One Piece: Rising to Power as a Warlord of the Sea

"So noisy!"

Natsu furrowed his brows, took a deep breath, and cracked his fingers and neck with a series of sharp pops. He then crouched slightly.

Bang!

With a sudden, powerful movement, Natsu vanished from the crew's sight, appearing before Shura, one of the Four Sky Priests, in an instant. Shura saw nothing but a huge, sandbag-sized fist coming at him before everything went black. With one crushing blow infused with Armament Haki and Natsu's incredible strength, Shura and his massive bird were both knocked unconscious, spiraling down into the White Sea.

"Now then, care to tell me where your 'god' Enel is?" Natsu dusted off his hands, grinning at the elderly Amazon.

"J-Just keep going forward until you reach the sea up ahead, then sail right. The god Enel lives in the holy land of Apayado," the elder Amazon stammered. She'd seen Natsu's terrifying strength firsthand, and as he gave her a smile, she couldn't help but tremble. Fearing a single wrong word could earn her a punch, she quickly spilled everything she knew.

"See? That wasn't so hard. No need to make me look like I disrespect my elders."

The Amazon fell silent, unsure whether to laugh or shiver.

Following Amazon's directions, Natsu and his crew set sail, making their way toward Enel's lair.

An hour later, they arrived at Apayado, the Holy Land.

"Wow, Boss, this tree is enormous!" Kumo exclaimed, marveling at the massive tree that would require more than a dozen people to wrap their arms around. Everything Natsu had told him was true—this world was far more wondrous than he'd ever imagined. Inwardly, he vowed to bring Little Gold and Little White here one day to broaden their horizons.

"Fascinating tree! Its growth pattern must defy conventional science. I have to study this thoroughly!" Hiro cried, his hands waving with excitement. He was even more certain now that joining this crew was the right choice. If he'd stayed behind, he might never have made it to Sky Island. With that thought, he took out various instruments from his backpack, eager to start his research.

"Look over there! That's a massive Compass Bird!" Karina shouted, pointing excitedly. Following her finger, everyone spotted a large Compass Bird, as huge as an ostrich.

"Remarkable," Gin murmured with a rare expression of awe.

Suddenly, a thunderous explosion snapped everyone out of their wonderment. Not far ahead, the forest was ablaze, massive trees collapsing and filling the air with dust as the sounds of battle echoed around them.

"Weaklings! You dare challenge God? Just die, die!" laughed a rotund man, one of the Four Sky Priests, Satori, who held control over the Iron Trial with a survival rate of zero percent. He scoffed at the fallen Shandians, contemptuous of their failed attack on Enel's forces.

Only minor underlings lay before him, and Shandian leader Wiper was clearly attempting a diversion to sneak into Enel's sanctum. But Satori was certain they had no chance against the invincible god, Enel. After all, he had personally witnessed Enel's power to annihilate an entire sky island.

"Such devastation," Karina muttered, her face pale as she looked at the scattered, lifeless bodies of the Shandians.

"In battle, death is inevitable. The losers have no right to choose their fate," Natsu replied coolly.

"He's right," Hiro said solemnly, his mind flashing back to his childhood, where his village had been wiped out for failing to pay the Celestial Tribute. That day, blood had stained the land, a memory he would carry forever.

As they pressed forward, Natsu encountered a massive creature: a colossal serpent, the Lord of the Sky. The serpent stared at the group with eyes as large as lanterns, long whiskers extending from each side of its mouth. Its thick, muscular body moved with tense readiness as it considered who it would devour first.

"A snake!" Karina squealed, her face white as she hid behind Natsu.

Meanwhile, Kumo's eyes lit up as he licked his lips. "What a big snake! We'll need a huge pot to cook it all."

" Natsu, do you think you can handle it? I'd love a sample of its meat for research—I think I could even extract its bloodline properties." Hiro whispered.

"No problem! In fact, you can have the whole snake to study," Natsu replied.

"Everyone, stand back! It's time to… unleash my power."

As the serpent lunged, its mouth wide open, Natsu dodged gracefully, the serpent's attack gouging a deep trench in the ground as entire trees were snapped like twigs.

The Lord of the Sky's attacks grew fiercer, but Natsu calmly responded, his mastery of the Five Elements shining through. With a quick step back, a mysterious symbol appeared beneath him, spinning rapidly as he activated his powers.

"Kun Word: Massive Earth Breaker!"

"Sun Word: Wind Chains!"

"Zhen Word: Heaven's Thunderstrike!"

With a swift movement, the ground split open, sending massive chunks of rock crashing into the serpent. Wind chains formed from thin air, binding the beast tightly as dark clouds gathered above. A blinding flash of golden lightning struck down from the sky, electrocuting the massive creature until it lay still on the ground, unconscious.

"Hiro, go ahead! And remember to bring out the gold inside," Natsu said, recalling that the serpent contained precious gold. The system could convert it into points, which he could use to buy powerful items and skills.

"Sure thing, Natsu! I'm a professional at this. Wait—did you say gold?!"

"Yes, now hurry!"

Hiro flashed him a confident grin, gave him a thumbs-up, and, after donning his gear, ventured into the serpent's mouth.

Meanwhile, Karina hesitated, eyeing the beast with a look of longing. She loved making quick money, but seeing the massive serpent, she decided to pass on this one.