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The rumbling sound filled the battlefield, and both Gan Fall and Wiper showed looks of shock the moment they saw that imposing face.
Could it be that the one who had been controlling the robot and fighting them was not the talking pet cat, but this blond man standing before them?!
King's appearance was incredibly deceptive, especially with his current high-and-mighty stance atop the chest of the robot.
Unavoidably, both Gan Fall and Wiper began to harbor thoughts of retreat.
Only now did they clearly realize the harsh reality: the massive robot they had fought so desperately against was merely a "toy" in the hands of this man!
"What a joke! We haven't even driven out the damned Skypieans from Upper Yard, and now you Blue Sea people appear!" Wiper shouted, struggling to lift his rocket launcher onto his shoulder, and roared at King, who stood expressionlessly atop the robot's chest, "All we want is to reclaim our homeland!"
The murderous intent caused the Emperor Engine to rev louder and faster.
Indeed, King's internal panic was becoming more evident by the second.
In his current fully exposed state, a single shell from the enemy could easily kill him!
Wiper's intense gaze solidified his determination to fight to the death. From the outset, he never expected to survive this battle. Even if the enemy was overwhelmingly strong, he would not back down!
'It's over. If Zyhark doesn't make a move, I'll have to surrender with a white flag.' King, sweating profusely, looked around anxiously.
Seeing both Gan Fall and Wiper becoming more resolute, King knew he had no choice but to act.
"King, do it! Use your ultimate move, no, your normal attack, and wipe out these weaklings!" Meowth, oblivious to the situation, egged him on from the co-pilot seat.
Each of Meowth's comments hit King right in his most vulnerable spots, making things even worse.
Sighing deeply, King took a small step forward, his face displaying an unnaturally calm and cold expression.
"If you are so eager to die, then I suppose I have no choice but to grant you that wish."
With a confident stride and a heartbeat thundering like a drum, his voice seemed exceptionally calm, and his posture appeared incredibly imposing.
"Prepare to witness my Inferno Unmatched…"
Saying this, King crossed his arms in front of him, assuming an "attack" posture.
Despite putting on a brave face, King's heart was pounding in his chest, frantically calling out for Zyhark.
His intuition told him that Zyhark was definitely observing the battle from some hidden corner!
"Blazing…"
"Wave Cannon!"
As King forced out the final words, he raised his hands and struck a dramatic pose.
Gan Fall and Wiper were startled by the preparation stance and instinctively took several steps back, preparing to defend themselves.
However, after waiting a few seconds, the anticipated terrifying explosion did not occur.
The only sensation was a cool breeze brushing their faces...
Nothing had happened!
What was going on?
Not only were Gan Fall and Wiper baffled, but even Meowth, who was eagerly anticipating, was left in shock.
"Damn it! Are you mocking us? We, the proud Shandians, will never tolerate such humiliation!" Wiper roared in anger, lifting his rocket launcher, and the wind shell at his feet propelled him forward, ready for a desperate attack.
But just as he leaped a mere half-meter, a thunderous explosion echoed, and a bolt of terrifying lightning struck him from above, engulfing Wiper completely.
The raging electric arcs extended in all directions from the impact crater, and when the dust settled, the charred Wiper lay on the ground, eyes rolled back, but still clinging to life.
The Shandians' hope was shattered, and they were the first to be forced out of the Upper Yard conflict.
'The same lightning power as Zyhark?' Meowth, shocked, looked at King, who had calmly retracted his hands and sat back in the pilot's seat. 'No, wait, that was Zyhark's power, right?'
'So, King must have sensed that Zyhark would intervene, and that's why he stopped his attack?'
With this realization, Meowth's astonishment faded, and he nodded firmly.
It seemed that even their comrades were affected by King's inherent aura of dominance…
On the higher clouds, Zyhark nonchalantly cleaned his ears, ignoring Aqua's grumbling about not witnessing King's true power.
The aura effect was still a mystery, and Zyhark delayed his intervention to see how far King's aura could go.
From Aqua and Meowth's reactions, it seemed this hidden rule operated similarly to Buggy's in the One Piece world.
If utilized well, this aura might yield unexpected results!
Naturally, specific limits of this aura still needed further testing.
Compared to Aqua and Meowth's "natural" responses, Gan Fall trembled, and his face showed pure fear as he witnessed Wiper being instantly struck down.
The destructive power contained in that lightning bolt left him with no will to resist.
How laughable. After decades as a god, it was only now he truly witnessed what divine power really was!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
As Gan Fall stood in shock, five more lightning bolts descended from the sky, striking the still-standing Shandian warriors and Gan Fall's soldiers.
Just like Wiper, these elite warriors had no chance to resist and fell unconscious in the cracked craters!
Gan Fall's eyelids twitched violently. The courage he had painstakingly gathered vanished without a trace.
