Soon, the four of them arrived at the Birkian Royal Palace.
Right at the entrance, they saw a group of finely dressed individuals waiting, one of them wearing a crown.
Someone had just reported that Barkley was defeated by a Blue Sea man, and it had terrified them.
When they heard the man was coming to the palace, they hurried out to greet him.
From the high vantage point of the palace, they could clearly see the ruined streets left behind.
The destructive power made their eyelids twitch.
"Welcome to the Birkian Royal Palace, Blue Sea warrior!" the king greeted.
"I came to have a look around your palace."
"It would be our honor."
Led by the king, Creed began touring the palace.
It was like something out of a fairy tale—clouds everywhere, and even trees that looked like they were made of cloud. It had a unique charm.
Ain's eyes sparkled at the sight.
"By the way, where's your treasury? I'd like to visit it. I came to Sky Island to find a certain item," Creed said.
"Allow me to take you there."
The king knew better than to resist. Since he couldn't win, he might as well comply. If the man wanted something, he could have it—even the whole treasury—so long as he didn't destroy Birkia or enslave its people.
Before long, they arrived before a white wall.
There was a hole in the wall.
The king removed his crown, which had a glassy shell on its tip, and inserted it into the hole.
It fit perfectly.
The white wall rippled like water, then quickly softened into a weightless cloud, dissipating like steam.
"This is our treasury."
"Mm."
Creed nodded and entered with Ain and Enel.
Inside, the Lamp Shells lit the room like daytime.
The place was full of treasures—various weapons, rare shells, many Blue Sea items, and specialty goods from different seas.
He even saw a tray of fine sand.
And, of course, plenty of gold.
Creed's mouth twitched. It figured—Blue Sea goods were precious up here, just like land was to Sky Island, hence the term "God's Island."
"Help me find a fruit with mysterious patterns on it," Creed told Ain and Enel.
The three searched, but after a long while, found nothing.
Creed frowned and kept looking. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed something.
In the corner of the treasury stood a shrine-like cabinet.
Inside it was an oval-shaped stone. The shrine bore mysterious carvings, full of an ancient, enigmatic aura.
But now, it was covered in dust, looking filthy and decrepit, as if it might fall apart at any moment.
What drew Creed's attention most was the blue lightning rune at the very top of the shrine.
Narrowing his eyes, he stepped forward and knocked on it.
Hollow.
No—it felt like a box embedded within.
With a firm tap, the box popped out. He opened it.
Inside lay a mysterious fruit covered in lightning-like patterns.
Found it!
Creed's eyes lit up. Closing the box, he stored away the Goro Goro no Mi (Rumble-Rumble Fruit).
He hadn't expected it to be so easy.
"Let's go."
Just as he was about to leave, Creed let out a small sound of surprise.
His gaze shifted to the oval-shaped stone.
It… seemed alive.
The thought startled him. How could a stone be alive?
Yet that was exactly the sensation he got.
Since acquiring the Ope Ope no Mi (Op-Op Fruit), he had become extremely sensitive to life force.
He knocked on the oval stone. It was quite large—over half a man's height.
It felt like rock to the touch, yet the surface was perfectly smooth.
No… something was off.
Studying it closely, he examined its shape.
It looked like… an egg?
Yes, it was exactly like an egg. At first glance, he thought it was just a stone shaped like one.
But the more he looked, the more it resembled a giant egg—one that had fossilized over time.
What the hell?
A fossilized egg… with something still alive inside?
…
(End of Chapter)
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