The small crow-shaped boat bobbed lightly along the thick, misty clouds of the milky way.
Sanji, still tense, crossed his arms and glanced back toward the distant island they'd just left.
"Hey, Blizz…" he said, voice low, "…so what happened down there? How could you hit a woman like that? You better have a good reason to stop me from beating you up."
Luffy just looked at Blizz and said nothing, quietly waiting.
Blizz didn't flinch.
"I didn't have a choice," he said simply.
Usopp peeked over the side of the boat, nervously tapping his fingers together.
"What do you mean you didn't have a choice?! What if she's hurt? What if we get back and she's gone completely mad and then—"
"She'll be fine," Blizz said calmly, sitting near the back of the boat with his arms resting casually on his knees, his sharp eyes scanning the horizon.
"But why?" Sanji pressed, frowning deeper. "She trusted us."
Blizz exhaled, the cool sea wind lightly stirring his black scarf. His voice was steady but heavy with something deeper — experience.
"She was about to say something she shouldn't," he explained. "She was leading us to a trap… but not because she wanted to."
The boat creaked as everyone leaned in a little closer, the clouds parting quietly beneath them.
"If she had spoken a word of it out loud… and if the so-called 'God' heard it… she'd be marked as a traitor. She would've been hunted down. Or worse."
Blizz paused, his gaze hardening.
"So I stopped her. Knocking her out was the only way to protect her — from him… and maybe even from herself."
The group fell silent, only the sound of the boat slicing through the cloud sea filling the space between them.
"…Blizz…" Usopp whispered, wide-eyed.
Sanji let out a slow breath, running a hand through his hair.
"Tch. You could've explained it a little sooner, man," he muttered, though without any real anger.
"I figured it out the moment she started shaking," Blizz added, voice low. "She's brave… too brave. She wanted to help us, but here? Up here? Even helping strangers can get you killed."
Luffy leaned back against the side of the boat, a wide grin splitting his face.
"Heh. That's even more reason to beat up this 'God,' huh?" he said, punching one fist into his palm.
Blizz smirked slightly.
"Exactly."
The little crow-shaped boat sliced slowly across the thick clouds, rocking as it neared the towering white cliffs of Upper Yard. The mist clung to them like a living thing, twisting and curling around their faces.
"This is so slow!" Luffy groaned, hanging over the side and kicking his legs impatiently.
"Don't be so picky," Sanji muttered, keeping a steady hand on the small paddle.
"Hey, look!" Usopp pointed ahead, his voice cracking a little. "What's that?!"
Before them, a gigantic forest stretched out, rising impossibly high into the sky. Thick cloud-trees with gnarled trunks loomed over one another, their tops lost in swirling fog. Strange cries echoed faintly from somewhere deep within.
"Cool!" Luffy beamed, eyes wide. "Is there a forest like that on the map?"
Blizz shook his head. "Not really."
Sanji leaned forward slightly, face serious.
"That's the entrance. Past here… it's Upper Yard."
"This'll probably be our last chance to turn back," Blizz said, glancing sideways at Usopp.
"You prepared?"
Usopp laughed nervously, practically vibrating.
"Well, uh, if we could, I would like to go back—!"
"Alright, let's go!!" Luffy shouted, completely ignoring him as he pushed the boat harder into the mist.
Deeper and deeper they went, cloud-trees closing in around them like jaws. The sky darkened above, and weird noises echoed from every direction — screeches, groans, whispers.
Usopp gripped the sides of the boat. "There's something out there!!"
"That's because this is a forest," Blizz said dryly.
"No, no! Just look around us!" Usopp squeaked, pointing at the cloud banks littered with shapes — the broken remains of wrecked ships half-swallowed by the mist.
"That's… because this is a forest," Luffy said, dead serious, nodding like a wise old man.
"What's that got to do with it?!" Usopp cried, completely losing it.
Suddenly, there was a loud snapping sound — TWANG! — as a huge net shot up from below the clouds, trying to trap them.
"TRAP!" Sanji barked, kicking the edge of the boat hard to the side just in time.
More noises exploded around them — pop! pop! snap! — as other traps triggered blindly in the fog, nets, spears, and ropes flying through the air.
"Paddle as fast as you can!!" Blizz shouted, grabbing an oar and pushing with sharp, precise strokes.
