The Rumble-Rumble Fruit was hailed as the most powerful Logia-type Devil Fruit.
Previously, Jake had refrained from pursuing it for two reasons.
First, he was still with the Marines.
Without a valid justification, he couldn't convince Zephyr to take the risk of bringing him to Sky Island.
Even if they had gone through official channels, there was no guarantee they'd encounter the Rumble-Rumble Fruit.
Second, once they entered Sky Island, Jake would never let go of the treasures in the City of Gold—whether it was the Poneglyphs or the gold itself.
These were things Jake desperately needed now or would need in the future.
Letting them slip away would be nothing short of insanity.
Setting off from the White Sea, They didn't encounter Gan Fall, the Sky Knight.
But that made sense—it was the year 1509 and Enel's arrival on Sky Island was still some time away.
Jake planned to lead Whitebeard and the others to the City of Gold first, then set off to find the Rumble-Rumble Fruit.
The ship drifted steadily across the White Sea, soon arriving before a grand gate inscribed with the words "God's Country."
An elderly woman emerged, addressing them slowly.
"Pay 10 billion Extol, or entry is forbidden."
Hearing her words, Marco frowned slightly before asking.
"How much is 10 billion Extol in Beri? We're from the Blue Sea and aren't familiar with your currency here."
"100,000 Beri. Failure to pay will be treated as illegal entry, punishable by the Divine Soldiers."
The old woman said nothing more, pulling out a camera-like shell from her pocket.
She raised it, poised to take a photo at any moment.
Marco hesitated, then glanced at Whitebeard, who simply smiled and nodded.
"Pay her. We're not the kind of low-class Pirates who trample over rules."
After Marco handed over the Beri, the Moby Dick sailed onward under the guidance of a Swift Shrimp, heading towards Angel Island.
The old woman counted the Beri in her hands, watching the distant silhouette of the Moby Dick with faint confusion.
Something about that Pirate flag felt eerily familiar.
She racked her brain—then suddenly froze mid-count.
Her fingers trembled as she hurriedly knelt, pulling out a stack of old newspapers from a dusty drawer.
The papers were years old, washed ashore by an Upstream current long ago.
Her gnarled hands unfolded the trembling pages, revealing a photo of Whitebeard in his youth.
The headline blared.
"The Three Legendary Pirates!"
Though the man she'd just seen looked slightly different from the photo, there was no mistaking that iconic white crescent mustache.
Whitebeard—the man hailed by those of the Blue Sea as the "Strongest Man in the World!"
Realizing who she'd just faced, the old woman stared blankly at the Berries in her hands, scarcely believing she'd collected an entry fee from such a figure.
Her heart pounded wildly—faster than during her worst cardiac episodes.
Without hesitation, she grabbed the photo shell she'd taken of Whitebeard's crew, mounted her Waver and sped toward God's Island, where Gan Fall currently resided.
Though that place had been engulfed in constant warfare over the years, making it extremely dangerous, the thought of Whitebeard—terrifyingly dubbed by the people of the Blue Sea as "the man with the power to destroy the world"—made her shudder.
She then twisted the throttle wide open!
*****
Meanwhile, on the sacred island of Upper Yard, Gan Fall stood surrounded by his people, gazing at the chief of the Shandians before speaking slowly.
"The Skypieans and the Shandians should no longer continue to harm and fight each other. Upper Yard doesn't have to be a land only one race can set foot on. Whether it's Angel Island or Upper Yard, whether Skypieans or Shandians, everyone should be free to walk upon this land."
Gan Fall wanted to end this centuries-long conflict—a decision he had made in his heart long before he became the God of Skypiea.
The endless war had brought nothing but pain and suffering to the people.
However, the Shandians could not accept Gan Fall's peace proposal.
This land was rightfully theirs!
They didn't need anyone's permission, nor did they desire any other territory in Skypiea.
They simply wanted to protect their homeland—nothing more.
To the Shandians, Gan Fall's peace proposal felt like an intruder barging into their home and declaring, 'Your house shouldn't be so closed off—you should share the streets outside with the homeless!'
Who would ever accept such a thing?
Yet the elderly Shandian chief remained silent.
He looked at his war-torn people behind him—the children who had lost their fathers before they were even born, the warriors bearing the scars of battle—and took a deep breath.
He decided to accept Gan Fall's proposal.
Seeing the old chief agree to a peaceful resolution, a faint smile appeared on Gan Fall's face.
To lighten the mood, he said to the Shandians with a chuckle.
"I enjoy pumpkin soup."
This was his attempt to find common ground with the Shandians.
After all, pumpkins could only be grown on land—the island clouds of Skypiea couldn't produce them.
He hoped to bond over this shared interest and bridge the gap between them.
But to the Shandians, his words carried a completely different meaning.
"You invade our land, then shamelessly flaunt the spoils of war in front of us?!"
Though it was a misunderstanding, that single sentence instantly turned the once-harmonious atmosphere tense with hostility.
The hot-tempered Wiper, unable to contain his fury, charged at Gan Fall with a bazooka on his shoulder, veins bulging across his body as he roared.
"You hypocritical god! How dare you trample on our pride like this?!"
Seeing Wiper's sudden outburst, the already reluctant Divine Soldiers drew their weapons and attacked him.
Just as another battle was about to erupt, a booming laugh cut through the tension.
"Gurararara! Seems like war is unavoidable, even in the so called land of gods. But for us, gold is the real prize!"
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