Chapter 426: Cloud Trial: The Race to the Red Flag

“Help me! Somebody help!”

A Skypiean came stumbling toward Luffy and the others but after barely running a dozen meters his feet were suddenly trapped by the clouds below. He couldn’t move an inch and his whole body started slowly sinking. In the blink of an eye the clouds nearly swallowed him whole.

Here the clouds seemed almost alive. One mass after another rushed toward the Skypiean, piling on top of him until it looked like he was carrying a small mountain on his back.

No matter how desperately he struggled, he couldn’t break free. The weight of the clouds just grew heavier and his body kept sinking deeper.

The moment the clouds swallowed the Skypiean completely, some unseen force flung him all the way back to the starting point. He’d become the first person eliminated.

“The first elimination has occurred.”

“Oh, I forgot to mention—these clouds here? They’re all controlled by our Lady June.”

“Every single cloud has been given special properties.”

“And don’t even think about flying. If you try, the clouds above will crash down on you like a tidal wave.”

“So the only way through is to walk. With crippling gravity and muck weighing you down, only those with true strength and unbreakable willpower can reach the end.” The host spoke enthusiastically from the observation balloon above.

This warning was mostly for first-time challengers. The Skypieans go through this every year and know all the rules—but knowing doesn’t mean you’ll clear it.

The first trial is actually simple—a screening test. It gauges the stamina and strength of anyone seeking to join the Holy Knights.

After all, the chosen will have to endure brutal training and even fiercer battles. A weak body simply won’t cut it.

As more and more people trudged past Ye Fan and the others, hauling huge masses of cloud as they moved deeper inside, our group didn’t hesitate any longer. They broke into a run.

That’s right—while everyone else could only walk, the four of them, even weighed down by thick clouds, broke into an outright sprint.

“No wonder they call this a swamp trial. These clouds are relentless!” Sanji’s right foot suddenly sunk into a muddy patch mid-run. He felt the cloud below threatening to suck him under.

“Shave!”

Sanji burst forward, his whole body moving ten meters ahead. He zipped straight out of the swampy spot.

“How interesting. Very interesting. Does this count as cheating?” Ye Linwei—the one blessed with the June Template—sat atop the clouds by the red flag, watching Sanji’s move below.

Normally in this trial, flying is strictly forbidden.

Anytime someone tried to take off, she’d knock them down immediately. But Sanji’s technique seemed more like something else…

“Oh well, oh well. It’s finally getting fun—I can’t ruin it now.”

“I’ll let this one slide.”

While June (Ye Linwei) watched Sanji, he could distinctly sense someone staring at him.

He quickly glanced up toward the red flag, scanning left and right, but couldn’t spot anyone.

As the group charged ahead, fewer and fewer people managed to keep up behind them.

Every moment, someone else was dragged under by the clouds. The remaining contestants could only cheer each other on.

“Ah hahaha!!!”

“Zoro! Sanji! Ye Fan! Hurry up and catch up!”

When they looked up, they realized that Luffy had already made it to the red flag while no one was watching.

Turns out, while June was busy watching Sanji, Luffy had stretched out his long arm, grabbed the distant red flag and flung himself across.

“Congratulations to this pirate from the Blue Sea—Luffy!”

“He’s the very first to reach the red flag and clear the first trial!”

The host’s voice echoed around the island. Brilliant fireworks exploded across the sky.

“Hey, what gives? How did someone from the Blue Sea get there first?”

“Seriously? Are we Skypieans doomed to never make it past the fourth stage?”

“This kid reached the first checkpoint so fast, maybe—even this year—he might make it through all four stages.”

“No way. Every person who’s ever passed the fourth stage was an infamous pirate.”

“Exactly!”

The chattering bystanders fell silent, turning their attention to Luffy who was cackling triumphantly by the red flag.

Getting through the first trial wasn’t anything special. But to do it in record time—swifter than even the top three from prior years—it felt like history might be made again.

After all, the last time anyone cleared the fourth stage was a whole ten years ago.

In the crowd, an unremarkable man slipped away, pulled out a camera device and started snapping shots of Luffy.

He was the least conspicuous face in the entire One Piece World—the cameraman!

A specialist at catching breaking news, and one of Big News Morgans’ people.

Elsewhere in the far-off New World, Karl received word that Luffy and his crew had arrived on Skypiea. Knowing the final battle wasn’t far away, he immediately issued a notice to all his subordinates.

This single announcement sent the entire pirate world into a frenzy.

[To all departments and affiliated forces:

From today gather every available resource, muster every member under your command, distribute the latest equipment and train hard for thirty days.

I want all crews to heed the call of Lux-Karl.

War is coming!]

In an instant, Karl’s command reached leaders throughout every branch of his pirate crew.

Like a drop in a calm sea, his order made waves beyond counting.

The moment the message arrived, some subgroups carried out Karl’s orders at once. Others—outsiders with no real loyalty—even dared try to leak the news to the Navy.

But under the watchful eyes of the Heaven’s Net assassins, hundreds of heads rolled before the rumors could spread.

Each one of those heads had a name, though mostly minor figures. But this bloody purge shattered the fragile calm of the seas.

Of course, you can’t cover fire with paper.

Karl knew it too. The second he sent that statement, the World Government would find out.

But so what if they did?

With a mobilization this massive, the World Government would have noticed even if Karl said nothing. Better to lay his cards on the table; after all, what was exposed was only the surface strength. It might even draw government eyes away from his real plans.

If Karl wanted to topple the World Government, he’d need a trump card—these millions of troops alone wouldn’t be enough.

They could keep order, conquer some small allied nations, but in the true war, only top-tier power would decide the outcome.