A huge, strange bird soared from the distance, carrying a thin yet imposing knight in silver armor. Though his frame looked frail, his aura was anything but weak.
"Blue Sea dwellers! Are you pirates? How dare you invade the Kingdom of God?! I advise you to leave immediately, or else my Divine Army will surround and crush you!"
Gan Fallmo shouted a warning from the sky, gripping his Flame Shell Burning Spear as it began to glow red-hot.
"Let's fight first, and then you'll figure out your next move!"
Brook grinned at the so-called god of the island. A chilling aura seeped from his body, growing darker and heavier by the second.
Underworld Aura: Death's Chill
A wave of deathly energy spread across the entire Sky Island. Though the island knew no winter, a deep, bone-piercing cold settled into the air. Every soul felt an oppressive, suffocating weight bearing down on them. Those with weaker bodies collapsed in fear, unconscious before they even realized what was happening.
Even Gan Fallmo's giant bird, paralyzed with terror, forgot to flap its wings, sending both mount and rider plummeting from the sky.
"W-what is this?!"
Gan Fallmo's eyes widened in horror. His Mantra—his ability to sense people's presences—was completely useless against the man before him. It was as if Brook's very existence defied life itself.
As Brook took slow steps forward, Gan Fallmo gritted his teeth and forced his fear down, thrusting his Flame Shell Burning Spear straight at him.
Underworld Ghost Energy: Weapon Breaker
In an instant, the flaming spear shattered into pieces. Gan Fallmo froze, unable to process what had just happened. He hadn't even seen Brook move. His Mantra still couldn't pick up on him.
What kind of demon is this man?!
"Captain Brook, this so-called god is nothing but a fraud. He doesn't deserve the title at all," Redfield scoffed, looking at Gan Fallmo with disdain. Such weaklings weren't even worth his time.
"God or not, I don't care. I'll make this simple for you," Brook said, his dead, blue eyes locking onto Gan Fall. "Submit to our rule. We're not here to slaughter—we just want to develop this place. Surrender, and you'll remain in charge as an administrator. You can even keep your people safe from the Shandia tribe."
Brook's gaze was like death itself, and Gan Fallmo knew that refusal wasn't an option.
"You bastards, get out of here now!"
A young boy suddenly charged in, wielding a long-handled lance with no hesitation.
"Fall—no! Don't come here!"
Before Gan Fallmo could react, the boy's weapon was cut into five or six pieces in the blink of an eye. All that remained in his hands was a broken shaft.
Brook swung his Seven-Star Sword, unleashing a freezing gust of cold air. Gan Fall's legs were instantly encased in ice, locking him in place.
"Fall!"
The old man's eyes were filled with panic as Brook stepped forward. He placed his icy fingers over the young boy's mouth, and within moments, the boy's lips were frozen shut.
"Children should know when to stay quiet," Brook said coldly.
"No—Fall! Don't kill him! I'll surrender! I'll abdicate! Just don't hurt him!"
Tears welled in Gan Fallmo's eyes as he pleaded. The Beret Guards around him clenched their fists, feeling utterly humiliated. Their once-mighty god was now groveling before these outsiders.
Brook didn't respond. Instead, he raised his Seven-Star Sword and slashed the air. A massive arc of sword energy erupted from the sword, carving a thousand-meter-long scar into Lovely Street. The sheer power left the onlooking angels and Beret Guards frozen in shock.
"Be obedient, or I'll carve up this whole damn place," Brook warned, nodding in satisfaction at their silence.
Under Gan Fallmo's reluctant guidance, Brook and his crew entered the grand palace of Upper Yard, the so-called Island of God. The palace was magnificent, lined with golden pillars that gleamed under the sunlight.
Shakky, unable to resist, ran her hands along the gold structures in admiration. "Damn, this is all solid gold!"
Brook sat at the head of the main hall while Gan Fallmo and his priests stood below, awaiting their fate. They all knew resisting was futile. Even Brook's subordinates were terrifyingly strong.
"We won't be randomly killing anyone," Brook said casually. "Just continue living your lives as usual. In a day or two, some more Blue Sea dwellers will arrive. Your job is to help them settle here."
He then turned to Redfield.
"Take one of these priests with you and go subdue the Shandia tribe."
Gan Fallmo hesitated but ultimately nodded, arranging for four priests to accompany Redfield. Hiruba, intrigued by the tribe, decided to tag along.
