Rolan pointed toward a square stone at the base of the Golden Bell.
"Robin, there's something here you might find interesting."
Robin went over, her eyes shining as she knelt beside the stone. Etched into it were strange, ancient symbols.
"This… ?" she whispered, setting aside her satchel and gently tracing the carved characters with her fingers.
Around her, people whispered.
"Does she know what it says?"
"What is she doing?"
"Is she reading… or casting some spell?"
Robin's lips curved in concentration as she read aloud, translating slowly:
"Keep the truth in your heart, no need for many words. I am the one who weaves history, the ancient weapon with the name of a god—Poseidon … We have come here to bring this text to its conclusion."
"Ancient weapon?" The Shandia people exchanged confused glances.
The Shandia Chief's voice trembled, "This is the Poneglyph our ancestors risked everything to protect."
Robin turned to him gently. "Chief, this Poneglyph has fulfilled its purpose."
"What? How—?" he stuttered.
She nodded. "Yes."
Unable to hold back, the Chief dropped to his knees, tears streaming down his cheeks.
"Our mission is complete… The war is over."
Shandia warriors around him cried in relief, shouting,
"The war is over!"
Gan Fall quietly wiped his own tears, and looked at Rolan with deep gratitude. At last, the war that had raged for four hundred years was ending.
The Chief bowed low. "Thank you, God. Thank you."
Rolan lifted the elderly Chief with a gentle pulse of his electromagnetic power, and set him upright.
"All of you," Rolan continued, voice steady, "now that this war has ended, you can turn your efforts toward your lives, your futures."
The Chief nodded, casting a glance at the other Shandia warriors, many of whom were still weeping. He thought of how, since childhood, they had been trained like soldiers—not to live, but to fight. Now, peace would let them be children again.
---
Rolan led the group across the cloud pathways beneath the vines, toward what he said was Shandora.
"Shandora?" Gan Fall whispered in disbelief. "Right beneath us? I thought it was lost."
"Yes," Rolan said, calm and earnest. "Underneath us, through the clouds."
Wyper's eyes glowed with excitement. He almost couldn't believe it—his ancestral Golden City, hidden right under their feet.
Encouraged, Rolan signaled to Zoro.
Zoro drew his Wado Ichimonji. With a few swift strikes, he carved a wide hole in the cloud floor.
Rolan nodded, and one by one, the crew descended through the opening.
Below, they discovered an ancient city.
The ruins were grand and awe-inspiring: sweeping stairways, overgrown buildings, crumbling roads—all entwined with thick green vines that breathed life into the old stones. Time had not destroyed the city; it had made it beautiful.
Robin stepped forward, awed. She ran her fingers along the weathered walls, tracing the patterns carved by hands long gone.
Rolan watched quietly. Even though he had read the stories, seeing the craftsmanship of the ancients first-hand stunned him.
Wyper, tears in his eyes, fell to his knees.
"Great Warrior Kalgara… The war is over, and Shandora is found again."
Rolan turned to address them all.
"This place… it's worthy of being the capital. Our new nation's heart will be here: Shandora."
Shock and joy washed over the Shandia people. They knelt before him, voices trembling:
"Thank you, God! Thank you for saving our city!"
Rolan nodded humbly. After a moment, he said,
"We have much work to do. The decrees I announced must be implemented. But I can't do it without you."
They gathered in a circle, their faces hopeful, waiting for his next instructions.
Suddenly, a deep rumble shook the ruins.
A massive python emerged from the shadows. Its scales glistened, and its eyes were wise and aged. The Shandia tensed, weapons ready.
Rolan recognized it at once.
"That's Nola, a creature tied to the old legends."
The python paused in front of them. Tears welled in its eyes. It slithered over the ancient stone, tears falling from its eyes, leaving tiny drops on the stone floors.
Wyper raised his bazooka, but didn't fire. Instead, he watched the creature with reverence.