The flames erupting from the Flame Dial-powered arrows engulfed the surrounding forest. Figures darted out of the inferno, leaping between the giant trees.
Modi and the other core members of the crew were the fastest, naturally. Within moments, the God's Guard stationed in the trees were plummeting to the ground with cries of pain, their dozens-strong force decimated in an instant.
With a thunderous crash, a massive tree toppled. Two towering figures leaped across the falling trunk.
Black Shadow Spears twisted through the air, hurtling towards Iron Sword High Priest Seamus. Seamus raised his half-meter-wide, shield-like iron sword to block. The Shadow Spear slammed into the blade, the sheer force of the impact sending Seamus crashing into a nearby tree, shaking the massive trunk violently.
"A Devil Fruit... You're a Devil Fruit user!" Seamus roared, both shocked and enraged. He shoved the Shadow Spear away with his greatsword, his Waver propelling him along the tree trunk in a sudden burst. He shot forward like a meteor, charging directly at Moria below.
Seamus brought his giant sword down in a furious slash. Moria caught the blow with his large scissors, but the sheer power of Seamus's attack forced the ground beneath Moria's feet to shatter.
Not only that, Seamus's greatsword began to glow red-hot, as if it had just been pulled from a furnace. Moria's scissors started to melt under the intense heat.
A sharp whistling sound pierced the air. Seamus felt a chill run down his spine as a Shadow Spear aimed for his head.
With surprising agility, Seamus retreated, swinging his sword to shatter the returning Shadow Spear.
Bege looked at his disciples. Many had been injured in the recent clash, some seriously. Most of the wounds were from gunshots, inflicted by the Flash Dials earlier.
Bege opened his castle gates, allowing the heavily injured disciples to retreat inside for treatment.
He leaped onto a tree, observing Moria's fight with interest.
"Moria, are you sure you've got this? If not, I'll step in. I guarantee I'll take him down in seconds," Riki mocked with a snicker.
"Shut your trap. I'll crush him right now."
Moria's expression darkened. He scowled at Seamus, his annoyance palpable. He charged, the hulking Moria using his size advantage to pressure Seamus. However, Seamus's Dial-enhanced weapon was equally powerful, leading to a fierce back-and-forth.
Bege chuckled. "To make Moria struggle like this, this Iron Sword High Priest has some skill."
"It's over," Modi said, his eyes flashing.
Bege looked over. Moria was forced back by Seamus. Seamus swung his blazing greatsword, instantly slicing through Moria's body. Moria's massive upper half flew into the air.
"Blue Sea dweller, this is not a place for you to run wild. Your end will be miserable," Seamus sneered at Bege and the others, his voice full of arrogance.
Thwip!
Suddenly, a thin Shadow Spear pierced Seamus's chest. Moria's enormous form appeared behind him, looking down at the disbelieving Seamus.
The "Moria" that Seamus had cut in half dissolved into black shadows, quickly flowing back into Moria's feet.
"I just let you cut me on purpose. What are you so proud of?" Moria smashed his fist into Seamus's face, sending him flying into a large boulder, knocking him unconscious.
"Captain, should I finish him off?" Moria's shadow formed into a Shadow Spear at his feet, quivering towards Seamus.
"Forget it. Unless absolutely necessary, let's avoid killing," Bege waved his hand dismissively. Although he didn't care about Seamus's life, a more conciliatory approach would be better if he wanted to subdue Skypiea.
Bege led the group onward, swiftly moving through the forest. They crossed several mountain peaks, and the towering giant beanstalk in the center of Upper Yard came into view.
He knew that atop that colossal beanstalk lay the lost city of gold, Shandora, vanished for eight hundred years.
After traveling a while longer, Bege frowned. He reached out and touched the air, his fingers brushing against a thread so fine it was almost invisible. In the sunlight, these white threads were impossible to detect.
"This stuff is harder than steel," Modi said, tugging at a thread with a furrowed brow.
"That's Rope Cloud. It has the hardness of steel," Bege explained.
Just then, a number of Skypieans rushed out from the nearby forest. They wore the same uniforms as the God's Guard from before. Moving swiftly, they descended from the cloud paths and sped through the trees, surrounding Bege's group. At the same time, they held a type of Dial, releasing a grayish-white cloud. The clouds surged towards Bege's crew like an encroaching tidal wave.
"Swamp Cloud, huh? How annoying," Bege muttered, instantly swinging his long sword to sever the Rope Clouds around them.
"This Swamp Cloud is like quicksand. It's hard to escape once you're caught. Don't let it get close," Bege warned Riki.
"Leave it to me." Riki stepped forward, high-pressure air blasting from his hands, scattering the approaching Swamp Cloud. Bege and the others followed the path cleared through the cloud.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...
Sharp whistling sounds filled the air as a volley of arrows flew towards them. The arrows trailed long, cylindrical clouds as they flew.
Bege and the others dodged the arrows. These cylindrical clouds formed a series of cloud paths in the forest.
Skypiean warriors, holding Flash Dial-powered guns, stepped onto these cloud paths and raced towards them.
The group swiftly dodged the bullets, rapidly knocking the Skypiean warriors off the cloud paths.
On one of the cloud paths, a middle-aged man wearing an outfit similar to Seamus's rode a Waver, charging forward at high speed. He clashed with Modi, wielding a peculiar long sword. After a few exchanges, he swiftly retreated onto the cloud path. Suddenly, he thrust his sword forward. The blade extended at an astonishing speed.
Modi narrowly avoided the extending blade, which instantly pierced the ground.
Modi looked gravely at the strange sword, which was now over ten meters long.
"That's a Cloud Sword, made from Iron Cloud, which is harder than steel. By adding Iron Cloud through the Dial at the hilt, its attack range can be extended," Bege identified the weapon.
"To know the principle behind my Iron Cloud Sword, you do have some knowledge."
The man flicked his wrist, and the extended sword quickly retracted to its normal size. He looked down at Modi with arrogance. "You have some skill to defeat that fool Seamus. However, your journey ends here, with this High Priest."
"Mr. Modi, let me handle this one." Riki laughed heartily, stomping the ground. With two explosive booms, his figure vanished, instantly appearing in front of the arrogant Skypiean warrior.
The Skypiean warrior's reaction speed was surprisingly fast enough to detect Riki's high-speed movement. He swung his long sword at Riki. Riki blocked the blade with a blast of high-pressure air from one hand, then thrust with his other. The incredibly fast and powerful burst of high-pressure air sent the warrior flying dozens of meters into the air, before he fell like a broken kite into the distant forest.
"He wasn't much, was he?" Riki chuckled, shooting a smug look at Moria, much to Moria's annoyance. Moria just snorted.
"Let's go. I expect there are quite a few High Priests like this at the shrine," Bege said with a smile, ignoring the two's silent rivalry.
They quickly continued on, arriving at the location of the Skypieans' shrine.
The Skypieans' shrine wasn't located at the giant beanstalk, but rather a considerable distance away.
The Skypieans were already aware of Bege's invasion. As Bege and his crew arrived at the shrine's plaza, a large group of Skypiean warriors rushed out, surrounding them as if facing a formidable enemy.
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