Blue Sea people—what's the meaning of this?
Seeing that the opponent had sent out a little girl to fight, Shura's face twisted with anger. "Don't think I'll show mercy just because she's a child!"
"You don't have to push yourselves," Gan Fall said, vaulting onto Pierre with his lance in hand, frowning up at Shura.
"Though I'm old, I still bear the title of Sky Knight. Since you've paid me, it's my duty to protect—wait, what the—?!"
Before he could finish, several serpentine coils of sand rose from the ground, winding around both Gan Fall and Pierre, binding them tight.
No matter how hard Gan Fall struggled, he couldn't break free. "Damn it—what is this?!" he shouted through gritted teeth.
"Relax, old man," Reiner said casually, eyes half-lidded. "Leave this one to her. And don't interrupt my cool moment."
Gan Fall blinked in confusion, feeling the constricting sand around him. His eyes drifted toward the Undead Mage, whose staff was also wreathed in fine sand. Realization hit him hard.
He knew of Devil Fruits—so he could guess the source of this ability—but how much one could draw out of that power depended entirely on the user's control.
He'd given his full strength and still couldn't even move an inch. That alone said enough—this girl's power was on another level. A little girl… stronger than him?
Gan Fall's gaze flicked toward the sky, to the figure of Shura circling above. Maybe these people really didn't need his help.
"One hundred points? I don't get it," Shura snarled, his grin widening. He dove on his vulture mount, fire gleaming in his goggles.
"Blue Sea scum like you—how dare you have the same score as me!"
The vulture opened its beak, spitting sparks that instantly ignited into a torrent of flames. A wave of searing heat swept toward the Going Merry, roaring like a living inferno.
"Fire breath?"
"Another Devil Fruit user?"
No one else moved. They all knew the rules—whoever Reiner picked to fight got to finish it. So they just stood back and watched.
The Undead Mage leaped into the air, flying straight into the oncoming flames without hesitation.
"Hahaha! My partner is named Panleg!" Shura sneered coldly, looking down from above. "Its beak is equipped with a Flame Dial. In a few seconds, she'll be reduced to ashes! Die for your arrogance, fool!"
"You really shouldn't play with fire," Reiner said lazily. "You're way out of your league."
Within the raging column of fire, the roaring blaze suddenly split apart as though it had struck an invisible wall. The flames scattered, swirling around the mage like ribbons of molten light, drifting calmly in midair.
Shura's face twisted in shock. "Panleg—evade! Quickly!"
The floating fire fragments suddenly took shape—each turning into a flaming swallow—and then burst forward like bullets, swarming toward Shura and his mount.
The vulture shrieked as the flaming birds struck, halting mid-dive. Screeching in pain, it flapped frantically, veering away with singed feathers.
"Panleg! Are you alright?!" Shura shouted, grinding his teeth. He stared at the Undead Mage, trembling with disbelief.
"Impossible—my Mantra sensed every move! How did she still hit me? And she's controlling the flames?!"
He circled the Merry warily, eyes darting between the girl and her calm summoner. He couldn't shake the dread creeping up his spine.
Gan Fall watched too, utterly stunned. Do they have Mantra too?
"Hey, old man," Reiner called, releasing the sand serpents that bound Gan Fall. "You know Observation Haki, right?"
"You mean Mantra? Yes, I do," Gan Fall replied, brushing off the dust. He'd met Blue Sea people before—he knew that what they called "Observation Haki" was what Sky Islanders called "Mantra."
"Then you can't sense our strength properly?" Reiner asked. "Isn't that how it works?"
Gan Fall nodded thoughtfully. "I can faintly sense your presence—stronger than most—but not in detail. I suppose my Mantra's not well-trained enough. Unless you're actively fighting, I can't gauge much more."
"So, the strength of the aura changes depending on your state," Reiner mused, rubbing his chin.
"Exactly," Gan Fall confirmed. "And the stronger your Mantra, the more you can perceive."
"Got it." Reiner nodded, taking out the earlier letter of the Trials. It listed the point values assigned to each participant.
There were five marked with a perfect 100—everyone except the so-called "coward trio." Reiner was among them.
That confirmed it: Enel's Observation Haki wasn't just vast—it was powerful. He could sense their relative strength almost instantly.
As for Chopper, his low score was probably because Enel mistook him for a pet.
Reiner's eyes drifted back to the battle.
