OP71: Wicked Justice & Ulterior Motives

Skypea, Upperyard.

The island of Skypea was a mass expanse of land residing on the clouds, essentially 'floating' on them. Amid this lost civilisation, a proud race existed, one with wings on their back and right at this moment, there seemed to be a revolution going on in these lands.

The soil of the upper yard was shedding in the blood of the citizens who now lay abandoned to their luck and the devices of a new 'God'.

Several of those lying dead on the field were once labelled as the 'guards of god' by the citizens of this island, but right at this moment, a lot of them were nothing but charred corpses and residues of darkness.

"Please forgive us!".

They knelt down, their 'God' had already fled in the face of this catastrophe, their forces had collapsed and they could now do nothing except kneel towards the front man. He was dressed in a toga with a white cloth on his head, his ears extended low down, even below his neck.

Behind him stood up a set of individuals who were wickedly admiring their work and massacre, from this point on, they'd be the gods of this land.

A man, in particular, was the main point of interest, his arm was exuding great darkness, and he had a white tuxedo with a skull mask and small wings of darkness protruding from his back, Next to him stood three more individuals who just like him were dressed in white... three males and a female, all wearing masks of their own and witnessing the whole display with a mixture of disgust and disinterest.

"Your leader has abandoned you, Henceforth I'm your God".

"God, please forgive us!".

"You are forgiven, but your sins against Birka aren't... drive all these peasants away from my sacred land, this Upperyard is mine from now on-!".

"There are intruders".

"..."

The one to speak was one of the men in white, attracting everyone's attention... he had a bob-cut hat and a mask that made him appear sad. The God, Enel, stopped what he was doing to look at this individual.

"Did somebody chase after you?" He asked the one with the skull who shook his head repeatedly.

"How annoying, no... no one should have followed, I make sure nobody did after taking the Knock Up Stream. Are you certain, Guernica?".

"There is no doubt. I have already felt their presence, three of them exude deep and powerful wills that resemble Conqueror Haki. They're no pushovers. Stand on guard".

All of the white-haired individuals got serious when the words 'Conqueror Haki' were mentioned, let alone three of them together... that couldn't be any little crew of nobodies.

"Even if they did arrive they must be in Angel Island, those can be dealt with later, Focus on your task, God?" The taller man spoke with open disdain at the title that Enel conferred on himself, making the aforementioned man frown in distaste but he didn't voice any disapproval.

"Hurry up, we don't have time to lose..." The female spoke with impatience, blushing her golden hair aside, she just wanted to be done with this, the faster the better.

Enel furrowed his brows in annoyance and nodded 'Even if I can't disobey right now, the moment I completely garner control over this fruit...'

His gaze then fixed on the man who he could attribute this power but also, the one that was the greatest barrier in his plans, Peter Hornigold.

...

Orders were given and the ones known as the 'God Army' now knew a new leader, a wicked fiend they could do nothing against together with his retainers. But what none of them could have expected was that the same way they sensed a few powerful individuals, they were also sensed back.

*BOOOOMM!*

A charismatic explosion resonated in dispersing clouds as a group of levitating individuals approached the Upperyard. All gazes raised to receive the newcomer and the one with the greatest reaction was none other than the man with a skull mask.

His gaze was fixed on an object in particular. The sword floated behind the white-haired boy's back.

'Yoru...?!'

"What an interesting conversation you're having here. Mind if I join?" Veyron's eyes had never been so serious. Ever since they arrived in this land there was nothing but chaos. Nothing like the paradise in the clouds that he had first seen in the manga filled with people who despite being oppressed lived their lives day by day.

Instead what he found was corpses on the streets, bloodshed, destruction, lightning bolts destroying houses and pits of darkness swallowing villages.

And the main cause of everything was right in front of him.

Tsuru and Gion were together with them and the moment they saw those men in white, it was as if the soul left their bodies. Because they could only associate this certain group of 'individuals' with the catastrophe that had gone through this land, in only one way... the worst way possible.

"You are..." Enel started, feeling entitled to lead the conversation. But that lead was taken over by him when the four white individuals stepped forward and overshadowed him, unlike him, they knew the situation wasn't simple and answered the question that he had raised.

"Dark Mantle, Dracule Veyron".

They ignored the Vice Admiral and the Rear Admiral, putting their attention on the 'rising star' that had caused nothing but chaos in Marie Geoise two years ago and whom they were tasked to kill on sight.

"What a coincidence to meet you here, your tomb" Peter's voice contained wickedness beyond words.

Veyron tilted his head to the side and put all of his group down, Hancock, Primrose, Marigold and Sandersonia stood next to him in a defensive position. Robin stood behind to cover herself while Tsuru and Gion seemed unable to believe their eyes.

"I'm going to ask a question and you better answer me. What is the CP0 doing here with a criminal, massacring innocent citizen" Tsuru seemed to be at the border, her voice was groaning and distasteful, like she was holding herself back from committing a heinous act.

The one to answer her question was the lady in mask.

"Vice Admiral Tsuru. it seems you have involved your nose somewhere you are not wanted. You have seen things you shouldn't see and heard what you should not hear".

"So?"

"Out of respect to you as a former legend of the Marines. We will allow you and Rear Admiral Momousagi to retreat right now, return to the Blue Sea whence you came and forget what happened here, this is a direct order from the World Goverment".

She extended her hand forward and showed what appeared to be credentials, in them, there was a name: Stussy.

Veyron didn't know who these people were, but if Tsuru just called them the 'CP0' he could only assume they were like Rob Lucci and his people, although these seemed more ominous.

"There are people dead here, and you want us to back off?"

"Those are your orders. You following them or not determines whether you leave dead or alive".

"I don't think she will be 'leaving' dead, but that's beyond the point... how about you all tell me who you are? I don't like being left out of context".

The boy knew a battle was imminent.

"Don't entertain futile conversations, take him down!" The lady yelled only to be stopped by the skull mask fellow, as Veyron labelled him.

"I'll take care of this myself. What is the name of that sword, brat...? It looks a lot like Yoru".

"You know my mother?".

"Of course, I know her... I owe her a beating a year ago!"