"Waaah… gold—there's actually this much gold!"
As Carina and Nami followed Yami into God's Shrine and saw, on the plaza outside the palace, heaps of gold—some fused by electric heat, some perfectly preserved ornaments—they cried out in excitement.
Nami's beautiful eyes even turned into $-shapes for an instant, shooting dazzling golden light.
At once the two of them ran to the mounds of golden ornaments and started checking pieces.
After confirming the gold was real, they looked at an even larger pile than before, felt dizzy, and nearly fainted from the sudden happiness.
"We're rich, we're rich…"
"If we exchanged it for belli, how much would it be worth?" Carina was equally dazed.
For a moment, the two felt no different from pirates who'd found the One Piece.
If Buggy saw this scene, he'd go mad with envy.
Shandora, the Golden City, was the treasure he'd always dreamed of.
If he'd been able to reach Skypiea, Buggy would have hauled it away long ago.
"Come on, let's go read the Poneglyph."
Yami dispelled his giant form and returned to normal size.
At Robin's side, Yami once again lifted her in a princess carry.
Then, feet tapping Moonwalk, he flew with Robin toward Giant Jack.
Soon Yami broke through the clouds and found the Golden Bell hidden on Giant Jack.
Beneath the massive bell, set in its base, was a square Poneglyph.
At the sight of it, Robin's eyes lit up.
As soon as they landed, she hurried to the Poneglyph and began deciphering the ancient script.
But before long, the expectation in Robin's eyes was replaced by disappointment.
Like the Poneglyph in the Alabasta Kingdom, this one did not record the Void Century, but the location of one of the Ancient Weapons.
What did surprise Robin was that Poseidon was not, like Pluton, a super warship, but the mermaid princess of Fish-Man Island.
"How is it? No Void Century here either?"
Seeing Robin's knit brows, Yami knowingly asked.
"Mm. This Poneglyph also records the location of an Ancient Weapon." Robin gave a small nod.
"In that case, let's go."
Yami didn't press her. He bent and scooped Robin up.
As he did, something in the corner of Robin's eye caught her attention.
When she saw that line of text, her pupils shrank.
"I have guided this text to the end—Gol D. Roger."
Gol D. Roger?
The Pirate King was here too? He could read the ancient letters—and carve words onto a Poneglyph?
"The end"—does that mean the fabled Laugh Tale?
Countless thoughts flashed through Robin's mind, waves crashing in her heart.
So much so that she stayed very quiet in Yami's arms.
Yami didn't try to make conversation, letting her digest the information in peace.
"Master, where did you two go?"
By the time Yami returned with her, Carina and Nami had calmed down.
Seeing the two descend from the sky, Carina hurried up to ask.
"I found a Poneglyph and took Robin to read it," Yami replied.
"I see."
Carina nodded, then scratched her head in worry. "Master, there's too much gold. I can't carry it all down, and our sloop can't possibly hold it."
"There's no need to take everything."
Yami shook his head. "I'll bring some down first and stash the rest in the other space. We'll come back for it when we need it."
"That's all we can do." Carina nodded helplessly.
"Wait here. I'll take the gold down first."
With that, Yami once more became a giant dozens of meters tall, grabbed two great fistfuls of gold, and stepped through a massive air door, returning from the other space to the Blue Sea at Jaya.
After delivering that load, Yami went back up, dumped the remaining gold into the other space, and then carried the three girls down one by one.
Lastly, Yami harvested the Jet Dials and Cloud Dials Enel had used to build Ark Maxim, along with all kinds of Dials from the storerooms, and brought them all back to the Blue Sea.
"Let's go. I'm heading straight there."
After storing the Dials, Yami took out an Eternal Log Pose and handed it to Nami.
"Water 7?"
Nami accepted the Eternal Log Pose, read the letters on its base, and asked curiously, "The shipwrights' holy land, right? Master, what are we going there for?"
Over this period, Carina and Nami were no longer total newbies; after devouring stacks of books, they'd learned a fair bit about the Grand Line.
"To swap ships."
Yami couldn't wait. "This boat is too small—there isn't even room to train freely."
"I've got money now. It's time to change to a new sailing ship."
"So I'm going to Water 7 to commission a new one."
"Really? That's awesome!"
Carina and Nami cheered at once. The former raised her hand immediately: "I want a swimming pool on board, plus a café and a karaoke room."
"I want an art studio," Nami chimed in, hand up.
"Ara ara… I'd like a study and a library as well," Robin added this time.
Anticipation filled all three pairs of eyes.
"In that case, let's set sail."
The corners of Yami's mouth lifted as he swept his hand forward.
"Oooh!"
Full of energy, Nami and Carina weighed anchor and set the sloop away from Jaya.
Once they had fully left Jaya behind, Yami opened an air door and brought the ship back into the real world.
Breathing the long-missed Blue Sea breeze, everyone's mood brightened at once.
The other space might be extraordinarily safe, but it was still just a green inner world.
The vivid, colorful real world felt so much better.
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