Chapter 55: The Target Is the City of Gold
"Vice Admiral Zephyr, those people have escaped."
As soon as Ren left, the Marines discovered it. Zephyr turned his head to look back, considered for a moment, and decided not to pursue them. On one hand, that ship had risen into the sky on a cloud, and even their high-performance warships could not catch up.
Even if he could use Moonwalk, that technique was not suitable for long-distance travel. The higher they ascended, the thinner the air became, and the more difficult it would be to use Moonwalk.
The technique relies on the recoil generated by stepping on the air to achieve flight; if the air density is insufficient, flying becomes extremely difficult. And even if they did catch up…
"Forget it. Capture these pirates in front of us first," Zephyr said. However, that cloud capable of lifting ships was a troublesome ability and required close attention.
That Pirate Hunter was clearly a Devil Fruit user, but it was unclear what kind of power he possessed.
"Could it be a Logia-type Devil Fruit?" Zephyr wondered. But there was no point in speculating now; Ren's ship had long since flown away on the clouds.
Not long after Ren departed, Jeka was captured by Zephyr's subordinate.
This fellow, like the future Ship-Clinging King, was a hothead. Even the most arrogant pirates, upon seeing Zephyr standing at the bow, should have known to retreat.
Zephyr was currently at the height of his fame, regarded as a star within the Marines, and few pirates in the New World would fail to recognize him.
However, none of this concerned Ren. He was heading to the City of Gold on Sky Island to transport its gold back to Wano Country. This had been one of his objectives from the beginning of the journey.
The City of Gold contained an enormous amount of gold. If he could bring back such a castle, it would be enough to make Wano Country's treasury abundant for decades.
Money is one of the most important forms of power in this world. If he could control wealth, Ren could even manipulate those useless Celestial Dragons. Of course, this depended on him possessing sufficient strength.
If his strength were insufficient, it would only attract the covetous gazes of jackals and tigers, and he would likely be torn apart until not even his bones remained.
At present, his personal strength was already enough to secure a foothold in the New World. However, his subordinates were still somewhat weak, as most of them lacked particularly notable strength.
Currently, only Shutenmaru possessed considerable power. Among the others, Orochi was the strongest, and he had somewhat surprised Ren. However, Orochi's talent was limited, and he would never reach the level of the Three Calamities in the future.
A person without talent can grow stronger through hard work, but it is extremely difficult to stand at the very top. Just like Izo and Kikunojo, who were taken in by Kozuki Oden, they were once merely wandering children, yet later became samurai known as the Nine Red Scabbards.
However, that was likely their limit. Even among the Nine Red Scabbards, there were significant differences in strength. The strongest was naturally Shutenmaru, followed by Nekomamushi and Inuarashi, while Izo and Kikunojo ranked much lower.
That was also why Ren intended to bring Enel back.
Children are the lifeblood of renewal. Unless Ren possessed power that surpassed the entire world, he could not fight alone. After all, he was not a lone figure like Dracule Mihawk or the Red Count.
Moreover, even Dracule Mihawk, in the changing tides of the era, chose the path of forming alliances.
Ren had no need to fight alone. No matter how strong an individual may be, as long as he does not exceed the world's limit, there will still be moments of helplessness. While the weak remain weak even when gathered together, the strong can create an even greater force by uniting.
Not everyone was qualified to join the Kuri Kindergarten. From the very beginning, Ren had set his sights on those who would become future powerhouses.
The airship sailed across the clouds.
Ren's current destination was Sky Island, specifically Upper Yard. 400 years ago, Upper Yard had originally been part of Jaya in the Blue Sea, before being carried to the White Sea by a massive Knock Up Stream.
The Skypeians had almost never seen soil. When they discovered Upper Yard, they immediately regarded the land as sacred, drove out the Shandians who had originally lived there, and designated Upper Yard as the Island of God.
For 400 years, in order to reclaim their homeland, the descendants of Shandia had continuously fought against the Skypeians.
Their lives were extremely difficult, but this had nothing to do with Ren.
This world has always operated under the law of the strong devouring the weak; what those without power possess slips from their fingers like grains of sand. Nevertheless, Ren did not dislike the Shandians.
At the very least, they were a people who continued to fight and resist.
Inheriting the will and promises passed down from their ancestors and shedding blood to reclaim their homeland, such people were difficult for him to despise.
It was merely a pity that they lacked sufficient strength. After being carried to Sky Island by the massive Knock Up Stream, their numbers were already limited. The soldiers of Sky Island were powerful, and they were ruled by a figure known as "God."
This time, Ren's target was the gold of the City of Gold. With that objective in mind, conflict with the Skypeians was inevitable. Whether they could seize the opportunity would depend on themselves.
The ship rode the clouds and plunged toward the depths of the White Sea. Molly, Yuriko, and the others had already taken shelter inside the cabin.
There were also peculiar marine creatures within the White Sea. If a ship sailed on the White Sea or the White-White Sea, the danger posed by these creatures could exceed that of powerful enemies. Once dragged into the depths, a ship without the ability to fly would immediately fall more than 10000 meters, and the only outcome would be total destruction.
Not everyone possessed a body as monstrous as Kaido's, capable of leaping from Sky Island without injury.
For most people, crashing onto the sea surface would leave not even a corpse behind.
Ren returned to the cabin. With his Haoshoku Haki and the electricity he released, the creatures in the sea did not dare approach.
"We're going to Sky Island again!" Molly exclaimed happily as she rummaged through the items she had previously purchased for wing decorations. She had bought quite a few, some intended as gifts for others at the Daimyo's Mansion.
Molly fondly remembered the scenery and food she had experienced on Sky Island last time. Having always lived in Wano Country, she had never imagined that islands could exist in the sky.
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