After chasing and fooling around for a while, the three of them finally stopped after Lucas had gotten his fill of teasing them.
Satisfied, he headed toward the beach.
“Oh, right.
From now on, we’re going to fully commit to playing the roles of gods.
You two are my priests, so don’t do anything that might tarnish the dignity of a god…”
Once they reached the beach, Lucas suddenly became serious and spoke to Robin and Nami.
Nami and Robin nodded with smiles, then put on solemn expressions as well.
“Hmm.
I’m thinking of inviting the fourth member of the Holy Sword Pirates aboard.
We’re still missing a musician, a doctor, a cook… Well, let’s take it one at a time.”
After rubbing his forehead, Lucas straightened his posture and began walking with an imposing air, exuding a peculiar sense of authority.
In the distance, a young girl holding a harp, with two small white wings on her back, spotted them.
She came running over with a snow-white Cloud Fox.
“Hasso, are you Blue Sea people?”
Looking at the adorable little angel, Conis, Lucas immediately made up his mind.
The musician aboard his ship would be her!
“I am a god from the Blue Sea.
I heard that there is another god here, so I have come to see whether he is worthy of calling himself a god.”
Lucas looked down at Conis with an aloof expression and spoke indifferently.
To properly play the role of a god, I suppose I have to leave a bad impression on this girl…
Upon hearing Lucas’s words, Conis’s beautiful eyes widened in shock.
“You… you people…”
“Do not show disrespect to God.
I am Robin, one of God’s priests.
Show us the way.
We wish to find the god of Sky Island.”
Robin played the part of a priest with remarkable ease.
Her calm reprimand startled Conis, leaving her looking frightened.
The corner of Lucas’s mouth twitched.
Am I being a little too harsh toward my fourth crew member?
Just then, his expression shifted slightly as he looked toward a squad approaching in the distance.
That was fast.
The White Berets, huh?
McKinley, captain of the White Berets, led a group of soldiers toward Lucas and the others in their peculiar manner of movement.
McKinley shouted, “Blue Sea people!
You dared to destroy the Heavenly Gate!
You have committed a Second-Degree Crime and shall be subjected to God’s Trial!”
“You destroyed the Heavenly Gate?!”
Conis cried out in shock, her little face filled with horror.
Looking at McKinley, Lucas snorted coldly.
“And who are you to show disrespect to this god?”
As he spoke, Lucas’s body vanished in an instant.
The next moment, he was already back in his original position.
“You…!”
Terror filled McKinley’s eyes.
He managed to utter only a single word before he and the soldiers behind him all collapsed to the ground.
“This…”
Conis stared at the scene in horror, and the harp in her hands slipped to the ground.
It was the first time she had ever seen such a ferocious Blue Sea person.
Lucas glanced at her indifferently and said softly, “You’ll lead the way.
I’m going to meet this god of Sky Island.”
“N-No… You can’t enter God’s domain… You…”
Conis looked at Lucas and the others and spoke with a trembling voice.
Lucas merely glanced at her.
His sword suddenly left its sheath, and he swung it toward the distant White-White Sea.
Without making a sound, the sea was cleaved open, leaving a trench more than a hundred meters long!
This move was practically guaranteed to frighten the people of Sky Island, and Lucas had become rather addicted to using it.
Sure enough, Conis was completely stunned by the sight.
Nami gave a soft snort, snapping her back to her senses.
When Conis looked at Lucas again, her eyes were filled with awe.
“Lead the way.”
Lucas spoke once more in an indifferent tone.
“Okay…”
Conis lowered her head and answered, her mind already in complete turmoil.
The four of them then turned around and returned to the Holy Sword.
Nami shot Lucas a fierce glare, clearly displeased with the way he was bullying a young girl.
Lucas responded with a helpless gesture, indicating that he hadn’t intended for things to turn out that way.
“God resides in Upper Yard… Nothing on Sky Island can escape his eyes.
He truly is a god…”
Conis looked at Lucas with awe in her eyes, but there was also a trace of worry.
Although Lucas’s strength appeared terrifyingly powerful, she still held the legendary God of Thunder, Enel, in far greater reverence.
Even so, Conis was not weak-willed.
When Enel sought to destroy Sky Island, she had bravely stood up against him, overcoming her fear and reverence toward God.
That was also the most important quality that had attracted Lucas to her.
In a world like this, one had to possess a heart that yearned for freedom and refused to fear those more powerful than oneself.
Lucas glanced at Conis and spoke softly, though his words carried a faint pressure.
“Do you not acknowledge this god?”
“N-No, that’s not it.”
Conis hurriedly shook her head, looking somewhat flustered.
However, Lucas’s pressure seemed to have little effect on her.
This immediately aroused his curiosity.
If the Sword Master realm were divided into finer stages, it could be categorized into Beginner Sword Master, Intermediate Sword Master, Advanced Sword Master, and Peak Sword Master.
Lucas was currently at the peak of the Beginner Sword Master stage.
To become an Intermediate Sword Master, he needed to acquire something else—
Sword Aura.
It was something similar to Conqueror’s Haki, though far weaker.
Ever since Lucas had begun playing the role of a god, he had discovered that the bottleneck he had been facing was beginning to loosen, and he was showing signs of comprehending Sword Aura.
Looking at Conis, Lucas gradually increased the intensity of his Sword Aura until it reached the greatest power he could currently exert.
Yet Conis continued standing there with her head lowered, seemingly completely oblivious to the Sword Aura surrounding her.
Even Nami and Robin, standing several meters away from Lucas, could feel the oppressive aura.
It made their breathing difficult.
And yet this girl could not feel it at all!
As expected, she’s a natural talent.
My half-baked Sword Aura can’t affect her at all.
Lucas sighed inwardly, withdrew his Sword Aura, and looked toward Upper Yard, which was gradually becoming clearer in the distance.
Nami and Robin stood on the deck, gazing at the scenery ahead.
Nami asked in astonishment, “How can there be soil on Sky Island?”
“Hehehe.
Actually, the so-called sacred land of Upper Yard isn’t part of Sky Island at all.
It’s an actual island from the Blue Sea.”
Lucas walked out of the cabin and stood beside the two of them with a smile.
Hearing this, Nami exclaimed in surprise, “How is that possible?
How did an island from the Blue Sea end up in the sky?”
“Because of the Knock Up Stream, of course.
In fact, Upper Yard is half of the island below—Jaya Island.
A powerful Knock Up Stream blasted half of it straight up from the Blue Sea and sent it all the way to the White-White Sea.”
Lucas placed his hands on Nami’s shoulders and smiled as he looked at her.
“You even know something like that?”
Robin looked at Lucas in surprise.
Ever since she had joined the Holy Sword Pirates and begun staying by Lucas’s side, she had discovered that the man beside her was a complete mystery.
He seemed to know everything, yet there were countless details about him that she knew nothing about.
Everything happening around him seemed to be within his expectations.
He always appeared to have everything under control, as though he had already planned everything in advance.
“Then what is your real purpose in coming to Sky Island?”
Robin stared into Lucas’s eyes and asked.
Lucas laughed heartily.
“Of course, I’m here to help you find the Poneglyph and make you fall in love with me sooner.”
“You…”
Robin gritted her teeth, her face turning slightly red.
“Be serious.
I want to hear the truth.”
“All right.
Little Robin, I don’t get to see you like this very often.”
Lucas smiled.
“Then I’ll tell you.
The real reason is that I want to borrow Enel’s lightning for a while.”