One Piece: Nico Robin Collection

Chapter 122 Empire (6K)

Soon, following the guidance of his observation Haki, Caesar led everyone all the way to the depths of the island.

Near a huge bean sprout vine, we found the golden city buried under an island cloud!
Clang——

The black slash instantly dispersed the surrounding island clouds, and the dazzling sunlight shone down from the dome, reflecting a golden kingdom!
"Wow--"

Everyone exclaimed in surprise.

"Gold~"

Nami's eyes sparkled with golden light, the corners of her mouth were raised high, tears flowed silently down her cheeks, and her face was full of obsession.

"Gold... the whole city is full of gold!"

Deuce's voice trembled. "It's actually true... The entire city is built of gold!"

Click, click, click!

Caesar picked up the camera and started taking pictures skillfully.

Everyone dispersed and started exploring the Golden Country in groups of three or four. Only Robin stayed calmly. She cared more about history than treasure.

"So, the historical text isn't here?"

"Rumor has it that there's a gigantic golden bell in the Golden Country, and the historical text is embedded in the base of that bell. Do you see that oversized pea seedling in the distance?"

Caesar pointed at the giant pea seedling that was like a pillar connecting the sky and the earth.

"Up there?"

"Yes, right there at the top..."

Caesar nodded: "Wait for me to make the arrangements and take you there later."

Robin nodded, and Caesar called Big Bear, who was accompanying Bonnie on her adventure in the Golden Country. The father and daughter were sitting on a ruin, searching for gold objects buried nearby.

"Big Bear, I'll arrange a job for you."

Caesar casually played a card and released Enel's body.

"Enelu has imprisoned some people on this island to build his ship. Those people are the guards of the former god of Sky Island. Take this guy's body and release those people. Have them go find the former god Gan Ful and the current managers of Sky Island to see me."

"understood."

Big Bear nodded, waved his hand, and disappeared in an instant.

"Hey—do you have to assign a mission to my dad right now?"

Bonnie pouted when she saw Big Bear leave: "Then Caesar, you play with me!"

"Okay, let me take you to see the legendary Golden Bell!"

Caesar lifted Bonnie up, and the little girl skillfully rode on his neck.

Then Caesar held Princess Robin in his arms again, flapped his wings, soared into the sky, and flew rapidly towards the pea seedlings!
"Yah!"

Bonnie's cheers echoed through the sky, and soon the three of them flew to the top of the pea sprouts.

As the three of them landed on the top of the pea shoots, the setting sun stained the sea of ​​clouds a golden red. Caesar set Robin down, but Bonnie remained perched on his shoulders, refusing to dismount, her feet waving excitedly. "That clock is taller than the house!"

The golden bell stands quietly on a platform woven with vines. The body of the bell is carved with intricate ancient patterns, and the setting sun gives it a flowing flame.

Robin's palm gently stroked the uneven inscription on the bottom of the clock base, with a hint of excitement in his eyes.

"As you said, it contains information about the ancient weapon Sea King."

"Didn't I lie to you?"

Caesar smiled, and Bonnie jumped off Caesar and fiddled with the golden compass bird sculptures under the base of the golden clock. These sculptures were exactly the same as the ones Kulik had salvaged from the sea.

"Next, it's time to fulfill the agreement with Kulik."

Caesar walked around the golden clock, then collided his fists, jumped up, and punched the golden clock hard!

clang--

The bell swung, and in an instant, an ancient and low bell sound spread far away!

The deep bell sound spread out at the speed of sound, reaching the islands below, the White Sea, and even the Qinghai Sea below!

This place is only ten kilometers away from Gaya Island in Qinghai.

clang--

Four hundred years later, when the sound of the golden bell rang out again, everyone was attracted by the sound of the bell that spread throughout the Sky Island and turned to look in the direction where the bell came from.

……

Deep in the sea of ​​clouds, there is the Hidden Cloud Village.

"What? Weber is dead?"

"How is this possible? Where are the others? Kamachili? Braham?"

"They're... all dead."

Hearing Lachi's weak answer, the surrounding Shandia people suddenly fell into panic.

"calm."

Chief Shandia, who was leading the crowd and wearing a fur hat and holding a staff, had a solemn expression on his face.

"What exactly happened? Is it that guy Enel?"

"No, on our way to Arpaiado, we met a group of explorers from Qinghai..."

Laqi knelt in front of the chief and told him in a trembling voice what happened to Caesar and his gang.

"...Webber attacked them without a word, only to be killed by their captain with a single strike."

Lucky's voice was filled with deep fear: "They are very strong. The others were killed before they even had a chance to resist. Even that man's subordinates possess the same natural abilities as Enel..."

