Chapter 257: Let's Steal the Gold and Run!
The echoes of the Golden Bell still lingered in their ears, and the thunderclouds above Skypiea finally began to disperse.
The Raigo, a symbol of destruction, had been swallowed whole by Munch-Munch.
The stuffed Little Dinosaur, lightning flickering in its eyes, ran wildly across Upper Yard, venting its boundless energy.
According to the final witness, Ralph:
Enel had fallen from the Ark Maxim. No one knew his whereabouts, nor whether he was alive or dead.
The Ark Maxim, having lost its power, plummeted from the sky just like its master.
The difference was that it remained in Upper Yard.
Ralph thought he needed to find someone trustworthy to entrust it to—this thing had great potential.
Upper Yard was preserved.
Angel Island was preserved.
The Shandians and Skypieans stood on their respective lands, looking up at the dissipating thunderclouds.
No one knew who shouted first, but cheers swept across Skypiea like a tidal wave.
Four hundred years.
They no longer had to hide, no longer had to fear, no longer had to watch their loved ones turn to charcoal under so-called divine punishment.
Gan Fall landed on Angel Island's square atop Pierre, tears streaming down his aged face.
Wyper threw down his Burn Bazooka, collapsing to the ground as he gasped for breath.
Kamakiri and Raki supported him. None of the three Shandian warriors spoke, simply gazing at the finally clear sky above.
Then, someone suggested holding a banquet.
This was something the Skypieans excelled at.
Tables were set up on Island Cloud, Tone Dials played music, and piles of unnamed fruits and melons were stacked high.
The Shandians brought roasted Sky Fish, while the residents of Angel Island served sweet pumpkin juice.
The Straw Hat Crew was pulled into the center of the celebration.
Lufia's mouth was stuffed with food, a piece of meat with bone in each hand, her eyes narrowed into crescent slits as she smiled.
Zoro leaned in a corner drinking, his body wrapped in bandages.
Sanji busied himself handing plates to the ladies, while Nami and Robin sat on cloud-made sofas, enjoying the chef's specially crafted juices.
Usopp and Chopper performed tricks among the children, eliciting waves of screams.
Everything was perfect.
Except for Ralph.
He sat at the edge of the banquet, holding a wooden cup filled with Skypiea's specialty fruit wine.
But he had barely touched it.
Just as the Straw Hat Pirates spread joy to everyone, Ralph, due to his greed, found himself brooding over this adventure's failure to yield a perfect harvest.
It wasn't really a big deal—just that he hadn't obtained the Goro Goro no Mi!
Hadn't there been a few failures at the beginning too?
This time, the problem lay in the hypnosis!
Well, no—more accurately, it lay in the target of the hypnosis.
Ralph never expected someone to be this ruthless!
No wonder you're fit to be a god, Enel!
Those familiar with Ralph knew that his ability to seize Devil Fruits required first establishing a false friendship through hypnosis.
The system would then determine if Ralph received a reward.
If the target was a Devil Fruit User, there was a high probability Ralph could obtain their fruit through the Fruit Reincarnation Method.
This time, however, after hypnotizing Enel, Ralph discovered that this guy didn't even have the concept of friendship in his heart.
Unable to befriend him, Ralph couldn't gain anything from him.
A man who neither loved others nor needed to be loved by others!
Ralph had to admit, Enel, you're one ruthless bastard!
"Red-Eye, is this the realm you pursue too?"
Ralph questioned the entity within him but received no reply.
Could it be that he was stumped by the question and lost in reflection?
He downed the fine wine in his cup in one gulp, teasing himself inwardly.
For some reason, he began to overlap Enel with himself, his brows furrowing tightly.
"Ralph."
Lufia's voice came from behind.
She had somehow emerged from the pile of food, oil stains still at the corners of her mouth, tilting her head as she looked at him.
"Every time there's a banquet, you're always frowning alone. Aren't you happy?"
Ralph snapped out of his thoughts and forced a smile. "I am happy."
"I don't think it's enough."
"What do you want me to do then?"
