[86] A New Era

[2415 words]

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[Dawn]

"Let's go, I'll take you to Gan Fall."

The Shandia had time to prepare, every one of them going to meet the Skypieans at first light.

"It will take at least half a day to get to the God's Shrine," the wolf-helmed Chief interrupted.

Damien did not answer and instead gestured toward the girl at his side.

*Crack!*

The Chief looked around to see cracks form on the solid cloud beneath them. His shock could not factor in as a large portion of the island cloud was plucked from the ground and taken into flight as per Aurora's wishes.

"We'll be there in twenty minutes."

[Chief Image (in Discord)]

…

[God's Shrine]

Gan Fall sat at his seat, reading up on some reports. Yet a sudden chill birthed a foreboding feeling in his heart.

"Kami-sama! I-It's the Shandia, t-they're here to attack us!"

Gan Fall shot out from his seat, rushing to see a darkness approach.

"They don't have the ability to perform such feats, it must be our... guests."

His lead guard was sullen, "Should we prepare to fight?"

"..." Gan Fall ran through a few thoughts before deciding, "Ready the guards, though I want to hear them out first."

Moments passed as the mobile cloud shuttled toward the Shrine, clicking into the island cloud itself.

The Shadia onboard were ambivalent on how to proceed.

Their instincts told them to attack, but one look at Damien and Aurora brought them back to reality.

'We are offerings to his desires,' the Shadia Chief helplessly thought to himself. 'I hope he is more like Noland than the ones who came to exterminate us centuries ago.'

.

"Yo, Gan Fall," Damien remarked, waltzing onto the Shrine's territory. "I take it you've met the Shandia Chief before."

The Skypiean God met the eyes of the Chief and slowly nodded.

"I appreciated your hospitality from earlier," Damien stated in a firm voice and went on to reassure, "I will not repay it with bloodshed."

His words did not carry any threat, rather as if they were between old friends.

Gan Fall sighed and gestured to his men to lower their weapons.

"People of the Blue Sea are quite the characters…"

…

[Ten Minutes Later]

The God's Shrine had become a potential battlefield.

Shandia warriors stood on one side while the Divine Soldiers were on the other.

Vaper was at the front of the Shandia, his eyes glued to the Skypieans.

The lead guard of the Shrine was just as critical, his weapon in hand.

The only reason they did not charge one another was due to the meeting between the three top dogs.

Plus, there was a towering and quiet young woman who sat at the edge of the Shrine, watching their every move.

.

[Inside the Shrine]

"Just like that?"

Damien nodded, "I know you've sought to end the war but were unable to do so due to the social conflict between the two sides. Well, now you have that chance."

Gan Fall felt things had changed way too fast, making it hard to believe.

Meanwhile, the Chief drank pumpkin juice at the side and waited.

"If it means achieving peace," the Skypiean God began, "I do not mind commanding my people to stop. I don't want this war to be the fate of our children."

He then candidly addressed his enemy, "The Upper Yard may be returned to the Shandia, in return we hope for pleasant times to come between our two races."

Such a simple conclusion was a mind-bending thought for the Chief.

He lightly sighed, pushing aside the memories of burying hundreds of his fellow people in this war.

Was their reluctance in his heart? Yes. But he lacked the strength to refuse.

.

"Shandia will strive for peace," he finally answered, "I also hope we can reach good tidings with the Skypieans."

*Twack!*

Damien clapped his hands, pleased with the outcome.

"Such a peaceful resolution always warms my cold heart. It really is a beautiful thing."

He then stood up and walked out from the Shrine.

"..."

Once bitter enemies, the Shandia Chief and the Skypiean God, were both now looking at one another with disbelief.

The centuries-long war had been resolved within moments and it was absurd in all ways possible.

.

Meanwhile, Damien made his way outside.

"Hmm," he mused, glancing at the clouds above that were pierced by Giant Jack, "Aurora, take us all up."

The girl nodded.

She raised her hands to her side as the aetherial energy burst out from her body. The violet mist streamed out, reaching from the center to the edge of the island cloud that held the God's Shrine.

The others could not even factor in what had happened before the entire cloud began to move, a huge influx of forces pushing it up the beanstalk.

…

"What's that!?"

The cry was shared by the others as they saw darkness afar.

