"I've said all I need to say. The choice is yours."
Beltz's voice dissipated calmly into the crisp air outside the shrine. Having spoken his piece, he didn't look back, simply leading Shanks and Shamrock out of the forgotten cloud-stone ruins. The pure white cloud-ground reflected the piercing sunlight, casting long shadows behind the three of them.
"Captain, are you really going to take in that big-eared guy?" Shamrock asked in a low voice as he kept pace. He glanced back at the silent entrance of the shrine ruins; something about the long-eared boy made him feel uneasy.
"In a manner of speaking," Beltz replied. "If he follows me, I'll take him down to see the Endless Vearth. If he doesn't, it doesn't matter."
However, Enel was clearly a fanatic for the earth. Standing alone amidst the rubble, he appeared dazed at first, but he quickly made up his mind. He turned, spotted Beltz walking away, and sprinted straight toward them!
"Wait! I'm coming with you!" Enel shouted. "I'm going to the Endless Vearth!"
"Then you'd better keep up."
One goal for this trip to Sky Island was complete; next was the gold. Since he was still thinking about Alber of the Lunarian tribe, he had no intention of lingering. Now that the Rumble-Rumble Fruit was in his possession, he would simply take the remaining gold and go.
Once Enel caught up, Beltz activated Psychological Invisibility, vanishing once more from the minds of the locals. Then, with a shift of his body, he transformed into the Azure Dragon.
While Shamrock and Shanks were already accustomed to this form, Enel was terrified. He let out a gasp: "A... a giant dragon?!"
"This is an Azure Dragon!" Shanks explained with his arms crossed and chin tilted, sounding slightly smug, even though he hadn't fared much better the first time he saw it. Like Shamrock, he felt a bit uncomfortable looking at Enel. After all, this guy had been invited aboard by Beltz, yet Shanks couldn't see what was so special about him. Was it just because his ears were long?
Enel didn't notice Shanks' expression; his mind was entirely consumed by thoughts of the Endless Vearth. In the memory fragments Beltz had transmitted, there had been a heavy emphasis on the Red Line, a gargantuan continent that encircled the entire planet! He wanted to occupy that place! Seeing Beltz transform into a dragon only deepened his shock. Sky Islanders had heard of dragons in legends, but he never imagined one actually existed. He didn't know about Devil Fruits yet; he simply assumed Beltz was a dragon.
Beltz didn't care what Enel thought; the boy was destined to be handed over to Shiki eventually. He flicked his dragon tail, signaling the three to climb on, then took flight, soaring north with the force of wind and thunder.
Soon, the Island of God came into view. This was the piece of Jaya that had been thrust into the sky by the Knock Up Stream four hundred years ago. It was originally the home of the Shandian tribe, but after it was launched upward, the Sky Islanders—driven by their greed for earth—drove the Shandians out and claimed the island for themselves. They named it the Island of God, or the Sacred Vearth.
The famous City of Gold, Shandora, was located here. However, because Sky Islanders had no use for gold, this massive fortune had remained buried for centuries.
Beltz arrived using Psychological Invisibility. When they beheld the massive golden city, both Shamrock and Shanks were stunned. It was a ruin of a city constructed of pure gold! It lay sleeping in time—the giant Golden Bell tower, the winding golden streets, the magnificent golden temples... as the rays of the setting sun fell upon it, the entire Shandora ruin seemed to burn, flowing with a suffocating, ancient luxury!
The air seemed thick with the heavy, seductive scent of wealth. Anyone who owned this city would undoubtedly become the richest person in the world.
"My god!" Shanks couldn't help but exclaim. "I heard the Captain say we were coming for gold, but I never imagined there would be this much!"
Shamrock was also awestruck. "With this much gold, how could we ever finish moving it?"
Only Enel remained dismissive. He had zero interest in the gold; he only wanted to get to the world below.
"We don't need to move it all at once; we'll just take a portion for now," Beltz said. He began pulling soil out of his shadow space, filling the vacated room with gold.
"You! You are exchanging sacred soil for this trash?!" Enel reacted like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, nearly jumping in outrage.
"Trash?" Beltz didn't look back as he continued the exchange. "Up here, maybe. But down there, a single brick of this 'trash' is enough to buy land dozens of times the size of the soil you see before you. The standard of value depends on which 'Vearth' you are standing on. A stack of gold bars like this is enough to buy an entire island!"
An entire island? Enel still found it hard to accept. Was his cherished Sacred Vearth truly such a useless thing to the people of the lower world?
Once Beltz had filled his shadow space, he clapped his hands in satisfaction. Excellent. Now it was time to head back.
"Let's go. I'm taking you back first," Beltz said. It was almost time; he needed to contact Liltotto.
"We're leaving already?" Shamrock looked at the golden city with a bit of reluctance.
"Gold doesn't grow legs and run away. You'll have chances to return sooner or later—or when you grow up, you can have your own adventures."
After leaving Sky Island, Beltz flew downward and headed directly toward Mariejois. He stopped when he was about a hundred kilometers away, finding a small island to land on and returning to human form. He took the three boys to a small restaurant to eat, and after ordering, he walked alone to the shoreline.
The sea breeze was salty, and the waves crashed rhythmically. He exploited Holy Chant to search for his target. Normally, his Holy Chant wouldn't be able to bridge such a vast distance, but with the enhancement of Observation Haki, the search range expanded significantly. By focusing it into a fan-shaped area, he could connect with a Quincy over a hundred kilometers away.
