposite. Island cloud can nurture plant life, but it cannot give birth to it; thus soil and plant life are not things of the sky. There, they refer to the soil as "vearth", and will forever hold it sacred.

In another area of Upper Yard, there is discord in the Shandia Village over their earlier mission. Wyper is berating Raki for her lack of focus, blaming Kamakiri's injury on his need to save her. She apologizes, and tearfully begs for the small bag that Wyper has snatched from her. She exclaims it is Aisa's treasure, and she promised the little girl she would bring her some Vearth. Wyper counters that is exactly why she couldn't focus. She continues to beg for the bag back, until Kamakiri himself appears and knocks the bag to the ground. He claims that he can still fight, and agrees with Wyper that there is no better time than now to strike with one of the Priests already down. He goes on to say that if they defeat Enel there will no longer be any need to cherish a small bag of Vearth, and the Shandia will finally be able to return to the home that they lost 400 years ago.

Chapter 254
Usopp gets up in the middle of the night because he needs to go to the bathroom. While going to the bathroom he hears some noise coming from the Going Merry. However, there is very thick fog, and he can only see a hand holding a hammer. When it is morning, Zoro finds Usopp sleeping near the place he went to the bathroom.

The scene then changes to where Ohm, Gedatsu, and Shura are at God's Shrine. Shura blames Ohm for letting Wyper live, saying that that is the reason why the three have been summoned. The doors to God's Shrine suddenly opens, and the three priests get into a position ready to fight.

From behind Yama asks what they are doing, and states that they are just hopeless. Ohm complains that the other two priests pull him down and that he can't reach his full potential. He then reveals that he is the Priest in charge of the Trial of Iron. Gedatsu states that the other trials are dull, and that his own trial of swamp is the ultimate one.

Yama asserts that this is no time to be fooling around, as this is the place where God lives. All of a sudden, the priests get attacked by someone. It is revealed that this attacker is in fact the God of Skypea, Enel. He states that the Priests are still weak. The Priests are not happy at this attack, but Enel then laughs saying that he was just bored. He also states that the Priests are taking the citizens of the Blue Sea too lightly, and that their target is the gold.

Enel states that the Straw Hat Pirates will most likely start searching for the gold the next day, and that the Shandia will also attack again. Thus, he cancels all the rules he has put in place, and allows the priests to do whatever they want in Upper Yard. When the Priests ask why Enel has had this sudden change of mind to cancel all the rules, Enel replies by saying that Maxim is almost complete, and that they will soon depart to the dream world.

The Straw Hat Pirates notice that the Going Merry appears to have been repaired from its damage, and Usopp asserts that what he saw wasn't a dream after all. This causes the Straw Hats to question if in fact there is someone good on this island helping them. Luffy along with Usopp wonder how the mysterious person could have known how to repair the ship if they had not seen it before.

Nami then makes a plan on how to get the gold. Luffy, Robin, Zoro, and Chopper are a part of the Explore Team, and they will navigate towards the right eye of the skull at the ancient ruin to get the gold. Nami, Usopp, and Sanji will navigate the ship through the island and shore as close to the ruin as possible. Then the teams will meet and leave Sky Island being wealthy pirates.

Chapter 255
The Straw Hat Explore Team (Luffy, Zoro, Chopper, and Robin) has wasted no time in having problems. Zoro has already strayed away from the group, and Luffy yells at him that the west is the other way, while actually pointing east. Zoro counters with the logic that the "skull's right eye" must mean that they go right, and the two trade insults. Meanwhile, Robin asks Chopper to tell both of them that they're actually supposed to be going south. They eventually regroup and head off. Chopper comments that he was initially worried the forest would be a dangerous place, but now he thinks it's nothing to worry about (he makes a mental note that he feels safer with the group), prompting Luffy to mention how brave he's being today. Zoro adds that he can relate since nothing came at them when they entered the forest yesterday either, and Chopper feels even better about himself. Unbeknownst to all of them however, a gigantic snake that severely dwarfs them all in size slithers across the forest behind them. Robin muses to herself how strange the group is for being so eager for something bad to happen. At that moment, the giant snake fully emerges in front of them.

