Little Garden quieted. The roars of ancient giants and the thunder of steel faded beneath a new rhythm—one heartbeat, one will, one king. At the center of the ruined battlefield, Ravro D. Flare stood as the jungle bent in reverence. Dorry and Brogy now knelt behind him, their massive frames bowed low like statues carved in fealty. Around them, the Abyss Gorilla Corps reorganized, their weapons slick with the memory of myth.
Above them, the Abyss Serpent waited silently by the river's edge. A black vessel shaped from shadow and purpose, it pulsed with readiness.
Ravro turned his gaze toward the giants.
"You will not remain here," he said. "You are to build."
Dorry lifted his head. "A fortress?"
"A throne," Ravro corrected. "Far from here, beyond the sands, in the jagged maw of Reverse Mountain—you will carve our second sanctuary. The Abyss shall have roots in the seas and in the skies."
Brogy grinned, a deep laugh rolling from his chest. "Then we shall build your crown from stone and storm."
[System Update: New Objective Created]
[Abyss Fortress II Construction - Commanders Assigned: Dorry, Brogy]
[Location Set: Reverse Mountain Outskirts - Void Ridge Plateau]
The giants departed within the hour, taking with them a contingent of Abyss Guards and architects. The ground shook as they vanished into the wild, their silhouettes swallowed by trees.
Ravro stood at the water's edge, staring at the sky. Not with awe. With intent.
"Prepare the Serpent," he said.
Velra bowed and gave the order. The sails unfurled like the wings of a slumbering beast.
Robin approached, scrolls tucked beneath her arm. She didn't speak at first. Her expression was thoughtful, almost hesitant.
"You keep looking up," she said quietly. "What do you see there, Ravro?"
He turned to her, calm and certain. "A land above the sky."
Robin blinked. "Skypiea? That's only a myth… a child's tale."
"Not a myth," Ravro replied. "A forgotten truth. And the god who calls it his own is no divine being—only a tyrant clinging to clouds."
"You truly believe it exists?"
"I don't believe," he said. "I remember."
Robin's breath caught. There was something in his voice—a certainty that wrapped around her doubts and burned them away. For years she had lived among legends. And yet, she had never met someone who was one.
"There are ruins there," Ravro continued. "And a language only you can read."
Robin frowned. "You think the Poneglyphs reach that far?"
He nodded. "You will read them. And I will reclaim what sleeps above."
Robin swallowed. "You remembered I was searching for them."
He turned toward her fully now. "Of course I did."
That simple phrase pierced something deep in her.
She had served under liars, murderers, tyrants. Men who saw her knowledge as a weapon or a threat. Ravro saw it as a key—a part of her worth, not a tool to control.
And in that moment, something shifted inside her. Not because he needed her.
Because he valued her.
The Abyss Serpent rose into the sky, powered not by sail or storm, but by the will of its king. Black wings unfurled from its sides. Abyssal energy pulsed beneath its hull.
They ascended into myth.
Through cloud, through lightning, through the endless blue—until the world above opened.
Skypiea.
White seas rolled like clouds frozen in time. Floating islands drifted like forgotten dreams. The air shimmered with static, and far above, a throne of lightning pulsed.
Enel.
He stirred in his shrine, drums humming behind his shoulders. His eyes snapped open.
"What is this?" he hissed. "A blasphemy."
Above, the Abyss Serpent descended.
Velra prepared her spear. Mihawk stood poised. Robin gripped the ship's rail, her heart thudding.
"You're not just going to kill him," she whispered.
"No," Ravro said. "I'm going to replace him."
[System Notice: Sky Island Campaign Initiated]
[Objective: Conquer Skypiea. Slay Enel. Unseal Ancient Throne.]
The Serpent dived. Thunder split. And as the island of gods appeared below, Robin looked at Ravro not as a leader, but as something more.
Someone she was no longer just curious about.
Someone she was falling for.
Not into war.
Into him.