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Chapter 12
Victor returned to yet another fruit stall on Skypiea, flipping through every piece of produce—no sign of the Goro Goro no Mi.
Undeterred, he headed back to the landmass and continued his search even more meticulously. He was certain the Rumble-Rumble Fruit was still somewhere on the island.
Hours later—still nothing.
Along the way, he spotted a young Gan Fall—still just a rookie soldier, looking every bit the hot-headed newbie. Victor gave him a quick glance, felt zero interest in talking, and walked away.
Finally, he returned to where his crew was working—the one place he hadn't searched yet. With the crew around, they would have picked up anything unusual.
"Hey, Captain's back!"
"Captain's here—keep collecting specimens and studying the plants. No need to mind him."
"Hmm… maybe because of the high altitude, the flora and fauna here are unusually large."
"Let's take some soil samples too—the ground itself might be special…"
The crew greeted him casually, glanced over once, and immediately returned to their work—completely immersed.
Victor landed and sighed helplessly. He'd originally planned to take them to see Shandora, the legendary City of Gold. But now? They were far more interested in Skypiea's exotic plants.
Fine—he'd wander alone for a while.
He resumed searching the unsearched areas, treating it as a last-ditch gamble.
He even began to wonder if the Rumble-Rumble Fruit hadn't manifested yet.
Then—within range of his Observation Haki—he sensed it: a fruit with a blue base and white spiral patterns.
"Huh? A breakthrough after all this searching? Hohoho."
Victor flashed over in an instant.
There it was—hanging innocently on a tree.
He plucked it, examined the distinctive swirls, and grinned ear to ear.
"Hahaha! Yes! The Goro Goro no Mi—I actually found it!"
Victor laughed excitedly.
Far off, Heracles heard the outburst but paid no attention—his eyes were glued to a particularly fascinating plant.
Crocus was the same—completely absorbed in gathering rare herbs.
Skypiea's environment seemed perfect for medicinal plants: untouched for centuries, thriving wildly, top-quality growth.
Everyone was happily busy with their own thing.
Victor stored the Rumble-Rumble Fruit in his inner space. He wasn't eating it yet.
The Baku Baku no Mi remained his top priority—he hadn't given up on it. The Goro Goro was Plan B, a powerful backup.
And he had one more theory he wanted to test: If he ever got the Glutton-Glutton Fruit… could he swallow a second Devil Fruit with its power?
First goal achieved. Mood: excellent.
Next: find blueprints or records of the ancient flying ship (Maxim).
He eventually located it in some ruins—not paper blueprints, but a durable special metal plate. Perfect preservation after all these centuries.
Another unplanned goal completed.
He decided to leave collecting the City of Gold for last. He wanted his crew to see the legendary golden city at least once—otherwise they'd never get the chance later.
On his way, he encountered the giant snake (Nola) and casually redirected it toward Shandora so it wouldn't disturb the botanists.
As for the warring Skypieans and Shandians—Victor simply drove both sides away from the Green Sea area. "No fighting here. You're disturbing research."
Neither tribe dared approach the landmass after that. Victor had made it clear: they were only staying temporarily. Anyone stubborn enough to test him would be used as an example.
With nothing urgent left, Victor climbed the massive vines leading to the Golden Bell.
"Since I'm already on Skypiea… might as well fulfill their obsession."
He gazed at the enormous Golden Bell and thought of the Mont Blanc family's centuries-long quest.
Without hesitation, he struck it.
Duang~! Duang~!
The deep, resonant toll echoed across the entire island.
Every inhabitant froze and looked skyward.
The Shandians stood rooted—mouths slowly opening, tears streaming down their faces.
"The Golden Bell… it finally rang. Even if it wasn't one of us… I hope Roland's descendants can hear this sound."
"Father… can you hear the bell?"
"It's real… the Golden Bell really exists!"
Tears of joy and vindication flowed freely among them.
The Skypieans stared upward with complicated expressions.
Down on the Blue Sea, Jaya Island—Mont Blanc family home.
They faintly heard the grand tolling.
They rushed outside, staring into the sky.
"It's real… the legends were true. The City of Gold exists!"
"Waaah—our ancestor Noland wasn't lying! The golden city is real!"
The entire Mont Blanc family broke down in tears of relief and pride.
In Mock Town, a few pirates heard the distant ringing but dismissed it. "Just some bell somewhere."
Only the island's natives connected the sound to the ancient tale of Mont Blanc Noland.
Back on Skypiea, Crocus paused his herb-gathering, closed his eyes, and simply listened.
The bell's tone seemed to cleanse the soul.
"So the Golden Bell really exists… this feeling is incredible."
For the first time, Crocus felt a strong urge to see both the bell and the fabled City of Gold.
Heracles and the other crew members stood up, silently absorbing the purifying sound.
Their thoughts: finish researching the island's plants first—then they could go see it.
Fortunately, Skypiea's flora wasn't drastically different from the Blue Sea's. It wouldn't take nearly as long as the Boin Archipelago had.
When the tolling faded, Victor returned to the forest.
"Hey, Crocus—finished gathering yet?"
Crocus looked up with a smile. "Got a good amount. Just need a bit more."
He added: "After hearing that bell… I actually want to see the legendary City of Gold and the Golden Bell now."
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