Shura and his vulture were dodging desperately, but the Mage's flames were relentless. Both rider and mount were now scorched and bleeding, feathers and flesh charred black.
"Damn it… this is impossible," Shura growled, face dark.
He had completely underestimated this opponent. Worse, even though his Mantra picked up her attacks in advance, he still couldn't dodge them.
Every move he made was predicted—the flames always struck right where he'd try to escape.
"This guy… something's wrong about him," Shura muttered through clenched teeth, glaring down at Reiner. His Mantra could feel Reiner's intent constantly brushing against him—hostile, focused, inescapable.
But he had no time to think further. Another roaring pillar of fire surged toward him, wider and faster than before.
Even dodging now took everything he had. The opponent wasn't just fighting him—she was toying with him.
Grinding his teeth, Shura's eyes hardened. "Panleg! Old friend, it's up to you!"
The purple vulture let out a pained shriek and tucked its wings close, its speed doubling as it dove straight through the sea of fire.
Flames clung to its feathers, but Shura didn't care. He crouched low, using the bird's body as a shield until they burst out of the blaze. Then, pushing off from Panleg's back—
He lunged forward, long spear glowing red-hot from a Heat Dial embedded in its shaft.
"I'm the High Priest of the Trial of Strings! While we fought, I've been setting traps all over this arena!"
With a vicious grin, Shura yanked on something invisible—thin cloud-threads, so fine they could barely be seen, tightened all around the Undead Mage. "You never saw it coming! This is my ultimate move!"
"Damn—!" Gan Fall's face went pale. "I forgot to warn them!"
Those cloud-threads weren't just fine—they were razor-sharp and incredibly strong. Once they wrapped around a target, escape was nearly impossible.
"Doesn't matter," Reiner said, calm as ever.
The moment the threads drew near, they all ignited in unison—flaring up like burning fuses.
Snap! Snap! Snap!
Shura's pupils shrank in disbelief as one by one, the threads burst apart, each trailing sparks that rained down like brilliant fireworks.
"How—how is this possible?!"
The entire arena blazed with light. The heat and force of the blast tore through every one of Shura's traps in an instant. The flames filled the sky—like a divine punishment descending from above.
It was just like Enel's lightning.
"Damn it!"
Shura's burned face twisted into something monstrous. With his charred flesh and ragged uniform, he looked like a demon crawling out of hell.
But retreat wasn't an option. He had to win—to earn one hundred points, to be chosen by God Enel to join him in the "Endless Vearth."
Otherwise… death awaited him either way.
Snarling, Shura clutched his spear in both hands and dove. "DIE!!"
From above, the Undead Mage raised her staff. Massive pillars of flame erupted upward, twisting into fiery serpents that lunged toward him.
BOOM!!!
The explosion lit up the sky. When the smoke cleared, a blackened figure tumbled from the air—Shura's flight suit torn and smoking, his eyes blank and unfocused.
He hit the ground with a thud.
The short but fierce battle was over.
"Th-that easily…" Gan Fall whispered, staring at the mage standing calmly on the Merry's rail. "A High Priest, defeated… in just a few minutes."
The flames slowly receded at her command, vanishing as smoothly as they had come. One wave of her hand brought an inferno—another made it disappear.
It was divine. Terrifying.
Just like Enel himself.
Gan Fall looked at the small, pale-haired girl — twin ponytails, round face, expressionless. She looked harmless, even cute.
Yet she had just obliterated one of Enel's priests.
Gan Fall dropped to his knees, trembling, gripping his spear so tightly his knuckles whitened.
"Old as I am…" he said, voice quivering, "I wish to—"
He swallowed hard, struggling to finish.
"I wish to ask you…"
But the words caught in his throat. Even he couldn't quite bring himself to say it.
Deep within the Land of God
"Shura's voice has vanished," a calm tone murmured. "One of the High Priests has fallen."
Lounging lazily on a golden throne, Enel cracked a small smirk, eyes cold and detached. His voice carried no emotion—only boredom.
"How can that be?! It's only the first day!" cried the Captain of the God's Army, kneeling before him. "Shura held the Trial of Strings—the one with the lowest survival rate!"
Enel chuckled softly. "Nothing's impossible. He simply lacked divine favor."
He tilted his head, amusement glinting in his gaze. "The first one to reach a perfect score has appeared, hmm? How interesting…"
He rose slowly from his throne, electricity crackling faintly along his skin.
It's been boring up here anyway. Perhaps I'll… go play for a while.