The day had finally arrived. The kingdom that Mansherry and Leo had been intensely anticipating—the Lvneel Kingdom, the legendary hometown of Mont Blanc Noland—finally appeared on the horizon.
Following their predetermined plan, Bardock ordered the crew to completely strip away the thick layer of protective, camouflaging wax that usually coated the White Dragon's hull. Instantly, the solid, pure gold exterior of the massive galleon was exposed to the direct sunlight. The ship radiated an impossibly dazzling, blindingly brilliant light, practically suffocating the surrounding ocean in an aura of absolute, unfathomable wealth.
Before the golden ship even neared the main harbor, the citizens bustling along the coastline had already spotted the radiant anomaly approaching from the sea. The entire port instantly erupted into an absolute uproar.
"Look! What the hell is that?!" "Oh my god... I must be dreaming. I can't believe my eyes..." "Wait, don't tell me... is that entire ship actually made out of solid gold?!" "Impossible! Absolutely impossible! What kind of lunatic would use pure gold to build a ship?!" "That is absolutely gold! I'm a jeweler! Even with my eyes closed, I could smell the wealth radiating off that thing!" "Ah... this is bad. I have a terrible feeling that a massive disaster is about to happen here..."
Amidst the chaotic, deafening wave of shocked shouts and terrified murmurs, Bardock and his crew casually disembarked from the golden galleon, officially stepping onto the soil of the Lvneel Kingdom.
"Wait! I recognize them!"
A sharp-eyed bystander in the crowd suddenly gasped, his eyes going wide as he got a clear look at Bardock's face. He was an avid reader who still frequently reread the specific World Economy News Paper article detailing the discovery of the City of Gold, often desperately daydreaming that he had been the one to find the treasure.
"Who are they? I've never seen them before," another citizen asked curiously.
The surrounding crowd instantly perked their ears up, quietly observing the heavily armed, terrifyingly diverse pirate crew while leaning in to hear the informant's explanation.
"Are you kidding? They're incredibly famous right now!" the know-it-all boasted, eager to build suspense. "I just have to say one specific name, and all of you will instantly realize who they are. Trust me, I will never, ever forget their faces as long as I live. It's a story of—"
"Cut the crap and just spit it out!" an impatient voice roared from the crowd, completely ruining the man's dramatic buildup.
"Yeah! Just tell us the name!" the others echoed aggressively.
Realizing the crowd wasn't going to tolerate a long-winded speech, the informant sighed in disappointment. "Fine, fine! Noland! Do you remember now?!"
A collective gasp rippled through the port.
"It's them!" "Wait, what? Didn't Mont Blanc Noland die like 400 years ago?" "You absolute idiot, he means the City of Gold! The legendary explorer named... uh, Dark? He's the one who finally found Noland's City of Gold!" "It's Bardock, you moron! Captain Bardock!" "Oh my god, no wonder! Only the insanely lucky bastard who claimed the entire City of Gold would possess enough raw wealth to literally build a massive ship out of it!"
The moment the realization fully set in, the collective gaze of the massive crowd underwent a terrifying shift. The initial shock and awe were instantly replaced by a deep, feral, and overwhelming greed. Their eyes practically turned green with envy as they stared at the White Dragon.
"You know..." a bitter citizen muttered. "If our idiotic King hadn't rushed to execute Noland 400 years ago, with Noland's abilities, all of that gold would have belonged to our Kingdom!"
"Wake up from your delusions!" another man scoffed. "Even if Noland had brought it back, it would have gone straight into the royal treasury! What does it have to do with us peasants?"
"Well, maybe if the King was insanely rich, we wouldn't have to pay such a heavy Heavenly Tribute to the World Government every year..."
Completely ignoring the chaotic, greed-fueled murmurs of the crowd, Bardock simply smirked and led his crew straight through the parting sea of people.
"Bardock," Robin spoke up softly as they walked through the city streets. "I've already located the exact site of Noland's ancestral home. I also managed to gather some intelligence regarding his modern-day descendants. However, it seems the last remaining heir of the Mont Blanc family has already set sail and become a pirate..."
Robin was, of course, referring to Mont Blanc Cricket, who was currently operating out of Jaya in the Grand Line.
Bardock nodded thoughtfully. "We should still visit Noland's grave regardless. We can treat it as officially delivering a message of peace on behalf of the Great Warrior Kalgara. Plus, we promised Mansherry and Leo we'd give them a chance to pay their respects to their hero. As for Noland's descendant... the sea is incredibly vast. If we are destined to cross paths with him in the Grand Line, we will. We'll leave it to fate."
With Robin navigating the winding streets, the crew leisurely made their way toward the city's historical cemetery.
KRA-KOOOM!
Every few minutes during their walk, Enel would casually stop, point his finger back toward the harbor, and unleash a blindingly fast, localized bolt of El Thor (Divine Judgment) that arched over the city and struck the docks.
"These absolute brain-dead mortals!" Enel grumbled in profound annoyance, rubbing his temples. "What on earth is going through their pathetic little heads? One group after another just keeps trying to sneak aboard the ship!"
"Wealth is a fatal poison that blinds the eyes," Bardock chuckled, completely unfazed by the distant screams of electrocuted thieves. "Men will gladly throw their lives away for a handful of gold, just as birds will dive into a trap for a handful of seeds. Throughout all of human history, how many people can truly look at a mountain of gold and treat it like dirt?"
Bardock wasn't worried in the slightest. Having Enel on the crew made protecting their assets incredibly easy. Between the Lightning God's omniscient Mantra instantly detecting any hostile intent, his pinpoint, cross-city lightning snipes, and the automated Skypiean defense robots patrolling the deck, the White Dragon was a literal fortress.
Furthermore, if a truly massive threat somehow overwhelmed the defenses, the ship's automated protocols would immediately activate its flight dials, launching the golden galleon safely into the clouds.