Chapter 12

"Um?"

"Noland, Lord of the Sky?" Arthur recalled the familiar neighing sound.

Noland, a colossal python who has roamed the skies for four centuries, known as the Lord of the Sky.

Upon hearing the neigh, Arthur summoned all his strength to activate Observation Haki for the first time. He sensed a potent aura moving diagonally at the edge of his perception, indicating something significant.

"It seems Noland is not far." Arthur pondered quietly.

"It's Noland!"

"The Lord of the Sky..."

The Sandia warriors, chieftains, Gang Cole, and shrine guards echoed their recognition.

"Everyone, I'll step outside for a moment." Arthur stood up, preparing to confront the python. Fortunately, Lord kong's massive presence could aid him in this task.

Once subdued, Noland could become the sky island's guardian beast, a perfect solution. However, Arthur couldn't help but remark on Noland's unimpressive appearance for a legendary creature.

"My Lord God!" The Chief and Gang Cole exclaimed together.

"What's wrong?" Arthur paused, turning to them.

Gang Kerr and the chief exchanged glances, then the chief spoke: "My Lord God, the old man pleads with you not to harm Noland. It is the descendant of Zenji Shandia's revered guardian. As long as it remains peaceful, it poses no threat to anyone."

"Yeah," Gang Cole nodded. "Old age brings wisdom. In four centuries, the Lord of the Sky has seldom been aggressive toward humans. Can you refrain from harming it?"

"Hehe," Arthur grinned. "Don't worry, I just plan to tame it."

"Tama?" The chief found Arthur's words puzzling. Why would he want to tame a giant python?

"Well, I have my reasons, but they'll become clear later!" Arthur chuckled before vanishing in a flash of lightning.

"What an incredible ability, controlling thunder like a celestial force, it's astounding." The chief marveled at Arthur's disappearance.

"Yes," Gang Cole agreed.

Recalling the immense lightning bolt from earlier, he shuddered. It was daunting to think that a human could wield such power.

"Moreover, he mentioned 50 million volts, right? And he appears so composed, it's hard to imagine anyone surviving such an attack at full strength."

"Thankfully, he's a kind soul. If he were evil, mastering sky thunder would make him a fearsome adversary," the chief remarked.

Meanwhile, Arthur utilized the electromagnetic field to teleport, moving from the shrine to near the python in an instant. Seeing the colossal creature up close, Arthur was astonished.

The python's body was approximately 20 meters in girth and stretched about 500 meters long. It was no wonder Luffy, in the comics, mistook it for a bizarre cave when swallowed by it.

Noland, sensing a presence behind him, turned its head. Spotting the small figure of Arthur, Noland paid little heed at first but then flicked its tail in a warning gesture.

While Noland rarely attacked humans, it had grown up in the wild over four centuries, making it unpredictable.

"Boom!"

A tremendous gust of wind struck, scattering Arthur directly from the force of the colossal tail.

Noland, unaware of the disturbance, was about to continue moving forward when a burst of thunder and lightning caught its attention.

In the air a few dozen meters ahead of its head, a lightning ball resonated loudly, gradually taking the shape of a human and then transforming into the familiar figure.

Noland gazed behind itself in disbelief, a puzzled expression evident on its massive face, wondering how this person had appeared here.

"Noland, I am the deity of Raijin Island, submit to me!" Arthur knew that the giant python could comprehend human speech to some extent, but he wasn't sure to what extent.

Upon hearing the demand to submit, Noland erupted in fury. On the sky island, it had always reigned supreme, and even humans dared not issue such commands.

Enraged, Noland let out a thunderous neigh, venom dripping from its fangs capable of withering giant trees, and lunged fiercely at Arthur.

"Hm, if you won't comply, perhaps a little persuasion is in order." Arthur, understanding the need to communicate with animals, acted swiftly.

Teleporting from his previous position, he reappeared above Noland's head and gestured with his hand. "Thirty million volts, Thunderbird!"

A massive thunderbird, composed of blue and purple electric lights, materialized and surged toward Noland. Boom~

The python let out a pained cry as its originally blue form turned slightly blackened.

Infuriated by the attack, Noland's eyes turned red as it charged at Arthur once more.

What followed were a series of lightning strikes from Arthur.

"Fifty million volts"

"70 million volts, Thunder Dragon!"

"Fifty million volts, God's sanction!"

The sky rumbled and echoed with thunderous clashes. Amidst the cacophony of thunder, Noland's agonizing cries filled the air.

Each attack exceeding 50 million volts left Noland temporarily electrically unconscious. However, Arthur would follow up with a lightning bolt of less than ten million volts to rouse the python.

This cycle repeated several times, causing Noland to faint seven or eight times. Finally, during the last 60 million volt thunder strike, Noland bowed its head in surrender.

"Have you submitted now? What was all that defiance about earlier?" Arthur grinned and hopped onto Noland's head.

"Go that way!" Arthur pointed towards the shrine, prompting Noland to lead the way.

"When I retrieve the Shandora lamp from above, you'll guard it from now on," Arthur instructed Noland beneath him.

Noland paused, recalling its youth four centuries ago when Ten ten no mi danced with the bell in front of the Shandora lamp. Excited by Arthur's words, Noland remembered its fondness for the bell, which it hadn't heard in four centuries. 

Expressing its agreement through neighs, Noland conveyed its excitement to Arthur, who surprisingly understood the message.

"Return to your original position."

"Yes, you'll be stationed near the Shandora lamp from now on." The human and the python exchanged a peculiar understanding as they made their way toward the shrine.