"As for the rest of you," Brook gestured toward the golden pillars, "get to work collecting all this gold."
Gan Fallmo obeyed, ordering his troops to begin gathering the treasure. Shakky and Antonio oversaw the operation, with Brook assigning the Kirin Lion to accompany them for protection.
"Now, I need some intel," Brook continued. "There's a small island to the south—Birka. Find a way to get there."
Brook was still after the Thunder Fruit. It hadn't surfaced in the seas for years, meaning it had already been reincarnated somewhere. Given that Enel would eventually find it and destroy Birka before becoming the new god of Sky Island, Brook suspected that the fruit had already reappeared there.
"I understand, Lord Brook!" Gan Fallmo quickly sent his priests to investigate Birka.
"One more thing—do you have any flying ships here? Any blueprints or ancient relics related to them?"
Gan Fallmo shook his head. "None that I know of. Upper Yard only surfaced about 300 years ago, and there's no history of shipbuilding here. Angel Island doesn't have anything like that either. If you're looking for transportation, the Wavers are your best bet."
Brook frowned, realizing his mistake. Upper Yard was originally part of Jaya Island. There was no way they'd have advanced ship technology here.
That meant Enel had brought the Ark Maxim's blueprints and construction knowledge from Birka.
So Birka wasn't just an ordinary island—it likely held not only the Thunder Fruit but also the technology to build an airship. It even had unique Dial Shells like Thunder Shells and Slash Shells, which weren't commonly found near Angel Island.
"Never mind. That's none of your concern. Just focus on keeping the Kingdom of God running smoothly. Oh, and bring me a full set of Dial Shells for research."
Gan Fallmo ordered his men to gather all types of Dials. Crocus and Fishman Tom eagerly examined them, fascinated by their unique properties.
Meanwhile, Brook scaled the enormous beanstalk that led to the ruins of Shandora, where he found the massive Golden Bell Tower.
If someone with the Gold-Gold Fruit came here now, they'd be ecstatic.
Brook traced his fingers over the ancient inscriptions but couldn't read them. Still, he knew their meaning—a prophecy about Poseidon, the Sea God, appearing on Fishman Island.
But why was this knowledge recorded on Jaya Island hundreds of years ago?
Could it be that Jaya was once a powerful nation 800 years ago? That would explain why Shandora was built with gold and remained untouched by plunder.
It wasn't until it was blasted into the sky 300 years ago that it became a forgotten legend.
Brook's gaze lingered on the bell.
"Interesting…"
---
Brook was unable to move the massive golden bell tower, so he had to return to the Golden Palace of Upper Yard.
"Captain Brook, these island clouds are really light, buoyant, and tough. Wouldn't they be the perfect material for sea trains?"
Fishman Tom was ecstatic, as if he had discovered the ideal material for shipbuilding.
"Don't get too excited just yet. These island clouds might not work in the Blue Sea. You can run some tests and see for yourself."
"That so? If they can't survive down there, then they're useless."
Brook's words threw a bucket of cold water on Tom's enthusiasm, but he still planned to experiment.
Brook only knew that iron clouds, ball clouds, and swamp clouds produced by Dial Shells couldn't exist in the Blue Sea, but he wasn't sure about naturally formed island clouds.
Here, island clouds could also be processed into refined clouds, which were used for furniture, construction, and even canal-building. Maybe they could survive in the Blue Sea, but only Tom's experiments would prove it.
"Captain, if we install these Jet Dials on our ship, we'd be able to sail through the Calm Belt without a problem!"
Tom was fascinated by the air-based technology of Sky Island.
"Yeah, I'm thinking we should completely upgrade the Voyager while we're here, or maybe even build a whole new battleship."
If Birkans really did leave behind the design for Ark Maxim, Brook would definitely have Tom merge those plans with the ancient blueprints of Pluton to create something entirely new.
Crocus was already moving large amounts of Dials back to the Voyager, recognizing their immense potential.
Meanwhile, divine warriors carried bags of gold back to the palace. They didn't understand why these foreigners had taken their god hostage and were now stealing these useless yellow stones. Gold couldn't grow plants or feed people—so what was the point?
"Captain Brook, look at this huge golden pillar! It's massive!!!"
