One Piece: Starting as a Marine Lieutenant, I Slack Off and Get Stronger

Sky Island, Hidden Cloud Village.

This is a village built near Apayado, a village where the residents of Shandia live in secret, or at least what they believe to be a secret.

Enel's Observation Haki revealed everything about Skypiea, but he simply couldn't be bothered to pay attention.

"Chief! Chief!"

An elderly man with white hair wearing a wolf-head hat waved his hand: "Wepa, you are a warrior of Shandia, why are you still so impulsive? What happened?"

Vepa took a deep breath and said excitedly, "I just went to Apayado, and all of Enel's priests have disappeared, and I didn't see a single divine weapon either."

The chief was now flustered and quickly asked, "Are you telling the truth? You really didn't see a single one?"

Vepa nodded vigorously: "Yes, Chief. Although we don't know what they've been up to, this is definitely the best opportunity for us to retake Apayado. Chief, let me lead the warriors to take back Apayado!"

Silence met Wipa's response, and just as Wipa was scratching his head in frustration, the chief let out a long sigh.

"Wepa, go! Take back Apayado, take back our homeland!!!"

Wipa shouted excitedly, "Yes, Chief!"

Then, turning sharply to the surrounding Shandian inhabitants, he roared, "Shandian warriors! The time has come to reclaim our homeland!!!"

"Roar!!!" "Ooooh ooooh!!!"

Just as the Shandian inhabitants were howling in terror, a giant black raven slowly descended upon their territory, an invisible sense of oppression enveloping the hearts of every Shandian resident.

The village fell silent instantly. Everyone held their breath, their hearts pounding. Their expressions tightened, and their eyes were fixed on the enormous black bird.

"It's really lively here!"

Carl was the first to jump off the raven's back. After casually looking around, he stretched out his right hand toward Hancock on the raven's back.

A fair, delicate arm grasped Karl's hand, gracefully dismounted from the raven's back, and stood beside Karl, calmly observing their surroundings.

Suppressing the nameless fear in his heart, Wipa shouted at the two men, "Who are you?"

Karl smiled slightly: "Let me introduce myself. My name is Karl, and I come from the Kingdom of Rubnir in the North Sea."

Upon hearing the name Lubnir, the chieftain's expression changed drastically, and he trembled with excitement: "You, you are a descendant of Noland?"

“Noland?” “What? Chief, you mean…”

The Shandians' gaze towards Karl changed instantly, filled with anticipation and excitement.

Seeing that things were looking promising, Carl immediately channeled his inner Oscar winner, adopting a rather wistful expression: "I didn't expect you guys to find out even though I was hiding it so well..."

Upon hearing Karl's admission, the chief's eyes immediately reddened. He rushed forward and grabbed Karl's hand, his eyes swollen and his voice choked with emotion.

"I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry, we...we haven't fulfilled our promise to Noland yet, I'm so sorry!!!"

Karl took a deep breath, tears welling in his eyes: "It's alright. If Ancestor Noland were still alive, he wouldn't blame you."

"No, you've come at the perfect time, for today we will reclaim our homeland, ring the golden bell once more, and fulfill the promise made by our ancestors!!!"

"Wipa!"

"exist!"

"No matter what, we must take back Apayado today!!! Can you do it?"

"Yes!!!" Wipa's voice was almost hoarse from shouting...

Seeing this, Karl coughed and whispered to the chieftain, "Well, actually, Enel has already been defeated by me."

"Don't be afraid. Although Enel is strong, we Shandians will never... Wait, what did you just say?"

“I have defeated Enel, so he and his priests have left Skypiea.”

The chief stared blankly at Karl, blinked, and then looked like he'd seen a ghost, pointing at Karl for a long time without being able to say a word.

Seeing this, Karl continued, "I came here today for two reasons: first, to confirm whether Enel has left Sky Island, and second, to take you back to Jaya Island."

Upon hearing the keyword again, the chief quickly asked, "Gaya Island!!!"

“That’s right. 400 years ago, Shandora was washed ashore on a floating island, but its other half has remained in Qinghai. Don’t you want to return to your true homeland?”

"I think about it every day, but our ancestors have lived here for 400 years. This is our hometown!"

Carl frowned. It seemed that playing the good cop wasn't enough... So Carl looked at Hancock and said, "It's your turn."

"I'm sorry, but Apayado is already my territory, and you must leave. However, out of respect for Karl, I can wait for you to fulfill your agreement, but after that, you must leave!!!"

