The massive beanstalk stretched into the clouds. At its base lay the ruins of Shandora—the former City of Gold and part of Upper Yard. It was also where the Golden Bell Tower once stood, now located high above on the beanstalk.
Rosen didn't bother climbing the stalk—it would have taken too long. Instead, he manipulated the sand from the ground, forming a massive sand pillar.
Atop the sand pillar, a platform of golden sand was created. Everyone stood on it as it rose straight up into the sky like a vertical elevator.
"This is the power to control the earth?!" The Shandians and Skypieans watching from below were amazed. The ability to control the land stirred their hearts even more than lightning ever could.
Many people stood on the platform: Robin, Hathaway, both tribe leaders, and several guards. Though their presence might not amount to much in battle, even a symbolic show of force was necessary—just in case.
The higher the sand pillar rose, the stronger the wind became. Clouds drifted past them as they ascended.
The Shandian chief and Gan Fall were unsure whether the Golden Bell was truly atop the beanstalk. It was hard to believe that the Knock-Up Stream could have flung the entire bell tower so high into the sky 400 years ago.
By habit, they had always searched the grounds of Upper Yard for the bell.
"Is it really up here?" the chief asked, still uncertain. They were already so high, and still ascending—yet nothing was visible. Had they been mistaken?
"It might be," Wyper replied, more convinced. They had infiltrated Upper Yard many times searching for the bell but found nothing.
Still, their first priority had always been to reclaim Upper Yard. Once it was under their control, they would have all the time in the world to search.
"It's up here," Rosen confirmed, glancing at the unconscious Enel at his feet. Though Enel was restrained with seastone, Rosen wasn't about to let him out of sight—just in case he pulled something unexpected.
Robin glanced at the calm and confident Rosen and couldn't help feeling both puzzled and reassured. How did he know so much about Skypiea? It was almost as if he had foresight. Could he be an expert in intelligence and analysis?
If that were the case, maybe she wasn't as indispensable as she thought. Yet he still kept her close, even protecting her along the way… Could it be…?
No, probably not. Robin gave herself a wry smile.
Of course, Robin didn't know that Rosen's knowledge didn't come from analysis—it came from having prior information, merely picking up pieces from the story's plot.
"I see it! There it is! The Golden Bell! It's so beautiful…" someone exclaimed as they broke through a passing cloud and laid eyes on the massive Golden Bell Tower suspended on the beanstalk.
The bell was colossal. Two main supports held the magnificent bell, and several other golden columns remained as part of its base.
Clearly, this bell tower had once been part of a larger structure within the City of Gold, likely connected to other golden buildings before being blown apart.
"The Golden Bell! The guiding light of Shandora, the Golden City of Upper Yard!" The Shandian chief was moved to tears. This had been their dream for centuries—not just the 400-year promise, but a legacy going back 800 or 900 years, guarding the poneglyph carved into stone.
"That's a poneglyph?!" Robin spotted the historical text inscribed on the golden base and froze. It was real. A genuine poneglyph.
Though the tower was partially covered with vines and moss, Rosen had warned her beforehand, so when she first laid eyes on the structure, she scanned it in full—and the poneglyph stood in a prominent, visible spot.
"So this is the stone we've guarded for generations… and the bell tower of our broken promise," the chief said, his heart filled with complicated emotions.
If not for this man from the Blue Sea, how many more generations would it have taken for them to find this? How much more would they have sacrificed to even set foot on Upper Yard again?
Everyone stood in awe before the Golden Bell Tower, overwhelmed. It was hard to imagine what kind of craftsmanship had created such a monumental structure.
"Let's bring it down. Don't worry—we can't take the whole thing anyway, and it's too beautiful to just be melted down for gold. That would be a waste," Rosen said calmly to the wary Shandians.
Gold? Enel had gathered a ridiculous amount of it just to build his Ark Maxim.
Even the "golden ball" he casually trapped Luffy in during their fight contained more gold than what Luffy and the others had pulled from the stomach of the Sky Lord.
The Ark's decorations, its figurehead, its main deck—all had been made entirely of gold. So Rosen's group had no shortage of it.
On either side of the bell were two towering golden pillars. They seemed ornamental or were once connected to other buildings. Just one of those would be too big to fit on any ship.
This was already a fortune. And the Golden Bell could become a symbol of Skypiea—since Rosen intended to rule the entire island.
Despite its immense size and weight, the bell was slowly and carefully lifted by the group's many powerful fighters and placed on Rosen's widened sand pillar. Then, it was slowly lowered to the ground.
"It's enormous!" The moment the bell appeared, everyone was stunned. Most had never even known it existed. Standing beneath it, they felt tiny.
"Wither," Rosen said, placing his hand on the bell. His power activated, instantly killing off the moss and vines. A sandstorm swept them away.
The gleaming Golden Bell shone so brightly it hurt their eyes.
"What… what is that? The Golden Bell?" Enel groaned as he regained consciousness, stunned by the majestic sight before him.
But just as he looked up, a beautiful woman raised her foot and stomped it heavily on his head.
Son of a—! Enel cursed inwardly, only to be knocked out again.
"What happened?" Rosen asked Hathaway.
"Nothing," she replied calmly.
Robin had already rushed to the poneglyph, but after reading it carefully, she looked disappointed. It contained information on the ancient weapon Poseidon.
Rosen already knew this. He was aware of where Pluton and Poseidon were, and how to approach them—but he wasn't chasing those alone.
The blueprints for Pluton were in Water 7. Poseidon was a mermaid princess. Rosen had encountered all three ancient weapons in some form—he even possessed the Eternal Log Pose for Uranus.
But these ancient taboos had been sealed away for a reason. They were like nuclear weapons. Mishandling them could destroy the world. That's why Rosen needed Robin—to understand their secrets before trying to control them.
"You… you can read those characters?!" the chief exclaimed when he saw Robin reading the poneglyph word for word.
This stone, guarded by generations of Shandians, had never been understood—not even once.
But this woman from the Blue Sea could read it.
"Yes. But this isn't what I was hoping for…" Robin replied, a bit let down.
"Robin. Look beside it," Rosen said, realizing she hadn't noticed the additional message left behind by Roger.
"This… Gol D. Roger… What?!" Robin was struck as if by lightning. The Pirate King had been here—and left a message?
"I came here and guided this text toward the end—Pirate, Gol D. Roger!"
Guide this text toward the end… toward the final place…
Robin suddenly understood. There were two kinds of poneglyphs: those that contained historical information, and those that pointed to where the others were located.
"Guided"… That meant each poneglyph was connected. They weren't independent but part of a larger puzzle.
Had Roger already found them all?
Only by linking every poneglyph together could the Void Century be fully revealed. And Roger had already guided them toward the final place.
Was it Laugh Tale?
(End of Chapter)