Kong Tai searched for a while but couldn't find the altar from the original work. He then realized he might have misremembered.
So, in the place where Apaya had its massive crescent harbor, he found a spot to dock the ship.
Then, he led everyone aboard Apaya.
Regarding the ship, he wasn't worried at all. Since he was now on Apaya, no one on this island could escape his perception. Of course, he could also reach any location on the island in an instant.
Standing on the shore, looking up at the colossal trees that blotted out the sky, the others were not surprised.
They had seen plenty of such trees in the Little Garden, even bigger ones.
After taking one last look at the Shandians who had followed them to the harbor, Kong Tai turned with a smile and headed straight for Skypiea, which he could sense on the island.
Along this path were the Shins, the Four Priests, and within the shrine on the giant vine, lay their main objective.
He wondered if that guy would be able to sit still when the time came. After all, they weren't the Straw Hat Pirates; no matter how many soldiers or traps were deployed, they would be useless.
Not long after walking, a white cloud path, winding and coiling like a ribbon, appeared in the sky before them.
If they had come via Angel Island, they could have taken the Freedom and traveled directly to Skypiea's ruins via this cloud path!
"Oh..."
Kong Tai gazed at the cloud path, a glint of realization flashing in his eyes.
He remembered now, the altar wasn't by the shore, but to the upper left of the island. It was through this cloud river that one could reach the altar's location.
No wonder they searched the shore and found nothing.
It was normal not to remember; after so many years, he couldn't recall many minor details.
For instance, the countless white spheres floating around the cloud river and the trees before them. He knew this was an attack method of a fat priest, but he completely forgot the guy's name and abilities.
"Be careful!"
Just then, Gan Fall saw A Hua curiously reach out towards a floating sphere and quickly stepped forward, pulling A Hua away from it.
"What's wrong, Grandpa Fall?"
A Hua turned his head and looked at Gan Fall in confusion.
"Isn't this island cloud? I've seen it, it's not dangerous!"
"It is not!"
"Not??"
"Yes!"
Gan Fall nodded, looking up at the increasing number of spheres floating towards them, and said with a serious tone, "This is the 'Ball Trial' set by Shardly, one of Enel's Four Priests. This guy is an expert with 'Impact Dial' and 'Surprise Clouds'."
"And these spheres are his Surprise Clouds. Don't be fooled by how beautiful these clouds look floating in the air. Shardly has already embedded all sorts of traps inside them, traps with spikes, bombs, and of course, some completely harmless spheres with nothing inside."
"Wait a minute, Grandpa."
A Hua tidied his clothes, which had been disheveled by Gan Fall's pull, and looked up at the spheres in the sky.
"Grandpa, I have no interest in these ambushes. These things can't possibly harm us."
"What I want to know is, what exactly is this 'Impact Dial' you mentioned?"
"Mhm!! We want to know too."
Everyone else, except Kong Tai and Indigo, turned to look at Gan Fall, their faces showing interest.
"Hoo~"
A Tao exhaled a puff of smoke and looked at Gan Fall, saying, "Yeah! Uncle Fall, we've visited a few small sky islands before coming here and seen some magical shells, like those for blowing wind, spitting fire, or recording sound. But aren't these just your daily necessities?"
"Can they also be used for combat?"
"Haha!! Of course."
Seeing everyone's relaxed demeanor, Gan Fall also dropped the seriousness from his face and smiled.
He saw everyone staring at him with curiosity and remained silent. He quietly took out a palm-sized shell from his embrace, looked around, and then placed it on the branch of a fallen dead tree.
Turning back, he smiled at everyone and said, "Does anyone have a blunt weapon? Come and hit this shell with all your might."
"Blunt strike?"
The others exchanged glances, then all looked at A Hua.
When it came to blunt strikes, they might not have weapons, but among them, there was one who used his fists.
Seeing the gazes directed at him, A Hua stepped forward without hesitation, raising his hands in front of him, interlocking his left and right fists, making a sound like popping beans.
"Haha!! I don't have a weapon, but I don't know if fists will work."
A Hua walked up to Gan Fall, raised his fist, which had already become a massive rabbit paw, and held it out.
Gan Fall's pupils contracted as he looked at A Hua's hand.
"Is this the strength of Kong Tai's group?"
Without needing to experience it, just by sensing, he knew A Hua's fist was not to be trifled with, as he felt danger emanating from it.
As far as he knew, A Hua was just the chef of Kong Tai's group.
If a chef was this strong, then Kong Tai's group...
It seemed that aside from Alo and Kong Tai, and that young girl Guina who gave him an immense sense of danger, everyone else in Kong Tai's group couldn't be underestimated.
Coming back to his senses, Gan Fall quickly put away his surprised expression and looked at A Hua, saying, "Ah! Yes, yes, it can. Although a weapon would be better, fists are fine too. Remember, you can use your full strength, don't hold back."
With that, he stepped back a few paces, leaving the scene to A Hua.
A Hua stepped forward, stood before the dead branch, and looked down at the shell on the branch. A sharp glint flashed in his pupils. He then clasped his hands together, raised them high, and without hesitation, brought them down.
*Bang—!*
"Huh..."
The scene of the dead branch shattering that everyone had imagined did not occur. Let alone shattering, the dead branch beneath the shell was not even scratched.
"Hey! Dude, have you not eaten? You haven't starved to the point where you can't even break a dead branch, have you!"
Seeing A Hua frozen in place, A Luo instinctively mocked loudly.
As the one who sparred most with A Hua, he naturally knew the power of A Hua's fists. But even if he knew, so what?
The mockery still had to be delivered.
"Strange??"
A Hua retracted his fist, ignored A Luo, and turned to look at Gan Fall, asking with a slightly hesitant tone, "This feeling, this feeling, it was absorbed??"
Gan Fall didn't explain first but said to A Hua.
"Next, flip the shell over, so the opening faces the dead branch, and then press the top of the shell behind the opening."
"Oh..."
Despite being filled with questions, A Hua turned and did as Gan Fall instructed.
He flipped the shell over, then lightly pressed the top of the shell behind the opening.
*Thump—!*
The moment he pressed it, the dead branch seemed to have been hit by an immense impact and exploded instantly. Branches scattered, and the wind stirred up by the shockwave made everyone instinctively squint.