Mohji clutched his wildly beating heart and sighed in relief, "We… we're saved…"
Buggy, however, grinned proudly, "Look at you all, acting like you've never seen this before. This is a Sky Island specialty—Balloon Octopus! It's used to help people return to the Blue Sea from Sky Island."
Mohji blinked in confusion, then his eyes lit up with admiration. "Wow! Captain Buggy, you really are knowledgeable!"
Buggy laughed arrogantly, "Hahaha, stick with me and you'll learn a lot."
Kabaji, meanwhile, was staring over the ship's railing, watching the Blue Sea's surface get closer and closer. He glanced up at the Balloon Octopus and asked, "Does anyone else think this Balloon Octopus is getting smaller?"
"Eh?" Suddenly realizing something, Buggy's eyes widened in panic. "Right! The Balloon Octopus slowly deflates as it descends… But at this height, falling into the sea shouldn't damage the ship too much."
No sooner had Buggy spoken than the Balloon Octopus began to deflate even faster. In just a few seconds, it shrunk down to the size of a small octopus, and Buggy's ship plummeted from a height of about thirty meters, crashing into the sea.
Under normal circumstances, a fall from that height wouldn't cause much damage to a ship.
But Buggy's ship, overloaded with gold, was in no condition to handle such a fall.
With a loud "CRACK," the ship's bottom split open upon impact.
"Huh?" Buggy hadn't even had time to react before the entire ship started sinking rapidly.
"Ah! My gold!" Buggy cried out in despair, dashing into the ship's cabin in a desperate attempt to salvage some of the treasure.
But…
The seawater quickly flooded the deck, and the moment Buggy touched the water, his body went limp, collapsing helplessly onto the deck, still muttering weakly, "Gold… My gold…"
For a Devil Fruit user like Buggy, the sea was his natural enemy.
Kabaji immediately slashed through a section of the deck with his sword, separating a large wooden plank from the sinking ship. He dragged the now unconscious Buggy onto the floating plank.
Mohji and Richie also scrambled aboard the plank.
The plank drifted to a small island barely more than a hundred square meters in size.
When Buggy finally regained consciousness and realized his ship was gone, he nearly burst into tears, "Ahhhh! My gold! My gold, my beautiful gold…"
Seeing Buggy pounding the ground and stomping in frustration, like a child whose favorite toy had been stolen, Kabaji and Mohji exchanged glances.
Mohji quickly handed Buggy a crumpled piece of yellowed parchment, "Captain Buggy, the gold is gone, and we can't change that. But Kabaji and I found a treasure map on this tiny island."
"A treasure map?!" Buggy's eyes widened in surprise, instantly leaping to his feet and snatching the yellowed parchment from Mohji's hands. As he looked at the map, his expression became increasingly animated. Clenching the parchment tightly in his fist, he declared, "Hmph! As expected, the heavens don't forsake me, Buggy. When one door closes, another opens. Mohji, where are we?"
Mohji scratched his head, unsure, "I think we might be in the East Blue…"
After falling from Sky Island, the ship would have landed in a random location based on the direction of the wind.
Back on Sky Island, at Upper Yard...
Takumi hadn't bothered to see Buggy off. There was no need for it.
Early that morning, he had already left the God's Palace and ventured deep into Upper Yard's massive jungle to train by hunting wild beasts.
In the days that followed, Takumi lived a simple routine. He spent his time either sparring with the wild animals in the jungle or drinking at the God's Palace. Gan Fall, though surprised that a child like Takumi could hold his own against the fierce creatures of the jungle (mainly because Takumi wasn't trying to kill them), never restricted his movements.
As a result, Takumi's days passed in relative peace.
In just one month, all the wild beasts of Upper Yard, including the giant serpent, the Lord of the Sky, had learned to flee at the first sign of Takumi's presence. They were terrified of being caught and forced into a one-sided beatdown.
As for the Golden City of Shandora, although Buggy had taken a shipload of gold, his ship wasn't that large. At most, he'd managed to haul away less than one-tenth of Shandora's treasure. The enormous golden bell, however, was far too massive for any number of people to move. If Buggy had tried loading it onto his ship, the vessel would have been crushed under its weight.
Standing atop the small cloud island at the top of the enormous vine, Takumi silently observed the giant golden bell entwined with smaller vines.
The bell had been lifted to the highest point, onto the small cloud island above, where no one would have thought to look for it. Only Takumi knew it was here.
The existence of the golden bell was significant not only for those still searching for the Golden City on Jaya Island, like Montblanc Cricket, but also for the Shandians and Skypieans, who had been warring over Upper Yard for centuries.
In the future, Luffy would lead his crew to Sky Island, join forces with the Shandians and Skypieans to defeat Enel, who had ruled Skypiea for six years, and finally ring the golden bell, sending a signal to Cricket that the Golden City was in the sky. The bell's chime would also serve as a symbol of peace, ending the long-standing conflict between the Shandians and Skypieans.
Takumi took a few steps back, cracking his knuckles in preparation.
He didn't care what the future held.
But he wasn't someone who liked owing others favors.
Cricket had helped him once, and this bell's sound would be Takumi's way of repaying that debt. Whether or not Cricket could hear it and realize that the Golden City was in the sky was up to him.
As for the war between the Shandians and Skypieans, without the catalyst of Enel's arrival, Takumi didn't believe the bell's chime would be enough to stop the fighting.
In any case, he decided to ring it first and deal with the rest later.
Without wasting any more time, Takumi covered his hands with Armament Haki, his eyes flashing. In an instant, he sprinted toward the golden bell and slammed his fists against it.
Immediately, a resounding clang echoed from the bell, reverberating across the entire island.
The sound spread across all of Upper Yard, as well as the nearby Angel Island and the hidden village of the Shandians. Upon hearing the bell's chime, everyone was stunned.
"Is this… the legendary bell?" Gan Fall clasped his hands together in awe. "What a beautiful sound."
Every Skypiean who heard the bell's chime wore a look of pure joy. To them, this beautiful sound was a gift from the heavens.
The Shandians, too, were elated.
"Chieftain, could this be the sound of the Golden Bell? The Golden Bell really does exist!"
"Yes! This must be a sign from our great warrior, Kalgara, guiding us!"
The Shandian chieftain, an old man, also looked on with hope in his eyes.
But a young warrior named Wiper, who had a tattoo around his left eye and a cigar in his mouth, while surprised, quickly replaced his astonishment with a fierce resolve. "This is a war cry!"
Wiper stood up, slinging his massive bazooka over his shoulder. With a grim expression, he declared, "Upper Yard is our homeland! The bell's sound is the battle cry of our great warrior Kalgara, calling us to reclaim our land from the Skypieans. Let's go drive them out and take back our home!"
Meanwhile, in the Blue Sea, at Jaya Island…
Cricket was about to dive into the ocean when a faint yet dreamlike sound echoed from the sky above.
He shuddered, his face filled with shock as he looked up at the sky.
But the sound had already vanished.
"Was it… just my imagination?" Cricket shook his head and slapped his face, trying to clear his mind. Then he stood by the shore, his expression contemplative, for a very long time.
******
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