Chapter 217: Declaring Dominion Over Sky Island – Sanlong Assigned to Guard the Golden City
Upper Yard—once a part of Jaya Island—had been blasted into the sky by the Knock-Up Stream.
Since then, it had been known as the dwelling of the gods. Every successive "God" who ruled Sky Island resided in the shrine atop the massive vine of Upper Yard.
Not long ago, after Luo Han planted a Will Seed in Sanlong's mind at the Sky Island town, he parted ways with Ellis and the others.
Then, taking Sanlong with him, he flew to the shrine.
"Stop right there!"
"How dare you approach the shrine!"
"Don't you know this is the dwelling of the gods?! You can't just walk in!"
The moment they landed, the shrine's guards surrounded them, leveling long spears at Luo Han and Sanlong.
Luo Han had no interest in dealing with small fry. His eyes narrowed.
BOOM!
A wave of overwhelming Conqueror's Haki burst from him, flooding across all of Upper Yard.
BANG—BANG—BANG!
Every person—including the current "God" seated in the shrine—collapsed with blank eyes, unconscious.
"That's settled."
Luo Han turned to Sanlong, eyes serious. "The rabble's taken care of, so I'll be brief."
"From this moment forward, this Sky Island is my territory. You'll serve as the new God of Sky Island. How you rule it is your business."
He pointed toward the towering vine in the distance. "The Golden City lies beneath it. Your task is to guard it. Don't let a single speck fall into anyone else's hands."
"When I'm done with my affairs, I'll come retrieve the treasure. At that point, you can either follow me into the New World, or stay and protect your homeland."
"But—!"
Luo Han's tone turned sharp. "Until then, you must not let anyone steal what's mine. Understood?"
"Yes, Lord Blue Demon," Sanlong said without hesitation, bowing deeply. "I'll protect Upper Yard with my life. From today, no one steps foot on this land!"
Luo Han nodded, pleased by Sanlong's dedication.
Looks like Kotoamatsukami works fast on those with fractured mental defenses, he thought.
Through his mental senses, he could already feel the Will Seed in Sanlong's spiritual world blazing brilliantly. It wouldn't be long before it consumed his entire mind. He'd become a most loyal subordinate.
In that case… let's give him a talent aura too. With his Zoan Devil Fruit, a year or two of training should push him to Admiral level.
Vice Admiral-level was still too weak.
With that, Luo Han stretched out his right hand. A flickering flame appeared—imbued with Big Mom's physical potential aura.
"Come here," he ordered.
Sanlong stepped forward immediately.
Luo Han pressed the flame into Sanlong's arm. It sank into his body.
"All done."
With the aura fully implanted, Luo Han said, "This place is yours now. I'm heading back to the New World."
"Yes, Lord Blue Demon." Sanlong bowed as Luo Han flew away.
…
"This is the Golden City?"
Ellis looked around in awe. "Aside from the grand architecture, everything really is made of gold!"
Akatsuki and Sora were equally stunned. Following Luo Han's instructions after parting ways in town, they'd made their way to Shandora, the legendary Golden City.
The dazzling wealth all around them left them momentarily speechless.
"Are we taking it all at once?" Sora asked.
"There's so much… can we even carry it all?" Akatsuki gasped.
"Maybe we should wait until the ship's finished. Then we can come back a few times and move it in batches."
"No need," Ellis smiled, pointing to herself. "With Luo Han and me together, we can move all of it in one go."
Akatsuki nodded—thinking of Luo Han's power, that made perfect sense. She said nothing more and continued admiring the glittering surroundings.
BOOM! Luo Han descended through the clouds above the Golden City, landing in front of the trio.
"How'd it go?" Ellis asked. "What did you and that guy Sanlong talk about?"
Akatsuki and Sora leaned in, also curious.
"Very well," Luo Han smiled. "After a friendly chat, Sanlong agreed to serve me. From now on, he'll guard this Sky Island and the Golden City."
"Wait… guard?" Ellis blinked. "So… you're not taking the treasure?"
"Yeah! What if someone else gets here and takes it?" Sora asked urgently.
"Or worse, what if a pirate finds it like we did?" added Akatsuki .
Luo Han looked at the three of them, expressionless.
Why are you all acting like this gold belongs to you?
"Relax," he assured them. "No one's getting near this place. Sanlong is more than strong enough to protect it."
