"Chief, the current situation is highly unfavorable for continued combat. I request that your forces retreat for now. I give you my word that my men will not attack you while you withdraw."
Facing the rapidly approaching Master of the Sky, Gan Fall descended from the air, landing at the very front of the Skypiean forces to directly confront the Shandian Chief.
"Impossible! This time, we will absolutely reclaim Shandora and light the Fire!"
While the Chief was still weighing his options, Wiper impatiently rejected the offer.
"Wiper!" The Chief glared at the hot-headed teenager before turning back to the old knight. "Gan Fall, someone has rung the Golden Bell, and it wasn't one of my Shandians. That bell is our tribe's most sacred treasure! We absolutely cannot afford to lose it!"
The Shandians bore the ancestral duty of guarding the Poneglyph, which was built directly into the Golden Bell's belfry. If someone was ringing the bell, it meant they had already discovered the ancient text.
If the Poneglyph was lost, the 400 years of blood, sweat, and tears the Shandians had sacrificed would be completely in vain. Therefore, they could not take a single step back today, no matter the cost.
Gan Fall rubbed his temples, a massive headache forming. If the Shandians refused to retreat, the Divine Guard couldn't retreat either. Although he desperately wanted to eliminate the hatred between the two factions, he couldn't do it at the expense of his own people. The Skypieans had lived on Upper Yard for centuries; they couldn't just abandon the only solid soil in the sky.
Right in the middle of this incredibly tense standoff, the colossal Master of the Sky reared its massive head back. It was the prelude to a devastating strike.
"Everyone, brace yourselves—!" "Watch out for Nola's—!"
Both leaders shouted their commands simultaneously.
BOOOOOOM!
Before the giant snake could strike, its raised head was suddenly, violently crushed back into the dirt by an invisible, overwhelming force. A deafening crash echoed across the ruins, completely cutting off both leaders' orders.
Everyone stared in sheer horror at the massive cloud of dust billowing from the impact zone. An incredibly heavy, suffocating pressure suddenly saturated the air.
Naturally, it was Bardock deliberately projecting a controlled burst of his Conqueror's Haki. How could the atmosphere not be oppressive?
Bardock had recently realized that in non-combat situations, instantly knocking everyone unconscious wasn't actually the most optimal move. Emitting just enough Conqueror's Haki to instill a deep, paralyzing sense of dread and awe was the correct way to flex the King's Disposition.
As the dust settled, Bardock's figure was revealed. He was casually standing on top of the Master of the Sky's massive head. The colossal, seemingly invincible Nola had been knocked completely unconscious.
The visual contrast between the mountain-sized snake and the relatively tiny human standing on it was absolutely staggering. The terrifying apex predator of Sky Island had been instantly put down by this unknown Blue Sea dweller!
"Listen up, everyone! I have come to put an end to this war!"
Bardock's voice echoed across the silent battlefield.
"For 400 years, you have fought an endless, bloody war. Both sides have suffered countless casualties. If this conflict continues, all you'll achieve is digging more graves for your own people."
"So... to everyone present right now, please do me a favor and save me some face! How about we call a truce?"
Stealing Red-Haired Shanks' iconic Marineford lines made Bardock feel a little bit cringe at first, but thinking about the tragic, 400-year meat-grinder of a war that had soaked this forest in blood... the more he spoke, the more he really got into character.
"If anyone here still hasn't had enough fighting... then step forward! My crew and I will be your opponents!"
As he delivered the final line, the White Dragon, gently carried by the Flying Nimbus, finally descended from the clouds and landed directly on Nola's massive body. Because the Golden Bell took up far too much deck space, Bardock had wrapped the cloud around the bell to form an elevated platform. His crew stood on this platform, fully coming into view for both armies.
How should one describe them? Well, based purely on physical appearance, they lacked absolutely any intimidation factor. Two young women, two tiny dwarves, a reindeer that looked suspiciously like a raccoon dog, and two stoic, cold-faced guys who looked like they might actually be able to throw a punch.
In terms of global infamy and sheer terror, Bardock's rookie crew was definitely a far cry from the Red Hair Pirates pulling up to Marineford. But then again, the Skypieans and Shandians weren't exactly the Marine Admirals or the Whitebeard Pirates, either.