Lufia turned and pointed toward the center of the crowd.
Usopp had stuck two chopsticks he'd found from who-knows-where into his nostrils, with the other ends propping his mouth open, making a comically distorted expression.
Chopper was laughing so hard he was rolling on the ground. The Skypiean children followed suit, each contorting their faces into unrecognizable shapes.
"At least be like Usopp."
Ralph looked at the scene, his lips twitching.
"I'd rather die than do that."
Lufia pouted in disappointment.
"Ralph, you're so boring. Then I guess I'll have to go."
She turned to leave.
Ralph gritted his teeth. "Stop."
Lufia looked back.
Ralph stood up and took a deep breath. "It's just clowning around, right? I can do it too."
Three minutes later.
Ralph stood in the center of the crowd, two chopsticks stuck in his nostrils, his mouth stretched into an exaggerated arc.
His expression was blank, his eyes empty, like a samurai marching to his death.
The laughter around him was loud enough to pierce the sky.
Lufia was doubled over, clutching her stomach, tears streaming from her eyes.
Zoro spat out his drink, coughing uncontrollably.
Nami leaned on Robin's shoulder, laughing so hard she could barely catch her breath.
Even Robin covered her mouth, her shoulders trembling.
Sanji walked past with a tray of food, glanced over, then silently turned and walked away.
He needed to put the tray down first before he could laugh freely!
Maintaining that pose, Ralph silently thought to himself:
Red-Eye, are you there? Come out and take over for me.
No response.
That cold, ruthless alter ego was playing dead completely at this moment.
No one could deny that the banquet had reached its peak because of Ralph.
Even though Ralph, as the Boss, ordered otherwise, Robin still recorded the entire process with a Vision Dial.
She promised to keep it for herself and not share it.
The next morning, it was time to say goodbye.
At the edge of Upper Yard, the Going Merry was docked by the White-White Sea.
The crew members were scattered across Skypiea, bidding their final farewells.
Robin was exchanging information with the Shandian elders about the Poneglyphs.
Those fragments of records about the Sea King and Ancient Weapons, as well as the Pirate King's message left on the gold.
Usopp continued his business on Angel Island.
He took out the rubber bands, small iron nails, glass beads he carried with him...
The Skypieans gathered around, curiously watching these little trinkets.
A timid child exchanged a Breath Dial for three rubber bands.
And then the trading spiraled out of control.
Ralph watched this scene, then looked at the soil and seeds he had brought, sinking into thought.
Here, he had made a blunder.
The soil and seeds were regarded as sacred by the Skypieans.
They looked at the bags with reverence, but no one stepped forward to trade.
These things... were too precious.
The soil and even the forests of Upper Yard were sacred, and the people here dared not exchange them for ordinary shells.
Ralph could only sigh helplessly.
So he changed his approach and took out several cultivated Den Den Mushi.
"How about these?"
Conis looked curiously at the little creatures slowly crawling with shells on their backs.
The Den Den Mushi raised their eyes and met her gaze.
"Are these... animals?"
"Animals used for communication."
Ralph briefly explained their use, then handed several Den Den Mushi to her.
"Help me raise them here. The environment of Skypiea is special—we might be able to breed a giant variety."
Conis carefully took them, her eyes sparkling. "I'll take good care of them."
Ralph nodded.
He had a plan in mind: to use Skypiea's unique environment to cultivate giant Den Den Mushi and establish his own communication network.
This couldn't be rushed; he would plant the seeds first.
Sanji was collecting Skypiea's unique spices and ingredients.
Chopper was exchanging medical knowledge with Skypiea's healers.
Zoro sat alone on a rock, his eyes closed.
He was recalling his battles with Ohm and Enel, digesting the insights gained from those life-and-death moments.
Only Lufia had nothing to do.
She wandered around the square a few times, staring at the piles of gold stacked nearby.
It was the Shandora gold collected by Enel, the ancestral treasure of the Shandians.
A smile spread across her face, and she gathered everyone.
"Let's steal the gold and run away!"