"There shouldn't be another Island Cloud up here!"

Gan Fall and the Chief were blown away as they saw the floating cloud. Their surprise deepened as they saw the bright light reflect from the rising sun.

"That shine… could it be!?" Vaper muttered.

The Chief was just as blown away. His eyes teared up as he saw the giant bell that matched the tales of his predecessors.

"The Shandorian Golden Belfry Bell is actually right here!?"

Vaper lost his anger from before and was left with nothing but tears, "The Light of Shandora still burns bright!"

Thud!

Damien landed on the cloud, his boots sinking into the white ground. He faced the gargantuan bell made of dense gold that spanned dozens of meters.

[Bell Image (in Discord)]

"Incredible," Gan Fall muttered in shock.

The Chief nodded, silently watching as the pirate walked up ahead and turned to their two races.

.

"You've been fighting one another for over three and a half centuries now. Today will mark a new era."

Gan Fall, who was still hesitant, finally let go.

A deep breath later, he walked up and stood tall in front of the Skypieans.

"Chief!"

Vaper called out, his eyes harbouring hatred for the Skypieans.

"Kalgara fought to his death to protect our people and our way of life," the wolf-masked man answered. "Kalgara's final wish was to protect our land till Noland could return. Since he has died as well, we can only hope that one day his descendants can find us."

"What makes you think they are out there?" a warrior questioned.

The Chief, Shahem, smiled at his fellow Shandia.

"You are Kalgara's descendant—I'm sure there will be those who carry Mont Blanc Noland's wishes too!"

.

Shahem then walked forward until he stood side-by-side with Gan Fall.

"You fulfilled your promise, Pirate from the Blue Sea." He slightly lowered his head and declared, "Shandia will fight for you!"

Damien nodded at the man with the wolf helm, pleased with the result.

Gan Fall thought for a second and gave his thoughts, "If not for you, the children of Skypiea will grow to know war, but not anymore. You are more worthy of the title of 'God' than me."

Damien raised an eyebrow, "You would offer me your entire nation just like that?"

Gan Fall smiled, "Just like that."

"Rahahaha!" the pirate laughed, "looks like people of the skies are also quite the characters."

.

The Sin Incarnate then turned toward the bell and walked up before its massive size.

"Let the echoes of the Belfry mark this day…"

A thunderous punch shot out, slamming at the thick golden bell, sending shocks through it.

The clapper of the bell hit the outer shell, sending out a deep and dull sound that spanned the entirety of Skypiea.

*Clang!*

The residents of Angel Street all simultaneously looked to the sky as the deep echo resounded the streets.

A silence pervaded, only interrupted by the revolutionary noise from above once more.

They did not know what it meant but every one of them had a feeling that a great change was coming to Skypiea.

.

While the Shandia had started to accept their new reality, another scene was taking place, one with Aurora at its center.

Her eyes locked onto the blue stone wedged into the bell's base.

"Poneglyph, just like the one at my island," she muttered.

"Yes, another one."

She turned toward Damien, who had appeared, and asked, "Are they worth all this trouble?"

Damien smiled, "What do you mean?"

"You wouldn't go to so much effort to end a war spanning centuries just to get some warriors under you," she bluntly replied.

"Hey, Hey, are you saying I'm not a nice person who wants to bring peace to the skies?"

"..."

Damien gave a wry smile as he heard no response from the girl, just a blank stare.

"Ahem, well, let's just say the Skypieans, the Shandia and even the Birkans have a strong connection to the truth behind the world."

"In my readings of countless textbooks and pages of information, I came across another species that were hailed as 'Gods'," he explained. "They were called the Lunarians."

Aurora narrowed her eyes at the name, unable to make any connections.

"From what I read, these 'Gods' inhabited the Red Line back in the Void Century. With the ability to create flames, donning black wings and having the strength and restorative capabilities true to their title of Gods."

"Lunarians, named after the Moon itself," he concluded.

Aurora quickly connected the dots, "And these winged people, all hailing from the Moon… you think they're related?"

Damien shrugged, "Maybe, maybe not."

"All I know is that the Shandorians alone were a threat large enough to have the First Twenty Kingdoms yearn for their treasures. Who knows, this investment might turn up quite well."

He then grinned, "Plus, their wings may be a decoration, but what if they weren't?"

