Chapter 244: Who Is More Powerful, Ralph or Enel?
Nami rushed into the cabin and retrieved the map discovered in the ship that had fallen from the sky.
"Hurry, bring the map of Jaya Island!"
The two maps were laid side by side on the deck.
The outline of Jaya Island and the map marked with Skypiea slowly aligned—
The shape of a skull!
The Jaya Island in the Blue Sea was merely the mouth of the skull, while the upper half of the skull was precisely the Skypiea recorded on the map!
According to Noland's records, the Golden Land was located at the left eye of the skull!
"Everything... fits perfectly!"
Usopp's voice trembled with excitement.
"Skypiea is Shandora, and Shandora is on Skypiea!"
"Not quite!"
Robin corrected Usopp's statement, "According to Noland's logbook, in his time, he also visited Skypiea."
"That is to say, Skypiea has always existed. It's just that 400 years ago, part of Jaya Island, along with Shandora, was carried up to Skypiea by the Knock Up Stream."
Lufia, Usopp, and Chopper exchanged glances, then suddenly embraced each other, tears streaming down their faces.
"Waaah—! Who would have thought we'd find both Skypiea and the Golden Land at once!"
"Old man Cricket down below, as Noland's descendant, can finally rest easy!"
"The Golden Bell! The Golden Bell must still be there!"
Wyper froze.
What had he just heard?
Noland?
These Pirates from the Blue Sea held Noland in such high regard?
For 400 years, the friendship between Noland and the Shandians had been passed down orally within the tribe.
Every generation of Shandian children had heard the story of Kalgara and Noland.
These Pirates... seemed different from other plunderers?
Wyper's gaze softened slightly.
He spoke, tentatively asking:
"You... know of Noland?"
Everyone turned to look at him in unison.
"Of course we know!"
Usopp wiped away his tears, "The great explorer Mont Blanc Noland! He was the one who recorded the existence of the Golden Land!"
"His descendants have been searching for the Golden Land for centuries, ridiculed by the world!"
Lufia clenched her fist, "We're going to ring the Golden Bell to prove he wasn't lying!"
Wyper fell silent.
After a long pause, he slowly began to tell a story.
Four hundred years ago, a Shandian warrior named Kalgara met an explorer named Noland in the Golden Land of Shandora.
They went from strangers to acquaintances, from mutual wariness to heartfelt trust.
Noland, a botanist, used his knowledge to help the Shandians cure a plague.
Noland was moved by the Shandians' warmth and sincerity, while Kalgara was impressed by Noland's courage and spirit of exploration.
They became friends.
True friends.
Later, Noland left Shandora to continue his voyage.
At their parting, Kalgara rang the Golden Bell, its resounding chime echoing between heaven and earth, as if saying:
Friend, no matter where you go, Shandora will always welcome you.
And Usopp added the second half of the story:
After Noland returned to his homeland, he told the world the legend of the Golden Land.
But when he returned to Jaya Island, he found that only half of the island remained.
Shandora had been carried into the sky by the Knock Up Stream.
The world mocked him, insulted him, and called him a liar.
But until his dying day, he believed that Shandora must exist, that his friend Kalgara must still be waiting for him somewhere.
What he didn't know was that Shandora truly did exist.
Kalgara died in a foreign land on the day Shandora was swept into the sky, fighting to protect the sacred land.
Every word in Wyper's story carried the weight of his people's century-long legacy.
"Since then, for 400 years, the Shandians have been at war with the Skypieans in this sky, fighting to reclaim our sacred land, Upper Yard."
The deck fell silent.
Among the Straw Hat Crew, some faces turned grim.
They had accidentally gotten involved in another war.
Some legs began to tremble.
The island of Jaya, which had been swept into the sky, was now called Upper Yard—the island where God resides.
There's actually a god in this place?
However, before they could fully process this information, the captain's voice rang out:
"Let's hurry up and move forward!"
Lufia stood at the bow, one hand holding her straw hat, her bangs fluttering in the wind, her eyes shining like stars:
"I can't wait to see Shandora with my own eyes!"
"I'm also going to ring the Golden Bell so Uncle Cricket can hear it!"
Chopper timidly raised his hand:
"Um... I heard there's a god..."
"God?"
Lufia tilted her head, then grinned, "If that god dares to stand in my way, I'll just knock him flying!"
As for the war between the Skypieans and the Shandians?
Lufia didn't care at all.
Whoever blocks the way, knock them flying.
It's that simple.
Wyper looked at this girl, a complex emotion welling up in his heart.
These Pirates from the Blue Sea... truly seemed intent on helping them.
They were powerful, and their admiration for Noland didn't seem fake.
They were great adventurers, just like Noland in the stories.
They came with reverence for Shandora, and now they intended to fight for it.
If he could fight alongside them, like Kalgara and Noland did back then...
Then he, Wyper the Berserker, would not disgrace the name of Kalgara's descendants.
Wyper suddenly spoke:
"In that case, we can't take this route."
Everyone looked at him.
"I know a secret passage used by the Shandians that can bypass God's surveillance..."
Wyper paused, "But first, you'll have to untie me."
Just as Lufia was about to act, Usopp suddenly pointed ahead:
"What's that?"
Everyone followed his direction.
The clouds parted, revealing a wondrous sight.
From a distance, it looked like a white waterfall, as if pouring down from the sky.
Passing through the mist and getting closer, they found themselves beneath a massive gate.
The gate was made of white clouds, majestic and grand, with large characters written on it—
Heaven's Gate.
"..."
Chopper's mouth hung open.
"What a huge gate!"
Lufia exclaimed in awe.
"Are we in heaven?"
Usopp trembled with excitement.
Wyper's face changed, and he quickly hid inside the cabin.
"Damn it, it's too late."
He muttered to himself, then reassured himself, "Fortunately, we haven't been spotted, or I'd have caused trouble for everyone on this ship."
"As long as they pay the entry fee normally, they can safely enter Skypiea..."
"You're overthinking it."
A voice came from the corner.
Wyper turned sharply and found someone else sitting in the cabin—
The black-haired young man, Ralph.
Ralph was lazily leaning against the wall, scribbling in a notebook without looking up, and said:
"Paying is out of the question, never paying in this lifetime."
Wyper was taken aback:
"But if you don't pay the entry fee, you'll face..."
"Divine punishment? Perfect timing."
Ralph looked up, a smirk curling at the corner of his mouth.
"We fear everything except trouble."
"Everywhere we go, we have to pick a fight, and it has to be with the toughest one."
He closed his notebook and stood up.
"So don't worry about us."
"We're determined to face divine punishment!"
"If we don't get struck by lightning, we won't feel right!"
Wyper's pupils contracted sharply.
He had just mentioned... divine punishment on his own?
How did this young man know about the existence of divine punishment?
Recalling that his companions called him the "Prophet," an absurd thought surged in Wyper's mind—
Could these guys be telling the truth?
On this tiny Pirate ship, there was actually someone who could foresee the future!
If one possesses the ability to foresee the future, wouldn't that make them a god?
Then he...
Who is more powerful, him or Enel?