Pirate: I was just slacking off, do you really think I'm bad?

Inside the temple of Apayado, on the island of the gods.

Dressed in a white robe, Ganful is contemplating how to lessen the hatred between the Sky Island inhabitants and the Sandy people, so as to sow the seeds of peace.

His conversation with Raleigh was just one approach; he wouldn't place all his hopes on an adventurer who had come from afar.

Suddenly, the divine guards rushed in from outside the temple, not even bothering to bow.

When Ganford saw this, his pupils involuntarily dilated.

The God's Guards are selected from childhood and naturally adhere to the rules strictly. For him to take such an unusual action now, something extraordinary must have happened.

The God's Guard, looking tense and breathless, said;

"God, our guards have discovered a large force of Shandians approaching at an extremely rapid pace."

The leader was none other than Kroninjim, the chieftain of the Shandians, and many of those following him were important figures on our list whom we needed to pay attention to.

"What! Quickly gather the soldiers!"

"I'll go see what they're up to!"

Upon hearing this, Ganford feared that the conflict between the two sides would escalate again, so he hurriedly put on his armor and picked up his spear.

A whistle summoned a winged steed, and Ganford quickly leaped onto the white horse and charged toward the front lines.

"I hope this doesn't turn into a disaster."

Ganford prayed incessantly in his heart.

Perhaps heaven heard Ganfor's prayer, for when he arrived, there was no conflict between the two sides. Instead, there was a strange awkwardness. The Shandians had formed a square with their leader at the center.

Meanwhile, on Sky Island, the God's Guards formed defensive formations around the surrounding fortifications.

"Kronin Jim, what brings you here?"

Seeing that no conflict had broken out, Ganfor's tone softened involuntarily. Instead, he asked with a relaxed expression, "The other side's leader, Kroninjim, looked at Ganfor and pointed to the most conspicuous vines on Apayado Island, saying:"

"Ganford, we've been fighting for most of our lives, it's time we got to know each other."

"I want to climb that vine!"

Before Ganful could even speak, the God's Guard burst into a tirade of curses.

"Don't even think about it, you barbarians, trying to invade our holy land."

"Keep dreaming. As long as I'm here, I will never let you pass."

Get back to the mountains, you mountain people!

Before Croninjim could speak, Ganford couldn't take it anymore. He turned around and roared:

"Shut up, all of you!"

"Let them pass!"

The God's Guard heard Gan Fall's voice and for a moment even doubted that he had misheard. But Gan Fall decisively repeated it a second time. Under the God's Guard's incredulous gaze, Gan Fall took the lead in clearing the path to the giant vine.

The guards of the gods stared at each other wide-eyed, though deep down they were extremely unwilling to give up the path to the Holy Land.

But now, it is their god who is issuing commands to them.

God himself made way for the Shandians, and as God's servants, they had no choice but to follow God's decision.

Amidst resentful glances, the divine guards made way for the giant vines.

Cronin Jim held his head high and didn't linger there, lest he provoke the God's Guard.

They only paused briefly when passing through Ganford, but left without saying anything.

The Shandians following behind him didn't say much either.

Following silently behind their leader, Ganful walked deeper into the island. Only after all the Sandyites had passed through the divine guards' defenses did Ganful pick up his head. "God, I don't understand why we let these barbarians into the holy land."

"God, do you have some new plan?"

The head of the God's Guard finally couldn't contain his doubts and asked his god.

Ganfor withdrew his gaze from the Shandians and looked at his highly regarded captain of the guard, saying earnestly:

They are going to do something great.

The answer to the question left over four centuries ago: Calgary's will and the lamp of Shandora.

I'm not as brave as Kronin Jim; that guy is much stronger than me.

Ganful shook his head, wondering if he would have the courage to ring the Shandora Lamp if he were not the god of the Sky Island but the leader of the Shandians.

On Apayado Island, some figures seem to be climbing upwards on the giant vines.

The fastest figure was already close to the top of the vines.

Finally, a large hand firmly grasped the top edge of the vine, and then a strong figure crawled out from under the vine.

