"Damn it, the secret's out!"
Kai was panicking. He had let his guard down and revealed more than he should have.
After a moment of racking his brain for a solution, he finally laughed and said, "Nami, you're too sharp!"
"Yeah, only after getting here did something suddenly pop into my mind! It's like I remembered things I didn't know before!"
Everyone: . . .
At least make your lies more believable!
Still, nobody said anything. The five who had just been on the receiving end of his blows were too intimidated to speak, and Nami didn't press further. She didn't want to come off as too aggressive and have Kai think she was always irritating!
But she still gave him a reminder.
"Now that you remember, don't keep it to yourself. Share any information you have next time!"
"Of course! When I remember more, I'll tell you everything I know!" Kai assured her, patting his chest confidently.
Then, pointing to the old man, Kai said, "For example, this guy. His name's Gan Fall. He used to be the 'God' of Sky Island!"
"God??"
Everyone couldn't help but show interest, while Gan Fall's expression shifted in disbelief as he stared at Kai.
"Who are you? How do you know my identity?"
"Remember Roger?" Kai asked.
"Roger??"
Everyone's curiosity spiked, and Luffy directly asked, "Did the Pirate King Roger also come to Sky Island?"
"Yeah, that's right!" Kai nodded.
But Gan Fall still had doubts, asking, "Roger was indeed a good pirate friend I met over 20 years ago, but even if he told you about me, how did you recognize me?"
"Isn't there an image shell on Sky Island? Old man, don't play dumb!" Kai said casually.
"Oh~ That's it! Hahaha… I must be getting senile!" Gan Fall chuckled, his suspicion easing. Learning that Roger had shared his identity with Kai lowered his guard.
"By the way, what does 'Old Man' mean?" Gan Fall asked.
"Oh, it means 'a guy who's reached the top in his old age!'" Kai responded with a completely serious face, causing everyone to give him strange looks.
"Haha… I see, no prizes! The people of the Blue Sea really have a broad and profound vocabulary!"
"But you've got one thing wrong. I didn't become 'God' in my old age. I was middle-aged at the time. I guess you'd call me 'Middle-aged Man!'"
The second he said that, everyone's odd looks shifted from Kai to Gan Fall.
From Gan Fall's perspective, these people must be admiring him for his 'middle-aged accomplishments.'
He couldn't help but think, "What can I say? I'm just that good."
Meanwhile, Kai fought back a grin, nodding along: "Yes, yes!"
"Hahaha… Kid, that nostril dance of yours is hilarious!" Gan Fall laughed as he looked at Luffy.
In less than 15 minutes, Gan Fall had already hit it off with everyone on the ship.
"Hahaha..."
"By the way, Mr. Gan Fall, my Log Pose is still pointing upward. Isn't Sky Island supposed to be here?" Nami asked, confused.
"Indeed! We're currently at an altitude of 7,000 meters, on the White Sea. The island you're looking for, Angel Island, is located on the White-White Sea, 10,000 meters above us!"
"Ten thousand meters? How do we get up there?"
Gan Fall stood, looking around before pointing. "See that cloud that looks like a waterfall? You can take that to reach the White-White Sea above. But you'll need to pay a toll!"
"A toll?!" Nami immediately jumped at the word.
"Yep! It's one billion extols per person!"
"One billion?!" Nami was even more irritable now. "That's impossible!"
Although she didn't know much about extols, she knew that a billion of anything was outrageous!
"Nami, calm down! The exchange rate is 10,000 extols to 1 Belly, so one billion extols is only 100,000 Belly!"
"100,000 Belly?" Nami calmed down a little, though she still wasn't thrilled. "But for eight people, that's 800,000 Belly. We could buy a lot with that!"
"I'll cover it!" Kai said with a flourish, waving his hand. "If we don't pay, we'll be considered illegal immigrants, and that would ruin our experience here."
"My idea is to explore Sky Island for a while, then head to Upper Yard to claim the Golden Land mentioned in Noland's story."
"Gold~ so much gold~" Kai said in a dreamy, drawn-out tone.
"Alright! Let's go for it!" Nami exclaimed excitedly, her eyes practically turning into Belly symbols.
(⊙o⊙)...
"Golden Land!!!"
The whole crew cheered with excitement.
"Kai, you mean the Golden Land is here?" Luffy asked eagerly.
"Yep! According to my 'recovered memories,' it's definitely here!"
Everyone: Hey, stop pretending!
Kai continued, "It's in Upper Yard, which the Sky Islanders consider a holy land. And here's another piece of news!"
"The holy land of Upper Yard is actually Jaya Island!"
"Hundreds of years ago, the knock-up stream blasted half of Jaya Island into the sky, and that's what became Upper Yard!"
"!!!"
Everyone was stunned by this revelation, and the atmosphere turned silent for a moment.
Gan Fall was the first to break the silence.
"You're saying the Holy Land is a Blue Sea island?"
"What else? Do you have any other land on Sky Island?"
"It's because of its uniqueness that you call it a holy land, right? Even the soil there is so precious you've named it 'Vearth'!"
"How do you even know that?" Gan Fall was genuinely shocked now.
The young man in front of him seemed to know everything about Sky Island, even more than he did as a former 'God!'
At least Gan Fall didn't know the origin of Apayado!
At this moment, Kai seemed like a mysterious figure, cloaked in knowledge beyond anyone's comprehension.
Suddenly, Gan Fall's expression turned somber.
"You're planning to go to the Holy Land?"
"That's right! We're going for the gold!" Luffy shouted enthusiastically.
"I advise you not to go! Though it's called a holy land, it's also a forbidden place!"
"A forbidden area no one is allowed to enter. If you're discovered…"
"You'll face punishment from God!"
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Power Stones would be appreciated if you liked the story.