The Storm Pirates Chapter 59 (Straw Hats Vs God's Army) (Patreon)

They had been flying for some time now; the crew still found it strange, the thought of floating like that in the air inside an air bubble, except for Nami, who was used to flying and had no problems; she actually found herself excited at the thought of fighting them.

She didn't know who this 'God' Enel was, but she remembered how his attack had felt; while powerful, Nami had been able to handle an attack from him, something the sky girl said was unheard of. She didn't know yet if she could handle him, but a part of her wanted to get even stronger than she was right now. She knew she had grown stronger since she started her journey with her captain; she knew she was far stronger than Arlong right now.

But that wasn't enough; Nami knew that was nowhere near enough. Their captain desired to become The King of the Pirates, and she could still feel the burns on her stomach; she remembered how she had felt when the Admiral had grabbed her throat; she had felt powerless against him, the same feeling she used to have with Arlong.

She despised that feeling, the feeling of being powerless, of not being able to do anything. Nami didn't want to feel like that ever again, not with an Admiral, not with a Yonko, not with anyone. She wanted to become the most powerful female pirate in the world, and the one known to be the strongest right now is 'Big Mom.' Her beautiful orange eyes went to her captain; she knew there was something different with him, and she liked how he showed his power more and more.

"This forest is Endless! I hope we don't get any surprise attacks." Usopp moaned in fear, much to Nami's annoyance; she wondered if he would ever stop acting like that. They were pirates, and he needed to act more tough and not just cover in fear the moment there was a small inconvenience in his way.

Eventually, Cricket was the first to notice a city in the distance. "There!" He shouted, pointing a finger. Luffy nodded as he held a small tornado. For the first time using his power, Luffy thought he was doing a good job.

"I think we should go there a little faster." Luffy suddenly suggested with a growing grin that frightened the Monkey Brothers except Cricket, while Usopp suddenly had sweat rolling down his face.

"What do you meEEEEAAAA—" Luffy swung his left hand forward, causing the Bubble of air to fly much faster, causing everyone to feel like they would break out of the Bubble and fall down below as the speed only increased, everyone was holding into each other for dear life except Nami who had quickly sprung out her wings if she needed to fly on her own.

"Please Stop Luffy!!" Usopp and Chopper cried out as they held onto Zoro's legs, much to his annoyance, who tried to yank them away while the Bubble of air kept flying forward.

"What's that? You want to go Faster!" Luffy said almost cruelly, with a hand cupping his ear, his grin growing wider.

"Huh! NO NO NO WAI-" The Air Sphere rushed much faster, with Usopp and Chopper's hands slowly slipping away from Zoro's legs, both crying out for their lives.

Suddenly, the Air Sphere stopped abruptly, causing both Chopper and Usopp to slam against Zoro's behind, much to his annoyance, as he rubbed his sore back.

"What The Hell?!" Zoro shouted, glaring at Usopp specifically, who grinned innocently while trying to run away. However, they were still mid-air, so Usopp quickly remembered that he couldn't run anywhere without the ground underneath him.

"Morons," Sanji said flatly as the Air Sphere descended; Cricket took a deep breath, preparing himself for what was to come.

"We are right here, brother." Masira and Shoujou said from behind him, their hands on his shoulders; Cricket nodded, feeling better from their support.

As they descended from the sky, their eyes beheld the haunting sight of a desolate city. It appeared that time had stood still, for it seemed that no soul had set foot in this forsaken place for countless years. Mother Nature had begun reclaiming her territory, intertwining her emerald arms with the decaying remnants of civilization. Standing tall and defiant, trees sprouted from every crack in the weathered stone floor, transforming the very foundation into a tapestry of organic growth. Ancient towers now stood as mere skeletal remains, their lofty summits long surrendered to the relentless passage of time. An air of disappointment hung heavily in everyone. There was not a single trace of gold anywhere.

"Is this supposed to be the Gold City? Where Is All The Gold?" Nami's voice erupted with an unexpected surge of fury. Her golden wings rose as her legs morphed into eagle legs forged from pure, gleaming gold. She scanned her surroundings, her eyes alight with anticipation, searching every corner for the elusive gleam of the precious gold she had eagerly anticipated. Zoro murmured something about her being a witch.

"Cricket, Robin. Is this the place?" Luffy questioned as the air around them disappeared, as did the mini tornado on top of his palm. Luffy looked at the city; the first time, he had been in an ancient city like this, but he would perhaps have enjoyed it more if it wasn't for his injured arm.

