Robin was in discussion with the Shandian war demon and Gan Fall.
Despite the deep-rooted hatred between the Skypieans and the Shandians, even Wyper had to admit that during Gan Fall's reign, there was no excessive persecution of the Shandians. Gan Fall had even expressed a desire to negotiate, though the Shandians refused.
To them, Upper Yard was their ancestral homeland, and the Skypieans were invaders who had wrongfully seized it—there was no room for negotiation.
But since Enel's rise to power, any movement by the Shandians, once discovered by his divine guards, would result in a fight to the death. Over the years, many Shandians had lost their lives.
Their people had been fighting this war for over four centuries across several generations. Their population had dwindled significantly.
So both the Shandians and Skypieans had begun to feel a shift in perspective. It seemed that life before Enel's reign had been better—at least there weren't random lightning strikes from the heavens destroying everything.
Now that Enel had been defeated, a more terrifying Blue Sea man had appeared.
If he truly wanted to seize Upper Yard at all costs, both the Shandians and Skypieans would be wiped out. That much was obvious.
"Boss." Mr. 5 and the others returned from battle, injured—evidently, the divine priests had put up more resistance than expected. Valentine looked worse for wear, covered in soot, though the Kung Fu Dugong seemed unaffected as usual.
"Wait for Robin, then we'll head over there…" Rosen looked toward the giant vine stretching up from Upper Yard—where the Golden Bell was, along with golden pedestals and other structures. Even a single golden pillar was worth a fortune.
"Who are those people?" Valentine asked, eyeing the group beside Robin. Some appeared dressed like tribal warriors, others resembled the divine guards they had fought.
But they all had wings.
Rosen had no idea what Robin was discussing with them—and he didn't care. He was mostly just waiting for Daz Bones and the rest of his crew to arrive.
There was plenty of gold. Although much of it had been used by Enel to build his ark, the Golden Bell Tower should still be at the top of the vine.
Rosen had no intention of taking the bell itself—it was too large and unwieldy. Besides, he was curious to hear the legendary chime that had been praised in so many stories.
The Golden Bell was indeed a rare historical relic.
After a while, Robin returned, deep in thought. "Boss, things on Sky Island are more complicated than we imagined. The divide between the Shandians and Skypieans is deep and filled with hatred."
Rosen wasn't surprised. "That's their problem. Once we achieve our goal, we leave."
"They agreed to your terms, but I think this matter may involve us more than we think…" Robin seemed to be weighing her words carefully.
Of course the Shandians and Gan Fall would agree. Refusing would mean turning against Rosen—a worse fate than charging into a wildfire.
Faced with overwhelming strength, agreeing to leave the Blue Sea group alone for three days was hardly unreasonable. Besides, Rosen had just defeated Enel and his priests. That alone earned him some goodwill.
But once Rosen and his crew left, peace between the Shandians and Skypieans still seemed unlikely.
Even though they'd all just experienced something close to the end of the world, long-standing grudges and beliefs weren't so easily erased.
Rosen didn't quite get her point. "What does this have to do with us?"
"Boss, since our goal is to build a new order, and Sky Island is already semi-isolated from the world, why not use it as a pilot site? We could observe the benefits and downsides of our ideals. Didn't you once say that practice is the only test of truth?"
Robin's words caught Rosen off guard. It was a moment of clarity. He hadn't considered this before.
His original plan focused on becoming stronger. He hadn't thought of using Sky Island to directly test their vision of a new order.
To him, their mission here had been solely about acquiring gold and Poneglyphs.
But from Robin's perspective, it seemed perfectly feasible.
Rosen had refrained from openly developing his power in the Blue Sea because of the many eyes and spies. It would be nearly impossible to avoid detection by the World Government. If they were found out, Rosen doubted he could withstand the full brunt of their retaliation.
Even the Lantis people were still living in a poor, remote land—far from ready to reveal themselves.
But Sky Island was different. Its geography made it naturally secluded.
In recent years, few had even attempted to reach it. The World Government likely wouldn't suspect a rebellious force forming in the sky.
And Rosen's so-called new order, while idealistic in theory, still needed to be tested in practice. Different worlds could yield different outcomes. It was worth investigating.
Rosen fell into thought. Robin's words had opened his eyes—but solving the conflict between the Shandians and Skypieans wouldn't be easy.
After all, Luffy had used his own charisma to bring change, and the circumstances back then were different. The defeat of Enel had happened too quickly—Sky Islanders hadn't yet fully felt the despair that might have made them value life more.
It sounded cruel, but people only truly reflect on what they have when they come face-to-face with complete despair.
"The Shandians and Skypieans won't agree to it," Rosen said, shaking his head. Robin's idea was good, but to rule Sky Island, he'd have to deal with both sides—and they were the biggest obstacles.
Kill them all? Then what's left to rule? If the conflict isn't resolved, threats will only keep growing. Violent rule will eventually backfire. That contradicts Rosen's entire vision of a new order.
He wasn't trying to build another brutal regime.
"Boss, you seem to have done quite a bit of research on Sky Island. Can you share everything you know with me? I've already asked them to bring the Shandian leader here, and Gan Fall seems capable of representing the current Skypieans. If we have enough intel, we might find the root of their conflict," Robin said, unwilling to leave Sky Island in flames once they departed.
If Upper Yard really had been blasted up from the Blue Sea, then based on what Mont Blanc Norland had said, it held deep historical significance.
And it likely contained a Poneglyph.
"Sure. You're more thorough than I am," Rosen admitted. Robin's thinking was indeed more meticulous than his at times.
But did this mean Robin wanted to support him as the new god of Sky Island? Could such a thing really be done without resorting to violence?
(End of Chapter)
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