338 Chapter 338

338

After the crowning ceremony was done, and Sanji became the new king of Skypiea. Things started to go slow from there. 

As the new leader, there were of course some responsibilities. But there was an easy fix for that, Sanji recruited Gan Fall to be his knight. And dropped most duties to him. 

This way even while being away, Sanji would still be the official ruler of the land until someone else takes the title. 

Luffy could have made Gan Fall or Wyper the new leader. But he didn't for several reasons. Mainly it was because of Sanji's loyalty to him. And because he had plans of Skypiea. 

After the crowning ceremony was done, all of the Straw Hats move to visit Shandora, the city of Gold. 

"I can't believe we are really going to visit that place." Masira said, brimming with anticipation. Shoujou just nodded as they walked through Upper Yard with the rest of the Straw Hats. 

Even Penguin and Shachi were with them. Both of them had now adjusted with the crew. Mainly bonding with Johnny, Yosaku and Bartolomeo. They might have lost their old crew, but they were happy to be part of a new one. Still, there were some parts of them that still longed for their old crewmates. 

Even Law and Bepo felt the same but that's what pirate life was. Being weak here was a crime. Both promised themselves that they would work hard and gain power, so nothing like that ever happens again. 

Still, even though all of them were on friendly terms. It would take a while for the remainders of the Heart Pirates to fully accept being part of the Straw Hat crew. Camaraderie doesn't happen in a day. 

So in a way, things like this was a good way for the crewmates to bond over. 

There were around thirty of them, most of them being members of the Straw Hat pirates. And all of them were very eager to see the ancient city. A city that's rumored to be made of gold. 

As the group walked, they were surprised by the sheer destruction the fight between Enel and Sanji caused. It was almost similar to what they saw in Jaya. But on a much larger scale. 

Enel wasn't a fighter, and used most of his techniques inefficiently, that's why a good chunk of Upper Yard was devastated by the battle. The once tranquil and lush expanse of woodland now bore the scars of a cataclysmic clash.

Enormous trees, some of which had stood for decades, now lay splintered and uprooted, their massive trunks snapped like twigs in the wake of the battle. 

In way, it made the people a bit sad, mainly as they saw many animal corpses due to the battle. Giant birds, wolves, and other creatures that were unfortunate enough to lose their lives. Of course, by now, most of the bodies were either taken in by the people of Shandora as a free source of food or other necessities. Or by animals that didn't mind feasting on corpses. 

But even then they could see mangled up corpses along with the broken nature. 

The crew could have sped up going into Shandora, but most of them decided against it. With everything happening with Jaya, they had little time to relax, and so they took their time, enjoying nature. Or at least what's left of it. 

The very ground trembled underfoot as the pirates picked their way through the wreckage, navigating a treacherous terrain of fallen branches, shattered boulders, and deep gouges in the earth.

The air was thick with the scent of pine and damp earth, mingling with the acrid tang of scorched vegetation and the lingering aura of raw power. Most of them could feel the hairs on their body rise due to static. 

Luffy whistled, "I can still feel the lingering electricity here…" he said, "You guys really did go all out." 

Sanji nodded. "Yeah… but if I knew the fight would cause this much destruction then I would have done things a bit differently." He said, with a sigh, "Unlike Jaya, this place had a lot of animals…" 

"Well, look at the bright side of things." Luffy said, "Enel was eventually planning on destroying the island. So if you hadn't stopped it then many more would have died."

"Well, it's not all bad." Robin said, "There are new ones growing already… and if we clear out the old destroyed parts. I'm sure the forest would regrow itself in a few years." 

"That's true…" Sabo said, "But at the same time, call it a hunch. But the static might be a problem, if it's not removed. It might stop new trees from growing completely." He said, before holding up his hand, and the static from around the area started to draw near him. And in a few seconds, it was fully gone. "But I think I can fix that issue…" 

"Heh, show off…" Luffy said, with a grin. 

While Sabo just chuckled, the rest of the crew was flabbergasted. 

"Since when can he do that?" Kuina asked.

"Yeah, is that some kind of Haki trick?" Usopp asked. 

Sabo blinked before looking at Luffy. Forgetting that most of them didn't know about Sabo eating the Goro Goro no mi. 

"Hm, so you ate the lightning logia fruit?" Robin asked, the first one to figure out. "Wouldn't Ace be jealous?" 

Sabo just chuckled, while the rest of the crew asked random questions at Sabo as they made their way to Shandora. Of course, as he walked, he had his power activated, taking away the static the land had. Sanji was intrigued by the ability, and even asked Sabo if he could teach it to him. 

Of course, Sabo had no idea, as he himself was learning about his own powers. And Sanji's powers weren't fully lightning-based. But still, after Shandora, Sabo agreed to do that. Both blonds were already used to training with each other so why not. 

As they reached near the location of Shandora, they found something interesting. 

This place, like the others, still got affected due to the fight. But for some reason, most of the destruction stopped around a hundred meters away from the city. It was as if there was an invisible barrier that protected it from the lighting.

It was an odd thing that was noted by Robin. But others didn't pay much attention to it. 

Another thing of note was that, the trees around the city were much larger and one could see, resilient saplings reaching skyward, attempting to reclaim the sun's nourishing embrace.