Chapter 257

With that Sanji puts his all into the strike, though to everyone’s surprise, neither the barrel nor shell are affected in the least. Nami is visibly intrigued by this, while Usopp admonishes Sanji for a pathetic showing of strength. The shell slowly gives off fumes however, leading Sanji to wonder if it mysteriously absorbed the impact somehow. Gan Fall then directs Sanji to hold the open side of the shell toward the barrel, and press the top. It releases a devastating force, completely obliterating the barrel and blowing Sanji back.

While the crew reels from the explosion (Usopp has jumped off the deck of the ship), Gan Fall explains that what they just witnessed was the power of the impact dial. It stores energy from impacts to be released later. He adds that people tend to fixate them to their palm by means of a glove or bandage. This causes Sanji and Usopp to reflect on their fight with Satori, and they are now able to make sense of his abilities. As Sanji comically hits the old man for not telling him about the impact, Gan Fall brings up that legends tell of even more powerful dials in the island’s history.

One of these is the reject dial, which has ten times the power of an impact dial. This power increase can cost the user his life however, so they have all but been retired. Nami expresses that dials were explained to them as everyday tools and not weapons, but Gan Fall counters that any tool which can benefit man, can also hurt him. For instance, he points out that a heat dial, which is used for cooking, can be equipped on a lance to become a fire lance (Shura’s heat javelin is shown as an example). In the same vein, a flame dial can be placed in a bird’s mouth to create a fire-breathing bird (Fuza is shown as an example).

He concludes that because of this, blue sea dwellers with no knowledge of dials and artificial clouds whatsoever stand no chance against well-versed sky combatants. On that note, Sanji decides to ask Gan Fall about the “Mantra” ability that they also encountered against Satori. Gan Fall states that since he doesn’t have the ability himself it is a bit hard to explain, but it is essentially an enhanced perception. He goes on to say that everyone’s body has a “voice”, and one can predict a person’s next move by listening to it. The range of this ability can be increased with training: the Priests are able to “hear” everything on Upper Yard, while Enel’s range extends to the country in its entirety.

He does not understand the logic behind how Enel is able to do this however. At God’s shrine, Enel announces that Shura has been defeated. While laughing, he adds that he underestimated his opponents. The advisors are confused by his optimism, as two Priests have fallen in two days, who have been undefeated for six years. Enel laughs this off as well, adding an insulting joke that “God” wasn’t on their side.

Elsewhere in Upper Yard, Yama prepares his enforcers of God’s Army to deal with the Shandia assault and the Straw Hats. The enforcers all resemble goats in appearance. At the outskirts of the Shandia Village, Raki places the spilled vearth back into Aisa’s bag as she recalls Wyper and Kamakiri’s words from earlier that they’d take down Enel with no regard for their fallen. In the forest itself, Kamakiri scolds Wyper for his use of the Reject Dial, saying that he’ll die if he uses it again. Wyper responds by firing his bazooka in Kamakiri’s direction, and asks how they will ever defeat their enemy if they don’t make sacrifices.

In the aftermath of the blast, Wyper has gone ahead alone, as Kamakiri considers him a fool for his actions. Braham however assesses that they should indeed split up, as there are two Priests left and they don’t want any further humiliation by being trapped together again. They all decide to split off, with Genbo suggesting they meet again at God’s shrine. With the Shandia now split and heading in different directions, one of them hears a goat in his vicinity. Before he can make sense of it he is ambushed, and incapacitated by an enforcer of God’s Army.

Another of the Shandia notices and confronts one the enforcer, asking what he did. He states that Enel has directed them to clean the mess in Upper Yard, and the axe dials they carry are not found anywhere else in Skypiea. The Shandia attempts to shoot him, but he dodges. He holds up his shield for defense, but it proves no match for the dial’s power as he is sliced as well. In another area of the forest, Luffy is casually singing and strolling along until he believes he hears a goat. He’s excited that there would be a goat in the forest, and decides to keep walking. One of the God’s Army enforcers then emerges from a tree behind him and attempts an ambush, but Luffy punches him so hard that he bounces off of several trees and lands on his head. Luffy is frustrated that it wasn’t actually a goat, but continues to walk and sing. He stops yet again when he notices something, but this time it is Wyper. The two exchange cold stares, and Wyper asks Luffy what he’s doing here.