Luffy walked up the golden steps of the bell tower, hoisted a thick, cool golden chain over his shoulder, wrapped his arms firmly around it, took a deep breath, and pushed with all his might.
Dong—
The Golden Bell, silent for four hundred years, began to swing slowly with Luffy's effort. The clapper inside struck the thick golden wall of the bell, releasing a resounding, melodious chime!
Something felt odd to Luffy. While the bell's sound was undoubtedly beautiful, echoing across the skies, to him as the bell-ringer standing so close, it just sounded... normal. Incredibly pleasant, but normal.
The sound of the bell rippled outward like waves.
The others couldn't help but look up, mesmerized by the spectacular sight of the Golden Bell swinging in the sunset and the clear chime that seemed to traverse four hundred years, as if the ancient Shandora civilization was reviving before their eyes.
Nami: "What a beautiful sound."
Vivi, leaning against the rock, was also completely immersed in the melodious chime, feeling the echo of history carried on the wind.
"Is this... history?" Robin gazed up at the Golden Bell, complex emotions flickering in her eyes.
Gan Fall, a witness to this history, was moved to tears, muttering, "It's ringing... it's finally ringing again."
Dooong—
The long, lingering chime, atop the giant beanstalk, spread across the entire God's Country.
Within the tranquil forest, countless South Birds seemed to hear a sound embedded in their very bloodline. They took flight into the sky, circling until they found the perfect direction, looking up towards the source of the chime, mirroring the frozen golden sculptures around the Golden Bell.
The Lord of the Sky raised its upper body, looking towards the beanstalk. Large, scalding tears fell from the great serpent's eyes.
When the bell sounded once more, it threw back its head and let out a roar that shook the heavens, as if proclaiming to its ancestors that the promise waited for over four hundred years had finally been fulfilled!
Further away, in God's Country.
The Shandia warriors and Enel's Divine Soldiers were both battered and bruised. The leading warrior, Wiper, struggled to raise his Burn Bazooka, aiming at a Priest who was trying to get back up.
At that moment, the clear chime of a bell drifted into the brutal battlefield.
Everyone froze momentarily, their actions halting involuntarily.
What a beautiful, familiar yet strange sound.
The Shandia warriors' eyes instantly welled up, tears mingling with blood and sweat as they fell.
Was this a celebration of their victory?
For generations, Shandians had fought, bled, and sacrificed. Wasn't this very moment—the day the bell symbolizing their homeland and promise rang out across the sky once more—the goal they had struggled for over four centuries?
Wiper looked up at the sky. Through the dense foliage, he could see the massive serpentine silhouette and the even larger beanstalk.
The chime came from there.
"Who... rang the Golden Bell?" he murmured, his heart filled with awe and bewilderment.
At the same time, Zoro and the others, making their way through the forest towards the sound of the bell, also heard the magnificent, distant chime.
"Is that... a bell?" Usopp said in surprise.
"It's coming from up there!" Chopper pointed towards the top of the giant beanstalk.
When they finally emerged from the forest and reached the edge of the basin, they saw Nami and Vivi fretting over a small pile of golden artifacts.
"Where's Luffy?" Little Merry floated over and asked curiously.
Nami finally snapped out of her gold-induced trance, looked around, and shrugged helplessly. "He was just ringing the bell a moment ago, then vanished. Probably went to look for the Poneglyph? I got distracted when I saw all this gold."
Then, Vivi smiled and waved at everyone. To their collective astonishment, her body slowly rose into the air, hovering just like Merry.
"Vivi, you can fly too?" Usopp's first thought was of Dials.
Vivi gently descended back to the ground and smiled. "Not Dials. A Devil Fruit. The Logia-type Fūfū no Mi."
"Logia-type Fūfū no Mi?!"
Everyone exclaimed in unison.
What happened? They'd only been separated for a little while!
Zoro crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow. "Aren't there a bit too many Devil Fruit users on our crew now?"
Let's count. There's Luffy, Chopper, Robin... Do Nika and Merry count?
And now Vivi.
Nami immediately countered, "But this is a Logia-type Devil Fruit! It's really strong!"
Little Merry patted her chest, promising in her childish voice, "It's okay! If anyone falls in the sea, Merry will definitely save you!"
Nami had gone back down, saying she needed to keep an eye on the pile of gold. After Luffy finished ringing the bell, he realized one of the day's objectives was complete.
He called Robin over and began searching the great bell tower. Sure enough, on the golden base of the tower, they found a square, black stone.
Luffy wiped away the moss, revealing the text on the stone. Having studied ancient script, he recognized it immediately.
"A Poneglyph." Luffy looked at Robin, his expression one of concern. "Is this the one you're looking for?"
The excitement gradually faded from Robin's face. Seeing the concern in Luffy's eyes, she smiled. "Although it's not the specific Poneglyph I'm searching for, I'm still very happy."
Luffy remembered what she had said in Alabasta.
She had said her remaining life goal was to find the Poneglyphs that recorded the hundred-year history.
But perhaps Luffy had forgotten the other thing he had said.
"Then live as my nakama! Robin."
Looking at the slightly disappointed Luffy, Robin smiled and said, "Are you worried about me, Luffy?"
"Because you said..." Of course, Luffy remembered what Robin had said.
"But you said something too." Robin reached out, placing a finger gently on Luffy's lips to silence him, then leaned in and touched her own lips to his.
Luffy: "???"
"I... I said what?" Luffy suddenly felt his mouth go dry.
Is this the difference between Nami and Robin?
Robin didn't seem to have any of a young girl's shyness. Her finger slowly lowered, and the soft sensation and pleasant scent enveloped him without any distance.
"If you forgot, that's fine. I remember." Robin took a step back, brushing her hair to conceal her reddening ears, and looked at Luffy with a teasing glint. "Or... would you like to do it again? Nami and the others are down below. We could do it as many times as you like."
Robin is so bold!
After all, Luffy hadn't been aware of what Nami did. But what he had done for Robin, he remembered with crystal clarity.
"Let's... let's decipher this Poneglyph," Robin said. Though she very much wanted to keep teasing Luffy, her own heart wasn't as calm as it appeared.
***
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