The legendary City of Gold was even more exaggerated than the four had imagined.
So exaggerated, in fact, that after the initial shock wore off, Carina and Nami felt no excitement at all.
The sheer quantity of gold was simply too overwhelming.
Even if Carina swallowed all of it, once they returned to the Four Seas, they would have nowhere to store such an astronomical amount of wealth.
And if she didn't spit it out in time, everything would be fully digested after twenty-four hours.
In the end, Carina and Nami could only reluctantly give up most of the treasure.
The four eventually took only a single gold pillar, its weight measured in tons.
If sold in the Four Seas, it would fetch tens of billions of Belly at the very least.
"Don't be so upset," El said with a smile as they retraced their path."When we run out of money, we can just come back and take more."
"That's true, but…"Nami looked miserable."Thinking about not being able to take all this gold—and that someone else might come here and take it first—really hurts!"
Carina, who loved money just as much, was far less sentimental.
"If we have enough money," she said cheerfully,"then with your and Sister Kuina's Devil Fruit abilities, we'll never need to worry about money again."
"No," Nami replied stubbornly."When we return to the Four Seas, we must commission a massive ship—one that can carry everything."
"You're the navigator," El said indulgently, rubbing her head."You have the final say."
"Hehehe~ thank you, Nii-san!"
Delighted, Nami immediately jumped into El's arms, stood on tiptoe, and kissed his cheek hard.
"Hey, you little dwarf—taking advantage of Nii-san again?" Carina teased.
"What did you say? You're only a few centimeters taller than me!"
Carina patted Nami's head, and the two immediately started bickering.
Amid the laughter, the four soon exited the forest and returned to where they had parked their Waver.
"Right…"Just as El was about to head back toward Angel Island, he suddenly paused and looked toward a distant area of the Upper Yard."I almost forgot about that big bird."
"Ah—right!"Without the pterosaur, returning to the Four Seas would be extremely difficult.
The three girls quickly realized the same thing.
So the four returned to the forest and began searching for the pterosaur's traces in the Upper Yard.
With the aid of Observation Haki, they soon found it.
The pterosaur was perched atop long, tangled vines—clearly out of place in the Upper Yard—and looked profoundly melancholy.
When it saw the four, surprise flashed across its face.It was obvious that it wasn't accustomed to staying here.
"You've worked hard and waited a long time," Carina said gently, patting its body."After we return, we'll set you free."
The pterosaur chirped excitedly.
Carina then opened her mouth and swallowed the very cooperative creature into Baku Baku Space.
Carina didn't transform immediately.
The four weren't in a hurry to leave Sky Island just yet.
They first rode their Waver back to Angel Island, then headed straight to Lovely Street to shop.
When they had first arrived, Carina and Nami had been fascinated by Dials.
During their stay on Birka, they had seen many different Dial functions—and completely fallen in love with these unique Sky Island specialties.
Before returning to the Four Seas, they decided to purchase a large stockpile of various Dials for emergencies.
The three girls only stopped once the oversized backpack was completely stuffed.
Back at the beach, Carina swallowed the Waver into Baku Baku Space, then transformed once more into a five-meter-tall pterosaur.
With El, Nami, and Kuina on her back, she soared straight into the sky.
Two more Bubbly Corals were used up as they passed through the White Sea.
With no obstacles along the way, Carina carried them smoothly back down to the Blue Sea.
After flying for several hours, however, they still couldn't find any trace of their ship.
So Carina headed toward a nearby island she spotted several thousand meters below.
That island was the other half of Upper Yard—
Jaya.
Four hundred years ago, Jaya had been a medium-sized island.
After part of it was blasted skyward by the Knock Up Stream, the remaining portion was reduced to the size of a small island.
This place was infamous along its sea route.
Ordinary people and merchant ships didn't dare approach it at all, deliberately avoiding it with Eternal Poses.
Atop Jaya lay a town—
Mock Town.
A completely lawless settlement where pirates of every stripe gathered.
When Carina landed on the coast, the four immediately saw numerous ships flying pirate flags.
"With this many pirate ships," Nami muttered, clicking her tongue,"We didn't accidentally land in the headquarters of some pirate alliance, did we?"
"Don't worry," El said calmly."There's no one here who can hurt you—or Kuina."
As they landed, white steam erupted from Carina's body as she released her transformation.
She then spat the pterosaur back out of Baku Baku Space.
Patting its body, she smiled."Go. You're free now."
Seeing the familiar blue sea, the pterosaur showed a surprisingly human-like expression.
It leaned forward, rubbed its head against Carina affectionately, then spread its wings and flew off into the sky.
Bang!
Just as the pterosaur lifted off from the coast, a sharp gunshot rang out.
The four turned their heads.
On a pirate ship not far from shore, a man was holding a smoking gun, his face lit up with excitement after pulling the trigger—clearly aiming at the departing pterosaur.
The bullet narrowly missed.
The four's expressions darkened.
El's hand moved to the hilt of his sword—
But suddenly, a calm voice stopped him.
"El, let me handle this."
It was Kuina.
The girl who, since following El to sea, had never taken the initiative in combat—always leaving battles to him and only helping afterward.
Now, she stepped forward on her own.
"I'll leave it to you," El said, smiling as he sensed the sharp, rising aura around her.
Kuina—now emitting the same keen edge as El himself—stood before the others.
Facing the irritated pirate, who was already re-aiming his gun with an ugly expression, Kuina slowly drew the ordinary sword at her waist.
She gripped the hilt with both hands and assumed the exact same stance Charlotte Linlin once used—
Spear of Elbaf: Ikoku Sovereignty.
Blue-and-white lightning surged from Kuina's body.
It gathered most fiercely around her hands, blazing with a piercing glow.
That light spread into the blade itself.
The once-ordinary sword transformed—
Into a blue-and-white lightning blade, like a solidified beam of light.
BOOM—!
Kuina swung.
A massive lightning Flying Slash (Tobu Zangeki) roared forth, tearing through the air toward the pirate ship hundreds of meters away.
Its speed was so terrifying that—
Even if El's Flying Slash and Hakoku Sovereignty were combined, they still couldn't compare.
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