"Natural system?"

The chief's eyes widened slightly: "What ability?"

"flame…"

Lucky answered truthfully.

"Isn't this... just another Enel?"

"What's worse is that he's just one of his men. That means that group of people should be stronger than Enel!"

The crowd around suddenly became agitated. Just Enelu was enough to make the Sky Islanders and the Shandia people unable to raise their heads.

As a result, a group of stronger people from Qinghai have arrived, and everyone feels an irrepressible sense of despair.

"Chief, I'm going to avenge Webber!"

Just as everyone was in despair, a fat man wearing a chef's hat stood up and said, "Are we just going to give up like this? After all, Weber is still the leader of our guerrillas..."

"Shut up, Jebao! Webber and the others deserve it!"

The chief interrupted him harshly, slamming his staff down on the ground. "They attack innocent people for no reason. Are they pirates? Or Sky Islanders? Or the God's Guard? What's the difference between this and pirate behavior?"

"Or do you think everyone who sails in this sea of ​​clouds is a pirate? Do they fly the skull and crossbones?"

"No..." Laqi shook her head palely.

"Then why did Weber attack them? Tell me the truth, Laqi!" the chief asked sternly.

"Weber said..."

Lucky bit her lip and said, "He said those navigators are no good either. They might get in the way, so he plans to get rid of them first."

"And their ships are very new, maybe they have what we need..."

"madness!"

The chief growled, anger in his eyes, but more of fatigue.

"Ultimately, it's my fault... That child is a descendant of the great warrior Kalgora. I once told him about the pact between Kalgora and his friends. Since then, the child has devoted all his energy to the struggle in order to fulfill his ancestor's wishes."

"But later on, I also found that Weber fell into paranoia. Regardless of whether the opponent was from Sky Island or not, he would actively attack the opponent. However, because they were all pirates in the past, I acquiesced..."

"No, perhaps there are some innocent travelers among them. The root of this mistake is still me."

"Then what are we going to do?"

The crowd was silent for a while, and the fat man who had just wanted to avenge Weber couldn't help but ask.

The chief looked at Lucky and asked, "What did those people say?"

"He said... he would kill Enel and rule Sky Island. If we are willing to surrender, he can let us return to live in Arpaiado..."

"What if you don't want to?"

“…annihilation of the race!”

Lucky looked sad.

The chief was silent for a moment, then he sighed sadly: "If he really wanted to annihilate the clan, he wouldn't let you come back."

Laqi was startled when she heard this.

Suddenly, in the distant sky, amidst the rolling clouds, a deep and ancient bell sound suddenly rang out!

clang--

Wow…

In the distant jungle of Arpaio, countless compass birds took to the sky.

Above the clouds, a shimmering golden hue gleamed in the setting sun.

"This is…"

The chief froze, his eyes filled with disbelief: "No doubt about it, this is... the Golden Bell!"

clang--

The distant bell rang again, and the crowd was silent.

"The bell..."

"Is this the sound of the Golden Bell?"

"Disappeared for four hundred years..."

The crowd around was in an uproar, and everyone looked in the direction of the sound.

"So, Enel was really killed?"

The chief closed his eyes helplessly. "It just happened that after Webber's death, because of violence and bigotry, the four hundred years of expectation passed down by our ancestors was cut short just before the bell rang. This is truly a cruel twist of fate!"

"Pass the order down, all soldiers lay down their weapons and follow me to Arpaiado!"

Jebao was puzzled: "Chief?"

"We're not going to fight."

The chief said in a deep voice, "We are here to negotiate. It is time to end this dispute that has lasted for four hundred years."

"What if those people from Sky Island don't want to end it?" someone said with a worried look on his face.

The chief smiled absurdly and couldn't stop shaking his head.

Don't want to end it?

Then someone will help them to settle it.

…………

Qinghai, Gaya Island.

This island has never lacked pirates, most of whom are those who stayed here after Skypiea stole the Log Pose. However, to the vast majority of pirates, Skypiea is clearly just an absurd legend.

After all, how could an island possibly float in the sky?

"Sky Island? Hahahaha, that thing is just a legend, right? Are you a child?"

Whenever someone asked about the news about Sky Island, the pirates on the island would say something similar, mocking this naive and unrealistic dreamer, and then continue to indulge in alcohol, ignoring the record pointer on their wrist pointing straight above their heads.

On the other side of the island, there are still some stubborn guys who refuse to compromise with reality and insist on their dreams.

On the coast, Kulik sat by the tree stump as usual, on which was placed a storybook titled "The Liar Nolando", and the ashtray next to him was filled with cigarette butts.

clang--

The sound of distant bells resounded through the sky, and countless guide birds flew into the sky startled by the bells.