"And besides, we're not leaving empty-handed. We'll bring some of it back."
The three women fell silent. There wasn't much they could say. They couldn't carry much gold themselves anyway.
"We've been out here for over a month."
"Time to head back. Tom should have finished building our ship."
Ellis sighed. "Let's go then."
She flew off first. Akatsuki and Sora followed.
They couldn't help feeling uneasy—leaving so much treasure behind without taking it all felt… wrong.
These mountains of gold aren't going anywhere, Luo Han thought, smirking as he saw the looks on their faces.
With a nod, he used his powers to levitate a portion of the gold to bring with them, then caught up to the three women.
…
Water 7 – Early Morning
The sun had just risen.
At Dock #4, a crowd had gathered. Excitement buzzed through the air.
This was where Luo Han's ship was being built.
It had been over a month. And thanks to Tom's exceptional skills, the ship had been completed a week ahead of schedule.
But instead of Luo Han, Marine Rear Admiral Victor had arrived.
"Tom! Looks like you've been using Navy funds to build your own ship."
Standing in the spacious dock, Victor stared at the massive ship, a flicker of greed in his eyes.
"This was built with Adam wood… must've cost a fortune, huh, Tom?"
"Tell you what…"
Victor looked at Tom with false righteousness. "I'll let it slide. As long as you hand over this ship, and continue delivering the Navy ships on schedule, I'll pretend none of this happened."
Tom clenched his fists but forced a smile. "Rear Admiral Victor, this ship was a private order. I didn't touch Navy funds."
"All the expenses are on record. There are receipts for everything. You can check them."
"Silence!"
Victor snapped. "A private order? From who? Bring them out, I want to see who's brave enough to tamper with Navy money."
He looked around the crowd. "Was it you? Or you?"
The gathered merchants had just come to watch, but now Victor was pointing at them. They all panicked.
"N-no! Not me!"
They all shook their heads in unison—none dared respond.
Victor turned back to Tom with a smug grin. "See? No one's stepping forward. That means there is no customer. You're lying."
"…"
Tom was speechless. He couldn't say it was Luo Han's ship—doing so would mean death for him and everyone he knew.
Seeing Tom hesitate, Victor grew bolder.
"You!" he barked at the dockworkers. "Move this ship to open water!"
They hesitated, glancing at Tom.
Tom was desperate. This was Blue Demon's ship. If Luo Han returned and found it gone… there would be no forgiving it.
He had made a personal promise to build the finest ship—and he couldn't let the Navy steal it.
But he still couldn't say Luo Han's name.
"Rear Admiral… this ship really belongs to someone else. You can't take it."
"Then tell me who!" Victor snapped. "Or… is it for a pirate?"
He sneered. "Helping pirates build ships is strictly forbidden by the World Government, Tom."
Tom's heart sank, but he showed no fear.
"No. It was a private order, Rear Admiral."
Victor smirked. He knew it was a private order. Whether it was for a pirate or not didn't matter.
He stared at the ship with determination.
An Adam-wood ship like this—if sold through his brother's black market contacts—would earn billions. There was no way he was letting it go.
"Then bring out the customer!" Victor demanded. "Let's see who dares misuse Navy funds!"
The merchants all looked away. No one wanted to die for someone else.
"See? No one. This ship is mine now."
Victor turned to the workers again. "Move it to sea."
As the workers hesitated—
"I did."
A chubby merchant stepped forward confidently, pointing at the ship. "I commissioned this ship from Tom."
Everyone stared in disbelief.
Someone actually stepped forward?!
Tom was stunned. This guy had been hiding behind the crowd earlier. Now he was standing tall?
Then, in his ear, a voice whispered.
Tom froze and looked around. No one.
Blue Demon… is back?
Relief washed over him.
He said nothing more. Just waited quietly, watching Victor's performance.
"You? You placed the order?" Victor's tone turned dark.
"Say it again."
The threat in his voice was obvious to all.
But the fat merchant remained calm. He walked over to Tom.
"Tom, this is the ship I ordered from you, correct?"
Tom hesitated for only a moment—then remembered the voice and responded clearly.
"Yes."
(END CHAPTER)
Thank you for the support, friends. If you want to read more chapters in advance, go to my Patreon.
Read 30 Chapters In Advance: patreon.com/Bankai10