"Your timing is impeccable."
Currently, inside the Red Line, Liltotto was lounging in a velvet bed large enough for five people, surrounded by several quietly standing maidens. The room was the height of luxury, with a view of the exquisite courtyards of the Celestial Dragons' residential area. She was nibbling on a delicate dessert when Beltz's voice echoed in her mind.
She was no longer inside Pangea Castle. The Five Elders had prepared a massive mansion for her in the residential district, staffed by over thirty servants just to wait on her. Life lately had been quite comfortable.
Hearing Beltz's message, Liltotto said, "I only just got the news this morning, and here you are."
"Doesn't that just prove we're on the same wavelength?" Beltz smiled. "So, where is Alber?"
"How should I put this... he was originally on a small island near Navy Base G-1. But because you had me 'startle the snake,' they've moved him. It's a place you probably won't want to go."
Beltz frowned. "It can't be that they moved him to Marine Headquarters, right?"
"Bingo! You're so smart!" Liltotto's tone was light. "They really did move him to Marineford. Looks like you're out of luck."
Marine Headquarters... Beltz's heart sank. That was indeed a problem. However, he had already anticipated such a scenario. Knowing someone was trying to take Alber, the World Government would inevitably move him. While this allowed Liltotto to observe the move through the mirror world, it also meant the defensive strength around him would be maximized.
But did they think he had no way of getting him out just because he was at Marine Headquarters? They underestimated him. No, they underestimated Shiki. Shiki was a hard-headed man who wouldn't hesitate for a second to clash with the Navy. With Liltotto acting as an inside mole, Shiki would dare to storm even Marine Headquarters!
"No way, you're actually going to Marine Headquarters to snatch him?" Liltotto asked in surprise. "Are you really that powerful now?"
"That's why I need your help, Lady Liltotto~"
"Ugh... don't talk like that. Fine, just tell me: what do you want me to do?"
"With your current status, going to Marine Headquarters shouldn't be a problem, right?"
"You want me to help you smuggle him out? Forget it. The Five Elders don't fully trust me yet; they have plenty of informants around me. If I disappear for too long, it'll raise suspicions."
"No, no, I don't mean using the Mirror-Mirror Fruit. I want you to open up a Schatten Bereich inside Marine Headquarters."
"A Schatten Bereich?" Liltotto paused, then said, "You really are a devious man."
Indeed, just as the Quincies had invaded the Seireitei, if she opened a Schatten Bereich beneath Marine Headquarters, Beltz could slip in unnoticed. It would make the operation much easier.
"Fine, I'll see if I can get over there," Liltotto said. "Check back with me next month."
"Got it."
Beltz didn't linger on the communication. He planned to head back to Wano first to discuss the plan for storming Marine Headquarters with Shiki. Currently, Marine Headquarters was guaranteed to have Fleet Admiral Kong, Admiral Sengoku, and Vice Admiral Garp present. Other Admirals aside, those three—specifically Sengoku and Garp—were incredibly troublesome.
Shiki alone couldn't beat Sengoku and Garp combined, but with Shiki's abilities, he should be able to escape if things went south... especially with Beltz there. He just didn't know how much time Shiki could buy him; he might even have to step in to help Shiki in the end.
Sigh, if only there were a third Quincy. That way, while he and Shiki drew attention outside, the third Quincy could slip into the shadows and take Alber away.
A third Quincy?! Suddenly, Beltz thought of the two clumps of blood he had extracted from the Y-brothers earlier. Yhwach's blood could strengthen a Quincy and grant a Schrift; it could also be granted to Hollows, and naturally to Soul Reapers and others. If he gave Yhwach's blood to someone else, could he create a Quincy?
But he only had two clumps of blood. If he used them... No, the blood was too important. Beltz had given one clump to Vegapunk for research, but nothing had come of it yet.
He turned back to the bustling little diner and saw Shanks and Enel glaring at each other over the last meat pie, while Shamrock looked on helplessly. Walking over, Beltz snatched the contested pie and stuffed it into his mouth under their shocked gazes.
"Mmm, tastes good," Beltz said happily.
"Hey! That's cheating!" Shanks cried. "That was my meat pie!"
"Yours? Does it have your name on it?" Beltz laughed. "Alright boys, we're heading to our final destination now, so get ready."
"Is the trip over already?" Shanks and Shamrock felt like they hadn't had enough, while Enel was full of anticipation. Beltz paid the bill and led them away.
This time, he flew straight back to Wano. He had been away for quite a while, but the harvest was pleasing: massive funds, two Devil Fruits, and Alber's location. Now, it was time to carry out the grand plan!
"Back so soon?" Rukia was surprised when he returned to Onigashima. He had mentioned he might be gone for a year, and it had only been a few months.
"Because there's something I have to discuss with Shiki," Beltz said. He looked at Rukia, who was sitting in meditation. "What are you doing?"
"I'm training for Bankai," Rukia explained. "It's not easy to make Sode no Shirayuki submit."
Bankai already? She really was fast. If she was already at the stage of making the Zanpakuto submit, she might master Bankai within two years. He wondered if she could master Absolute Zero in the process.
"Keep it up. By the way, look after these three brats for me. I need to go to Hachinosu to see Shiki."
Rukia saw the three children behind Beltz and couldn't help but ask, "Did you go out and kidnap some kids?"
"What do you mean kidnap?" Two black lines appeared on Beltz's forehead. "I'm investing in future geniuses."
With that, he hurried off toward Hachinosu.