Departure from Skypiea, Heading to Alabasta!

"Dong~"

"Dong~"

"Dong~"

The melodic chimes of a bell echoed throughout the Kingdom of God. The sound was clear and resonant, gradually spreading across the entire kingdom. Then, it drifted down thousands of meters to the island of Jaya, where its inhabitants stood, staring blankly at the sky, listening to the continuous ringing.

At the coastline, Montblanc Cricket stood with his arms crossed, looking up at the sky, tears slowly streaming from his eyes. On a tree stump nearby, a book lay open, its pages flipping rapidly in the sea breeze until it reached the final page.

On the deck of his ship, Sanders briefly glanced in the direction of the bell before turning his attention to the blueprint Gan Fall had retrieved. As expected, the levitation technology used in the Ark Maxim was not Enel's invention. It was an ancient technology that had existed on Skypiea for a long time.

The reason the Skypieans hadn't utilized this technology was because the machines required electricity to function. The Ark used ancient levitation technology to stay afloat, and with the help of jet dials and fans for navigation, it became a vessel capable of flying to the moon.

With the blueprint for the Ark Maxim, Sanders could now build his own flying ship. This was crucial for him, as he needed a flying vessel to seek out Golden Lion Shiki and obtain the power of the Float-Float Fruit.

As the scientist Vegapunk once said: "The entire world will sink into the sea!" This was why the Celestial Dragons lived atop the Red Line and wore those strange diving suits. Though Sanders didn't know when the world might be submerged, he knew he needed a backup plan—whether it was Skypiea, the moon, or the Float-Float Fruit.

He needed the power of the Float-Float Fruit. Equally important, he needed the power of Poseidon. Once the world was flooded, Poseidon's power would be even more terrifying. When he gained the Float-Float Fruit's abilities and had floating islands under his control, he planned to keep Princess Shirahoshi close by to continuously develop Poseidon's powers.

Following the blueprint, Sanders worked on modifying his ship. He first requested 50 jet dials from Gan Fall. His ship was much smaller than the Ark Maxim, so he didn't need as many as the original 200. He also had the Shandians bring him some gold to serve as conductive wiring for the ship.

After ten days of modifications, Sanders' flying ship was finally complete. Though the size hadn't changed, it now had the ability to travel through the air. After stocking up on supplies, Sanders summoned the Shandian chief and Gan Fall to inform them of his upcoming journey.

"Master, how long do you plan to be away this time?" the chief asked respectfully. The Shandians were extremely grateful to Sanders. They had returned to their ancestral homeland, rekindled the Light of Shandora, and were rebuilding their home on Upper Yard.

"I'm not sure," Sanders replied after a brief thought. "But while I'm gone, I expect you all to get along. No more conflicts."

He cast a glance at Gan Fall, who immediately spoke up, "We've already reached an agreement with the Shandians. We've established trade relations, and they've even allocated some land for us to cultivate."

Gan Fall knew this was a subtle warning from Sanders. Despite the Shandians' small numbers, if a war broke out, they wouldn't be able to defend Upper Yard. However, after intense negotiations, both sides had come to an agreement. Upper Yard would belong to the Shandians, and the Skypieans would engage in trade with them while also being granted a small piece of land for farming. Given the Shandians' small population, the chief had reluctantly agreed to these terms.

"I don't care about your affairs. Here's the training method for Armament Haki and Observation Haki. While I'm gone, you should focus on protecting this place," Sanders said, handing over a few sheets of paper.

He also explained that what they called "Mantra" was actually Observation Haki. Since this was now his territory, he needed to ensure their strength improved. After all, the Blue Sea dwellers frequently came to Skypiea in search of treasure. He didn't want to return only to find that Skypiea had been wiped out.

"Understood, we will protect your territory," the chief and Gan Fall replied respectfully.

"Do you not wish to take a few people with you?" the chief suggested, hoping that Sanders would bring Wyper along. It would give Wyper a chance to see the world and also prevent the Skypieans from daring to reclaim Upper Yard.

"No need." After a moment's thought, Sanders declined. Wyper was strong, but he needed him to stay behind and defend Skypiea. As for the attendants Gan Fall had suggested, Sanders planned to wait until he had acquired the Float-Float Fruit. His ship was too small to accommodate many people, and with the constant battles he faced, anyone who lacked strength wouldn't last long.

After a few more instructions, Sanders set sail and began his descent back to the sea.

As his ship reached the surface of the ocean, Sanders received a call from Shakky on the Sabaody Archipelago. She informed him that someone resembling Issho had been spotted in Alabasta.

"Alabasta, huh? What a coincidence," Sanders muttered with a smirk, pulling out a map and setting course for Alabasta.

After several failed recruitment attempts, perhaps this trip to Alabasta would yield two new crewmates.

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T/N:

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