"Noland!!"
"You must come back again someday!!"
"Noland!!"
"I will wait for you here!!"
"I will keep ringing this bell forever!!"
"So that you will never lose your way upon this vast sea!!"
"Noland!!"
"Even if storms descend upon the ocean"
"You will still be able to find this island!!"
"I will continue ringing the Golden Bell!!"
"I swear it!!"
"I will wait for you forever!!"
The voices of the past seemed to echo through the heavens themselves.
A promise forged between two warriors.
A vow that transcended oceans, time, and death.
Even after four hundred years
its will still endured.
This…
was the story of the great explorer Mont Blanc Noland and the great warrior Kalgara.
The legendary bond between the Sea and the Sky.
Sniff…!
Riva hurriedly turned his head away.
Yet tears still streamed uncontrollably down the face of the towering Marine officer.
A man over two meters tall
crying silently like a child.
He tried desperately not to make any sound.
After all, there were too many people watching.
It was embarrassing.
But no matter how hard he endured
his eyes remained red.
Even Kuina lowered her head quietly.
The atmosphere had become strangely heavy.
A friendship separated by fate…
A promise never fulfilled…
It was enough to move anyone who heard it.
"It's a shame…"
Wyper slowly exhaled smoke from the cigarette between his lips.
"That farewell became eternal."
"Our ancestors fought against the Skypieans until their deaths."
"We lost our homeland."
"And the Golden Bell gradually became nothing more than a legend."
"Even we descendants have never seen its true form."
His voice carried deep unwillingness.
That regret
had been passed down through generations of Shandians.
The desire to ring the Golden Bell again had long since become their obsession.
"Wyper…"
Gan Fall sighed heavily.
"I promise you."
"Such tragedy will never happen again."
"The Skypieans are already tired of war."
"Peace between our peoples is something we must achieve."
Gan Fall spoke sincerely.
As the God of Skypiea, no one understood the suffering caused by the war better than him.
For four hundred years
both sides had paid a painful price.
And the origin of everything…
lay in a misunderstanding.
Four centuries ago
Upper Yard was suddenly blasted into the White Sea by the Knock Up Stream.
The people of Skypiea witnessed an unfamiliar island descending from the heavens, accompanied by the ringing of the Golden Bell.
At that time, civilizations were primitive.
Fear of outsiders and conflict over territory became inevitable.
Thus
the war between Skypieans and Shandians began.
The Skypieans possessed the advantage in numbers and terrain.
The Shandians, meanwhile, were gradually pushed into a corner of Upper Yard.
Generation after generation
they continued resisting.
Attacking.
Retaliating.
Trying to reclaim their homeland.
That hatred eventually became the situation of today.
"Gan Fall…"
"If you truly intend to return Upper Yard to us…"
"Then I will personally persuade the chief."
Wyper finally spoke seriously.
At this moment, he no longer cared about war.
He only wanted to find the Golden Bell.
He wanted to fulfill the promise made by his ancestors.
He wanted the descendants of Noland
to hear its sound.
Because that bell…
represented the friendship between Kalgara and Noland.
It was proof that their ancestors had never betrayed one another.
Soon after
Wyper returned to the Shandian village alongside the wounded warriors.
The elderly chief immediately sensed something unusual.
He originally suspected the Skypieans had laid some kind of trap.
After all, the elite warriors sent by Wyper had returned completely defeated.
However
after listening to the entire explanation
the old chief fell silent.
"So that is how it is…"
His aged eyes trembled slightly.
"The Skypieans wish to return the Holy Land…"
"And a Marine from the Blue Sea defeated that thunder tyrant…"
The old chief pondered for a very long time.
Finally
he made his decision.
"We will accept."
The surrounding Shandians widened their eyes.
"Chief?!"
"There are fewer and fewer people in the tribe now."
"Our current homeland cannot support future generations forever."
"Moreover…"
"That Marine woman possesses overwhelming strength."
"If she personally guarantees this agreement…"
"Then perhaps things truly can change."
The old chief's gaze became distant.
After decades of conflict
even he had grown tired.
Hatred alone could not feed future generations.
"Since the Skypieans wish for coexistence…"
"Then we cannot lose our dignity either."
"We Shandians are warriors."
"Not beasts driven only by vengeance."
The old chief ultimately chose peace.
Later
Wyper returned to Angel Island once more.
Both sides gathered again at the agreed location.
Gan Fall looked visibly relieved after hearing the answer.
"Then let this agreement be established today."
Wyper crossed his arms and nodded.
"It's a deal."
Then he glanced toward Saint Roselith Seraphina and Cricket.
"Let these two serve as witnesses."
"A descendant of Noland…"
"And the benefactor who saved Skypiea."
"Perhaps this truly is fate."
Gan Fall smiled warmly.
"I sincerely request…"
"That Rear Admiral Saint Roselith Seraphina of the Marines…"
"And Mr. Mont Blanc Cricket…"
"Witness the eternal peace between Skypieans and Shandians."
"I have no objections."
Seraphina answered calmly.
"Neither do I!"
Cricket agreed immediately.
Under the witness of the Marines and the descendants of Noland
the Skypieans and the Shandians formally signed a peace treaty ending four centuries of war.
Of course
whether this peace could truly endure forever
no one knew.
Different customs.
Different cultures.
Different histories.
Conflict would inevitably arise again someday.
But even so
peace itself was worth pursuing.
At least for now
the people of Skypiea were smiling sincerely.
And to Seraphina
that alone already held meaning.
No more bloodshed.
No more hatred.
People of different races laughing together peacefully.
That was the ideal world she wished to see.
"So…"
"Where is the Golden Bell?"
After the ceremony ended, Wyper immediately rushed toward Upper Yard.
Cricket hurried after him as well.
Compared to political matters
this was what they truly cared about.
The homeland of Shandora.
The City of Gold.
And the legendary Golden Bell.
"It's… not like that."
A Skypiean guide scratched his head awkwardly.
"The Golden Bell only exists in legends."
"As for hearing its sound…"
"I always thought it was just a fairy tale."
Wyper froze.
"What…?"
"The City of Gold does exist."
"There's gold scattered throughout Upper Yard."
"But we've never seen any Golden Bell."
The Skypiean honestly revealed everything he knew.
The expression on Wyper's face gradually darkened.
"Impossible…"
"The stories passed down by our ancestors cannot be false!"
"Kalgara would never lie to us!"
"There must be something wrong somewhere!"
Cricket's expression became equally serious.
Because
he also believed Noland's records were true.
"There really is no Golden Bell."
"We're not deceiving you."
The Skypiean hurriedly explained.
"Could there really be some mistake?"
Cricket muttered.
Almost simultaneously
both he and Wyper realized the same thing.
The City of Gold existed.
But the Golden Bell was missing.
Something
did not add up.
At that moment
a Marine captain approached quickly.
"Advisor Cricket."
"Rear Admiral Saint Roselith Seraphina is preparing to depart."
"Our mission objectives have already been completed."
The existence of Skypiea had been confirmed.
Eneru had been captured.
Relations between Skypieans and Shandians had stabilized.
From the Marines' perspective
the operation was already complete.
"Wait!"
"Please wait a little longer!"
Cricket and Wyper shouted simultaneously.
Neither of them wanted to leave behind regrets.
The Marine captain spread his hands helplessly.
"I can't make that decision."
"If you want more time…"
"You'll have to ask Rear Admiral Seraphina personally."
"…Understood."
Cricket inhaled deeply.
No matter what
he had to find the Golden Bell.
Because somewhere
across four hundred years of history
two men were still waiting for the sound of that bell to echo once more.