Kaiser suddenly extended his right hand.
The seawater around seemed to boil and began churning violently, then suddenly shot up creating giant waves that soared to the sky, transforming into water dragons coiling around each other in the air.
This boiling seawater enveloped an area nearly ten thousand meters wide. Water and sky seemed to merge into one line.
Kuro stared at the scene before him with great shock; his surroundings were deep sea blue until he could no longer distinguish which was sky and which was sea.
Suddenly, the seawater around became deadly silent, as if time had stopped. Those layers of seawater crystallized into blocks of sea-blue crystals with exactly the same size, then began moving and merging in an orderly fashion.
*GRUMBLE... BOOM!*
Tremendous rumbling sounds continuously echoed. Under Kuro's gaze full of admiration, a magnificent giant pagoda appeared before them at a speed visible to the naked eye.
The tip of this pagoda pierced the clouds until its peak couldn't be seen by eyes. The entire tower body was beautiful transparent blue because it was indeed formed from seawater. The pagoda's base floated above the sea surface; though the seawater kept churning, the pagoda didn't sway in the slightest.
"Kuro."
After completing everything, Kaiser turned to stare at Kuro: "Starting today, you'll guard this pagoda for me. This tower is named Sacred Ruins, a Trial Tower. Each time challengers successfully pass one floor, they'll receive appropriate rewards. Even ordinary people can try it, as long as they have the fate to enter this tower!"
Kuro felt somewhat confused; he didn't understand what Kaiser's purpose was doing all this.
Kaiser smiled faintly without explaining further.
At this time, the Gold List's movements were getting bigger, targeting people with great fortune and tremendous strength in the three realms to compete against each other, in order to select a "representative" strong enough to fight him.
What Kaiser wanted to do was build his own forces, while disrupting that Gold List's plans.
As a dimension wanderer who had passed through countless worlds, his abilities were already at god level, not inferior to the Gold List. Any item he brought out was already enough to make experts in the three realms scramble.
'If you want to make these three realms chaotic, then I'll go along. I don't mind adding a little oil to the fire to see who will be the final harvester.'
Kaiser looked up staring at that pagoda; he stroked the tower's surface with his hand.
Instantly, holy light enveloped that tower and displayed two magnificent characters in ancient language reading: "Sacred Ruins"!
"Now the three realms are filled with seawater; water from the One Piece world has flowed to all corners of the three realms. This pagoda will drift following currents wherever. Anyone fated to enter it can follow the trials. The difficulty level of each floor is different. Even ordinary people can enter the first floor; as long as they have courage, it's not impossible to pass!" Kaiser said flatly.
Kuro began to understand.
Was this Gold List's First Rank wanting to dig up talent from the bottom layers of three realms society?
While speaking, Kaiser pointed at Kuro from afar.
Instantly holy light flashed on Kuro's body; a gray robe covered his body, and a staff of authority with a strange gem at its tip appeared in his hand.
"You're the first generation Tower Guardian. Your task is to select potential newcomers. Inside Sacred Ruins, you're invincible; no one can hurt you. However, you also can't hurt testers at will. If you violate orders, death!"
Kaiser stared at him with emotionless eyes.
Kuro was drenched in cold sweat and nodded repeatedly.
Kaiser nodded satisfied, then with a wave of his robe sleeve, Kuro immediately disappeared.
At the same time, a voice echoed within the minds of all living beings in the three realms.
[Three Realms Trial Tower Sacred Ruins has been opened. All living beings can enter it to take trials and obtain rewards. Rewards are determined based on floors passed and difficulty level. Announced to all three realms.]
Everyone was stunned.
"Three Realms Trial Tower? Sacred Ruins? What is that?!"
At the same time, along coastlines, some people had already seen that giant pagoda covering the sky. Its peak pierced clouds until its end couldn't be seen, making everyone exclaim in admiration.
Meanwhile, on the Gold List above the sky, extremely bright light suddenly exploded.
The vertical eye above opened wide, staring sharply toward the pagoda below. Its hot light seemed as if wanting to melt that pagoda. However, the Sacred Ruins Tower still stood firmly unshakeable, as if that golden light capable of melting everything had no effect on it.
After half an hour, that golden light slowly dimmed. That golden vertical eye closed again, as if it had acknowledged that Trial Tower's existence. But immediately after that, the Gold List issued a new bounty proclamation; even the Hidden Expert List being announced was temporarily halted.
[Bounty Order: 1. Anyone who obtains accurate information about the Gold List's First Rank will receive one reward equivalent to the Gold List's top 10 rewards.]
[Bounty Order: 2. Anyone who enters Sacred Ruins Trial Tower and successfully penetrates the highest floor, as well as obtains accurate information about the last ten floors, will receive one reward equivalent to the Gold List's top 10 rewards for each floor.]
As soon as this bounty came out, all three realms became noisy. Everyone realized two things:
First, this suddenly appearing Sacred Ruins Trial Tower wasn't created by the Gold List, but most likely created by that mysterious Gold List's First Rank.
Second, even the Gold List couldn't obtain accurate information about the contents inside Sacred Ruins Tower, until it had to rely on others and offer great rewards. This meant, this mysterious First Rank's power very likely equaled the Gold List in the sky.
Everyone became spirited and full of curiosity toward Sacred Ruins Tower; many were already impatient to enter it.
It should be known, this trial tower differed from the Gold List. Gold List rankings were objectively selected by the system, while this trial tower could be entered even by ordinary people; success in obtaining rewards completely depended on oneself.
However, this pagoda was very mysterious and its position uncertain like a mirage; one moment at the seashore, the next moment already disappeared. Entering indeed required fortune.
Whitebeard, Roger, and the others looked at each other.
"I'm curious, we old folks could reach which floor if we entered there, and what rewards could be obtained?" Whitebeard chuckled; he also felt curious.
Shanks narrowed his eyes and said: "Somehow I feel this mysterious First Rank seems to be on the opposite side from the Gold List in the sky. As if they're competing for something. I have a bad feeling..."
Kaido added: "Whatever they're planning, it's not something we can interfere with or guess. Just look at the rewards given by the Gold List; one alone can already make us undergo great transformation. Existence at this level is truly beyond our imagination... No wonder Third Rank described it like that back then..."
Everyone remembered Saitama's words when describing First Rank in the comment section back then: Creation is the most tremendous power...
"Quick look, the top five are out!" Marco suddenly pointed toward the sky.