"What the hell is going on?!" Usopp screamed, face completely white.
From the cloud sea ahead, massive shapes loomed — sea monsters, white-scaled and beady-eyed, their jaws wide open.
"Of course there's sea monsters too!!" Usopp wailed.
Sanji launched himself forward, delivering a blazing kick that smashed the first monster back into the clouds.
"We don't have time for you!" he snarled, sending another flying with a spin kick.
Breathing hard but still moving, they finally broke through the thickest part of the mist — and ahead, the forest opened into a strange clearing.
At the center stood a huge white stone gate, cracked and overgrown with twisting cloud vines. Carved into the stone were four massive symbols — each leading to a different path.
Words etched into the archway glowed faintly:
Trial of Swamp
Trial of Iron
Trial of String
Trial of Balls
The crew pulled the boat ashore onto a patch of floating cloud and stared up at the writing.
"Whoa… four paths?" Luffy said, eyes sparkling.
"Doesn't matter which one we pick, we'll crush 'em all!" he said, cracking his knuckles.
"So now 'God' wants to play a game with us…" Blizz muttered, his voice low, scanning the woods beyond the gate.
Usopp flailed.
"Why are we even choosing? Let's just not pick any and go home!!"
But Luffy, of course, was already running toward the gate.
"Let's go with… the Trial of Balls!" he shouted with a huge grin.
"WHY BALLS?!" Usopp wailed as they all sprinted after him into the unknown.
Above them, hidden deep within the trees, unseen eyes watched their every move — and a slow, cruel laughter echoed faintly on the breeze.
The crew hesitated just a moment at the threshold — then Luffy, grinning, charged forward into the unknown, dragging the others with him.
Inside, the world went black — a long, narrow tunnel stretching deep into the mist. Their footsteps echoed eerily on the soft cloud ground.
"Man, it's dark!" Usopp muttered, clutching the back of Blizz's jacket nervously.
Suddenly, the ground vanished beneath them.
"WAHHHHHHHH!!!"
Everyone screamed as they plunged straight down, free-falling through the clouds.
"I don't wanna die falling like this!!" Usopp wailed, legs kicking wildly.
Luffy just laughed the whole way down, arms wide like he was riding a rollercoaster.
Blizz remained quiet, but even he tightened his posture, preparing for impact.
Splash!!
They hit the cloudy sea hard, bouncing off its soft surface with bursts of mist before finally landing in a shallow basin of thicker clouds.
Usopp sat up coughing, looking around wildly.
"We… we're alive?!"
"I really thought we were falling 10,000 meters!" Usopp huffed, wiping mist from his forehead.
"I thought I was gonna die for sure," Luffy said, laughing.
Blizz pulled himself up silently, scanning the surroundings with sharp eyes.
The landscape was strange — twisting cloud trees surrounded them, and giant white balls floated and bobbed gently across the ground, dozens of them scattered like oversized snowballs.
"There's balls… balls everywhere," Luffy said, eyes sparkling.
"They're so cool! They look like gigantic snowballs!" Usopp said in awe, walking closer to one.
Ahead, the Mickey Road — a twisting cloud path — wound up and down between the towering trees, weaving through the dense cloud forest like a coiled serpent.
"What kinda trial is this place?" Sanji muttered, flicking water off his cigarette.
"Who knows?" Luffy said with a half-shrug, voice casual. "Would be nice if nothing happened… but that's unlikely."
Usopp scratched his head nervously.
"Hey… did we make the wrong choice? What would've happened if we picked a different path?"
"We'd probably be suffering even worse right now," Blizz said lightly.
"Yeah… probably," Luffy agreed, still eyeing the nearest ball like it was treasure.
Just as Luffy and Usopp reached out to touch one, Blizz suddenly moved, stepping between them with surprising speed.
"Don't," he said firmly, his hand knocking their arms down.
"Huh? Why not?" Luffy pouted.
Blizz tilted his head slightly, keeping his tone casual to not raise suspicion.
"Call it a gut feeling. These things… might be more 'surprise' than they look."
"Surprise clouds?" Usopp repeated, gulping.
Blizz smirked a little, stepping back.
"It's fun not knowing what might come out, right?"
Before they could ask more, a voice echoed from the mist — high and singsong.
"Welcome to my Trial of Balls!"
Everyone froze, spinning around to look for the source.