The Shandians were immediately displeased, if it weren't for Karl's presence...

"Who is she?"

Karl said somewhat reluctantly, "This is the Empress of the Amazon Lily. Her power surpasses mine, but don't worry, I'll talk to her some more!"

"No, there's no need to talk about it. Apayado is the homeland of the Shandians, and that will never change. Anyway, we've been fighting the Skypiea for 400 years and Enel for three years. At worst, we'll just have a different enemy!"

Hancock's expression turned cold, and she suddenly unleashed her Conqueror's Haki, her entire body exuding an aura of royalty. Most of the Shandians fainted on the spot.

Those who could still stand were merely struggling to hold on, relying on their willpower to resist this oppressive force.

"You're going to cooperate with me in negotiating terms? In this world, no one dares to refuse me whatever I want!"

"If you dare refuse me, may you all turn to stone!!! So beautiful, so beautiful~"

Kaka~

The Shandian warriors supporting them were instantly petrified. Now, in the entire village, only Karl, Hancock, and the chieftain were able to move freely.

"You, what kind of monster are you?!"

The chief looked in disbelief at the surrounding stones and the unconscious villagers, heartbroken. He immediately grabbed his scepter, ready to fight Hancock to the death, but Karl stopped him.

"Don't be impulsive, Chief. She's my friend. I'll talk to her!"

The chief stared intently at Karl and nodded vigorously: "I'm counting on you, Karl."

"Ok!"

Then, Carl walked toward Hancock with a serious expression and invited her to go to the grove... for some fresh air, and to discuss what to do next.

After the two left, the chieftain's legs gave way and he collapsed to the ground, panting heavily. It was terrifying; that aura was even more frightening than Enel's lightning.

Looking at the petrified Wipa and the others, as well as the unconscious members of their tribe, the chief sighed deeply...

Please, Noland's successor.

Chapter 160 The Lights of Shandora

"How was my performance just now?"

Carl smiled. "It's so vivid, I almost believed it myself."

"Hehe, really? Hmm, it's all thanks to your teaching. But will they really believe it?" Hancock still had doubts.

"Don't worry, they have no choice but to believe it. We've already done more than enough."

"Oh, right, bring this with you later."

Karl retrieved a huge golden bell from the system space. He had found it in a cloud before coming here, which was why Raven had searched for a long time near Apayado before finally finding it.

"Is this what they call the Golden Bell?"

Carl nodded: "That's right. Once this bell is rung, the agreement between Noland and them will be fulfilled."

"Well, it's about time, let's go!"

After saying that, Karl grabbed a corner of the Golden Bell, took a deep breath, and lifted it up.

"My dear, do you need my help?" "No, I am naturally strong!"

Karl carried the bell toward the Hidden Cloud Village, taking one step at a time. This was only because Karl deliberately held back his strength; otherwise, the weight of the Golden Bell would have made it much more than just one step, since the thing weighed several tons.

Yunyin Village.

The chief sat helplessly on the ground, his eyes filled with despair. He had already tried, and Wipa and the others had indeed turned to stone. Perhaps only that woman could turn them back to normal.

Thump~thump~thump...

A series of heavy footsteps approached, causing the ground to tremble slightly. The chief looked ahead in surprise and saw an ancient bell covered in moss, its inscriptions so familiar.

"Huang, Golden Bell!!! Where did you find it?"

Karl sighed and said, "I'm sorry, Chief, although she is my friend, she has a rather strong personality, as you can probably sense."

“I tried everything I could to persuade her to give up the idea of ​​driving out the Shandians, but she still agreed to give you the Golden Bell out of respect for me, so that you can fulfill the agreement you made 400 years ago.”

“If you still don’t agree, she will destroy the Golden Bell and petrify the villagers forever.”

At this point, Carl turned his head with a troubled expression to look at Hancock not far away, then at the chief, and sighed deeply.

"Chief, I'll go talk to her again..."

The chief quickly replied, "No, thank you so much, Mr. Karl. The Golden Bell had been lost for hundreds of years. I am already extremely grateful for its recovery. You have done your best."

“I agree to the Empress’s conditions.” Karl raised an eyebrow.

"However, it will take some time for our people to relocate, and we don't know how to get down there."

"Don't worry about that. I'll take care of the arrangements and make sure you get back to your homeland on Jaya Island safely."

The chief finally smiled and grabbed Karl's hand: "Thank you!"