Chapter 255 - 113

Chapter 113If Eneru were still conscious and heard these soul-crushing words, he would probably spit blood on the spot and faint all over again.Is that even human language?!Gan Fall, riding Pierre, slowly landed next to the Lord of the Sky's massive head, looking at this group of Blue Sea People who had just defeated a God with a complex expression.There was both awe and gratitude in his eyes."Sky Knight old man, you've come at just the right time.""Take us to that Shandora, the place with the poneglyph and the gold."Luffy greeted him with a smile, as if the earth-shattering battle just now had been nothing more than a warm-up exercise.In truth, his goal had been clear from the start; it wasn't to defeat some self-proclaimed God, but to explore that lost history."Gold?"The moment Nami heard those words, her eyes instantly turned into Berries symbols. She lunged forward, grabbing Luffy's collar and shaking him back and forth:"Why didn't I hear about this before?"No wonder Nami had felt the name Shandorasounded familiar earlier."Luffy! Luffy!""Since it's the Golden City of Shandora! There must be tons and tons of gold there. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for us to replenish the ship's funds!"It was precisely because he was afraid of seeing her lose her mind when she encountered money."That belongs to the Sky Island, doesn't it?"Luffy's head was shaken like a rattle, his Rubberneck stretched long as he spoke indistinctly.Hearing this, Gan Fall quickly spoke up: "No, you who defeated Eneru are the benefactors who liberated Sky Island.""As long as you want it, the residents of Sky Islandwill never be stingy. Moreover, the land of Shandora originally belonged to the Shandians. Now that Eneru has been defeated, the ownership of that place needs to be renegotiated."As for the gold?Sky Islanders use shells and clouds as currency and materials in their daily lives; they truly don't have much of a pursuit for gold.Gan Fall said, "If that gold is useful to you, feel free to take it. Lord Luffy, the poneglyph you are looking for should be within the ruins of Shandora.""Great!"Nami cheered and let go of Luffy.She pressed her hands together, her eyes seemingly already seeing mountains of gold piled up."Then we'll have to trouble you to lead the way, old man!" Luffy patted the Lord of the Sky's cold, slimy scales."Big guy, follow us!"And so, the group set off once again.Gan Fall rode Pierre in the lead.The Lord of the Sky carried Luffy, Nami, Vivi, and Robin along the ancient cloud path, heading into the depths of Upper Yard.Soon, an incredibly dense primeval forest appeared before everyone's eyes.Towering ancient trees with lush foliage and tangled vines emitted an ancient and mysterious aura."We've arrived; this is the outer forest of Shandora." Gan Fall signaled for everyone to descend.Everyone leaped down from the Lord of the Sky's head, stepping onto the soft earth.Robin carefully observed the surrounding trees, a flash of surprise in her eyes: "The species of these trees are almost identical to those on Jaya. It's just that the trees here are much larger in size.""It seems the claim that a part of Jaya was carried to the sky by the knock up stream was no lie."Vivi also remarked with emotion, suddenly pointing at a strangely shaped bird on a treetop. "Look, that bird's beak is always pointing in one direction. Could that be the South Bird Mr. Cricketmentioned?""The poneglyph should be in this area."Luffy looked around at the endless ancient forest and the faintly visible crumbling ruins, scratching his head. "But where should we start looking?"Just then, the Lord of the Sky's massive tail suddenly rose, pointing toward a direction in the forest. Then it lowered its head, its giant vertical pupils looking gently at Luffy as it let out a low hiss.Chapter 159: A Great Harvest, the Land of Gold!"Hm? Big guy, are you leading the way for us?" Luffy's eyes lit up.The Lord of the Sky nodded its massive head.Being able to talk and communicate with animals was simply a divine skill.Luffy took the lead and followed, with the others close behind, trailing the Lord of the Sky through the ancient forest.As they moved forward, the path beneath their feet gradually ascended, and the surrounding trees became even taller, blotting out the sky.Occasionally, they could see the remains of collapsed stone buildings covered in moss and vines, telling the stories of the passage of time.After traveling about three or four thousand meters, everyone's field of vision suddenly opened up.As far as the eye could see was a vast, low-lying basin.Within this sunken basin were ancient buildings overgrown with vines and even trees.On the rock walls surrounding the basin, there were excavated caves and carved murals.However, perhaps due to the passage of time, the things carved on the murals had long been eroded away by the wind, making it impossible to identify what was depicted.In the very center of the basin stood a pyramid-shaped building with a square top. Though dilapidated, one could still feel its former grandeur."Is this Shandora?" Nami exclaimed, excitedly grabbing the hem of Luffy's shirt. "Where's the gold? The legendary City of Gold should have gold everywhere!"Luffy was pulled backward, saying with a wry smile, "I haven't been here before either, Nami."A look of disappointment instantly crawled onto Nami's face.She looked at the ruins, which were nothing but stones and plants; the glittering gold she had imagined was nowhere to be seen."Let's split up and look first. The poneglyph and the gold might be hidden within these ruins."Robin remained calm, her eyes already beginning to search for stones that might be inscribed with ancient script.The group dispersed, searching carefully within the basin.Luffy had little interest in gold; his gaze was soon drawn to a stone tablet standing at the edge of the