Watching Gan·Fall's figure disappear at the end of the dock walkway, Aldo leaned toward Riberra Sami and scratched his head.
"Boss, I still don't get it. Why do you want those combat Dials so badly? Are they really that powerful?"
Riberra Sami turned around and leaned casually against the ship's railing with a smile.
"In terms of raw power, common ones like Impact Dials or Slash Dials are roughly equivalent to the full-strength strike of a pirate with a bounty of around ten million Beli."
"What?!" Aldo's eyes widened. "You mean one shell can hit as hard as Alberto?!"
"Well… it's not exactly a perfect comparison," Riberra Sami said with a wave of his hand. "The effectiveness of a Dial depends heavily on who uses it and how it's used."
"For people like us, that level of power doesn't mean much. But I'm thinking about the ordinary crew members."
"They improve more slowly than we do. And the deeper we go into the Grand Line, the more dangerous things will become. Training alone isn't always enough."
"If we can use tools like these to boost their immediate combat ability, it's worth it."
"And besides," he added with a faint grin, "these kinds of restricted strategic materials are rare even in the Sky Islands. If we bring them to the Blue Sea, they'll be priceless. Even selling them would make us a fortune."
The nearby officers nodded in agreement.
"The boss is right," Feich added. "Right now, most of the crew would struggle in a one-on-one fight against pirates worth a few million Beli. Not everyone gets lucky like Gad did."
"They might not match a Devil Fruit, but if every sailor had a combat Dial, doubling their combat ability wouldn't be impossible."
The group began imagining a fully upgraded crew.
Marcus, however, stepped closer to Riberra Sami, his brows slightly furrowed.
"Boss… are we really going to get involved in the feud between these two races? The risk feels… pretty high."
Riberra Sami patted his shoulder and smiled confidently.
"Relax. I already have a plan."
"For others this might be a troublesome mess—but for us, it could be an opportunity."
"And besides, we won't enter this situation as obvious mediators."
He motioned for the core officers to gather closer and lowered his voice.
"Listen carefully. Our identity is going to change."
"We're no longer merchants."
"From now on, we're adventurers, inspired by the legend of Liar Noland, searching our entire lives for the City of Gold."
Riberra Sami briefly retold the story of Noland and the great Shandian warrior Kalgara, along with the legend of Shandora.
Aldo's eyes lit up.
"Boss, why don't we just pretend we're Noland's descendants? That name would carry way more weight! They'd probably treat us like honored guests!"
Riberra Sami shook his head.
"Noland does have descendants in the North Blue. It's better not to risk it. We're not professional actors—if we slip up, the lie falls apart."
"The identity of adventurers inspired by the story is enough. It explains our curiosity about history and gives us a reasonable excuse to seek clues related to the City of Gold—including talking to the Shandians who might know ancient legends."
Everyone nodded.
"Oh right, Feich—do you still have that book 'Liar Noland' with you?"
Feich nodded.
"Good. That's our best pass. Whether we can open the Shandians' door may depend on it."
About half a day later, Gan·Fall returned to the Skylark.
This time he carried a cloth bundle.
After boarding, he followed Riberra Sami into the cabin. Once the door was closed, he carefully placed the bundle on the table and opened it.
Several Dials of different shapes appeared.
"Mr. Riberra Sami, this is the first batch—your deposit."
Gan·Fall began introducing them one by one.
"This is an Impact Dial. It stores and releases impact force—but the user will also suffer part of the backlash. A weapon that injures both sides."
"This is a Slash Dial, capable of storing and releasing cutting attacks. Its principle is similar to the Impact Dial."
"These two are Heat Dials. They store and release heat and can be attached to weapons to inflict burning damage."
"And this one is relatively rare—a Flash Dial. It releases an intense burst of light to blind opponents."
"Finally, these three are Cloud Dials."
Riberra Sami picked up a Heat Dial, then grabbed one of the Cloud Dials.
"The Heat Dial I understand. But this Cloud Dial… aren't those usually used for building roads or furniture?"
"Not this one."
Gan·Fall quickly shook his head and pressed a hidden groove on the side of the shell.
Psssh!
A stream of white cloud with a metallic sheen shot out and quickly solidified into the shape of a short staff.
Gan·Fall swung it through the air, producing a strong whistling sound.
When he released the switch, the staff dissolved back into a soft cloud.
"This is a military-grade version. The cloud inside has been specially treated—it's called Iron Cloud."
"Once released, it becomes extremely hard and highly malleable. In combat it can be used to attack, block terrain, or restrict enemy movement."
Riberra Sami weighed the shell in his hand and nodded with satisfaction.
"Very nice, Captain Gan·Fall. Your sincerity is clear."
He placed the shells back into the bundle.
"Now then, please lead us to the Shandian territory."
Under Gan·Fall's guidance, Riberra Sami's group left the dock of Angel Island aboard the Skylark.
After sailing for a while, Riberra Sami asked casually:
"Captain Gan·Fall, I have a question."
"Since the Kingdom of God knows where the Shandians operate, why not gather your forces and launch a full offensive to wipe them out completely? For rulers, eliminating the problem permanently seems like the more common solution."
Gan·Fall, piloting a Waver ahead of the ship, fell silent for a moment.
"We've tried. More than once."
"About a hundred years ago, the God of that time launched several large-scale extermination campaigns."
"The result… was devastating losses, yet we still failed to eliminate them."
"The Shandians are extremely strong individually, especially in forest and cloud-river terrain."
"To truly wipe them out would require a price so high that even the most aggressive God couldn't bear the consequences—political instability and public unrest."
"And," he added with a trace of admiration, "they've been changing."
"They've captured and learned to use combat Dials during battles. More than that, they've developed unique techniques using them—methods even we find troublesome."
Riberra Sami nodded thoughtfully.
After sailing further, the cloud sea ahead grew chaotic.
Fragments of island clouds floated everywhere, and numerous turbulent cloud rivers split off in different directions.
Gan·Fall slowed his Waver and stopped at the edge of a larger island cloud.
"I can only take you this far."
He pointed toward a mist-covered region ahead.
"Beyond that waterfall of clouds lies one of the Shandians' main settlements—Cloud Hidden Village."
"There are many sentries and patrols nearby. My identity is too sensitive. If I'm seen, things could spiral out of control immediately."
"The rest of the journey… you'll have to handle yourselves."
"Good luck."
Without hesitation, Gan·Fall turned his Waver around and soon vanished into the cloud path from which he had come.
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