Chapter 141: Romantic Fantasia! Lighting the Fire of Shandora
The sky seemed to collapse.
That black ball of lightning capable of destroying an island — "Raigo".
It descended slowly with a suffocating sense of oppression, preparing to swallow the entire White-White Sea along with Angel Island.
"Too much of an eyesore!!!!"
Luffy stood on the back seat of the Waver, looking at that massive black ball blocking out the sky, without a hint of fear in his eyes.
He swung his right arm violently, and the heavy golden ball, driven by his monstrous strength, whistled through the air and drilled into the interior of the thundercloud.
"Gomu Gomu... Fireworks... Golden Peony!!!!"
Luffy's arms flailed wildly, and the gold's excellent conductivity, combined with the high-speed rotation and rebound of the rubber, actually formed a golden storm inside the black ball.
The originally extremely unstable structure of the cumulonimbus cloud collapsed instantly.
"Bzzt, bzzt..."
That "Raigo" which had brought despair to everyone, like a popped balloon, turned into a sky full of fragmented lightning and dissipated at this ten-thousand-meter altitude.
The darkness faded, and the long-lost sunlight pierced through the clouds, spilling once again onto the land of Skypiea.
On the deck, Wyper, covered in blood, and Zoro, looking up, as well as all the residents on the ground who had been praying in despair, were all stunned.
It was a miracle.
"Unforgivable... mortal!!!"
With his ultimate move broken, Enel on the Ark was completely enraged.
He frantically struck the thunder drums behind him, absorbing all the lightning energy of the Ark into his body.
"200 Million Volts... Amaru!!!!"
With a roar, Enel's body expanded rapidly, transforming into a blue giant god made of pure lightning.
Lightning spewed from his eyes, and his voice was like rolling thunder:
"You guy! Why are you still here!"
"I am an almighty god!! I cannot possibly lose to a mortal!!!"
The giant hand of the thunder god, carrying an aura of destruction, slapped fiercely toward Luffy.
But Luffy did not dodge or avoid it.
Facing the thunder, he leaped high once again.
His gaze passed through Enel's massive body and looked into the depths of the clouds behind Enel — there, buried, was that huge, silent Golden Bell of Shandora that had been silent for four hundred years.
"Ring out! Golden Bell!!"
Luffy roared, his arm stretching backward, stretching further, stretching until it reached its limit.
The massive golden ball shone with a dazzling radiance under the sunlight; it was the weight carrying the dreams of countless people.
Luffy took a deep breath and, toward the sea of clouds below, toward that distant Blue Sea, let out a roar that shook the soul:
"Old Man Cricket!!! Can you hear me!!!"
"The City of Gold... is right here!!!"
This punch gathered all the anger, all the hope, and the promise spanning four hundred years.
"Gomu Gomu... Golden Rifle!!!"
"Ding."
Luffy's fist, carrying the hundreds-of-tons golden ball, actually directly covered itself in Armament Haki.
The massive black fist, with overwhelming force, shattered Enel's arrogant Thunder God form in one blow.
Then, it slammed heavily into Enel's stomach.
Boom!!!
"Puhah—!!!"
Enel's eyes rolled back, and his entire body, along with that huge golden ball, like a golden meteor, was violently blasted by Luffy's punch toward the clouds behind him, toward that massive target.
The next second.
Clang!!!!
Enel's body, along with the golden ball, slammed heavily into the face of that huge Golden Bell.
Time seemed to stand still at this moment.
A crisp, melodious, and magnificent bell toll, impossible to describe with words, instantly resonated throughout the entire world.
That sound pierced through the ten-thousand-meter clouds, pierced through the gales and thunderstorms, and reached directly to the bottom of the Blue Sea.
In this bell toll that shook heaven and earth, all hatred and strife seemed to become insignificant.
On the deck of the Ark.
"Did you hear it..."
The moment Wyper heard the bell, the Reject Dial in his hand slipped away.
This iron-blooded warrior, who had never shed a tear, was now kneeling on the deck, tears streaming down his face, roaring at the sky:
"Kalgara... did you hear it..."
"The fire of Shandora... has been lit!!"
...
Jaya Island (Blue Sea).
Mont Blanc Cricket and the Saruyama Alliance brothers, who were diving to search for clues, suddenly froze.
That bell toll from the sky passed through the deep sea and echoed clearly in their ears.
"This is..."
Cricket surfaced abruptly and threw away the cigarette butt in his mouth.
He looked at the sky; the middle-aged man who had always been mocked as the descendant of the "Liar" was now crying toward the sky like a child:
"Noland... did you hear it!!"
"The City of Gold exists! It's right in the sky!!"
"Your story... is true!!!"
"You are not a liar!!"
...
On the deck of the going merry.
"Waaaaah! Luffy! You did it!!"
Usopp and Sanji hugged each other excitedly, wiping snot and tears all over each other.
Tatsuya lay on the deck; although his body was still unable to move, listening to this soul-shaking bell toll, he slowly closed his eyes, and an unprecedented relaxed smile appeared at the corners of his mouth.
"...Is this the voice of history? It's truly... beautiful."
"Even if it has crossed time and dimensions... this romance is enough to move one's heart."
Just as he was lamenting, a warm, soft sensation suddenly struck him.
"Mmph?!"
Tatsuya froze.
An excited Nami had rushed over at some point, directly blocking his mouth with her own lips.
It was a kiss mixed with tears, joy, and the relief of having survived a disaster.
Tatsuya was stunned for a second, then the surprise in his eyes turned into a gentle smile.
He reached out with his only movable hand, cupped the back of Nami's head, and the two began to kiss passionately amidst the sky-filling bell tolls.
In the sky.
As the cumulonimbus clouds completely dispersed, the sunlight poured down without reservation.
On that white cloud wall, Luffy's huge silhouette was projected by the sunlight, as if a giant standing in the sky, announcing his existence to the world.
The battle of the Skypiea arc, from this point ended.