Aurora nodded, her eyes sparkling over the insinuation, "An aerial unit with centuries of battle training… It would be a powerful force."

.

Damien then turned to the stone and knocked on it.

"They are surely a special kind, Otherwise, why would they be given the location of an Ancient Weapon?"

The information brought the girl to great shock once again, "A-Ancient Weapon!?"

Damien closed his eyes and opened his ears to the whispers of the stone.

"..."

"It's at a place we've both visited: Fishman Island."

Aurora took in a deep breath, inhaling the barrage of forbidden knowledge.

"If the World Government finds out abou-"

"They surely already know," the Sin Incarnate interrupted, "but it's not time yet. The Weapon comes in the form of a Mermaid Princess who can control Sea Kings—one that has not yet been born."

Damien eyed the curious girl and shook his head, "It's too early for Poseidon anyways, but you now know why the Government is so adamant about knowing about the Styx Passage."

"...Right, you can control them as well."

Damien chuckled, "Control is a strong word—I can only command the weaker beasts. The extent of Poseidon is far beyond me."

…

[Later that Day]

The news of the end of the war that had lasted around 360 years had graced the rest of Skypiea. 

It brought out some mixed emotions. 

The older generation who had lived through the conflict were unsure about it, while the younger generation threw their hands up in celebration.

The people of Shandia had similar thoughts; however, under the mandates of their respective leaders, they could only swallow their unrest.

Beyond that, one thing that had the Skypieans vocal was that Gan Fall had passed on the title of 'God' to someone else, a foreigner from the Blue Sea!

Damien, however, was quick to dismiss Gan Fall's action, letting him and Shahem look over the future of Skypiea while he watched from afar.

.

"I am glad to have agreed to your words, Lord Pirate," Shahem spoke up.

"The Skypieans have offered aid to help us reconstruct Shadora from its ruins. Even Nola, the ancient giant python, has come to protect our work."

Damien recalled the humongous snake he had seen from above, nodding at the words.

"It will take years, maybe even a decade, to fully incorporate your two races to truly become peaceful, but it's a start."

Shahem nodded, his eyes glowing with gratitude, "Yes. Though I do have a question..."

Damien gestured to him to continue.

"I know you mentioned the name of Noland, do you think his descendants are out there?"

The pirate leaned into his seat, sipping the saké in hand. An image of a chestnut-headed pirate came to mind from his previous life.

"The Mont Blanc Family lives, whether they can find their way here is up to fate."

Shahem nodded, content with the information, and left right away.

Surely, there was a lot of work for the two-winged societies to accomplish before reaching the level of cohabitation.

…

[Nightfall]

Damien returned to his room at one of the Island Clouds.

Most of the Skypieans were still awake. Some celebrating, some rejoicing, some even looking forward to the future.

The reconstruction of Shadora was put into order and expected to take a while.

The red-eyed pirate was about to rest until he felt a shadow at the door of his room. "Come in," he called out.

*Creak*

The wooden door opened up, revealing the lithe figure of the young woman.

"What's up?"

Aurora stood at the door frame, unmoving.

Her eyes locked on Damien who was seated on the side of the bed, still by the doorway.

She stared blankly for a moment before speaking, "Can I stay with you tonight?"

"..."

Now it was Damien's turn to pause.

He wryly smiled at the girl, "Looks like you gave up your inhibitions faster than I imagined."

"Y-You said I should let go of my messy thoughts and be selfish," Aurora beamed a smile, her voice shifting into a shier one. Her gem-like eyes shone past the dimly lit room and were glued to Damien with great attachment.

"Well, that's about as blunt as I remember you being back at Amethyst Kingdom," Damien muttered.

.

The young man got up from his seat and walked toward the doorway and stood a meter away from the girl.

"You know what happens when a girl comes to a man's room in the middle of the night?" he asked with a thin smile.

Aurora did not speak, though the ruddy cheeks gave away her false bravado. Ultimately, she didn't move away, but rather, into the room.

What happened next was forever hidden under the veil of the night.

To Be Continued…

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Author's Corner.

That brings Skypiean forces under control. I do see Oda bringing it back for some crazy plot, he has a thing of going full circle. Let's see how it goes.

Images are available on Discord alongside other niche details: https://discord.gg/aJHHHPvb6q