Bardock effortlessly one-shotting the Master of the Sky was a flawless opening move. If the locals didn't know how strong the giant snake was, they might have brushed it off. But over the centuries, countless warriors from both sides had ended up in Nola's stomach! They all desperately wanted revenge, but none of them possessed the firepower to even scratch the beast's scales! Yet this man had crushed it instantly!
While Bardock's entrance absolutely stunned the vast majority of the crowd, it wasn't enough to completely pacify everyone. Wiper, the ultimate hot-headed punk, immediately gritted his teeth and prepared to step forward to yell at the intruder.
However, Bardock's Observation Haki was already blanketing the entire battlefield. He absolutely refused to let some loudmouth teenager ruin his perfectly constructed Shanks-vibe! Bardock instantly focused a concentrated spike of Conqueror's Haki directly onto Wiper.
Wiper was a tough guy, but he was ultimately still young and hadn't reached his prime. Pinned down by the terrifying spiritual pressure, his muscles completely locked up, rendering him entirely paralyzed.
"Sir, I have long desired a truce between our peoples," Gan Fall spoke up, breaking the silence. He had been desperately seeking a catalyst for peace, and this unimaginably powerful stranger seemed to be the perfect opportunity. "However, the core issue remains: our two factions cannot reach an agreement regarding the ownership of Upper Yard."
"Sir!" the Shandian Chief quickly interjected, not wanting Bardock to side entirely with the Skypieans. "Shandora has been the ancestral homeland of the Shandians since ancient times! It was the Skypieans who stole our land 400 years ago! We simply demand the return of Shandora! Is that an unreasonable request?!"
As for the blood feud? The Chief didn't even bother mentioning it. Dying on the battlefield was a warrior's ultimate destiny. Both sides had lost countless people; trying to tally up the blood debt was completely pointless now.
"Sir! The Island of God has been under Skypiean administration for 400 years! My people have built their entire lives around this soil! We cannot simply abandon it!" Gan Fall argued back.
"Sir! Just because a thief successfully holds onto stolen property for centuries doesn't mean it legally belongs to the thief!" the Chief fired back.
"Sir..." "Sir!" "..."
The majestic, tense atmosphere completely evaporated as the Chief and Gan Fall began passionately bickering back and forth over property rights, neither willing to yield a single inch.
DOOOOOOONG!
Getting a massive headache from the squabbling, Bardock swung his staff, peeling back a layer of the Nimbus to violently strike the Golden Bell.
Logically and morally speaking, the Shandians were the victims and the Skypieans were the invaders. Upper Yard absolutely should be returned to the Shandians. However, the harsh reality was that the Shandians simply lacked the military strength to protect it. Even if Bardock forced Gan Fall to hand over the land today, who was to say the Skypieans wouldn't just invade again in fifty years? Bardock certainly wasn't going to stick around to babysit them.
In the real world, reclaiming ancestral territory required overwhelming national strength. In the cutthroat world of One Piece, that logic was multiplied tenfold. Being 'morally right' didn't guarantee your survival.
"The Golden Bell! The Light of Shandora!"
The chime instantly drew the Shandians' attention to the platform. Seeing the massive, glowing artifact resting on the pirate ship, their eyes widened in absolute shock and awe.
Bardock gestured for his crew to step aside and completely dispelled the cloud covering the bell.
For the first time in their entire lives, the modern generation of Shandians finally laid eyes on their legendary 'Light'.
"Bardock," Robin spoke up softly, assessing the situation. "The Shandians don't actually have a very large population. Even if they all moved back to Upper Yard, they would only occupy a tiny fraction of the island. Why not just open the island to everyone? Because of this endless war, ordinary Skypieans are strictly forbidden from entering Upper Yard, which is exactly why they are so utterly desperate for Vearth."
Bardock nodded thoughtfully. In the original timeline, both factions suffered terribly under Eneru's tyrannical oppression. That shared trauma, combined with Luffy defeating the tyrant, naturally forced them to unite and eventually co-exist on Upper Yard.
But right now? Without the shared trauma of Eneru's tyranny, the Skypieans couldn't truly empathize with the Shandians. Just tossing them onto the same island would undoubtedly spark endless civil disputes and racial tension.
"Gan Fall. Chief," Bardock called out, his voice echoing with absolute authority. "Let's have a little chat. We're going to discuss the joint development and mutual administration of Upper Yard."
Bardock had originally intended to establish a base on Sky Island and recruit some capable subordinates. It seemed he was just going to have to take a more active, hands-on approach in managing the local politics than he initially planned.