He wasn't a fool like Wiper who relied solely on brute force. By now, if he didn't understand the other party's intention, then his years as a god were in vain!
"Blue Sea people, as long as you don't harm the residents of Skypiea, I am willing to cede Upper Yard." Gan Fall spoke with a downcast expression, voluntarily dropping his spear.
Knowing the strength disparity, surrender was the only logical option.
The other party had shown goodwill by not killing any of his or the Shandians' men. Under these circumstances, resisting would only lead to complete destruction, whereas surrender might bring a glimmer of hope.
Gan Fall felt the need to discuss terms with their leader before making any final decisions!
"If you had recognized this reality sooner, it would have saved a lot of unnecessary trouble."
With a flash of lightning, Zyhark appeared on the robot's head, with Aqua and Cobess following behind, surrounded by electrical currents.
Sizzling.
Bright electric arcs flowed along the robot's steel shell, reaching its core.
With the energy replenished, the robot's eyes glowed blue once more.
"You are... Cobess from the port?"
Gan Fall quickly recognized Cobess , who was standing in the robot's hand.
"It's me, Lord Gan Fall," Cobess nodded gently.
Having figured out Zyhark's true intention for taking Upper Yard, her expression remained calm.
With her as a local intermediary, discussions between Zyhark and Gan Fall about Upper Yard would be smoother.
Zyhark had no interest in ruling Upper Yard like Enel did, nor did he care to resolve the Shandians' and Skypieans' conflict. He only acted as a temporary "villain" to show them that cooperation was possible.
For further negotiations, it was up to Gan Fall and Wiper.
"If you really can't reach an agreement, come to me, Zyhark, and I'll help you make a decision!"
Leaving this domineering statement to Gan Fall and the recovering Wiper, Zyhark turned and directed King to pilot the robot towards the ancient city of Jaya…
The City of Gold, Shandora!
Meowth had equipped the robot with a gold detection system in anticipation of the treasure.
Following the system's guidance through the clouds, they quickly reached the ruins at the base of the giant vine.
Standing on the moss-covered streets, they were greeted by a dazzling sight.
From the towering buildings and towers to the flowerbeds and pools lining the streets, everything was made of pure gold.
At the end of the street, an enormous golden altar, large enough to be a small town, gleamed brilliantly.
Even without seeing the great Golden Bell, it was hard to imagine the true value of this treasure buried beneath Skypiea's clouds!
"Gold, so much gold! Hahaha, Zyhark, we're rich!"
"How many top-quality wines can we buy with all this gold!"
The shameless Aqua immediately fell into a gold-induced frenzy.
As she bounced around the golden streets, her mouth curled into an unstoppable grin.
"I never imagined there could really be a city made entirely of gold!" Meowth's eyes turned into coins, gnawing on the golden bricks lining the street.
The greedy Pokémon's ecstatic behavior almost matched the crazy Aqua…
In contrast, King, though equally shocked, managed to maintain a semblance of composure.
Having vast wealth in a world overrun by monsters might not be a good thing.
Given his current strength, he lacked the confidence to claim this treasure.
Of course, in Skypiea, there were no enemies capable of challenging them.
So, Zyhark ignored Aqua and Meowth, who were stuffing their pockets with gold bricks.
His electromagnetic waves, enhanced by Observation Haki, spread outwards from his position.
Confirming there were no hidden dangers in the untouched city of gold, Zyhark leisurely walked to a dry golden pool.
Due to years of abandonment, the pool was overgrown with dense weeds, covering parts of the golden bricks.
Zyhark raised his arm and tapped the golden bricks
in the pool.
Sizzling.
Dense blue currents flowed from his fingertips.
The moss and vines were instantly vaporized by the high heat, and the golden bricks began to melt.
Using his will, Zyhark guided the liquid gold, shaping it into a long, slender katana.
Yes, this was one of the abilities of the Goro Goro no Mi, the power to freely shape gold through lightning: "Electromagnetic Metallurgy."
The simple test pleased Zyhark greatly.
This meant he could easily transport the entire city of gold if he wished!
But for now, he had no such plans. Flooding the market with so much gold would cause chaos, and defending it from pirates would be exhausting.
In any case, with this treasure, the financial concerns for the wishing pool were resolved.
However, this didn't mean the floating restaurant would close down.
As originally planned, running the restaurant was not Zyhark's main goal.
Having a legitimate business and a reasonable profession made life on the seas easier.
Running around with a pirate flag wasn't ideal.
Moreover, the intelligence gathered daily from various customers was invaluable!
Just as Zyhark was about to further experiment with the interaction between lightning and gold, Aqua and Meowth's startled voices echoed from the end of the street.
Looking over, he saw a few stone tablets engraved with strange symbols near the altar.
That was…
The Poneglyph containing information about the ancient weapon Poseidon!
(End of Chapter)