What the "Sky Knight" told us was, broadly speaking, the same as the original story.
Nami had already laid the groundwork—this island was the Golden City, the stage for the tale of "Liar Noland."
But Gan Fall's story began after that.
First, the premise.
Skypiea, by nature, has no true "land."
There are Island Clouds, so people can live. If you plant seeds and tend them, plants will grow. But Island Clouds don't produce life. They don't give birth to forests, soil, roots—none of it.
Which is why Vearth—real earth, real soil—was something the Sky People dreamed of. The source of life itself. A longing.
Four hundred years ago, likely because of the Knock Up Stream, this island was blasted up into the sky and drifted into Skypiea's territory.
To the people living here at the time, it looked like a miracle.
A massive stretch of Vearth had appeared from nowhere—so they called it a gift from the gods.
The problem was… it wasn't empty.
The Shandia were already living here.
And the "God" of that era did what conquerors always do: declared the land his, drove the original inhabitants out, and took it.
"This island is ours now. Leave."
That theft—God's Island stolen, homeland stolen—became the root of everything.
From that day on, Skypiea and Shandia fought for four hundred years.
All the way up to six years ago… when Gan Fall himself held the seat of "God."
Gan Fall kept speaking even through the parts he clearly didn't want to say out loud.
Raki looked like she wanted to cut in a few times, but she never did.
Probably because… there was no lie in his story. No embellishment. No convenient twisting.
Usopp and Sanji, on the other hand, had absolutely no such restraint.
"So you guys were the bad guys!"
"That's just invasion!"
Pierre—Gan Fall's partner—promptly snapped at them for it, and at one point even tried to bite.
Gan Fall didn't argue.
If anything, he lowered his gaze and admitted it.
"You are correct," he said. "I did everything I could, during my reign, to end this war. But four hundred years of wounds… run too deep."
He stared into the distance, like he could see the past hanging in the air between the trees.
"Skypiea's current way of life depends too greatly on the bounty of Vearth. Returning everything was no longer possible. And I understood—fully—that to Shandia, that is merely the logic of thieves. I sought compromise through dialogue… but…"
"…You did your best, Gan Fall."
That was the first time Raki spoke.
Her voice came from the side, quiet but steady.
"I was a child," she said, "but I remember you coming to our village again and again. Trying to end the fighting without bloodshed. It's strange for me to say it, since we didn't accept it… but I could tell. You weren't there for greed. You were thinking about peace. About the ones who get hurt."
Gan Fall didn't answer right away.
Raki added, dry as dust,
"Of course, our hotheads made sure it ended in a brawl every time."
Gan Fall finally exhaled.
"They wanted only their homeland," he said. "Whatever the cost… that longing itself is not something I have the right to deny."
Nami sighed, folding her arms.
"That's… kind of tragic. I know I'm an outsider, but… it's hard to say who's completely wrong."
Lupus, sitting nearby, blinked like she'd just spoken nonsense.
"Why?" she asked, genuinely puzzled. "If you stole a place people were already living in, then the Sky People are obviously the ones at fault. That's not complicated. That's invasion."
"Lupus!" I snapped. "Tone."
"But it's true," she shot back. "You don't get to attack first, steal someone's home, then go 'Let's talk it out.' That's the kind of thing that makes people want to punch you. 'Don't you dare say that!'"
"…Wyper was like that," Leona muttered. "Every negotiation was one wrong breath away from becoming a slaughter."
"Our people—especially this generation—run hot," Raki said, eyes half-lidded. "Wyper, Braham, Kamakiri… none of them bend."
During that exchange, Pierre tried—physically—to bite Lupus for insulting Gan Fall.
But Lupus just flashed a grin and showed her fangs.
Pierre immediately reconsidered his life choices and backed off.
…Smart bird-horse.
Gan Fall didn't flinch at Lupus's accusation.
Instead, he nodded once.
"I knew how it sounded," he said. "Yet I could not bring myself to steal peaceful lives from those who had committed no sin. To Shandia… even the claim that they were 'innocent' was an insult."
Raki's voice softened slightly.
"Even we didn't want to drag non-combatants into it," she said. "Wyper said harsh things during negotiations… but I don't think he truly meant to butcher civilians. Still—people heard 'innocent' as a shield. As an excuse to paint us as villains while you stayed righteous."
Gan Fall's jaw tightened.
"In the end… I accomplished nothing. I lost the throne of 'God' to Enel. More people were hurt. And now even Angel Island suffers."
"Hold on," Leona said quickly, flustered. "Enel isn't your fault! That guy came out of nowhere!"
Nami leaned forward, frowning.
"So that Enel is the current 'God'? What is he?"
Gan Fall's expression darkened.
"I know little," he said. "Six years ago he appeared from another sky island, leading soldiers. He struck both the Divine Guard and the Shandia, seized God's Island, and took the throne. I was driven out. Much of the Divine Guard was captured. I have heard rumors of forced labor… but the details are fragmented."
"Sounds like what Skypiea did four hundred years ago," Lupus muttered.
"Lupus," I said flatly. "Stop."
Then, without even looking away, I added, "Shizu. If she tries to say something unnecessary again, shut her down."
"Yes," Shizu replied instantly.
I swear, our maid's sense of restraint lives in a ditch somewhere.
Gan Fall continued.
After Enel took power, Skypiea changed from flawed to outright hellish.
His rule was fear. Anyone who resisted was killed. Anyone who tried to flee was hunted down—or escaped only to die to Shandia, because Shandia couldn't tell who was who out on the clouds.
To Shandia, the identity of "God" didn't matter.
Their goal never changed: reclaim the homeland.
They had challenged Enel again and again over six years, and gotten nowhere.
