Chapter 21 – Returning to The Grand Line
"You defeated God Enel... are you going to rule here as the new god?" Wyper asked hoarsely, his bloodshot eyes glaring with disbelief.
The man before him had not only crushed Enel and taken him as a crew member, but had also knocked out Shandian warriors with a single blow. The sheer gap in power left Wyper no hope. He believed in his own strength—but even he knew when he was completely outmatched.
"Rule? What does that even mean?" Monkey D. Ash laughed heartily. "I'm a pirate with dreams. Living freely and doing what I like—that's what matters. Ruling sounds like a lot of work."
Wyper's brows twitched.
"Seriously! Ruling a Sky Island? No thanks. I'd rather take the gold! Hahaha!"
Ash turned with a grin, not waiting for a response. "Alright, guys, let's move that treasure!"
The Smiling Pirates rushed to Enel's treasure vault. At this point, Enel had just begun dreaming of building the Ark Maxim to reach the endless land in the sky, so he hadn't hoarded an overwhelming amount of gold—yet it was still more than enough for Ash's needs.
"Whoa!" Carina gasped as the door to the vault opened, revealing piles of gleaming gold. She had never seen so much treasure in her life.
Her joy quickly dimmed when she remembered who the gold belonged to now. Although she was thrilled, her expression turned conflicted—Ash's terrifying strength had already shattered any idea of theft or escape.
"Is this shiny stuff... really valuable?" Enel asked, watching everyone's glee with mild confusion.
Ash chuckled. "Of course. You'll understand once we return to the Blue Sea. With this, we can skyrocket your strength."
With gold, Ash could exchange for points through the system and buy items, skills, and boosts. This windfall would drastically raise the power of the Smiling Pirates, preparing them for the dangers of the New World.
"Hahaha, I can't wait!" Enel laughed and began grabbing gold with both hands, no longer caring about his divine status.
After two hours of heavy lifting and teamwork, the gold was finally loaded onto the ship. For Ash, this was the first time in two lifetimes that he had enjoyed the thrill of wealth—his hands cramped from counting, his shoulders sore from lifting.
He almost considered stealing the golden bell too, but he reined in his greed. The gold would suffice—but the Poneglyph? That had to be copied.
To mark the moment, Ash had his crew follow Enel into the ruins of Shandora. They took a commemorative photo, capturing shocked, silly, and excited expressions under the golden sky.
"Leaving already?" Gan Fall appeared in the clouds above, riding Pierre, his flying steed.
"Yup. Mission accomplished," Ash said casually.
"I figured. But… you do know you can't just sail back to the Blue Sea, right? This island floats 10,000 meters in the sky. Without a Sky Octopus, a ship falling from here would be destroyed."
Ash smirked. "Thanks for the concern, Gan Fall, but our ship's different. The Smile is a system-built vessel. Sea, land, air—doesn't matter. And we've got Enel as a walking battery!"
"Smile, launch! Gan Fall, farewell!"
The Smile's wings unfolded. A glass dome covered the deck as the ship transformed into a sleek bird-like form, diving through the clouds.
"So fast! Boss, I can't see anything!" TuanTuan pressed his face against the glass dome.
"Alright, Smile, switch to cruise mode!"
The ship slowed, gliding gently toward the Grand Line below.
"This tech is incredible!" Poker with his eyes wide, begged, "Ash, can I study the Smile's systems?"
"Sure."
"YES! LONG LIVE THE CAPTAIN!" Poker jumped with joy, already daydreaming about building intelligent medics and robotic warriors.
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⚡ SYSTEM INTERFACE ⚡
[DING!]
Mission Completed!
✔ Enel has joined your crew.
🎁 Reward: Bonus Lottery x1
✨ Points +50
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"Only 50 points? Not much for a man with this much gold, but hey—it's still something."
After five hours in the sky, the blue stretch of the Grand Line came into view. Enel, seeing the ocean for the first time, was stunned.
Ash gathered the crew. "Alright, time to talk about treasure. I'm not the greedy type. You've got two options:
Option A: Keep half the gold as public funds to power us up. The rest gets divided equally.
Option B: Keep 90% for the crew's strength, and the other 10% for personal spending."
"Hehe, I'll take a little for chicken legs and marshmallows!" TuanTuan drooled.
"I follow the captain," Gin replied simply.
"I'll go with option B. I don't need Berry anymore—unless you make another genius ship like the Smile," Poker said seriously.
"No objections. Captain Ash is in charge." Enel yawned, sprawling across the couch like he'd always been there.
Ash turned to Carina. "What about you?"
"M-me? I get a say?" Carina stammered. Despite the crew treating her well, she still didn't feel fully accepted. But she wanted the gold—she needed it to save her hometown.
"You're one of us now, shorty. Speak up."
"I… I want treasure!" she finally blurted, blushing.
Ash smiled. "Of course. You've earned it."
He wasn't surprised. Carina, like Nami, was a clever woman who chased wealth. It would've been strange if she didn't want any.
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To be continued…