At the top of the giant vines, the legendary Lantern of Shandora is located.

Despite enduring four hundred years of rain and wind, this enormous golden bell has not suffered any wear and tear. Ever since it came to Sky Island with Jaya Island, it has remained here quietly.

The Shandora Lamp, which exists as a sacrificial object, is flanked by giant golden pillars with a diameter of over eight meters.

The Lantern of Shandora, according to the records of the Skypiea inhabitants and the Shandians, its first sounding on the Skypiea marked the beginning of the war between them.

Another legend that has been passed down to this day is that when the lamp of Shandora is lit again, all will return to peace.

"Shall we ring it, Chief?"

The Shandian warriors climbed to the top of the vines one after another.

They are the first Shandians to come before the Lamp of Shandora in four hundred years, since their ancestors failed and left Apayado Island.

"Um."

Kroninjim's figure appeared exceptionally small under the enormous Shandora Lamp as he looked back at the Shandian warriors with complex expressions.

He said in a deep voice:

"Everyone is aware of the legend of Shandora's Lamp. To the inhabitants of the Sky Island, it's a signal to wage war against us."

"But for us, this is a commitment to Noland and a continuation of Calgara's will."

"The war began four hundred years ago, year after year, generation after generation. We, and the inhabitants of the Sky Island, have all shed blood."

I am weary of this life. I will ring the lamp of Shandora, and I will bear the burden of four hundred years of hatred, but I can end the war in my generation.

As for the next generation, they will likely integrate with the inhabitants of the Sky Island through a process of adjustment.

Boom!Boom!Boom!

On Angel Island, Raleigh and Enel, who had collected a large amount of gold in Shandora, have returned to their warship.

Their mission is essentially complete.

The Sky Island trip had actually achieved Raleigh's goal; both Enel himself and the gains from the Ark Maxim were enough for him to digest for a while.

More importantly, Raleigh needs to go to the Grand Line to receive his medal, after which he can freely cruise along the Grand Line.

Raleigh wanted to be like Garp, to find a target and keep hunting them down.

Although the Ark Maxim is already the most advanced product of the Moon People, Raleigh still wants to show the blueprints to Vegapunk, who, with his intelligence, can optimize the Ark Maxim.

In particular, regarding weaponry, Raleigh felt that the weapons of the Ark Maxim were not powerful enough.

The small Ark that Enel is currently riding on also needs to be strengthened.

"Hurry up and move the supplies, we need to leave here."

The messenger on the warship shouted out the order from Raleigh, and the strong naval soldiers on the port...

Each person carried several boxes of supplies as they walked toward the ship.

Raleigh held a detailed sky island chart in his hand, carefully studying how to return to headquarters as quickly as possible.

Suddenly, a beautiful chime resounded throughout Angel Island, and just a few chimes brought a sense of inner peace.

From Apayado to Angel Island, and to other places, all the islands within the Kingdom of God heard this melodious chime.

"Is this Shandora's Lamp?"

"The Song of Appayado Island!"

"Oh my god, this is a rumor my mom told me when I was little. I thought it was fake!"

"Could it be that the war will end with our generation?!"

"Great, finally I don't have to live in fear anymore."

The naval soldiers looked on with puzzled expressions as they watched the angelic vendors dancing and gesturing around them.

Raleigh closed his eyes, carefully discerning the sound of the bells echoing throughout the Kingdom of God, before opening them to look at the top of the giant vines on the Island of God, Apayado.

Is it the lamp of Shandora, symbolizing peace?

Inside the cabin, Tuttle, who had been resting on the bed due to exhaustion, immediately jumped out of bed and ran to the deck when he heard the bell ring. He looked towards Apayado with tears streaming down his face.

This is... this is the sound of the bells of the Shandora Lamp, recorded by our ancestors. Yes, it must be its sound.

"Ancestor Noland, I have finally found the place you visited. This is Shandora, the land of gold, where you once lingered."

In the year 1497 of the Ocean Calendar, the various forces outwardly maintained restraint on the high seas, but the undercurrents beneath the surface grew increasingly turbulent. It was under these circumstances that Raleigh and his crew, after sailing for a month and a half from the Sky Island, arrived at Marineford, the Marine Headquarters.

