Chapter 166: The City of Gold
[Hidden Side Quest: The Unfulfillable Promise]
[Quest Description: Marine Lieutenant Coby promised the young girl Cindy that he would bring reinforcements to save Skuld Island, but he died. His ghost begs you to fulfill his promise in his stead.]
[Quest Objective: Liberate the entirety of Skuld Island from the rule of God Enel.]
[Quest Reward: Based on completion, a minimum reward of a C-rank Singularity and 5,000 Dimensional Points.]
Kaito Shirogane had heard of "ghosts" being observed in places with special electromagnetic phenomena. But in the real world, this was usually explained as a rare and coincidental recording of an image, which would then be replayed under specific conditions.
The "Captain Coby" in front of him was clearly not that kind of ghost. He wasn't just an image; he could communicate.
"First, tell me how you ended up in this state."
The storm at sea was still raging. The massive hurricane connecting the sky and the ocean seemed to be drawing closer to the island. This sea area was likely close to the region in the original story where the Knock Up Stream occurred; the weather was extremely volatile.
Coby began to recall. "I was too arrogant. I thought that guy was a complete idiot. I was going to use my status as a Marine to feign cooperation, then find a chance to defeat him with Haki and Sea-Prism Stone. But…" He clutched his head, his form blurring. "I can't remember… When I woke up, my body was already inside this giant snake."
Kaito's eyes shifted. This was different from his original theory. The [Sky Lord] hadn't fought Enel right after falling from the sky? And how had this man become a ghost? There had to be more to this story.
The world of One Piece had the [Soul-Soul Fruit] and the [Revive-Revive Fruit], which were related to souls and the dead. It also had special spiritual entities like the [Klabautermann]. The possibility of spirits existing was high. It was possible that Coby had simply become a ghost due to his lingering attachment, but the probability was low. Countless people had died with regrets in this world; if they had all become ghosts, the Celestial Dragons would have been swamped long ago.
The Celestial Dragons… A flash of inspiration. Kaito suddenly had a plan, a way to ensure that the outside world would be forced to focus its attention, and its power, on this island.
CRACKLE!
Suddenly, another bolt of lightning fell from the sky, this time striking the distant, open sea. Kaito didn't know what had drawn Enel's attention this time. His own heart and breathing had just given a single, light beat, timed perfectly with the thunderclap.
"I can agree to your request," Kaito said to the ghost. "But on one condition. You have to help me find a certain place."
Coby's ghost nodded, and then, along with the spreading fog, he vanished. The fog, like a sudden squall at sea, rapidly swept over the entire island, over the forbidden mountains, over the terrified towns, and over the dilapidated harbor filled with the wreckage of ships.
Kaito now understood. The sunken merchant ship at the beginning of the mission hadn't just been a background detail; it was a warning. Under Enel's rule, this entire island was a forbidden zone. Any ship that came near would be destroyed, its survivors used to replenish the island's population, which was constantly being culled by the "divine punishment."
Kaito looked at the dying, but not yet dead, [Sky Lord]. He lowered his hand. Since he had decided to fight Enel, now was not the best time to kill this great snake. He still had one page of [Thou Shalt Not Die] in his inventory. At the right moment, this mountain-sized python could play a vital role.
He followed the fog. His steps were light. With each step, his body, as if it had no weight, leaped dozens of meters. He could stand steadily on a treetop or a small rock, showing no sign of his 170kg weight.
He followed the fog, which seemed to cover the entire island but was gradually converging in one direction. He soon crossed the entire mountain range and saw, in the valley below, a collapsed ruin, and within it, a glittering, golden city.
El Dorado.
Enel, who saw himself as a god, had no love for money. But he was fond of combining his ability with gold, using its heat to smelt and shape it, and using gold as a weapon that he could mold at will. He had even built a massive, solid-gold ark. But gold represented great wealth… and great disaster.
Kaito silently descended into the valley.
[You have discovered the Special Structure: El Dorado (Purple)]
[If you maintain complete control of El Dorado for more than 7 days, the Nexus will judge you to be its owner. You will gain control of the Special Structure: El Dorado.]
[Current Ownership: 0%]
Kaito's ears twitched. He could clearly hear the footsteps of a large patrol. The so-called [God's Guard]. Their power level was average, but to fight them here would likely attract the attention of the Priests and Enel.
He moved like a phantom, gliding over the patrol's heads. He landed next to a collapsed golden building and picked up two gold bricks.
[Broken Gold Brick]
[Quality: White]
[Description: A product of the ruins of El Dorado. Gold of extremely high purity.]
[Effect: Possesses considerable trade value.]
[NOTE: This item does not contain enough [Information] to be taken out of this world.]
He weighed them in his hands, then leaped into the air, gliding away like a hawk.
In the filthy sewer, Orkins and the others were no longer relaxed. The appearance of the Priest Satori had reminded them of the danger they were in.
"Even if that dangerous guy took Satori's body, the fact that he was found means someone is suspicious of this place." Leo was analyzing the situation calmly.
Old Hank clutched his shoulder. Without medicine, and in this filthy environment, his wound was becoming infected. And he couldn't expect the little girl to steal for him now. "The little girl must have been caught stealing from the market." He had been a petty thief himself and knew the unwritten rules of the town. The ones who had likely caught her weren't the vendors, but the other pickpocket gangs.
Orkins's expression was dark. He kept staring at the tunnel entrance. The big-nosed Marine from before, [Roshio], now appeared in the distance. He looked at the group and said, "Satori is dead, but we can't hide here for long. The next time the little girl comes, Orkins, you take her and go. Find another place."
His body was stooped, his eyes lifeless, but Leo and Barnaby both stood and saluted him. The man's name was Roshio. He was a Marine Major, and Coby had been his subordinate. On that day, he had been the one to receive Coby's final transmission. By the time he had arrived, he had only found a sunken ship, the entire team dead. Coby, the elite Marine who had trained at Headquarters, was gone without a trace.
At first, he had thought he was still alive. After sending a distress signal, he had led his own men to the island. But on that forbidden mountain, all he had seen was Coby, screaming as he was swallowed by a giant snake.
As all his other men had opened fire on the snake and the man of lightning in the sky, Roshio had been overcome with fear. He had turned and fled. And that was how he had survived the lightning that fell from the sky. In a single strike, the entire area for hundreds of meters was just a scorched, stinking wasteland.
He had only been on the edge of the blast, but the voltage had still fried his body, leaving him with a permanent muscle spasm. He could no longer even hold a gun steady. He had looked up and had seen the man in the sky, who hadn't even looked at him. He hadn't been targeted. The man had simply fired a casual shot at the largest group of people.
His men, his elite soldiers who had served with him for nearly ten years, his old comrades who had fought at his side… they had all been turned into charcoal, without even a chance to say a last word. The feeling had left him trembling uncontrollably. His confidence had been completely shattered.
The sea was full of monsters. It was no stage for a man like him. He had never been so keenly aware of this fact.
But today, watching that man, Kaito, kill the equally powerful Priest Satori with a single, casual punch, Roshio had found a strange sense of balance in his cold, indifferent killing intent. The monsters don't care about our lives. But other monsters don't care about their lives, either.
Only a monster can fight a monster. Only that kind of coldness can fight another coldness.
"Listen, Leo, Barnaby. I want you to use your lives and, with me, make one last effort. Tonight, I want the three of us to send out a distress signal from three different locations, all at the same time. Lie about the situation, beg them, I don't care. We need reinforcements! Petty Officer Cindy will see her reinforcements."