"Yes, this should be it!" Cricket said almost hesitantly; as he looked around, Luffy couldn't tell what he was feeling, but he knew Cricket was disappointed in the sight in front of them. They were expecting a city made of gold, but instead, they found the ruins of a city that existed long ago.

"Where is all the Gold then?" Nami questioned with growing fury, her eyes turning golden red with anger, and the red flames appeared around her form.

"I don't know. No— It Should Have Been Here!" Cricket shouted, sounding almost lost for words, his voice cracking as he walked further ahead of them; he kept looking at the city's ruins.

"Enel has all the Gold." Wyper suddenly spoke as he walked up to Cricket before placing a hand on his shoulder with a smile.

"Enel?"

"Yes. My own people told stories of the city of gold. I assure you that Noland wasn't lying or exaggerating anything. Enel, he must have taken the gold for himself, but I'm not sure why, and I think he might know where the gold bell is." Wyper said reassuringly. Cricket nodded with a look of determination on his face before patting Wyper on the back.

"Thank you."

"Well, well, what do we have here? They must be the bastards that killed Satori." Suddenly, in front of them appeared a small army, and in front of the army were three that stood out; from their clothes, Luffy knew they were Enel's dogs.

"Where is your God? We have no interest in small fries." Cricket suddenly shouted as he stood beside Wyper, whose massive cannon was ready to fire.

"You all will face his judgment, blue sea people." One of them shouted with an arrogant smile. He was a bald and muscular man of relatively average height with somewhat tanned skin. He has a pair of small wings sprouting from his back, which extend down to near his waist. He has a small mustache and beard around his mouth and wears a pair of small sunglasses over his eyes. He also wears a green sleeveless shirt, gray pants with several pockets, a long and flowing white sash around his waist similar to the one worn by his master, and dark leather boots with bandages around the soles.

"Is that so? So why isn't his majesty here? He must be afraid that he sends his dogs to do his job," Luffy mocked with a smirk; this earned looks of rage from the army; many of them quickly threw insults and pulled out their weapons, ready to fight for their God.

"You Dare Talk Like That!!! We Won't Allow It!" One of the three in the front shouted with rage before he charged towards Luffy, brandishing a spear engulfed in flames. However, just as the spear was on the brink of striking its target, someone stopped it dead on its track... It was Cricket, with a mischievous glint in his eye and a smirk playing on his lips. His arms had formed a cross in front of his chest. The fiery weapon reverberated against Cricket's unyielding arm but to everyone's astonishment.

"How?—Why are your hands like that?!" The Priest who attacked shouted in shock; Cricket's arms had turned black, much to everyone's surprise; even Luffy cocked an eyebrow at the sight of Armament Haki; he hadn't expected Cricket to be able to use that.

"Haki! You can use that?!" Usopp shouted in complete astonishment; even Zoro smirked at the sight of it while Sanji prepared himself to kick everyone's ass.

"I might be an explorer, but do not underestimate me!" Cricket shouted before grabbing the flaming spear with his bare hands.

"Let go!!" The Priest shouted as he desperately attempted to release his weapon from his firm grip. With relentless strength, Cricket's fingers clenched tightly around the spear, exerting an immense pressure that caused the metal to warp and distort. Suddenly, a primal roar escaped Cricket's lips, resonating with raw power and defiance, as he forcefully thrust the spear towards himself. 

The spear pierced through the air, driving itself beneath his shoulder and propelling the Priest forward involuntarily as he stubbornly clung to the handle of the weapon. Cricket's right hand, clenched into a tightly wound fist, brimming with raw power and unleashed fury. With a swift and thunderous strike, the punch's force connected with the Priest's face, resonating with a resounding boom that echoed through the air. As the Priest was propelled through the air, time seemed to slow down, and the sound of snapping bones reverberated through the surroundings. Finally, the Priest's body collided with an unyielding brick wall, shattering it into fragments and causing the entire town to crumble down upon him.

"Shura! Stand Up!! This isn't Funny!!!" The soldiers cried out in shock at the sight of one of their priests taking a punch like that.

"You bastard! Jet Punch!!" Another priest shouted, suddenly appearing behind Cricket, but before the punch could make contact, the Priest was kicked in the face by Wyper, who landed behind Cricket.

"I will watch your back," Wyper promised as The Priest he kicked stood up, ready to fight more, while the one carrying a sword rushed towards the duo, but his swing was stopped by Zoro, who smirked at the sight of a sword user.

"Who the hell are you?" Ohm shouted as they both pulled away from one another.

"Roronoa Zoro, I'm afraid you will end here," Zoro said with a smirk as Ohm growled in anger, but a giant yellow dog quickly joined him.

