The Waver carrying Riberra Sami's team silently glided into a concealed depression along the edge of the island cloud.
Under Hans's increasingly refined Observation Haki, they avoided several lookout posts and successfully landed.
The moment they stepped onto the island's surface, everyone except Riberra Sami paused in surprise.
Marcus rubbed the ground with his foot, then crouched down and grabbed a handful, disbelief on his face.
"This is… soil? Real soil?"
Feich crouched down as well.
"How can there be such a huge stretch of soil on a Sky Island? Could it be… dust accumulating over countless years?"
"Impossible," Marcus shook his head. "Even if dust exists above the cloud sea, it couldn't form such a thick layer."
"And why would it only exist here?"
Riberra Sami didn't explain. Instead, he looked up at the starlit sky broken by tree canopies and checked the simple directional compass in his hand.
"Hide the boat first. I'll explain later. For now, remember—our target direction is due south."
Henry and Feich quickly got to work, using massive leaves and hanging vines to conceal the Waver completely.
Everyone checked their gear. Aside from weapons, each person carried a fully charged Lamp Dial to provide light in the darkness.
They slipped into the dense forest.
The deeper they went, the stronger their astonishment grew.
Towering ancient trees.
Thick vines.
Dense undergrowth.
Soft humus beneath their feet.
The scent of grass and soil filled the air.
"These trees… Sky Islands can grow species this huge?"
Marcus ran his hand across a trunk that would require several people to wrap around.
"It's like someone took an entire forest from the Blue Sea and placed it in the sky," Feich muttered in amazement. "How did this island even float up here?"
Questions filled everyone's minds, but Riberra Sami's steady pace urged them onward.
Along the way, they encountered several nocturnal beasts.
Pairs of green eyes glowed in the darkness—wolves.
"These things… where did they come from? Sky wolves?"
"Doesn't matter. Just don't let them howl and attract attention."
Within a few brief exchanges, the beasts were all knocked down.
To avoid making noise, they fought entirely barehanded.
After traveling for over an hour, Hans suddenly raised his fist in warning and spoke in a low voice.
"Careful. Movement ahead! A lot of people… moving fast on a cloud river! Put out the lights—hide!"
Snap!
Every Lamp Dial was extinguished instantly.
They quickly took cover behind several massive trees, holding their breath.
Soon, the faint hum of engines approached.
Several small Wavers sped along a cloud river cutting through the forest.
Each craft carried two or three members of the God's Army, wearing the standard uniforms of the Kingdom of God.
Lamp Dials in their hands and on the Wavers swept beams of light across the forest edges.
The patrol slowed, apparently conducting a routine inspection.
Their conversation drifted over with the wind, filled with fatigue and irritation.
"Ugh… once we finish this last patrol in the south, we can finally switch shifts. My bones are falling apart."
"No kidding. Those Shandian savages are insane. Fighting all day and harassing us at night too. They never let us rest."
"They've been fighting for three hundred years and still haven't run out of people. They're as stubborn as the Lord of the Sky, I swear."
"Hahaha!"
"Quit laughing. Stay alert! I heard some strangers from the Blue Sea arrived on Angel Island recently. Orders say we should be extra cautious—especially around the sacred land. No mistakes allowed."
"Yeah, yeah… let's finish this round and go back to sleep."
The patrol didn't venture into the forest.
Grumbling, they gradually accelerated and disappeared along the cloud river.
Behind the trees, Riberra Sami's group waited silently for several more minutes to confirm the area was clear.
Only then did they relight their Lamp Dials and continue south.
After a long journey and several cautious detours, the scenery before them suddenly opened up.
A massive ruin lay quietly beneath the moonlight.
Broken stone pillars.
Collapsed walls.
The grand foundations of ancient buildings wrapped in vines.
One could still vaguely see the order and magnificence of the past—yet now only crumbling remnants remained, silently telling stories of age and decline.
"Boss… this is the place?"
Marcus glanced around, lowering his voice.
"This place looks like it's been abandoned for centuries. Are you sure what you're looking for would be here?"
Riberra Sami slowly scanned the ruins.
"It's not above."
He walked to the center of the area and tapped the cloud ground with his foot.
"It's below. Let's start digging here."
"Dig?" Feich blinked.
"Yes. Carefully. Try not to make too much noise."