As for why Shandia attacked Blue Sea people… yes, there was the usual exclusionism.
But more than that, they mistook outsiders for Enel's forces.
Sometimes prisoners under Enel stole ships and tried to escape. Shandia saw them as enemies too.
And from a distance, a ship is just a ship.
So it became simple—cruelly simple.
Anyone sailing who wasn't Shandia… got treated as an enemy.
Indiscriminate.
Lazy.
Infuriating.
From the outside, it felt like the kind of "just sink them all" logic that only breeds more enemies.
But at least now, I understood the shape of this country.
And once the last pieces clicked into place… the conversation finally shifted from the past to what came next.
Food was gone. Stomachs were full.
And yes—Raki ate too.
I even loosened her restraints so she could eat properly.
Someone protested, "What if she runs?"
I just smiled and said, "If you want to run, go ahead."
Raki looked irritated—like I'd insulted her pride more than her safety.
But she didn't run.
She ate.
Then she froze halfway through chewing when she tasted Sanji's cooking, eyes widening like she'd just discovered a new religion.
Honestly, I wouldn't have minded if she left. Between Gan Fall's explanation—and Raki's occasional clarifications—we didn't really need anything else.
Still… since she was here, I decided to include her in the planning.
Nami clapped her hands once.
"Alright. So Luffy's group goes treasure hunting. That's the plan?"
"YEAH!" Luffy grinned. "I've been waiting for an adventure like this! We're taking the gold!"
"""OHHH!"""
Usopp, Chopper, and—of course—Nami shouted along.
Zoro looked mildly interested.
Sanji looked motivated in that "pirate logic" way too.
Then Luffy blinked, like a thought finally caught up to him.
"Wait… what about Sue and your group? You're pirates too. Are you going after the gold?"
Zoro's grin sharpened.
"If you are… that means it'll be a fight."
"""EH?!"""
Usopp and Chopper immediately went pale.
Sanji's face tightened too—probably because our entire side was women, and he was allergic to the concept of fighting them.
Robin smiled politely, unreadable as ever.
Nami, meanwhile, whispered something horrifying like, "If we eliminate competitors now—"
…Please be joking.
I leaned back and made a show of thinking.
"Hmmm. Gold, huh…"
Usopp and Chopper looked like they were watching their own funerals.
I did have a 76 million bounty, after all—higher than Zoro's.
Even with Luffy and Robin present, nobody sane wants a pointless clash.
Luffy, though, looked unbothered.
If it came to fighting, he'd fight. That's how his brain works.
But—
"It won't," I said.
Then, clearly:
"No. We're not taking the gold."
Luffy blinked. "Huh? But you're pirates!"
"I know," I said. "We just don't care. We're aiming for something else."
"What?" Nami asked immediately, suspicious.
"Dials," I said. "Rare ones. The kind we've never seen before."
At this point, we were already on Enel's bad side.
So there was no reason to stay quiet, careful, polite, or invisible.
If his forces came at us, we'd smash them.
And if they carried interesting Dials—
We'd take them.
Preferably all of them.
Usopp and Nami seemed to remember Angel Island and finally went, Ohhh. Right. That.
Then I turned slightly.
"Leona. Raki. Does Shandia have any particularly good Dials? Anything unusual?"
Leona nearly choked.
"W-what?! Uh—uhm… I don't… I don't think I'd know! Seriously!"
Raki, bound but proud, lifted her chin.
"If we do… does that make us your targets?"
Leona looked anxious.
Raki looked wary.
…Yeah. That was a bit mean of me.
I sighed, reached over, and gently patted Leona's head until she calmed.
"Relax," I said. "I'm not hunting you."
Leona visibly loosened.
Raki still looked suspicious, but she didn't push further.
I looked to Gan Fall.
"Have you ever heard of Shandia using strange Dials? Anything unfamiliar?"
Gan Fall shook his head.
"No. Nothing of the sort. Not common, perhaps… but nothing beyond what we know and use."
"Then fine," I said. "Tomorrow, we hunt Enel's forces for Dials. If they've got something good, knock them down and take it. Simple."
Honey nodded.
Sapphire nodded.
Lupus lit up like it was a festival announcement.
Then I turned back to Raki.
"I'm letting you go," I said. "Return to your people or do whatever you want. The forest at night can be dangerous, so you can stay if you prefer."
Raki didn't hesitate.
"I'll go," she said. "Tomorrow matters."
"Alright," I said. "Be careful."
Then I looked at Leona.
"And you? You said you came to defeat Enel. Do you join Shandia… or stay with us?"
Leona hesitated.
"I… don't know. I didn't think that far ahead. I just… came. But joining them might be right and—" she shuddered. "—Wyper scares me."
Raki's voice came, quieter now.
"Leona… you shouldn't join Shandia right now. With Satori gone, Wyper will be even more on edge. Your intention might be good—honestly, I'm grateful—but not everyone will welcome you. Some… won't be kind."
Leona lowered her eyes, like the words hit somewhere old.
"…I see."
Yeah.
There was something there.
Something between Leona and Shandia that went deeper than "where were you all this time."
Otherwise Raki wouldn't have said it like that.
In the end, we didn't reach a conclusion that night.
Leona slept with us.
We saw Raki off.
And I thought, Finally. Sleep.
Then Luffy's campfire started.
They dragged local wildlife into it—Cloud Wolves, apparently—and turned the lakeshore into a full-blown midnight festival.
Lupus joined.
Sapphire joined.
And somehow—somehow—we got pulled in too.
By the time we finally collapsed, the fire had burned low and the sky had shifted toward dawn.
…But it was fun.
And Leona—who'd looked heavy earlier—seemed lighter after laughing.
Alright.
We've had our fill of breathing room.
Tomorrow, we work.
To be continued...