"He is indeed quite weak. This is the consequence of over-relying on Devil Fruits and not training his body."
Ian nodded, giving Ace a meaningful glance. "You'd better watch carefully and remember this scene."
"Huh? Why remember this?"
Hearing Ian's words, Ace chuckled. "I'm not a Devil Fruit user, and I'm working very hard in training my body!"
However, in response to Ace's answer, Ace only received a meaningful look from Ian.
After that, Ian ignored the kid and continued watching Enel, who was still being beaten, a complex and wistful expression appearing on his face.
He, too, had once dreamed of going to Skypiea to find the Rumble-Rumble Fruit.
Alternatively, he could have gone to the ancient town to find the Bat-Bat Fruit, a Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit.
However, at the time, he lacked the strength and ability to reach either place.
Now, having reached Sky Island, he has already eaten a Devil Fruit.
This is why, after obtaining the Light-Light Fruit, he hesitated to eat it.
Unlike those pirates who gambled on the Devil Fruit ability, he knew from the beginning where two top-tier Devil Fruits were located.
Unfortunately, fate played a cruel trick!
Of course, the Devil Fruit he ate now is particularly suitable for him: unlimited stamina, super-fast recovery, coupled with training to break through his limits, allowing him to enter the final saga within a year.
Just as Ian was watching Enel, who had eaten the Devil Fruit he once desired, get beaten up, he seemed to sense something, looked up at the sky, and smiled, saying: "Have they arrived?"
As Ian's voice fell, a loud echo, as if something had crashed down from the sky, it immediately attracted everyone's attention, even Crocodile. He stopped what he was doing and looked at the source of the sound.
"Hahaha!"
Before the dust had even settled, a hearty laugh came from within. "Ian, I'm here! I heard you made a fortune here!"
"..."
Ian looked helplessly at Zephyr, who emerged from the dust with a grin, then frowned at Kuma. "Why did it take so long?"
"Things were too sudden. I thought you were coming to see me, but I didn't expect you to invite me here."
Before Kuma could say anything, Zephyr, who had released Binz and Ain from his body, said cheerfully, "It took me a little time to finish things up before I could come, so I'm a little late. Never mind that."
Then, looking curiously at Ian, he asked: "Where's the gold mine you mentioned?"
"Gold mine?"
After briefly greeting Ain and Binz, Ian pointed to the side and said, "Isn't it right here?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Zephyr, Ain, and Binz turned to look in the direction Ian was pointing. Their eyes widened in disbelief as they stared at the sight before them, a cluster of buildings radiating golden light.
"Tsk tsk tsk, is this gold?"
Zephyr was the first to react, clicking his tongue in amazement as he looked at the scene before him. "When I saw it from the sky just now, I thought it was a mud-brick structure! I never imagined it would be a city made of gold."
"This is..."
Ain, seemingly remembering something, narrowed her eyes and muttered to himself: "The City of Gold?"
"That's right, this might be that distant rumor!"
Zephyr, also realizing something, became serious. "The City of Gold... I never thought it was real! I never thought you would do something so big!"
"This is indeed the City of Gold."
Ian frowned while looking at the three who seemed to have just learned of the City of Gold, and said, "Didn't Kuma tell you?"
"No, he just sent a big gold brick. I thought you had struck gold and sent me to dig it up."
Zephyr waved casually, cheerfully saying, "I never thought you'd actually find the City of Gold. But even if you had, without seeing it with their own eyes, probably not many people would believe it. After all, it's a rumor that's been circulating for over 400 years."
"Now this isn't a rumor anymore."
Binz gazed at the golden city before him and exclaimed excitedly, "So much gold! Enough for us to build countless fleets!"
But Zephyr laughed heartily at Binz's words. "Use it to build fleets?"
He shook his head, looking at the gold with some regret, and said: "That's such a waste!"
"...?"
Before anyone could ask what the waste was…
"I just glanced at it, and what's engraved under these things is history!"
He reached out and stroked a golden stele, his tone complex and filled with emotion: "This is a relic that has survived to this day! Wouldn't it be a great pity to destroy it like this?"
"That is indeed a historical text."
Hearing Zephyr's words, Ian's face showed surprise. "But I thought that as a marine, you would destroy anything related to history!"
"Hahaha, banned is banned."
Zephyr blinked, saying meaningfully: "But who says I have to destroy it? If I encounter it, I can just pretend I didn't see it!"
Ian: "..."
Looking at Zephyr's expression, which contained various meanings, Ian shook his head and didn't dwell on the matter any further.
These Marines actually had a rather complicated life. Undeniably, compared to the World Government, many marines were indeed striving to uphold justice, but while they were upholding justice, they were also the ones committing genocide.
Similarly, they were the ones protecting the Celestial Dragons' trip, and many marines even knew they had done these things.
They were almost portrayed as clowns.
Ian stroked his chin, pondered for a moment, and said: "So, you don't want this gold?"
"Who said I don't want it? I only said not to destroy history... isn't there still plenty? This is enough."
Zephyr stopped dwelling on history and said cheerfully, "Besides, to maintain the fleet's operation, we can't rely solely on sudden wealth; we also need a stable income. Otherwise, it will give the Marine Headquarters other ideas."
Before Ian could speak, Gan Fall, who had been listening quietly, showed an excited expression. "Thank you, Mr. Zephyr. To be honest, I was quite worried about this place being destroyed, especially by the Shandians."
"They've always protected this place. If it weren't for seeing Enel get beaten up and not being able to assess the situation here, those guys would have rushed over."
"Shandians?"
"The original inhabitants of Jaya Island. After half of Jaya Island was swept into the sky, they continued to thrive here."
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