Kulik stood up suddenly and looked up in the direction where the bell sound came from - the sky!
"It's him!"

clang--

The bell rang again, and the apes and gorillas came running over with excited looks on their faces.

"Brother! Is this..." The gorilla looked excited.

"Ah, he found it!"

Kulik looked up at the sky. The deep bell sounds continued to ring, waking up the drunken dreams of countless pirates on the island.

"Not only Sky Island...but also Golden Country!"

"My ancestor Nolando is not a liar!"

Looking at the storybook that has been famous in Beihai for more than 400 years, Kulik's eyes gradually filled with tears.

"This is romance!"

The lingering sound of the bell echoed among the sea of ​​clouds, and the setting sun dyed the entire Arpailla blood red.

Robin was concentrating on recording the contents of the historical text, while Caesar was gently stroking the inscriptions on the stone tablet.

Although he is not interested in history, this feeling of communicating with ancient people hundreds of years ago is indeed somewhat sigh-worthy.

He immediately took out his camera and video phone, and photographed every detail of the golden clock and the historical text.

Caesar didn't know whether Robin would choose to reveal the truth of history, but if that day really came, in order to prevent his woman from being questioned, he decided to preserve the evidence as comprehensively as possible.

Suddenly, within the perception of the Kūryū-kuhime (sight and hearing), there was a commotion beneath the clouds.

Caesar's black robe fluttered in the air, and he saw from afar two teams heading towards Arpaiado.

On one side are the Sky Island people led by Gan Ful, the former Sky Island God, and on the other side are the Shandian people.

The two groups were at a distance from each other, wary of each other and heading towards the center of Arpaiodo.

"It looks like our guests have arrived."

Caesar returned to the island cloud and left with Robin and Bonnie.

When the three returned to the Golden City, the others had already gotten over the novelty and were gathering together to count the treasures they had found in the ruins.

Daxiong and Yixiao also rushed back. Daxiong had released the people from Sky Island who were imprisoned by Enel, and on the way he helped Yixiao deal with a priest.

Soon, two teams of people came over in an orderly manner from a distance.

Along the way, both Gan Forle and Chief Shandia were deliberately restraining their subordinates to prevent conflicts with each other at this critical juncture, which would displease Caesar.

Both of them knew very well that Enel could still struggle and fight, but those who could easily kill Enel were people they could not afford to offend no matter what!
"The strong man from Qinghai..."

The moment he saw Caesar and his gang, Chief Shandia immediately confirmed Caesar's identity as the leader. After all, several beauties were surrounding him, and the only person on a ship who could be so arrogant was the captain.

"I deeply apologize for any offense Webber may have caused to you."

"So, your apology won't just be words, right?"

Caesar sneered, "You attacked strangers with no vested interests for no reason. No wonder you lost your homeland, you foolish and uncouth wretch. If I weren't a bunch of saints under my command, you would be wiped out today!"

"Red bean paste...Private Marseille!"

Chief Shandia put down his scepter, silently prostrated himself on the ground, and bowed deeply to Caesar.

"The offense committed by Weber and his men is entirely due to my poor teaching. I am willing to take full responsibility. I only hope that Your Excellency will spare these people of mine. Our entire Shandia tribe is willing to submit to your rule."

"Chief!"

Behind the old man, the Shandia people looked sad and couldn't help but speak out.

"Okay, forget it."

Caesar snorted and turned to look at Gan Fowl.

"I've killed Enel. This place is my territory from now on. Just like the Shandians, I'll give you two choices."

"First, submit to me. From now on, Sky Island will be under my rule. You will be my people and under my protection. I will allow you to live on Arpayardo like the Shandians, putting aside past grudges and co-governing the two races."

"Second, return to your island. I allow you to trade with the Shandians, but you are forbidden to covet this land. If you dare to offend, your entire race will be exterminated!"

Caesar doesn't like the Shandians, but he doesn't like the Sky Islanders either.

Judging from the history of the two races, these Sky Island people are pure invaders!
“Let’s choose the first one!”

Gan Fore took off his helmet and knelt on one knee without any hesitation.

He could see that although the man in front of him was not as bad as Enelu, his ruthlessness was far beyond that of Enelu!
Gan Fowl had no doubt about the truthfulness of Caesar's words.

"Not to mention your Excellency's great kindness to us, after Enel's rule, we have long since realized our past mistakes."

Gan Fowle sighed: "Four hundred years ago, it was our ancestors who violently invaded Arpaiado, and a few years ago, Enel ruled Sky Island in the same way..."

