「That's strange. There's supposed to be gold in these ruins...」
「Hey, hey. Don't tell me we came all this way for a wild goose chase? Was your information really that reliable?」
The group had pushed deep into the forest and arrived at their destination, but the reality differed sharply from Krieg's expectations.
The moss-covered stone structures, partially buried in island clouds, showed no glint of yellow.
「It's weird. It definitely should have been here...」
Krieg knew that in the original timeline, Enel had excavated a massive amount of gold from these ruins to build his flying ark, Maxim.
Since Enel hadn't arrived in Skypiea yet, the gold should logically still be here. He spent an hour circling the site, even physically lifting fallen pillars with his brute strength, but he found not so much as a gold flake.
「If it's not here, it's probably somewhere else, right? Maybe your 'future sight' got the locations mixed up?」 Tesoro suggested.
「Ugh, fine. It increases the risk, but let's move to Plan B...」
「Plan B? You mean there's another stash of gold somewhere?」
「Yeah. But first, let's regroup with Gin and the others.」
Giving up on the empty ruins for now, Krieg and Tesoro trekked back to the shore to reunite with the rest of the unit.
The Regroup and the Giant Jack
「What? There was no gold?」 Gin asked, surprised.
「Yeah, the location might be different than I thought. I couldn't find a thing...」
「Do you have another plan-less?」 Cotton asked.
「I do. It's a bit of a detour, but we're going to climb Giant Jack!」
「Giant Jack? You mean... that thing?」
Tesoro's skepticism was warranted. Giant Jack was the colossal beanstalk piercing the center of the Upper Yard. It was so massive that partway up sat the Shrine of God—the residence of Gan Fall, the current ruler of Skypiea.
Krieg remembered that at the very top of the stalk sat the Golden Bell. In the original story, the sky people had offered a massive gold pillar to the Straw Hat Pirates as a thank-you gift.
Years later, the pirate Bellamy had apparently returned from the sky with a similar pillar. Krieg figured that if he just "borrowed" one, it wouldn't hurt the ecosystem too much.
Wait, Bellamy... Krieg's mind drifted. In the original timeline, Bellamy appeared just before the Straw Hats went to the sky. He was a man who worshipped Doflamingo.
「Hey, what's wrong? You look like you're overthinking again,」 Tesoro said, snapping Krieg back to reality.
「Ah, sorry. I was just thinking... the God's residence is halfway up that stalk. I was debating whether to sneak past or just go through the front door.」
「If the risk of getting caught is that high, shouldn't we just get permission first?」 Gin suggested.
「Gin's right. Let's just talk to Gan Fall and ask for permission to climb the beanstalk.」
But wait, Krieg thought, how do I treat Gan Fall? Is he a king? This is a non-affiliated country, so my Marine rank doesn't technically carry weight...
「And how exactly are we going to contact him?」 Tesoro asked.
「...Good question. Usually, I'd just use my Rear Admiral credentials, but I'm technically on vacation...」
「Krieg, let's head back to Angel Island first-less. Maybe we can ask the locals to facilitate a meeting-less?」 Cotton suggested.
「She's right, Boss. That seems like the most logical path,」 Gin agreed.
「Fine. The ruins were a bust, so let's head back for now.」
With that, the party boarded their Dial boat and began the return trip to Angel Island.
Krieg sat at the rudder, frustrated by the "empty" ruins, completely unaware that directly beneath his feet—buried deep under the very soil he had just walked upon—lay the dazzling, sun-drenched splendor of the Golden City of Shandora, waiting in silence.
The Wind's Skiff:
Back at Angel Beach, Krieg tracked down Pagaya, who was busy tinkering with a Waver—a sleek, single-person Dial boat. Krieg broached the subject of a meeting with Gan Fall.
「A meeting with the God? ...I see. May I ask what business you have with him? My apologies!」 Pagaya asked, bowing as usual.
「I want to climb that Giant Jack to the very top. I heard the Shrine is partway up, so I figured I should get official clearance first.」
「I see. Tell me... are you pirates?」
「No, we're not pirates, but...」
「Well, the God formed a friendship with a group of pirates ten-some years ago, so I don't think it will be a problem. My apologies!」
A friendship with pirates? Krieg wondered. Must be someone big. (Note: Indeed, Gan Fall once befriended Gol D. Roger and his crew during their journey to the sky.)
「Anyway, if you could just help me get permission, that's all I need.」
「Understood. I will reach out through my connections and see what can be done.」
Krieg's gaze drifted to the Waver. 「So, this is a 'Waver'? First time seeing one up close.」
「Ah, yes! Since you're from the Blue Sea, it must be quite a novelty. This is a personal craft powered by a Breath Dial. It can glide even when there's no wind or waves. I'm a Dial-ship mechanic by trade, so I do maintenance on these from time to time. My apologies!」
「Can these be bought somewhere?」
「Buying one brand new is... quite expensive, I'm afraid. My apologies!」
Probably costs a fortune in Extols, Krieg thought. If only I could exchange my cash.
「By the way, Pagaya-san, what's the exchange rate for Berries to Extols?」
「If I recall, 1 Berry is 10,000 Extols. How many Berries do you have?」
「I brought about a million Berries, just in case.」
「That would be... 10 billion Extols! My apologies, but there isn't a single shop on this island that could facilitate an exchange for that kind of money!」
Krieg whistled. 10 billion. He was technically a billionaire up here, yet he couldn't buy a snack because nobody had change. Still, now that he had a stash of Dials, he figured he could probably build something similar to a Waver once he got back to the ship.
Permission Granted
A few days later, while Krieg was playing a ball game on the beach with Conis, Tesoro called out from the porch, where he'd been deep in a book about Sky Island history.
「Hey, Krieg! Pagaya's got news!」
Krieg jogged over. Pagaya handed him an official-looking scroll.
「The God has granted you permission to climb the beanstalk. If anyone stops you, just show them this letter.」
「Thanks, Pagaya-san. Should I bring him a gift or something?」
「He mentioned that he'd like to speak with you on your way back. It might be best to stop by the Shrine after your climb.」
With that, Krieg's team prepared for the final ascent. They left their heavy gear at Pagaya's house to stay light.
「Alright... this is going to be a tough climb. Everyone ready?」
「Shouldn't we thin out the group?」 Tesoro suggested. 「If speed is the priority, maybe some should stay behind?」
「Good point. Sigma, maybe you should sit this one out?」 Krieg looked at the massive wolf.
「Grrrr!?」 Sigma growled, looking wounded.
「Let's all go together-less! Sigma looks like he really wants to see the top-less!」 Cotton interjected.
So, the full unit began the ascent. Gin (using Moonwalk), Cotton, and Kafu took the lead as the scouts. Tesoro, who hadn't mastered high-speed movement yet, rode on Sigma's back as the wolf leaped from giant leaf to giant leaf.
「Seriously, how big is this plant?」 Tesoro yelled over the wind.
「I told you, the sky air makes everything grow like crazy!」 Krieg shouted back.
「I know, but look! That leaf over there is as big as our Dial boat!」
Krieg looked where Tesoro was pointing. A thought struck him. Sky air... unique particles...
He pulled a glass vial from his pack, used a blade to take a clean sample of the Giant Jack's stalk, and sealed it. He made a mental note to bag some of the "Vearth" soil on the way down.
If he could bring these samples back to the Navy's science division—or even his own researchers—the potential for "Super-Growth" technology was too good to pass up.
Upward they went, piercing through the cloud layers, headed for the legendary bell at the summit.
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