"Let's get him, Holy!" Ohm shouted as he and his steed rushed Zoro, who quickly used his two swords to forcefully stop the creature. Ohm quickly jumped down at Zoro, trying to slash him. Zoro jumped back, avoiding the attack, but Holy quickly rushed towards Zoro once again, but before it could reach him, Sanji appeared; before kicking Holy in the back, the giant creature let out a cry as he smashed against a building.

"Oii, stupid Cook. What are you doing interrupting my Fight?" Zoro shouted angrily at Sanji, who let out a puff of smoke from his mouth.

"Shut up, Moss Head. I wanted to fight them both myself, but you just had to intervene." Sanji shouted angrily; Zoro glared at him as he looked ready to fight his crew mate instead.

"You would have lost, Sick Cook."

"What Did You Just Say!! Come Right Here and Say it to My Face-" Sanji stopped shouting when Holy rushed towards him with his mouth wide open, sharp teeth glittering, ready to take a giant bite out of Sanji, but as he shut his mouth tightly, he captured nothing but empty air, his eyes quickly noticing Sanji was above him.

"Oi, what were you trying to do?" Sanji questioned as Holy tried to bite him over and over. Sanji easily dodged all the pitiful attacks, but he was growing tired.

"I usually like dogs, but you are a bad one," Sanji said almost apologetically before kicking Holy in the back repeatedly, before ending the fight with a kick, sending him flying through the air before smashing against the many trees. Sanji let out a puff of smoke until he noticed a bright light above them; his eyes caught sight of what was coming. "Well, that can't be Good."

Wyper

"You stand no chance against us! Fuza come here." Shura shouted, blood dripping from the side of his face; as he spit out several broken teeth, he was joined by a giant bird that landed near him. Fuza has purple feathers on its enormous body and gigantic wings. It has red feathers around its neck. Its head is white, it has a sharpened beak, and its eyes are yellow-colored. Its tail is further purple-colored with lighter extensions to it. The claws underneath its legs are white, with sharp black nails.

"A bird! Wow, I'm scared!" Cricket mocked as Shura turned red angrily; he quickly mounted his bird before taking flight. Meanwhile, Wyper and Gendatsu were exchanging blows with one another until Gendatsu successfully delivered a Jet Punch at Wyper's stomach; he quickly coughed out blood as he fell on his knees.

Gendatsu quickly rushed towards Cricket from behind, but Wyper appeared in his way, trying to take attack instead.

"Die!!" Gendatsu shouted as his Jet Gun attack was ready to make contact, but the moment it made contact with Wyper's arms. Gendatsu let out a silent scream; the world around him seemed to fade away, replaced by the searing pain that coursed through his body. It felt as though a giant hand had taken hold of his insides, squeezing his organs with an unforgiving grip. With each passing second, Gendatsu's strength waned, and he found himself collapsing to his knees, blood spilling from his nose, ears, and eyes like a macabre waterfall.

"W-What?!" Gendatsu gasped as he puked out blood, blood streaming down his jawline and dripping on the stone floor; as he looked up, he was shocked to see Reject Dials on Wyper's arms.

"How are you still standing?" He rasped as he kept coughing more blood. He knew the Dials he was using were dangerous to even the person using them.

"Why would a Dead Man need to know that?" Wyper questioned with a cold and detached tone; he held his spear steady and plunged it into the heart of the Priest, causing a sudden burst of crimson blood to flow profusely from the wound. The Priest drew one final breath before the light in his eyes faded away, and his chest ceased its rhythmic rise and fall. Wyper took in deep, labored breaths as the strain of using the Reject Dial began to take its toll on his body. However, his attention quickly shifted to the sky, and his eyes widened at the sight of the incoming attack.

Cricket

"Oops. Hahah, you miss again." Shura laughed as he and Fuza kept making circles around Cricket, who kept his eyes solely on him. The Priest and his stupid bird had started making quick attacks, but many of them weren't real ones, and the Priest would change direction at the last second, trying to make him drop his guard, so when he eventually attacked, he would think he would change direction again.

Cricket kept quiet, his eyes solely focused on the stupid bird. Suddenly, they started descending again, this time much faster than before; Cricket narrowed his eyes as his feet dug into the ground, expecting him to try and stab him with the spear, but this time the bird opened his mouth wide.

"Burn him to ash," Ashura shouted as the bird unleashed a scorching breath of fire toward Cricket, causing him to instinctively leap away. However, the searing heat grazed his skin, leaving behind faint marks of minor burns. Despite his swift reaction, Cricket was caught off guard by the unexpected second attack.

