Ordeals

The Ordeals were a system of sacred trials Enel imposed on Skypiea during his reign, meant to punish dissidents and other significant criminals. Each ordeal was administered by one of Enel's priests, and offered an extremely slim survival rate; nevertheless, each was overcome by at least one individual.
These were the standard penalty for those condemned of "Class-2" crimes, such as assaulting a member of the White Berets.
==Overview==
The ordeals were held on Upper Yard, and usually engaged by following the main Milky Road to a huge, mask-like gate with four entrances, each leading to a separate ordeal. After choosing one, the condemned would be actively hunted by the corresponding priest, with all the rare Dials, unorthodox cloud constructs, and advanced Mantra at his disposal. Those who survived long enough to escape (or out-fight the priest, though Satori implied this was considered an even worse crime) would supposedly be absolved.
Conventionally, each priest was assigned a specific territory for his own ordeal, and was forbidden from acting in another's territory; however, these territories spanned only part of Upper Yard, and left many areas (particularly the coastline and the Sacrificial Altar) effectively free zones where any of the priests could go and compete for victims. Ultimately, Enel would waive all boundaries for the "Survival Game" concluding his reign, letting the priests initiate their respective ordeals anywhere they saw fit.
==Ordeal of Balls==
The was operated by the priest Satori, with a professed survival rate of 10%.
The criminal is placed on a boat on a Milky Road that winds through the forest, but Satori will separate the criminal from the boat and attempt to prevent them from boarding it again. The criminal must defeat Satori and board the boat to escape the forest. If they fail to board the boat before it leaves the forest, they will be left stranded indefinitely in the forest.
This forest has many spherical clouds known as Surprise Balls floating around; when these clouds are touched, a random item will emerge. The item in question may be dangerous, such as an explosion or a live snake, but some contain harmless things such as flowers and birds. Satori himself does not know what will pop out of each cloud. (Satori considers the harmless balls to be "duds.")
Satori also makes use of Impact Dials hidden in his gloves to strike at his opponents.
This trial was the first choice of Luffy when he, Usopp, and Sanji went into the Upper Yard, searching for the others who were kidnapped. Together, the three of them defeated Satori and boarded the ship in time to leave the forest.
==Ordeal of Iron==
The was operated by the priest Ohm, with a professed survival rate of 0%. Roronoa Zoro is implicitly the only one known to have conquered it.
This Ordeal utilizes Iron Clouds, a type of cloud as strong and as durable as metal, while still retaining a cloud's weightlessness and ability to change shape. Ohm's Eisen Whip is a sword with a blade made of Iron Clouds, so he is able to manipulate the blade's shape. This allows his sword to attack his opponents from far away, which would not be possible with a metal sword. In addition, he rigs his territory with Milky Dials full of Iron Cloud which are linked to pressure plates on the ground. If someone steps on one of the plates, the Dials shoot the Iron Cloud out in the form of barbed wire, shredding them.
This ordeal also has an attribute known as the . Both Ohm, and the prisoner are trapped inside a dome made of barbed wire Iron Cloud, creating a cage stopping their victims from escaping. In order to escape, the criminal will need to defeat Ohm. Zoro originally commented on how it was unnecessary, since he did not have any intentions to run away.
Ohm is also aided by his giant dog, Holy. Holy has been trained to use boxing with his paws, perform spinning jumps, and stand on his hind legs. He and Ohm fight very well in tandem, though he is more than capable of fighting on his own. Holy is also the one who runs around the perimeter of the ordeal to trigger the pressure plates that release the barbed wire for the White-Barbed Iron Deathmatch.
Tony Tony Chopper and Zoro were the only ones to take on this Ordeal, and though the former lost easily, the latter managed to overpower Ohm's Eisen Dial-powered sword and defeat him. Turning his attention to Holy, Zoro found out the dog would obey any command without question - even ones not issued from Ohm - and ordered the dog to knock himself out, and Holy did as such.
==Ordeal of String==
The was operated by the priest Shura, with a professed survival rate of 3%.
This Ordeal makes use of String Clouds, which are very long, extremely thin, nearly invisible string-like clouds that have high tensile strength. Shura places many long strands of String Cloud throughout a large area of the forest. Travelers who pass through the area are slowly entangled in the Clouds and do not notice it until they can no longer move. The criminal must avoid being ensnared by the strings to defeat Shura.
Shura also uses a lance known as the "Heat Javelin", which is able to become very hot thanks to a Heat Dial installed inside it. It is hot enough to ignite flammable materials, such as wood, on fire with only a single stab. Additionally, Shura has a pet giant bird, Fuza, who he rides on through the air. Fuza also keeps a Flame Dial in its mouth allowing it to attack with a blast of fire breath.
The Shandians became ensnared in this Ordeal at the start of Enel's survival game, but Wyper managed to avoid the clutches of the String clouds, and defeated Shura with a Reject Dial. This is the only ordeal that was not passed by one of the Straw Hats.
==Ordeal of Swamp==
The was operated by the priest Gedatsu, with a professed survival rate of 50%.
This Ordeal is filled with Swamp Clouds, thick clouds that function like quicksand. If one were to get caught in a swamp cloud, they would sink and become trapped. The area is filled with these sinking clouds, making it difficult to navigate. To make matters worse, Gedatsu can throw Swamp Clouds on his victims' heads. The cloud can cause whoever gets caught in it to suffocate, since no air exists inside of it. It is nearly impossible to remove the cloud as it is not solid.
Gedatsu also uses rare Jet Dials to give a boost to his punches and wears Milky Dials on his shoes to allow him to fly. This also prevents him from sinking in the Swamp clouds (unless he falls in headfirst) as he can simply propel himself out.
The only Straw Hat to attempt this ordeal was Chopper, who ultimately defeated Gedatsu by turning his Milky Dials against him and taking advantage of the priest's incompetence. Gedatsu fell off Skypiea as a result of his defeat and was sent to the Blue Sea below.
==Translation and Dub Issues==
Though the term for has no particular religious connotation, 4Kids Entertainment nevertheless renamed them I.Q. Tests in the video games Grand Adventure and Pirates Carnival; each ordeal's identifying element was placed in the middle, e.g. "I.Q. Orb Test" for the Ordeal of Balls. Funimation's made-for-TV dub of the anime followed this convention, even having Enel state that the "Q" stood for .
In contrast, Funimation's uncut releases of the anime, as well as the VIZ manga, have always favored straightforward synonyms such as Challenge or Trial.
==Trivia==
*In the anime, upon seeing the Entrance of Ordeals, Usopp imagined what each one would entail based off their names.
**He imagined the Ordeal of Swamp would lead their boat into a bottomless swamp on the Milky Road.
**He imagined the Ordeal of Iron would drop huge iron-weights on them from above.
**He imagined the Ordeal of String would force them to a string over a sheer drop to the Blue Sea.
**He imagined the Ordeal of Balls would try to crush their boat with a giant rolling ball.
*In-story, the Ordeal of Balls is the only ordeal shown in its conventional territory; the other three are only shown after Enel lifts the territorial assignments and lets the priests free-roam for victims.
==References==
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