Nami seemed to snap out of a trance, abruptly straightening up and wiping a bit of imaginary drool from the corner of her mouth.
But in the very next second, her eyes narrowed into slits, sharp and predatory, as she stared down Wiper and his men like a lioness guarding her kill. "Wait a minute... You're not thinking of trying to take *my* City of Gold, are you?"
Wiper and the Shandian warriors, taken aback by her sudden ferocity, instinctively took a half-step back.
Wiper quickly raised his hands in a placating gesture. "No, no, no! We Shandians have no interest in gold!" He spoke with utter sincerity, pointing to the sacred ground of Upper Yard beneath their feet. "In our hearts, only this hallowed land truly matters."
"Oh, really?" Nami's eyes remained narrowed with suspicion.
"On my honor!" Wiper thumped his chest. "If you desire gold, our tribe has some trinkets we've gathered over the years... we would be happy to give it all to you."
The moment those words left his mouth, Nami's expression transformed instantly into one of beatific warmth. "Oh! Why didn't you say so sooner!" She gave Wiper a friendly, almost sisterly pat on the shoulder. "You truly are good people!"
But the warmth vanished as quickly as it came, her face hardening once more into a mask of stern warning. "However... if anyone dares to lay a finger on *my* City of Gold..." A dangerous spark of lightning crackled in her pupils, "I will personally see them buried at the bottom of the White-White Sea."
Cold sweat beaded on Wiper's brow as he nodded vigorously. "O-of course... This is a treasure you rightfully discovered..."
Just then,
The cloud layer in the distance parted as several figures landed swiftly on the vine's summit; Zoro, Sanji, Chopper, Robin, and Usopp had finally arrived.
The moment the scene before them came into clear focus, every last one of them froze as if turned to stone.
"This... This is..." Usopp's jaw hung open, wide enough to catch clouds.
Zoro's three swords clattered to the ground unnoticed. The perpetually unflappable swordsman wore an expression of pure, unadulterated shock. "You've got to be kidding me..."
Sanji's cigarette tumbled from his lips. "Am I still drunk...?"
Chopper immediately shifted into his Heavy Point, rubbing his eyes furiously. "I'm not dreaming, am I?!"
Robin's eyes, however, shone with an intellectual and profound fire. "The City of Gold, Shandora... It was real all along..."
Before them, the city, wrought entirely of pure gold, blazed under the sky island sun.
Golden structures stood in elegant disorder, streets were paved with solid gold bricks, even the public fountains were masterfully carved from the precious metal. At its heart, the massive Golden Bell soared towards the heavens, its ancient engravings seeming to whisper tales of the four centuries it had witnessed.
Usopp reached out a trembling hand. "I-Is this a mirage? Will it vanish if I touch it...?"
***BOOM!***
A bolt of lightning struck the ground mere inches from his feet, making him yelp and leap into the air.
Nami, wreathed in crackling electricity, narrowed her eyes. "**U-sopp!** One more word of doubt, and the next one goes between your eyes!"
"I'M SORRY! I TAKE IT BACK! THE GOLD IS REAL! ABSOLUTELY, UNDENIABLY REAL!" Usopp immediately dropped into a deep, apologetic bow, his forehead touching the cloud-floor.
Chopper hid behind Zoro's leg. "So scary... Nami's gotten so scary..."
Sanji, meanwhile, just sighed with hearts in his eyes. "Even when she's threatening us, Nami-swan is so radiant~"
As the crew was still reeling from the revelation of the golden city, Wiper took a deep, steadying breath and stepped forward.
"Please... if I may!" His voice trembled, but it was filled with a iron resolve. Everyone turned to look at the Shandian warrior.
"Would you allow us..." Wiper dropped to one knee, his right hand pressed over his heart, "...to ring this bell? Just once? It is a promise our people have kept alive for four hundred years!"
Tears welled in his eyes. The Shandian warriors behind him knelt as one, their faces a mixture of devout hope and raw emotion.
Nami blinked, then waved a hand magnanimously. "Of course! We know your story! Ringing it once won't hurt it!" She gestured grandly towards the bell. "Forget once, you can ring it ten times if you want!"
Wiper and his men were stunned into silence for a moment, then tears of gratitude streamed down their faces. They had never expected these outsiders to understand and honor their centuries-old vow so completely.
"Quickly! Go bring the Elder!" Wiper shouted, his voice thick with emotion.
Soon after, the aged Shandian Elder, supported by younger warriors, slowly made his way forward. The moment his clouded eyes fell upon the legendary bell, tears overflowed.
"Our ancestors... We have finally lived to see this day..."
Under the collective gaze of everyone present, the Elder, with hands shaking from age and emotion, personally took hold of the bell rope and pulled—
***DONG—***
The deep, resonant peal of the bell echoed across the cloud sea, a sound that seemed to transcend time itself. It was profound and clear, as if it would carry to the very ends of the sky and sea.
On the other side of the island, a middle-aged man with a chestnut-shaped head suddenly looked up. He was a descendant of Montblanc Noland, a family that had guarded a mocked legend for generations.
"That sound... There's no mistaking it!" Tears filled his eyes as he immediately grabbed his pack. "It's the Golden Bell!"
Simultaneously, the residents of what was once Jaya emerged from their new, temporary shelters. Though they had been violently brought to this strange sky island by the Knock Up Stream, the familiar, legendary peal of the bell miraculously soothed their fearful and unsettled hearts.
"It's the bell..."
"The Golden Bell is real!"
"Quick, let's go see!"
People began to surge spontaneously towards the source of the sound, smiles—long absent—finally gracing their faces.
Before the Golden Bell,
As the final echoes of the peal faded, the Elder wept openly. "Great Warrior Calgara... The promise with Noland... It is finally fulfilled..."
Wiper and his warriors raised their weapons to the sky, unleashing a triumphant roar that had been four centuries in the making. Four hundred years of waiting, four hundred years of faith, had all found their meaning in this single moment.
Robin gently dabbed the corner of her eye. "This... is the true echo of history."
...
The bell's echo lingered for a long time in the sea of clouds, a solemn testament to four hundred years of perseverance.
The Skypieans had followed the sound, and upon witnessing the legendary City of Gold, were struck dumb with awe.
Gan Forr, the former "God" of Skypiea, descended slowly on his pegasus, Pierre. His gaze swept over the scene before finally settling on the Shandians.
"The war that has lasted four hundred years..." Gan Forr's voice was heavy with exhaustion, "...must end here."
Wiper's face instantly darkened. His hand clenched tightly around his Burn Bazooka. "End? You speak of ending it so lightly?!" The flames of hatred burned in his eyes. "For four hundred years, how many of our tribesmen have fallen by your hands? The fathers and grandfathers of our children... How do you propose we settle this debt of blood?!"
The Shandian warriors raised their weapons as one, their angry roars shaking the very air. The White Berets, in turn, stood their ground, and the two sides faced each other, the tension so thick it was suffocating.
Gan Forr let out a deep, weary sigh, as if he had long expected this. He slowly dismounted from Pierre and, to the shock of everyone present, drew a long, sharp knife from his belt.
....
The journey continues right now for our Jade Dragons! 🐉
For just $6/month, you can step into the advanced chapters and never face a cliffhanger again. Gain instant access to 50+ chapters immediately, support the story you love, and help decide its course.
🔗 Become a Jade Dragon:https://patreon.com/J_Dragon