"DIE!" echoed through the air as the spear tore through flesh and bones. Ashura laughed maniacally. Cricket, his face contorted in agony, tightly clenched his teeth as the searing pain surged through his body. The flaming spear had pierced his shoulder. As the spear tip emerged from the other side, a torrent of blood erupted from the wound.

"It's over." Ashura mocked him as he tried to plunge the spear dipper into his shoulder. Cricket opened his eyes and locked them onto Ashura's terrified gaze. In a swift motion, he reached out and firmly grabbed Ashura's left wrist with his left hand, the strength in his grip sending shivers down Ashura's spine. 

He struggled against Cricket's grasp, but the tighter he fought, the tighter his grip became. With a smug grin plastered across his face, his fingers tightened their grip until, finally, Ashura's wrist snapped, eliciting a piercing scream of agony from his lips. Fuza rushed towards his master when the two monkey brothers punched him, sending him crashing to a nearby tower, which quickly collapsed on top of him.

"You Have Nowhere To Go." Cricket stated as his right hand turned black with Armament Haki; Ashura's face turned pale as he started punching Cricket's hand, trying to desperately free himself.

Cricket's punch unleashed a thunderous roar as it collided with Ashura's body, shattering his ribcage with a force that seemed to echo through the air. Akin to a flower blossoming with a burst of crimson petals, as blood and bones scattered in every direction. 

Ashura was sent hurtling through the air, his body suspended in a moment of weightlessness before crashing against the unyielding surface of a stone wall. The impact reverberated through the surroundings, accompanied by the sound of bones breaking and the splash of blood as his massive wound gushed forth a torrent of blood. Motionless and devoid of any sign of life, Ashura lay there, dead.

"Brother! Are you alright?" Cricket heard his brother approaching, and he groaned as the spear felt heavy on his body. Both of them looked at him with concern, but Cricket didn't want them to worry over a minor wound. He just needed to walk it off.

"I will be alright. I just—just need to pull it out." Cricket said amidst the pain, but as he gripped the handle of the spear to try and pull it out, a shot of pain shot through his body like lightning, causing him to fall on his knees; the pain felt like a trail of fire on his entire body.

"Don't move it." He turned to see the strange reindeer approaching them with a small handbag.

"That spear is probably preventing you from bleeding out and dying. I will take care of you." Chopper reassured before walking behind him, looking at the wound from up close. Cricket sighed as he decided he couldn't contribute more in this fight; as he sat down and allowed Doctor Chopper to cure him, he suddenly looked upwards at the sight above everyone.

"I hope Luffy is the one winning." He murmured under his breath.

Nojiko

"You are surrounded." They all shouted, all twenty of them, and she remained silent. Nami was busy burning the other part of the army with her Devil Fruit; Nojiko was certain Nami was going a bit overboard, especially with the fire tornado.

Usopp was busy fighting ten men with his pistols. Despite his cowardness, his aim was unlike anything she had ever seen; as he was running, he aimed the pistol at the nearby wall before firing; the bullet bounced off the wall before hitting one of the soldiers chasing after Usopp.

Robin was busy breaking the necks and backs of many soldiers with her devil fruit; Nojiko wondered just what else she could do with that Devil Fruit, probably something spicy.

"Your heartbeats are too loud." Nojiko suddenly said with a blank expression. The soldiers around her all looked at her, confused.

"I always preferred the Silence." She added with a cold look in her eyes as she raised her hands; suddenly, every soldier around her stopped moving; they felt their bodies grow colder and colder.

"I-I can't Move!!"

Nojiko slowly closed her hands, causing their hearts to beat slower and slower; until she closed her hands, all the soldiers surrounding her dropped dead on the ground, their hearts no longer beating.

Nojiko looked up at the sky to see the most immense Lightning she had ever seen striking something on top of the giant beanstalk; the lightning light engulfed the entire Sky Island, with many shielding their eyes.

Luffy

"H-How are you still alive?" Enel shouted in shock as Luffy simply walked out of the crater created by the Lightning Attack. His clothes were burned in several places, and the bandages covering his right arm had burned out, revealing his badly burned arm.

Luffy paid it no mind as he looked at Enel with clear disappointment. "Was that your best shot?" Enel growled in anger as Luffy formed a Tornado with black lightning on his left palm.

"I lost against Akainu because of my cockiness. I thought because everyone so far was easy to defeat. I thought I was already powerful enough, and because of that. My crew paid the price of my foolishness. No More." Luffy stated as he slammed his left hand on his chest; the tornado entered his body.

"What are you doing?"

"My Devil Fruit doesn't simply control Lightning, it controls the Storm itself and everything inside. Gear Second: TyphoonMan."