bookbashuk Chapter 203: The way to defeat Indra is Arjuna?
Chapter 203: The way to defeat Indra is Arjuna?
Chapter 203: The way to defeat Indra is Arjuna?
The light particles from Calgara's sacrifice had not yet completely dissipated into the thin air of the Sky Island.
Luffy knelt on the ground, his fists clenched, tears streaming silently down his face. His straw hat concealed his expression, but his slightly trembling shoulders spoke of the turmoil within him.
It's not just sadness, but also anger and resentment at one's own powerlessness.
Even though it has already taken this form, why can't it protect the people it wants to protect, and why can't it fulfill its vow?
Just then, two powerful auras rapidly approached.
Everyone looked on warily, and saw two figures descending through the broken clouds—it was Ace and his servant Karna.
"Luffy!" Ace spotted his younger brother kneeling on the ground at a glance, his heart tightened, and he immediately rushed over.
Completely ignoring the tense atmosphere around them.
He hugged Luffy tightly, feeling the sadness emanating from his younger brother that was so different from before.
"What's wrong? What happened?"
Luffy didn't respond cheerfully as usual; instead, he buried his face in his brother's shoulder, his voice muffled.
With a sob in his voice.
"Ace—that old man—he did it to save me—"
Although Ace didn't know exactly what had happened, he could sense the deep sorrow and frustration in Luffy.
He didn't ask any more questions, but simply hugged his younger brother even tighter, like a solid harbor: "It's okay, I'm here."
Karna calmly surveyed the scene.
His self-glow first fell on Tescatlipoca and Crocodile, causing his brows to furrow slightly.
These two have stirred up a huge storm in Alabasta, especially Tescatlipok, whose very existence is as unfathomable as an abyss.
He also noticed the unnatural serpentine scales on Weber's body, as well as the lingering divine pressure and the distorted aura belonging to the demonic dragon Frido in the air.
"A divine war has broken out here?" Karna's voice was calm and even, yet it hit the nail on the head.
Nami and the others then recovered slightly from their grief and began to explain to Ace and Karna the descent of Indra.
The Indianization of the land, and that desperate battle just now.
When Karna heard the name Indra, a very faint ripple flickered in his usually calm eyes.
"So that's how it is. It is Indra, the God of Gods, manifesting his divine power here." He nodded slightly, seemingly unsurprised.
"Brother!" A loud voice rang out, and Bhujun walked forward with a big laugh, patting Karna's shoulder forcefully.
"The situation was urgent just now, and I'm so glad to be here with you! It allows me to make up for my previous regrets."
On the other side, Yan Mi also nodded slightly in acknowledgment. As descendants of the sun god Surya, there was some kind of invisible connection between them.
However, Luffy remained immersed in his low spirits. He looked up at his hands and murmured, "O..."
"Why—even though I've become Nika—I still can't beat that guy—I can't even see his true form—"
At that moment, a bold voice, imbued with profound wisdom, rang out.
"Hahaha! Kid, are you already feeling defeated?"
Everyone looked over and saw that it was Roger who was speaking.
He crossed his arms, a carefree smile on his face, but his eyes were as sharp as an eagle's, as if they could see through all the fog.
"Listen, kid," Roger walked up to Luffy, his voice seemingly possessing a certain magic that drew everyone's attention.
"What do you think gods are? Especially these ancient deities who control a region of heaven and earth."
"That guy named Indra is no longer just a powerful enemy; he's bound himself to the laws of this sky island!"
"What you just fought wasn't just his power, but the sky itself! Here, thunder is his authority, and order is his domain. Trying to defeat him with brute force is as difficult as trying to smash the ocean with your fist!"
He paused, his gaze sweeping over everyone before finally settling on Karna and Tescatlipoca, and said casually.
"To defeat this being that is integrated with the laws of this region, you need two things: First, the power to disregard the laws of this world."
"Secondly, because He is a god from another world, not bound by certain rules of our world, it would be best if He possessed a divine nature from another world that counters or even shares the same origin as Him."
Upon hearing this, Tescatlipoca, who had been watching with great interest, smiled knowingly and lazily added.
"Different pantheons might not make much difference; it's best to have someone with a deep kinship with that Heavenly Emperor."
His self-illumination fell meaningfully on Karna.
Karna remained expressionless, but his eyes sharpened dramatically as he slowly uttered a name: "—Arjuna."
Everyone suddenly realized! Arjuna, he was the son of Indra, the god of heaven and earth!
Moreover, he and Karna are destined rivals, and he also possesses powerful divine power!