A figure sitting down on one of the balls — plump and smiling, dressed in a strange, puffy robe. His whole body looked like it could bounce.
"Satori…" Blizz murmured under his breath, recognizing the figure instantly.
The man gave an exaggerated bow.
"I am Satori of the Forest, Sky Priest and protector of this domain!
You have chosen my trial — the most delightful of them all!"
Sanji growled under his breath.
"Great. A clown."
"What's with all the balls?!" Usopp shouted.
"These are no ordinary balls," Satori said gleefully, spinning midair. "They're Surprise Balls! Hee hee hee!
Each one hides a different… special surprise. Some are fun! Some are deadly!
Touch one… and see!"
The crew tensed, eyeing the balls more carefully now.
Blizz narrowed his eyes slightly, staying silent.
He already knew what Satori was — and what those "surprises" were.
But saying too much would only raise questions he couldn't afford.
Better to let them learn just enough to survive.
"Be careful," Blizz said quietly, stepping into a low guard stance.
"They aren't gonna make this easy."
Luffy cracked his knuckles, grinning wildly.
"Good! Makes it more fun!"
Satori floated above them, arms wide, laughing gleefully.
"Hee hee hee! Let's begin! Surprise Ball—"
Before he could finish, a sudden shift ran through the air.
The playful grin on Blizz's face disappeared — replaced by something cold and sharp.
His eyes narrowed, and for a brief moment, the mist around him seemed to ripple.
"Enough," Blizz muttered.
In the blink of an eye, he vanished.
Flash.
One moment, he stood next to Luffy — the next, he was behind Satori, faster than anyone could follow.
" Flicker Jutsu."
Satori barely had time to turn his head, a stupid smile still plastered on his face —
before Blizz drove a brutal spinning kick right into his back.
WHAM!!
Satori's eyes widened in shock as Blizz's heel smashed into his back, sending him flying across the ground like a rag doll.
He tumbled helplessly, smashing through a cluster of floating balls before crashing hard onto a tree below, coughing and spitting in pain.
Sanji and Usopp gawked.
Even Luffy blinked, impressed.
Sanji blinked, stunned.
"Whoa… when did he—?"
Usopp's jaw dropped.
"D-did he teleport?!"
Luffy just grinned.
"Cool!"
In the momentary quiet, Blizz exhaled slowly, his foot still raised from the kick.
Inside his mind, he thought:
Mantra… he can predict intent. Movement. Feel the flow of hostility.
But that's the trick… I moved without hostility. I suppressed everything. Heart rate, breathing, bloodlust. I was nothing but air until I struck.
He lowered his foot, his eyes narrowing slightly.
…But now? Now he's locked onto me. His Mantra is focused.
No more surprises.
This next part… will be a real fight.
Below, Satori struggled to his feet, his twisted smile twitching awkwardly as blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.
He wiped it off with the back of his sleeve, glaring up at Blizz with disbelief.
Blizz landed lightly on the ground, adjusting his scarf as the mist slowly settled. His gaze never left the crater where Satori lay twitching.
"You…" Satori hissed, voice shaking. "How… How did you get behind me so fast? I sensed you … but i couldn't react on time!"
Blizz tilted his head slightly, his face cool and unreadable.
"Maybe your 'god' should invest in better priests," he said simply.
Satori's face contorted into a snarl. His aura shifted, the entire Ball Garden seeming to thrum with tension.
"This won't happen again!!" Satori howled, dozens of the giant cloud-balls around him beginning to shake and glow ominously.
Blizz cracked his knuckles once, smiling under his scarf.
"Good," he muttered, readying his stance. "I like a real fight."
Behind him, Luffy, Usopp, and Sanji watched wide-eyed from the boat as the tension between the two fighters thickened.
He turned his head slightly toward his crewmates.
"Go on ahead. Find our friends."
Sanji gritted his teeth.
"You sure you can handle this clown alone?"
Blizz gave a small, confident smirk.
"I'll take care of him. I don't like wasting time on trash."
"Leave it to Blizz," Luffy said, grinning wide. "He's cool!"
"Yeah…" Usopp gulped, still clinging to the edge of the boat. "Cool… and terrifying."
As the ground trembled and the first ball exploded toward him, Blizz moved — this time, head-on, no surprises.
The real trial had just begun and his first real fight.
"Please don't disappoint me."