Shakky and Antonio were beyond excited. Before them stood a golden pillar larger than a house, weighing at least dozens of tons—maybe even hundreds. They had no idea how much it was worth, but they knew one thing for sure.
They were rich. Filthy rich.
They could live in luxury for the rest of their lives and still have enough berries left over to pass down for generations.
"Yeah, yeah. I'll slice it up later with my sword. Oh, and there's a giant snake with a belly full of gold. Go find it."
Brook was unfazed, despite Shakky and Antonio's excitement. In his eyes, wealth was just an external thing. Strength was what really mattered in this world.
"Captain, come on! That golden pillar is our golden ticket! We'll never have to worry about money again!"
Shakky was irritated by Brook's indifferent attitude. She had risked her life just to bring him this news, and he was brushing it off.
"If you don't have the strength to keep it, then someone else will take it from you. Wouldn't that be worse? It's better not to get attached to it."
Brook's words poured cold water on Shakky's excitement. Frustrated, she stomped her foot, rolled her eyes, and ran off to find the golden-stuffed snake he mentioned.
Moments later, Redfield entered with several captured priests and a few dark-skinned Shandians in tow.
"Captain Brook, I caught the strongest warrior and chief of the Shandians."
Behind him, the priests looked at Redfield in awe. His body had been tough enough to withstand volleys of arrows, and his agility surpassed even Enel's Mantra. To them, this man was stronger than any god they had ever known.
Brook glanced at the two Shandians covered in sword wounds. If he hadn't specifically ordered Redfield not to kill them, they'd be dead already.
"Surrender. From now on, the Shandians and Skypieans will live together in peace. If you refuse, I'll see you as a threat and wipe you out completely."
Brook's words made the Shandians' pupils shrink.
"The Golden Bell… Let us ring it just once, to fulfill our ancestors' promise. Then we will surrender."
For centuries, the Skypieans had been unaware of the Golden Bell's significance, believing the Shandians were simply fighting to reclaim land. Meanwhile, the Shandians believed the Skypieans had stolen the Golden Bell along with their homeland. This misunderstanding had fueled their endless war.
"Good. From now on, you are all under my command."
Brook turned to Gan Fallmo and made a decision.
"The whole 'God' and 'Kingdom of God' thing is too pretentious. From now on, this place will be called the Kingdom of the Sky, and I will be its King. And we're renaming Upper Yard back to the Golden City of Shandora."
Gan Fallmo and the Skypieans had no choice but to silently accept.
"Gan Fallmo, you will serve as Minister of Civil Affairs, responsible for managing all internal matters of the Sky Kingdom. Shandia Chief Wyper, you'll be the Minister of Military Affairs, responsible for defense and forming a patrol force."
Both men lowered their heads and accepted the orders, exchanging uncertain glances. Could their people truly coexist after hundreds of years of bloodshed?
Brook then led the main members of both tribes, as well as his crew, to the enormous Golden Bell in Shandora.
As the bell rang, its deep chimes echoed through the skies, cleansing their spirits. Hatred that had lasted for centuries seemed to wash away in an instant. The two tribes looked at each other and, for the first time, saw something other than an enemy.
Brook ordered his warriors to gather all the gold in Shandora, while he, Fishman Tom, and Redfield worked together to restore the massive bell tower. The structure was straightened, and a new Golden Palace was built atop it—Brook's new royal residence.
The massive golden pillar? Brook and Redfield used it for sword practice, slicing it into manageable pieces before moving them to Shandora.
Meanwhile, Gan Fallmo searched for information on Birka, and Shakky went off to hunt the Sky Lord, the great snake. Brook, on the other hand, was already preparing to bring Moore Thomas news organization to Sky Island.
Transported by giant express shrimp, seagull news birds were relocated to the Sky Kingdom. Soon, the entire headquarters of the World Economic News Agency was moved and placed on Shandora Island.
Moore's family and employees arrived next, though they initially struggled with the lack of oxygen in the high-altitude environment. However, their discomfort quickly turned into astonishment when they saw the Golden Palace.
Shandora, the legendary golden city in the sky, now served as Brook's royal palace.
Below it, the newly renamed Golden Welcoming Hall became the entrance to the kingdom.
For the workers of the news agency, this was paradise. A place where they could do their jobs while surrounded by wealth beyond imagination.
And in the forests below, seagulls nested peacefully, ready to spread the news of this new sky kingdom to the world.
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