"How... how is this possible..."
The Sky Island guards and Gan Fall were left speechless by this scene.
Killing the Master of the Sky was something they hadn't even dared to imagine, let alone accomplishing it with such a casual single strike.
Anyone could see how effortlessly Ren had done it. Not a speck of dust had touched him, and not even a drop of the Master of the Sky's blood had stained his clothes.
Gan Fall's contracted pupils watched the person standing beside the Master of the Sky's corpse. His expression was unchanged, even showing a hint of dissatisfaction, as if he wasn't pleased with his own sword strike.
With such power, he still felt unsatisfied?
"Someone like this actually exists in this world..."
"Lord Ren is truly amazing. I'm sure even that Oden couldn't compare to Lord Ren in swordsmanship!" Molly exclaimed excitedly.
But Ren shook his head.
"In terms of pure swordsmanship, I'm still no match for him." Ren wasn't ashamed to admit his shortcomings. And indeed, it was true. Kozuki Oden had been able to slice the Mountain God in half without taking its life, so the creature could be stitched back together and still live—that level of sword technique was remarkable.
As for instantly killing the Master of the Sky, that didn't count for much. There were plenty of people on the sea who possessed the power to instantly kill Sea Kings.
"My training is still insufficient." Ren wouldn't feel discouraged by this. After all, he had only begun practicing Haki and swordsmanship in the past two years—more precisely, only a little over a year. Being able to reach his current level was already quite remarkable.
And now that Kozuki Oden was in Kuri, he could go find him to hone his sword skills.
Silently, he sheathed Shusui. Since he had released sword energy, there was no need to even wipe the blade.
Although Shusui was both sturdy and sharp, it was very light—a sword well-suited for women. This characteristic was likely due to Shusui's special material.
"Let's go to the Golden City. By the way, leave a few people behind. This snake's belly probably contains quite a few treasures," Ren said.
Molly hurriedly urged those helping to treat wounds to work faster, then brought Yuriko along to follow.
Yuriko was carried directly in her arms, the heavy fruit on her chest trembling.
"Molly!"
"We need to catch up to Lord Ren quickly, Mom!" Molly said hastily.
The group of pirates didn't follow. This time, the main purpose was for Yuriko to see the Poneglyph. The others should stay behind to watch the ship. There were still those women without much combat ability on board.
"You all, stop!"
Seeing Ren about to head into the forest, the guard captain immediately became agitated. Even the shock from witnessing Ren instantly kill the giant serpent was suppressed.
Without further explanation, he led the remaining people to charge toward Ren, attempting to stop him.
Although Ren had instantly killed the Master of the Sky that they had been powerless against, humans are visual creatures. Facing Ren, who didn't appear particularly menacing, their fear had already dissipated considerably.
Seeing this, Shiyado and Molly both prepared to act. These people didn't know their place, and Shiyado's killing intent had been barely contained for some time. She had never considered herself a good person. In her former pirate crew, she had never been soft-hearted.
But before either of them could make a move, the color of the entire world seemed to suddenly become strange. Dark purple energy filled the air, making it become viscous.
However, this color was invisible to their eyes.
For the two of them, who weren't among Ren's targets, they only felt a strange sensation.
But for Gan Fall and the others, those charging warriors seemed to have suffered a powerful blow, their consciousness vanishing in an instant. Like mosquitoes sprayed with insecticide, they all rolled their eyes back and plummeted toward the ground.
"This... this is..." Gan Fall held on for a few more seconds, but couldn't even finish his sentence before fainting.
"This is Conqueror's Haki! As expected of Lord Ren!" Shiyado's eyes sparkled as she gazed at Ren's figure, her eyes filled only with respect and worship.
She already knew about Haki, but unfortunately, after more than half a year in the New World, she still hadn't mastered it. But she did know the rarity of Conqueror's Haki. Even in the Rocks Pirates, this was an ability possessed only by those top executives.
Wait, that wasn't entirely true. Besides those executives, there was a strange apprentice who was said to have this ability as well. But that guy seemed to be more than just an apprentice.
In any case, this was the quality of a king found in only one person per million. Only those with this quality had the potential to stand at the pinnacle of the world.
Ren led Molly and Yuriko deeper into the forest. Yuriko had long since wriggled out of Molly's arms, taking small steps behind Ren. She didn't forget to glare at Molly.
She was reproaching Molly for making such vigorous movements despite being injured. If the wound was aggravated, she would be heartbroken again.
The three of them walked until they reached the depths of the jungle and soon discovered the historical ruins of Shandora—golden buildings covered in moss, emanating a profound sense of age. Ancient characters and architectural decorations, a vast plaza, and pyramid-like ancient structures reminiscent of Maya civilization left them in awe.
Upon entering Shandora, even the ground beneath their feet was made of gold. Everywhere were buildings constructed from massive amounts of gold.
"So much gold!" Molly's eyes were practically bulging.
Even Yuriko stood frozen in place, covering her small cherry-like mouth as she gasped:
"It's like a kingdom of gold."
"This is the Golden City, after all," Ren said. His gaze was first drawn to a massive vine among the ruins. The vine was several meters thick. Even though they were already at an altitude of ten thousand meters, it still extended upward, disappearing into the clouds.
Ren knew that the Light of Shandora—the Golden Bell—had been carried higher up by this very vine.
Although gold was everywhere here, the purity of the gold varied. Obviously, the gold used as flooring had very low purity.
"Let's go take a look above. We'll find the Poneglyph's location afterward," Ren said. Clouds rose beneath his feet—the Ame no Murakumo. The clouds enveloped all three of them as they flew upward along the vine.
Molly reached out to touch the distant clouds, but her hand grasped at nothing.
After passing through the cloud layer, she saw the massive golden pendulum at the end of the vine.
Judging by the purity, the golden pillars on either side of the pendulum alone were probably worth over a hundred million berries.
Unlock 30 chapters instantly (for the price of the old 20-chapter tier) and get 50–55 new chapters every month.
If you're enjoying the story, consider supporting me here:
patreon.com/anish_44
{
I need to be straightforward with you.
I've been creating this work for two years now. It's been my focus, my routine, and something I've built steadily over time. But recent mass cancellations have put me in a difficult position. These weren't personal—people are cutting costs everywhere—but the cumulative effect has been significant, and I'm now facing real pressure to keep things running the way I have been.
I want to continue. I've invested two years into this, and I don't want to stop now.
I know I can't match the volume and speed of AI-generated sites, and I won't try to. What I will give you is a daily dose of entertainment—with actual quality and occasional mass releases when the story calls for it.
Here's what I'm offering:
• $3 pledge → access to 10 chapters
• $10 pledge → access to 30 chapters
These tiers are designed to give you immediate value. The chapters are ready and waiting—no delays, no waiting periods.
If you've been following along and want more content, this is the most direct way to get it. If you've been on the fence about supporting, now would be a particularly impactful time to join. I hope to receive your support, not out of entitlement, but because I've put in the work and want to keep doing so.
}