ruins, half-buried in the soil.He walked over and brushed away the dust and moss, revealing the strange characters beneath."Robin, come quick!" Luffy shouted.Robin immediately came over. When she saw the characters on the tablet, a flash of excitement appeared in her eyes: "This is ancient script!"Nami also curiously leaned in: "What does it say? Is it a treasure map?"Luffy and Robin stood side by side looking at the tablet as she slowly read the contents:"We are the Shandian tribe, those who follow the sound of the Great Bell Tower and drive history. We set up this memorial monument here; may our ancestors rest in peace."Drive history?Great Bell Tower?Nami was completely lost. "What does this have to do with gold?"Gan Fall recalled the history of the Shandian tribe.Luffy looked up, his gaze crossing the basin toward the incredibly thick, giant beanstalk at the center of the ruins, which extended up into the thick clouds above."The golden bell mentioned there should be up there.""Shandora's golden bell Tower was pushed into the sky by this giant beanstalk.""We're going up?"Nami looked up, her vision quickly obscured by the thick giant jack clouds. She couldn't see the top at all and felt a wave of dizziness. "How long is it going to take to get up there?"Vivi also tried to estimate the height of the beanstalk, but she looked up so sharply that she almost lost her balance and fell backward. Fortunately, Luffy reached out to steady her."I could try to have Pierre take you up," Gan Fallsaid.To be honest, it would be a bit difficult; it was too high."A golden bell... if it really is a giant bell made of gold, that would be nice too."The moment Nami thought of this, her somewhat withered spirit instantly revived, and small flames of greed reignited in her eyes. "It would be worth a lot of money!"Just then, the Lord of the Sky's massive head leaned in, letting out a low neigh. It gently nudged Luffy with its head, then turned toward an inconspicuous cave at the edge of the basin, which was mostly hidden by vines."Hm? You want us to go down with you?"Luffy understood the Lord of the Sky's meaning, his expression a bit odd. He turned to his companions. "It seems it wants to take us to its home for a look. Does anyone want to go down with me?"Nami's attention was completely captured by the idea that the golden bell might be up above. She was busy figuring out how to climb up and waved her hand upon hearing this: "You go ahead, Luffy."She looked around again; maybe there was some missed gold!Robin had already begun to use her ability, sprouting eyes and arms in various parts of the ruins to carefully search for the possible location of the poneglyph:"I'll continue looking for the poneglyph."Vivi looked at Nami and Robin, then at Luffy and the pitch-black cave. After a moment's hesitation, she said, "Then I'll go down with you to take a look.""Okay!"Luffy grinned, took Vivi's hand, and followed the Lord of the Sky as it lowered its head and crawled into the cave.By the time Nami had circled the area and confirmed there was nothing but rocks, she turned back in disappointment only to find that Luffy and Vivi had disappeared."Where are Luffy and Vivi?" she asked Robin.Robin retracted her arms from a section of broken walls and shook her head: "It seems they went into that cave with the Lord of the Sky."Nami didn't pay much attention and continued to ponder how to climb that giant beanstalk.The interior of the cave was not as narrow and dark as imagined.The Lord of the Sky's massive body moved through it flexibly, with Luffy and Vivi following behind.The inside of the cave was a world of its own, with tunnels winding downward in all directions. The rock walls were embedded with some Sky Islandshells that emitted a faint white light, providing a bit of illumination.After walking for about ten minutes, a massive underground space appeared ahead.When she saw the scene inside, Vivi couldn't help but let out a low cry of surprise.Inside this vast cave were various artifacts piled up.There were golden chalices of ancient design inlaid with gems, golden shields and longswords carved with strange patterns, broken golden scepters, and even some small statues made entirely of gold.Though they were all covered in dust, under the faint light, they still reflected an alluring golden glow."Is all of this gold?" Vivi covered her mouth in shock.The Lord of the Sky gently swept its tail across these golden artifacts, then looked at Luffy, letting out a hissing sound. Its giant head nodded toward these treasures and then gestured upward."What does it mean?" Vivi asked."Sky-chan says these are all for us. As a reward for helping it ring the golden bell," Luffy said.The Lord of the Sky nodded vigorously, its eyes showing expectation."It seems it really wants to hear the sound of the golden bell again." Vivi understood the longing in the Lord of the Sky's eyes."Haha, no problem. Leave it to me."Chapter 160: Devil Fruit!When Luffy and Vivi walked out, they were both draped in golden artifacts. Luffy's hands stretched and grew larger, barely managing to carry all the golden items out.Looking at Luffy, who was covered in gold, Nami's eyes turned into Luffy's image.Overjoyed, she directly pinned Luffy to the ground and kissed him: "You're the best, Luffy!""...Don't get so excited." Luffy's body stiffened for a moment.He suspected Nami was intentionally taking advantage of him, but he had no proof!Vivi, standing nearby, was also suspicious, but soon Nami was'swimming' in the gold. Well, that was just Nami being Nami.As a historian, Robin casually picked up a teapot that was several centuries old; any artifact here was hundreds of years old.Luffy picked up a heavy golden longsword and swung it a few times; it felt surprisingly good in his hand. "If we sell this, it should be worth a lot of money."Meanwhile, Vivi's attention was drawn to something in the corner.