Upper Yard.
Two armies were locked in battle—Shandians versus Skypieans.
"Kill them all! Take back our homeland!" a fiery young warrior shouted.
"Wiper, be careful!" a comrade screamed, nearly taking a spear meant for him.
"Shandian dogs!" a Skypiean yelled. "This land belongs to God!"
The Shandian chief sneered.
"This was our land first."
Gan Fall, riding Pierre, sighed.
"Can we not talk? This endless war helps no one."
"No negotiation!" both sides growled.
Just as they were about to clash—
The sky went dark.
Everyone looked up.
Something enormous blocked the sun.
"WHAT IS THAT?!"
Many warriors fell back in terror.
Gan Fall and the Shandian chief stared upward, stunned.
"Is… is that a god…?" a Skypiean whispered.
"I-I don't know…"
Dragon Jin floated silently above them, his pressure slamming down like a mountain.
Warriors on both sides collapsed, unable to stand.
"Who are you?" Gan Fall shouted, forcing calm into his voice.
Jin didn't answer. He simply swept his gaze across them, taking note of faces… then descended.
Zan Gao and Kantena dropped down from the sky.
They landed between the two armies.
Zan Gao took a casual drag of his cigar.
"So. Who's in charge?"
"Who are you?!" a Skypiean yelled, emboldened now that the dragon had drifted a bit farther away. "What are—"
Bang.
Kantena shot him in the forehead.
He fell instantly.
"DEVI!!"
Both armies froze.
Gan Fall and the Shandian chief stiffened.
These people are not allies.
"I am the leader here," Gan Fall said carefully.
"I also speak for my people," the Shandian chief added.
"What do you want?"
Zan Gao exhaled smoke.
"Simple.
"We want the gold.
"Bring all the gold of this island to one place."
"Ridiculous!" Wiper roared, firing a bazooka.
Zan Gao pointed lazily.
"Shigan."
BOOM—
The rocket exploded in mid-air.
More Shandians raised their launchers at once.
Zan Gao sighed.
"Fine. Diplomacy failed. We'll do it the fun way."
He glanced at Kantena.
"Kill half of the ones who attacked."
"Understood."
Bang-bang-bang-bang.
Every Shandian with a launcher dropped.
Then Zan Gao transformed—hybrid form swelling with muscle and fur.
"What—what monster is that?!"
"Hybrid form," Zan Gao grinned.
He blurred forward—
BOOM!
His fist cratered the ground, bodies flying.
Kantena shot anyone who tried to flank.
"STOP!!"
Both Gan Fall and the Shandian chief finally shouted, terrified as their people were effortlessly crushed.
Only then did Zan Gao stop.
The warriors on both sides pulled back instinctively.
Wiper, burning with rage, tried to leap forward—
Click.
A cold gun barrel pressed to his temple.
"One more move," Kantena murmured, "and you die."
The Shandian chief rushed forward.
"Enough! Enough! Everyone stop—STOP!"
Zan Gao returned to human form, cigar still in his mouth.
"Now we can talk."
Both leaders exhaled shakily.
"We'll help you gather the gold," the chief said stiffly.
"We will assist as well," Gan Fall added quickly.
"Good. Lead the way."
They moved deeper into the island, toward Shandora.
The wounded were carried back by their own people.
When they finally emerged into the golden ruins, Zan Gao and Kantena just… stared.
A city made entirely of gold.
"No wonder boss said we'd freak out…"
Zan Gao's jaw hung open.
All around them, Sky Islanders muttered:
"Only Blue Sea people care about gold…"
Gan Fall pointed ahead.
"However, to take any gold… you must defeat him first."
A massive rumble shook the ruins.
The Lord of the Sky—a colossal blue-green serpent hundreds of meters long—rose from among the golden towers.
"It's here! The master of Upper Yard!"
People panicked.
Zan Gao cracked his knuckles.
"Nice defense on that thing. If we tame it, maybe we can make it haul the ship."
"Testing," Kantena said, firing a round.
Ding.
Barely a spark.
"I'll handle it."
Zan Gao stretched, Haki coating his arms. "Time to see how much stronger I got since fighting Diamond Jozu."
The serpent lunged.
Zan Gao shot upward—
BOOM! The golden ground cracked where he'd been standing.
He Geppo'd into the air, stunning the Sky Islanders.
Landing atop the serpent's head, Zan Gao cocked his fist.
"Go to sleep."
He slammed down.
THOOOOOM.
The serpent's eyes rolled back.
It collapsed like a felled mountain.
RUMBLE—
The golden city shook.
Zan Gao stood triumphantly on its head and laughed.
"Hahaha! Boss was right! Zoan types just need to keep pushing their limits!"
He looked at his trembling, Haki-covered fist.
"This feels… GREAT!"
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