The Golden Bell

The air cracked as Jacob shot forward at supersonic speed, his blue flames leaving a trail of heat behind him.

Before Yamato could react, Jacob's fist slammed into her gut.

BOOM!

The force sent Yamato crashing through the remains of God's Shrine, her body skidding across the ground.

Blood dripped from her lips, yet she grinned.

"Hah! Finally, you're using your devil fruit to fight me!"

Jacob landed in front of her, his flames raging.

"You ruined my fight, Yamato!" His voice carried through the trembling Upper Yard. "I was this close to awakening my something! And you—YOU ended it in one hit!"

Yamato wiped the blood off her chin, her grin never faltering.

"If you're mad, fight me, Jacob!"

BOOM!

They clashed.

Yamato swung her kanabo, coated in black Armament Haki. Jacob barely dodged, his speed allowing him to avoid the brutal strikes. Each impact of her weapon sent shockwaves through the island.

Jacob countered. He launched a flaming kick, but Yamato tanked it, her Haki protecting her.

For the first time, Jacob realized just how durable she was.

Minutes passed. The battle raged on. Their duel destroyed what remained of God's Shrine, leaving only rubble and scorched earth.

Finally, Jacob fell to one knee, panting.

Yamato, though bruised and bloodied, still stood.

She grinned victoriously. "You're strong, Jacob, but not strong enough to beat me yet!"

Jacob glared.

Jacob crossed his arms in God's Shrine's ruins and said, "And since you ruined it for me, I'm never letting you fly with me again."

Yamato froze. "…Wait, what?"

Jacob turned away smugly.

"You heard me. No more free flights."

Yamato's face paled.

"H-Hey, come on! Don't be like that! That's unfair!"

Jacob ignored her, collapsing onto the ground.

As the dust settled, Kuina, Carina, and a still-skittish Desire approached, taking in the wrecked castle and their exhausted leader.

"Did you two seriously destroy an entire palace because of an argument?" Carina sighed, rubbing her forehead.

Desire slowly sat down, hugging her knees. "This crew is insane…"

Meanwhile, on Nami's Cloud…

Flying toward Upper Yard, Nami's sharp eyes spotted a tiny figure on a broken dial-powered boat.

A small Shandian girl, barely older than nine years old, struggled to steer as the boat wobbled dangerously in the White Sea.

Before she could crash, Nami swooped down and caught her, pulling her onto the cloud.

The girl looked up in shock, trembling slightly.

"…You okay, kid?" Nami asked, frowning.

The girl clutched her tiny fists, nodding hesitantly.

Porche tilted her head. "Why pick her up? She could be one of those God's warriors."

Nami rolled her eyes. "She's just a kid, you idiot."

Porche pouted. "…Still suspicious."

Kaya smiled gently. "Don't worry, we'll keep you safe."

The Shandian girl remained quiet, staring at them with wary but curious eyes.

***

Jacob suddenly felt a wave of angry presence rushing toward them from the jungle.

Yamato, Kuina, and Carina stiffened.

Jacob wiped some blood from his mouth and slowly stood up. "Looks like we've got company."

A group of fierce warriors burst into the ruins from the dense jungle, their weapons ready.

At the front was Wyper, his face twisted in rage.

He immediately took in the scene—the wrecked God's Shrine, the destruction surrounding it, and the group of outsiders.

His sharp eyes landed on Jacob and his crew.

"Who attacked Nola?!" Wyper's voice boomed, and the other Shandians snarled in agreement.

Behind Wyper, a man with cropped silver hair and a massive battle spear stepped forward.

His name was Kamakiri, one of the strongest Shandians.

His cold glare settled on Jacob. "You outsiders… did you do this?"

Jacob glanced at Yamato.

Yamato laughed awkwardly. "Well… technically… yeah."

The Shandians bristled.

"This land belongs to us," Wyper declared, stepping forward. "Upper Yard is ours."

Exhausted but still standing strong, Jacob met Wyper's glare without flinching.

"Girls and Yamato… handle them. But no killing!"

The girls sprang into action.

Yamato grinned and charged straight at Wyper, her kanabo clashing against his bazooka. The impact shook the ground.

Kuina clashed swords with Kamakiri, her Wado Ichimonji proving superior to his heated spear.

Carina used her ability to manipulate sound to disorient the Shandians, making their movements sluggish and uncoordinated.

Desire reluctantly drew two cards and threw them in the air. One summoned barriers to protect herself, and the other traps restricted the enemy's movements.

Wyper kept fighting despite being beaten multiple times by Yamato.

But eventually, he collapsed, panting heavily.

Jacob walked over to the defeated warrior, crouching beside him.

"You can't be arrogant without the strength to back you up," he said firmly. "Get stronger, or you'll never reclaim your land."

Wyper gritted his teeth in frustration but said nothing.

Jacob pulled out his den den mushi and spoke into it.

"Nami, get over here. We're done."

***

Jacob flew effortlessly, carrying Kuina, Carina, Desire, and Yamato toward the golden bell resting atop the clouds.

Yamato's eyes sparkled with excitement as she gripped her kanabo.

"I always wanted to hit something shiny!" she shouted.

BOOM!

Her kanabo slammed into the bell. A deep, resounding chime echoed across the sky.

— Donnnnng! —

The sound traveled downward, piercing through the White Sea, past the sky islands, and into the Blue Sea below.

At Cricket's Home—Jaya

Cricket sat on the edge of the coast, exhausted. He and the Saruyama Alliance had searched for days, diving deeper and deeper in their hunt for the City of Gold.

And then…

A sound.

— Donnnnng! —

His eyes widened.

He stood abruptly, staring at the sky.

There, high above, silhouetted against the sun, he saw them:

A man with a long nose.

A tall woman with mighty horns.

Three other figures standing beside them.

Tears welled in his eyes.

He smiled without realizing it.

"Noland… you weren't a liar after all."

***

Nami steered her constructed cloud as she, Porsche (still hugging Suu), Kaya, a reluctant Conis, and little Aisa arrived at the ruined God's Shrine. Gan Fall followed behind them on Pierre, his strange bird-horse hybrid.

Their eyes widened at the sight before them.

The once-mighty shrine was in ruins.

Scattered across the area were dozens of unconscious Shandian warriors, including their leader, Wyper, who was still collapsed from his defeat.

Gan Fall's expression turned grim. "What happened here…?"

Then—

— Donnnnng! —

A deep, echoing bell chime rang through the sky.

Nami snapped her head upward and froze.

There, gleaming in the sunlight, was a massive golden bell.

Her eyes sparkled like jewels.

"Gold…" she whispered, barely able to contain herself.