Chapter 280: The Golden City and Nico Robin
In the sky kingdom, more than 10,000 meters above sea level, an island made of earth and rock floated in the endless white ocean of clouds.
A giant, nearly sixty meters tall, clad in indestructible pink scales and wearing a deer-horned helmet, stood atop a floating half-mountain, heading straight for the island.
"Just what kind of monstrous Knock Up Stream could launch a piece of land this huge into the sky?" Hajrudin stood with his arms crossed, his long, pink dragon tail swishing lightly, his eyes filled with disbelief.
Louis stood on Hajrudin's shoulder, gazing at the endless sea of green and the giant vine stretching even higher. His gaze followed the vine into the heavens, his eyes thoughtful.
If he remembered correctly, Shandora's Golden Bell and a Poneglyph detailing the location of the Ancient Weapon, Poseidon, were at the very top. He was interested, and might go up there, but not now. The first priority was to confirm if the City of Gold had been emptied.
Only when the mountaintop landed on the land now called Upper Yard did Louis look away, his gaze falling back on the forest. After a moment, he pointed. "That way. Let's go."
Hajrudin moved without hesitation. His immense weight left giant footprints in the thick, damp earth, and the earthquake-like tremors startled countless animals, sending them fleeing.
The massive thuds and vibrations attracted the attention of the island's current inhabitants.
In the deep jungle, a giant blue snake, over two hundred meters long and covered in strange markings, opened its vertical pupils. It flicked its long, forked tongue and slithered toward the sound.
In the palace high above the clouds, a man of average build, sitting on a throne, snapped his eyes open, his face dark. "What... is that monster?"
Enel, the vicious criminal who had caused a massacre on his home, Birka, and destroyed half of its buildings, stood up. He expanded his "Mantra," extending his senses toward the disturbance. His eyes flashed.
In the ornate palace, his priests grew excited.
"Ho ho! Looks like Upper Yard has guests!"
"Should we go play with them?!"
"Lord Enel?"
The bare-chested man with the golden staff looked down at the red-haired figure. "If you want to die, I can help you. But you will not provoke a monster of that level while you serve me..."
The priests froze, then lowered their heads, not daring to make a sound. They knew how terrifying their "God" was. His Mantra covered the island, and his body was as indestructible as if he wore invisible armor.
Enel walked to the balcony, looking out over the forest. "Could it be them?" He remembered the group that had appeared on Birka so long ago, people with real wings and unusual height. They had found something there, and before leaving, they'd saved him when he was being bullied.
Enel still remembered an old woman in that group. She had seen him being tormented, seemed to sympathize, and had taught him how to train. That was how he'd gained the power to kill his tormentors and their families.
Now, so many years later, he sensed a similar aura. After a moment, he decided to wait.
The pink-scaled giant walked through the "sea" of green. The massive, dense trees only came up to his waist; even the tallest barely brushed his chest.
Louis looked away from the palace on the vine and glanced to the side. His Observation Haki had picked up a massive life form moving toward them. It was huge, long enough to easily swallow a giant.
He recognized it instantly. It was the witness to the friendship between the great adventurer Noland and the warrior Kalgara. The grandchild of the great snake Kashigami, known to the Skypieans as the Sky Lord, Nola.
In moments, the massive snake burst through the trees. Its yellow, serpentine eyes burned with fury, and its pale fangs flashed as it lunged at Hajrudin.
"Another beast thinking I'm here for its territory." Hajrudin was unfazed. He'd seen many of these since he started moving islands. This one wasn't strong enough to bring back to Terra, but it would be a perfect toy for the kids in Elbaf. He even mentally named it: Jörmungandr.
BAM!
Nola's four fangs scraped harmlessly off the dragon scales and shattered. Before it could react, a fist harder than steel slammed into its head. Its eyes rolled back, and it went limp. The 200-meter-long body was sent flying, crashing into the forest and flattening a large patch of trees.
Hajrudin didn't stop. He walked over, grabbed its tail, and began dragging it along.
"Hajrudin, why are you bringing that?" Louis asked.
"I'm taking it back to Elbaf for the kids to play with."
"..."
"It's venomous," Louis pointed out.
"Venomous?" Hajrudin paused, remembering the fangs he'd just broken. His eye twitched. "Ah. Then never mind."
He dropped the tail, leaving the unconscious snake behind.
They emerged from the forest into the ruins of a vast city. It was a wreck. Buildings were collapsed, covered in moss and plants. Giant pillars, as thick as Hajrudin's legs, lay scattered about. The once-dazzling City of Gold was now buried under 400 years of dust, showing none of its former glory.
"This is the 'Golden City'?" Hajrudin picked up a pillar, wiped off the grime, and saw the golden glint underneath, now scratched by his scaled hand. He tossed it in his palm, judging the weight. His gaze drifted over the rest of the dust-covered ruins, and a... strange light... entered his eyes.
"The City of Gold, sealed for 400 years." Louis walked along the mossy path to the great altar, looking up at the structure that still stood. He mused that the Knock Up Stream, by launching Shandora into the sky, had ironically saved it from the world below.
