"The city of gold, Shandora?!"
Grand Line, Marineford
Any intelligence that Donquixote Doflamingo could acquire, Marine Headquarters could naturally obtain as well. Inside the Fleet Admiral's office, the highest-ranking members of the Marines were gathered around a large table, their expressions grim.
"That's correct, Fleet Admiral Sengoku," Admiral Akainu began, his voice as harsh as magma. "There's an old fairy tale that circulates in the North Blue called 'Noland the Liar.' The story says that four hundred years ago, a great explorer from the North Blue named Mont Blanc Noland sailed to the Grand Line. He discovered a city made entirely of gold on what is now Jaya Island and named it Shandora. However, when Noland returned to the Grand Line on a second voyage to show the city to his king, he found that the entire island had vanished without a trace. As a result, Noland was branded a liar and publicly executed, but the story lived on."
"Ooh~ now that you mention it, I remember that old tale," Admiral Kizaru chimed in, his tone lazy and stretched out. "I heard the story of 'Noland the Liar' when I was just a boy. I think pretty much everyone from the North Blue heard it growing up."
Sengoku steepled his fingers, his brow furrowed in thought. "I've heard it as well, but I always assumed it was just a legend. Are you telling me that this Shandora could actually exist?"
All eyes in the room, including those of the three Admirals, turned to the intelligence officer standing nervously at the end of the table. Swallowing hard under their intense gaze, the officer shuffled his papers.
"Well, we don't have absolute confirmation, Fleet Admiral," he said, his voice a bit shaky. "But according to rumors we've intercepted from the pirates on Jaya Island, some believe the city of gold was launched into the sky by a massive Updraft Stream. That would explain why it disappeared so suddenly. Of course, there's never been any proof, and no way to verify it."
"An Updraft Stream?" Vice Admiral Tsuru mused, her sharp mind immediately piecing things together. "In that case, it's entirely possible. We've seen similar phenomena in the New World, where such currents are more common. However, the how is no longer the most important point. The real issue is this: if the city of gold truly exists, and a Yonko like Kaido is after it, no one can stop him from claiming it. With that much gold, Kaido could immediately recruit more soldiers and expand the strength of the Beasts Pirates, couldn't he?"
Admiral Kuzan, who had been leaning back in his chair with his eyes closed, finally spoke up. "Is that why the Beasts Pirates have been preparing for war recently?"
At this, Sengoku shook his head, drawing confused looks from everyone present.
Seeing their puzzlement, the Fleet Admiral explained. "According to our intelligence from the World Government's hidden CP0 agents in Wano Country, the Beasts Pirates' war preparations aren't for an external conflict. They're preparing to deal with an internal matter."
"An internal matter in Wano?"
"That's right," Sengoku confirmed. "It seems Kaido and the shogun, Kurozumi Orochi, have discovered that Kozuki Oden's daughter and some of his retainers, who were all thought to have died eighteen years ago, are still alive. They plan to use this opportunity to lure them out and crush all the samurai in Wano who still oppose their rule."
"Kozuki Oden… you mean the former second division commander of the Whitebeard Pirates?" Kuzan asked, his interest piqued.
Akainu's eyes narrowed in recollection. "And the samurai who sailed to Laugh Tale with Gol D. Roger."
"The very same," Sengoku nodded grimly. "Oden was executed by Kaido and Orochi, but the samurai loyal to him have never stopped looking for a chance to resist their tyrannical rule."
Kizaru gave a sideways glance, a smirk playing on his lips. "So, it's just pirates fighting amongst themselves. It sounds like we don't need to get involved at all."
"Indeed," Sengoku agreed. "That is the World Government's stance as well. If it's only about gold, then Kaido's ambitions are not our most urgent problem. At the level of the Four Emperors, simple money has very little impact on the balance of power. Combat strength is what truly matters."
Everyone present nodded in agreement. A war with a Yonko was a massive undertaking that even the World Government was hesitant to provoke without just cause.
"However," Sengoku said, his expression turning severe, "there is another matter. The defeat of Crocodile at the hands of a rookie pirate has left the World Government extremely dissatisfied. It has severely damaged the authority and influence of the Seven Warlords system. The Five Elders have made their orders clear: we are to find a replacement for Crocodile as soon as possible. Furthermore, a fiasco like this must never happen again. Who among you will go and assess the situation?"
As he spoke, Sengoku's gaze fell directly on Kuzan. The lanky admiral sighed, scratching the back of his head.
"Ahh, what a bother. If that's how it is, I'll go. Who asked the kid to be old man Garp's grandson anyway? This is going to be a real headache."
Just as he finished speaking, the doors to the office burst open and a Marine messenger stumbled in, gasping for breath.
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku! Kaido… Kaido has appeared! And the city of gold…!"
Grand Line, Mock Town
Though it was still daytime, Mock Town had been plunged into a gloomy twilight. The reason was simple, and terrifying. Anyone who dared to look up would see a small island floating impossibly in the sky above their heads, held aloft by churning, dark Flame Clouds that blotted out the sun.
"Is… is that the city of gold?" a pirate whispered in disbelief.
"The story of Noland the Liar… it's actually true! Shandora really exists!" another exclaimed.
At the center of the floating island, a city made entirely of gold shone with a dazzling light, reflecting the sun's rays and casting a heavenly glow. For a moment, the eyes of every pirate in Mock Town filled with an insatiable greed.
But that greed was extinguished as quickly as it had appeared, replaced by primal fear. Coiled around the golden city, like a demon guarding its treasure, was the gigantic, serpentine body of a dragon.
Kaido had moved all of Shandora down from the sky. He had originally planned to just bring the gold down, but after a few days of tedious work, he had grown impatient. It was simpler to just move the entire island. It wasn't the whole of the original Jaya, of course; even for him, lifting an island that large was a significant drain on his stamina. So, he had simply ripped out the section where Shandora was located—a chunk of land less than two kilometers in diameter.
"Fufufufufu…"
Standing on a rooftop below, Doflamingo stared up at the spectacle, his signature grin wider than ever. Though he was a former Celestial Dragon, he had grown up in the North Blue and made his name there; the legend of Noland was a story from his childhood. To see it made real before his very eyes filled him with an exhilarating sense of wonder.
Just then, a colossal dragon's head emerged from the clouds above. Its massive, reptilian eyes gazed down at Doflamingo, and a voice boomed across the town, shaking the very buildings.
"Doffy! Come up and see me!"
The head vanished back into the clouds. Doflamingo's body tensed for a moment before he relaxed into his usual swagger. Without hesitation, he flicked his fingers, sending nearly invisible strings shooting up to anchor themselves to the floating island. He then stepped onto the threads as if they were a solid staircase and began his ascent towards the golden city in the sky.
------------------------
For Advance chapters visit : patreon.com/Mythic_Muse