"Huh? Big guy, are you leading the way for us?" Luffy's eyes lit up.
The Lord of the Sky nodded its massive head.
The ability to talk with animals is practically a divine skill.
Luffy eagerly followed, with the rest of the group close behind, trailing the Lord of the Sky as it wound its way through the ancient forest.
As they pressed forward, the path beneath their feet gradually sloped upward. The trees around them grew taller and denser, blotting out the sky. Occasionally, they could see the remains of collapsed stone structures, covered in moss and vines, speaking of the passage of time.
After traveling about three or four kilometers, the view before them suddenly opened up.
Before their eyes lay a spacious, sunken basin. Within this depression were some ancient buildings overgrown with vines and even trees. The rock walls surrounding the basin had excavated caves and carved murals, though likely due to the immense passage of time, the carvings had been weathered away, making it impossible to discern what they once depicted.
At the very center of the basin stood a pyramid-shaped structure with a square top. Though in ruins, one could still sense its former grandeur.
"Is this Shandora?" Nami exclaimed, grabbing Luffy's sleeve excitedly. "Where's the gold? The legendary City of Gold should be covered in it!"
Pulled backwards, Luffy said with a wry smile, "I've never been here either, Nami."
Disappointment instantly washed over Nami's face. She looked at the ruins before her—nothing but stone and plants—with none of the gleaming gold she had imagined.
"Let's split up and search. The Poneglyph and the gold are probably hidden within these ruins," Robin suggested calmly, her eyes already scanning for stones that might bear ancient text.
The group scattered, searching the basin carefully.
Luffy had little interest in gold. His gaze was soon drawn to a stone stele standing at the edge of the ruins, half-buried in the soil. He walked over, brushing off the dust and moss to reveal the peculiar script beneath.
"Robin, come look!" Luffy called.
Robin immediately walked over. When she saw the text on the stele, a flicker of excitement passed through her eyes. "This is ancient script!"
Nami also leaned in curiously. "What does it say? Is it a treasure map?"
Luffy and Robin stood shoulder-to-shoulder, reading the stele's contents aloud: "We, the Shandia people who follow the sound of the great bell tower and push history forward, erect this memorial stele here. May our ancestors rest in peace."
Push history forward?
Great bell tower?
Nami was utterly confused. "What does this have to do with gold?"
Gan Fall recalled the history of the Shandia tribe.
Luffy raised his head, his gaze passing over the basin and towards the incredibly thick, giant beanstalk at the center of the ruins, which stretched high up into the thick layer of clouds above.
"The Golden Bell mentioned above should be up there."
"Shandora's golden bell tower was lifted into the sky by this giant beanstalk."
"Should we go up?"
Nami looked up, but her view was soon blocked by the dense Knock Up Stream clouds. She couldn't see the top at all and felt a wave of dizziness. "How long would that take to climb?"
Vivi also tried to estimate the beanstalk's height, but she tilted her head back too sharply and nearly lost her balance, falling backwards. Fortunately, Luffy reached out to steady her.
"I could try to have Pierre take you up," Gan Fall offered.
Honestly, it would be difficult. It was just too high.
"The Golden Bell... if it's really a large bell made of gold, that's not bad either."
At that thought, Nami's slightly deflated spirits instantly revived. A small flame rekindled in her eyes. "That's worth a lot of money!"
Just then, the Lord of the Sky's massive head nudged closer. It let out a low hiss, gently rubbed its head against Luffy, then turned towards an inconspicuous cave at the basin's edge, mostly concealed by vines.
"Huh? You want us to follow you down there?"
Luffy understood the Lord of the Sky's meaning, his expression turning a bit odd. He looked back at his crew. "It seems to want to show us its home. Anyone want to come down with me?"
Nami's attention was now completely captured by the idea that the Golden Bell was probably up there, and she was figuring out how to climb up. She waved her hand dismissively. "You go ahead, Luffy."
She looked around again. Maybe there's gold we missed!
Robin was already using her power, sprouting eyes and hands from various points in the ruins to search carefully 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."
"Great!" Luffy grinned, took Vivi's hand, and followed the Lord of the Sky as it lowered its head and slipped into the cave.
By the time Nami had circled the area, confirmed it was still nothing but rocks, and turned back in disappointment, she realized Luffy and Vivi were nowhere to be seen.
"Where are Luffy and Vivi?" she asked Robin.
Robin retracted an arm from a section of broken wall and shook her head. "It seems they followed the Lord of the Sky into that cave."
Nami didn't pay it much mind, turning her focus back to figuring out how to climb that enormous beanstalk.
The cave interior wasn't as narrow and dark as one might imagine. The Lord of the Sky's massive body navigated through it nimbly, with Luffy and Vivi following behind. The cave opened up into another world; the passageway twisted downward, branching in multiple directions. The walls were embedded with Sky Island shellfish that emitted a faint white light, providing some illumination.
After walking for about ten minutes, a vast underground space appeared ahead. When they saw the sight within, Vivi couldn't help but let out a soft gasp.
Inside this enormous cavern were piled various artifacts. There were ancient-looking golden goblets inlaid with gemstones, golden shields and longswords carved with intricate patterns, broken golden scepters, and even some small statues completely crafted from gold. Though covered in dust, they still reflected an alluring golden glimmer in the faint light.
"All of this... is gold?" Vivi covered her mouth in surprise.
The Lord of the Sky gently swept its tail over the golden artifacts, then looked at Luffy. It hissed, nodded its massive head towards the treasure, then gestured upward with a lift of its head.
"What does that mean?" Vivi asked.
"Little Sky says all of this is for us. As payment for us helping it ring the Golden Bell," Luffy explained.
The Lord of the Sky nodded vigorously, its eyes filled with anticipation.
"It seems it really, really wants to hear the Golden Bell's sound again," Vivi said, understanding the longing in its gaze.
"Haha, no problem! Leave it to me."
***
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