He thought of the adventurer Noland, who had saved the Shandia... but had then returned with his king, seeking the gold. Louis wouldn't judge Noland's character, but his actions were, without a doubt, a betrayal of Kalgara.
Louis climbed the altar steps, stopping in front of a dust-covered mural at the top. Hajrudin, waiting below, crossed his arms and sat down.
CRUNCH!
The building beneath him cracked and groaned under his immense weight, then collapsed into a pile of rubble.
Hajrudin stood up from the dust cloud, his face dark. "What flimsy architecture. It breaks from just sitting on it." He glanced at Louis, who hadn't been disturbed from his thoughts. Relieved, Hajrudin learned his lesson and sat cross-legged on the ground to wait for Baal.
Louis, meanwhile, wiped the dust from the mural. It depicted:
Winged people arriving at the Blue Sea in strange, hat-like ships.
Their first stop was the sky, where they used technology to create island clouds.
Their second stop was Jaya, where they used high technology to mine and build the Golden City.
Their third stop was the Red Line, where they built a great city.
Louis sat down, thinking. He combined this with the Elbaf mural, overturning some of his old theories.
Perhaps 'Moon People' isn't just Lunarians. Perhaps Skypieans, Shandians, and Lunarians are all descendants of the Moon People. The Skypieans stayed at the first stop. The Shandians stayed at the second, lost their technology, and regressed. And the last group... they lived on the Red Line, and something there... changed them into the Lunarian Race.
He sat in meditation for a long time.
Hours later, Louis opened his eyes. He sensed several people approaching.
Ten minutes later, light footsteps entered the city, accompanied by gasps of wonder.
Hajrudin heard them and opened his eyes, glancing at Louis for orders. As far as he was concerned, as long as they didn't go for the gold, there was no need to kill them. But Louis was here, so it was his call.
Louis gave him a look that clearly said, "You handle it."
Hajrudin nodded and waited.
A few minutes later, the group came closer. They spotted the fresh destruction.
A beautiful, black-haired woman in a revealing outfit saw the damage and frowned, displeased to see such an ancient ruin damaged.
Beside her, a green-haired young man with three swords knelt, touching the mark. "Looks like a footprint. Did a Sea King or a dinosaur get up here?"
His words made the small, furry creature with him panic, and it leaped onto Zoro's leg, wailing, "That's terrifying! Zoro, protect me!!"
Zoro sighed, shaking his leg. "I know, I know! Just get off, Chopper!"
The woman, Robin, smiled. "Maybe it's watching us right now, waiting to tear us apart..."
"Robin, don't say that!!" Chopper shrieked, clinging tighter. Zoro, resigned, began dragging Chopper along.
Nico Robin smiled faintly to herself. She walked around a corner of the altar, intending to climb it... and froze, her foot hovering in the air.
She slowly, stiffly, turned her head. A deathly chill ran down her spine. Her pupils shrank, and her face went pale.
Two pairs of eyes—one giant, one small—met hers.
Zoro, busy prying the "face-hugger" off his leg, finally noticed Robin was frozen. He looked up, his eyes narrowed, and his hand went to his swords. He turned... and froze.
At the end of the path, a mountain-sized figure sat cross-legged. It was covered in pink, metallic scales, with giant antlers and a long, serpentine tail. The pressure was immense, even though it was just sitting there.
Zoro's shock turned into a wild grin. He tied his green bandana, drew his three swords, and put one in his mouth, staring down the creature.
The antlered raccoon-dog looked, shrieked "MONSTER!!", and instantly transformed into his large, muscular form, though he was still trembling, trying to look intimidating.
Zoro noted, however, that the monster's gaze wasn't on him, but was still fixed on Robin, as if in thought.
From the top of the altar, Louis watched, unseen. "Roronoa Zoro and Nico Robin..." The East Blue was too peaceful, Louis thought. Zoro's strong, much stronger than in the original timeline, but he's miles behind Kuina. Being hopelessly lost really held him back.
Hajrudin's voice boomed. "Nico Robin. Roronoa Zoro. Are you here for the gold?"
"IT CAN TALK!!" Chopper screamed, shaking even harder.
"Calm down, Chopper," Zoro growled. "It's obviously a Devil Fruit user."
Robin, recovering, crossed her arms, cold sweat on her brow. "No. We're just... passing through. We're here to see the historical ruins."
"Is that so?" Hajrudin's entire demeanor changed. "Even after... that... you're still searching for history?"
Robin was stunned. He knew... he knew about Ohara.
"Twenty years ago," Hajrudin said, his eyes distant, "I learned of the tragedy at Ohara. An elder who survived told me the truth... and tasked me with recovering the books the scholars had died to save."
Robin's pupils shrank. Tears streamed down her face, her body shaking more violently than when she'd first seen the giant. "The books... they were saved?"
Hajrudin nodded. "They threw them into the lake before the fire took them. I went there with my comrades and took them all back to Elbaf. Today, the children of Elbaf are studying the life's work of Ohara's scholars."
"Elbaf..." Robin's mind raced. Elbaf... a giant. A giant survivor from Ohara...
Her eyes filled with a desperate, trembling hope.
"The elder... who sent you... was he a giant, too?"
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