"Wyper, don't be so reckless! Even though there's been no sign of Enel, who knows if he's planning something in the shadows?" Raki blocked Wyper, who was ready to charge out with his bazooka in hand.
"Laki, don't stop me! This is a rare opportunity. Enel has vanished along with that unknown monster.
If we can defeat the remaining forces, we can reclaim our sacred land, Upper Yard.
And even if Enel does return, I have a way to defeat him!" Wyper clenched a piece of Seastone tightly in his palm. With a weapon capable of harming Enel, he was brimming with confidence.
"Wyper, hold on! We still don't know the situation on Angel Island. The others have gone out to gather intelligence.
Let's wait for their report before deciding to attack Upper Yard. Our people are few—we can't afford reckless losses."
The Shandian chief, who had been sitting in the center with his eyes closed, finally opened them, trying to reason with Wyper.
"But, Chief—" Wyper still wanted to argue.
"Enough, Wyper! We wait for others to return."
Seeing the chief's firm stance, Wyper could only grit his teeth and leave with his bazooka in hand.
The chief watched him go, sighing internally. He had stopped Wyper for now, but he wasn't sure he'd be able to do so next time.
"Great Warrior Kalgara... please watch over your descendants. Let the bell of Shandora ring once more!" The chief prayed silently.
No matter what news Mantis brought back, he had already decided—the battle to reclaim their homeland was inevitable. The Shandians had waited far too long!
"Shura, any word from Lord Enel?" Ohm looked at the round and asked Shura.
"Ohm, the Divine Soldiers have been dispatched, but we still have no word from our god." Shura sat atop a floating cloud sphere, his expression heavy.
"Damn it! Without Lord Enel's presence, the residents of Angel Island are growing restless.
Aside from that fool Gan Fall, we also have those Shandian rats scurrying about!" Ohm grew increasingly agitated, but a sharp cry from Holy, his pet, forced him to calm down slightly.
"Ohm, don't be so worked up. No one can defeat Lord Enel. As for the Shandians, we can deal with them ourselves.
We don't need to trouble our god with such trivial matters. Angel Island, however... that's your responsibility, McKinley." Shura turned to one of the Divine Army officers.
"Understood, Lord Shura." McKinley immediately placed his fingers on his forehead in an exaggerated salute, striking a rather comical pose.
"As for that old fossil Gan Fall, I'll handle him. He's already one foot in the grave—might as well send him the rest of the way!"
Shura glanced at Satori, who stood nearby. "You have no objections, do you, Satori?"
"None. Do as you wish," Satori replied indifferently, leaning against a tree.
"Then it's settled! When Lord Enel returns, he will be pleased to see his new Angel Island!"
"Gan Fall, are you really not planning to return? The people of Angel Island are eagerly waiting for you.
Besides, Enel has vanished after fighting some unknown monster!" Pagaya pleaded with the old man, who was tending to a small patch of pumpkin plants on an isolated dirt island.
Gan Fall's hand trembled slightly at Pagaya's words. "Pagaya, I am no longer your god. I am just an old Sky Knight now. Isn't that right, Pierre?"
"Gaa! Gaa!" Pierre, the bird-horse hybrid, squawked from the side.
"Sigh..." Seeing Gan Fall's reaction, Pagaya sighed heavily.
"Gan Fall, if you ever change your mind, come find me. We truly hope for your return." With that, Pagaya turned and left.
Once Pagaya's figure disappeared from sight, Gan Fall slumped to the ground, and Pierre quickly fluttered over.
"Pierre... I do want to return. But Enel's power is beyond what mere humans can fight against.
And now, I'm just an old man—I can't even defeat the Four Priests, let alone Enel himself..." Gan Fall stroked Pierre's feathers, still haunted by memories of Enel's terrifying strength.
"So this is the Sky Island? It's beautiful! A sea made of clouds!" Chopper leaned over the Going Merry's railing, marveling at the sight.
"Hey, Chopper! You can really swim in this! It's just like the real sea!" Usopp had already jumped into the White Sea and was paddling happily.
"Where?! I wanna try too!" Luffy, excited, immediately leaped into the White Sea—only to sink like a rock the moment he hit the water.
"Luffy!!!" Usopp shouted in panic and swam toward the spot where Luffy had disappeared.
"You idiot! Did you forget you can't touch seawater?" Nami scolded, delivering a powerful punch to Luffy's face as soon as he was pulled back on deck.
"Haha, Nami, don't sweat the small stuf.!" Luffy grinned, his signature carefree smile completely unfazed by the scolding.
"Look! There are fish in the clouds." Chopper's excited voice rang out from the ship's railing.
"Where? Where?" Luffy's excitement returned in an instant as he dashed toward Chopper's side.
"Alright! I've decided! I'm eating those fish tonight!" Luffy declared with determination, once again preparing to jump into the sea.
"You moron! Did you already forget what just happened?" Sanji swiftly kicked Luffy away mid-air before he could dive in.
"Leave this to me. I'm quite interested in the seafood from this sea." Taking off his jacket, Sanji dove into the water.
"Luffy, don't worry! The great Usopp will return with a feast." Usopp's long nose somehow seemed to stretch even longer as he proudly joined Sanji in the White Sea.
"Man, I'm so jealous... I wish I could swim in the clouds too..." Luffy sulked, leaning against the railing and watching his crewmates with envy.
"So this is the island Lord Ainz has his eyes on? Not a bad place at all..." A shadowy figure, cloaked in a mist of deathly gray fog, gazed at Angel Island.
"Number Seventeen, don't forget Lord Demiurge's orders. This island has many forces that could interfere with our plans."
"Then let's divide the territory among us. Lord Demiurge has given us three days to take control of this place."
"I'll take Angel Island and deal with that Gan Fall."
"I'll handle the Divine Army of Upper Yard."
"That leaves the Shandians for me, then."
With that, the three shadowy figures dispersed, each heading toward their designated targets.