They didn't have heavy tools, but that didn't stop them.
Marcus drew his sword Ran Sakura. With several quick flashes of blade light, the island cloud was cut into manageable blocks.
Riberra Sami, Feich, Henry, and Hans acted as laborers, prying the blocks loose and stacking them nearby.
Hans also kept watch over the surroundings.
As the pit deepened, Marcus couldn't resist joking.
"You know… if we keep digging like this, we might punch straight through the island and fall back to the Blue Sea."
Riberra Sami chuckled.
"Relax. This island is thick. Even if we do dig through, the cloud sea will catch us."
That eased everyone's nerves.
After digging several meters deeper, Marcus swung his blade again—but suddenly felt the resistance vanish.
"Hm?"
He pried away another chunk of island cloud.
Below it appeared a dark opening.
"Boss! We hit a hollow! Looks like… there's really nothing beneath!"
Even Riberra Sami felt a little nervous.
After all, anime was one thing—real life digging was another. If they had chosen the wrong spot and the island collapsed…
Still, he forced himself to remain calm.
Lighting a Lamp Dial, he carefully leaned over the hole and shone the light downward.
The soft beam pushed away the darkness.
It illuminated a surface reflecting golden light—and beneath it, solid soil.
Riberra Sami let out a long breath and smiled.
"It's fine. There's a chamber down there, not a bottomless pit. Everyone come down carefully."
He jumped first.
The others followed one by one.
When their feet touched the ground inside the chamber and they raised their Lamp Dials to look around—
Everyone froze.
Gold.
Gold everywhere.
Golden reliefs embedded in the walls, depicting strange patterns and ancient script.
Ancient golden vessels piled in corners.
Massive decorative ornaments scattered across the floor.
Even some of the supporting pillars were wrapped in thick layers of gold.
"Th-this is…"
Feich's voice trembled.
He rushed to the nearest pile of treasure and picked up a golden cup.
After hesitating, he bit the rim lightly.
A clear tooth mark appeared.
"It's real gold! And extremely pure!"
"WAAAAH! We're rich! Boss—we're rich!!"
Henry nearly jumped in excitement.
Hans adjusted his glasses, his eyes wide behind the lenses.
Even Marcus—normally calm—breathed more heavily.
The wealth before them surpassed any treasure they had ever encountered.
Riberra Sami watched his companions' excitement with a faint smile.
Down here underground, a few cheers wouldn't reach the surface anyway.
"Calm down," he finally said once their emotions settled a little. "This treasure is indeed one of the reasons we came. Even if we only take a few bags of gold back, it would be enough to exchange for the finest ship in Water 7."
He glanced at the endless golden splendor around them.
"But taking everything is impossible. Our ship can't carry that much. Don't be greedy—take only what we need."
Feich looked at the endless treasure, both delighted and troubled.
"Boss, even if we load up the Skylark, we'll only be able to take a tiny fraction of this. Leaving so much behind… it hurts just looking at it!"
Riberra Sami walked over and patted his shoulder.
"Don't be greedy, Feich. Being able to find this is already incredible luck."
Then his tone shifted slightly.
"Feich, didn't you once say you wanted to write a book about our adventures? Like Noland?"
Feich blinked and nodded.
"Yeah! That's my dream! I want people in the future to remember the story of the Jellyfish Pirates!"
Riberra Sami pointed around them.
"Then take a good look."
"This place is exactly what Noland described in his book—
the City of Gold, Shandora."
"What—?!"
"The City of Gold?!"
"This is the golden city Noland found?!"
Marcus, Henry, Hans, and Feich were all stunned.
The story of "Liar Noland" was famous throughout the Blue Sea.
Almost everyone knew it.
Yet none of them had imagined the story might be true—or that they would one day stand in that legendary place themselves.
Riberra Sami looked at their shocked expressions and slowly explained.
"That's right. This island—Upper Yard—was originally part of Jaya Island more than three hundred years ago. Not long after Noland returned to the Blue Sea, a massive Knock-Up Stream blasted this part of the island into the sky, carrying the City of Gold with it to the White-White Sea."
"That's why Noland was labeled a liar… and why the City of Gold vanished from the Blue Sea, becoming the sacred land of the Sky Islands."
"The great liar Noland… was telling the truth?"
"Unbelievable…"
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