"Clang!"
It was a bell toll that defied description—crisp, distant, and possessed of a holiness that seemed to wash away the very impurities of the world. The sound wave manifested as visible golden ripples, centering on the bell tower at the summit of the Giant Jack. It pierced the thick White Sea clouds without resistance, radiating magnificently toward the horizons.
Upper Yard, Southern Dense Forest Ruins.
Wyper, drenched in blood, lay in the dirt. His arm, mangled and fractured from the recoil of the Reject Dial, hung limply. He had been on the verge of slipping into unconsciousness, but the moment the chime struck his ears, his eyes snapped open.
In those fierce, wolf-like eyes, large tears welled up and spilled over, carving tracks through the gunpowder soot and grime on his face.
"It rang... The Light of Shandora... has truly been ignited."
Wyper gritted his teeth, a low whimper like that of a wounded beast escaping his throat.
Four hundred years. Ever since their homeland was snatched by the Knock-Up Stream, the Shandia had endured a history written in blood and tears. They were exiles on their own soil, enslaved by "Gods," and generation after generation of warriors had bled out in a forest that belonged to their ancestors.
They hadn't fought just for land. They fought to fulfill a romantic, undying promise between the Great Warrior Kalgara and the explorer Mont Blanc Noland.
"We are in the sky! We are here, Noland!"
Wyper clutched a handful of Vearth, sobbing uncontrollably. The weight of four centuries of hatred and destiny shattered the moment Ace rang that bell. The man in the tailcoat hadn't lied; their Captain had truly dragged God from his throne and achieved what the Shandia were willing to be broken into pieces for.
The Shore of Angel Island.
The former God, Gan Fall, clad in his knight's armor, looked up in shock as the bell toll dispelled the dark clouds over Upper Yard.
"Listen, Pierre," Gan Fall whispered, a look of unprecedented relief washing over his wrinkled face. "That is the toll announcing the end of the war. Enel's reign of terror is over. The bloodshed between the Sky People and the Shandia ends today."
The Blue Sea: Jaya, Rumble Ball Town.
The sound didn't stop at the clouds. It pierced the Cumulostatus layer that sunlight couldn't penetrate, descending like a gospel from the heavens to the sea ten thousand meters below.
"The Great Liar Noland! The Great Liar Noland!"
A group of pirates mocked the diamond-faced man who spent his days diving for gold. Mont Blanc Cricket sat shirtless on a crate, soaking wet, holding a seawater-drenched cigarette. He was numb to the insults, but the fire to prove his ancestor's innocence never died.
"CLANG————!!!"
An ethereal, massive toll, ringing from the very depths of the soul, descended from the sky. The mocking pirates fell silent, staring in terror at the oppressive clouds above.
"What is that?! It's coming from the sky!"
"Is there... actually an island up there?"
Cricket's hand trembled so violently the cigarette fell into the sand. He stood up, staring blankly at the heavens. The chime was so clear, so shocking—like an old friend reaching across four centuries to shout the truth.
"Noland... didn't lie!"
Hot tears washed over Cricket's weathered face. He collapsed to his knees, slamming his fists into the sand and letting out a heart-wrenching roar.
"THE GOLDEN CITY IS IN THE SKY!!!"
The man who bore the infamy of a "Liar's Descendant" had finally found redemption. In his mind, he saw the black-haired youth from the day before.
"I'll verify the legend for you," the kid had said.
Cricket laughed through his tears. "That damn brat actually did it! Is this the ultimate romance of the sea?!"
The Summit of the Giant Jack.
As the echoes subsided, Buggy was sprawled across a pure gold pillar, wailing with an intensity that involved an impressive amount of snot.
Carina stepped back in disgust. "Are you actually moved by the Shandia's history, Red Nose?"
"Moved?! My heart is moved because this gold finally belongs to me!" Buggy looked up, eyes sparkling with fanatical greed. He stroked the ancient patterns of the base with expert proficiency. "Back then, I followed Captain Roger here and we found this bell! And what happened? That idiot Captain only cared about some damn Poneglyph! He let that samurai, Kozuki Oden, carve ghost symbols on it and then just left! He didn't let me take a single nugget!"
Buggy grew angrier, pointing at the bell. "Four hundred years of pure gold! Do you know how much my heart ached leaving this island? Roger didn't understand that the point of being a pirate is looting!"
Sabo chuckled, adjusting his hat. Carina, however, focused on the key info. She leaned down to the base and saw a massive stone slab covered in ancient script. Beside it was a message: "I have arrived here, and I will lead this text to its final destination."
"Don't dwell on the past, Buggy," Ace laughed, his mood soaring. He slapped the golden base, the metallic ring echoing his triumph. "The Roger Pirates weren't interested in gold, but the Eclipse Pirates aren't a charity."
Ace's gaze swept the ruins with the tyranny of a conqueror. "Carina, give me a weight estimate."
"Already done, Captain!" Carina brandished a small abacus, her purple eyes flashing with shrewd excitement. "Excluding the main Golden Bell—which is the Shandia's faith—and the Poneglyph base, which we shouldn't move... the pillars, altars, and artifacts scattered throughout Upper Yard..."
She took a breath and named a figure that would make a Yonko envious. "Conservatively? Over 300 billion Berries!"
"Three hundred billion?!" Jeno slipped, nearly falling off the vine. The mechanical fanatic began to hyperventilate, his mind already designing a moon-busting firepower upgrade for the Eclipse.
"Very well." Ace stood under the bell, bathed in the pure sunlight of the high sky.
"First, we bring the bell down to its people. After that... it's our turn to take over the Sky."
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