"Arjuna—I heard he's been imprisoned by the Navy." Luffy looked up, somewhat bewildered.
Kidd, standing nearby, didn't care at all: "So what? We can just attack Marine Headquarters or release them, right?"
Are you scared?
Luffy shook his head: "Who's afraid! It's just that if we go down, we might never be able to come back up, right?"
Hope seemed to have emerged, but the clues remained complex and confusing.
Nicole Robin turned her attention back to the rubbings of the Poneglyphs, and softly read aloud the obscure sentences:
"Go and find—the serpent god's altar—the phantom reflected—in—the heart of the sea of clouds—"
Only light—which does not belong to the destiny of this world—can tear apart the predetermined order woven by the gods.
"We've found the Serpent God Altar," Robin concluded.
"But the Heart of the Clouds remains a mystery. And the light that does not belong to this world—perhaps it refers to Arjuna, or the power of otherworldly heroes?"
Karna then spoke, his voice calm and insightful: "From what you've said, there must be two races that have lived here for generations: the Shandians and the Sky Islanders."
"Have you only awakened or pursued the legends of one side? Perhaps, only by combining the ancient memories of both races regarding this land can we piece together the complete truth."
A single word awakens one from a dream!
The Sky Islands and the Sandia have been fighting on this White Sea for four hundred years, and their history and legends have long been intertwined like the roots of a tree!
To find the Heart of the Clouds, we must combine the clues from both sides!
Luffy stood up with a determined expression and clasped his fists together in front of his chest.
"Alright, everyone! Let's go!"
After a short rest, the group set off towards Angel Island.
However, the journey was not peaceful. The closer they got to Angel Island, the more obvious the oppressive feeling of being locked in by order became, and the originally white sea of clouds seemed to be tinged with a faint golden glow.
On their journey, as they passed through a broken reef area, they suddenly heard sounds of fierce fighting and shouts.
"Seize these heretics! How dare they question the majesty of the Heavenly Emperor!"
"For Lord Enel! We will never yield!"
They were a group of God's chosen people, dressed in uniform white robes and with fanatical eyes.
They were besieging four figures who were in a sorry state but were still fighting back with all their might.
"He's the former priest of Skypiea!" Chopper exclaimed.
They were wounded, clearly having gone through multiple battles and escapes.
"Stubborn rebels! Indra, the God of God, has descended and bestowed upon us order and power. Lord Enel has also converted to the throne!"
You remnants of the old era, daring to question God's will, have no choice but to be purified!
"Bullshit!" Shura cursed back, needing to lean on his spear to keep his balance.
"How could Lord Enel truly submit! You have betrayed the true god and become obsessed with this false power!"
"Stubborn to the end! Execute divine punishment!" The squad leader waved his thunder spear, and the chosen ones behind him shouted in unison.
He gathered crackling lightning balls in his hands and hurled them at the four priests like a torrential rain!
At the same time, several voters wielding light blades rushed in from the flank, their blades flashing fiercely!
"Iron Dike!" Ohm commanded the giant hound to transform into an iron cloud shield to block the way, but the continuous bombardment of the lightning orbs caused the iron cloud to tremble violently and was on the verge of collapse.
"Impact Shell - Repel!" Shadley pressed an empty shell in front of him, and the powerful shockwave blasted away several lightning balls that were coming straight at him. However, he was also shaken by the reaction force, causing him to cough up blood and stagger backward.
"Ball Dragon!" Gaidaz unleashed a cloud of balls to trap an advancing voter, but another voter's light blade was already slashing at his face!
Shura gritted his teeth, wanting to thrust his spear, but his injury slowed his movements by half a beat!
"Rubber, rubber—stamping randomly!"
A figure descended from the sky like a cannonball, his legs instantly transforming into countless afterimages, striking the thrown lightning balls and charging voters with pinpoint accuracy like a dense rain of blows! Bang bang bang bang! The lightning balls were kicked to pieces in mid-air, and the voters were sent flying!
"Who is it?!" The squad leader of God's Chosen Ones retreated in shock.
As the dust settled, Luffy was seen standing before the four priests, though his face still bore a trace of the gloom from before.
But his eyes had regained their former firmness.
Behind him, Zoro had already drawn his three swords, Sanji lit a cigarette, and Chopper stood guard warily beside the heavily injured Shadley.
Further away, Ace, Karna, Roger, and others stood solemnly, their imposing presence causing the chosen ones of God to turn deathly pale instantly.
