In the blink of an eye, it was already Rojen's third day in Skypiea.
That morning, he quietly returned to the place where he had first met the boy.
The boy was still there, sitting with his knees drawn up, lost in thought. His expression shifted constantly as he struggled with himself. Rojen watched from a distance without disturbing him.
This was something the boy had to figure out on his own. No one else could give him the answer.
Everyone reaches crossroads while growing up. For young people especially, a single choice can shape the rest of their lives. Without someone to point them in the right direction, they can easily wander onto a path with no return.
For the boy, this was the most important moment of all. His view of the world, of life, and of himself would be decided here.
The moment Rojen had first seen him, he'd discarded the image he remembered. This wasn't the Enel of the original story. He was a living, breathing teenager. Yes, he possessed terrifying power, but beneath it all was still the heart of a child, one even more innocent than most.
Rojen didn't know what choice the boy would make, but after observing him for three days, he had faith in him.
The boy hadn't truly gone astray yet. He was simply stubborn, naive, and painfully straightforward. Deep down, his heart still reached toward the sky...
...toward the light.
---
By the afternoon, it was time for Rojen to leave.
At the harbor connecting Angel Island and the Upper Yard, Garrido and his men had kept their promise and waited there all three days.
When Rojen arrived, Crocodile was already there, quietly smoking a cigar. With his personality, there was no way he'd strike up a friendly conversation with Garrido's group.
"Captain." Crocodile gave a slight nod when he saw Rojen.
"Where's everyone else?"
"They should be here soon."
After spending so long together, the crew understood Rojen well enough. Three days ago, he'd only told them when to meet. As for where, they had easily figured it out on their own.
Within half an hour, Jason, Trens, and the rest arrived one after another.
"Where's Chaporos?" Rojen looked around and realized everyone except Chaporos had shown up.
"That guy's probably moving a little slower today, Captain," Daz Bonez grinned maliciously.
"Oh?" Rojen raised an eyebrow. "What happened?"
Before Daz Bonez could answer, an indignant voice rang out from down the dock. "Daz! The moment I'm not around, you're talking behind my back to the Captain!"
Everyone turned.
Chaporos staggered over with dark circles under his eyes, bruised eyelids, shaky legs, and the exhausted look of someone whose soul had already left his body.
"Chaporos, what have you been doing these past two days?" Trens asked with genuine concern. "You don't look so good."
Nalene glanced at him once, her cheeks turning slightly red. "What a beast..." she muttered under her breath.
The instant she said that, everyone aboard except Robin immediately understood.
"Captain," Daz Bonez said with a wicked laugh, "Chaporos has been busier than a honeybee these last two days. No idea how many times a day he's been 'planting seeds.'"
By then, Chaporos had reached the group. His legs were still wobbling, but he puffed out his chest proudly. "That's because I've got the stamina for it! If it were you, you probably couldn't even manage half as much!"
Rojen glanced at him and recalled seeing four or five women surrounding him before they had left. Everything suddenly made sense.
"With this guy around..." Rojen shook his head in amazement, "...the Celestial Dragons definitely aren't going extinct anytime soon. He's been sowing seeds from the Blue Sea all the way up to the sky."
"Pfft!"
The others immediately started cursing him. "You shameless bastard!"
Seeing another argument about to break out, Rojen raised a hand to stop them. "Everyone, board the Wavers. We'll head to the shrine and pay our respects to God."
With that, Rojen walked over to greet Garrido. "Sorry to keep you waiting."
Garrido smiled as politely as ever and gave a slight bow. "Not at all. I hope you've enjoyed yourselves."
"We sure did!" Chaporos answered loudly. "Very much!"
Garrido smiled knowingly, then gestured for everyone to follow before leading his squad onto their Wavers.
Rojen's group split into two teams and boarded two Wavers of their own.
To Rojen, Skypiea's Wavers were basically motorcycles from his previous life, except they rode on clouds instead of roads. He found them surprisingly fun. He took one himself while Crocodile drove the other.
With a loud roar, the two Wavers shot forward, closely following Garrido's group.
The waterways of Skypiea weren't rivers at all, they were cloud roads woven from dense masses of clouds, an incredible sight.
The Wavers sped across the cloud tracks, the wind whipping through everyone's hair as the scenery flew past. Sometimes the route ran across flat stretches. The next moment, it climbed straight into the sky, then twisted through impossible loops until they were practically upside down.
The bizarre cloud roads had the Nether Soul Pirates laughing the entire way.
Garrido glanced back at Rojen and his crew. Seeing the excitement on their faces, he smiled faintly. Then his expression turned serious as he turned to his men.
"Stay alert. Don't let anyone disturb our honored guests."
"Yes, sir!" The guards answered in low voices, immediately scanning their surroundings for any movement.
The Upper Yard was far larger than it first appeared. Without realizing it, they traveled until night had fallen.
"It's getting dark." Garrido brought his Waver to a stop. "We should camp here for the night and continue tomorrow."
No one objected. After gathering some firewood, the two groups built a campfire near the shore.
"Nalene, big sis..." Chaporos followed behind her with a pitiful expression. "Can you make me some medicine? I feel like my body's been completely drained."
Nalene kept a straight face and ignored him entirely, sending everyone into roaring laughter.
"You bastards!" Chaporos shouted in embarrassment. "What are you all laughing at?!"
His angry outburst only made everyone laugh even harder.
Rojen shook his head with a smile before walking over to Garrido. "Garrido. I've heard the Upper Yard was once known as the 'Land of Gold'."
His tone was casual, almost as if he were just making small talk. Even so, Garrido's smile stiffened for an instant.
"...That's right," he answered, his reply clearly perfunctory.
"That's strange." Rojen smiled. "We've traveled all this way, but I haven't seen a single piece of gold."
"The Upper Yard contains the ruins of an ancient city." Garrido paused before continuing. "It is the island's greatest treasure." He deliberately left it at that, offering no further explanation.
"Could you take us there?" Rojen asked with a smile.
The smile gradually disappeared from Garrido's face. Suppressing his impatience, he replied, "That... will depend on whether God grants permission. Only with His approval may anyone enter."
(End Of This Chapter)
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