At the port, Lieutenant General Borsalino, with his usual lewd expression and languid demeanor, came to greet them.

"Rayle, you're finally here! I've been waiting for you for ages."

Raleigh raised an eyebrow and asked;

Are you waiting for me to come to headquarters for a general promotion, or are you waiting for me to come to headquarters to work for you?

Borsalino, without batting an eye after Raleigh exposed his secret, continued:

Yes, yes, I have both. You are my dear brother, I am very happy that you have been promoted to headquarters, and I am even happier that you can join me in catching pirates.

Raleigh just chuckled at Borsalino's words and let it go.

It had been a long time since I'd seen Borsalino, and when we met, we still bickered like little kids.

"Alright, I brought you some precious tea. You can ask Gion for it later. I'm going to the Marshal's office to report for duty."

After exchanging a few more words with Borsalino, Rory handed over the task of arranging the soldiers to Borsalino and then left alone.

The Marshal's office is located at the top of the tallest building in the Naval Headquarters.

Knock knock knock.

Raleigh knocked softly on the office door.

"Enter."

A very strong voice came from inside the office.

Raleigh pushed open the office door!

There was no one else on one side.

Only the Admiral Kong, who was holding the file and about to sign it, was present.

Upon seeing that it was Raleigh, Kong laughed heartily, put down the file in his hand, and pointed at it, saying:

"I sent you to headquarters for a promotion, but you ended up going to Sky Island on the way. I heard you even resolved a four-hundred-year war between the Sky Island inhabitants and the Shandians."

"What happened? Tell me."

Raleigh looked at Kong with an embarrassed expression; this was hardly something to be proud of.

Because this has absolutely nothing to do with the Navy's duties.

Raleigh scratched his head and said:

"General Kong, actually this matter doesn't have much to do with me. At the time, the god of Sky Island asked me to help deliver a message to the Shandians, and then he gave me a few boxes of gold. I thought it was just a message, so I agreed."

And indeed, just as I suspected, I simply relayed a few words to the Shandians and that was it. But this matter had absolutely nothing to do with their peace negotiations; they insisted on pinning it on me.

Marshal Kong was both amused and exasperated. He hadn't expected Raleigh to be so wild outside, acting like a docile child who shirked responsibility in front of him.

"Alright, stop with your act. This matter may not have anything to do with our navy, but it's done, and there's no need to cover it up."

Raleigh's eyes darted around as he looked around, making sure there was nowhere for anyone to overhear him. Then, he pulled out a beautifully packaged box of cigars from his pocket and stepped forward.

Air Marshal, when I was on Sky Island, the Angels gave me a box of their specialty cigars. Since you're a cigar connoisseur, how about we try some?

The air marshal glanced at the cigar box in Raleigh's hand and couldn't help but laugh.

It would be strange if this thing came from Sky Island.

Cigars are a common sight in all four seas, but the North Sea has a particularly famous type that is not sold to the public and is only supplied to nobles and government officials around the world.

Although Sora doesn't smoke this kind of cigar much, he's seen it all, even if he hasn't eaten pork, he's seen pigs run, and he's smoked a few when dealing with the world's nobles.

So I recognized it at a glance.

Furthermore, the box of cigars that Raleigh brought was brand new, with the outer packaging still intact, indicating that Raleigh brought it specifically for this purpose.

Kong found himself growing to admire Raleigh more and more.

He is capable, insightful, and good at flattery. Although he has great ambitions, he is currently adhering to his duties as a naval officer.

"A person like that, barring unforeseen circumstances, is guaranteed to climb to a high position in the navy."

Frankly speaking, Sora believes that even Sengoku is inferior to Raleigh in some aspects; at the very least, Sengoku would not give him such expensive cigars.

Unfortunately, Raleigh was too young and didn't have any notable achievements.

Pirates like Bondiworld aren't considered particularly troublesome by truly powerful individuals; at least Sengoku and Garp have several such exploits against them.