Chapter 425: The Beginning of the Knights’ Trial

“Don’t tell me the third one’s also part of a Four Emperors crew?”

“If that’s the case, doesn’t it mean the top three spots are all taken by the Four Emperors?” Usopp sounded pretty hopeless.

If all three who passed the fourth trial belonged to the Four Emperors, the rest of them barely stood a chance.

If they had what it took to get through the fourth trial now, wouldn’t that mean they could already go toe-to-toe with the Four Emperors?

“Hehe, not quite. The third one to clear it was actually a lone wolf.”

“His name’s Dragon!”

“But now he’s no solo act—rumor has it he’s started up an organization called the Revolutionary Army.”

“Thing is, there’s not much info out there about him. No one’s sure what he’s capable of. He just left his name behind and walked away with the gold.”

As Conis talked about him, she just shrugged.

Truth was, Dragon was strapped for cash in the early days. Back then, the World Government and the Rox Pirates were at each other’s throats, chaos everywhere. Supplies weren’t making it out to the Four Seas, so he had no choice but to take the risky route.

Don’t underestimate the power of inflation. When Dragon passed the fourth trial and took the gold, prices were ten times lower than today.

That gold that was worth 500 million back then? It’s worth five billion now.

“Weird, why does that sound so familiar?”

Luffy muttered, thinking he’d heard that name from his grandpa before, though he couldn’t recall when.

“Anyway, apart from those three, nobody’s made it past the fourth trial yet.”

“And the trial officially starts in three days. Honestly, I don’t have high hopes for you all clearing the fourth stage, but good luck anyway!” Conis was nothing if not optimistic—she never spread negativity for no reason.

Seeing everyone deep in thought, Conis headed to the kitchen to prep dinner. As soon as Sanji heard the clatter, he sprang to his feet. “No way I’m letting a beautiful angel like you handle all the dirty work.”

With Sanji’s culinary magic, Conis finally tasted what true gourmet meant.

After dinner, Conis helped them rent a big house in the area.

Given how expensive everything was, Nami sent Chopper and Usopp out to treat locals and earn some cash, while Sanji set up a snack stall in District 37 with Johnny and Yosaku.

Surprisingly, even though Chopper only made about 100,000 Dragon Coins a day, Sanji’s side was different—he pulled in 500,000 in just half a day. Even Gin, Zoro, Luffy, and Ye Fan were roped in to help.

Meanwhile, Nami and Robin handled collecting payments on the side.

Time slipped by almost unnoticed, and soon it was noon of the third day.

“Hahaha, we’re loaded.” Even Nami hadn’t expected that with Sanji’s cooking, in just two and a half days they’d raked in 3.7 million Dragon Coins.

Dong!!!

A heavy thump echoed as a massive hot air balloon rose slowly at the center of the island.

A chubby host holding a microphone appeared on top, flanked by two bikini-clad beauties.

“Residents of Skypiea, the annual Holy Knights Trial is about to begin! Let’s give this grand ceremony the warmest welcome!”

Every street, every hundred meters or so, had a loudspeaker. The host’s voice came through loud and clear, sending everyone into wild cheers.

“Awesome! This time I’m definitely joining the Holy Knights!”

“You? Get outta here. You’re skinny as a twig.”

“If I could just join the Holy Knights, I could save my wife and kid!”

Everyone already knew how generous the Holy Knights’ benefits were. After joining, not only did you make nearly 100,000 Berries a month, you could bring your whole family to Skypiea and even buy a miracle serum—the so-called cure-all for any illness.

That cure-all alone made people fight tooth and nail for a spot, but unfortunately, the Knights recruited so few—barely a hundred got in each year at most.

“Cut the chatter! Let’s get started with the first stage—the Swamp Trial!”

“In this round, you’ll have to dodge all kinds of dangers within the clouds and make it safely to the end.” Waving his microphone, the host gestured toward a misty patch up ahead. As the fog lifted, a massive expanse of clouds appeared, with a little red flag stuck deep inside—the finish line.

“Alright, warriors, let’s see who’s the first to clear stage one!”

With a dramatic flourish, the host revealed a clear path forward.

“So that’s the trial? All the stages are linked together.” Usopp’s gaze followed the trail as the Swamp Trial wound around, connecting to three other cloud stages beyond.

“Ahahaha, this’ll be a blast! I’m going first!”

“Gum-Gum Rocket!” Luffy grabbed a nearby building with both hands and launched himself straight into the first stage.

“Unbelievable—does he even get teamwork?”

Everyone had signed up, but after thinking it through, Nami figured only a few could actually handle the real challenge. So she only let Luffy, Zoro, Ye Fan, and Sanji go ahead.

The rest hung back to keep the food stall running. With Sanji’s leftover seasoning and broth, they had everything needed to sell for a day without worry.

“Hey, Moss-Head, where do you think you’re going?”

Next up was obviously Zoro, but the guy had a woeful sense of direction—he’d only taken a few steps before wandering down a side alley, nowhere near a straight path.

“I’m going straight, Curly-Brow!”

Seeing the two on the verge of another argument, Ye Fan quickly grabbed their shoulders and hurled them toward the swampy plain.

“Damn you, Ye Fan! I’ll get you for this!” x2!

Ye Fan just shrugged on the spot, unfazed. “We’re heading out now. Gin, look after everyone, got it?”

There probably weren’t any big threats on the island, but you never knew when pirates from the New World might show up and cause trouble. Gin was at least strong enough to hold down the fort until they got back.

Skypiea couldn’t handle large-scale destruction, so really powerful pirates weren’t allowed on the island at all.

Duangduang!!!

As Sanji and Zoro landed from Ye Fan’s throw, they caught sight of Luffy bouncing up and down on the clouds, using them like his own trampoline.

“Ahahaha, so fun! This is awesome!”

“Hey Luffy, don’t forget why we’re here,” Sanji drawled, lighting up a cigarette and glancing at the red flag in the distance.

The finish wasn’t that far—the road looked clear, no traps in sight. Getting to the red flag should’ve been a breeze.

So why did so many people fail to cross?

Pretty soon, someone gave a live demo of exactly what made this challenge so tough.

“Aaaahhh!”