"We made a mistake and we would like to apologize to everyone in Shandia."

"Wrong? Of course..."

Caesar snorted and laughed: "If you are not wrong, then you deserve to die."

Gan Faure: "..."

Although this is the truth, I do admit my mistake sincerely.

To be honest, a few years ago, before Enel arrived here, he had discussed with Chief Sandia about eliminating hatred and stopping fighting.

But it was destroyed by Webber...

As the god of this generation of Sky Island, Gan Ful himself does not like fighting, and he is also very clear where the mistakes made 400 years ago came from.

It just so happened that the current generation of Shandia chief was also tired of the disputes, and the two hit it off and prepared to negotiate.

But here lies the problem.

To the Shandians, the Sky Islanders were invaders, so Weber announced that if they wanted to reconcile, they would have to sacrifice the lives of one hundred Sky Islanders.

Naturally, Gan Forle would not agree.

Although I'm sorry that my ancestors invaded you, and I'm willing to negotiate peace, apologize, and even compensate you, your conditions are way too outrageous.

In the end, Gan Fowle also mocked Webber, which led to the truce being aborted.

Now Caesar has come here with absolute power and killed Enel in seconds. This is a completely good thing in Gan Fowl's view.

Although the other party's attitude is tough and seems inhumane, he is actually much better than a brutal guy like Enel.

Caesar went to the island to kill Enel, rang the golden bell, released the people of Sky Island who were enslaved by Enel to build ships, and ordered the people of Sky Island to meet up with the people of Shandia in Arpaiado.

All signs indicate that Caesar wants to establish a new order here!
The fighting must stop!
Evil must be eradicated!
hum-

The invisible deterrent wave spread out instantly, and the faint domineering color made everyone feel awe.

Caesar spread his black wings and flew over the Mayan pyramid-like building behind him, looking down at the people below.

"Then from today on, including Sky Island, everything will be under my rule!"

"From now on, there will be no more Sky Islanders or Shandians, no more gods or chiefs! There will only be a brand new nation—the Dawn Empire!"

"And I am your only emperor!"

Caesar looked down from above, full of confidence.

"The Dawn Empire..."

Gan Fuer looked up at the figure at the top of the pyramid. The setting sun gilded the dark wings. "Emperor? Is that what Qinghai calls its ruler?"

"From now on, you are my people!"

"I don't care what hatreds you have in the past, but under my rule, no further disturbances will be allowed! If anyone is still unwilling to settle past grudges, I will help them do so!"

"I've finished speaking. Who's in favor? Who's against?!"

As soon as Caesar finished speaking, his domineering look swept over him, and the people below were suddenly silent.

"I am willing to serve the emperor!"

Gan Forle raised the knight's lance above his head, and hundreds of Sky Island Guards and Sky Island Beret Troops behind him knelt down in unison, and the sound spread like a tide.

Chief Shandia looked deeply at the figure at the top of the pyramid, then plunged his staff into the cloud soil. "The entire Shandia tribe pledges allegiance to His Majesty."

There was relief in the old voice, and four hundred years of obsession disappeared with the sound of the golden bell.

"very good…"

Caesar snorted.

He didn't like this group of people very much. If they resisted, Caesar would probably destroy them and then get some people from the little princess of Alabasta.

Fortunately, this group of people are quite sensible.

As the saying goes, he who knows the times is a hero, so Caesar did not continue to make things difficult for them.

"Big Bear, take Nami, Ace, and Dr. Wolf to receive Enel's Ark Motto and transform it into a dual-power system of flame and electricity."

"List me the missing materials and replace the dragon bones with Adam wood. Ask Gan Fowle to allocate manpower."

"clear."

Big Bear nodded slightly, feeling a little excited.

"Yixiao, the work of clearing the ruins of the Golden City and building the city will be handed over to you and Luo. The manpower will be shared by both sides."

Yixiao supported himself on his staff and sword, and nodded gently: "As you command."

"Oh, by the way, remember to build me a luxurious and magnificent palace!"

Yixiao's face turned serious: "Incompetent ruler!"

Caesar pretended not to hear, fell back to the ground, and turned to look at Robin: "The rest of the work is left to you, such as promoting the integration of the two tribes and collecting taxes."

"give it to me."

Robin smiled, having expected this.

Nami stared at Caesar blankly, her brain seemed to be at a standstill.

"what happened?"

Caesar asked, noticing Nami's expression.

"No...it just feels like a dream."

Nami patted her cheek and smiled: "We were still on Gaya Island in the morning, and you became the emperor ruling Sky Island in the evening..."

Caesar couldn't help but chuckle when he heard this.

"This is just the beginning..."

(End of this chapter)