The afternoon sun spilled across Angel Beach, and for a fleeting moment, everything seemed serene. The Straw Hat crew had just finished a hearty Sky Island lunch, their bellies full and spirits high.
BOOM!!!
Without warning, the sea erupted. A pillar of water shot dozens of meters into the air as a "Super Express Shrimp"—a creature the size of a naval battleship with two gargantuan claws—burst from the depths!
Before anyone could react, those massive pincers clamped onto the Going Merry's gunwales with a bone-crushing grip.
"AH!! It's a Special Express Shrimp! It's after the Merry!!" Usopp shrieked from the shore.
"GIVE ME BACK MY SHIP!!!"
Luffy moved the fastest, his rubbery arms stretching desperately toward the stern railing. But the "Express" in the shrimp's name wasn't for show. The moment it secured the ship, its powerful tail snapped back.
POP!!
A visible sonic boom rippled through the air! The shrimp accelerated with the Merry in tow, the sheer velocity tearing it away from Luffy's reaching hands and leaving only a blur in its wake.
"STAY RIGHT THERE!!"
Sanji, who had been washing dishes by the shore, dropped his plates and kicked the air, attempting to give chase. But this was a speed beyond even the Priests' mastery; in the blink of an eye, the shrimp was a distant speck.
"Dammit!! We lost them!!" Sanji slammed a fist into the sand, his face etched with anxiety.
The Calm and the Chaos
On the Merry—
"UWAAAAHHH!!"
The sudden acceleration sent the ship pitching backward. Nami was hurled by the sheer G-force, slamming hard against the stern railing.
She watched as Luffy and Sanji shrank into tiny dots before vanishing entirely. Tears instantly welled in her eyes. "What's going on?! Where are they taking us?!"
"Waaaah! Help!" Chopper was rolling across the deck like a rogue marble, bumping his head repeatedly. "Doctor! Call a doctor!! Is there a doctor on board?! ...Ah! I'm the doctor!!"
Amidst the pandemonium, two people remained unnervingly calm.
Nico Robin sat in her deck chair. Even at this breakneck speed, she gracefully crossed her arms. "Seis Fleur: Calendula."
Multiple arms sprouted, steadying the panicked Nami and pinning down the rolling Chopper. Her eyes remained cool as she watched the scenery blur past.
"At this speed... they must be taking us somewhere very far. And the direction... it's toward that 'Island of God'."
The other "calm" individual was Zoro. Despite the violent rocking—and despite Chopper rolling over him three times—the great swordsman remained propped against the mast, unmoving.
A snot bubble expanded and contracted with his steady breathing. He had slept through the entire abduction.
As for Viktor? He was currently in his cabin, meticulously recording data on the Dials he had scavenged from the beach. His pen scratched across the paper: "Impact Dials for Usopp's slingshot... Flame Dials to boost Sanji's kicks... Breath Dials for the Waver upgrade..."
The Sacrificial Altar
After a time, the Express Shrimp navigated the winding "Milky Way" waterway and reached its destination.
CRASH!!
It released its grip, crudely dumping the Merry atop an ancient stone altar deep within a dark forest. Massive trees blotted out the sun, and twisting vines known as "Giant Jack" coiled like dragons around the ruins.
In the waters surrounding the altar, schools of Sky Sharks with blade-like dorsal fins patrolled hungrily.
"Where... where are we?" Nami stood up, trembling, supporting herself on the railing. Her eyes landed on an ancient stone tablet nearby: The Sacrificial Altar.
"Sacrifice..." Nami turned white, her soul practically floating out of her mouth. "It's over... we're going to be cooked..."
The commotion finally woke the moss-head. Zoro rubbed his sleepy eyes, stretched, and looked around blankly. "Ah? Is it morning? Why is it so noisy?"
Click.
The cabin door pushed open. Viktor closed his notebook and stepped onto the deck with a composed expression. He surveyed the eerie jungle and the suffocating atmosphere, a slight smirk tugging at his lips.
"No, it's not morning yet, Mr. Swordsman. But it seems some fellows are eager to deliver themselves to their deaths."
As Viktor and Zoro—the crew's two primary combatants—took their positions, the aura of the Merry shifted. The panicked atmosphere vanished, replaced by a terrifying pressure that sent nearby birds and beasts scattering. It was the scent of apex predators waking up.
"Heeee-hee-hee-hee!!"
A strange laugh echoed from the sky. A fiery silhouette circled down—it was Shura, the Priest of the "Trial of String," riding the fire-breathing bird Fuza. Shura looked down at the crew with utter disdain.
"So these are the Blue Sea monkeys? To think you survived long enough to get here. I am the Priest Shura! Since you have become sacrifices, prepare for the judgment of the 'Trial of String'!"
"First, I'll cut off your retreat!" Shura yanked the reins. His Heat Spear erupted with high-temperature flames. Using Fuza's diving momentum, he lunged directly at the Merry's mainmast, intending to burn the sail and mast to ash and plunge them into total despair.
"NO! THE MERRY!!" Chopper shrieked.
In the heartbeat before the burning tip touched the wood—
Hum.
A pitch-black straight blade appeared out of nowhere, intercepting the spear's path.
CLANG————!!!!
The deafening ring of clashing metal echoed across the altar. Sparks showered the deck. Viktor held his blade with a single hand, steadily blocking Shura's full-throttle Heat Spear.
Though he wasn't using his full strength, his physical power was like a mountain; no matter how hard Fuza flapped its wings, the spear couldn't move an inch forward.
"Hey, bird-man." Viktor looked up, his gaze icy. "This ship is our home. If you burn the mast... our captain is going to cry."
"Wha... what?!" Shura's pupils constricted in shock. "You blocked the Heat Spear?! And this strength..."
Before he could process the shock, a lazy but murderous voice came from the side.
"Hey, Viktor, don't hog all the cool poses."
Zoro had appeared on the railing, all three blades drawn and shimmering in the gloomy jungle light. "So these are the Priests of Sky Island? They don't look... particularly hard to cut."
Locked in the sights of the two powerhouses, Shura felt a sudden, unprecedented chill crawl up his spine. This sense of danger far exceeded any Blue Sea pirate he had ever faced. These weren't monkeys... they were lions.
"Tch! Consider yourselves lucky!" Shura didn't linger. He yanked the reins, utilizing Fuza's mobility to rapidly ascend. After weaving a web of invisible "String Clouds" in the air as a trap, he retreated into the depths of the forest.
"Fast runner," Viktor remarked, sheathing his blade. He glanced at the trapped sky, then turned back to Nami with a reassuring smile.
"Rest easy, Nami. From this moment on, we're taking over." He pointed to the deck beneath them. "In this jungle, no one touches a single splinter of this ship."
"Yeah..." Nami whispered. Looking at Viktor's confident back, her fear faded, but seeing that she still needed such protection, her expression turned strangely somber.