A single trip to the sky clearly deepened the bond between Yami and the three girls.
Since meeting, Yami had rarely been alone with Carina, Nami, or Robin.
He'd never even done a princess carry before.
So on the way up to the heavens, Carina and Nami were much bolder than usual.
Yami was, too.
"Incredible—there's actually a land island up here in the sky?!"
As soon as Nami reached Apayado, she was captivated by the island.
Stepping out of the other space, she spoke in wonder.
"What kind of power would it take to launch a land island into the sky?"
Carina marveled as well. "Even an undersea volcanic eruption shouldn't have that kind of force!"
"It can't be a volcanic eruption. It should be some other factor," Robin said with certainty.
"It's actually the Knock Up Stream."
Yami no longer hid it and said calmly, "The last time I was on Jaya I discovered this island, so I asked around. Near Jaya, there's a natural phenomenon every year called the Knock Up Stream."
"Barring surprises, this island was sent into the sky by it."
"So that's it."
The three girls nodded in dawning understanding.
"Come on, let's go treasure-hunting."
Yami started toward Nola, the Lord of the Sky.
"Treasure-hunting?"
Carina and Nami's eyes lit up, and they fell in at Yami's left and right, hugging his arms in sync. "Master, is there treasure here?"
"Not only treasure—so much it'll scare you."
Yami kept a little mystery in his tone. "You'll see in a minute."
Their eyes shone even brighter, sparkling like gold.
Robin watched with a smile and wasn't in a rush to read the Poneglyph.
With farsight's help, Yami quickly found Nola.
Nola was a giant python, grandchild of the snake god Kashigami, fond of humans, called the Lord of the Sky by Skypieans and Shandians.
Right now Nola was lying there asleep.
Since Enel's arrival, Apayado had had no humans, and every day Nola did little but eat, drink, and sleep.
Yami didn't attack a snake that was friendly to humans; he opened an air door and led the three girls from the other space into Nola's belly.
"Waaah… gold—so much gold!"
Once inside Nola's stomach, Carina and Nami immediately saw the undigested Golden City ruins and cheered, "We've struck it rich—I'm going to be rich!"
They rushed to the gold buried in the rubble, pulling out the ash-coated antiques marked by time.
Watching, Yami only smiled.
This was just the appetizer.
Once they went to God's Shrine and saw the gold Enel had used to build Ark Maxim, they might faint from excitement.
After all, most of the Golden City was sitting in Enel's palace.
And there was also a massive golden pillar on Apayado.
Just that pillar alone, turned into belli, would be an astronomical figure.
If Yami liquidated the entire Golden City, he'd never worry about money again.
"Master, hurry and help!"
"Master, use your farsight to see where the gold is!"
Carina and Nami's voices pulled Yami back.
He glanced at the two beckoning girls, the corners of his mouth lifting, then said to Robin, "I'll help too."
"Mm." Robin nodded with a smile.
Yami searched for gold with farsight while using brute strength to kick or lift away the fallen stones.
Robin used the Bloom-Bloom Fruit to sprout a multitude of arms and haul out all the gold beneath the rubble.
"Master, don't face my way."
"Right, right—don't look this way unless you put your hands down."
Standing beside Robin, Carina and Nami reminded him.
"Relax. If I wanted to look, I'd have done it already."
Yami sounded a little helpless.
Those frank words made Nami even shyer.
Even Robin's movements paused slightly, a blush dusting her exquisite cheeks.
Of course she trusted Yami's character.
It was just that thinking he could peek in the bath—or see through clothes while lurking in the dark—made the two girls' faces burn.
Only Carina let out her distinctive laugh. "Ufufufu… I believe you, Master."
Working together, Yami and Robin pulled out all the gold in the ruins that Nola hadn't digested.
"So much gold—how are we supposed to take it?"
Looking at the small mountain of gold before them, Nami was a bit troubled.
"Move it to the python's mouth. I'll take it from there."
Yami opened an air door and stepped from the other space out of Nola's body.
The three girls came through as well. Robin lined up ranks of hands with the Bloom-Bloom Fruit, moved the gold into the other space, then tossed it outside Nola.
Meanwhile, Yami's body grew before the naked eye.
In a few breaths, he became a giant dozens of meters tall.
Giant Yami reached for the gold on the ground.
The heap of gold, like little beans, was scooped up in his hand.
"Follow me."
Clutching the gold, Yami headed toward God's Shrine.
Each step landed with a deep, heavy boom.
Looking up at Yami, who was as large as a hill, Carina and Nami couldn't help but sigh, "He's huge!"
Then Carina's face suddenly flushed scarlet.
The once-innocent girl's thoughts turned a bit naughty.
If Master gets that big, doesn't that part also…
In an instant, the usually daring Carina turned into a steam princess.
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