Aboard the Going Merry, Usopp has taken it upon himself to act as "captain", and asks Nami to speed up the ship. She responds that the milky road current is too rough, so they just have to rely on the dials to get them through. Usopp then asks Sanji to be his bodyguard, which he coldly replies he will do exclusively for Nami. Nami then remembers that it's time for the Knight of the Sky to get his medicine, and asks Sanji where Chopper kept it. The knight speaks up, and states that his name is Gan Fall. He asks to share a bit of history of the country. He starts by saying that until 6 years ago, he was known as the "God" of Skypiea. This causes Usopp to ask him if he fell on his head, earning him a nasty bite on the head from Pierre. He continues by confirming what the crew had already figured out: Upper Yard first appeared in Skypiea around 400 years ago. Prior to its arrival, Skypiea was a peaceful place where its inhabitants greatly treasured the blue sea items that occasionally washed up via the Knock Up Stream. All the vearth that appeared in Skypiea beforehand had come in this manner, but for something the size of Upper Yard to come up was truly unprecedented. They considered it a true miracle, a Holy Land as a gift from heaven. The land already had its own native residents however, the Shandia, and thus began a war for the Holy Land. In the end the Shandia were forced out, and have since been trying to reclaim what was once theirs. Sanji and Usopp immediately voice their blame on Gan Fall, earning them both a bite on the head from Pierre. However Gan Fall owns up to it and doesn't attempt to shift blame at all. As he pauses to take his medicine, Nami asks him about "God" Enel. He explains that six years ago Enel showed up leading a powerful army, and defeated both God's Army and the Shandia. He took control of Upper Yard from then on, forcing his army into intense labor, though he doesn't know the details. He reaffirms that who "God" is doesn't matter to the Shandia, they only want their homeland. Sanji asks what caused them to attack the crew when they first arrived then, and he explains that they attack God's Army without mercy. They most likely mistook them for militia, since they sometimes attempt to escape on blue sea ships. Gan Fall says he became the "Knight of The Sky" to help people so easily deemed as criminals escape from Enel's sphere of influence. Sanji resolves that Enel is nothing but a tyrant, which freaks Usopp out, as he wonders what Enel can hear. Gan Fall explains that it's actually worse than being a tyrant; he enforces a system that uses various excuses to outlaw people, and then pushes the people of Skypiea to take part in capturing them. This awareness creates fear, which he uses to maintain a control over the population that truly does liken him to a god. Nami frets at how absurd this all is, realizing the City of Gold has gone to a truly incredible place. This sparks more memories of Gan Fall from the crew's discussions the night before, and he asks what gold is.

Back in the forest, the Explore Team prepares to deal with the snake. Luffy yells for them to run away (though he is clearly enjoying himself), Chopper is scared speechless, Robin wonders if the island's environment is the reason for its size, and Zoro prepares to cut it. The snake strikes at them, and they all manage to dodge. The snake does strike a tree however, which completely melts down, and it is revealed the snake has extremely corrosive venom. With this, they decide that running away is the better option, though Luffy again clearly finds the snake is cool. Zoro warns that the venom will instantly kill you, and Luffy tries to get its attention. It focuses on Robin however, and strikes at her. She effortlessly dodges, and creates a makeshift vine to swing herself to safety. Chopper quickly scrambles away (comically running upright on his hind legs in walk point), and Zoro finds himself face to face with the snake next. Zoro comments on how dire this looks, and the snake lunges for him.

Robin is unsure of what to do. She has navigated back to where they were originally, but no one else is there. She wonders if she should wait. Elsewhere, Chopper is in a severe state of panic that he's gotten lost, and cries out for help. In a different location, Zoro wonders where everyone has gone. He quickly resolves that they'll be fine by themselves though, and that he even memorized most of the map: he just needs to go "right". Finally Luffy has also been separated from the group, but he assumed they got lost. He decides that he'll just meet them at the ruins, and since they said it is "to the south", that must mean it is someplace warm.