"It's—it's those people from Qinghai! And from Shandia—" The squad leader's voice trembled.
"What kind of skill is it to bully a few injured people?" Zoro sneered, biting down on the Wado Ichimonji.
"Three-Sword Style: Ushioni!" The figure rushed forward like a ghost, and with a flash of light, the light blades in the hands of several voters wielding blades were snapped in two, and the people were sent flying by the back of the blades.
Sanji spun around and unleashed a powerful kick, "Shot!" like a precise surgical strike, knocking unconscious the men flanking him.
The battle ended in just over ten seconds, and the once-aggressive Chosen of God squad was now lying on the ground groaning.
The four priests stared in disbelief at what they had witnessed. They knew that these chosen ones of the gods had become much stronger after gaining divine power, yet they were so easily defeated by this group of Qinghai people.
"It's you—the people of Qinghai—" Shura gasped for breath, recognizing Luffy and the others, "and—the warriors of Shandia—"
"What's going on here?" Nami asked.
Ohm adjusted his glasses and said sadly, "After Indra descended, most of my people were seduced by his power."
They became so-called God's chosen people, enjoying the false peace brought by power and order, yet they turned their backs on the true God!
"They believe that Lord Enel submitted voluntarily, but we know that Lord Enel was coerced!"
We vow to save our God!
"By the way, thank you for your help." As the head of the priests, Shura remained silent for a moment before expressing his gratitude in a deep voice.
Ohm, Shadley, and Gaidaz also bowed their heads in greeting.
"You're welcome!" Luffy patted his stomach, though his smile was still a little forced.
"You just said that Enel didn't do it voluntarily?"
Shura nodded, his face filled with resentment: "We witnessed with our own eyes how that god who called himself Indra overwhelmed Lord Enel with absolute power, forcing him to submit. Most of his brethren were misled by the miracles he displayed and the power he bestowed upon them, becoming the so-called chosen ones. But we firmly believe that Lord Enel's heart has never yielded!"
Nami seized the opportunity to step forward and ask, "We're looking for something called the Heart of the Clouds, do you know anything about it?"
''
The four priests looked at each other, and finally shook their heads.
Ohm adjusted his glasses: "Heart of the Cloud Sea—never heard of it. It doesn't seem to exist in the legends of Sky Island."
"
Hope seemed dashed, but Shura paused for a moment and added.
"However, if even we don't know, then perhaps only two people on the entire Angel Island would know this ancient secret."
"Who?" Robin immediately asked.
"One is Enel, the god of the Skypiea. He inherited the status of a Skypiea god and may know some lost secrets."
Shura paused, his voice lowering, "The other one is the former god, Gan Fulqi."
"He is the oldest and has studied the history of the Sky Islands most deeply. He fought against Indra at the beginning of his descent, but unfortunately—he failed and is now imprisoned in the dungeon beneath Sky Island."
"Then we must go and settle him!" Luffy immediately said.
"The dungeon is heavily guarded and in a secluded location—" Shadley said with some concern.
"Tell us the general direction, and leave the rest to us!" Ace patted Luffy on the shoulder, and the two brothers exchanged a glance, full of tacit understanding.
The four priests were extremely grateful and provided detailed information about the possible location of the dungeon and the guards they might encounter along the way.
In return, this was all the intelligence they could provide.
Meanwhile, deep within Tianru Island, in a dark dungeon.
The cold, ugly stone prison cell was damp and oppressive.
Gan Fall, the former god of the Sky Islands, now has disheveled hair, tattered armor, and is bound to the wall by heavy Seastone chains.
But his eyes remained bright and resolute, showing no sign of yielding.
The cell door opened silently, and a figure walked in.
It wasn't the chosen ones of God who were expected to guard him, but Enel with a complex look in his eyes, carrying a hint of humiliation.
Gan Fall looked up at him calmly: "Enel—it seems you, the new god, aren't having an easy time either."
A flash of anger crossed Enel's face, but he quickly suppressed it.
He did not come voluntarily; the supreme will in his mind—Indra—was driving him.
"Old man," Enel's voice was somewhat stiff, carrying an unnatural feeling of being manipulated.
"God-King—I ask you, do you know—what exactly is the Heart of the Ugly Sea? Where is it located?"
Gan Fall's cloudy yet sharp eyes narrowed slightly as he saw a fleeting struggle in Enel's eyes.
He remained silent, his mind flashing back to the ancient murals of the Sky Island, the stubborn gaze of the Shandians, and the almost forgotten fragments of legend about the core of this white land that circulated between the two races.
What will his answer be?